Sect. 1.

1. WHat is a Man profited (saith our Blessed Saviour, Mat. 16.26.) if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul?

That I have in this state I am now in, a Soul as well as a Body, whose interest concerns me, is a truth my own sence suf­ficiently discovers; for I feel Joyes and Sorrows, which do not make their a­bode in the Organs of the Body, but in the inmost recesses of the Mind; pains and pleasures which Sence is too gross and heavy to pertake of, as the peace or trouble of Conscience in the Reflexion upon good or evil Actions, the delight or vexation of the mind, in the con­templation [Page 2] of, or a fruitless inquiry after excellent and important Truths.

2. And since I have such a Soul ca­pable of Happiness or Misery, it natu­rally follows, that it were sottish and unreasonable to lose this Soul for the gain of the whole World: For my Soul is I my self, and if That be miserable I must needs be so; outward circumstan­ces of Fortune may give the World oc­casion to think me happy, but they can never make me so; Shall I call my self happy, if Discontent and Sorrow eat out the life and spirit of my Soul, if lusts and passions riot and mutiny in my bo­some, if my sins scatter an uneasie shame all o're me, and my guilt apales and frights me? what avails it me, that my Rooms are stately, my tables full, my at­tendanrs numerous, and my attire gaw­dy, if all this while my very Being pines and languishes away? These indeed are rich and pleasant things, but I never­theless am poor and miserable Man: Therefore I conclude, that whatever this thing be I call a Soul, tho it were a perishing, dying thing, and would not out-live the Body, yet it were my wis­dome [Page 3] and interest to prefer its content and satisfaction before all the world, unless I could chose to be miserable, and delight to be unhappy.

3. This very Consideration, suppo­sing the uncertainty of another World, would yet strongly engage me to the service of Religion, for all it aims at is to banish sin out of the world, which is the source and Original of all the trou­bles that disquiet the mind; for 1. Sin in its very Essence is nothing else but dis­ordered, distempered passions, affecti­ons foolish and preposterous in their choice, or wild and extravagant in their proportion, which our own experience sufficiently convinces us, to be painful and uneasie. 2. It engages us in despe­rate hazards, wearies us with daily toils, and often buries us in the ruins we bring upon our selves: and lastly it fills our hearts with distrust, and fear, and shame; for we shall never be able to perswade our selves fully, that there is no diffe­rence between good and evil, that there is no God, or none that concerns himself at the Actions of this life; and if we cannot, we can never rid our [Page 4] selves of the pangs and stings of a trem­bling Soul: we shall never be able to establish a peace and calm in our bo­somes, and so injoy our Pleasure with a clear and uninterrupted freedome. But if we could perswade ourselves into the utmost height of Atheism, yet still we shall be under these two strange inconveniences. 1. That a life of Sin will be still irregular and disorderly, and therefore troublesome. 2. That we shall have dismantled our Souls of their greatest strengths, disarm'd them of that Faith, which only can support them un­der th' afflictions of this present Life;

Not to mention, that after all; the sad Stories of another Life will not be strait way nonsense, because we think them so, they will continue at leastwise disputa­ble, and who would, but a desperate-Sot, commit his Soul to such a venture!

Sect. 2.

4. But when I consider, that the immortality of the Soul is a perswasi­on, which generally obtain'd in the Hea­then world, That the more wise and vir­tuous any of 'em were, the more deeply were they possess'd by the belief and hopes of it, that the reasons Plato, Cice­ro, [Page 5] &c. founded this assertion in, de­riv'd from the nature of the Soul, its operations, its little affinity to any vi­sible matter, its resemblance of the De­ity, &c. have rendred it so highly pro­bable, that it hath shed a very power­full influence upon the Lives of many.

5. But especially and above all, when I consider, that the Holy Scripture, (whose Divine Authority is clear'd by as strong evidences as any matter of that nature is capable of) assures me that this Soul (whether in its own nature immor­tal or no, I'le not now examine) shall not perish in the Dissolution of this Earthly Tabernacle; as Eccles. 12.7. Then shall the Dust return to the Earth as it was, and the Spirit shall return to God who gave it: and Mat. 10.28. Fear not them which kill the Body, but are not able to kill the Soul: (The Soul it seems is not liable to the injuries of a Disease, or the violence commited on the Body, but doth subsist when the Bo­dy is dissolv'd into its dust:) When I consider all this, I can never so far re­nounce my Reason, and harden my self against all the tenderness and passion I [Page 6] have for my self, as to be content that this Soul should be lost in that other State, provided I be fortunate and suc­cesseful in this; for what satisfaction can I then reap from a patrimony or purchase wide as the world it self, in a state wherein I shall be depriv'd of all means and opportunity of enjoyment? What can the Wealth, or Power, or Beauty of the World signifie to me, when the Body, which is the proper in­strument of earthly pleasure, shall lie stark dead and cold in the Grave, shall have no passions, no appetites, nor can all the Rhetorick or wanton charms on Earth awaken in it one languishing desire, or one imperfect act of Life; and as to the Soul, it must dwell in the Man­sions of a new world, (far, far remote from this,) wherein every thing will be strange, wonderful, unalterable, and eternal.

But I must pursue this thought a lit­tle further, and not stopping in the contemplation of the uselessness of the World after the Souls departure from it, go on to consider the Soul in its in­termediate state between Death and the [Page 7] Resurrection, that I may know the ut­most (if I can) that the loss of a Soul imports; and here I would suppose my self surprised in the midst of gavety and pleasures, of Love and Honour, by a violent, inexorable disease; I resign up my dear objects, and my dotage toge­ther; I am torn from my possessions and my hopes; and when the storm hath burst the Cable, and shatter'd the Hulk of this frail Bark the Body, it casts my Soul, that is all that remains of me, up­on an unknown strand, naked, and poor, and desolate, without interests, or friends, or hopes; it must dwell in the dismal blackness of eternal night and Melancholly, rackt by despair and guilt, scourg'd by shame and rage, tortur'd with envy and vexation, stab'd by re­gret and repentance, not a calm and soft, but a tempestuous and painful one; then like some sick body, which rowles and tumbles for an easie posture, rather out of an inability to suffer pain, than any hope of finding rest, it sometimes lan­guishes and looks back upon the world vanisht like a dream, and repeats ineffe­ctive wishes for the Body, but it shall [Page 8] return to its dear wealth and beauty no more for ever: Sometimes like Dives in the flames, it looks towards that Re­gion, where Light and holy Souls do dwell, but the unpassable gulph of the Almighty's Decree cuts off all hopes of that, so that that Light onely augments its envy and despair, and Heaven it self adds misery to the wretched Souls hell.

This is the natural and unavoydable state of a wretched Soul, dislodg'd from the body; despair, and rage, and shame, and guilt, and fear, and grief, and an­guish, gnaw and devour the miserable creature, and for ever must encrease: Blessed God! need there any chains to sink it lower than its own weight hath done? Needs there any other darkness cover that Soul, which such a cloud of sorrows hath benighted? Tell me no more of pleasures, these thoughts are enough to make me tremble, and grow pale at the approach of a temptation; rather than my Soul should dwell in such a state a thousand years, may shame and poverty be my portion in this life, may the hatred of powerful enemies, or what is worse, the scorn of my dearest [Page 9] friends persue me, may my Body be but a Scene of Diseases, and so incapable of the least gust of pleasure; and more than this, may an awakened tender Consci­ence every moment flash Death and Hell into my face, or if there be any thing worse, let me suffer it, so it but preserve my Soul from Sin here and from that in­expressible state of torments afterward!

And yet all this while I have ta­ken no notice of those additional suf­ferings which Divine Vengeance will no doubt inflict upon the Soul, nor of the nature of the Soul; the exaltedness of whose Essence heightens and sharpens the pain; for the more delicate the Be­ing, the more subtle its perception, and the more exquisite the torment.

Sect. 3.

There is a third State where­in misery swels to the highest marke it can possibly, when the Body, being rais'd again shall follow the Fate of the Soul, and both shall be condemn'd to inextinguishable flames; O Hell, where only the Enemies of God and Goodness dwell! where wretched men undergo all that sullying the Divine Glory, and trampling on the blood of Christ can me­rit! [Page 10] But I have reserv'd a place for a further survey of this state.

I am sufficiently convinc'd, that the gaining of the whole World cannot re­compence the loss of my Soul, since its loss implies all this, and more: for what would I take to be miserable? or rather, what would I take to be eternally so? is it a rational question? if I lose my self, what can be gain to me? the world per­adventure will continue amiable many ages after I am gone, but what is that to me?

And if to gain the whole world at so dear a price be so ill a Bargain, how fa­tal a purchase should I make, who am like to gain so little, being none of the worlds greatest Favourites! My Soul is not so cheap yet, that I can set it at so low a rate, as a few hundreds a year: I am as immortal as any Monarch in Christendome; and my pretensions to the Almighties favour may grow equal to that of any of the Sons of men, and I should be a Profligate and Reprobate, a Brute indeed, if I should abandon my poor Soul to Misery, and renounce the interest I have in the God of Heaven [Page 11] and Earth, for I know not what.

Let who will therefore sweat and toil for wealth and greatness, I have but this one business to do, to insure this dear, dear Soul of mine in its voyage to eternity; let who will gain the Re­putation of a wise man by a clearer fore-sight and thriftier management of af­fairs, by an unwearied Attendance, and insinuating applications, I shall think my self wise enough, if I can but be sav'd, and great enough if I enjoy but the Smiles of Heaven: Let who will ap­plaud themselves for the contempt of intrigue and sullen business, whilst they thaw and dissolve in soft and delicate pleasures, or waste and spend themselves in course and toilsome Lusts; If I may enjoy the pleasure of a manly rational life, spent in a constant course of Reli­gion and virtue, without Superstition or frowardness; of a mind unharass'd by desires and fears; of a peaceful as­sur'd conscience; of the contemplati­on of glorious Truths, and the hopes of a blessed immortality, I shall envy none the happiness of the most lusci­ous pleasure, or kindest fortune the World affords.

Sect. 1.

CHristianity may be considered ei­ther in Relation to Faith, or Pra­ctice: I will first consider the Christi­an Faith, and that in the most practical manner I can.

In my Creed, I have regard to three things especially. 1. To the use and end of Faith, which is certainly to guide and influence our lives. 2. To the peace of my own Breast. And 3. To the pre­servation of Charity: My Reason for the first, is evident of it self; for the two later, is this: Tho I may doubt whether I believe aright all that is necessary to my eternal salvation, and yet that doubt not prove injurious to my happiness at the last day, because I did both believe aright and live conformably to it, and the scruple arose only from the Disputes and Contests of men, and the weakness of my own understanding, not from a­ny [Page 14] iniquity of my will; yet this doubt will disquiet and disturb my repose, damp my cheerfulness and vigour, and may peradventure unsettle my faith, and end, if not in Atheism, in coldness and indifferency:

And tho 2. I may believe Another in a damnable Errour, when he is not, without prejudice to my own Soul, be­cause I may make this judgement in the Simplicity of my heart, by the best light and Rule I have; yet peradventure this opinion may improve it self insensibly upon my affections, to a very ill conse­quence, and invite me to an uncharita­ble and unfriendly deportment.

(1.) If I consider the Christian Faith with regard to the great end of it, Ho­lyness, I observe that the Gospel con­tains two great things, the Knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ; This is Life eternal, Joh. 17.3. To know thee the onely true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent: This knowledge con­tains in it all the Obligations imaginable to a Holy Life, and secures the hopes and comforts of Christians upon an un­movable foundation; and this know­ledge [Page 15] agrees perfectly with the Nature and Ends of Religion.

1. First, With the Nature of Religion. Religion is nothing else but the true and spiritual worship of the only true God, who is a Spirit: Now all the worship we are capable of paying him, consists either in the Affections of the Soul, or Actions of the Body; so that that Belief or Knowledge which tends to render these proper and acceptable to God, is directly conformable to the Nature of Religion; The Gospel therefore hath discovered God to us 1. One, infinite in Wisedom, Power, Holy­ness, Goodness, &c. And secondly, as he stands more particularly related to us in the Work of Creation, Providence, Redemption. All this put together proves him to be God, and to be Ours; it evinces his Excellency and his Supre­macy; it represents him infinitely Love­ly and Adorable in himself, and enti­tles him to all the service and affection, which Dominion, Love, and Munificence can lay a just claim to, all which is en­forcement enough (which is the use of Faith) to our Duty, when we are ac­quainted with it:

[Page 16]Which that we might be, and that we might have assistance to enable us to performe it, and that there might be a Provision made for the pardon of our errors, God in his infinite wisedom thought it necessary to send his Son into the world, and therefore it is necessa­ry to eternal Life to believe in Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent; and about him we are inform'd in the Gospel, that he is the Son of God; that he was made Man, and liv'd here upon Earth, that he might teach us our Duty, and leave us an Example of it; that he was crucified for our sins; that he rose again from the Dead, and after forty dayes sojourning here, he was receiv­ed into glory, and became the Head and Prince of his Church, &c.

