The First Advice.

AND first of all, Advice 1 'tis very advisable for them sometimes to call to mind that they are Creatures; That an Infi­nitely Wise, Powerful, and Good Be­ing made them what they are; That the Powers they have of Thinking, Acting and Enjoying, are all his Gift; and as the Life they have already Liv'd, and all the Blessings of it, are owing to His Goodness and Support, so every Minute of their Life to come, and all their Hopes and Expectations, depend entirely upon His Care and Providence, who Governs and Disposes all things which He at first Created.

Such Reflections as these, if at all dwelt upon, and pursu'd any thing home, will Imprint so Aweful, and with all so Lovely an Idea of God upon the Mind, and give a Man so true a No­tion [Page 4]of Himself; as will be a Great Se­curity against those many Miscarriages incident to Youth, and be the Ground­work of an Excellent Religion.

So long as they remember, that up­on God is their whole Dependance; that every thing they Love and Delight in is deriv'd to them from Him: The Quicker Apprehension young Persons have of the Excellency of their Nature, and the Plenty and Happiness of their Circumstances; the fonder they are of their New-springing Life; the more they are sensible of the Blessings that surround and smile upon them, and pleas'd with the Prospect of many Hap­py Years to come; the more Reason will they find to Admire, and Love, and Praise the Divine Author of all this, and endeavour still to continue in His Favour, and by no Means to for­feit His Blessing, by any Instances of Disobedience.

No Argument can be more enga­ging to Exact Duty, than such a one as this: ‘My All's at stake, I must [Page 5]be Govern'd, or I'm undone; All I enjoy I have from His Bounty who commands me this; and if I lose his Favour, he withdraws his Blessings, and I shall no more enjoy any thing. Besides, the Guilt of basest Ingrati­tude will sor ever lie heavy upon me, should I deny Obedience to my greatest Benefactour; to whom I owe whatever I delight in, and even my very Life.’

‘If Infinite Beauty and Infinite Good­ness will not command my utmost Services and sincerest Love, what will? And where can there be more perfect Beauty and Excellency, and greater Goodness, than in Mine and the World's Creator! who hath com­municated Being and Happiness to all the Universe, and by whose Bounteous Hand we are all supply'd, with abundant Plenty of our proper Good!’

For the same Reasons therefore that we love any thing, we shall find our selves strongly engaged to Love our [Page 6]Creator infinitely more; and Imitation and Obedience will naturally follow True Gratitude and Love. So that

Would Young Persons be but per­swaded, Eccles. 12.1. as the Wise King Advises, Thus to Remember their Creator in the Days of their Youth; That His Hands have made them and fashioned them; and trace their Life and their Happiness up to its Eternal Spring: And would they do this seriously, and not too seldom, what Religious Affections would it not excite?

What Self-Annihilation, and Hum­blest Thankfulness; content in every Change of their Condition, and Mode­sty and Moderation in their greatest Prosperity! What Admiration at the Divine Wisdom, and Power, and Goodness, and entire Resignation of themselves to all his Disposals, and re­solv'd Conformity to all his Pleasure! And what a happy Influence upon their future Life, such a Temper of Mind as this would have, is not to be ex­press'd.

The Second Advice.

BUT Secondly, Advice 2 Let them Remem­ber too that they are Christians; the Disciples of Jesus, that Eternal Son of God, the King of Glory, who is the Saviour of the World. Who, from a most deplorable Condition into which Mankind had plung'd themselves by Sin, by his Bitter Sufferings in their stead, and cruel Death upon a Cross, Redeem'd and Rais'd them up to In­finitely Happy Circumstances, and most Glorious Hopes. And that upon this Reasonable Condition only, that they Believe what He has done and suffer'd for them to be sufficient to their Salva­tion, and trust in it as the only Merito­rious Cause of it; and give full Assent to the Great Truths He hath made known to them, and carefully observe what He hath commanded, in the Gospel Revelation. All which was en­gag'd [Page 8]for them in their Baptism, or Admission into this Happy Society, and which they have since Agreed to and Ratified in their own Persons, at their Confirmation.

There is no Title in the World, that carries with it so much Honour, emp [...]ys so much Happiness, and reminds of so much Duty, as that of Christian.

It bespeaks a Man a Friend and a Fa­vourite, Rom. 8.14. &c. nay a Brother of the Son of God, receiv'd by Adoption into the same near Relation to the most High; an Heir of God, and Coheir with Christ of Eternal Glory in the Highest Heavens. 1 Joh. 3.2. Where he shall be made Like to his Heavenly Father in all his Communi­cable Excellencies; and in the Bosom of Jesus for ever enjoy the most con­summate Felicity. And all this from a state of Enmity with God, and open Re­bellion; which had deservedly brought His Curse upon him, made him the Object of the Divine Hatred and Ven­geance; which would have made him extremely Miserable to Eternal Ages, [Page 9]had not the most Compassionate Jesus made an Attonement with His Blood, and Introduc'd this wondrous Happy Change.

But then, what Vast Obligations lie upon all Christians for such Amazing Favours as these!

As first, so far to know themselves, as to Live suitable to the High Honour conferr'd on them by God; which the Apostle stiles Walking worthy of the Vo­cation wherewith we are call'd, Eph. 4.1. and not to Degrade themselves by vile and finful Courses. If God has rais'd 'em from so Low and Miserable, to so Glorious and Happy a Condition, 'twill be Inexcusa­ble Meanness of Spirit, and contrary to all the Principles of Honour, to become Slaves and Drudges for such pittiful base things in comparison as the Objects of Sense, and the Enjoyments of Brutes; and forgetting their Treasure in Hea­ven, the Crown that awaits 'em there, employ all their Thoughts and their Di­ligence, upon the Trifles of this Earth.

Again; If they are the Purchase of the Son of God, Redeem'd by the In­estimable Price of His most Preci­ous Blood, from the Extreamest Mi­sery; there's all the Reason in the World, that they should entirely De­dicate themselves to His Service, as no longer their own, 1 Cor. 6.20. and Glorify that Bles­sed Saviour of theirs with their Bodies and their Spirits which are his.

Would a Slave, ransom'd from the Mines or Gallies, think much for ever to serve and obey his Redeemer!

Would a Wretch, condemn'd to the Rack or Wheel, there to be Tortur'd to Death, think any thing too much to do, for that dear kind Man, who procur'd for him his Pardon! Can his Life and his Liberty be employ'd better, than in doing him Honour, to whom he owes both! And how would our Blood rise against that ungrateful Wretch, who would take no Notice of all this; or at most, return a few cool dry Thanks, and refuse some easy reasonable piece of Service that [Page 11]was requested of him, or put it off, till he had nothing else to do!

What Love and Duty then can be enough, to the Great Saviour of the World, from Misery infinitely greater than the most witty Malice upon Earth could e're invent, and which too Never, Never should have End; and who, besides, has rais'd us to a State as Glorious and Happy, as that we are redeem'd from, would have been Wretched and Miserable!

And can we think the most Com­passionate Jesus, who underwent such barbarous cruel Usage, and lost his Life in Torment for our Sakes, would e're require of us unreasonable Things? No, no; All His Commands are Holy, Just and Good, contriv'd on purpose to carry on the Gracious Design of making us both now and ever com­pletely Happy; and that at length, we may have full Possession of what he has purchas'd for us.

That he may see the Blessed Effects of the Agonies and Travel of his Soul, and [Page 12]conduct his little Flock (which Mens own Obstinacy does make so little) into the blissful Kingdom of his Father; That where he is there they may be also, Joh. 17.24. and behold and partake of his Glory.

How can we better spend the Prime and Flower of our Age, than in the Service of so Good a Master, and who himself did lead the way; perform'd what he requires of us; and made his excellent Precepts look still more lovely, by the Lustre of his own Ex­ample!

Nothing can more commend the True Nobleness and Generosity of our Spirits, than in the midst of those Temptations which surround us at our First Entrance into the World, to Re­member our Obligations to Jesus our Best Friend; and freely lay our Fortunes, our Strength, our Reason, our Affecti­ons, our very Life, down at his Feet, to be entirely Govern'd and Directed by him; who once, as great a Person as he was, submitted to Poverty, suffer'd the greatest Hardships, and e're he ar­riv'd [Page 13]to half the Age of Man, became a Sacrifiee for us.

Certainly we can't but think this highly reasonable; especially since we are so firmly engag'd to it by the most Solemn Promises and Vows; which every Christian, we know, as such, lies under.

And therefore, unless we think that Youth will excuse us from every thing of this Serious Nature, and that the Pro­mises we make to our Creator and our Saviour, are of less Regard than those we make to Men; we must, upon all accounts of Honour and Justice, as well as the Reason of the Thing, apply our selves, and that with the soonest, to be as good as our Word, and conform our Faith and Practice to the Gospel Revelation; as being the Condition, necessary to be perform'd on our Part, in order to our being finally the bet­ter for what Christ has done on His. And that such is the Condition, no grown Christian, that has been duly instructed in his Religion, (as we all [Page 14]along suppose those to be, to whom these Advices are given) can be to learn.

The Third Advice.

OUR next Advice therefore to Young Persons shall be, Advice 3. relating to their Christian Faith; or in what manner they are to give their Assents to the Great Truths revealed to us in the Gospel.

And but too much need there is of Advice in this Case, in an Age when 'tis accounted a great piece of Folly and Meanness of Spirit, strange Credu­lity, unbecoming Rational Creatures, to Believe any thing that they cannot fully understand and Comprehend; where­by the Aweful Mysteries of our Holy Religion, which make it to be what it is, and distinguish it from all others; by the ill Arts of Sophistry, far-fetch'd [Page 15]Glosses and Interpretations of Men over­confident of the reach of their own Understandings, are brought down even to nothing, and made Contemptible.

But if this be not the very Height of Prophane Arrogance, what is! 'Tis the Destruction of all Divine Faith, and the greatest Ridiculing of Reli­gion, when the most exalted Truths of it shall be twisted about and distorted according to Mens extravagant Fancies, and made to submit to the Imperfect Reasonings of every Bold Intruder, that is Wise in his own Conceit.

The Advice of St. Paul therefore is Highly needful to be recommended to all young Persons (whose forward­ness and warmth of temper makes 'em generally too apt to grasp at eve­ry thing, and confide too much in their own Wit and Parts) St. Paul's Advice, I say, is very necessary for all young Persons in this Age of Reli­gious Scepticism and Infidelity, which we have in 1 Cor. 3.18. Let no man deceive himself; if any man among you [Page 16]seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise. That is, they should so far distrust their own Reason, in things of so Sublime a Na­ture as those we are now speaking of, as to move with the greatest Caution and Modesty in their Enquiries about such Truths as these. And tho, as 'tis fit they should, they make the best use they can of the Understanding God has given them, and endeavour by all due Means to Brighten and Improve it; yet still, Revelation should be va­lu'd as the surest Guide, and all their own Notions humbly submitted to it.

For, consider a little; Does not com­mon Experience assure any Man that will attend to it, how very Imperfect Humane Reason is at best? Don't we daily find that every Man's Understand­ing is of a very narrow Capacity in this World, and that in things much more within our Reach than the Depths of our Religion are?

Now let any sensible Man say, which is the most rational Course for a Man, [Page 17]contrary to his own manifold Experi­ence, and that of all the World, to centre in Himself in his Enquiry after Truths of the most exalted Nature; or in a due Sense of the Defects of his own Reason, to be very Diligent in seeking out, and making use of bet­ter Helps, and readily Assent to them upon the Testimony of the Divine Revealer, tho' he cannot Comprehend the Immense Truth, no r say, How such things can be?

The things we now speak of, are such, as are utterly beyond the Reach, not only of Humane, but perhaps of any Created Understanding; and which, as they cou'd never have been known by us at all, had not God been pleased to Reveal 'em; so, now they are Re­veal'd, cannot be known perfectly and throughly, by any but the Divine Revealer. But now, every Man must needs confess, that things of so High a Nature, may be nevertheless True, for being Inconsistent with a poor igno­rant Mortal's former Notions and Con­ceptions. That is in short, an Infinite [Page 18]Understanding may Reveal, what a Fi­nite Understanding cannot Comprehend; which yet ought by no means to be an Argument against the Truth of the Re­velation.

And who that is a sincere Lover of Truth, but would most willingly em­brace it, in what manner soever it might come to his Notice! How glad of greater Light in this Dark World, tho' for the present it may Da­zle his Undestanding by its unusual Brightness, and make him the more sensible of the Darkness he was in be­fore! Especially, when assur'd, that it proceeds from the Father of Lights, in whom is no Darkness at all, who is the Eternal Source of Truth, Infinitely Wise and Good, that can neither Deceive nor be Deceiv'd, Psal. 36.9. and in whose Light above it is, that we can really see Light.

'Tis worth our while to take No­tice here of the Behaviour of our Lord and his Apostles, towads the too curious Inquirers into the Secrets of the Kingdom; who we shall find have [Page 19]met with a Reprimand from them, in­stead of any more Particular Satisfac­tion.

Thus when Nicodemus hear'd our Saviour Discoursing of the New Birth of a Christian, John 3. and Interpos'd this Question, How can these things be? He could have no direct Solution of his Doubt; our Lord only upbraids his Ig­norance of what his own Religion might have furnish'd him with some Notion of, and again affirms the Truth of what he had before asserted, and then Diverts to something else

And at another time, when talking with the Jews about his being the True Bread, that came down from Heaven, John 6. and of the necessity of Eating his Flesh and Drinking his Blood, if they would have the true Life and Spirit of Reli­gion in them; He returns no other Answer to their Question, How can this Man give us his Flesh to eat? than by Affirming, that His Flesh and Blood were Meat and Drink indeed; and how exceeding happy the Effect would be, [Page 20]of eating the one, and drinking the o­ther; and even to his own Disciples, all the Satisfaction he thought fit to give, so far as we can learn, was only this, The Words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are Life.

When he discours'd of his being the Son of God, and One with the Father, and that from all Eternity, tho' in ap­pearance but a mean afflicted Man; which exceedingly enrag'd the Jews against him, and urg'd them to Blas­pheme: His way was only again and again to assert and affirm it, and demon­strate that it was so, by his Miracles; still leaving 'em in the Dark as to their Enquires how it could be so. And so for the Mystery of Trinity in Ʋnity, which is plainly enough Asserted both by himself and his Apostles; neither he nor they, ever attempted the Expli­cation of this Mystery, any more than they did of the rest.

Indeed St. Paul gives the Corinthi­ans some Description of the manner of the Resurrection of the Dead; 1 Cor. 15. which yet [Page 21]must be allow'd to be One of the Great Mysteries of Christianity: But then we may take Notice, that to the curious Enquirer, How are they Dead rais'd up, and with what Body do they come? He ushers in his Answer, with this very plain Rebuke, Thou Fool.

Now, since our Blessed Lord and his Apostles, thus wav'd the giving any Particular Explications of these, and the like Mysterious Truths, which yet they would have given, had it been needful, nay, so much as expedient, espe­cially when so often urg'd to do it, methinks, it should be a sufficient Cau­tion to every Man else, not to Intrude too far into those things which he has not seen. What they thought fit to leave as Mysteries, to be only Believ'd and Reverenc'd by Christians; methinks none that come after them should of­fer to unveil; but chuse to exercise their Faith about 'em, rather than their weak benighted Reason; and ev'n in the necessary Defence of them, follow the Scriptures as their surest Guide.

And how happy would it have been for the Christian Church, had these Depths been always venerated at a Di­stance! And that Quickness of Parts, and Warmth of Temper, duly employ'd in Provoking to Love and Good Works, and in Confirming more and more the Foundation of our Faith, which was abus'd in Digging up and Destroying it; and Ruining that Charity, without which, tho' a Man speaks with the Tongues of Men and Angels, and un­derstands all Mysteries, 1 Cor. 13.2. and all know­ledge, St. Paul says, He is nothing.

And if such way of Proceeding in these matters would have been the truest Wisdom in the Ages past, no doubt but it is so still in this. The sad Consequences of the want of which, and crying up the contrary Practcie, of laying open all Mysteries, are but too well known. It has indeed expos'd Re­ligion to Innumerable Wounds from all its Adversaries, and tends more than we can imagine, to Atheism, and all manner of Looseness and Debauchery.

Highly needful therefore is it to give our young Reasoners Warning of so Dangerous a Rock as this, and per­swade them to avoid it. And before I put an end to this Advice, which is of such mighty Consequence, let me appeal to their own Unbyass'd Reason, Whether a Man would not be better, much better employ'd, in humbly and thankfully embracing, what God has been pleas'd plainly to Reveal to his Church concerning the Incarnation of his Divine Son; for Instance, God Ma­nifest in the Flesh to destroy the Works of the Devil; and in sincerely endeavour­ing to Imitate his most excellent Exam­ple, and pay Obedience to his Holy Pre­cepts, than in making curious and nice Enquiries into the Nature of the Personal Union, which the more it is pry'd into, the more Humane Wit will be confoun­ded, and nothing in the Conclusion but a Pernicious Brood of Heresies?

Does it not more become us heartily to rejoyce in the Satisfaction Christ has made for Sinners by his Bitter Death and Sufferings, and continually to pay [Page 24]our Humblest Acknowledgements, and Devoutest Praises, to God and Jesus for their wondrous Love, and make it our great Endeavour to perform those Con­ditions, upon which alone we can be Sharers in his Merits? Does not this be­come us better, than to raise subtile Que­stions, and be always Quarreling about the Nature of that Satisfaction; and in the Scuffle commit such Wickedness, as will render it unavailable, if persisted in, to those that are so unchristianly engag'd?

The like may be said of the Mystery of the Adorable Trinity in Ʋnity; con­cerning which, Thus much I may say, I hope, without Offence, That to be con­tented with what the Scriptures have plainly told us in this matter, and to give all Honour and Glory, Love and Obedience, to the Great Creator, Re­deemer, and Sanctifier of the World, God Blessed for evermore, is more agree­able to the Piety and Humility of a Christian, than to tear the Church in pieces, and give the Enemies of our Faith too much occasion to Blaspheme [Page 25]and Ridicule it, by so fiercely opposing one another in our Explanations, of what will be an Inscrutable Mystery when we have done all.

Finally, I may add, That he is much the wiser Man and better Christian, who with all due Awe and Reverence, and Preparation, frequently Adresses him­self to the Holy Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, and endeavours, in good earnest, to keep the Pious Re­solutions he then makes; than he who perplexes himself, and disturbs and em­broyls the Church, about the manner of our Saviour's Presence there, and of our receiving him. And I can't but think Solomon's Counsel in this, as well as other Cases, to be very excellent, and worthy of our greatest Regard; Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own understanding. Prov. 3.5.

The Fourth Advice.

HAVING thus endeavour'd to secure the Faith of young Per­sons; Advice 4. the next thing to be taken care of, is, their Obedience.

