johannes Scott S. T. P.    

PRACTICAL DISCOURSES Upon several Subjects.  
Vol. I.  
By JOHN SCOTT D. D. late Rector of St. Giles' in the Fields.  
LONDON: Printed for Walter Kettilby at the Bishop's- Head in S. Paul's Churchyard; and Samuel Manship at the Ship near the Royal Exchange in Cornhill. 1697.   

To the Honourable WILLIAM MONTAGUE, Esq  
THE following Discourses do breath the Spirit of the Author, (who being dead yet speaketh.) For they Carry in them a very sensible Concern for the honour of God, and for that (in which that honour has chiefly displayed itself to us,) the good of Mankind. For it will be no hard Matter for a considering Reader to be Convinced, that Misery (whether here, or hereafter) is the fatal Consequence of wickedness; and that to make ourselves happy we must make our selves Good. And therefore it is hoped, that the seasonable publication of them may by God's blessing, and by the sweet and forcible insinuations of that Candour, Zeal, and Reason, with which they are inculcated, at least assist a vicious Age to Recollect itself; and may so far do so, as to be a means to reclaim some of those, who have blotted it with that Character. And this hope is so much the greater, because, as we may rationally expect God's blessing upon our good Endeavours; so we may the more firmly do so, when such our Endeavours are warm and hearty. The Good and Merciful God accompany the design of the Author with his Grace; and extend that Grace to the utmost extent of the publication; and by making both effectual turn our hopes into prophecy.  
Sir, The Relations of the deceased Author having observed your great respect and kindness to him, and your diligent attendance upon his Ministry, hope the Dedication of these excellent Relics of his will be acceptable to you, as they are like to be of singular use, profit and advantage to all pious and good Christians.   

The CONTENTS.  

A Discourse concerning Bodily Exercise in Religion, upon 1 Tim. 4 6. Page 1.  
A Discourse of the Necessity of a Public National Repentance; upon Ezek. 18. 30. P. 77.  
A Discourse concerning the meet Fruits of Repentance, and the necessity of bringing forth such Fruits; upon Matth. 3. 8. P. 140.  
A Discourse concerning a Deathbed Repentance; upon Matth. 25. 10. P. 189.  
A Discourse concerning the great Evil of deferring Repentance; upon Rev. 2. 21. P. 230.  
A Discourse of Submission to the Will of God; upon Luke 22. 42. P. 268.  
A Discourse concerning Self-denial; upon Matth. 16 24. P. 305.  
A Resolution of that grand Case, How a Man may know whether he be in a state of Grace and Favour with God; upon 1 John 3. 7. P. 357.  
A Discourse concerning the Nature of Wilful Sins, showing how incessant they are with a good State, or our being born of God; upon 1 Joh. 3. 9 P. 384.  
A Discourse of the Excellency of the Christian Religion to procure Peace and Satisfaction of Mind; upon John 14. 27. P. 415.  
A Discourse showing that when men's Minds are divided between God and their Lusts, they must lead very anxious and unstable Lives; upon James 1. 8. P. 454.    
1 TIMOTHY IV. 6. Bodily exercise profiteth little; but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. 
THE great Design of Christianity being to promote our future Happiness, and qualify us for it; Things are more or less valuable in its esteem, as they more or less conduce to this great and excellent End. And hence the Apostle tells us, that of all the Virtues Christianity obliges us to, Charity is the greatest, 1 Cor. xiii. 13. that is, a sincere Love of God, and an universal good Will to Men; and the greatest it is upon this account, because of all Virtues it is most congenial to the Heavenly State, that being a State of endless Love and pure Friendship; and all other Virtues are valued more or less proportionably, as they partake of this Virtue of Charity. To give Worth to our Faith, it is necessary it should work by Love, Galat. v. 6. To make our Knowledge acceptable, it is necessary it should run into Love, 1 Cor. viij. 2, 3. yea without Charity the Gift of Miracles, almsgiving, and Martyrdom itself are Things of no value in the accounts of Christianity, 1 Cor. xiii. 1, 2, 3. Nay so much is this great Virtue designed by the Christian Religion, that the Apostle tells us that the end of the Commandment is Charity, 1 Tim. l. 5. that is, all the Duties which the Commandment enjoins are designed only as Means to advance and perfect our Love to God and Men: And all Means, you know, are more or less excellent proportionably, as they conduce to the Ends they are designed for. Wherefore since our future Happiness is the ultimate End of Christianity, and universal Love our most necessary Qualification for it, it necessarily follows that the Goodness of all Religious Means consists in their Aptitude to abstract and purify our Affections; to exalt and sublimate our Love, and to propagate in us that godlike and heavenly Temper, which is so necessary to qualify us for the Enjoyment of God and Heaven. But alas! how ordinary is it for Men to mistake their Means for their Ends, and to value themselves upon doing those Things, which if they be not directed to a farther End, are altogether insignificant; accounting those Things to be absolutely good, which are but relatively so, and which, unless they conduce to that which is good, are perfectly indifferent. Of which we have too many sad Instances among ourselves; for how many are there, who though they have nothing else to prise themselves for, but only of their keeping of Fasts and looking sourly on a Sunday, their hearing so many Sermons, and numbering