The Belief of all which, illustrates the Justice and Mercy of the Most High God: assures us of the truth of his promises, i. e. The assistance of the Spirit of God, and eternal Rewards; and superadds most powerful Obligations to obedience, and layes an unshaken foundation of Joy and Peace by shewing us on what ac­count our sins are pardon'd, and our [Page 17] services accepted. So that now there will need but few words to prove

2. That this knowledge doth direct­ly serve the End and Aims of Religion, which must be Gods Glory and Mans Hap­piness, the former is already prov'd, for to Glorifie and to Worship God are equi­valent terms; the later easily appears thus, in that this Belief doth. 1. Re­scue us from the power of sin, by pow­erful motives, and endearments, to and by supernatural assistances of virtue, and 2. From the guilt of it by the Blood of Christ; and so it frees us from the misery of unruly passions, and from the slavish Fears of Death and Hell: 3. It composes our minds in all the various changes of the world, by the firm per­swasion of the wisedom, power, and goodness of the God who governs it; And lastly, it delights and satisfies our Souls by the discovery of Objects fit for their love and enjoyment; which is no less essentially necessary to our present happiness than any of the for­mer, for Man being a weak and empty Creature, cannot like God, find his happiness in the fruition of himself, but [Page 18] must seek it in something else, which must be able to fill all his desires and appetites, and satisfie all his Capacities of enjoyment.

O Happy Christian, that conquers the World and himself, that is freed from all fears and jealousies about a fu­ture State, and enjoys the ravishing Objects of a glorious Faith; well may the Holy Spirit make up the Descrip­tion of this State, of characters of Joy, Peace, and Hope.

2. But now Secondly, that this Hap­piness may be intire, it is neessary to secure the peace of my own bosome, as to the matters of Faith: And this may be disturbed two wayes, either by doubting of the Truth, or else the Sence of Divine Revelation: we are tempted to the former commonly by this Argument, These things cannot be, therefore the Book, which contains the History of them, is an imposture. To the later, by much the same Argument, These things cannot be therefore (since we cannot deny the authority of Scrip­ture) we must explain them in some other sense: Both proceed upon this [Page 19] botome, I cannot understand or con­ceive the possibility of this or that, there­fore it cannot be.

To secure my self from the first of these, I consider the infinite Majesty of the God we worship, and the trifling dwarfish Capacities of us Men, and then I wonder not, that some Articles should rather surprise and dazle my fa­culties than enlighten them.

To expect otherwise, were to for­get the nature of mysteries, and of my self; it is true, to believe without a Reason for it, is Credulity not Faith, but then Revelation is the highest Rea­son for the belief of things supernatu­ral, there being no other mean left us to attain to their knowledge; so that all that Reason can have to do here, is not to discuss the probability of the Ar­ticle revealed, but the Authority of the revelation, and this being once clear'd, to surrender up our doubts and scru­ples: which is (weighing the shallow­ness of our understandings, and the depths of mysteries) no more than in a tedious long journey, our eyes being dim, and the way unknown and intri­cate, [Page 20] to abandon our selves to the con­duct of a kind, skillful, and faithful Guide. The Sum of all is this, Man is born like a wild Asses Colt, and arrives into a rational Creature by painful in­stitution, and slow progressions, the Soul being clouded by Passions, im­prison'd and limited by scanty Organs, perverted by unhappy prejudices; and therefore 'tis a very wild, and extrava­gant piece of folly, to make ones own understanding the great standard and measure of all truth, or to determine, that the utmost of our Fancy is the ut­most extent of Nature and of the Deity too; for on the other hand, God is a great and incomprehensible Being, Great is the Lord, and greatly to be prais'd, and his greatness is unsearchable, Psal. 145.3. and therefore by a clear con­sequence, our Faith is not the less rea­sonable, because it is the more resign'd, an awful distance and a modest Faith is as essential a part of Holiness, as the conformity of our Wills to the Divine Law. These very Considerations will serve to secure me

2. Against all doubts, about the Sense [Page 21] of Revelation, for the received and ge­neral sense appears to be the more na­tural and obvious, and therefore no objection lies against it, but what is al­ready remov'd, the seeming impossibi­lity of it: and if it be further consi­der'd that the Gospel was address'd to persons of very ordinary endowments; and therefore to be understood in its most obvious sense; that it is most con­formable to that humble infant Spirit Christ requires in his Disciples to qua­lifie them for the reception of his Do­ctrine, to Believe rather than Dispute: That the receiv'd sense is the sense of the whole Catholick Church. That an Errour of judgement, which springs from Humility not Pride, will be rather pitied than punish'd by a good God, this all together will easily raise my Faith a­bove all scruple and wavering: Especial­ly if I add to all this, this one Observa­tion, That the Adversaries of any one Article of Faith, have never made up one entire Body, but several Sects, divided by numerous and contradictory Te­nents, built up upon different Founda­tions, that they have never been able to [Page 22] propagate any thing but wild and un­accountable fancies; that they have set Scripture at a more irreconcileable di­stance from it self, and instead of clear­ing its mysterious senses, have made its plainest sense a Mystery.

From all this I am oblig'd to resolve, not to gaze, and stare upon Majesty, lest I be blinded by the shine of it; but worship and adore, that I may be blest by it. I'le look upon my Creed like the Ark of God, 2 Sam. 6. It must not be toucht by a bold hand, though to sup­port it: all its Articles are like the Stones of the Altar, Exod. 20. to lift up a tool of a Workman upon them, tho with design to polish and adorn, is nothing else, but to profane and unhal­low them.

If after all this I chance to Err, I do not doubt, but that the purity of my intention, the diligence of my inquiry, the meekness and intireness of my Re­signation, will, through the mercies and goodness of a gracious God, secure my Heaven, and render my error innocent and harmless. All that is behind now is in the

[Page 23]3. Third place, to preserve my Cha­rity for my Neighbour, least that Faith which should be the strong engagement to union, become the unhappy Instru­ment of Divisions: To this end I con­sider 1. That the Controversies now on foot in Christendome are not about the Truth, but sense of Divine Reve­lation, none at all calling into que­stion the veracity, but the meaning of God; and therefore I cannot conceive the glory of God any more lessen'd or injur'd by variety of Opinions than by variety of Capacities; unless in their consequence.

2. As the bare assent to a Truth doth not save, so I see no reason, why the holding of an Error should damn, un­less it be such as hath a sinful Original or Issue, or such as is not consistent with the Honour and Glory of the Most High God; and indeed no Opinion which lessens the Majesty of the Most High God, can be taken up by any one pro­fessing Christianity, but that it must be­gin or end in Sin: But yet the aggra­vation or extenuation of the guilt of a Man thus erring, may depend upon so [Page 24] many circumstances, as Capacity, Edu­cation, Means and Opportunity of bet­ter information, the strength of preju­dices, &c. That he must be left to the judgment of God alone, and my duty, as a private Christian, is to love and pray for him, and to endeavour his re­ducement by all the pious Subtleties I can. This is the general Rule of the Apostle, Let not the Weak judge the Strong, nor the Strong despise the Weak

I will live in the peaceful temper of these perswasions; happy in the enjoy­ment of a smooth and settled Calm, re­sign'd up to God, stanch and consistent in my self, and possess'd by charitable hopes of my Neighbour: I'le endea­vour to keep a Conscience void of of­fence towards God and towards Man; and then I hope I may at last resign my Spirit into the hands of a faithful Crea­tor, in the Joyes and Transports of this Precious Christian Faith.

Sect. 1.

OF Practice in general, which con­tains Being and Doing Good;

We are born into a World full of Snares and Temptations; and we our selves are Creatures blind, and yet wil­ful; weak and yet wanton too: and up­on these accounts we are vouchsaf'd the favour of Divine Revelation; to conduct us thorow our Pilgrimage, to enable us to fight the good fight of Faith, and to prevent our miscarrying thorow the Deceitfulness of Sin, and the frailty of humane nature: and there­fore whoever doth not improve this gift of God, into all these Advantages and Benefits, defeats the design of Hea­ven, and receives the grace of God in vain.

Besides all this, the great Author of [Page 30] all things hath declar'd himself a God jealous of his honour, and delighted in the happiness of his Creatures; from whence I naturally infer, that that only can be a design worthy of Christs de­scent into Earth, which promotes the Glory of God and the Happiness of Man, and that is only Goodness or Holiness, concerning which I will

1. Enquire what kind of Goodness or Holiness that is, which the Gospel of Christ requires: And

2. Prove that it tends to advance the Glory of God, and Happiness of Man­kind; which will serve not onely as a proof of its being the scope and drift of Christianity, but also for a strong en­forcement, and motive to it.

Of the 1. Holiness is compriz'd in three things, living soberly, righteously, and god­ly in this present world, Tit. 2.12. That hereby is forbid all plain and open viola­tions of the Commandements; such as are. 1. All debasing of God in our ima­ginations, and deprav'd Acts of worship consequent to this, and all unthankful­ness to him. 2. All sorts of Falshood and Injustice. 3. All kind of unnatural [Page 31] Lusts, and Excess, destructive to our Health or Reason, is too plain to be prov'd: All this being nothing else but that ungodliness and Worldly Lusts which we are to deny, and the very Hea­thens by the Light of Nature, Rom. 1.32. Knowing, that they who do such things are worthy of death.

But whether Christian Holiness im­ports any thing more than the mere a­voiding those Sins, upon the principles and assistances of Religion; whether the positive part of the command in the la­ter part of the Verse, doth not intend something more, than the negative in the former part of it, is very well worth our Consideration; because it is plain that the Scripture speaking with respect to the Life of Gentiles which was de­prav'd even below the Light of Nature, doth by mortification mostly intend an abstinence from those actions amongst them, which were manifest transgres­sions of the Law: Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the Earth, For­nication, Ʋncleanness, &c. Col. 3.5. And because most men do (by inter­preting the Gospel to this sense) em­brace [Page 32] Christianity themselves, and re­commend it to others under the Cha­racter of a Debonnair and Complaisant Religion, so that the way to Life seems to me so exceeding broad, and the Gate so very wide, that unless a Man be born with a most villainous temper, and that be improv'd by a loose and undisciplin'd Education, a Man may make a shift to enter in without much striving or strug­ling, which seems to me very opposite to the meaning of our Saviour. I will therefore answer to this Quere by de­grees: Having first remov'd the Obje­ctions by telling you. 1. That Mor­tification is but one part of Christian Holiness, and that Abstinence from gross Sin is but half of Mortification: And 2. That, I hope, they who speak such soft things of Christianity, do intend it of a spiritual pleasure, or else of that more perfect State, wherein they who are arriv'd at it know how to abound; be­cause having obtain'd a more compleat conquest over the Body and the world, they are not so easily ensnar'd as new Converts: And I proceed now to the Query it self.

[Page 33]1. Acts of Sobriety and Justice, per­form'd without any deliberation by the meer inclination of Nature, (if such may be) are meerly natural Actions, neither good nor evil; neither reward­able nor punishable.

2. Acts of Sobriety and Justice, per­form'd upon the sole instigation of plea­sure, and conveniency, which attends such a Life in this present world, are very proper and natural effects of Reason, but under the Gospel they do not con­stitute any parts of the Righteousness of the Kingdom, because our Actions are to proceed from nobler Motives; not that I deny, but that to us Christians, Worldly Happyness may be a very lawful incentive to Holiness, but then it must be in its place, not the sole and great, but a subordinate inducement. Thus tho the Apostle invites us to goodness by Praise and a Good Report, yet he, who is vertuous meerly that he may be fam'd for it, is a vain-glorious Sinner; so though the promises of this Life an­next to Godliness, may encourage us to embrace it, yet if any Man be godly meerly for present pleasure and happi­ness [Page 34] of this Life, he is but a Worldly Man; nor do I here only mean, that worldly pleasure must not be the sole, but that it must not be the great, the principal allurement to Religion; some­thing it may contribute, but it must be in its place and its Degree: and thus far I have treated the Quere with more fa­vour than I should, by making use of the words Acts of Sobriety and Justice, which is not taken for granted in the Question; and now I must premise once for all, that a meer abstinence from evil is not a Doing, or Being good, and then I proceed to resolve

3. That to deny any Sin upon the account of Religion, i. e. The Fear and Love of God, and Hopes of Sal­vation, is certainly an acceptable Sa­crifice; but because in all our Actions there are generally many motives twist­ed together, and because Man out of fondness for himself is very apt to at­tribute the work, to that motive which it is his interest should be uppermost; therefore it will very nearly concern every one, to examine seriously the degrees and strength of this Faith he [Page 35] pretends to; for peradventure, tho this Faith be strong enough to restrain him from wild and unnatural Lusts, because it leaves him enjoyments and pleasures enough to entertain him with more de­light in their stead; and gives him up to a Life no less sensual, tho the instances of sensuality be more regular: Yet it may not be powerful enough to cruci­fie all worldly and carnal affections, and to force him to do perfect violence to his Inclinations: His fondness for the pleasures of this Life may be too stubborn to give way to a Faith, which is not more deeply rooted, nor arm'd and wing'd with holy passion; and the Body may be too high fed to surren­der up all its satisfactions upon the de­mands of a drowsie Faith; so that the Man doth not intirely deny himself be­cause Religion commands it; but thus far he thinks fit to comply with Religi­on, because it doth him no harm, it doth not intrench upon his sensual injoy­ment: and if this be his Case, tho the Man may have call'd in Faith to the as­sistance of Reason, yet he doth not suf­fer it to reign, and by consequence his [Page 36] Life is still the Life of Sense, and not of Faith. Faith comes in but slanting­ly and collaterally into his Life, it is not the main and chief inducement to his Actions.