Now the Main Spring of this, is a Devotional Temper of Mind, and a Quick Taste and Relish of good things; whereby we become fully perswaded, that 'tis not only our Duty, but our greatest Interest, upon all Accounts, to be Religious. This will make us em­ploy our Thoughts, our Desires and Af­fections, upon Divine Objects in Good Earnest, and Quicken us on in the ways of Christian Vertue, with Satisfaction and Delight. Whereas, when Men are Cool and Indifferent to things of this Nature, Religion soon degenerates into bare Formality, and from thence decays into Nothing.

The great Business then, is to engage the warm Affections of Youth upon Religion, before they are too far taken up with other things; to turn the stream of their Passions into the right Channel betimes, before they are Ha­bituated to some other Course; nothing being more Difficult than when they are so, effectually to direct and keep 'em right.

My next Advice therefore is, That they would cherish that Natural Dis­position to Devotion, which is in most young People, before it is Destroy'd and Quench'd by Vice.

Now by Devotion I mean, ‘A set­tled Temper of Mind, arising from a Due and Lively Sense of the Su­preme Excellency of God and Reli­gion; whereby we entirely dedicate our selves to his Service in the way he has directed; and in all things endeavour, and that with Warmth and Spirit, to behave our selves to­wards him, as befits both him, and our selves.’

I have given this Description of it, that we may know how to Distinguish it from Superstition and Enthusiasm, which are the two Mimicks of Devo­tion, and often borrow its venerable Name: And 'twill not be amiss, if be­fore we proceed any further, we con­sider a little the Several Parts of this Description, in order to our Forming right Apprehensions in a thing of so great Consequence.

First then, True Devotion is a Set­tled Frame and Disposition of Mind; or such an Habitual quick Sense and Re­lish of Divine Things, as is ready to exert it self in Proper Acts upon Just Occasion, and Converse with God in Pious Thoughts and Desires; or Dis­course of Pious Subjects, pro Re Nata, as Things offer themselves, and that with a kind of natural Freedom, Ease and Pleasure, as a Man talks with, or of a Friend, or any thing else; that he Admires, Reverences and Loves.

Our seating it in the Mind is to shew, [Page 29]that those who place it in any thing that is external, are mistaken in it; and the greatest Bodily Severities, the Life of a Hermit, Pilgrimages, and Prayers, and Presents, tho' made to the greatest Favourite of Heaven, Pomp and Splendor in Religious Worship to the highest Degree, and the like, all this is not Devotion, for that's seated within; and if the Mind may all the while re­main Dead and Cold to Religion, as certainly it may, we must then call it by some other Name.

For the same Reason Devotion does not consist in Rejecting all this, and conversing with Heaven only in hollow Sighs and Groans, without any out­ward Expressions of it at all; unless it be some odd convulsive Motions, which are to shew, it seems, as some will have it, the mighty Force of the Impressions made within upon their Spirits. Men may be equally devoid of a truly Pious and Devout Temper and Disposition, that over-value, or utterly cry down such outward Religion as this: And 'tis always a sign of Mens not [Page 30]knowing what True Devotion is, or else of their real want of it, when they are fierce and eager about what is so foreign to it; whether it be for or a­gainst it, is all one. Again,

We say 'tis a settled Frame of Mind; that sudden Heats, and Flights of Fan­cy, and bold Pretences to great Famili­arities and Intimaces with God, ex­press'd in long and warm Discourses with him, accompanied with Melting Accents, an easy Flow of Words, and Ge­stures full of Ecstacy and Rapture, and it may be Tears too, that such Fits as these may not be taken for Devotion.

If a Long Prayer would bespeak a Man Devout, then the Pharisees were so; who yet, as soon as Grace was say'd, Devour'd the Houses of the Widow, and were, in our Lord's own Judgment, the very worst of Men. And as for the other Ornaments of Devotion, they are partly Nature and partly Art, for which Men are beholden to their Con­stitutions, and to frequent Use and Prac­tice; and there are abundance of In­stances [Page 31]of very bad Men, who have Pray'd like Angels, when, at the same time, they were carrying on the most Hellish Practices.

Warmth and Fervour relating to things Sacred, no doubt does highly be­come us, and will be in some measure where true Devotion is, and 'tis what we are now perswading to; and no­thing in the World can be more apt to excite it, nor deserve it more, than the wondrous things of our most excellent Religion. But then it ought to be consider'd, that even this is not Devotion, but only an Attendant of it, a Bodily Passion that is stirr'd up by it; altho' it may, and does react upon the Mind, and heighten and encrease that which is truly so.

Thus the Fire that is brought to the Altar, first enkindles the matter to which it is apply'd; but then, that again adds Strength to the Flame, and makes it more vigorous and bright, till the Sa­crifice becomes a whole Burnt-offering.

All Tempers are not alike, nor are the best always equally in Tune; some are so Cool and Quiet, that nothing can Warm 'em to any sort of Passion; o­thers, on the contrary, immediately set on fire by every thing. In some the prevailing Mixture is Heavy, Melancho­ly, and others are Lively, Brisk, and Forward, which must needs cause great Variety in Mens outward Expressions of Religion; but to draw Conclusions from hence, as to the Inward Dispositi­on of their Souls, is of very Dangerous Consequence.

This indeed may be said, that those who are naturally Warm in every thing else, as young Persons generally are, 'tis an Ill sign, if they are not so in Religion too; and the Colder a Man's Temper and Constitution is, the more ought he to endeavour to Chafe, and Warm, and Inspirit it, that he may proceed more chearfully and feelingly in his Religious Duties. But after all, Sensitive Passions, or the Ferment of our Blood and Spirits must not be call'd [Page 33] Devotion, which, as was said, is a Di­vine God-like Temper of Mind, and en­tire Resignation of our whole selves to God, in the midst of our coolest Thoughts and calm Deliberation, nay of our greatest Aridites and Dejections of Spirit. In short, as an excellent Au­thor neatly expresses it, Dr. Scot. It does not come and go like the Colours of a Blush­ing Face, but is the natural and true Comple [...]ion of the Soul.

The Last Part of the Description of True Devotion wich I gave, tells us, That the Service it pays to God is in the Way that he has directed, and in a man­ner agreeable to the Divine Nature, and our own.

By this is excluded, in the first Place, all Superstitious Expressions of Religion, such as the Roman Fopperies we men­tion'd before. For tho' outward Re­verence be highly becoming in all Re­ligious Exercises, especially in Publick; yet it should be such as is Worthy of God, and may encrease, as well as express, the Devotion of our Minds; that so [Page 34]we may Glorisie the Infinite Majesty of Heaven both with our Bodies and our Spirits, which are his.

Now God is a Spirit; and Man, is Rational, and his Creature; and there­fore his Devotion and his Worship should be Rational and Manly, in Spirit and in Truth; Sincere, and issuing from his very Soul, as touch'd with the most Aweful Sence of the Infinite Ex­cellency of God, and the vast Distance of even the noblest Creatures from Him; especially of a vile ungrateful Sinner, who is the Object of his An­ger and Hate, and should therefore humble himself to the very Dust be­fore him, and be fill'd with deep Im­pressions of Shame and Self-abhorrence in all his Addresses to him. Which yet, the Wondrous Expressions of his Love to Mankind, in our Redemption by the Blood of Jesus, should clear up into Praise, and Joy, and Love, and highest Admiration at that which passes Knowledge.

But for a Christian so far to consult the Affecting of his Senses in Religious Worship, whether by a multitude of glittering Ceremonies, by Bodily Pain or Pleasure, or any thing of this Nature, as that he can attend to little else; I can't but think to be a very odd sort of a Devotion, and such as betrays un­worthy Apprehensions of the Divine Nature, in thinking he will be pleased with such Performances; and no less of our own, when we place our Devo­tion in them.

And no less unworthy of God, and unbecoming our selves, is the other Extreme, of rejecting all Order and De­cency in Religious Exercises.

It deprives him of that Publick Ho­nour and Homage, which 'tis fit the Lord of Heaven and Earth should re­ceive from his Creatures and his Vas­sals; and quite takes away all Face of Religion out of the World: Which yet, when in Conjunction with the Religion of the Mind, he has often [Page 36]declar'd himself well pleas'd with; and expresly commanded his Peculiar Peo­ple to pay him, and was their Director in the manner how, and never has for­bid to any since.

And nothing certainly more unbe­coming us, poor Sinful Dust and Ashes! and who had been extremely miserable, but that the Mercies of our God were Infinite; nothing more unbecoming us in our Addresses to him, especially in Publick, than to confine within our Breasts the Sence we have either of his Majesty or of his Mercy.

Rather with all humble Postures of our Bodies, and grateful Expressions of our Lips, should we declare to all the World, and glad of an Opportunity to do so, that there is an Infinitely Excel­lent, tho' to us Invisible, Being, to whom we owe all that we are, and have, and hope for, and to whom all possible Adoration and Praise is due.

And till of late, this was the Sence and Practice of all the World. But [Page 37]one Extreme generally produces ano­ther; and too much of outward Reli­gion in some, has been the occasion of none at all in others: Both equally un­reasonable, and far from true Devotion.

As for Familiarities and Intimacies with God, they are likewise utterly condemn'd for the same Reasons as be­fore, being only an Argument of Mens unmeasurable Boldness and Confidence, and that they very little understand, or will not understand, either God, or themselves. True Devotion, is the most Humble, Modest, Decent thing in the World; and is always attended with Reverence and Godly Fear. And therefore such Men would do well to consider that Passage, Luke 13.25, 26. where we find the Door is shut upon those, who, with great Assurance, could knock and cry, Lord, Lord, open un­to us; and plead great Intimacy too, We have eat and drunk in thy Presence, and thou has taught in our Streets; but still the Door continues shut, and this Killing Answer given 'em, Depart from me, I know, you, not whence ye are, [Page 36] [...] [Page 37] [...] [Page 38]ye workers of iniquity. And then it fol­lows, There shall be weeping and gnash­ing of Teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the Pro­phets, Persons peculiarly remarkable for their Great Modesty and Humility, and profoundest Awe and Dread of the Di­vine Majesty, and that tho' the Highest Favours were shown to them by God; when ye shall see these in the King­dom of Heaven, who were far short of you in their Pretences to it, and you your selves thrust out, as Bold and Con­fident Intruders.

There is one more Mistake in this matter, which it will not be amiss to take notice of; and that is, of those who are mightily for Blending Reli­gion with common Conversation putting every thing into a Religious Dress, and make this a great Argument of a De­vout and Heavenly Mind.

Now tho' I readily grant, that where there is True Devotion, innumerable Hints and Opportunities will be taken to dart up Pious Thoughts to God, and [Page 39]Holy Aspirations, and nothing more acceptable to him, nor a more becom­ing, and grateful, and beneficial Em­ployment of a Christian's Mind, and which I would therefore earnestly re­commend to the Practice of all good People, as the Beginning of their Hea­ven upon Earth: Yet Devotion being a Rational thing, all the outward Ex­pressions of it to Men must be guided by Discretion, and made use of only in proper Times, and upon just Occa­sion. But now, every Time certainly is not proper, nor every Occasion just for things of so Sacred a nature as is this we are speaking of: And at every turn, right or wrong, to wedge in a Reli­gious or Scripture-Sentence, and affect to speak nothing but the Language of the Temple; is the ready way to cloy Men with Religion, and make them nauseate the most Holy Things. And what has such a Tendency as this, is a Strange kind of Devotion; very In­discreet, if not much worse.

Having thus Consider'd the Descrip­tion we gave of true Devotion, in or­der [Page 40]to the preventing several great and dangerous Mistakes which are often made about it; before I proceed to Recommend the Practice of it to young Persons from the great Benefit and Pleasure that attends it, I can't but take notice, how true the Devotion of the Church of England is; and how in­finitely to blame, and without Excuse, those of her Communion are, if not truly devout.

Her Doctrine relating to it, is what we have now explain'd; and 'tis foun­ded on the Nature of God and the Na­ture of Man, consisting in what is highly agreeable to each, and exclu­ding Mens Private Fancies and Hu­mours, Superstition and Enthusiasm, and every thing that is unbefitting either God or our selves. And as for the Manner of expressing it, in Private we are left to our Liberty, provided we keep within the Bounds of Decency and Reverence. And in Publick, there is every thing that is needful to raise and increase true Devotion, and fix it upon its due Object, and make it look [Page 41]like it self; but nothing to divert the Mind from its Holy Employment, and divide and weaken its Attention, or make it degenerate either into Sordid­ness and cold Indifferency, or an un­bounded Liberty of Expression and Be­haviour.

How few, and how comely are her Ceremonies! Such as an humble Devoti­on would choose, were they not en­joyn'd; such as express with Decency, tho' without Pomp, the Inward Senti­ments of a Pious Mind, and distin­guish our Religious from Common As­semblies, and that's all. So careful is our Church not to give Offence, that altho' something more of this nature would not be too much, yet less than she pre­scribes would be indeed too little.

Her Service I may truly call Divine; it being, for the main, collected from the Holy Writings; and the rest taken out of the best Liturgies of the Pri­mitive Church. Compil'd it is with excellent Judgment, express'd in plain, but very proper Language, divided into [Page 42]short, but comprehenfive Collects; with variety enough to entertain the Mind, and prevent its tiring; but not so much as to scatter its Thoughts, and tempt it to lose it self in unprofitable Wandrings. And where all we have to do is to bear our part in it with all the Warmth and Fervour that we can, and to which the Brevity of each parti­cular Prayer does very much conduce.

As for the Musick of our Church, (in Declaiming against which, many are so strangely Religious, as to place a great part of their Devotion and Zeal, who really are Objects of our Pity as well as Indignation) no Man can ex­press to what a Pitch it wings Devo­tion, what Holy Flames and Ardors it excites, how it withdraws the Soul from Earth, and mounts it up to Hea­ven. Indeed, it gives the Highest Re­lish to Religion, and prepares the Mind for a due Reception of every thing that's good. The Pleasure it creates is so Refin'd and Spiritual, that Flesh and Blood can't bear it long; but faints, and almost dies away, as over­charg'd [Page 43]with Heavenly Delight. In short where there is never so small a Spark, 2 Tim. 1.6. either of Natural or Religious Fire, this will [...], awake and blow it up into a vigorous Flame.

And now 'tis time to recommend to young Peoples greatest Care the che­rishing, and more and more increa­sing that Natural Disposition, which they generally have to Devotion, from the Consideration of the great Benefit and Pleasure that attends it.

To begin with the Latter. And in­deed. True Devotion must needs be extremely Delightful, because the chief Ingredient of it is Love. ‘Tis a wil­ling Dedication of ones self to God, and a Warmth and Fervour in his Ser­vice, as a Being above all others in­finitely Lovely; and both to our selves and all the Creation, infinitely kind and good.’

Now there is no Passion so pleasing and delightful to the Soul as Love. It carries Pleasure in the very Notion of [Page 38] [...] [Page 39] [...] [Page 40] [...] [Page 41] [...] [Page 42] [...] [Page 43] [...] [Page 44]it, and all Delight does necessarily sup­pose it. And therefore, Devotion and Pleasure are as Inseparable as Pleasure and Love.

Indeed by Accident, Love may have some Mixture in it of Ʋneasiness; as when 'tis plac'd upon and Object empty and undeserving, and which at length does therefore balk and disappoint the Soul; or when the Object lov'd as yet can't be enjoy'd, which gives a Dash of Perplexity and Fear. But the Pro­per Act of Love is Complacency; and which, when God is the Object, must needs be Ʋnallay'd and Pure.

When, therefore, a Man has so Lovely an Idea of God, as entirely to Devote himself to him; and finds, that the closer he views him, and the more he knows of him, the more Beauties he still discovers, and has his Devo­tion and Love still more and more en­creas'd: How will his Delight Propor­tionably grow with 'em! How will he applaud his happy Choice, and say with the Seraphick Psalmist, One day in thy [Page 45]Court is better than a Thousand! Especi­ally when he reflects, with what Ten­derness and Endearment all his Addres­ses are receiv'd, and repaid with the most Affectionate Returns. No forbid­ding State and Pride, no unreasonable Reserves, nothing that will damp and chill the Votary's Affection; but all the Sweetness and winning Charms, that are apt to encourage and invite, and then to crown the highest Pitch of Love.

So that Devotion is Love Trium­phant; 'tis both Desire and Fruition: Desire that is sure of Success, and Fru­ition that fully satisfies, but never cloys. And were the Object is so infinitely lovely, the Love so entire, so pure, so reciprocal, and the Enjoyment so compleat; How truly Heavenly must the Pleasure be! For what are the Feli­cities of that Glorious Place, but the Re­sult of Devotion and Love! So true is that of Holy David, Delight thy self in the Lord, and he shall give thee the De­sires of thine Heart. Ps. 37.4.

But, Secondly, the Benefit of a De­vout Temper of Mind is as great as the Pleasure of it; and that,

First, Because 'tis so delightful. No doubt but whatever will fix and root Religion in the Soul, and make a Chri­stian stedfast and unmoveable in it, al­ways abounding in the Work of our Lord, ought to be esteem'd as highly Bene­ficial; but now, nothing more cer­tain to do that, than the Pleasure and Satisfaction we receive from it; when we find by our own happy Experience at present, that our Pious Labours are not in vain; and are assur'd, that the delight we now have in Religion, tho' it be very great, is but as the First Fruits of the full Plenteous Harvest of Happiness, which we shall reap from it to all Etenity in the Kingdom of God.

Devotion therefore making Reli­gion so delightful, will make it lasting too; and when its Pleasures have been so fully tasted by us, that the divine Relish of them is quick and lively up­on [Page 47]our Spirits, all Attempts to remove us from it, will be as ineffectual, as the Dashes of a Wave against a Rock.

But further: This devout Temper of Mind is highly Beneficial to us, because 'tis the Living Fountain under God, of every good Thought, and Word, and Work. It warms the Heart with Sera­phick Affections, sends up Heavenly Brea­things and Aspirations to God, and fills the Mouth with Halleluja's. It fur­nishes the Closet and the Church with Prayer and Praise, and joins us to the Angelick Choir above. 'Tis this sup­plies the Penitent with Groans that can't be utter'd; with Holy Sighs and Tears, and lays him prostrate in the Dust; and then raises him up to New and Heavenly Life. This 'tis en­kindles Zeal for the Glory of our Be­loved, and engages our best Endea­vours to promote the Interest of his Kingdom. In fine, this is the Life and Spirit of Religion, and derives it self from no less Principle than the Spirit [Page 48]of God. He is the great First Mover, and this his Powerful Instrument.

So that the Devout Person is truly [...], rightly prepared and dispos'd to Eternal Life, and has the Seed of God abiding in him; that bles­sed Principle of Spiritual Growth and Improvement, which will in due time exert it self, till he comes to the mea­sure of the Stature of the fulness of Christ, and is throughly furnish'd and instructed to every Good Work.