so many Prayers; are yet bloated with as high Conceits of their own Sanctity and Godliness, as if they had commenced Saints, and were arrived to the highest degrees of Perfection: And though Pride and Malice, Covetousness and Ambition, are the only Graces they are eminent in, yet shall you see these empty wretched Things parched upon the Pinnacle of Self-Conceit, and from thence looking down upon poor moral Mortals as if they were Things of an inferior Species, not worthy to be reckoned in the same Class of Being's with themselves. Such flaunting Hypocrites, it seems, there have always been, and in these later Times it is foretold they should abound; for so the Apostle tells us 1 Tim. iv. 1. that the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the later Ages there should arise a sort of People who departing from the Faith, should give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils; who should forbid marriage, and command Abstinence from Meats, vers. 3. that is, as I suppose, should place all their Religion in outward and bodily Severities, which at best are only Means and Instruments of Religion; and that in these they should pride themselves, as if they were the only Saints of the Age: whereas, in truth, they would prove the rankest Hypocrites that ever appeared in a religious Vizard. And of these he exhorts Timothy carefully to forewarn his Flock, and for his own part to reject their profane and ridiculous Fables; and rather to exercise himself in true substantial Godliness, than in such outward bodily Rigours and Severities; for which he subjoins this general Reason, for bodily exercise profiteth little, that is, mere outward bodily Exercise in Religion abstracted from inward Piety and Godliness, is of very little avail in a Religious Account: For the bodily Exercise here spoken of, it seems, was such as had some little Profit attending it, and consequently was such as had some general Tendency to Good, and was improveable to some advantage, had it been wisely managed and directed. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, here translated little, is not so to be understood, as if it signified nothing; because it is here opposed to something that is greater, viz. to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉: Bodily Exercise profiteth little, but Godliness is profitable for all things; and therefore this bodily Exercise must profit something, though less than Godliness, which is profitable for all things: As when Plato says 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Socrates must be a little attended, but Truth a great deal more. And if it be such an Exercise as doth profit a little, than it must be such as is Religious, and is of some small account in Religion. In the Prosecution of this Subject therefore I shall do these two things:  

I. Show you what this outward or bodily Exercise in Religion is.  
II. In what Cases it is that it profits little.   
I. Wherein doth this bodily Exercise consist? I answer, it consists in these six things:  

1. In an outward visible Profession of Religion.  
2. In bodily Severities upon Religious Accounts.  
3. In bodily Passions in Religion.  
4. In bodily Worship.  
5. In bodily Fluency and Volubility in Religious Exercises.  
6. In a mere outward Form or Round of Religious Duties.   
1. It consists in an outward visible Profession of Religion. That we should make a visible Profession of the true Religion, when it is sufficiently proposed to us, is an unquestionable Duty, and that for this Reason; because not to profess visibly what we believe to be the true Religion, is an open disowning of God, who is the immediate Object of all true Religion. For he that believes that this is the Will of God, and yet is either ashamed or afraid openly to avow and acknowledge it, declares that he is either ashamed of God, or that he fears Man more than God; both which are highly impious. Besides, by our visible owning of Religion, we propose it to others, who by our Example may be persuaded to embrace it as well as we; and it is our Duty not only to entertain the true Religion our selves, but so far as in us lies, to propagate it to others; that so diffusing our Light round about us, others may be directed to Heaven by it as well as ourselves. This therefore is of some Account with God, that we visibly profess the true Religion; but if this be all we do, it will profit us but very little. For if we do not own Religion in our Actions, while we profess it in our Words, we contradict ourselves; our Practice gives the Lie to our Creed, and our wicked Lives baffle our holy Profession: for while a Man acts contrary to the Rules of his Religion, he doth as effectually disown it, as if he should openly renounce his Baptism, and make a public Recantation of Christianity. For as our Profession of Religion is performed by a visible signification of our Belief of it, and as this may be signified by our Actions as well as our Words; so in effect we do renounce Religion when we give any visible signification that we do not believe it; and this we do as well when we act like Infidels, as when by Words we declare our Infidelity. For by our Deeds we may signify our Minds as well as by our Words, and he that acts as if he did not believe, doth give a more convincing Argument of his Infidelity, than all his Words or Professions can be of the contrary; because it is rationally supposable that a Man will rather pretend to believe what he doth not, than that he will act contrary to his own Belief and Judgement; it being a greater degree of Violence to ourselves to act contrary to what