4. And lastly, A Life lead in meer abstinence from evil, and yet an allow­ance of the utmost freedomes we can with innocence injoy (upon supposal that such a Man could so love God and Heaven, as to be able to renounce all, when call'd thereto, a supposition I can very difficultly be reconcil'd to) is but the minimum morale; if Holiness, yet the lowest degree of it; and the Gos­pel seems to me to have a further aim, to propose a greater height, and to ex­pect from its Votaries a nobler perfecti­on; which will easily appear to any one who shall diligently consider. 1. The great Motives to Holyness, which it contains, that is, a declaration of the Divine Nature, Jo. 1.18. The infinite Love of God to Mankind, manifested in the blessed Jesus, and the full Disco­very of Life and Immortality; or Se­condly the mighty assistances it promi­ses, that is the blessed Spirit of God, [Page 37] and Divine Providence, employed, ei­ther in preventing us from falling into temptations too big for this imperfect state, or else in finding a way to our escape out of them: Or Thirdly, the im­mediate end of Christian Religion, that is whilst we are here on Earth to fit us for Heaven: He that shall seriously lay to heart these three things will be forc'd to conclude, that in all reason, the Gos­pel must require of us something pro­portionable to the extraordinary mo­tives, the powerful assistances, and the glorious end it assures and proposes to its Children, and this must be some­thing more than a meer negative righ­teousness; for it is unreasonable, that this Light should beget in us no greater degrees of Love and Fear for God, than what natural Reason might; or if it doth, that the instances of our Obedi­ence, now under the Gospel, should be only such, as the strength of nature might have enabled men to comply with under Gentilism, tho it must be confest not so easily as now.

Agreeable to this Doctrine our Holy Saviour in his Sermon on the Mount, [Page 38] (which is the Rule and Standard of the Christian Life) sets us as a more exalted patern: Not onely to be True in our words, and Just in our dealings with our Neighbour, but to be Charitable, Gentle, Patient, and to return good for evil to our very Enemies: not only to avoid all unnatural Lusts and wild Ex­cesses, but also to be pure and holy, to admit of no sensual Fancy or unchast Looks, or idle words, to fast and af­flict our selves (the Blessed are they which mourn) he forbids us all Ambi­tion, and Covetousness, and Vainglory, not on the account of injustice, for that doth not alwayes unavoidably cleave to them, but as they are the Acts of a worldly mind, which is perfectly con­trary to poverty of Spirit, and to lay­ing up our Treasures in Heaven, and to the taking up of the Cross of Christ, so powerfully and sweetly recommended. Our duty to God is couch'd all along in the whole Discourse, but the Acts of worship more plainly express'd, are Lo­ving him as a Father, praying to him, endeavouring to promote his Glory, and chearfully to obey his will, relying [Page 39] upon him for assistance in our spiritual warfare, for Provision, Protection, and Deliverance in this Life; and add to all this, this one circumstance, that all this is to be done with delight, constancy, and vigour, (implied in those general Precepts, Blessed are they that hunger and thirst, &c. Lay up, &c. for where your treasure is there will your Heart be also, seek you first, &c. and strive to en­ter in at the strait Gate, &c.) and then you have our Saviours Sense of Chri­stian Holiness;

If we consult his Disciples, the best Expositors of their Masters Text, we shall find the whole of Religion com­priz'd in two things. The Mortific­ation of the outward Man, and the Resurrection of the inward, by which they mean, as appears from Colos. 3. a setting our affections upon things above, and not upon things on the Earth, from whence I will infer two conclusions.

1. That our affections are an essenti­al part of Holiness, that it is not enough to approve of invisible things in our un­derstanding, and then act not as Men, who love God, and Heaven, and Good­ness, [Page 40] but as men, who see it unavoidably necessary to do something, and therefore go as far as is consistent with that carna­lity they yet resolve to gratifie; but that we must love them also; and this to that degree may be able to extinguish our passion for the World, and therefore.

2. The Life we are to lead, must be such a one as may most tend to enkindle in us holy passions for the things above, a delight in the survey of our hopes, and defires of entring into the presence of God; all which cannot be attain'd but by requent Prayer, Meditation Hearing, and Reading of Gods Word, the holy Communion, and heavenly Discourses: and on the other side to take off our Af­fections from the world, and beget in us a generous contempt of it, which can never be effected, but by repeated acts of self denyal, fasting, watching, medi­tating, on the example of a crucified Sa­viour, the glories and pleasures of ano­ther Life, the vanity and yet bewitche­ries of this fadeing one; I may be con­fident, that a constant caressing the sen­ses with feasting, drinking, wanton dal­liances, the pomp and vanities of Life [Page 41] cannot be a proper method to the mor­tification of the outward man or vi­vification of the inward;

So that if a very abstenious Life (as to the general course of it) be not re­quir'd, as an essential part of Holiness, yet it is necessary as the means and in­strument of it: conformable to this whole discourse is that of St. Paul, 1 Cor. 7, 29.30. But this I say Brethren, the time is short; it remaineth that both they that have wives be as tho they had none, and they that weep as tho they wept not; and they that rejoice, as tho they rejoy­ced not, and they that buy as tho they possess'd not; and they that use this world as not abusing it, for the fashion of this world passeth away: where we are not only interdicted unlawful pleasures, but forbidden to give our selves up to lawful ones; and commanded to use such moderation as may become men ful­ly perswaded of the shortness and va­nity of this Life, and possess'd by the expectations of a better.

The Sum of all is this, The Christi­an State, is a State of extraordinary Ho­liness and Purity; 'tis a new nature, [Page 42] wrought by principles, motives, assist­ances, different from those of the na­tural man; 'tis, in one word, to be Heavenly minded; and therefore that course of Life, which can best serve to encrease this blessed temper, is the Chri­stians Duty; and that course which quenches it, which softens and sensua­lizes us, is inconsistent with Christiani­ty, and inconsistent with Regeneration; for if we be risen with Christ we shall not onely Love, but seek those things, which are above; it being impossible for any man to live, (when he can choose) quite contrary to his own de­sires; so that he who loves God, need not be told, that he must Pray, and Meditate, and Communicate, and be do­ing good, &c. When he knows he can enjoy him here below no way else; he that hates Sin, and loves Holiness, needs not be told that he must lead an abste­mious Life, when he knows that feast­ing and drinking, &c. do feed the Bo­dy into wantonness and lust, and quench the holy flame of Love, and indispose it for Religious Duties.

From all this it is plain. Religion is [Page 43] in its essence an inward and spiritual Holiness, outward actions can be consi­dered but two wayes, either as the means and instruments, or else as the fruits and effects of Holiness; and both ways a sober temperate Life (as to the ge­neral course of it) is indispensably ne­cessary; tho I cannot here deny, but that there must be an allowance made for the variety of Tempers, and the different strengths of grace, &c. pro­portionable to each mans different case.

Having thus given an Account of the nature of the Holiness which the Go­spel requires, I come

2. To shew that it tends to promote Gods Glory and Mans Happiness. 1. Gods Glory.

1. Though a right understanding be wholly necessary to, yet it self is no part of Divine worship; it is not meer know­ledge or belief of a truth, but Love, and Fear, and Obedience by which we honour God, and devote our selves to him; there is no where more light of knowledge (Heaven excepted) than in those Regions of darkness where the [Page 44] most impious Spirits dwell, but no body will say that they there worship God; 'tis true an understanding illuminat­ed is certainly a beautiful thing, but then if it be joyn'd to an unsanctified will, the Man in the whole is the most de­form'd and loathsome thing imaginable, for he is made up of two the most dis­proportionable and contradictory things, as if he were formed as the Po­et fancies men, growing out of the slime of the Deluge, the upper parts enli­vened flesh and bloud, the lower mud and clay; the light of the understand­ing enhaunces the guilt of malice and degeneracy in the Will; for to see God, and not love and obey him is strangely malicious, but if his beauty be not ador'd by things that have no eyes to see it, 'tis not to be wondred at. If you had been blind, then had you had no sin.

2. The Heavens, saith the Psalmist, declare the glory of God, &c. Their brightness and vastness, whilst they en­gage our wonder, invite us to the con­templation of the Power, and Infinite­ness, and Majesty of their Architect; [Page 45] so Holy and Good men declare his glo­ry too, for being renewed after his Image in Holiness and righteousness, they represent to the World an imper­fect draught of some of the glorious at­tributes [...] God they worship: thus as the power of Miracles imported to the Apostles, forc'd the Beholders to glo­rifie God, who had given such gifts un­to men; so too Christ exhorts his Dis­ciples to let their Light shine before men, that when they see those good works, they may glorifie God, who is in Heaven; in­duc'd by the loveliness of that Good­ness deriv'd from him, as the other were by his power.

3. It is Goodness, by which we own a God, and acknowledge him to be ours. Divine worship is the confession of our meanness and his Majesty; and confor­mity to his Laws is the fullest proof we can give of our Allegiance and his Su­premacy; and therefore they who live irreligiously let 'em pretend to believe and think what they will, are said to be without God in the world, and to de­ny him in their works.

4. Holiness or Goodness is really [Page 46] Divine worship, and therefore it is in Scripture defin'd to be Religion, and Wisdome, and Knowledge. To know God this is Wisdom, and to depart from evil this is understanding To do Justice, to releive the Poor and Needy, is not this to know God, saith the Lord: pure Religion and undefiled is this, to visit the Fatherless and Widows in their af­fliction, and to keep ones self unspot­ted from the world; more plainly; what is worship, but the cleaving to God with purity and earnestness of Affections acting in conformity to his Law as those Affections shall invite and inable us? and this is the very same thing with Holiness. So that it is plain, that Holiness and Good­ness contribute to Gods Glory, the two only wayes we are only capable of glo­rifying him, that is by our own par­ticular worship, and by the influence our example hath upon others.

§ 2. It is most serviceable to the Hap­piness of Man here and hereafter.

1. Here.

1. All the advantage of peacefu, Governments, friendly Neighborhood I comfortable and closer unions, and [Page 47] pleasant Retirements, depend on and arise from Goodness: But suppose the World planted with Covetousness instead of Justice, Pride instead of Meekness, Cruelty instead of Compas­sion, Revenge and Malice instead of Mildness and Charity, falshood and ly­ing instead of Constancy and Truth, &c. and imagine if you can whether all So­cieties would not be torn into as many Factions as there are cross interests and opposite passions, whether any Com­merce could be just and smooth, any tie lasting and delightful, whether it were possible to find security or plea­sure either in a private or a publick Life.

2. It is Holiness which best secures a mans inward peace, guards and arms him against those impressions which outward temptations make, prescribes bounds to our Desires, scatters our Fears, confirms our Hopes, raises our Affections to things of true and lasting Excellency; that is, in few words, it not only settles our peace by establi­shing the empire of the mind over the inferiour Appetites, but also provides for our pleasure, by filling the mind [Page 48] with spiritual Joyes, and Peace, and Hope.

2. Hereafter.

3. Goodness is wholly necessary: 1. To recommend us to the Love of God, whose infinite purity, and excel­lency cannot approve of any thing that is sinful and unholy. This is the Message that we have received of him, that God is Light, &c. Where you see that the Law is founded in his Na­ture, hath an intrinsick resemblance to his own Holiness; and by conse­quence he can neither alter it nor dis­pence with its Observation. 2. To qualifie us for Heaven, for it is Good­ness, which weans the Soul from all fondness for the Body, and the World, and possesses it with an intense Love of God and Holiness, which two things do first capacitate it for that world, wherein God, and holy Spirits dwell, and Secondly recommend it to grea­ter degrees of Glory and Happyness in it.

Besides all this the Scripture speaks This Doctrine in express terms, the grace of God which hath appear'd un­to [Page 33] all men teacheth us, &c. This was the great business of our Saviours Life, he was still instructing men in the do­ctrine of the Kingdome, that is, Godli­ness, Righteousness, and Sobriety. His Miracles did confirm the Divinity of his Person, and this too was carefully se­cur'd, to gain authority to his Doctrine.