Nothing therefore is of greater Con­sequence to all People, but more espe­cially to those who are beginning their Christian Course, than by forming in their Minds true Apprehensions of God and Religion, and a frequent Retreat from the World, spent in Meditation and Prayer, and Conversation with Books of Piety and Practical Religion; to preserve and encrease such a truly Devotional Temper of Mind, as will make 'em pursue with Life and Spirit the great Business of their Salvation.

The Fifth Advice.

BUT, lest Warmth of Temper alone should be taken for Piety and De­votion, (as it too often is) and Re­ligion, by this means, degenerate into Hypocrisie, and outward Shew, and be­come Wordly and Designing, or at best humoursome and uncertain; 'tis high­ly needful to advise Young Persons, carefully to take heed of Insincerity: That their Affection to Religion be True and Hearty, fix'd and deep Rooted in their very Souls, and not made up of sudden Flashes of Passion, and a few Fits of natural Enthusiasm, which are often made use of to the worst of Pur­poses.

And, first, in General, let them con­fider, That whoever is Religious in­deed, his Aim and Design in the Prac­tice [Page 50]of Religion, is sincerely the same with that of our Lord in Teaching it; which was no other, than to Advance God's Honour, in the present and eter­nal Happiness of Mankind: By ma­king them Holier and Better, to ren­der their Lives easy and comfortable while upon Earth; and capacitate 'em for the Happiness of Heaven, when this short Life shall end. Thus the Apostle, 2 Tit. 11. &c. The Grace of God that bringeth Salvation to all Men hath appear'd, teaching us, that denying Ʋn­godliness and Worldly Lusts, we should live Soberly, Righteously, and Godly, in this present World: Looking for that Blessed Hope, and the Glorious Appear­ing of the great God and our Saviour Je­sus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all Iniquity, and purify unto himself a Peculiar People, zealous of good Works.

For this purpose then, our Holy Religion was taught us by the Son of God; and True Religion, no doubt, will effectually bring to pass that for which it was design'd: And he that [Page 51]is Religious indeed, is therefore so, that the design'd Effect may throughly be wrought upon him; in full perswasion, that unless it is so, his Pretences to Christianity, however warm and for­ward they may be, will signify nothing; and he must never expect to be really Happy here, or to give a good Ac­count of himself at the day of Judg­ment.

And consequently, his great Care is to be Master of the Power and Sub­stance of Religion, without which, the Form of it, tho' manag'd with ne­ver so much Decency, and Constancy, and seeming Zeal and Earnestness, is really but a Piece of Mimickry, a Holy Stage-play, an excellent Part Acted by an Ill Man in Masquerade. Which tho' perform'd never so much to the Life, is still without Reality; and therefore indeed puts an Abuse upon Religion, and robs God of his Honour, de­feats all his Gracious Intentions for our Happiness, and will be very Tragical in the Conclusion.

This in General. But more particu­larly, in the first Place, Let young Peo­ple have a care of putting on Religi­on, either as a thing of Custom only, an Ornamental Dress, to recommend them to the Good Esteem of the World, and get them Reputation; or to bring on Business and Preferment; or, which is still worse, as a Cover to vile Practices, which must be disguis'd before they can be put in excution.

If only the first of these be a Man's End in his Religion, Math. 6.2. our Saviour as­sure us, He has his reward; a few em­pty Commendations will be all his Re­compence.

But what a strange Religion is he of, who values the Praise of Men, more than the Applauses of his own Con­science, and the Praise of God! Our Lord's Directions are quite otherwise. Thou, says he to every one of his Disciples, shalt not be as the Hypocrites are, (whose Character we have, Mat­thew 6.) Take heed, let Secresie and Sincerity be mingled with all thy Re­ligious [Page 53]Performances, (which is the Sum of what is there diliver'd in this matter) and then, Thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

But if he further designs it as an In­strument of Wordly Gain and Ad­vancement, or a Disguise for those Ill Methods which he intends to take in order to them, this is rank Hipocrisie indeed. And not only the Pharisees of Old, but very many since, have ruin'd Kingdoms, as well as private Persons, by Prayer and Fasting, and the Sem­blance of an extraordinary Devotion. In short, he whose Religion is not at least as great in secret, in his Closet and his Bed, when only God can see it, as 'tis in Publick, when in the Eye of Men, ought to look upon him­self as a Diessmbler in it; especially if Gain he his Godliness, and Religion only made use of as a Hook to draw it to him.

Secondly, Let the employing our Zeal about the Circumstantials of Reli­gion only, be carefully avoided, (whe­ther [Page 54]in observing or not observing 'em is all one, as was touched before) when we neglect, and it may be vio­late, the Greatest Duties of it.

For can any Man be so weak as to believe, that the observing or not ob­serving such and such Modes of Wor­ship, can cleanse the Soul; and make it like to God, and fit for Heaven? They serve indeed for Decency and Order, when used with Judgment and Moderation; and ought not to be slighted and neglected, when enjoyn'd by Lawful Authority; but 'tis those Duties that will renew us in the Spirit of our Mind, and work our Souls into a Divine Frame and Temper, which should be a Christian's chief Care to practise in Sincerity of Heart.

Was it not Gross Hypocrisie in the Pharisees, to be more careful and dili­gent in Titheing Mint and Cummin, and Annise; in their Washings and Fastings, and Attendance at the Publick Offices in the Temple, and the like; than in performing the weightest matters of the [Page 55]Law, Justice, Mercy, and Fidelity; nay, indeed to Act quite contrary to them?

Would not the cleansing themselves from Extortion and Excess have been a much more becoming Employment for them, than to be always taken up with washing their Hands and their Garments, and Scouring the Cup and the Platter? These things ought ye to have done, says our Lord, and not to have left the other undone.

Let us beware therefore of Depend­ing too much upon our being of this or that Party, for or against such and such Ceremonies, going so often to Prayers, hearing so many Sermons, and the like: For 'tis not this that will stand us in any stead, unless we fol­low the Example of the Holy Jesus, walk as he walk [...] and adorn our Souls with the Graces of his most excellent Religion. And if we still are Envious and Malicious, Furious and Revenge­ful, Intemperate and Unchaste, Unjust and Uncharitable, and the like; and find our selves very little careful to [Page 56]mortify these vile Affections, spend­ing our Zeal and Warmth upon things of infinitely less Consequence; it must be concluded, that we are not yet Chri­stians in Sincerity. Our best Perfor­mances at this rate are but as a Sacri­fice without a Heart, which was always esteem'd as one of the worst of Omens, and an Argument of God's great Dis­pleasure.

Thirdly, 'Tis a very Ill sign when People pick and choose the Instances of their Obedience to the Christian Law; and make a great Shew of, and Stir about, some Particular Duties which are agreeable to their Natural Temper, and which they have no Temptation, or it may be Ability, to Transgress; and all the while Indulge themselves in the Sins they Love and Delight in, tho' never so expresly forbidden in the Gospel.

As if, for Instance; Because a Man's Constitution inclines him to be Tem­perate and Chaste, he should therefore place the greatest Part of his Religion [Page 57]in Chastity and Temperance, and in the mean time allow himself to be Censo­rious, Malicious, Covetous, Unjust, or the like; or, on the Contrary, because he is honest and good natur'd, tho' he Whores and Drinks, and lives like a Brute, yet shall imagine he may fare well enough, because he has no Gall in him, wishes no body any Harm, and is no ones Enemy but his own. But this is a Religion of every Man's own making, not that which our Saviour taught the World; 'tis as various as Mens Tempers, and at this rate, every Man will change his Religion, accord­ing to the Alterations of his Constitu­tion. Or rather, He will change the Instances of his Impiety; for True Reli­gion is always the same.

Nay, not only such and such a Con­stitution, but a vigorous Health, and a full Fortune, are necessary to the Com­mission of some Vices; and he, who in a Consumption of his Body or Estate, may pass for a Man of a very good Life; may yet, when Health and Plen­ty [Page 48] [...] [Page 49] [...] [Page 52] [...] [Page 53] [...] [Page 54] [...] [Page 55] [...] [Page 56]mortify these vile Affections, spend­ing our Zeal and Warmth upon things of infinitely less Consequence; it must be concluded, that we are not yet Chri­stians in Sincerity. Our best Perfor­mances at this rate are but as a Sacri­fice without a Heart, which was always esteem'd as one of the worst of Omens, and an Argument of God's great Dis­pleasure.

Thirdly, 'Tis a very Ill sign when People pick and choose the Instances of their Obedience to the Christian Law; and make a great Shew of, and Stir about, some Particular Duties which are agreeable to their Natural Temper, and which they have no Temptation, or it may be Ability, to Transgress; and all the while Indulge themselves in the Sins they Love and Delight in, tho' never so expresly forbidden in the Gospel.

As if, for Instance; Because a Man's Constitution inclines him to be Tem­perate and Chaste, he should therefore place the greatest Part of his Religion [Page 57]in Chastity and Temperance, and in the mean time allow himself to be Censo­rious, Malicious, Covetous, Unjust, or the like; or, on the Contrary, because he is honest and good natur'd, tho' he Whores and Drinks, and lives like a Brute, yet shall imagine he may fare well enough, because he has no Gall in him, wishes no body any Harm, and is no ones Enemy but his own. But this is a Religion of every Man's own making, not that which our Saviour taught the World; 'tis as various as Mens Tempers, and at this rate, every Man will change his Religion, accord­ing to the Alterations of his Constitu­tion. Or rather, He will change the Instances of his Impiety; for True Reli­gion is always the same.

Nay, not only such and such a Con­stitution, but a vigorous Health, and a full Fortune, are necessary to the Com­mission of some Vices; and he, who in a Consumption of his Body or Estate, may pass for a Man of a very good Life; may yet, when Health and Plen­ty [Page 58]comes, be quite another sort of a Creature.

But now, True Religion, is an Ʋni­form State of compleat Virtue; that is, is always the same in Kind, tho' not in Degree. The sincere Christian, what­ever he may do by Surprize or Inad­vertency, will not at any time, or in any Circumstances, allow himself in the Commission of any known Sin­ful Action, or the Neglect of any known Duty, let his Constitution or his Fortune be what it will. But is heartily griev'd, not only for his Sins, but for his Infirmities too, and in good earnest endeavours, in every thing, to preserve a Conscience void of offence both towards God and Man. Tho' nevertheless, the Degrees of his Virtue may and will vary, that is, be sometimes more Intense, and sometimes more Remiss, than usual, as long as he continues in this state of Imperfection.

Let every Man therefore have a care of a Partial, Humoursome Religion; [Page 59]which will prove, in the Conclusion, to be very little better than none at all.

And now, having Caution'd Young People against a Feign'd Hypocritical Religion, and shewn 'em by what Marks it may be known; let me desire 'em to consider the Ill Consequences of it.

And First, as to this World. What­ever Advantages a Pretended Religio­nist may Propose to himself, he, for the most, Fails of them, and is at length Detected, and found to be what he is. After all the Pains he takes to act his Part dextrously, and make his Dis­guise sit natural and easy; after all, his Fears of being out, and letting his Visour fall, and the continual Restraint he's fain to put upon his Natural Tem­per, denying himself many things, which otherwise he would and might enjoy: After all this, which is really more Trouble than he need be at to be a Christian indeed, some unlucky Ac­cident or other usually lays open all. Ʋnlucky, did I say, rather the contrary, [Page 60] Prosperous, Hipocrisie being the greatest Curse that God can Inflict, as confirm­ing the Wretch in it, and so sealing him up to Destruction.

Ill Practices can't long be so con­ceal'd, but thatsome body or other will find 'em out; and bad Practices, and sanctify'd Pretences agree so very Ill, that more Notice than ordinary will be taken of so great a Discord; and People have a strange Itch of telling to one, and then to another, the little Miscarrriages, much more the Crimes, of such as have the Repute of better Men than their Neighbours.

To be cheated, and it may be ru­in'd, by one whom we took for a Saint, is extremely surprizing; and will raise Mens Indignation to an extraordinary heighth, and make their Complaints loud and clamorous, and so the thing flies and spreads, and the Man is discover'd to be a Wolf in Sheeps Cloathing; and then there's an end of his Gaining by his Hypocrisie; for none but a Fool will have to do with a known Cheat, espe­cially [Page 61]a Religious one. So that Men are often ruin'd, rather than advanc'd by such Mock-Religion; and the Praise, that for a little while attended their fair Shews, becomes chang'd into last­ing Infamy and Contempt.

But suppose the Cheat is carry'd on so artificially, that 'tis not discover'd by Men, and as to this World the coun­terfeit Christian has his End: The poor Wretches Condition, as was hinted but now, is then but so much the worse, and really next to desperate, with re­spect to the Eternal World which fol­lows this. For indeed, Sincerity is all in all; 'tis that, when all's done, that must recommend us to the Divine Ac­ceptance; for what is there else on our Part that can do it?

How imperfect is the Religion of both Tables, and that even of the best and most truly good Christian upon Earth! How full of Ill Ingredients too, thro' the Curruption os sinful Nature, and the Temptations of the Devil! How guilty are we all of Sins innume­rable, [Page 62]in all our Relations; and those not of Surprize only and Infirmity, but too often with the Consent of our Wills, and that against the Disswasives of our Reason and our Conscience! For this, in Vertue of Christ's Blood, Repentance is the only Remedy. But then, how imperfect even at the best is that! So that unless the Sincerity of our Religion might be accepted instead of the Perfection of it, what would be­come even of the best Man living!

What have they to trust to then, that have no Sincerity; who in their Intercourse with God and Man are all over a Trick and a Lye? Do they think that God can't see through their Dis­guise, because, perhaps, Man could not; and that they shall pass undiscover'd into Heaven, because they have the out­ward Appearance of a Christian? But 'tis the Heart that God regards, the In­most Secrets of which lie always na­ked and open to his All-seeing Eye; and to whom the fairest Pretences imaginable will fignify nothing, with­out [Page 63] Truth in the Inward Parts, Psal. 51.6. as the Psalmist expresses it.

For other Failures, merciful Allow­ances, no question, will be made, by him who knows and pities our Infir­mities; but no Excuse for the want of Sincerity: That is Absolutely requir'd of every one of us, as being perfectly in our own Power, and without which e­very other Act of Religion is turn'd into a Provocation.

And if this be true, Lord, Job 27.8. What is the Hope of the Hypocrite? as Job says. His Trust is as a Spiders webb, and his Confidence, if he have any, shall but bring him to the King of Terrors. For whereon should he ground his Hopes? On the Merits of our Saviour? But he is no more a Saviour? But he is no more a Saviour to the Hypocrite, than the Hypocrite is a Disciple and Ser­vant of his: He was a Christian in Name, and no more, and Jesus will be his Saviour in name, and no more. And this was his constant Language, while upon Earth, Wo unto you Hypocrites, and why [Page 64]call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say?

And if he can't ground his Hopes up­on the Merits of our Saviour, where can he ground 'em else?

How necessary therefore is it for e­very Man, as he hopes to be sav'd, not to rest in the bare Shew and Profession of Christianity, nor vilely make Reli­gion an Instrument of vain Glory, or a Cloak for Wickedness; but resolve to be in his Heart, and in the Sight of God, what he appears to be to Men. That he who knowth all things, may know that he sincerely Loves him; and truly endeavours, tho' with great Mix­ture of Imperfection, to obey and serve him.

The Sixth Advice.

HAving thus endeavour'd to secure a warm and a sincere Sense of Religion in young Persons, Advice 6. which, where it is, must needs bring Happi­ness along with it, it will not be amiss to subjoin some Cautions against a few of those Failings and Miscarriages which they are most liable to, and which have a very unhappy Influence upon the whole Course of their Lives.

And first, Let 'em have a care of Rash­ness, and overhasty choosing or act­ing in any Instance of Moment what­soever. That there is very much of this in the World, especially among young People, is past a Question; and duly to Deliberate, tho' in things of Consequence, is look'd upon, and that justly, in such whose youthful Heat [Page 66]is not yet cool'd by Age, as an Argu­ment of a Person of extraordinary Hopes: This Prudent Caution, and Se­dateness of Temper, and wary Manage­ment of Affairs, being, for the most part, the peculiar Glory of the Hoary Headed. And even These must and do confess, That they too often observe some Remains of Juvenile Headiness in their Resolutions and Choices, and that more Coolness of Thought, and closer Consideration would have done much better.

What a Malevolent Influence such Inconsiderate Rashness has upon a Man's Happiness, common Observation will inform us; and I believe I may say, there is no Man living, that has not himself smarted for it, as well as ob­serv'd Multitudes of others to do so; and very probably does still, and al­ways shall feel the Ill Consequences of being led by a Headstrong Impetus of Passion, Resolving and Acting on the sudden without Due Thought and Deliberation.

And indeed, how can it be other­wise? How can Men expect things should succeed well that are done in a Heat, not examin'd half through, and so must needs have much more of the Venture in 'em, than any reasonable Se­curity of the Event?

'Tis true, there is something of the Venture in every thing relating to this World, and the most cautious wa­ry Men may find themselves mistaken; but then, this makes it still less a Won­der, that those should succeed amiss, who scarce Deliberate at all: And what is done at random, 'tis by meer chance if it hits well.

He that Considers well before he Acts, has time to look upon things from one end to the other, to turn and examine 'em on every side, and weigh and compare 'em together, and so in all probability, will make a much better Choice, than he that chops upon what comes next, and gives it but a careless passing Glance, and knows not its Ill Qualities till he comes to use it; and [Page 68]smarts for his Folly in making so ha­sty a Bargain, when 'tis gone too far to be recall'd.

But should a wary Man, after all, take wrong Measures, and be overseen, still he has this Comfort, That he did his best to prevent his being so; and may, by that very Oversight well observ'd and improv'd, be the less liable to be Im­pos'd on for the future. Whereas, when a Man reflects that his Ill Choice was wholly owing to his Rashness; that if he had deliberated a while, he might have done much better, and sav'd him­self those Troubles, and Vexations, and Entanglements, which now he must e'en submit to, and rub through as well as he can: This is a Cutting Thought, that will Exasperate the Mind to great degrees of Anguish, beyond the Power of ordinary Applications to alleviate.

Now when all this may be preven­ted, and a Man's Mind kept at Ease, and his Affairs manag'd happily, at the light expence and little trouble of a [Page 69]few cool Thoughts; who would not immediately begin the Experiment?

When a Man first begins to be his Own Governour every ones Eye is upon him; some with Ill design, others with Good; some to make a Prey of him, others to expose and laugh at him; and some few others out of a kind and generous Intention to set him right when he proceeds amiss. So that every thing that is Dear to a Man, his For­tune and his Reputation, his Quiet and his Innocence, all's very much con­cern'd in his prudent Management of his Affairs at first. More than ordinary Care therefore is needful to be taken, and more than ordinary Circumspection, when we walk amongst Precipices, and are in frequent danger of dropping in­to Ruine. 'Tis not our being arriv'd to the Years of Discretion, but making Due Ʋse of that Discretion, which bespeaks us Men; and this can't be done without more than a little Thought and Pro­ceeding leisurely, and making use of an experienc'd Faithful Guide too, in ways of Difficulty and Danger. And [Page 68] [...] [Page 69] [...] [Page 70]no Man's Circumstances can look more promising than his, who calmly makes use of his own Understanding as far as it will direct him, and then consults wiser Heads than his own, before he engages in any thing of Moment.