we do believe, than to pretend to believe what we do not. So that it is not all our Talk and verbal owning of Religion that will serve the end of a visible Profession, which is, so to own God as to induce others to own him as well as our selves; because he that denies God in his Actions will never be able to induce others to believe that he doth sincerely own him in his Words and Profassions. Wherefore unless we will live up to the Rules of our Religion, we were as good not to make any visible Profession of it; for our Profession will serve no good Ends of Religion; it may indeed disgrace it in the Opinion of those who measure its Goodness by the Lives of its Votaries; for either they will think that our Religion teaches us to live as we do, and that will make them abhor it; or else they will imagine that notwithstanding our Profession we do not believe it, and that will make them suspect it to be a Cheat and Imposture. So that for any Good Christianity is like to reap from wicked Christians professing it, it were highly desirable that they would renounce their Baptism, and openly declare themselves Atheists or Infidels; because by their Actions they blaspheme the Religion they profess, and by assuming to themselves the holy Name of Christians they do but more openly profane it.  
2. Another sort of bodily Exercise that is of some, though but little Account in Religion; is our voluntary undergoing of bodily Rigours or Severities upon the score of Religion. There is doubtless a very wise use to be made of bodily Severities in Religion, provided they be but used with that Prudence and Caution as they ought to be; for they are excellent Remedies against many of our inordinate fleshly Inclinations, to came our extravagant Appetites, and to render them more tractable to the Commands of Reason and Religion: besides, that in the general they are of singular Use to wean our Souls from the Pleasures of the Body, which do often corrupt the palate of the Mind, and render it incapable of relishing divine Enjoyments. For if we indulge to our Appetites all those lawful Pleasures which they crave, our Souls will be apt to contract too great a Familiarity with the Flesh, and to be so taken up with the Delights and Satisfactions of it, as to neglect those diviner Pleasures for which they were created, and which are more natural and congenial to them; and considering that in our future State we must live without these Bodies, and take leave of all the Pleasures of them, it is very requisite that we should now beforehand wean and abstract ourselves from the Enjoyments of corporeal Sense, that so when we come to part with them we may know how to be happy without them, and be fit to live the Lives of naked Spirits. And therefore we find that there has scarce been any Religion whatsoever pretending to qualify Men for another Life, but hath imposed Fasting and Abstinence, and other bodily Severities, as proper Means to lustrate and purify the Mind, and to prepare it for immediate Converses with God and separated Spirits; but then the Consequence was, that the over-strict Imposition of these Instrumentals of Religion occasioned a world of Superstition; for being so strictly imposed, they obtained so far in the Opinion of the World, as to be reckoned among the Essentials of Religion, and counted absolutely good, and in their own Nature pleasing and grateful unto God; which possibly by degrees introduced those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, horrid and bloody Mysteries into the Heathen Religion. For Mankind being once possessed with such an Opinion of God, as to think he was pleased and delighted to see his poor Creatures afflict and punish themselves; it was easy from thence to infer that he would be much more pleased to see them butcher themselves, and sprinkle his Altars with their own Blood. And as this overweening Opinion did probably introduce humane Sacrifices into the Heathen Religion; so it is certain that it hath introduced sundry false Doctrines into the Romish; as particularly, that Fasting, and Whipping ourselves, and going on Pilgrimages, are meritorious Things; that by them we expiate our Sins, and make Satisfaction to the Justice of God: as if the Gild that binds us over to eternal Perdition were to be expiated by a sound Whipping, or a short Pilgrimage were a proportionable Commutation for the eternal Penance of Hell Fire. But these are the vain Imaginations of Men, who would feign impose Laws upon God, and prescribe to him the Measures of Punishment; who would do as wickedly as they please, and suffer what they please for so doing. But let us not deceive ourselves, if we will choose to sin, it is reasonable that that God whom we offend by our Sin should choose and appoint our Punishment. It is by no means fit that Criminals should be their own judges; for if they were, they would have very little Reason to be afraid of sinning; because they would be obliged to suffer no more for it than what they pleased themselves: but the Right of punishing is in the offended Party; and therefore if we will offend God by violating his Laws, we have no right to choose our own Penance, but must, whether we will or no, submit to what He thinks fit to inflict upon us; and what that is he hath told us beforehand, even everlasting Expulsion from his Presence into the Society and Portion of Devils, and damned Spirits. So that for us to expect to atone and satisfy God by little voluntary Penances of our own, is just as unreasonable as if a Murderer should cut off his little Finger, and thereupon expect to be excused from the Penalty of the Law.  