I will conclude this Chapter with the absurdity of the contrary Doctrine. Of what use would the Gospel be in relati­on either to God's Glory, or Mans hap­piness, if it were onely to be believ'd, and not obeyed! To what purpose is light come into the world, if men may still love darkness? to what purpose did the Son who lay in the bosome of the Father reveal him more gloriously to us, if, knowing him as God, it be yet lawful for us not to glorifie him, as such—

And as insignificant would this opi­nion render it to the happiness of Man; for of what use will all the excellent rules of Justice, Charity, Meekness, Tem­perance, &c. prove, if we continue peevish and revengeful, intemperate and lustful, &c. to what purpose are the [Page 50] fuller discoveries of another World, Life and Immortality, and the Belief of Jesus being the Son of God, if they do not enable us to conquer the world and mortifie the flesh? and if I walk accor­ding to the Laws of the Flesh, i. e. Vi­olate the Laws of the Spirit, can I choose but dread a God whom I have wrong'd? and will not unruly Passions and a trou­bled Conscience make a Christian as mi­serable as a Jew or Heathen?

If Goodness now be the end and drift of the holy belief of Christians, then I infer,

1. That the best Man is the best Son of the Church, and he whose affections are more rais'd and heavenly, and hath least of the mixture of sensuality, is of the highest form in the School of Christ, because he doth best answer the design of his Lord, and walks in some measure as he walk'd.

2. That the most infallible chara­cters of a true Faith are to be taken from the government of our Passions; our con­quest o're the world, and the increase of our inward joy, and peace, and hope. Good Lord! how apt are we to put a [Page 51] a cheat upon the World and our selves, to perswade it and our selves that we believe, tho there be no change in our Souls and Conversations, and therefore consequently we do nothing less. I shall hereafter never think that I be­lieve aright, till I have a Love for all his Commandments, till I can meditate de­lightfully, pray vigorously, relie constant­ly, obey readily, suffer patiently, rejoyce humbly, expect reverently, and (happy is me, if I attain that height) earnestly too, the hour of my death, or the ap­pearance of my Lord. I shall never hereafter think, that I have studied or known divine truth to any purpose, till the Truth hath made me free, rescued me from the bondage of Sin, and fears of Death.

Sect. 2. Of doing Good.

There are a sort of People who in­deavour all they can to withdraw from the world, and rid their hands of busi­ness, [Page 37] and think it abundantly sufficient if they can discharge their duty towards God in their Retirements.

This is Lawful, nay commendable, on­ly upon two accounts.

1. If my Temper or Circumstances be such, that my Conversation cannot be publick and safe too, for then the Salva­tion of my own Soul is naturally the most near and dear concern; or

2. If my qualifications are such, that my retirement is likely to prove more advantagious to the publick, than my filling any other Post, for then I act ac­cording to the Rules of Charity;

There are two other Inducements to a retir'd Private Life, The one found­ed in a vice, the other in a mistake.

1. The First is when Men withdraw from the Business as from the trouble of the World, and their Pleasure not Re­ligion is their first and chief motive. They meet with many rubs and opposi­tions in a busie Active Life, and then they grow soft, and weak, and lasie, and they want Courage, and Industry; and the frequent interruptions of their private peace and enjoyment is uneasie, [Page 54] and they would withdraw to enjoy themselves; and this is unchristian and unmanly, 'tis Epicurism, not Contempt of the World,

2. The mistake is when we look up­on a Monastical kind of life as the whole of Christianity, and the meer Perfection of the Regenerate state, and place Piety so wholly in acts of solitary Devotion, as to seclude the doing good and communicating, &c. It will behove such to consider. 1. That true and ap­parent Motives, Pretence, and Religion are sometimes so twisted together, that it is hard for a man to distinguish 'em, and therefore some secret weakness or reserve may be the real, whilst zeal is made the pretended cause of this choice.

2. That the Busie and Active Life is the more Excellent; and the more neces­sary. 1. the more excellent, as being ful­ler of hazards, and troubles, and temp­tations; there is a larger field for vir­tues, for Patience, Courage, Meekness, Reliance, &c. in an active than specu­lative life, and such will receive more Crowns. And when I consider the Na­ture of God, and necessities of Man­kind, [Page 55] I cannot but think acts of Chari­ty as prevalent to the wiping off our guilt, as the severest penances. A vi­gorous and active life spent in promo­ting the welfare of others, is a more perfect instance of self denial, speaks a greater contradiction to our ease and pleasure, commits more violence upon our inclinations, than any acts of pri­vate Austerity can pretend to do; for besides the Pains, the watching, and the fasting incident to both a like, the trou­ble of Contrivance, the industry of ad­dresses, the uneasiness of refusals, &c. sufficiently weigh down the one side. Besides this Confinement imprisons our light under a bushel; it is a Cover, a Nap­kin for our Talents to conceal them and render them useless to others; and there­fore our reward will be less in another world, and our graces the fainter in this, For to him what hath, i. e. useth, shall be given, Grace like the Widows Oile increases by being charitably imparted: That Flame which warms my Neigh­bour, reflects back with a double heat upon my self, and that Goodness which cherishes his heart, softens and sanctifies [Page 40] my own. And over and above all this, I enjoy a strange delight in doing good, and in beholding the fruits which my own hands have planted. And my assu­rance, and the confidence of my hopes encreases by the conscience of that Love, which my works convince me I have for my Brethren.

2. That a busie imployment of our selves for the advantage of others, is of more absolute necessity. The world is one intire Body, and each member must be serviceable in its place, nor can any part withdraw it self from the whole at its pleasure, hence it is that the grea­ter part of the Law of our blessed Sa­viour are Rules of Society, of Justice, Charity, &c. and he himself, the best example, made his Retirements by night, but by day he went about doing good; Nature hath founded a cognati­on amongst us, as we pertake of the same form, shape, reason. But the Chri­stian Religion hath cemented us in clo­ser unions, made us the Members of the same Body, tied us together by faith and love, by the same Sacraments, the same Promises, and the same hopes: [Page 41] and therefore we cannot in reason think we do one another all the good we are bound to, by a meer abstinence from doing wrong, and by sequestring our selves from the service and concerns of our Brethren.

2. Because the Glory of God is more concern'd in the deportment of whole Societies, than a few private persons, as much as the safety of a multitude is more valuable than that of a very few, and goodness redounds more to his ho­nour when publique and almost univer­sal, than when cloystered up in the Bo­somes of a few: therefore all good men must needs be obliged to promote the interests of Holiness and goodness in the publique, because the Divine Glory is so deeply concern'd in it.

3. (Which ought well to be consi­der'd,) The nature of Goodness is such that it cannot well be conceiv'd how the being good is separable from doing good. God tho his own Heaven and Happiness, did yet found a World, to which he might be an universal Benefa­ctor; his Goodness was certainly the most powerful motive to his Creation, [Page 58] not any considerable accession that his happiness was to receive from it. This Goodness therefore in Man ought to be a Vigorous and Active Principle, and render 'em the Benefactors of Mankind. It is indeed hardly conceivable, how men should be zealous Patrons of virtue and goodness, and yet not concern'd to protect and own them, to promote and incourage 'em in the world; or how men can be inflam'd with a very strong Love of God, and yet not indeavour to establish a true sense of his Beauties and excellencies in the minds of Men; or how, lastly, any can be possess'd with a passionate kindness for a Brother, and yet never mingle with the concerns of his Soul or Body.

Lastly, The great motives of the Gospel are, The example of our Lord and Saviour, whose Disciples we pro­fess ourselves, whom we are bound to imitate; and he went about doing good. The glorious rewards annex'd to all those who any wayes benefit Mankind, either by instructing the mind, or relieving the body; The Cha­racter of the Children of God at the last [Page 59] Judgement is compos'd wholly of Acts of Charity, all which suppose an active life. Conformable to this Doctrine is that of Heb. 13.15, 16. By him there­fore let us offer the sacrifice of Praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our Lips, giving thanks to his Name. But to do good and to communicate forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well plea­sed; we must pray, but prayer without doing good is an unpleasing sacrifice, without Charity our very Devotion is unchristian, and our Religion unnatu­ral.

This let those mind, who are long in their Prayers, severe in their outward deportment, frequent hearers of the Word, and yet we can discern in them no fruits of Meekness or Charity: let 'em consider whether they do not mi­stake the nature of Religion, whether they do not choose the more easie Sa­crifice, because it costs them nothing, whether they have not a secret reserve of Covetousness or Frowardness, &c.

Having spoke this much of the Neces­sity of doing good, and the Motives to it, I'le propose three or four Rules, [Page 44] and submit 'em to your Consideration.

1. That we must judge of our call to do good by the capacities and fitnesses with which God hath endow'd us; and here I cannot but proclaim our own glo­rious priviledge, That tho to do good be so great and glorious a thing, that it is a kind of imitation of God himself, a thing our blessed Saviour came down on earth for, yet it hath pleas'd God so to multiply the instances and oppor­tunities of goodness, that there is none so unfortunate, as to be uncapable of doing good. The happy by their wealth, the wise by their knowledge, even the miserable themselves, may by their pa­tience, and courage, and prayer, com­fort and relieve the world; and we are to judge by our Parts and Fortunes the way that God hath mark'd out for our Charity and be content to obey him in his own methods.

2. Let Meditation and Prayer admi­nister to our good actions, and like oil to a Lamp, give our Charity fresh Spi­rits and Flame; for as private Religion is deficient without publique Charity; so Charity, unless often refresh'd by Re­tirement, [Page 45] Devotion, and Heavenly Re­flexions, will cool and languish; our Hearts will be tough and insensible, and our doing good will be onely the ef­fect of Custome or Prudence, or Acti­vity of Spirit, not of Religion or Cha­rity; and if (which is the best can be sup­pos'd) the man consecrates the whole Mass of his Actions by purity of inten­tion, and continues an obstinate ob­server of Prayer, as far as he thinks strict duty obliges him to, yet for want of more leasurely Meditation, and more serious Reflexions, his addresses will lose their warmth, his Soul will abate much of its Love, and whilst his Religion loses so much of its pleasure and sweetness, what wonder if his Cha­rity relish more of drudgery than de­light.

3: That we may not be discourag'd from doing good, by any difficulty or misfortune which may attend us in it, in our nightly Reflexions, let us judge not the hapiness of our success, but the integrity of our endeavour; and let us think it sufficient reward, that we have obeyed God; or if we will measure our [Page 62] success let us examine how much our experience hath improv'd our Meek­ness, our Patience, our Reliance, or Charity, for scarce any action, but will exercise some of these graces.

4. Look upon doing good as truely your Business, as Prayer or Hearing the Word or Meditation, &c. And therefore never think your time mispent, which is laid out in visiting the imprison'd or sick, relieving the necessitous, com­forting the afflicted, and reducing those that erre into the paths of Sobriety and Truth, tho this time be par'd off from our Meditations, Prayer, and Sacrament. He is a good man indeed, who prefers meek attendance and ministry, and im­portunate addresses to the Souls of men before much knowledge, passionate disputes and high pretences.

O Charity, how lovely must thou needs be in the eye of Heaven, for wert thou planted in all our hearts, Earth would resemble that place above: I will be pleased therefore with my self only in proportion to what I share of thee, for I know this is the Stan­dard by which God now value me, [Page 63] and will hereafter judge me.

If this be the end of Religion, one­ly to implant goodness and charity a­mongst us, to make us holy and like God, and kind, and beneficial, one to another what is it, that the World hates it for; I may say, concerning those who persecute Christianity, as St. Peter did of those who Crucified its Author. I wot that through ignorance ye did it, Act. 3 17. Surely it is because you do not discern its beauty, that you do not Love it.

If any retir'd life promote the end I have mention'd, as well as an Active, once I would not be thought to con­demne it.

1. Of Faith.

When I read the glorious Achieve­ments, of a true Faith, Heb. 11. That it subdued Kingdomes, wrought Righteous­ness, obtained promises. &c. and in one word, supported men under the greatest miseries, and arm'd them against the most taking pleasures of this World; I cannot sufficiently wonder, that a fuller and clearer discovery of a Heaven, con­firm'd to us by the strongest evidences, i. e. the demonstration of the Spirit and of Power, should have so weak an influ­ence upon us Christians; we take no more pains for Heaven, than if we did not believe there were such a place, and we have the same cares and fears in re­spect of the things present, which Hea­thens and Infidels have; so that tho' we talk much of Faith we make little or no use at all of it;

Therefore, least any man delude and fool himself with a perswasion of being endowed with that Faith which he hath [Page 66] not, I'le give such an account of it as a­grees with the Gospel of the Kingdom, as suits with, and serves the necessi­ties of mankind, and the end and Aims of God.

Faith, saith the blessed Apostle, is the substance of things hoped for, and the e­vidence of things not seen; the sub­stance or presence, the evidence or Proof, 'tis not a slight transient glance, drowsie imperfect assent, a staggering wavering opinion, but 'tis a lively representation, an affective vision, a full perswasion of the glorious truths of the Gospel: when the Objects are so fully and clearly evi­dent that they not onely convince, but, take us too; it is having the mind en­lightn'd, and so looking upon things with the eys of Angels, and judging by the light of the blessed Spirit,

It is not only to see that the things in­visible are, but to see them in some mea­sure, such as they are. Eternity as E­ternity, and Heaven as Heaven, that is, a state of truely great, and glorious hap­piness; on this account, the things pre­sent may have a different face and aspect, when regarded by the eyes of Faith, [Page 67] and when of Sense; for sense stops in the things themselves, and regards their usefulness to the pleasure or profit of this present life; but Faith carries its sight forward, and compares the things which are seen, with those hoped for, the things temporal, with those eternal, and then all below appears but meer vanity.