The Seventh Advice.

BUT Secondly, Advice 7. Let all young Per­sons beware of Pride and Ambi­tion.

As to the first, let 'em consider, That whatever makes Men Proud, is origi­nally the Blessing of Heaven, bestow'd upon them not for their own Advan­tage only, but for that of every one else within the Circle of their Conver­sation. Greatness of Quality suppose, to protect and encourage Virtue; Great­ness of Estate to minister to others Wants; the Endowments of the Mind, to qualify for good Government, and the Instruction of the Ignorant in all useful Knowledge; and Beauty, to ren­der us the more acceptable, and en­gage our Affections the more firmly to [Page 72]one another, by so Sensible an Argu­ment.

Now from this Observation, we may discover both the Vileness and Folly of this great Sin of Pride.

For to begin with Beauty: What can be a greater Abuse of this good Gift of God, and silly likewise to the last de­gree, than to be so over-opinionated of it, as to carry our selves high, and stately, and slightingly to others; and thereby turn so engaging a Motive of Mens Love, into an Occasion of their Hatred and Aversion?

And so, to be Imperious and Assu­ming, upon account of Birth, Quality, or Estate; to despise and trample upon In­feriours, and make use of Power and Wealth only to exalt our selves, and depress every body else: This is not only to run quite counter to the graci­ous Design of our great Benefactor, but is the ready way to make our selves the Calamity of Mankind, by the Ill use of that very Bounty of Heaven, [Page 73]which, if manag'd as it should be, would render us the Blessed Instruments of making all about us Happy.

And so for Wit and Parts; to make the Advancement of ones own Reputa­tion the cheif Aim, and to pride ones self in that, and despise and expose o­thers, instead of instructing and inform­ing 'em; much more, to corrupt their Minds, by instilling false Principles and Notions into 'em, to carry on the In­trigues of a Party, and raise a Name to our selves at the Price of others Ru­ine: This is Hellish indeed, the most impious Abuse of such noble Gifts, and very like the Destructive Pride of Lu­cifer himself. And 'tis the greatest Fol­ly too, it being the most effectual way utterly to destroy that Reputation which we design to raise.

Besides, great Disquiet and Discontent must needs fill the Breast of him, who is so exalted in his own Imagination, and yet finds, or at least thinks he finds so little proportionable regard from every body else. And very likely it may be [Page 74]so indeed; for the more a Man Idolizes himself, the less will he be respected by others, and really deserves to be so. And if he is so full of Resentment, as to discover it, and the Pride of his Heart together; this makes him still more despis'd, and that vexes and en­rages him still more, till something ve­ry Fatal is too often in the Conclu­sion.

If the Proud Man is great and pow­erful; then Oppression, and Tyranny, and Revenge, with all its dire Atten­dants: If in a meaner Condition, then Envy and Hate, undermining and blasting others, and all the sad effects of an exasperated Spirit. And if any smart Affliction befalls him; instead of Patience, Resignation and Repentance, nothing but Rage, and Fury, and wild Di [...]raction, ready to Curse God and dye.

So highly needful is it for every Man to beware of Pride; especially those whose Age and Circumstances render 'em most in Danger of it, thro' [Page 75]a full Possession of what is most apt to excite it.

Not but that a young Person may please himself in reflecting upon any of his Excellencies and Endowments; for who can choose but be delighted in the Possession of what is good and desirable? But then, God must have all the Glory, (for of our selves we are, and have nothing) and our Brethren all due benefit and advantage. We must not be the less, but rather the more affable and condescending; and despise and undervalue no Body. And in short, no other Affections must be suffer'd to arise in our own Souls by any thing that makes us thus differ from other Men, than Love and Thankfulness to our Divine Benefactor, and great De­sires, and frequent Resolutions and Con­trivances, of doing more and more good in our Generation.

Let a Man be thus dispos'd, and thus employ'd, and he need not fear the guilt of Pride; tho' at the same time [Page 76]he be very sensible, that he is not as other Men are.

As for Ambition, or eager Aspiring after Greatness; we may consider, that nothing is more common, than for Men, either to sink in the Pursuit of it, or to be undone by its Attainment.

And indeed, nothing has fill'd Hi­story with more Tragic Relations, than the Fate of Ambitious Men; whose ve­ry Methods too, of raising themselves, have prov'd at length their Ruine.

Very often Men Grasp at that, which they can't tell what to do with when they have it: For every one that has Vanity enough to think fine things of himself, and bustles mightily for an Employment equal to his fanci­ed Merit, is not therefore really cut out for such Employment. Some make a very Indifferent Figure in high Stations, who look'd well enough when more within their Element; and then, their Awkward Management, and it may be Insufficiency, exposes 'em to so much [Page 77]Shame and Contempt, and the Uneasi­ness consequent upon it, as must needs destroy their Happiness.

But make the best of the matter, and suppose Merit, and Ambition, and Suc­cess to go together; yet still there are those, whose Minds are as Aspiring to the full, and their Sense as great, and their Envy very quick-sighted, prying and inquisitive, restless and contrive­ing, ready to catch at and improve eve­ry little trip and miscarriage: So that indeed, unless there be an equal degree of Cunning mix'd with Ambition, the Man need only be left to himself, to do his own Business.

And whenever he begins to decline, either in his Fortune or his Reputation, and comes within their reach, they'll not fail to lend him their hands to bring him still lower, till they have him quite down, and by trampling upon him, raise themselves into his Seat.

In short, all Hights are unsafe and uneasy, and few Mens Heads are strong [Page 78]enough to bear 'em long; and how mi­serable a Fall is from 'em, I need not say: And therefore to be so hot in scrambling up to 'em, as 'tis seldom in­nocent, so is never wise. And when All's done, that's the most Lasting and best Relish'd Promotion of any kind whatever, which is least of a Man's own seeking, and comes on by easy, quiet steps. For it has none of those Worms at the bottom, which are ge­nerally found under Advancements of too hasty Growth; and which never fail to eat out their Heart, and soon reduce 'em to nothing.

If God's Providence designs a Man for an Eminent Station, he knows which way to raise him to it, and will capaci­tate him for it, and set him fast in it; and we may have observ'd, that those have been the greatest Blessings both to the Church and State, whose Pre­ferments have stolen upon 'em with least Noise and Flutter.

'Tis true, Men ought to have their Eyes open to see the Hand of Provi­dence [Page 79]in such cases, and humbly and thankfully to be directed by it, in ma­king due use of those Opportunities that are put into their Power to Im­prove. And 'tis as true, that what a Man may lawfully and honourable re­ceive, he may innocently ask for; and to be Above making any Applications towards the bettering ones Circumstan­ces, when there is just occasion for it, is a Spice of that Haughtiness of Temper we but now condemn'd. But to be eager and restless, and always upon the Hunt in things of this nature, no Man can justify. And those Alterations in a Man's Condition, tho' seemingly for the better, which look like the Effect of his own Bustling and Importunity, ra­ther than the Designation of Providence (which carries sufficient Marks along with it whereby it may be known;) seldom prove well in the Conclusion, as being, too often, not right in the Principle; at least, they are not so thoroughly happy, as those in which Providence is more remarkable than [Page 80]any thing besides; and which are therefore quite throughout Innocent.

A steady Belief of God's disposing all things with Infinite Wisdom and Goodness; and a full Perswasion, that what Additions of Worldly Good, in any Instance whatever, are fit for us to have, we shall in due time have 'em; together with an Innocent Diligence in the Station we are in at present: This is the true Temper of a Christian; and that alone which can render Worldly Greatness Safe and Easy.

Thus may we be advanc'd without Ambition; and in the midst of growing Honours, preserve that Calmness and Indifferency of Soul, which will insure to us Happiness, let things go how they will: Whereas, on the contrary, a Mind High and Aspiring will make it impos­sible for us to Taste it even in the most Flourishing Condition, and render the Straits and Neglects of Low Circum­stances utterly intolerable.

Now who would not Infinitely va­lue that Temper of Mind, and earnest­ly endeavour after it, especially in so sickle a World as this; which will make him happy in any Condition, teach him how to abound and how to suf­fer want, Phil. 4.11, 12. and in every state therewith to be content?

The Eighth Advice.

IN the next Place, Advice 8. Young Persons would be advis'd to preserve their Minds free from unclean Thoughts, and a too quick Resentment of things as Injuries and Affronts.

How very inclinable to both these, young People are, is too well known; and therefore, their Care and Watch­fulness ought to be equal to the Danger. They both proceed from that Warmth and Spirit which is in vigorous Youth, and are consequently the harder to be a­voided, having Nature so much of their side, which will make it necessary to use the more Diligence, and begin betimes, that better Affections may have the first Possession, and Nature become mended by Religion.

As for the first of these, the keeping the Mind chaste and pure from the De­filement of unclean Thoughts; besides that, 'tis the greatest Security against Speaking Filthily, (the most unbecom­ing thing in Nature to a young Mouth, especially that of a Gentleman) and Ac­ting so too; for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, and from the heart proceed adulteries and for­nications: Besides this, unclean Desires, should they proceed no further, must needs be an unspeakeable Plague and Disquiet to the Soul.

This Impure Passion is express'd in Scripture, and in our common way of speaking, by Burning; because of the uncontroulableness of it when suffer'd to get Head, and Impatience of Resistance. And therefore, whoever Indulges to Thoughts of Uncleaness, sets his Soul on a Flame; and must either suffer himself to be consum'd in the Fire, and fall a shameful Victim to his Lusts; or else with great Disquietude resist 'em, and strive against an almost Remedi­less Evil, which often grows the stron­ger [Page 84]for being oppos'd, and rages the more for want of being satisfy'd. And so, besides the guilt of entertaining those Impure Desires at first, the wretch­ed Creature has brought himself to this uncomfortable Streight, either to yeild to 'em, and suffer himself to be carry'd on whither the Torrent drives, which he can't but know, will upon all Ac­counts, bring him to certain Ruine; or else must spend his time in the most uneasy Employment, of checking Im­patiently strong Desires. But now, he that has begun to Purify his Soul be­times, and nipp'd unchaste Thoughts in their very first rise, and planted Pious Meditations in their Room, and is warm'd with the Fires of an Affectio­nate Religion; besides the Quiet and Serenity that attends Innocence, and a Conversation with the most full and satisfying Objects, there is this over and above, that in this Case there is no need of curbing and restraining our Desires: Devotion and Heavenly Love can never burn too bright, nor flame too high; the more vigorous they grow, the Soul is still the Happier; and Happiest of all is she, when quite [Page 85] overcome with the Divine Flame, and made a whole Burnt-offering to God. And as for the too quick Resentment of things as Affronts and Injuries; he that is of this Temper, and indulges himself in it, must bid Adieu to all Repose and Quiet. It cannot reasonably be Expec­ted, that every one we converse with should think as we think, and Act as we Act, and make our Interest theirs, and jump with us exactly in Disposition and Humour; and in all things observe the Rules of Decency and good Breed­ing towards us. Innumerable things, do what we can, will fall out cross and un­towardly; and the most Inoffensive Persons, partly thro' Mistake, partly thro' Imprudence, and want of Consi­deration, may make such Trips, as if Men are resolv'd to catch at every thing, may be construed in an ill Sense, and made the Occasion of a Falling out.

But then, the Question is, Whether 'tis not better, either by taking things by the best handle, and putting a fa­vourable Interpretation upon 'em, or else quite overlooking and passing them [Page 86]by, to live in Peace and Quietness; than by every such Accident to be blown up into Passion and Fury, and great In­decencies, and it may be so far trans­ported as to commit what we shall have Reason to repent of as long as we Live? For no Man can say before hand, how far his Passion shall pro­ceed. Prov. 17.14 The beginnings of strife, as Solomon says, being like the letting out of Water, very difficult to be stop'd again; and from a small Rill at first, growing into an Inundation that bears down all be­fore it.

It can't be deny'd indeed, but that sometimes there will be Just Occasion for Resentment; and when there is so, neither Reason nor Religion does for­bid it. But even then, some bounds must be set to it; as Prudence would tell us, if there were no such thing as Christianity. For really, a Man can't give his Adversary a greater advantage over him, than to heat himself out of the use of his Reason; he thereby lay­ing himself quite open to him, and per­fectly betraying himself into his power. [Page 87]And I'd fain know whether 'tis not much better, even in base of a con­siderable Injury, to endeavour to right ones self calmly and quietly, in the Methods that Cool Reason and Good Laws direct; than by following blind Passion, and I can't tell what Mistaken Notions of Honour, to be far more In­jurious to our selves than ever the great­est Enemy was, that we had yet to deal with?

What is this but to Punish our selves for other Mens Faults? To make our Lives extreamly troublesome and unea­sy, because such a one is proud and haughty, another silly and imperti­nent, a third behaves himself rudely and like an Ill-bred Clown, and a fourth it may be has made too bold with our Reputation, and said things of us which he cannot Justify? And there­fore, with great Reason, did Solomon say, Prov. 19.11 The discretion of a Man deferreth his Anger, and it is his Glory to pass over a Transgression. And in another place, Prov. 14.29 He that is slow to Anger is of great [Page 88] Ʋnderstanding, but he that is hasty of Spirit exalteth Folly. Which wise Ob­servations I shall leave to young Per­sons serious Consideration; and pro­ceed to

The Ninth Advice.

ANother piece of Advice which I think very needful to be given and observ'd, Advice 9. and that is relating to the common way of Conversation now in use; that they would have a care of Conforming too much to that; which, for the most part, is made up of Vanity and Censure, and a treache­rous collecting such Remarks and Obser­vations in one Visit, as may be matter for Invidious Reflections the next. And this is now become an Art, and set Rules there are of Learning and Practi­sing it; and a great Reflection it is upon a Man not nicely to observe 'em, especially if he transgresses on the good Natur'd side. And to encourage Peo­ples Proficiency, those that are most ready at it, and carry it most smooth­ly [Page 90]on, and with the least suspicion, and make most use of it upon Occasion, are esteem'd as Persons of the best Breed­ing and best Sense, and their Company Courted, as the most agreeable and di­verting.

This is that which we call Glozing and Complement, Expressions of Kindness and Esteem, without Sincerity at the bot­tom; when Mens fair smooth Beha­viour, set Flourishes, great Civilities, &c. is nothing but Dissimulation; and they are really upon the spy all the while, that they may discover some­thing in each others Discourse or Be­haviour, whereby they may Expose one another when there is opportu­nity. And this, as a choice Treasure, they lay up safely in their Memo­ries, and bring it out to the next Com­pany they are in, and shew it with all the Advantages that may be, Comment and Inlarge upon it, and recommend it as the Subject of every ones nicest and most critical Remarks, and so 'tis handed round. Which seems to be most exactly describ'd by the Psalmist, [Page 91]Psal. 41.6. And if he come to see me, he speaketh Vanity, his Heart gathereth Ini­quity to it self, and when he goeth abroad he telleth it. So that after all, 'tis an Old Fashion'd Vice, tho' probably the World has refin'd upon't, and im­prov'd it, by long Use and Practice; Wickedness, as well as other things, be­ing perfected by time.

Now that this is really the present Modish way of Conversation, every one that knows what Conversation is, must needs be sensible. What a World of seeming Endearment do we meet with every where? So many Fine Ex­pressions of Mens extraordinary Value, Kindness and Respect, such frequent As­surances of ready Service and Assistance, and the like; that did those deserve all this to whom it is given, and those that give it sincerely mean as they speak, we should have a Heaven upon Earth. Such great Desert and Excellency on the one hand, and so much Benignity and Rejoycing in each others Good, on the other, would make the World [Page 92]a Family of Love, and again give Oc­casion to the Wonder and Envy of the Enemies of our Faith, when they should see the Christians so entirely love one ano­ther. But what is at the Bottom of all this? Why truly, for the most part, either nothing, or what is very much worse. 'Tis either a set way of Con­versation, made use of Indifferently to every body, to shew the Man's Breed­ing, more than his Friendship; and tho' there is no Sincerity, there's yet as lit­tle Malice in it; or else 'tis design'd as a Snare, to trepan People into such Discourses or Behaviour, as may give Occasion for the exposing and ridicu­ling of them afterwards. And 'tis no new thing, for a Man to have as Ill a Character in good earnest given of him, and by the same Person, behind his back; as he had a Fair one, in Complement, be­fore his Face. Nay, those very things which were then spoken well of, and it may be deserv'd it, shall have quite another Gloss set upon 'em, in the Company where it may be Acceptable.

What more usual than for People to be upon the Pump in their Visits? Ma­king use of little sly Arts and Fetches, to discover one anothers Thoughts of this or that Person, such and such an Action or Occurrence, how they are inclin'd in such an Affair, and the like; and all this on purpose to make 'em the Subject of the next Discourse, to display their want of Wit, or Breeding, to call in question their Prudence, or their Principles, and not seldom to make a breach between Family and Fa­mily, Friend and Friend, whose good Correspondence, and right Understan­ding, they before envy'd, and would fain destroy.

And how happy do some account themselves, in Plenty of such kind of Observations! which, to be sure, shall lose nothing in their Communicating 'em to others, nor fail of their End for want of any Additions that are ne­cessary. Their Company, they think, can't but be very diverting, which will make Men so knowing in other Folks Matters, and furnish Ill Nature [Page 94]with so many choice Topicks for Cen­sure, and Occasion so much of a Laugh. And if a loud Whisper will recom­mend any thing of this Nature, and make it fly further in the Disguise of a Secret; then it shall be disclos'd with seeming Caution as a great Trust, an Argument of the Confidence they have in you; when all the while they're upon the watch what your Sentiments will be of the matter, and as officiously carry them back to the Party concern'd, as they brought their Treacherous Re­marks of him to you. And thus is the Fire of Contention kindled, and that too often, beyond all possibility of Ex­stinction.

That this is no Feign'd Description of modern Conversation, I may Appeal to any Man's own Observation, and to very many's Practice. But now, one would wonder, what should Incline People to it. Whether Pride and En­vy, which prompts Men to sink every Bodies Reputation but their own; whe­ther Malice and Revenge, which takes this secret undiscover'd way to return [Page 95]an Injury; or that Hellish Temper of doing Mischief for Mischiefs sake, and making sport with setting People toge­ther by the Ears, and exposing and de­riding one another: Whether all, or any thing of this Nature, or whatever else it is that puts Men upon it; this is certain, that nothing can be said in its Justification; and every one condemns it when himself is concern'd in it; nay, Men can't but have very ill Thoughts of such as they know are of this vile Temper, altho' not touch'd by it themselves, and tho' the Newes they bring of others too, may be Ac­ceptable enough.