And as these bodily Severities are no Expiations of our Sins, so neither are they in their own Nature pleasing and grateful unto God: for he is a good God, and an universal Lover of all his Creation; and consequently can be no farther pleased with the Sufferings and Afflictions of any of his Creatures, than as they are necessary either to do them good, or to make them exemplary to others, or to vindicate the Honour of his own violated Laws; neither of which Ends are served by voluntary Penances and Severities as such, if they be not subordinated to the Ends of Virtue and Religion. For what can Fasting signify, if it be not designed to famish our Lusts? Can our hungry Bowels be a delightful Spectacle to that God who feeds the young Ravens, and takes so much care to provide for all his Creation? What Virtue is there in the Chastning of our Bodies, if it be not intended to humble and mortify our Souls? Do we think that that God, who is so zealous of our Welfare, can be recreated with our Miseries, or take pleasure in our tragical Looks, and bloody Shoulders? 'Tis true, so far as these things are Instruments of Good to us, they are pleasing unto God, even as all other Instruments of Religion; but it is not the suffering of our Bodies he is pleased with, but the good which it doth our Souls: but if they do our Souls no good, if they do not purify our Affections, and wean us from fleshly Desires, and make us more fit for the heavenly State, they are as insignificant in the Account of God, as the paring of our Nails, or the clipping of our Hair.  
3. Another sort of these bodily Exercises that are of some, though but little account in Religion, is bodily Passions in Religion. There is, I confess, an excellent Use to be made of our bodily Passions in the Exercise of our Religion, provided we do not place our Religion in them; for if we do, they will betray us into the grossest Cheats and Impostures. For in the general we find, that our Passions do wing our intellectual Faculties, and render them more intense and expedite in their Operations. For whilst the Soul and Body are united to one another, there is a mutual Reflowing and Communication of Passions between them, insomuch that whensoever the Soul is any ways affected with any Object, there immediately follows a suitable Perturbation or Passion in the Body; and then this Passion of the Body, as it is grateful or ingrateful to it, doth more vigorously affect the Soul with Love or Aversation; and then the Soul being thus reaffected and incited by the bodily Passion, will more vehemently pursue or shun the Object which caused its first Motion or Affection. When therefore our Souls and Bodies do thus sympathise with each other in the Exercises of Religion, we must necessarily perform them with greater Vigour and Intention.  
But to make this more plain to you, I will briefly instance in those four great Passions of Religion, viz. Love, and Hatred, and Sorrow, and joy.. As for that of Love; when the Soul is affected with God, or Virtue, or any other amiable Objects of Religion; immediately there follows a sweet and grateful Passion in the Body. For the Heart being dilated towards the beloved Object, puts the Blood and Spirits into a free and placid Motion, which diffuses a certain agreeable Heat into the Breast, and invigorates the Brain with a flood of active Spirits; and then the Soul being sensible of this grateful Emotion in the Body, is thereby more vigorously incited to pursue those amiable Objects wherewith she was first affected. And so for Hatred; when the Soul is practically convinced by the Arguments of Religion of the Odiousness of any Evil it forbids, the Enmity and Hatred she hath towards it causes an anxious Contraction of the Heart, and Compression of the Animal Spirits, which produces a Chillness in the Breast, a retarding of the Blood, and an unequal motion of the Pulse; and then the Soul sympathising with the Body, cannot but be sensible of this ungrateful Passion it is put into, which must needs add to her Hatred of those odious Objects which were the Cause of it, and cause her more vehemently to shun and avoid them. So again when the Soul is moved to Sorrow and Repentance for any past Sins and Miscarriages, the sad Regrets she suffers within herself produce a very doleful Passion in the Body; such as pinches the Heart, congeals the Blood, and causes an ungrateful Languor of the Spirits; and then by compassionating her grieved Consort, she is thereby excited to a higher degree of Displeasure against those Sins that caused its Grief and Disturbance. Lastly, when the Soul is joyed and delighted with any religious Object, or Exercise; by that sweet Complacency she enjoys within herself, there is produced a most pleasant Emotion in the Body, the Animal Spirits flowing to the Heart in an equal and placid Stream; where being arrived through its dilated Orifices, they soothe and tickle it into a most sensible Pleasure; and then the Soul being affected with the Body's Pleasure, doth from thence derive an additional Joy, which doth more vigorously encourage her to pursue those Objects, and continue those Exercises from whence her Original Joy proceeded.  