This whole account of Faith we may find in the 13 verse of Heb. 11. These all died in Faith, (and what it is to dye or live in Faith, the following words explain,) not having reciev'd the pro­mises, (i.e. the accomplishment of them) but having seen them a far off, (i. e. by divine Revelation) were perswaded of them, and embraced them, (and the na­tural consequence of this was,) and con­fessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth: Now Faith is unalterable as to its essence, but its objects may vary, they may be more or fewer, clearer or darker, according to the Nature of di­vine revelation, Heb. 1.1. its evidence may be fuller or weaker, but still it must be such as may suffice to convince man of the Divine authority of the Revela­tion;

[Page 68]As to the Christian Faith. 2. Its objects are the whole Gospe [...] of Christ. God the Father, such as he is re­veal'd by the Son, God the Son incar­nate, crucified, &c. The Rewards and punishments contain'd in it; and all in or­der to engage us to an entire obedience to its holy and righteous Precepts.

By Faith I see that God, who is invi­sible, who tho he dwels in Heaven, doth yet humble himself to behold all that is done upon Earth; nor doth he only be­hold but govern all things too: And whilst I contemplate his Wisedom, Pow­er, Truth, Goodness, Holiness, Justice, &c. manifested to me in the Gospel, I adore and worship him, I love and fear him, I call on and relie upon him, I en­deavour to walk before him and be perfect; I know nothing like him, and therefore I desire nothing be­side him, or equal to him in Heaven or in Earth.

By Faith I see the Son of God aban­doning the bosome, and the Glory of his Father, descending upon Earth, and assuming the form of a Servant, that by his doctrine and example he might pro­pagate [Page 69] Righteousness and holiness in the world; I trace him thorough all the Stages of his sufferings, and travel till I behold him fasten'd to the Cross, and bleeding out his meek and holy Soul at those painful wounds the nails had made; and all this for my sins, and the sins of the whole World; and then with what a strange mixture of Passions that sight fills me! with grief and shame, and yet with love and hope too: How I am amaz'd to see what indignation a holy God hath discover'd against Sin! and how my heart bleeds to think that my sins have treated thus despitefully and cruelly my dear Lord and Master! and with what a melting passion, and vigo­rous resolutions of a fervent industri­ous service, and an everlasting zeal and devotion, do I behold the amazing in­stances of my Saviours Love, whilst with so much affection and sweetness he laid down his life for me, whilst his e­nemy and his persecutor! O how I long to do something for such a Saviour as this, to execute my lusts, to bring his and mine Enemies before his face and slay them! and now tho a survey of my [Page 70] sins hath filled me with amazement and shame, yet since Christ hath died I look up with comfort, and an humble hope! Since he hath died, did I say, yea rather since he is risen again, for

By Faith I see him breaking forth with Power and great Glory out of his Sepulchre; I behold him ascending in Triumph up to Heaven; I see with Ste­phen the Heavens open'd, and my Prince and Saviour sitting at the right hand of Power, with one hand despencing his Graces with the other holding never fadeing wreaths to crown the patience of his Saints: And now how I am exalt­ed above Nature, transported above the world and flesh! how this prospect hath disarm'd the Beauties and glories of this life of all their Killing charms and Temptations! how my soul leaps for joy to see a way open'd into the holy of holies! and to consider the mighty interest I have in Heaven!

As for Earth, I am so far from admir­ing it, I value it not; I know I must so­journ here a while, and therefore I must be fed and cloath'd, but my heavenly Father knows I have need of these things, [Page 71] and his is the Earth, and the fulness there­of, and therefore he cannot want means and ability to provide for me; and he is a wise and a good God, and he hath pro­mis'd by his Son to take care of me, and all this will invite him to design and ac­complish what is best for me: Upon these grounds I think I could hope (like Abraham) even against hope, I could relie upon God without any flattering appearances of promises, Friends nay or any visible probabilities; I am to seek the righteousness of the Kingdome, and permit the Government of the World to the God of it; I am his child and he is my Heavenly Father, to obey is my Duty, and (with Reverence be it said) to provide for me is his.

By this time it is easie to be discern'd what kind of Faith it is must save or ju­stifie us; one that enlightens our under­standing, and ravisheth our Heart; one that prayes and watches, that contends and struggles, and fights and conquers; one that makes us too great for Earth, and fit for Heaven; one that fears, and loves, and worships, and seeks, and re­lies, and hopes: And then

[Page 72]3. When it hath done this, when I find my Faith made perfect in Love, when through this belief I find my self a conqueror over the World and Flesh, and have crucified those lusts I did be­fore serve and gratifie; then I am full of Joy and peace; Then I feel that pledge of his Love, that spirit which he hath giv­en me, assuring me of the pardon of my sins thorough the blood of Christ. Then I have a foretaste of the powers of the world to come, and I do in some measure anticipate my Heaven. And not till then.

For this perswasion of the pardon of my sins (call it what you please, Faith, Peace, Hope, Assurance) is always pro­portionable to the success I have in my fight of Faith; if I have either falsly be­trayed, or weakly deserted a good cause i.e. my virtue under a temptation, which is in Scripture call'd a Tryal; if I have turn'd my back in the day of battel; then my own conscience condemns me, and because I know that God is grea­ter than my Conscience, and knoweth all things, therefore I cannot expect to stand when I am judged, unless I rally and repair my fault: But if upon a serious [Page 73] reflection upon my life each evening, my conscience acquit me as a Conque­ror through Faith and Love, then I re­joyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory: what a beautiful morning doth this Faith shed upon any soul! How I long that thy Kingdome, O God, may come! And how I disdain all that this vain World can flatter me with! Then like Peter, tho all men should be offended (fall through temptation) yet will not I. Give me a temptation equal to this Faith. (till the sense of my frailty, as in Peter, do lower my confidence and yet heigh­ten my resolutions.)

And yet all this doth not in the least imply any reliance or confidence in my own Righteousness or works (phrases of the same sense in Scripture.) But that I know Repentance and Faith are propos'd as the sole conditions of Justification tho­rough the bloud of Christ. And that these fruits or effects of Righteousness (I mean a holy life) are the onely evi­dence of these habits; and therefore I can never perswade my self that I believe and repent, till I live well; nor ever flatter my self with Peace, Peace through [Page 74] his bloud, till I thus believe and Repent; to do otherwise is presumption not Faith; 'tis the fond and groundless con­fidence of foolish Virgins, which shall be for ever shut out from the Bridegrooms presence.

There is not in the book of God a­ny one plainer Doctrine than this. Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdome of Hea­ven, but he that doth the will of my Fa­ther which is in Heaven: which is, not every one that professes me to be Lord, and so far relies upon me as to knock at the gates of Heaven with presumption of admission, shall enter, &c. If we walk in the light as he (God) is in the light, we have fellowship one with another (and truely our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ, v. 3.) and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Where, walking in the light (that is Holiness) is suppos'd as a necessary condition to our purification by the blood of Christ; and, tribulati­on worketh patience, and patience experi­ence, and experience hope, and hope mak­eth not asham'd, &c. These are the steps [Page 75] or stages by which the Christian maketh his progress into assurance. Tribulation being conquer'd worketh patience, and Patience experience i.e. a conviction or proof of our Love of God, and this expe­rience worketh hope, which contains in it th' assurance of pardon, and the expe­ctance of a better world; and by the same method doth he who is attack'd by the temptations of pleasures proceed to a particular assurance.

The Sum of all is this; man may be consider'd in Three states. 1. Of un­regeneration, and then he is to be con­vinc'd of the truth of the Gospel, (if that be suppos'd) this belief will easily con­vince him of his unrighteousness, and shew him the wrath of God reveal'd from Heaven against all ungodly and impenitent sinners, and on the other hand, the blood of Christ (who became a propiation for the sins of the World) will encourage him to hope for reconci­liation and pardon, if he repent and relye upon Christ; And it will high­ly, oblige him to both; or 2. In a state of Regeneration, and then accord­ing to that experience and proof a man [Page 76] hath of the truth and sincerity of his Conversion, such is the proportion and degree of his assurance and hopes; which doth not exclude but suppose Faith in Christ; for this is no more then to believe, that now his sins are pardon'd, his pray­ers heard, his services accepted, and he shall at last bere warded, (if he persevere unto the end) in and thorough Christ. Or 3. In a state of Relapse, and even here, he hath yet hopes, (if he repent) tho­rough the blood of Christ. For this is frequently asserted in Scripture. I'le urge but one place. 1. Jo 2. 1, 2. My little Children, (regenerate certainly) These things write I unto you, that ye sin not; and if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous, and he is the propitiati­on for our sins, &c. that by these sins are not understood the unavoidable frailties and imperfections of the best men, but plain and manifest transgressi­ons of the Law, is plain. 1. From hence, that this is the general notion of sin in this Epistle. 2. from the manner of speaking, that ye sin not, if any man sin, which cannot be sense if applied to the [Page 77] unavoidable errours and imperfections of the best of men. 3. They are here said to be of the number of those sins for which Christ shed his blood, and are equall'd with the sins of the rest of the World.

And besides these Three uses of Faith I know none, nor what more can be at­tributed to, or desir'd from the blood of Christ; I cannot see, unless men will wilfully abuse their Faith into an impunity and patronage for sin; or what disparagement it can reflect upon this sa­crifice of Christ, That it obligeth us to Holiness, and rescues us from the power as well as guilt of sin, I am not able to comprehend; as to the silly scandal of trusting in works, they that know what these words or terms (Justi­fied by works, and justified by Repentance, and Faith) mean, know that the one implies a perfect contradiction to the o­ther, for the former denyes any sin or iniquity, and the latter doth directly suppose it.

4. Without some degrees of Faith, it is impossible that a wicked man should be awaken'd into any serious sence of his [Page 78] condition, or should be induc'd to set himself in good earnest to please and o­bey God; without a good measure of this Faith, the very regenerate will never be able to conquer the World, and subdue the flesh, and enter into their rest, I mean with th' Apostle a Rest from sin, for their endeavours will be but weak and lan­guishing; their prayers cold and faint; the Acts and instances of Religion will be undertaken as a Duty of necessity, not delight; the whole Progress of their Christian warfare, will, like the driving of Pharoahs Charriots when the Wheels were off, beslow and uneasie; they will be liable to frequent relapses: their Life will not be a firm Peace, but an unstedy truce with conscience: and their Death will be mixt and checker'd with jealou­sies, Distrusts, and faint hopes, like a sky spotted with numerous Clouds:

But if we arrive at a good degree of this precious Faith, we shall be more than Conquerors o're the World and ourselves; we shall be plac'd above the Reach of Temptations, preserv'd tho­rough the power of Faith unto Salva­tion: we shall be too great to be swoln [Page 76] with vanity in prosperity, or to be cast down in affliction; we shall find all the wayes of wisedome wayes of pleasant­ness and all her paths peace: in one word, we shall rejoyce always with joy unspeakable and full of Glory, and when our glass is run, and our Lives spent, we shall be translated to the bles­ed Seats of Perfection and Peace.

5. For the obtaining, and improving, and confirming of this holy Faith, it is necessary, that our Religion be not meer Credulity or Custome, but that we se­riously weigh those two great witnesses our Saviour appeals to, for the proof of his coming from God, his Works and Doctrine; the Power of the one, and Holiness of the other, being sufficient evidences of his Commission from a­bove: To which we must add the Te­stimonies God himself gave him from Heaven, his resurrection from the Dead and ascention into glory; and all those mighty works perform'd by his followers in the virtue of Faith in his name; and to be firmly rooted and grounded in Faith through these arguments, is that which St. Peter exhorts Christians to, [Page 80] 1 Pet. 3.15. To be ready alwayes to give an answer to every man that asks you a rea­son of the hope that is in you.

2. By frequent retirements and so­solemn and devout Meditation, to ac­quaint our selves as intimately as we can with the glorious Truths of the Gospel of Christ, to draw the represen­tations of them as lovely as may be; and to dwell and gaze on the things we be­lieve, till the light of the understand­ing hath shed it self thorough the infe­riour Soul, warm'd all our passions, and the Body it self seem to relish and par­take of the pleasure of the mind.

The most useful matter of our Medi­tations will be 1. The Nature of the the God we worship, I mean the glori­ous Attributes Mankind is most con­cern'd in, His Truth and Wisedom, his Power and his Goodness: And 2. The Sufferings and the Glory of our blessed Redeemer, as the sole ground of inex­pressible comfort; as the most indear­ing Obligation to Holiness; as the most perfect pattern of Virtue, and the most lively instance of its reward.

3. We must add to both these means, [Page 81] incessant prayers offer'd up with a fer­vent Spirit at the Throne of Grace, for considering the darkness and indisposi­tion of our Natures, we have altoge­ther need of the assistances of the Di­vine Spirit, and therefore

Section 2. Of Love. 1. Of God. 2. Of our Neigh­bour. Of the Love of God.