And indeed, there can be no worse Ingredients of Society, than outward shews of Friendship and Endearment, where there is no Sincerity; especially where the most Treacherous Observa­tion of what may be to a Man's Preju­dice is conceal'd under it, and that with an Intention of divulging it the next opportunity.

The end of Society, is mutual Com­fort and Assistance; in order to which 'tis necessary, that Men heartily desire each others Good, and endeavour to promote it to their Power; whether by Counsel and Advice, or by some Beneficial Actions, as occasion shall re­quire.

And to this, a Friendly imparting one anothers Circumstances is needful, so far as Prudence will allow; and such Expressions of Kindness to each other, as may induce some reasonable Assu­rance, of all due and seasonable Help. And this, every Man (being in some degree sensible of his own Indigence and Imperfection) does naturally ex­pect from the Society of others; and it can't but be mighty pleasing to him, to meet with such, as by the kindness of their Expressions, and endearing Behaviour, give him great Reason to believe, that what Assistance they can give him, when he needs it, he shall have: And nothing is more be­coming a Man and a Christian, than such a Courteous way of Conversation.

And that nothing might be want­ing to compleat the Happiness of the Social Life, God gave to Man the Faculty of Speech; whereby our Thoughts and Designs, what we want, and what we desire, might presently, and with ease, be made known to one ano­ther, and which must needs make our Intercourse highly pleasing, and of great Advantage. But then, there must be Truth and Sincerity in all this, or else All's spoil'd. For an outward Shew of Friendship and Civilty, which is either nothing but shew, or, which is Infinite­ly worse, a Cover for Treacherous and Base Designs, does indeed tend to the destruction of all Society, and makes Conversation either the most uneasy thing in nature, or else a Decoy into the worst of Misfortunes.

For Men must be suppos'd, either to believe the Civilities they receive from one another to be Real and Hearty, or the contrary. If they take them to be Real when they are not so; 'twill prove a very dangerous Mistake, as we [Page 98]shall see in the Sequel: And if they look upon 'em as hollow and designing, I need not say how grating and un­welcom they will be, and what unea­siness every Man must undergo, that's forc'd to be continually upon his Guard, as in the midst of Spies, and treacherous Observers of what-ever may tend to his Prejudice.

What more odious to a Man, than that which he knows to be Flattery, and the Fawnings and forc'd Smiles of a Perfidious Enemy! To be fain to weigh every word before one dares to speak it, by no means to venture to be free and open, for fear the Enemy should take Ad­vantage by it, but always upon the Re­serve, full of Care and Circumspection, as in the midst of Ambuscades, and walking amongst Boggs and Quagmires. This certainly must needs make Conver­sation the most troublesome thing in the World. A Life led in a Desart would be more eligible than such Society as this; and the Prophet Jeremy very feelingly expresses his Resentment of it, Ch. 9. Verse 2. &c. O that I had [Page 99]in the Wilderness, says he, a Lodging Place, that I might leave my People and go from them, for they are an Assembly of Treacherous Men; they bend their Tongue like their Bow for lyes. Take ye heed eve­ry one of his Neighbour (or, as in the Original, his Friend) and trust not in any Brother; for every Brother will utterly supplant, and every Neighbour will walk with Slanders. They have, (as 'twere artificially) TAƲGHT their Tongue to speak lyes, thine Habitation is in the midst of Deceit. One speaketh peaceably to his Neighbour with his Mouth, but in his Heart he layeth his wait.

And David thought, he need not wish worse [...]o his most Inveterate Ene­mies, than that their Table, their Free­est Conversation, and most Intimate Society, Psal. 69.22. might become to 'em a Snare and a Trap.

As for the Baseness, and unhappy Consequences of such a Treacherous Manner of Behaviour; 'twill not be a­miss to consider both a little.

With Respect to the First, Friendship is so Sacred a thing, that to Dissemble it for vile Purposes, and under its Co­ver to play the Devil with one another, is a most unpardonable Crime, and like Judas's betraying our Saviour with a Kiss. From Caresses and Endearments, to proceed immediately to spiteful Re­flections, Ill-natur'd Censures, and Poi­sonous Malignant Whispers, such as will blast my Reputation, and blacken my good Name, or at least make me Ridiculous, and the Subject of Mens Sport and Laughter: For a Man to Dive to the bottom of my Soul, by sly Insinuating Arts, false Protests of Love, and desire of my Happiness, (which Methods are but too succesful with those that have more of the Dove than Serpent in them) and then expose me, when ever 'twill ingratiate him­self to do so: This is extremely base, beyond expression.

To speak worse of any Man behind Iris Back than we would dare to do be­fore his Face, is certainly a very pitti­ful unmanly thing; and to wound an [Page 101] Absent Person's Reputation, is e'en as bad as to give his body an unexpected Treacherous Stab. In so nice a Case as a Man's Credit, every one ought to have all the Fair Play imaginable; that he may be able to defend himself, and not be inevitably expos'd to all the Dirt that every Malicious Pick-thank shall rake together and throw upon him. And in case of Natural Failings and Defects, which are more a Man's Misfortune than his Fault, to Blazon 'em about is barbarous and inhumane. But all this is still much worse, if we all the while hold Fair with the Person when we see him, and are as obliging and complaisant to him as to any body else. The Consequences of this deceit­ful Fawning Way, are very pernicious upon all Accounts.

Indeed, a too obsequious comple­mental way of Address, tho' there be no Ill Designs at the bottom, is yet too often of unhappy Consequence, espe­cially to young People. First, because 'tis so apt to blind Mens Eyes as to their Failings and Imperfections, and to create [Page 102]and that insensibly, such fond Fancies in their Heads, as end in intollerable Pride and Self-conceit. And therefore, 'tis accounted one of the greatest Misfor­tunes of Persons of great Quality, that they can seldom meet with those that will tell them the Truth; but whatever their real Deserts may be, they are al­ways admir'd and extold, humour'd and comply'd with in every thing, their Vices guilded over with the Arts of Flattery, great things said of what de­serves but little; and nothing, of what deserves Reproof, unless it be to hide and palliate it; and so they are drill'd on in Ignorance of themselves, 'till Death draws aside the Curtain, and shews 'em what indeed they are, and too often opens a dreadful View of the then incorrigible Wickedness, which be­fore they took but little notice of, or were taught to pride themselves in, as Excellencies and Accomplishments. This is, no doubt, a very Deplorable Condition, and many are so unhappy as to fall into it, thro' the Excessive Civilities (as they are call'd) of those whom they Converse with. But 'tis a [Page 103] strange sort of Civility that betrays into such Fatal Deceptions as these; and Plain-dealing, would Men consider it, will prove to be the most Obliging thing in the World.

Again, this over-smoothness of Tongue and Carriage, is apt to make an undesigning Good-natur'd Person take those for his Friends who are not so; and who, though they mean him no harm, it may be when they caress him so, yet intend him as little good. That is, they have no further Aim or Design, than to shew their Good Breed­ing; and when the Visit and the Com­plement is over, the Friendship ends with it, and they are as they were be­fore.

But now, suppose I should be so Cre­dulous, as to take all this for Real Friendship; and should therefore ac­quaint the Man with my Circumstan­ces, which are such perhaps, as none but a Friend indeed should be Acquain­ted with, and desire his Advice and Assistance: What a Blank would it be [Page 104]to me to find him cool, and strange, and glad to shift me off, who before was so full of Endearment and Protests of his readiness to serve me, nay, as Importunate, it may be, for an Employ­ment, as a poor Wretch that's ready to starve for want of one?

How would it vex me to have un­bosom'd my self to a Fawning Hypo­crite; and to lie at his Mercy for the Concealment of what would mightily prejudice me, if it should be known: And instead of receiving any Assistance from him, be forc'd to acknowledge it as a great Favour, that he does not expose and ruine me; nay, find my self oblig'd to Buy that Favour, perhaps at a very dear rate! In such a Case (and such Cases there have been) what should I think of that Glozing way of Behaviour which betray'd me into such unhappy Circumstances?

But suppose this Man of Comple­ment should prove my Enemy at last, and make an Ill Use of my Credulity, and Lure me on to further Confiden­ces [Page 105]and Intimacies, on purpose to get me more certainly into his Clutches; What a Fatal Mistake should I then be under! There is nothing certainly more mischivous, nor more unavoida­bly so, than a Counterfeit Friend, who is really an Enemy; nor any thing there­fore of worse Consequence, than that way of Conversation which is so apt to deceive People in this Matter, and incline them to take such Serpents into their Bosoms.

Nor is it less destructive of Neigh­bourhood and Society. In Conversation, especially when as we think amongst our Friends, we are apt to Indulge to an easie Openness and Freedom; the kindly Flow of Spirits, occasion'd by agreeable Company, unlocks an unde­signing Persons Breast, and shews his Mind in its Pure Naturals. And this indeed it is, that gives the true Gust and Relish to Society, which presently grows Pall'd and Flat, when every one's upon the Stiff and the Reserve.

But now, for a fly underhand Ob­server, to feign a Compliance with all this, and it may be speak much in Commendation of it, and in the mean time make it his Business to Remark upon every thing that's said and done, and then turn Informer where-e're he goes, and endeavour either to redicule his Company, or set them and their Neighbours together by the Ears; this Turns Society into a Civil War, and makes Neighbourhood as uneasy as liv­ing upon the Confines of an Enemy.

And after all, what Advantage has the Wretch himself, by this Double Treach­ery, of screwing himself First into this Man's Intimacy by his counterfeit Civilities, and then into that Man's Favour by his Ill-natur'd Censures and Reflections upon him? What does he get by all this, but the loss of his own Reputation, as one that delights to make Mischief, a Betrayer of Society, and that can afford no Man a good word, and sometimes 'tis more Fatal to him, and engages him in such a way of Justi­fying himself, as costs him his Life.

Which brings to my Mind that Say­ing of David, Psal. 55. last verse, The Deceitful Man, or Treacherous Friend, whom he was before complaining of, shall not live out half his days.

Wherefore, for a Close of this Advice; tho' I am far from Pleading for the morose and rude, yet I can't but think, that upon all Accounts 'twould be very happy for every one to be as sparing of his Complements as he can, and with all as sparing of his Censures. To make Truth and Sincerity the Guide of his Civilities, and choose, in his Conversa­tion, to talk of Things rather than of Persons; and when of Persons, to say no worse of any one behind his Back, than he would freely do before his Face; or rather, nothing that is Ill at all, since 'tis by no means fair to fix ill things upon a Man, who is not Present to make his own Defence.

And since, what we have been dis­coursing of is but too much the Breed­ing and Accomplishment, as well as Prac­tice [Page 108]of the World; 'twill be our Wis­dom not to be too credulous when fine things are said to us, and to be as wary as is possible in our common Inter­course, that we give no Advantage to the Lurking Adversary; and Reserve those Freedoms, and that Innocent Openness of Conversation, (which is the Life of Society, as that's the Life of Life) for such as by long Experi­ence we know to be Indeed our Friends.

And if to this we add all the Dis­couragement we can to such whose trade it is to be Busy-Bodies, and to fetch and carry Stories and Reports, not at all to listen to, or shew our selves pleas'd with 'em, but rather Re­prove and Check 'em, and shun their Company, and fairly acquaint the Par­ties concern'd, how bold such and such have been with their Reputation, and caution 'em against them for the Fu­ture; this would soon break the neck of this vile Practice, which is kept up by that Countenance which is given to it, and the satisfaction too many shew in hearing others censur'd and expos'd, [Page 109]and the great Curiosity they have of prying into the Concerns of their Neighbours.

Let us therefore take the Apostles excellent Advice, and study to be quiet, 1 Thes. 4.11. Rom. 12. [...]. and to do our own Business; to Love one a­nother without Dissimulation; to be can­did in our Censures and Interpretations; and in all things resolve to do as we would be done by: And then, we shall find So­ciety, not only more Safe, but really more Plesant and Endearing, than all the Address, and Modish Courtships, possibly can make it.

Nothing does sweeten a Disposition more, than True Religion, and which is All in all; it makes a Man Sincere in his Civilities; and from the Heart as obliging both in Words and Actions, as Truth and Innocence will Permit. This is true Christian Good Breeding; and whatever is more or less than this, cometh of Evil. More, is but Fawning and Flattery, and as we have seen, of very Dangerous Conse­quence; and Less, is Salvage and Bru­tish, [Page 110]and unbecoming a Man and a Christian: He only that keeps the Middle Way, is a Man of Temper, and fit to be a Friend.

The Tenth Advice.

AND now, Advice 10. because the Happiest of us all, Young as well as Old, can't but think it very possible for the Scene to be chang'd, and it may be sud­denly, and a sad Alteration made in our Circumstances; and the best of us all must Acknowledge (and the better we are, the more readily shall we do it) that such a Change would be no more than we Deserve: It will not be amiss sometimes to re­mind our selves of it, and Arm our selves before-hand with such Consi­derations, as may Enable us to bear what Trouble may come upon us, as becomes Men and Christians.

When we are easy and happy, our Thoughts are our own, and we can [Page 112]without Disturbance weigh and com­pare things together; but when Af­fliction is either actually upon us, or very near approaching, the Surprize, and Confusion of Thought that is caus'd by it, is apt to make us very uncapable of thorough Reasoning and Consideration.

The proper Time therefore to lay in Arguments against immode­rate Trouble, and which, by our often revolving 'em in our Thoughts, may make so lasting an Impression as to become our own, and service­able to us upon Occasion; the Time for this so Necessary a Provision is before the Evil Days come. And this is so far from being an unsuitable Em­ployment for Young Persons, that no­thing can be more needful upon all Accounts. 'Twill be a good Allay sometimes to that Levity of Temper, which very often proceeds too far, and Transports 'em to great Irre­gularities, and hastens Misfortunes sooner than otherwise they would [Page 113]come; and 'twill quiet and settle their Spirits, and induce that Serious­ness of Mind, which is necessary to their successful Management of any of their Affairs, and that Good Counsel in any Instance, may take place and be effectual. And besides, if we consider how very apt Trouble is to rise to ex­cessive degrees, and get too great a Head to be master'd by us; no doubt but 'tis our Wisdom to make early Provision against it, such as both Rea­son and Religion will plentifully fur­nish us withal; that so those fatal Excesses of Trouble may be prevented, which have prov'd to very many the Ruine both of Body and Soul.

And in order to this, let us first consider, how unreasonable a thing it is to indulge and give way to Trouble, and lay Afflictions so extreamly to Heart, as we are apt to do, when from easie and prosperous Circumstan­ces we fall into them.

The proper business of Reason, is so to regulate the Passions, as to make them serviceable, but by no means suf­fer them to be prejudicial to us. Now all the Good that Trouble can do a Man, when he sees an Evil approach­ing, or feels the present Weight and Pressure of it; is, that 'twill rouse and excite his Endeavours to prevent and remove it; or, at least, to alleviate, and make it more supportable. But, when instead of this, we suffer it to grow so much upon us, as either in that de­gree to sink our Spirits, as to make us lie down under our Burthen as utterly without Hope; or else to raise 'em to the pitch of Frenzy, and engage us in Courses that are desperate and wicked: This certainly is no likely way to bring our Troubles to an end, unless it be a very fatal one.

Because a Man has lost one, or a few Blessings, therefore to take no no­tice of those many others that re­main; because, in some respects, he [Page 115]is less happy than he was, therefore to resolve not to be happy at all, and give way to a Passion, which, he knows, will make him very misera­ble: Because his Troubles are great, therefore to refuse to be comforted, and muse continually upon the Dark side of his Condition, and make it doubly Afflicting by Impatience; be­cause the Weight is heavy, therefore to add to it still more and more, by all the Aggravations he can think of: To indulge and cherish what we com­plain of and groan under, and to hug Misery so close, that neither Reason nor Religion, God nor Man, shall per­swade us to part with it and let it go; to suffer neither Time nor Sleep to do their proper Offices, and calm the Boilings of our Spirits, but incessantly add Fuel to that Flame, under the Scorchings of which we at the same time cry out, and which we can't but know will at length consume and burn us up. Let any Man in his Sen­ses say, whether this (which is but too much the way of People in Affli­ction) [Page 116]is not against all the Reason in the World.

Nor is it less contrary to Religion; which consists in nothing more than a firm Belief and Trust in Divine Pro­vidence, patient Submission to God's Will, Contempt of the World, and careful Imitation of our Lord's Exam­ple; with each of which immoderate Trouble is utterly inconsistent.

For, First, Who that has a lively strong Perswasion, that a Being infi­nitely Wise and Good does constantly take Care of him, and order all things relating to him; but will check rather than cherish the Uneasiness of his Mind under any of his Disposals: And how­ever irksom it may be to him at first, make it his Business to reconcile him­self to it, and fully acquiesce in it, as being the Result of Infinite Wisdom and Goodness, and therefore for the best, tho' he can't at all discern, per­haps, at present, how it should be so.

And this he will find still greater Reason to do, when he considers, That as he believes God to be Infi­nitely Wise and Good, so by constant sad Experience he finds, that Himself is very short-sighted and ignorant, foolish and wicked; can see but a lit­tle way into the Consequences of Things, is very much mistaken and corrupted in his Choices, and would be very miserable, should God bestow upon him every thing that he desires. And therefore, tho' such a Loss, or such and such an Infliction may at first touch him to the very quick; yet he quiets all again by considering, that taking all things together, 'tis what ought to be, and will be for the best, and that Time will evidently de­monstrate it to be so, and that it can­not but be so, since 'tis order'd by him who is infinitely Wise and Good, and withall so Powerful, that no Affli­ction can be too great for him to re­move, when his Wisdom and his Goodness see it fit to do so.

Infinite Wisdom knows best when; and Infinite Goodness will not suffer it to last a Moment longer; and In­finite Power can remove it with a Word.

Again, (as is evident at the first Glance) excessive Trouble is very un­becoming a Christian, because 'tis ut­terly inconsistent with Patience; which is that Temper of Mind, whereby a Christian calmly and quietly bears all Pressures, however heavy and affli­cting, with entire Submission to the Divine Will, as being assur'd, that God's great Design, tho' by various Methods, is to make us compleatly happy. He that thus evenly behaves himself under the Discipline of Pro­vidence, and will not be tempted to think ill of God, or Desert his Service, tho' he smarts under his Corrections, nor take Ill Courses to remove his Trouble; this is the Patient Chri­stian: And the more he may be sen­sible of Affliction, in other respects, [Page 119]the greater is his Patience, if he thus calmly and quietly submits.

Very remarkable are our Saviour's Words to his Apostles, when he fore­told them what they should suffer for his sake, and such as bespeak this qui­et submissive Temper to be the Great Security of all our other Duty; Luk. 21.19. Pos­sess ye your Souls in Patience. As if without it ev'n a Man's Soul, all the Powers of it, not only his Will and Affections, but his very Ʋnderstanding could not be his own; but perfectly at the Command of any other, who could lay more Troubles on him than he had Patience to bear. And there­fore the Scripture frequently joins Faith and Patience together, Heb. 6.12. —10.36. as each others Mutual Support.