Love is not a meet Approbation of the understanding, but also an affection of the Will, (or Heart in Scripture phrase) And therefore Coldness and Indifferency in Religion, and warmth, and passion for the world, cannot be justified by bearing our selves in hand, that we do nevertheless Love God, be­cause we do prefer him in our thoughts above all things, and because we will not do what will displease him; for the former of these may be an unavoidable consequence of a clear understanding, and the latter of an innate Self-love, which may be able to restrain us from the Commission of those sins, which we believe will do us an unspeakable mis­chief.

These do well in their place, and are presuppos'd to the love of God, for no man can love God unless he know him; nor will any man make any distinction of Good and Evil (i. e. lovely or hate­ful by consequence) unless he love him­self; [Page 83] but yet these are apparently di­stinguishable from, and can stand se­parately and alone without the love of God; and therefore let none deceive themselves, for To love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our Soul, and with all our strength, and with all our mind is something more, than to entertain an honourable opinion of him, or to avoid affronting him, because he is able to punish us; the Scripture ex­presses this love by Delight and Joy, by Desire and Longing; Hungring, Thirsting, Seeking, and the like; and more fully; if we love God above all things, our hearts will be where our Treasure is; our affections will be fasten'd on things above; and our Conversation will be in Heaven, because our God is there;

Now we cannot converse with Hea­ven but by Faith and Hope, Meditation and Prayer, &c. And therefore it must follow, that they who love God must be industrious to improve these Graces, and be frequent in the exercise of these Duties, as the Means and Instruments of enjoyment: And

2 If we love God we shall hunger [Page 84] and thirst after Righteousness and Ho­liness, which beautifies the Souls, and renders us like God, and therefore ami­able in his eyes; and we shall delight in all those good and virtuous actions, which are the proofs of an inflam'd af­fection, and indear us to God, he that loves him keeps his Commandments: and we shall hate nothing so mortally as sin, because it stains and sullies the beauty of our Souls, distastes the God we love, and interrupts our peace and joy, and extinguishes our hopes; and, if this be the frame and habit of our Souls towards God, then because we cannot love or serve two such contrary Masters, as God and the World, there­fore

3. These temporal things which are seen, will appear very cheap and incon­siderable to us, and our concern for them will be so cold and indifferent that no change which betides them, no imaginary excellency that is in them, will be able to raise our Passions to di­stract our thoughts, to abate our dili­gence, to divide our affections, and overthrow our Faith; for the love of [Page 85] God, the prospect of a more glorious life will have disarm'd the Glory, Beau­ty, and Wealth of this World of all their Charm and Temptation; and if so how can we then be led captive by what we do not in the least admire? How can we be afflicted at the loss of what we do not value? or, Why can we not be calmly divided from what our affections have renounc'd alrea­dy?

Vain World adieu! I am above ei­ther thy Menaces or Flatteries: I fear nothing, because I am at peace with the God I love; and I despise thy guilded dreams, because the love of my God swallows up all my desires, and I am content to have no portion but him a­lone: How my Heart pants after thy Courts, O God, the Holy of Holies, the Heaven of Heavens, where I shall for ever behold thy face, and Reign in the Kingdom of my blessed Saviour for ever and ever! Now with St. Paul, I long to be set at liberty, to be dissolved from this body, and to be with Christ, nor should I willingly stay longer here on Earth, but in Obedience to thy holy Will, and a de­sign [Page 86] of spending this life in doing Ser­vice to thy glory, and in expressions of my love, in Longings, and Watchings, and Sufferings, &c. And when I consi­der this, merhinks my Life's too short, and I shall go to Heaven too soon, and I could wish my Sun would stand still a little that I might do and suffer some­thing for my Lord before I go to enter into his joy, and to receive a Crown.

It is true these are heights of Love, which all do not, tho it were to be wish­ed all could attain to, for we have need of sanctified passions to enable us to do our duty with delight and vigour; But none are from the want of such degrees of Ardour to conclude themselves, ei­ther wholly void of the Love of God, or deserted by him; for God is a Be­ing infinitely above our conceptions, and that of him, which we do conceive, as Power, Wisedom, and Goodness, tho amiable, yet are spiritual, and not the objects of sense, and therefore do not move us with the same violence that sensible things do, whence it is easie to conclude, that our love of God is of a different nature from that we pay [Page 87] the creature, 'tis a more spiritual affe­ction mixt with Adoration, 'tis an aw­ful desire of pleasing and enjoying him, not alwayes terminating in so vehement and sensible a passion as visible objects beget in us; and therefore the safest way is to judge of our state not by transports, but by the firmness of our Re­solutions, and by the constancy and cheer­fulness of our Obedience.

But because as there is a more pecu­liar presence of God (as I humbly con­ceive evident by Scripture) so by con­sequence, there may be a withdrawing and retirement of that presence; there­fore when I find my understanding dim and clouded, or distracted and shaken with suggestions to unbelief, my de­sires lukewarm and groveling, my De­votion faint and drowsie, and my com­munion without gust and relish, I am weary of my self, and I have no rest by reason of thy absence, O bles­sed Lord. Then first I lay before me my Life and review my Actions, which are late and fresh in memory since this ill temper hath seiz'd me, and examine what it is hath displeas'd my God, and if I [Page 83] find the accursed thing that drove away a holy God, I cast my self down before him, and abhor and renounce it: But secondly, if sin do not appear to me to be the cause of this indisposition and listlessness, then perhaps I have not been as watchful and industrious to improve my Graces as I should; or if this be not it, perhaps 'tis but an alteration in my body that clogs and benights this Soul, and then I groan at the miseries of my Pilgrimage, and bemoan the infelicities of my Nature; but if none of these ap­pear the cause, Then thirdly, I rest humbly patient, waiting till God please to return to his resting place: it were Pride and Sawciness in me to expect my Heaven here; to be impatient, unless I live alwayes in extasies caus'd by the di­vine pretence: I will meekly set my self to my duty, and submit to his blessed Will, whether he think fit to Crown my Cup with over-flowing joy, and to reward my labour by inward transports or not.

And is it not fit, I should thus Love my God; whatever there be which can take and endear a rational and ex­cellent [Page 89] spirit is to be found in him: all the notions I can possibly frame to my self of a spiritual perfection and Beauty, I conceive, united in him; Goodness, Wisdome, Power, Truth, Constancy, are the Characters by which the Gospel discovers him to us, and these have un­speakable charms upon all ingenious minds, and they are intelligible enough to any that will consider them; it is true he is a spirit, and so, incomprehen­sible to us in his essence and therefore I cannot frame to my self an Image for my Love as one friend doth of another, but the time will come when I shall be spiritual enough to see him as I am seen, and then my delight and Love will be proportionable in some measure to his beauty and perfection; in the mean time, my Reason as well as the Gospel assures me that he is infinitely aimable tho that beauty be now a Light that is inaccessible.

But besides this, that great Character of Love and Mercy, (manifested in its most excellent lustre in the Gospel) is enough to endear him to us; He is not now our Father only upon the account, [Page 90] of Creation and Providence, because he hath made us, fed and cloathed us, these are Common and trivial mercies compar'd to the obligations of the Gos­pel, i. e. the Redeeming us from our e­vil conversation by the blood of Chri [...] and the power of his Spirit into that ho­liness, which is his own Image and resem­blance: the designing us for the joys and pleasures of his own Heaven; his readiness to pardon our transgressions; his care employ'd upon us against temp­tations, his delight in us, &c. If the World could shew us such evidences of Love, or could assure us of such an E­ternity, if it could tell us, as the Ser­pent did Eve, eat and ye shall be as God then indeed there were temptation in it, but till it does there's none really:

Besides these two considerations, of the aimableness of the divine nature in himself, & his goodness to us including his infinite power too, there is but one thing more which can be a proper motive to engage our affections; that is, that such an object be lasting, and this is the great preroga­tive of God alone, that he never changes nor dies, he will for ever be what he is [Page 91] now; most perfect, and most gracious.

Sect. 3. Of Temperance.

By Temperance is meant, such an ab­stinence from the pleasure of the body, as the Gospel requires; and therefore I will enquire.

1. What rules of Temperance it pre­scribes us.

2. What motives to the duty it makes use of; and

3. What method it enjoyns for the attainment of this grace.

[Page 113]1. Of the Rules of Temperance.

The common Rule and Standard which most have made use of to con­duct men in eating and drinking, &c. is the end of those Acts, that is the health and strength, (the welfare) of the body, but I have great reason to dislike of this Rule, for if extended any further than to eating and drinking, it is apparently false; and, I hope, none will affirm, that all those pleasures, which are not incon­sistent with the welfare of the body, are therefore not inconsistent with Reli­gion; being applyed to eating and drinking, &c. in a strict and close sense, it layes a snare for mens conscien­ces and must reduce all to the meer ne­cessities of Nature, and so many enjoy­ments which are innocent enough, nay sometimes upon some emergences neces­sary, will be utterly sinful; and Religion will be made a meer burden, and mens minds be fill'd with endless scruples: if taken in as wide a sence, as some men, I see, understand it, it opens a gap to sensuality and unchristian freedomes, for I do not question but that any man without prejudice to the happiness of [Page 114] his body, may be guilty of intemperance in that notion that I have of it; that is, any man may eat or drink to the enrag­ing of his lust, to the softening and sen­sualizing of his mind, &c. without the hazard of a Fever or a head ach: On these accounts I cannot but look upon this Rule as very useless and improper, if not dangerous for a Christian, and a proper rule of nature only in such a state which hath no prospect of another life; and therefore I think my self oblig'd to inquire in the Gospel for better. I think then we shall easily find what it is the Gospel means by temperance, by en­quiring.

1. What is the end it aims at in en­joyning this Duty.

2. By what words it describes and ex­presses it.

3. The examples of our Saviour and his followers in this point. Likewise the motives it adds, and the method it prescribes, will serve to clear up its in­tention to us.

The great end St Paul suggests to me, 1 Cor. 9.25. Every man who striveth for the Mastery is temperate, in all things; [Page 115] intimating that the means are then pro­per, when they are suited and fitted for the attainment of their end; and by the allusion implying that the end of our Temperance is a striving for the Maste­ry, that is a Conquest over the World, and the body; for the Gospel repre­sents the World and the Flesh, as those enemies, against which the Christian is to be engag'd in a continual warfare, and tells us, that the lusts and pleasures of them do War against the Soul. Reli­gion being nothing else but the Love of God and heavenly things, the Gospel en­deavours all that it can to wean us from all fondness for, or delight in, the world and the flesh; it being impossible to serve two such contrary interests: By a clear consequence from all this, I con­clude that we are to endure hardship as good Souldiers of Jesus Christ; that we are to abstain from fleshly lusts as stran­gers and pilgrims; in plainer words, that that abstinence from sensual plea­sures, which renders the body tame and governable, serviceable to the soul, and chearful in the exercise of Religion, which doth enfranchise the mind of men [Page 116] from its captivity to sense, which doth establish its dominion over the brutish part; so that the man lives the life of faith, and not of sense, is disengag'd from the World, and so ready to depart; is that Temperance which the Gospel of Christ requires: and by consequence on the o­ther hand, that that indulgence to world­ly pleasures, which tends to pamper and enrage the body, to awaken our passions for this present state, to endear and re­commend the World to us, to make the minds of men soft and feeble, heavy and sensual, to make our temper delicate and wanton, unable to suffer, and froward, if our appetite be not satisfied, is flat­ly contradictory to the Temperance of the Gospel of Christ.

This is a Rule, which if well consi­der'd, and conscientiously applyed to e­very particular, will sufficiently conduct man in the paths of this great duty, and answer all scruples concerning the en­joyment of pleasures, whether they be real or phantastick ones. For is any man such a stranger to himself, that he doth not understand the working of his own soul: that he cannot give an ac­count [Page 117] of the passions which he feels nor, know by what methods he is betray'd into the Love of the World, and a de­cay of his Religion. Doth not every man feel what kind of eating and drinking clogs the soul and emboldens the body; what kind of sights or dalliance doth dart the poison of lust and ambition in­to our very souls? Or what doth thaw and melt us, and make us Love and hate, delight or grieve, hope and fear like the Children, not of Light but of the World; certainly unless a man will impose upon himself, he must needs dis­cern the birth, and growth of his own Passions, and discover the methods by which he doth insensibly degenerate into a loose, or cold, or senceless Spi­rit.

2. This Temperance is in general ex­press'd in Holy Writ by Mortification, and Holyness: the former imports such a change in the body, as flattens and deads its appetites for the World; I am cruci­fied to the World, and the World is crucifi­ed to me: The latter imports, an excel­lent and Godlike nature, a transforma­tion of mans into a spiritual a frame, as [Page 118] man in this imperfect State is capable of arriving at.