And indeed, in a World so thick set with Troubles and Vexations, Eccl. 2.15. Woe be to him, as the Wise Man says, that has lost Patience; and what will he do when the Lord shall visit him? That is, when God shall lay any great Ca­lamity [Page 120]upon him, how will he do to bear it, who can bear nothing with any tolerable Temper, not so much as com­mon Crosses and Disappointments!

Another great Duty of our Holy Religion, is, Contempt of the World; or at least such an Indifference to it, as that we may hang loose from things below, and employ our chief Care and Endeavour, to make sure of our Glorious Reversion above. [...] 19.26. Lay not up for your selves Treasures upon Earth, says our Lord, but in Heaven; for where your Treasure is, there will your Hearts be also. What shall we think then of their Religion, who are so in­separably fastned to the World in their Affections, as not to be able to bear any of its Frowns, without an exces­sive Concern, as if their whole Hap­piness was torn from them, and no­thing worth their Notice left, to hope for or expect! What we lightly e­steem, we can easily part with, and live contentedly without; especially if what we value most of all, be secure [Page 121]and safe. If therefore we had Reli­gion enough to fix our Hearts there, where our Heavenly Treasure is, and set a due Estimate upon it, and belie­ved it as certain to the Sincerely Good, as it is Glorious and Everlasting, and look'd upon the World as empty in Comparison and of no Esteem; we should with much less Regrett part with the Enjoyments of it than we do, and bear its Troubles with more Sedateness and Evenness of Temper.

I don't say with no Concern at all, for that's Impossible; and du­ring our Abode in the state of Mor­tality, there are many things so ne­cessary to our Support and Comfort in it, that as we may and ought to Pray for 'em, and be thankful when we receive 'em, so may we in Due Degree desire to keep them, and be Loath to part with 'em; and when they're gone, resent their Loss. But then, all this must be Temper'd with so prevailing a Mixture of Hea­venly-mindedness, as may soon make [Page 122]us lose our Resentment of any World­ly Crosses, in the cheering Thoughts of what a Glorious Reversion we have in the Kingdom of God.

This is the True Noble Spirit of Christianity, which makes a Man so much Above these little things of Earth, as to permit no more than a Transient Uneasiness to affect him, at the [...]ss of any of them; reflecting presently upon there Immense Trea­sures of Eternal Happiness, which are Reserv'd in Heaven for Him, and which his Comparatively Light Afflictions Here, do only serve to raise his Value of, and increase his Desire of enjoying.

Nothing more demonstrates the Strength and Power of Religion than this, nor does any thing more betray the Weakness and Infirmity of it than the contrary.

In the Last Place, Immoderate Trou­ble removes a Man to a vast distance [Page 123]from the Temper and Example of Jesus our Blessed Saviour.

For if we enquire how he behav'd himself under those almost continual Troubles which he met with, we shall find no Turbulency of Passion, no Murmurings and Repinings, but a quiet Resignation of Soul, a Calm Sedateness of Demeanour, an entire Trust in God, and an Admirable Cha­rity to the worst of his Enemies. This, the Story of his whole Life will Witness; and when his Days grew near their End, with what in­comparable Patience and Submission to the Divine Will, did he receive the bitter Cup of his approaching Sufferings!

Father, if it be possible, let this Cup pass from me; there are express'd the feeling Resentments of relucting Na­ture: Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt; there is his entire Ac­quiescence in God's Will concerning him.

And when he Actually Sufferd what was so Dreadful to him in the Ex­pectation, with what Mee [...]s, and Silence, and Wondrous De [...]ency, and Presence of Mind did he demean him­self, and that under the sharpest Af­flictions both of Body and Soul! And when, in the midst of his Agonies upon the Cross, he was Barbarously Insulted by the Me [...]ciless Spectators; all they could Provoke him to utter was this strangely Good Prayer, Fa­ther forgive them, they know not what they do.

This is our Lord's Example in this matter, and which, in some measure at least, he expects that we should Imitate; and 'tis a great part of our Religion to do so.

But now, if we're so far from this, as to Indulge that Passion to Excess, which our Lord's Practice, as well as Precept, engages us to keep under and Controul; if we lose all Patience [Page 125]when we're afflicted, tho' our Lord when he was so, was a Perfect Lamb; if we can bear nothing, when our great Master with admirable Temper did bear so much, and that too, for our sakes, and in our stead: If Christ and Christians are so very much unlike in this Respect, what is their Reli­gion!

Such Considerations as these, if we go no further, will let us see both how unreasonable and unchristian a thing it is, to suffer Trouble to pro­ceed without Restraint.

But 'twill not be amiss to endea­vour to prevent so great an Evil, by one Reflection more upon the Nature and Design of all Affliction; which is intended by God as a Means to Cure the Diseases of the Soul, and a Fatherly Correction for former Faults.

But now, Excessive Trouble, utter­ly hinders the Operation and good [Page 126]Effect, and turns the Medicine into Poison, and gentle Chastisement in­to Ruine and Destruction. A strange Ill Disposition this! and which we can't begin too soon to rectify.

When the Rod is in the Hand of Infinite Love, and Kindness infinite­ly greater than we bear unto our selves, proportions the Weight and Number of the Strokes; in the Name of God, what Cause is there for such great Degrees of Trouble? I believe there are but very few so In­tirely Heedless of the Methods of Divine Providence, as not to have Observ'd, and to Remember the Wondrous Mixture of God's Good­ness with his Punishments; what an Ascendant his Mercy hath had over his Justice, and how Happily, and sometimes Unexpectedly, he hath put an End to his Publick and Private Corrections!

Which of our selves have not en­joy'd much more of Happiness than [Page 127]we have felt of Trouble and Afflicti­on? Psal. 94.19. And even in the midst of Sorrows of our Hearts, how have God's Divine Comforts in an unaccountable manner Refresh'd our Souls!

What unthought of Happy Events have prevented, or put an [...]nd to, former Misfortunes that have Threatned or been upon us; and many things brought about by a strange Series of good Providences, which have Sur­priz'd us into full Happiness before we were aware!

Let any Reasonable Man there­fore say, whether it is not the Wi­sest and most Christian Course, af­ter Humbly Acknowledging God's Hand in every Affliction, and search­ing out Diligently for the Cause of it; to endeavour, by sincere Repentance and Amendment, to Close with the Gracious Design of it; and so, either keep it off when it only Threatens, or encline God to Re­move it, if Actually upon us; and [Page 128]then Buoy up our Spirits in a full Perswasion that all will end in our Good?

That Blessed Being, who for­merly so Graciously, and Surpriz­ingly, Diverted, or put an End to my own, or others Afflictions, is as Good, and Wise, and Powerful as ever; why then should I Despair of the like Mercy again, (tho' I can't foresee it may be how it should be,) from him who changeth not, and can do what he pleaseth?

The Spirit of a Man, Prov. 18.14 says Solo­mon, will sustain his Infirmity; and such Thoughts as these will sustain the Spirit of a Man, and enable him with a Christian Steadiness of Mind, to bear what God shall please to lay upon him. But a wounded Spirit who can bear! A mind pierc'd through with Impatience and Dis­trust of Providence, is it self a Bur­then more intollerable than any o­ther Affliction in the World.

But after all, that what has been al­ready said may be throughly effe­ctual, let us not forget to take St. Jam. 5.13. James's Advice along with us, and if any man be afflicted, let him Pray. Excellent Advice indeed it is, and no greater Consolation can a wound­ed Spirit receive, than in Calling upon God in the Time of Her Trouble. For He is the Fountain of Comfort, and the Great Disposer of all Things; 'tis His Grace and Holy Spirit that must teach us Resignation and Submissi­on to His Will; and if we make devout Addresses to Him, and with a calm and even mind await His Lei­sure; we may in his Good Time ex­pect to see our Troubles have a Happy end: For God will not always be Punishing, neither keepeth He his Anger for ever. Wherefore to close this Advice; since there is no Man living that is secure against Affli­ction, and Comfort in it is what e­very one Desires; and very few when Trouble is actually upon 'em, are either able to give it to them­selves, or capable of Receiving it from [Page 130] Others; I could not but think it, as I said, of great Advantage to Young Persons, to furnish 'em with such Considerations before-hand, as may be of use to prevent excess of Melan­cholly and Dejection, or any Despe­rate and unjustifiable Undertakings; and Prepare 'em to Com [...]ort them­selves, under the severest Dispensa­tions of Providence, with that pa­tience and evenness of Temper, which becomes the Reason of a Man, and the Faith of a Christian.

The Eleventh Advice.

HAving in the Foregoing Ad­vices endeavour'd to Prevent such Errors and Mistakes in Young Gentlemens Faith and Practice, Advice 11. as they are most Apt to fall into, and which are of unspeakable ill Con­sequence; give me leave now to sup­pose, that things have not been ma­nag'd [Page 131]by them as they should be, and some of those many Tempta­tions they are surrounded with, have been too Successful, and robb'd 'em of their Innocence, and engag'd them in some Courses that cannot be justi­fied: So that to the former Preser­vatives, 'twill be needful to add some few. Advices more, in order to their Recovery.

And First, let me earnestly Re­commend to them a frequent serious self-Examination; a Particular enqui­ry into their Thoughts, Actions, and Discourses, what they are, and have been, and whether they are and have been as they should be, and to what end and Conclusion they tend.

And this is not only a highly Be­neficial Employment, as we shall see by and by, but 'tis a very Easie one too; for there is no Reasonable Man's Memory so extreamly treacherous, but if duly Consulted, will inform Him of matters of Fact which are His Dayly Practice, that is, in the Main; [Page 132]for some Particulars no doubt may escape the nicest Examination. And when the enquiry is made, there is something within that will Accuse or Excuse, Acquit or Condemn imme­diately; and let us see the Tendency of our Good or Bad Actions respe­ctively, without any Tedious Process, or long series of Argumentation.

For the plain Truth, and which we all of us know very well, is in short this. If we Guide our steps to the best of our Power and Know­ledge by the Rule of Reason and Religion, and endeavour to follow where our Saviour has gone before; and are willing to listen to, and be Directed by the Guides that God has Provided us when we are at a Loss, or have mistaken our Path; then we need not Question but we're in the way that Leads to Life and Glory: And if we persist and go on in it, let it be Broad or Narrow, Rough or Smooth, upon the Mountains or in the Valleys, or the like; and tho' we sometimes, nay often make a false [Page 133]step, yet thro' the Merits of our Sa­viour, and the Guidance of his Bles­sed Spirit, we shall at length arrive at a Happy Journey's end.

But if on the contrary, we find that our Dispositions are earthly, sen­sual, and devilish, that we live with­out God in the World, are Licentious and Unchristian, directly opposite to Christ's Precept and Example, in open Defiance to Religion, or if more Fair in outward shew, yet without Sincerity: Such ways as these are the ways that lead to Misery and Ruin, not only in the World to come, but ev'n in this too. And whoever goes on in 'em without controul, and will not be recall'd, will at length, and very likely before He is aware, after all the Misfortunes he has run through here, find himself a mise­rable Inhabitant of the Place prepa­red for the Devil and his Angels.

Now by Frequent Self-Examinati­on, I mean no less than Daily; that every Night when we're retir'd from [Page 134]the World, and the noise and hurry of that day's Stage is over, and we have taken up our Lodging to Re­fresh our selves for the next; then, as David expresses it, Ps. 4.4. to commune with our own Hearts in our Chamber and be still. That is, without Prejudice or Passion, to Consider quietly and seri­ously, as in the Presence of God Om­niscient, Ps. 139. who is about our Path, and a­bout our Bed, and spyeth out all our ways, what our behaviour that Day actually hath been, and what it should have been, and Consequently to which State we have been Travelling, to the Kingdom of Life and Glory, or to the Regions of Eternal Death?

And this Daily Scrutiny into our Lives and Conversations is so agree­able to Reason, that Heathen Philo­sophy did particularly Recommend it, and 'tis one of the Golden Precepts, as they are deservedly call'd, of the School of Pythagoras; Admit not sleep to close your eyes, till you have recol­lected thrice each single Action of the day, and ask'd your selves such Questi­ons [Page 135]as these. Wherein have I transgres­sed? What have I done? What Duty have I omitted? Run over these things, beginning at the First, and then, if you have done ill, be Troubled; if well, Re­joyce.

What can be more excellently said than this? What more useful Pra­ctice can there be in this our Pilgri­mage, (as the Scripture calls our Life, and really it is no other) than at the close of every Stage thus to look back upon our Goings, observe where we have err'd and wandred, at what we stumbled and fell, upon what Motives and Temptations, that so we may Prevent the next Day the miscarriages of this, see our Error before it is too late, return before we have wandred too far, set a greater value upon our Guides, more heed­fully observe their Directions, and be the more wary and circumspect in our future Journeys, for being so easily thrown down, deceived and led aside in those that are past. How much easier is it to Recollect and [Page 134] [...] [Page 135] [...] [Page 136]Amend the miscarriages of a Day, than of Months, or Years? And Con­sequently, how much safer is it for every Man thus to Consider his ways whilst his Memory can tell Him what they were, and whilst 'tis in his Power with so much ease to amend them if they are amiss; than to go carelesly on, till for want of Examin­ing, he takes the Wrong way for the Right, gets a habit of going astray, and so becomes not sensible of his Error, till 'tis too late to Mend it; or at least has wandred so long, that the difficulty of Recovering the right way is almost Insuperable!

No better Office certainly, than to direct a Stranger in the Road that He should take, to warn Him of Dangers that He may meet with in it, and to lead Him back and set Him Right, when He has lost his Way: Especially when He is in Haste, and Night is coming on, and the Business he goes about of great­est Consequence.

Now nothing can be of greater Consquence than the Journey of a Christian through the World; He Travels upon Eternal Life and Death; His Journey is Great, and therefore He had need to lose no Time; and the Night with every Man is com­ing on apace, and no Man can tell how soon it may be Night with Him; and 'tis a long Night too, and may be Eternal, and will certainly put an end to His Journey whenever it o­vertakes Him, whether it be to Hea­ven or to Hell. And therefore those Considerations that will set us right in our way, and expedite our Great Business, and help to Conduct us safe­ly to that Happy Place where we all would be, are no doubt well employ'd.

But for all this, Young People I'm afraid will not be very easily Per­suaded to put this Advice in Pra­ctice; and therefore the more need to press it earnestly upon them. They look upon it as a very uncomfortable [Page 138]Way of Travelling, to be still Doubt­ing whether they are right or no, continually Enquiring, and list'ning to every melancholly or designing Person, that shall pretend to give them better Directions. If now and then a misgiving Thought arises, 'tis smother'd presently by Business or Pleasure; and when a Guide of Souls is met with who Faithfully informs them of the way they ought to take, tells them they're in the wrong, and must turn back if they would see their wish'd for Journey's end, and that That Path will lead them to their Ruin: They look upon this as a Greeting of Course from Men of their Profession, and make it their endeavour to Persuade Him to go a­long with Them, rather than think of turning back with Him. How­ever, let Him take his own Course, they are resolv'd still to follow theirs; 'tis the way they have been us'd to, and which offers it self readyest and fairest to them, and is smooth and pleasant, the Entertainment good, and most of their Friends and Ac­quaintance, [Page 139]it may be, do bear 'em Company in it; so that very loath they are to make too nice Enquiries, lest they should be made sensible of the necessity of Performing so un­grateful a Task, as with many a weary step to beat the Hoof back again, and turn their Feet into a Track they have no Mind to.

But in short, would this be Pru­dence in our Journeyings here in this World? And why should not our Judgment be the same with Re­spect to the Other?

We need not be told, I sup­pose, that here we are Strangers, have no abiding City, but seek one to come; where when we once Arrive, we shall be for ever fix'd as in our proper Place of Abode, our Home.

That other World consists of Two, and but two States, the one Infinite­ly Happy, the other as Infinitely Miserable.

To these two States there are two Highways that lead, which tho' they meet in a Point at the begin­ning, yet Widen Insensibly and In­finitely, and at length, become as far distant from each other, as Hea­ven is from Hell.

And therefore in all Reason, as our First Care should be to set out Well, so our next, immediately to turn Back, if we perceive that we have gone amiss. For every step that we then take, carries us further and further wide from Heaven, and nearer to Destruction.

Well then, if this Daily Self-Ex­amination be of such vast Conse­quence, what ever will make us unca­pable of it, should carefully be avoided, Particularly Ʋnseasonable and Intempe­rate Drinking. How can He close his Day with such a serious Scrutiny as we have now been speaking of, who has staid so long at the Wine, as to be able to think coherently of nothing, [Page 141]and who is fitter for a Frolic, or for sleep than Meditation? A constant Practice of Night-Revels is upon all Accounts a most unhappy thing, but upon none more so than because it unfits a Man for this great Duty; whereby He becomes a Stranger to himself, and his own Proceedings, and that in matters of the greatest Mo­ment; and all this for a Belly-full of Liquor, and empty frothy Mirth.

Moderate Wine, and seasonable well chosen Conversation, are Bles­sings which our Holy Religion does by no means Envy us. Certainly, I may enjoy my Friend without for­getting my self, and have the satis­faction of others Company, without making my self unfit for my own.

And I Question not, but upon try­al, any Man will find those Days spent most to his Satisfaction, which are clos'd with a serious Reflection upon his ways at Night: And all that I further desire of Young Per­sons upon this Particular, is, that [Page 142]they would immediately try the Ex­periment, and beg the Assistance of God in those excellent Words of the 139 Ps. ult. Try me O God, and see the ground of my Heart, Prove me and ex­amine my Thoughts; look well if there be any way of wickedness in me, and lead me in the way Everlasting.

The Twelfth Advice.

WHEN upon such Enquiry, Advice 12. or by the kind Admonition of their Friends, or both, Young Per­sons begin to see their Errors; let 'em above all things have a care, upon any Account whatever, of shut­ting their Eyes against such Con­victions of their own Minds, and of being Deaf to good Counsel and Ad­vice. That is, let 'em beware of Stubborness and Obstinacy, and wilful Ignorance, or non-Attention to the great Obligations that Religion and [Page 143]their own true Interest do lay upon them.

None are so Deaf, we say, as those that will not Hear; none so Pro­vokingly Wicked and hard to be Re­form'd, as those who Industriously set themselves to keep out any Thought that may check them in their Carreer, and incline 'em to Re­turn; whom no Calls will awaken, no Arguments Persuade so much as to think of Amendment; and who like the deaf Adder, stop their Ears to the voice of the Charmer, charm he never so wisely.

This sort of Men, think they shall be undone, if they once give ear to Persuasives to Religion; that 'twill Deprive them of what they esteem as their Happiness, and draw 'em into the snare of a few designing Men, who will Lord it over their Liberty, hamper 'em with severe Impractica­ble Rules, turn 'em into Mopes, and instead of allowing them their for­mer Pleasures, be continually read­ing [Page 144]Lectures to 'em of Self-denyal, Mortification, and Repentance, and all in Hopes of an unseen Reward, no Body knows when nor where. And because they can't but own, howe­ver, that something very powerfully moving is in such Discourses, some­thing that touches 'em in an unac­countable manner, ev'n forces Ap­probation from them, and as 'twere Charms 'em into a Compliance; there­fore they're Resolv'd they'l stop their Ears, and so defeat the Holy Magic of these Mercenary Charmers;

This is that wilful Spiritual Deaf­ness so often mention'd in Scripture; when, as our Lord expresses it, Hearing the Sermons of the Gos­pel, Men hear not, neither do they un­derstand, (or Attend and Consider, as 'tis in the Original) in order to their suitable Practice; and there­fore He so often useth this Expres­sion, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. There is likewise a wilful Blindness of the Soul, whereby the Scripture Represents to us Wicked [Page 145]Mens Disregarding all Inward Con­viction of their own Minds, and keep­ing themselves as Ignorant as they can of their Guilt and of their Duty, and the necessity of a Reformation; and which is very emphatically ex­pressed, Mat. 13.15. This Peoples heart is waxed gross, [...], grown Callous and Insensible, thro' an overcharge of the Pleasures of the World, and their Ears are dull of hearing, as before explain'd, and their eyes have they clos'd, [...], they have wink'd hard; as we shut our Eyes hastily and strongly, when we fear the approach of a­ny thing offensive to them; lest at any time they should see with their Eyes, and hear with their Ears, and understand with their Heart, and be Converted, and I should heal them.

Now the Ʋnderstanding is the Eye of the Soul, or that Faculty where­by the Mind receives the Light of Truth and Knowledge; of which Light there is now, thanks be to God, abundant Plenty stream'd [Page 146]down from Him who is the True Light that enlightneth every Man that cometh into the World; 1 John 9. and which whosoever will receive may enjoy, and that according to his full ca­pacity.

But as the Material Light may be intercepted by the interposition of Bodies too close for it to penetrate; or, as the Eye may be incapabable of receiving its Rays, or wilfully shut and close it self, and deny ad­mittance to them, tho' shining in full lustre round about; and upon ei­ther of these Accounts the Body may remain in Darkness: So the Soul may not enjoy its proper Light, either thro' the Understanding's being not capable of receiving it, (which is unavoidable Ignorance, the case of Natural Fools) or else for want of a due medium, thro' which it may be transmitted, such as is Good and Competent Instruction; (which yet, if by our own neglect we want, we cannot plead as an Excuse) or else, our Minds are Ignorant and Dark, [Page 147]because we wilfully Refuse to let in any Light or Knowledge to them, will not admit, or attend to any thing that would Dispel those mists of Er­ror and Delusion, which hang over them as a Dark pitchy Cloud: And this is a Blindness altogether owing to a Mans self, a Rebelling against the Light, as Job Expresses it, Job 24.13.

But is it not strange, that Men should so delight in this Spiritual Blindness, as to force it upon them­selves! That a Rational Creature should be better pleas'd with the Darkness and Confusion of his Under­standing, as to the things of Religion (tho' of all the noblest Furniture of our Souls) than with a Bright, Clear, Godlike Mind! Nay, so much better pleas'd as studiously to keep out all new access of Light, to stop up every A­venue, every chink and cranny, thro' which it unawares might steal into his Soul! This is strange indeed! and the more we Consider it, the [Page 148]more we shall wonder at it, but yet it is no News.

An Ʋnthinking Life guided by the false Lights of Humour and Custom, every one may observe is the Life that too great numbers of Young People lead; and the great Truths of Reli­gion, and the obligations they derive upon our Practice, if medled with at all, 'tis but slightly and superfici­ally, one Glance and away, and then all is well, if their Hearts are but Gross enough to give them no di­sturbance by secret misgivings, and in­ward gripes and twinges.

And what's the Reason of all this, but Guilt and the Impurities and De­filements of their Souls? To make too nice Enquiries into their Religi­ous Obligations, would be trouble­some they think to do, and much more so when done; and therefore better be quietly blind and ignorant in these matters, than to have their Eyes opened to behold their misery and shame.

Light is the great Discoverer of Ʋncleanness, and shews it to be what it is; and who, that so beholds it, but will for shame, if nothing else, endeavour to remove it! When the Light of the glorious Gospel of Christ shines in upon the Soul of a Sinner, what shameful Discoveries will then be made! How foul will it appear even to the wretch Himself! How exceeding vile and sinful, that which before was cherish'd as his Darling!

But such Discoveries as these the Sinner does by no means Desire should be made; and therefore in­deed it is, that He excludes this Light. This is the Condemnation, saith our Lord, that Light is come into the World, and Men love Darkness rather than Light, because their Deeds are E­vil; for every one that doth evil ha­teth the Light, 3 Joh. 19.20. neither cometh to it, lest his Deeds should be Discover'd and Reprov'd.

There is such Deformity and Ghastliness in the face of Sin, when seen without its Mask in a True Light, as must needs Create infinite Horror and Aversion in the Soul: Witness the Opinion a Dying Sin­ner has of it; for then it appears to him Naked and without Disguise. And therefore, the God of this World, that great Deceiver, first blinds the Minds of those that are Lost, darkens their foolish Hearts, 2 Cor. 4.4. Rom. 1. [...]1. as the Apostle expresses it, and then drills 'em on from one Vice to another with false Appearances of Good, that so Wick­edness and Ignorance may quietly go hand in hand together. And the poor bewitched Creatures are so Pleas'd with this infernal State, and so us'd to it; that they Conspire with their Deceiver to lengthen out this fatal Darkness till it becomes Eternal.

This is a very dismal Condition, and into which People are very apt [...] slide before they are aware, and [Page 151]which we are now endeavouring to secure Young Persons from, or Re­cover 'em out of, if betray'd into it; and they may know when they are so, by asking themselves seriously these few Questions.

When I feel some good Motions springing up in my Mind, in order to my leaving some ill Courses that I am engag'd in, don't I presently check 'em, and Divert my Thoughts to something else?

When I have had a Glimps of the foulness of Sin, and the Misery that will at last attend it, by a gleam of Light from above shot, unexpe­ctedly into my Soul; how have I be­haved my self under such beginnings of Conviction? Have I been glad of that Discovery, and endeavour'd to let still more Light in, by opening the Eye of my Understanding, weigh­ing and Considering things more thoroughly than formerly, search­ing the Scriptures, Advising with good Books, and good Men, and [Page 152]Praying God to make my Darkness to be Light; or have I not rather been in pain till I had chas'd the Light away, and skreen'd my Soul from its unwelcome Rays, by clapping the World between, thrusting my self into business or Company, or any thing that might keep out such un­easy Thoughts, as the Discovery of my inward Pollutions would raise within me? And speak sincerely, is not a fondness for Sin, a secret Resolution to continue in it, and a fear of being too Powerfully inclin'd to mortifie and destroy it; is not this at the bottom of all?

The Answer that every Man's own Conscience will make to these few Questions, will inform him whether he is of the Number of the spiritually Blind or not, and who besides are always Deaf, as was said, to what Advices may be given for their Recovery. And their Condition is really so Deplorable (as we shall see presently) that nothing more near­ly concerns every Man than to use [Page 153]his utmost endeavours to secure him­self from it.

By what has been hitherto said, concerning a stubborn Obstinacy in wicked Courses, we see the Scrip­ture represents such Persons, as spi­ritually both Deaf and Blind; as is the Condition then of those that are Naturally so, such, tho' infinitely worse, is theirs that are so to Religion. And 'twill not be amiss to consider this Representation a little.

To be Blind is certainly a very great Misfortune, and to be Deaf perhaps a greater; and how helpless and dis­consolate the Condition of either is, we may a little imagine from what we have observ'd of the Circum­stances of each, and from these Mens own moanings and Complaints.

Senses that are so Recreating, and so Instructive, that convey so much Pleasure and so much Knowledge to the Soul; Pleasure of a Refin'd and Spiritual Nature, and Knowledge [Page 154]the most necessary and Beneficial: the loss of either must needs make a strange alteration in a Man, and be an unspeakable Affliction.

How Deplorable then is the Con­dition of those that have lost 'em both! Our imagination is quiet Con­founded, when we would frame an Idea of it.

Neither to hear, nor to see, is in effect to be out of the World; 'tis as if a Man should be shut up in a dark Cave, in the midst of an un­frequented Desart, without other Company than his own sad Thoughts and dismal Reflections. For conti­nual Darkness, and Silence, and So­litude, is the sad Portion of the both Deaf and Blind, tho' in the midst of their nearest Relations and best Friends.

The loss of but one of these no­ble Senses, may be very much made up by the free use and Enjoyment of the other, together with the cha­ritable [Page 155]assistance of good Persons who enjoy them both. The Eye, by the help of Books and Writing, may let in those Discourses to the Mind, which us'd to be transmitted thro' the Ear; and signs may keep up that Friendly intercourse and Socie­ty, and communicate those Thoughts to one another which us'd to be convey'd in Sounds.

And the Ear, so far as concerns the Improvement of the Mind, may by others Reading and Discourse mightily supply our want of Ability to Consult Books our selves. Such shifts as these, may in some measure alleviate the Misfortune of being ei­ther Blind or Deaf, and make it tollerable; But what, unless a mi­racle can help him, that is Both He is quite excluded, not only fro [...] the Advantages, but the Comforts o [...] Society; uncapable of any thing tha [...] might Divert the sadness of hi [...] Thoughts, or mitigate his Trouble He lives at most but the lowest sort of Animal Life, but one degree a­bove [Page 154] [...] [Page 155] [...] [Page 156]the Vegetative, save that He can think, and reflect upon his Mi­sery, (and that with great Confusion too, and which will Aggravate it much) and Pray to God by Death to take Him from it; the Hopes of which Deliverance in Time, is all the Comfort that he hath. He is indeed Seal'd up to the most dis­mal Condition that can be imagin'd in this World; expos'd inevitably (as to any of his own help) to the Dangers of it, uncapable of its Com­forts and Enjoyments, and had a­bundantly better be out of it, than thus bury'd alive as 'twere in it.

Like this, tho' Infinitely worse, as we shall see presently, is the Con­dition of the Spiritually Blind and Deaf, as before described; and tho' I never knew, or upon enquiry could Hear of any Naturally so, (which as often as I think on, I can't but ad­mire God's Wonderful good Provi­dence and care of Mankind, in suf­fering so very few, if any, to be so extreamly miserable; when yet, the [Page 157]one Sense is as soon lost as the o­ther, and he that to Day lost his Sight, might the next Day lose his Hearing, as well as one Man this, and another that, and when one and the same Accident or Distemper might easily deprive of both at once;) tho' I never knew, as I said, or could hear of any Naturally both Deaf and Blind, yet Spiritually there are, God knows, abundance. But 'tis their own Act and Deed, God's care be­ing equal to Preserve Men from be­ing so in the one Sense, as well as the other.

Now the extream Misery of the Spiritually Deaf and Blind, (or in other words the Obstinate and Irre­claimable) consists in the following Particulars.

First, As the Naturally so are in Effect out of the World, and Dead while they Live; so these are out of the Church, receive no Benefit by the Communion of Saints; have none of the Comforts and Advan­tages [Page 158]of that Holy Society; no Com­merce with, nor influences from the Divine Head of it Christ Jesus; have the Name of Christians, and that's all, but live like Infidels in the Darkness of their Mind, and the Vileness of their Practice, as if there were no God, no Religion, no fu­ture State, or no Account then to be given of our Actions in this.

And what sad circumstances must those needs be in, who thus deprive themselves of all the means of Grace and Salvation in this World, and of all Hopes of Happiness in the next!

For, Secondly, those that are in this Condition are expos'd to Ruin so far as we can see, unavoidably.

A Charitable Friend may preserve a Man Naturally Blind and Deaf from approaching Dangers, and snatch him from imminent Perils, which He knows nothing of himself, nor can receive Information of from o­thers, [Page 159]much less tell how to avoid; but who can do this for one that is Spiritually so? Man cannot; and to ex­pect that God should, is groundless Presumption.

He that has stop'd his Ears, and shut fast his Eyes, and that for this very Reason, lest He should hear and see, be inform'd of his Duty, and made sensible of his Errors, and in­clin'd to Reform 'em; how can this Man of all Men, expect that God should make him Hear and See, and Convert and Save him whether He will or no?

As our Lord said to the willfully Blind Pharisees, (and the case is the same with the Deaf) if ye were Blind indeed, ye should have no Sin, but now ye say, we see, and yet see not, (as 'tis else­where laid to their charge) therefore your sin remaineth, John 9.41.

The Blindness of our Understand­ings which is not wilfull, and the defects of our Obedience consequent [Page 160]upon it, God will pass by; and af­ford us, if not a perfect Light, yet such as shall be sufficient to guide us, if we will follow it, into the ways of Peace. But He that can see, and will not, or He that once could see, but has willfully put out his Eyes, or keep [...] them fast shut and clos'd on purpose that He may not see his Duty, because He has no mind to do it; God has no where said that He will force open his Eye­lids, or restore him his Sight by Mi­racle, and convince and reform Him irresistibly; but rather, and 'tis but just, that the Blackness of Darkness is re­served for him for ever. St. Jude.

Thirdly, to be thus Spiritually Blind and Deaf, is a Condition ex­treamly Deplorable, because it ad­mits of no Comfort or Consolation; the Man has made himself not capa­ble of receiving it from others, nor can his own Thoughts suggest any thing but what will make him still more Miserable.

For Conscience, do what we can, will sometimes be awake, and when it is so, its clamours and upbraidings are so importan [...] and loud, that they will be heard, and its Convictions are written upon the very Mind it self. Like so many flashes of Light­ning, they at once Dispel the Dark­ness of the Soul, and shew it its Condition, and by intollerable scorch­ings begin Hell upon Earth; as the Regions of the Damned have no other Light, than is caus'd by the flames that torment them. A Light that will convince indeed, but not Convert, and only serve to cause a quicker Sense of the Horror of that dismal State they're in.

No Man can express, what Ago­nies obstinate irreclaimable Sinners sometimes feel; what dire forebode­ings of the Wrath to come! Which tho' they endeavour never so indu­striously to stifle, will yet revive a­gain, to their unspeakable, unallay'd, Terror and Confusion.

The Naturally Deaf and Blind, if their Conscience be quiet, may think upon God, and Pray to Him, and receive Comfort from Him, and hope that tho' heaviness may endure for this disconsolate dark Night, yet the Morning, the Dawning of Eternal Day will bring Light, and Joy, and Healing under its wings; and their sad lonely silence be exchang'd for the ravishing Sounds of Heavenly Halle­luja's, and the blest Society of the Spirits of Just Men made Perfect; till the long wish'd for Time, when the Happy Euge, well done Good and faithful Servant, shall fix them for ever in the Joy of their Lord.

But to the Spiritually so, to think upon God is to begin their Hell, for to such He is a consuming Fire; and to think upon Death, is to open to themselves a horrid Prospect of the Torments they shall for ever Suffer after it. Death indeed, will open their Eyes and their Ears, (and the Thoughts of it too, will do it in [Page 163]some measure) but to such Objects, as they had better never have been born, than e're acquainted with.

Thus does our Lord most feeling­ly Represent to us the miserable Con­dition of an obstinate Sinner, by the greatest Misfortune that can befal us upon Earth. And now, if this be so, how nearly does it Concern us every one, with the greatest Care and Diligence to prevent this grow­ing Calamity, which is so apt to steal upon us without our Observa­tion!

The Pleasures and Prosperities of the World, especially in the days of Youth and vigour, seem to bid fair for Happiness; and we are apt to be so mightily delighted with 'em, as to Drink deep of 'em and often, till at length we grow insen­sible of Spiritual things, and then comes on that Blindness and Deaf­ness to Religion which we have now discours'd of; and what is the sad Consequence we have just now seen.

The greater therefore our Danger is in this matter, the greater in all Reason should be our Care to pre­vent it; and since all proceeds from too much love of the World, there­fore in the first place to resolve to love that less; and begin in Time to work our Hearts into a Pliant, Ductile Temper, such as may keep our Ears open to fair Warnings, charitable Reproofs, and good Ad­vice. And then, if we look upon the uneasiness we feel at such Discourses as an ill Symptom, and make it an Argument for our still greater at­tention to them; and so far embrace every Conviction of our Consciences, as to let it continue with us and be­stow some Thoughts upon it; if we do this, and do it Sincerely, and in Time, we shall find the Cloud be­gin to remove from our Under­standings, and Spiritual Light and Knowledge will flow in apace; we shall plainly discover the Cheats that were before put upon us, the fatal Mistakes we were under; and [Page 165]this will unstop our Ears, and make us still more and more Attentive to the Words of sound Wisdom, the faith­ful Counsels of those that wish our Happiness; and that will make our Hearts still more and more Tender and Impressible, sensible of our true Interest, our Duty, and our Dan­ger, which will excite our utmost Diligence to secure the one, and avoid the other, crying unto God for help; who never Rejects that Prayer which begs his Assistance, that we may serve him better, and to which we add our own Sincere Endea­vours.

Now who that's Blind or Deaf, or but in Danger of being so, would refuse an easie certain Cure? And when He knows how much he may contribute to it himself, d'ye think He would delay to do his utmost towards it? And how overjoy'd would the Blind be, to be sensible of the faintest Glimmerings, and open wide his be-nighted Eyes, to let in more and more of chearful Light! [Page 166]How Ravishing would the least Sound be to the Deaf Ear, and ex­cite its utmost Attention to receive still more! And how much great­er would be the Joy, of the both Deaf and Blind, to recover either Sense so far, as to have tho' but the least Intimation, that there was some Hopes of their enjoying both again; that it lay very much in their own Power to effect it, and that the blame must be their own if they did not!

How eagerly would they do every thing they could, to make a free entrance for Light and Sounds, and welcome every new Accession of ei­ther with Transports of Delight! How earnest their Prayers to God for his Blessing, and how unfeign­ed their Thanks and Praises for Success! What a quick Grateful Relish would they have of the al­most forgotten Pleasures of the Eye and Ear, and how would they Im­prove the Advantages of both! How feellingly sensible would they be of [Page 167]their former Miserable State; and how would they dread and avoid every thing, tho' never so remote, that might lead to it again!

If we may suppose all this of the Naturally Blind and Deaf, how much more should it be verified by the Spiritually so, whose case as we have seen is infinitely more deplorable, and whose Desires therefore of re­covery in all Reason should be strong­er far, their Prayers more Importu­nate, their Joy greater in the Hopes of it, and their endeavours more earnest to bring it to Perfection! And He that is so stubborn and ob­stinate, as wilfully to continue in this sad sttate, into which too he has brought Himself; where should the blame of his Ruin be plac'd but upon Himself?