And certainly, men thus qualified can not place their delight in the sensual en­joyments of this life, how innocent soever they might be, the World hath nothing agreeable to souls of this Heavenly na­ture, nor nothing worthy of them: Tem­perance in the particular branches of it, is call'd, Purity, Sobriety, Abstinence, Modesty, &c. all which are to be inter­preted; according to the method of the Spirit, in a sense which doth not onely restrain the outward Acts, but also the inward passions of man, in a sense which doth not onely forbid the commission of gross sins, but also all tendencies towards them in the body, and in the soul: Con­formable to this Doctrine were

3. The lifes and examples of the Ho­ly Jesus, and his followers, (tho' perad­venture it would not be altogether er­rational to suppose, that the extraordi­nary measures of the Divine Spirit, in his immediate Disciples, and their con­versation with the blessed Jesus, and af­terwards the fresh memory of all his Power and Glory, might render a cor­poral [Page 119] discipline the less necessary) I will not deny but that our blessed Master, did often accept of entertainments, (nor did I ever design to forbid any such thing on particular occasions, which may warrant them) but it is easie to observe, how course, and plain, and sparing his constant Diet, with his Disciples was, how fre­quent in his fastings, and his watchings, he was: As for his Disciples after his de­parture, their lives were but a constant warfare, and the World, and the flesh their enemies; they Liv'd like strangers and Pilgrims upon earth, and their pleasures were altogether Spiritual and Holy.

These were the paths that they trod towards conquest, and a glorious Crown; and I can easily conceive how their Life was fill'd with such spiritual ravishments; how they long'd for the appearance of Christ, and how they left the World with such glorious assurances as that, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith (all which may have regard not only to his sufferings, but also to his conflict with the flesh too) henceforth, there is laid up [Page 120] for me a Crown of Righteousness, which the Lord the Righteous Judge shall give me at that Day; and not to me onely, but unto them also that Love his appea­rance.

But, how that softeness of conversati­on, that full and luxurious feeding and drinking, that garishness and wantonness of dress, that sloth and lazyness of Spi­rit, which is so universal in the world, can become the life of a Souldier of Christ, I am not wise, nor lucky enough to com­prehend.

But I can now easily discern from whence it proceeds, that Religion seems so unpleasant a thing, and that men are so unwilling to depart hence into ano­ther life, it is because we are such imper­fect Christians, and we live sensually.

It will therefore behove us, to lay to heart the great motives, by which the Gospel engages us to this duty, as,

1. The nature of our present State in this World, the poor soul lives in a trea­cherous body, and a tempting World, both which conspire its ruin; and there­fore it must be upon its watch, upon its guard; it is not a time for mirth, and [Page 121] pleasure, and feasting, when the enemy hath seiz'd the outworks, and entred into the very Subburbs; the soul is striving for the Mastery, and is it sense to arm its ene­my, and feed it into a fierce and brutish courage? by indulging to those enjoy­ments which are the food and fuel to its lusts? every sensual pleasure it indulges to the body is a plain giving ground before the face of its enemy.

2. The reward of this spiritual con­quest, which is fullness of pleasures in the life to come, an Eternity of bliss and happiness; and how rational is it to prefer Eternity to a moment, and that exceed­ing weight of glory and unspeakable, unconceiveable pleasure, to the dreams and mockeries of this imperfect State? even in this present life, we think it be­comes our wisdome to renounce trifling pleasures out of the prospect of greater; what a Discipline of severities, did those contenders in the Grecian games run through out of the hopes of honour and applause? from whence St. Paul ex­cellently argues, if they did this for a corruptible Crown (a Crown of Leaves,) how much more should the Christian for an incorruptible one?

[Page 122]3. The example of a whole Cloud of witnesses gone to Heaven before us, who press'd in thorough this narrow way and strait gate; but especially the consideration of a crucified Saviour; for what have we to do, who have taken up the Cross of Christ, with rioting and drunken­ness, with Chambering and wantonness? What resemblance is there between his Crown of Thorns, his Scourging, his A­gony, &c. and the security and sloth, the gaiety and vanity of a sensual life? for shame, let those, who profess Christia­nity do something which may become men who have taken up the Banner of the Cross.

4. The great advantage and pleasure of the State of Mortification. 1. The Soul enjoys a more entire peace, a more absolute empire, and is not alarm'd by the daily mutinies of rebellious lusts. 2. It is become a fit Temple for the Spirit of purity to dwell in, for the Spirit of glo­ry and of God to rest upon, and the con­sequence of this will be abundance of in­ward pleasure, of peace, and joy, and hope.

5. The uncertainty of the time of our [Page 123] Saviours appearance to judgement, and who, that hath a grain of sense, would be surpriz'd by that day at unawares? who would be overtaken by the Judge of the World, in surfieting and drunkenness, or any other of the sinful pleasures of this Life.

Sect. 4. Of Humility.

This is the Ornament and Guard of all our Graces, that which sets off and illu­strates all our excellencies, and keeps us upon our Watch to secure them; it is both the foundation and perfection of all virtue; even holiness and goodness with­out it, would be unacceptable to God; and therefore it is well worth your con­sideration in the next place.

Humility is a mean opinion, or rather the true knowledge of our selves, a sober contemplation of our infirmities, and a real perswasion of our imperfection: which is St. Pauls sobriety of Spirit, or humility of mind, contrary to the being puff'd up.

The sense of this shedding it self upon the will, renders men modest in their de­sires, and humble in their deportment, which is that other part of humility, whereby a man is enabled to reject praise and honour, and to debase himself to the meanest offices; thus the blessed Je­sus sought not his own honour, and he came not to be ministred unto, but to minister.

[Page 125]There are three things, which are lia­ble to be made the grounds of pride, the gifts of Grace, of Nature, and of For­tune: but the humble man, in respect of the gifts of Grace, looks not upon what he hath attain'd but what is still be­fore; he payes his sacrifice of honour, not to that earthen vessel, which contains the treasure, but to the God from whose fulness it is deriv'd; he dwells not upon the pleasing spectacle of his good Acti­ons, but mostly on the catalogue of his frailties and his sins, and therefore rests himself on the mercy of God thorough the blood of Christ, and from fresh re­pentances, he takes up fresh resolutions and Spirits every Day.

As to the gifts of Fortune, the World is too much a trifle in the sight of an en­lighten'd understanding, to raise in a good man, any esteem or Love of it, and if so, a man can never prize himself for the possession of what he slights, nor be proud of what he despises.

As to the gifts of Nature, he must value them as they are the gifts of God, but he considers withal, that they are but com­mon ones, and are but the imperfect orna­ments [Page 126] of this imperfect State, which must be done away, when we come into a bet­ter: and withal he reflects often upon his blemishes and imperfections, his follies and miscarriages, and considering how poor, miserable, and comfortless a thing, he should have been, if abandon'd to the conduct of Nature, he layes his mouth in the dust, and at once admires the bounty and Goodness of God, and con­fesses his own vanity.

2. The fruit of this humility, is an en­tire subjection, & resignation of ones self to God, meekness and patience towards man, a calm and tranquillity in ones own bosome; for as to God, considering him as infinitely Glorious, and himself intirely dependent of him, the humble man composes himself to believe all he reveals to obey what he commands, to trust in him, to attend the Decrees, and the leisure of Heaven, to suffer meekly, and enjoy modestly: As to himself, out of the conscience of how little he deserves, he is neither ambitious of wealth nor honour, but he is thankful for the past, satisfied with the present, and neither impatient for, nor distrustful of the fu­ture. [Page 127] And out of a sense of his own in­disposition to good, and the weakness of his own strength, he blesses God for the grace he hath receiv'd, and tho he stands he takes heed least he fall. As to his Neighbour, out of the distrust of his own abilities, the sense of his own infir­mities, or else taught by the example of his great Master, who took upon himself the form of a Servant, the humble man is more forward to obey than to com­mand, to believe than to dispute, he is slow to speak, swift to hear, not fond of opinions, but desirous to be enlighten'd by God, and inform'd by man; — and therefore on all these accounts, an hum­ble Man, can never be enthusiastical ob­stinate or seditious, for he can never ar­rive at that height of Spiritual pride as to conceit himself the onely favourite of Heaven, and fit for extroardinary illu­minations; nor at that height of carnal pride, as to be a buisie body, a stiff asserter of his own humour, or judg of his superi­ours on earth, and so think himself more fit to Reign than to suffer.

In one word, Humilities whole de­portment is sweet and gentle, its very zeal is modest, its reprehension soft and time­rous, [Page 128] its Prayers awful, its reflections mournful, and its hopes of Heaven soft­ly growing; it is neither severe nor pee­vish, obstinate nor hasty, bold nor selfish insolent nor querulous, it can suffer its wounds to be prov'd and search'd, and kisses the hand, whilest it loaths the filth, it doth not insult o're anothers errours nor excuse its own, nay rather its mo­desty conceals its beauties, and blushes at the discovery of its own excellencies, it never prostitutes to beg praises, nay if it accidentally meet them, it is rather bur­den'd and oppress'd, than puff'd up by them. I will then account my self to have attain'd to some degree of this grace when I can possess my soul at rest, when I delight in the milk of Gods word, more than its heights and entricacies in obe­dience more than disputes and fancies, when I can receive evil from the hand of God, as well as good; when I can sacri­fice my own will to the caprice of a Su­periour, the obstinacy of an inferiour, or the humour of an equal; when I can suffer wrongfully, and yet meekly; when I can look upon the glories and the power of this World; and content­edly [Page 129] say I am not born for these, I am not call'd to the enjoyment of these, but of the Cross here, and Glory hereafter, I am to tread in the steps of my dear Lord and Master, and nothing shall make me have any other designs than those he had; and when I have done all this and am assur'd that I love and serve my God, I relie onely upon the merits and sufferings of my Saviour for Salva­tion and a Crown.

This duty of Humility is the most use­ful, and the most difficult in Christiani­ty: the most useful for it, recommends us to God, indears us to men, and esta­blishes a Peace, and calm in our own bosomes: — the most difficult for it is to renounce what is most near and dear to us, our interest and pleasures, our reputation, nay our very selves, our understanding, will and affections;

There are two mighty motives wich are most insisted on by the holy Spirit; the one is that Humility is the way to the increase of Grace here, and to greater measures of Glory hereafter; God resist­eth the proud and giveth grace to the humble, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted: the other is the example [Page 130] of our Saviour, who tho so great as to be the Son of God, and to think it no Robbery to be equal to God, so inno­cent that he had no guilt upo him, none could accuse him of sin, so dignified as to be Prophet, Priest, and King, did yet debase himself to the meanest services, on purpose that he might leave his Disciples a pattern to imitate; tho he were adorn'd by all that might give him a just claim to Honour, as Birth, Virtue, and the Dig­nity of the most illustrious functions, yet he was as much the humblest as he was the greatest, as much the most meek as the most innocent of the Sons of Men; and if he our Lord and Master stoopt so low, what can we, who are at that vast distance beneath him, do or suffer, that is capable of disparaging us.

Besides these considerations, it will be very useful towards implanting humility in us, to know God and our selves: his Dayes are without Beginning or End­ing, his perfections have no bounds; he is Independent and immutable; he is his own Heaven, and his own happiness: but we are dust, and the Sons of Cor­ruption, born yesterday, and we shall [Page 131] dye to morrow; our bodies heavy, sluggish, crafie, beings of a few spans long; our souls are blind and ambitious, passionate, froward, jealous, inconstant, foolish things: those are the seat or a­bode of numerous pains and diseases, These of as numerous, and as painful pas­sions: the World we live in, is a meer phantasm and cheat; that first invites, and then deludes our appetites; for en­joyment it self is but a dying itch, and the mockery of a waking dream: the time past reflects our sins and follies; the present is troubled with regret, and de­sires, and vexations; and the future will be what the present now is; for when all is nothing, what can be the end of our hopes and cares, but disappoint­ment.

And all this consider'd, is not God most fit to Govern, and we to obey! he to be exalted, and we to be humbled! but why do I compare Man to God! let us compare him but to the Angels of God, and how inconceiveably more excellent is their being, and their state, than ours; how wise and knowing! how refin'd and pure their substances! we see but thorough a Cloud, and are clad [Page 132] with an earthy body; they dwell in the Circles of Glory, in the Sun-shine of the Almighty's presence, and in a numerous Choire of the most pleasant, and delightful company. We in long Nights, and cold Winters, and barren Soils, and lonesome-shades, tir'd with sullen toilsome business, and dull insi­pid conversation, and only wait for the approaching day, and the rendevouz of blessed Spirits in Heaven:

Lord what is Man!

Sect. 5. Of Perfection.

It is an opinion generally receiv'd, that the least degree of true Faith will save the soul: but I hope men mean such a degree of it, as overcomes the World, and subdues the Flesh; for otherwise I should very much question, whether it be not that seed which becom­eth unfruitful, thorough the cares of the World, and deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things, Mar. 4.19.— If they say that that Faith, which doth not overcome the World and the Flesh is not true Faith, it is as broad as long, for not to dispute whether (in the place mention'd) the reasons of unfruitful­ness was in the seed or in the ground, whether it be true Faith or not, I'me [Page 134] sure it is not saving Faith; so that the Rule given us, whereby to discern and judge of our state, is a very plain and easie one, viz. He that overcometh the World is born of God.