Let every Sinner therefore, instead of impiously and ungratefully accu­sing God of Tyranny and Injustice, Arbitrary Power, and merciless De­crees, and the like; as if He first [Page 168]hardned their Hearts and took away their Hearing and their Sight, and so sealed them up to Destruction, and then resolv'd to inflict Eternal Punishments upon them, because they did not do Impossibilities; hear and see, when He had made them Deaf and Blind, and have a tender Sense of Religion, when He had made their Hearts callous and past feel­ing: Instead of such horrid Blasphe­my as this, let every Sinner give Glory to God, by humbly acknow­ledging that 'tis his own doing, and the Consequence of his listning to the Destroyer, rather than the Savi­our of Mankind. Whoever perishes, I say it again, must blame himself for it; for 'tis his own wilful Blindness, Stubborness and Obstinacy, that has depriv'd him of the means and pos­sibilities of Salvation. To save such a one, God must proceed quite con­trary to the Nature of Virtue and Vice, and the establish'd Rules of his Word, and force him to be Good and Happy, notwithstanding all his Resistances and Refusals. But a forc'd [Page 169]Virtue, and a forc'd Heaven, are strange new things that one shall seldom hear of.

When a Sinner is arriv'd to that degree of Obstinacy, that nothing but extraordinary, nay miraculous Grace, can soften and Reform him, God's not giving him that ex­traordinary Grace, but leaving him to the usual constant Assistances of his Holy Spirit, and Methods of the Gospel, which his Obstinacy has made Ineffectual to him; (for what Instru­ctions and Advices can take Place upon the Deaf and Blind?) this seems to be the most Intelligible Account of God's hardning any Man. 'Tis only Permitting him still more and more to harden Himself, by not using extraordinary Means to Prevent it; and which is but a Just Punish­ment for his former Stubborness.

As in the Story of Pharaoh, He hardened his own Heart so far, as to receive no Impression either by God's Severity in inflicting, or his [Page 170] Goodness in Removing Seven of the Ten Plagues; and then God is said to harden his Heart, or to give him up to his own Fatal Obstinacy. So in Isaiah, chap. 6.9, 10. ver. where God commands the Prophet to De­nounce to his Rebellious People, the Judgment of making their Hearts fat, and their Ears heavy, &c. which our Lord said was fulfill'd in the Pharisees, Mat. 13.14, 15. The Rea­son of this Threatning is, because they had made themselves Deaf and Blind before: Ye Hear indeed, but Ʋnder­stand not, or do not attend and Con­sider; and ye See indeed, but do not Per­ceive, or take Notice; therefore, as by way of Punishment, make this Peoples Heart fat, and their [...] heavy, and shut their Eyes, &c.

Wherefore, to Conclude this Ad­vice; the way for us not to Perish, is not to Destroy our selves by our incorrigible Obstinacy: and He that does not make himself Blind and Deaf, and insensible to Religion, need ne­ver fear that God will make him so; [Page 171]whose Solemn Protestation is, that He desires not the Death of a Sinner, and whose constant Call is, Turn ye, Turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye dye, O House of Israel!

The Thirteenth Advice.

AND now, Advice 13. having seen the Dan­ger of Obstinate continuing in such ill Courses as Young Persons may have faln into; the next Ad­vice will be, that they endeavour to Recover themselves by a sincere and speedy Repentance.

And here, to prevent Mistakes in this matter, which are very of­ten made, and of very fatal Conse­quence; 'twill be needful briefly to shew what true Repentance is. 'Tis such a Sense of Sin as fills the Soul with Shame and bitter Remorse for having Committed it, utterly con­demning [Page 172]it, as the greatest Baseness, Ingratitude, and Folly; Resolving for the Future no more to be Guilty of it, and keeping that Resolution to the best of our Power. Or in other Words, 'tis a Mans willing A­mendment of his former Faults, pro­ceeding from a thorough Change of his Judgment concerning them; at­tended with great Sorrow and com­punction of Spirit, for his acting so contrary to His own Reason and best Interest, and violating the Just Commands of God, whose innume­rable Benefactions to Him, make his utmost Services but a Just Debt.

Now from this Description of Re­pentance, we may take Notice that 'tis not every Religious fright, oc­casion'd either by some awakening Discourses of the Dreadful Punish­ments that will overtake a Sinner in the other World, back'd with the Terrors of his own guilty Conscience, or by a fit of Sickness, when the near Approaches of Death open His Eyes, and give him a Sight of those Tor­ments, [Page 173]and never dying Flames, which He is like to suffer, and seem to be just ready to take hold of Him: Much less is it a few forc'd Sighs and Tears, a Lord have mercy upon us, and a heedless unaffectionate Repetition of some Penitential Forms, the Sense of which we do regard but little. Notwithstanding all this, a Man may retain the same Affecti­on to Sin, and be as Bad again as ever; and such sort of Penitents, al­ways are so, and very often Worse. This sort of Sorrow for Sin, is like that of a Traytor at the Gallows; He Repents him, it may be, that He was engag'd in such and such Practices, because they brought Him thither, and the Time of his Exe­cution is come; but at the same time He is as much an Enemy to his Prince as ever, and would glad­ly Repeat his Treason, could He do it with Impunity.

Let every one therefore have a Care of taking any thing of this Nature for Repentance. The great­est [Page 174]and most pungent remorse for Sin, unless 'tis follow'd by a thorough a­mendment of Life, is nothing but what we call trouble of Mind, and the lashes of Conscience; which tho' they are apt to put Men upon making serious Reflections upon their ill Courses, and by Degrees may bring them to a true sense of the Wicked­ness of their Sin, which is a good step towards Repentance, yet 'tis but a Step: And a great deal more must be done by him that will repent indeed. His Mind and Judgment must be intirely chang'd, his Temper and Disposition alter'd; ill habits must be rooted out, and the contrary good ones Established in their Room: And his sorrow for Sin, which at first was for his own sake, and for fear he should suffer what God had threat­ned to inflict; must be improv'd in­to a true godly sorrow, such as re­spects that infinitely good Being who he so ungratefully rebell'd against; and melts him down into all the passions of Shame and Confusion, and self Abhorrence and Condemnation, [Page 175]which attend a deep sense of doing basely by one who is infinitely kind and good to us. 'Tis this alone that will work Repentance to Salvation, 2 Cor. 7.10. not to be repented of, (i. e.) a constant Better Life.

Now from this short Account of the Nature of true Repentance, we may see plainly, that 'tis a Work which must be set about Immediately, if we would bring it to Perfection. 'Tis as Difficult as Necessary, and requires very great Resolution, Watchfulness and Diligence to carry it on succesfully; and is indeed, the proper business of Youth. Mat. 5.25. A­gree therefore with thine Adversary quickly, as our Lord adviseth, and with all the speed imaginable set a­bout that great Work, without which our Ruine will be inevita­ble.

And that young Persons may be the more effectually Perswaded to so ungrateful a Task, so Melan­cholly an Employment; they may [Page 176]please to attend to the following Considerations.

First, Every deferring this great Duty to some other time, is a resolv'd Continuance in a state which we know God infinitely hates, and a new step to final Impenitency.

No Mans Conscience is sear'd and benum'd in an instant; there must be frequent Acts of Violence done to it to silence its Clamours, and make it stupid and insensible. Now every time we put off our Repentance, we re­new that Violence; our Conscience has less and less of feeling; sin grows more and more habitual, and there­fore seems to sit lighter and easier upon us; and that makes us still more Confident and Careless, and so we go smoothly on in the way of Ruine, till we become past feel­ing, Ephes. 4.19. as the Apostle Phrases it, and then past Cure.

Thus the Sinner, if let alone, will certainly in the end become his own [Page 177]Executioner. Every Permission of Sin to abide with us without Distur­bance, has it's Proportion of the Guilt and Misery of that hardned State, which St. Austin thought was the sin against the Holy Ghost. And the longer 'tis Permitted, the greater is that Guilt, Rom. 1.28. and 'twill in­sensibly grow into a Reprobate Mind; and then, without Remedy, will follow the intollerable Punishment. And therefore, unless we can dwell with Everlasting Burnings, it nearly con­cerns us, without further delays, to destroy Sin in its Embryo, and very first Beginning, lest before we think on't it arrive to this fatal Perfecti­on, and bring forth this Death.

But Secondly, tho' by God's speci­al Care and Assistance, a Sinner may be awaken'd before he comes to this sad Period (which yet, because no Man can be sure of 'tis a very great Madness to trust to) yet the long­er we delay our Repentance, the difficulty of it will Proportionably increase upon us.

When length of time has made Sin habitual to a Man, and it be­comes fix'd and rooted in his Na­ture; it must needs be a very hard task to destroy those inveterate in­grain'd Habits, and pluck up those spreading Roots of Bitterness, which have so long over-run, and taken Possession of the Soul. The Prophet Jeremy says, 'tis as easie for an Ethio­pion to change his skin, and a Leopard his spots, Jer. 13.23. as for those to do good that are ac­customed to do evil; which signifies at least that 'tis the greatest Difficulty, and requires an almost endless la­bour to perform.

Now what strange folly is it, to suffer so fatal and spreading a Disease as Sin, to go on for many Years without controul, when even now at first 'tis hardly to be cur'd, and will give us a full Employment to keep under even to the last of our Days, tho' we take it in time, and begin with it immediately!

Besides, as much as Youth is apt to depend upon the future, and still defer till to Morrow; how uncer­tain is it whether to morrow will be Theirs! We can only be sure of the Present Moment, ten thousand Accidents may deprive us of the Next; Accidents as unforeseen and unprovided for, as are the Mise­ries of humane Life to an unborn Infant. Now what extream Mad­ness is it for Creatures in such pre­carious Circumstances, to slumber and drouse away their Opportunity; and defer a Business of such infinite Consequence, when none but God can tell what the next Hour may bring forth!

But Thirdly, of all times the time of Sickness and approach of Death is the most Improper and Unsea­sonable for this great Work of Re­pentance.

For First, 'Tis then more Difficult than at any time before; our evil [Page 180]Habits, are then more deeply Root­ed Sin more Predominant than e­ver by reason of long Possession; and God more than ever displeas'd, and his Spirit more than ever griev'd, and nearer being quench'd by those often repeated Delays, which the Sinner has then spun to their ut­most length. Now in other mat­ters, we think it a very odd Con­trivance, for a Man that has a great Work to do, to neglect all Favour­able Opportunities, and pitch upon a time, which of all others will lay the most and greatest Hard­ships in his way; and why should it not be at least as unreasonable in this Case of Repentance?

No Work I'm sure can be of great­er Importance than this is, nor are any Difficulties more Pressing than those a true Penitent must over­come; and therefore, to defer it till a time when 'twill be more diffi­cult than ever, and our Ability to strive against that Difficulty less than ever, (as we shall see presently) [Page 181]is certainly the greatest Madness in the World.

Secondly, Besides, the Devil is then more than ever busie to secure a Sinner to himself; makes use of all his Wiles and Cunning, either wholly to prevent his Repentance, or make it ineffectual as knowing Men are then less than ever able to Dis­cover and Resist 'em.

If the Sinner be of a chearful Temper, apt to believe the best of his Condition, (which is the Case of the generality of Men) he closes with him presently, and endeavours to work him up to Carelesness and Presumption. Represents to his mind a display of the great Goodness of God, his Tenderness over Mankind, that his Mercy is above all his Works, and Triumphs over his Justice, and is always ready to forget and to forgive; but carefully diverts all Thoughts of what we are to perform first, that we may be capable of this Mercy. If the Man's Conscience [Page 182]should sometimes be awake, and tell him the Truth in this Matter, that Repentance must go before Pardon, and that this is a very dif­ficult Work, especially upon a Bed of Languishing; He presently lulls him asleep again, by insinuating, that were there not a Saviour, things would be bad indeed; but Christ has suffer'd for Sinners, and wholly satisfy'd God's Wrath, His Righte­ousness was Perfect and Redundant and shall be Imputed to 'em, if they'l intirely Roll themselves upon Him, and being Cloathed with his Me­rits they need not fear acceptance. Misapplying the Words of St. Paul, that a Man is justified by Faith, with­out the deeds of the Law; Rom. 3.28. and conceal­ing those of St. James, what doth it profit a Man to say he has faith if he have not works, 2 Jam. 14.17. can faith save him? For faith without works is dead, being alone: And those of our Saviour too, Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say? Luk. 6.46.13.3. And, Ʋnless ye repent, ye shall all perish. And as for the Terrors of God's Vengeance, 'tis true, He will [Page 183]indeed inflict them, but 'tis upon the Reprobate, whom He has from all E­ternity Predestin'd to Destruction; but the Elect are not at all Concern­ed in them, and that He is one of that Happy Number, His ground­less Confidence, and the Numbness of his Conscience, shall be made an Ar­gument.

Thus will this wicked Spirit, by cunningly blending things False and True together, drill a sick Man on in this pleasant Slumber, and length­en out this unhappy Dream, till his Opportunity, is gone and his Oyl spent, and in the midst of his Assuran­ces He becomes a Prey to the Prince of Darkness, who will carry him in Triumph to the place of his Mise­rable Abode.

And as to this sort of Men He thus appears like an Angel of Light, all Smiles, and Sweetness, and Comfort; so to those of a more Melancholly, diffident Temper, He shews himself as He is, with all his Horrors and his Flames [Page 184]about him. He continually fills their Minds with dreadful Ideas of the In­exorable Justice, and Severity of God, of the Impossibility of pleasing him, of their being Reprobated by him; and represents to them their Sins in their full numbers, and worst aspect, and heightned with all imaginable Aggravations. And it may be, ter­rifies them with Hellish Dreams, fills their Fancy with strange Scenes of Horror; and lets 'em know how ready he is to seize their guilty Souls, as soon as ever parted from their Bodies; till he finally makes 'em, what he would have them be, quite Desperate.

If by these means he finds, that he can't wholly Prevent the Repen­tance of a sinner, (which yet a mi­serable Experience tells us he too often does) yet it shall go hard, but he will hinder its being throughly Effectual. And to this end, he one while [distracts the Sick Man's Mind with endless Scruples and Difficulties concerning it; not such as will at all [Page 185]Conduce to Promote and further it you may be sure, but such as are fruit­less and unnecessary, and of endless Controversie, such as will Amuse and Confound him, and waste much Time, and keep him wavering and in Suspense, and negligent of what is indeed Repentance to Salvation.

Sometimes he interrupts his Serious Thoughts by thrusting in Affairs of the World, unseasonably and im­pertinently; and often so Troubles and Perplexes those things which 'tis necessary for him to take some Thought about, that they become greater hinderances, to the one thing needful, than one would imagine.

When the Sick Man Prays, He will cool the fervour, and break the In­tenseness of his Devotion, by throw­ing into his Mind trifling and it may be Prophane Fancies; when he should Communicate, he Tempts him to de­fer it under pretence of being unpre­pared, and unworthy to partake of those Holy Mysteries. Such Sins as [Page 186]he ought most of all to be afflicted for, he will help him to Palliate and Excuse; and if they cry too loud not to be heard, he'l endeavour to con­tract and lessen the Measures of Re­pentance: And some Devilish De­vice or other he has ready upon all occasions, to make a Dying Man's Penitence imperfect and unavailing.

Now, tho' this great Deceiver is ready, thro' the whole Course of our Lives, thus to Circumvent and Cheat us of our Happiness; yet is he more than ordinary Industrious to secure a Sinner when leaving the World, and upon the Brink of Eternity; for then, if he has him not, he must for ever lose him. And the circumstance of a Dying Condition give him great Advantages over a Poor Languishing, Amaz'd, Dispirited, Affrighted Crea­ture, and 'tis but too too often that he is Successful against those that madly while their Repentance off till then.

For Thirdly, The inseparable Atten­dants upon a Death Bed are such, as if [Page 187]there were no such Adversary to deal with, would render it a very unapt season for so great a Work as this.

Our Powers and Faculties both of Soul and Body, are then generally mightily Disorder'd and very little Serviceable; our Apprehension dull'd, our Understanding and Judgment, and Memory, weakned and Impair'd; our Minds Distracted by fears and uncertainties, and our Bodies Languishing, full of Pains and great Discomposures. Some Diseases make the Patient stupid, and utterly Inap­prehensive; others heat Him into Frenzy and Distraction; and some keep Him continually upon the Rack, and will not suffer him to attend to any thing but his present Misery: And even the most favourable have enough in 'em, mightily to hinder our Pro­gress in this great Duty, for which a whole Life of Youth and Health, and perfect soundness of Mind and Body will not be too much. No wonder therefore, if the weaknesses and Infir­mities of Sickness, and the Approach [Page 188]of Death, which make a Man scarce capable of settling his worldly Af­fairs, should be a very unfit Time for him to begin to make his Peace with God, and Prepare himself for Eternity.

But in the last place, Let us sup­pose all that can be desir'd in such a Case as this; that the Distemper is not so Violent, but that it leaves a Man the free use of his Reason and all his Faculties, and the decays of his Body are gradual, and without excessive Pains; and Death comes on by easie gentle steps: 'Twould yet be a very great Folly to put off Repentance ev'n to such a Death Bed as this, because 'tis so hard a Matter to have any to­lerable Assurance that the utmost we can then do, is Hearty and Sincere, and will be to any purpose.

'Tis the Fruits of Repentance that Prove the sincerity of it; and Sorrow and Regret for past sins, and wishes that we had never committed them, and the like, how pungent, and how earnest soever they may be, are not [Page 189]Repentance, but only a step in or­der to it. For Repentance, as was said, is a thorough Change of a sin­ner's Mind and Life; which, whether such Sorrow will really effect or not, nothing but Time can shew. And therefore, the Man that Repents not till his Time is just Expiring, that has no Temptation to his former Vi­ces, nor Ability to Commit them if he had, must needs be very uncer­tain whether He indeed Repents, or is only scar'd and frighted with the near Prospect of the endless Mi­series that attend a sinner after Death. That it is too often, thus with dying Penitents, their returning to their Vices when God has Restor'd to them their Health, is Proof sufficient; and whether it is not so in any par­ticular Man's Case, no one can say, unless he Lives to make the Tryal.

Now what a Comfortless disheart­ning thing is it, for a Man to Breath out his Soul in such great uncertain­ties! How miserably anxious must his Breast needs be, about the safety [Page 190]of his Condition and his Acceptance with God, which yet he can have no Assurance of, till his Condition is fix'd and become unalterable!

The only Remedy is to Repent Immediately; that we may have time to approve the Sincerity of our Re­pentance, and enjoy the unspeakable Comforts both in Life and Death, that will attend our being at Peace and Reconcil'd to God.

Wherefore, as the Wise Ben Sirach excellently adviseth, make no tarry­ing to turn unto the Lord, Eccl. 5.7. and put not off from day to day, for suddenly shall the wrath of God come forth, and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed, and perish in the day of vengeance.