If it should be further inquir'd, how a man shall know whether he over­comes the World (tho he may with as much sense ask me, how he shall know what he loves and hates? what he shuns and persues?) the answer is very plain, his Servants ye are to whom you obey.

So that the whole State of this questi­on may be in few words reduc'd to this, no man can be a stranger to his own acti­ons, nor to the operations of his own soul: what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man, which is in him, which words (if I have any logick) contain two things. 1. That a man knowes his own mind, (or if he do not, then.) 2. That no man else can: there­fore since a man knows his own actions and his own affections, what he doth, and out of what principles he doth it, he cannot chuse but know, who it is he obeyes; but if his Life be so various, so made up of vice and virtue, and the [Page 135] flesh and spirit be so evenly pois'd, that which hath the preheminence, whom he obeyes be a matter very doubtful and disputable to himself, then whether he shall be saved or no, must remain to himself, and much more to all others (God alone excepted) equally doubt­ful; and I can guess at no other expe­dient for him, if he hath a mind to rid himself of this scruple, than entirely to compleat his conquest over sin, and to shake off that empire over sin, which it seems to me hath been too long and deep­ly settled and established; and to go on from one degree of grace unto another, till he arrives at Perfection: (which is the only method to obtain, that full assu­rance of hope mention'd. Heb 6 11.)

With which I intend now to close this first part of my discourse of the Na­ture of Christianity, because tho it be not a particular grace, it is a particular state, and therefore deserves a particu­lar consideration, and tho we be not ob­lig'd to it, upon pain of Damnation, yet we are invited and encourag'd to it, by several glorious motives and enforce­ments, as shall presently appear; and [Page 136] therefore it is a Gospel duty: by Per­fection (in the sense I now consider it) the Gospel implies a State of Grace ar­riv'd at its full maturity and strength, grown into Nature, and consummated into a vigorous and delightful habit; it being in this as in all other qualities, they grow up into habit and nature, that is, Perfection by degrees;

According to this, the Gospel de­scribes this State by Manhood, and a per­fect Stature; and calls our procedure to it, growing, encreasing, and going on; so that perfection is nothing else but Faith, Love, Temperance, and Humili­ty, in their greatest lustre and strength:

The effect of this State is, that the Life be not onely constant, firm, even, and like it self, but also pleasant and de­lightful too; not only that the man ab­stain from evil and do good, but that al­so he do both with desire and earnestness of spirit, with ease and with delight; not onely that he do good, but what is in its kind most so;

This is a State which is attainable in this Life, for the Gospel calls and invites men to it; and if any deny it, it is be­cause [Page 137] they frame to themselves ano­ther kind of notion of perfection than the Gospel delivers us, which requires of Man no other perfection than such as is suitable to his Nature, and the assistan­ces promis'd by God, and to this pre­sent State, never as much as dreaming that perfection is the same thing in man, as in an Angel and, (what ever men may talk) it doth not reckon the unavoida­ble imperfections and frailties of men for sins, at leastwise such as can hinder man from being denominated perfect, witness the whole First Epistle of St. John.

The motives to this duty may be compriz'd under Four heads all de­riv'd from the nature of the State it self. Perfection is a State.

• 1. More pleasing to God.
• 2. Of greater security.
• 3. Of greater pleasure.
• 4. Entitled to greater glory in the Life to come.

1. More pleasing to God; if God Loves holiness, (which no body can doubt) then every degree of holiness is a new charm, and what is most Holy is most lovely; and if so every one that professes to Love God, must be oblig'd [Page 138] to aim at perfection, because he cannot but be oblig'd to please God as much as he can; and he that doth not, may just­ly suspect his conformity to the divine precepts to be rather policy than Reli­gion, and to proceed from a desire of his own safety, rather than the Glory and pleasure of God; unless a spiritual pru­dence shall restrain him from attempts or vowes of more Heroical instances of obedience, for Reasons which Religion may approve of; in which case it will be alwayes necessary to observe this caution, that his choice of a better good do not proceed from any desire of gratify­ing the body, or from want of Love to God and holiness.

2. Perfection is a state of greater se­curity; the more strong Faith and Love grow, the more faint and flat, are all temptations that beset us; a soul which is devout and rais'd, is not easily lur'd down by any of the flatteries of lust; the soul being long accustomed to rule, and the body to obey, the soul being us'd to spiritual delights, and the body being now perfectly crucified, the man is become a quite different being from what he was, and therefore that World which [Page 139] did before take him, hath now no grace nor allurement in it; I am crucified to the World, and the World is crucified to me. This State is call'd in Scripture, Wisdom, and Knowledge, and Strength, which doth intimate to us, that that World, which did before gain upon us only by our blindness, and our weakness, can now no longer prevail; besides this, the more like God we grow, the more dear are we to him, and become the more near and peculiar charge of Hea­ven, which St. Paul, Heb. 6, 9.10. al­ledges for a reason, why he was perswad­ed better things of them (than Aposta­cy) and things that accompany Salvati­on (that is perseverance) because God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of Love, &c.

3. It is a State of greater pleasure: a State of Peace and Rest from sin, for the Man, having establish'd an entire conquest over himself, is not frequently alarm'd by the lusts of the body, because it is crucified; the soul being rais'd and Heavenly is now too much exalted to be reach'd by the blasts of every temp­tation. 2. It is the nature of a habit [Page 140] that its acts are easie and delightful; for Habit is but another Nature (so Holi­ness is call'd in Scripture a new Nature) and what is natural is pleasant; when our graces are full of Life and Vigour, when our sight is grown clearer and our affections warmer, and we con­verse with God and Heaven; then it is that we begin to enjoy the sweets of Religion, that we anticipate our Heaven, by performing his will on earth, as it is done in Heaven; Religion is at first employed in the unpleasant tho wholesome severities, of cutting off Right Hands, and pulling out Right Eyes, Lusts become so natural they were become our members; but after­wards, having conquer'd the World, his commandements are not grievous, but full of delight and satisfaction; in Con­version, as in the alteration of an Old building, we first demolish those parts, which are not uniform and beautiful, and this presents us with nothing but rubbish and ruins, but afterwards we raise up an orderly, beautiful and light­some building, where we may solace and entertain our selves; 3. An Exalted Holi­ness [Page 141] is not only delightsome in the very acts and exercises of its graces, but in the fruits and effects of them; Joy, and Peace, and Hope are the natural con­sequences of this State of Perfecti­on, and its actions, because such a mans Love of God is now so evident and ma­nifest, he hath no longer room to doubt of it; and then what a ravishing plea­sure must it be, to be able to survey all the glorious promises of the Gospel as such which himself is an heir to? who can with full assurance, think himself just upon the confines of Heaven, with­in a moment of entring into joy, with­out a very sensible transport!

4. It's entitled to greater measures of Glory in the Life to come: Tho the lowest degree of future glory be above the merit of the most holy Life, and tho God may do what he will with his own, so that the chiefest Saint could not have just reason to complain, tho the meanest were equall'd with him: yet it is plain that there will be order in another World, and those stars of the Morning of the Resurrection will differ in Glory, and this will be proportion'd [Page 142] to their Behaviour in this life; he which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully, 2 Cor. 9.6. Is it not there­fore highly reasonable on this account that we should aspire after the greatest degrees of Holiness we can, for who would not desire to be as happy and as glorious as he can.

It is now apparent, that perfection is a duty propos'd to us, upon very pow­erful and glorious motives; for who that is wise will not take pains to arrive at that perfection, which is a State of greater security, greater ease and plea­sure, more acceptable to God, and entitled to greater degrees of Glory in Heaven.

For the attainment of this State ob­serve these few Rules.

1. Believe a Holy, Just, Almighty God, every where present; neither is there any Creature that is not manifest in his sight; but all things are naked and opened to the eyes of him with whom we have to do, Heb. 4.13. Nay, God is greater than our hearts, and knoweth all things. If Heaven be his Throne, Earth is his [Page 143] Footstool, and therefore walk not, on­ly as preparing to meet him, but as al­ready before him: this will awe a wan­dring spirit, and it will not be easie to fear and sin; and it will awaken a decay­ing affection, and it will not be easie to omit a duty; it will teach us how to judg our actions impartially, and we shall nei­ther impose upon our selvs by fondness, nor do any thing for opinion sake, when we consider, that we have God for a Judge and Spectator. I am th' almighty God, walk before me and be thou per­fect, Gen. 17.2.

2. Consider frequently and seriously the Life and Death, the sufferings and the Crown of the blessed Jesus; for his Life will convince you how lovely and pleasant virtue is, altho' it seem to the World foolish, contemptible and pain­ful: his death will inform you what Obligation you lye under to Holyness, for will you not love and obey, that Sa­viour, who hath redeem'd you by his Blood? and are you not sensible that our Heavenly Father is strangely in love with Holiness, since he doth propagate it, by such a method? his Crown and [Page 144] his Kingdome will breath fresh Life and Spirits into your affections; this is the motive, which the Apostle, Heb. 12. Makes use of to perswade us to lay a­side every weight, and the sin, which doth so easily beset us, and to run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Fi­nisher of our Faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross, de­spised the shame, and is set down at the Right Hand of the Throne of God: for consider him that endured such contra­diction of sinners against himself; least ye be wearied and faint in your minds; upon the same bottom is grounded that exhortation of St. Paul, 1 Cor. 15.58. Therefore my beloved brethren be ye sted­fast, unmoveable, alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know that your Labour is not in vain in the Lord.

3. Each morning endeavour to fore­see what temptations you are to en­counter that day, and summon up all the strengths of Grace and Nature, of Re­ligion and reason, against the hour of Tryal, survey each part of the Fort, [Page 145] and having discover'd which is the weak place of the soul, and most approacha­ble, secure it by a strong guard, by ar­guments, and Prayers, and a diligent watch; there are many things harsh to flesh and blood, which are to be under­gone for the sake of Christ, and there­fore weigh well the strength of your own resolutions; whether you are able to engage so powerful an enemy as the World and Flesh: thus our blessed Lord when, Luk. 14.26, 27. he had told them that if they would be his Disci­ples, they must bear his Cross, exhorts them to consider beforehand their en­gagement, and to see that their prepara­tions be suitable to the difficulty, by the examples of a builder, who first sitteth down to count the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish his intended building; and of a King, who going to War, with another King, doth first sit down and consider, whether he hath strength enough to meet him: and when you have done this, commit your self by Prayers to God, and then march forth out of your Chamber into the World, like a Souldier out of his Camp [Page 146] into the field, upon the day of battle.

And each evening look over all the passages of the Day, and see how you have behaved your self, what victory you have gain'd, what ground you have got, what grace is most faint and sickly, &c. and alwayes close this exercise with a serious Reflection upon the nature of thy Life, how fast it steals away into Eternity; enter in fancy into the dark chamber, and mark how thou must lie in thy bed of sickness and of Death; con­sider how all thy hopes and comforts, all thy designs and purposes, as far as they concern this world, must vanish like a dream; and think what need thou wilt then stand in, of all the strength and comfort which Reason and Religion, the Ministry and Prayers of thy Spiritual guide and Friend, and the Conscience of a well spent Life, can furnish thee with; then thou wilt need a strong Faith, and a vigorous Love, and an entire Humili­ty, to enable thee to bear thy agonies patiently, and part with the world chear­fully, and meet thy God compos'dly.

4. Do not indulge thy self in the Enjoyment of the utmost liberty which is [Page 147] consistent with Innocence, vice borders very closely upon vertue; he that will not be burnt, must not approach so nigh the fire as to be sing'd▪ besides such free­domes do insensibly instill sensuality into the soul, at leastwise if so thick an aire do not sully the soul, it is too gross and mixt to whiten and clear it.

5. Catch at every opportunity of a holy discourse, and learn to raise from every thing a heavenly thought, and to mannage every Accident to some spirit­ual purpose; embrace all examples of an Excellent vertue, and search after all occasions of doing good; declining by all the Arts of prudence and Religion what ever either company or discourse, whatever either sight or entertainement, may soften thy temper, thaw thy Resolu­tions, discompose thy calm, or alay thy heavenly mindedness, or endear the world to thee; sin steals in thorough the eye or ear, &c. dressed up in Beauty, Mirth, Luxury, &c. but it wounds whilst it de­lights, and it stains where it touches, and it captives what it once possesses.

6. Be sure that thy Religion be plac'd in substantial and weighty things not [Page 148] fancyful and conceited; for example, 1. As to matters of Faith, make it thy business to know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent, the riches of divine Love, and the merit of Christs sacrifice; and do not mispend thy time, nor weary and disturb thy Soul with Curiosities and vain dis­putes, which usually grow out of interest and pride or an impertinent and tri­fling spirit: 2. As to practice, let thy Religion be made up of Fundamental Duties not conceits or will worship; of Charity and Humility, Obedience, Mortifi­cation and Purity; pure Religion and un­defiled is this, to visit the Fatherless and the Widowes, and to keep ones selfe unspot­ted from the world, Religion is not a de­vout whimsey, a sullen Austerity, or a blind and giddy passion, but all that promotes the Honor of God, the good of Mankind, and the peace of our own Souls.