So that, you see, that by reason of that perpetual Intercourse there is between our Souls and our Bodies, there is an excellent Use even of our sensitive Passions in Religion. And it cannot be denied but that a gentle Temper of Body, whose Passions are soft, and easy, and ductile, and apt to be commoved with the Soul, may be of great advantage in our Religious Exercises; because whensoever it is religiously affected, its Passions will be apt to intend and quicken the Affections of the Soul, and to render them more vigorous and active; but farther than this, they are of no account at all in Religion. For as there are many Men who are sincerely good, that yet cannot raise their sensitive Passions in their religious Exercises; that are heartily sorry for their Sins, and yet cannot weep for them; that do entirely love God and delight in his Service, and yet cannot put their Blood and Spirits into the enravishing Emotions of sensitive Love and Joy: so on the other hand, there are many gross Hypocrites that have not one dram of true Piety in them, who yet in their Religious Exercises can put themselves into wondrous Transports of bodily Passion; that can pour out their Confessions in Floods of Tears, and cause their Hearts to dilate into Raptures of sensitive Love, and their Spirits to tickle them into Ecstasies of Joy; which is purely to be resolved into the different Tempers of men's Bodies, some Tempers being naturally so calm and sedate, as that they are scarce capable of being disturbed into a Passion; others again so soft and tender and impressible, that the most frivolous Fancy is able to raise a Commotion in them. And hence we see that some People can weep most heartily at the Misfortunes of Lovers in Plays and Romances, and as much rejoice at their good Successes, though they know that both are Fictions and mere Ideas of Fancy; whereas others can scarce shed a Tear or raise a sensitive Joy at the real Calamities or Prosperities of a Friend; whom yet they love a great deal more than these Men can possibly do their feigned and Romantic Heroes. And yet alas how very often do Men place the whole of their Religion in these mechanical Motions of their Blood and Spirits; that think they are exceeding good, if they can but chafe themselves into a devout Passion; and that it is an infallible Sign of Godliness that their Blood and Spirits are easily moved by religious Ideas, and apt to be elevated or dejected according as sad or joyous Arguments are pathetically represented to their Fancies: and though they do not understand the Argument, or which is all one to them, though that which is delivered for Argument is mere Gibberish, and insignificant Canting, that hath nothing of Argument or Reality in it, only some empty Fiction is conveyed to their Fancies by a musical Voice in fanciful Expressions; yet because they are affected by it, and it raises a sensible Perturbation in their Blood and Spirits, they presently conclude it to be an Income of God, and an infallible Token of his special Love and Favour to them; as if it were a Sign of Godliness, and a Mark of God's Favourites to be affected with Nonsense, feathered with soft and delicate Phrases, and pointed with pathetic Accents.  
Thus there are some Men who believe themselves to be converted, merely because they have run through all the Stages of Passion, in that new Road of Artificial Conversion which some modern Authors have found out; for according as the Work of Conversion hath been described by some modern Authors, it is wholly placed in so many different Scenes of Passion. For first a Man must pass under the Discipline of the Law, and the Spirit of Bondage; that is, he must be frighted into a Sense of his lost and undone Condition, and in this Sense he must grieve bitterly for his Sins as the Causes of his Ruin and Perdition; and this is that which they call Conviction and Compunction. From hence he must proceed into the Evangelical State, and pass into the Spirit of Adoption, the Entrance of which is Contrition or Humiliation; which consists in an ingenuous Sorrow for Sin, proceeding from a passionate Sense of God's Love and Goodness; and then having acted over all these mournful Passions, he embraces and lays hold upon Christ, which is the concluding Scene, and is altogether made up of joy and Exultation, and so the Work of Conversion is finished. Now though I do not at all deny, but to the Conversion of an habitual Sinner it is indispensably necessary that he should be convinced of his Danger, and deeply affected with Sorrow and Remorse for his Folly and Wickedness; (and therefore would not be so understood, as if I intended to discountenance these holy Passions, which are such necessary Introductions to a sincere Conversion:) yet neither do I doubt, but by the help of a melancholy Fancy attended with soft and easy Passions, a Man may perform all these Parts of Conversion, and yet be never the better for it; for many times these Passions are only the necessary effects of a diseased Fancy, and are altogether as mechanical as the beating of our Pulse, or the Circulation of our Blood. And hence we see that this kind of Conversion, which wholly consists of bodily Passions, doth commonly both begin and end with some languishing Distemper of the Body, in which the Fancy is overclouded, and the Motion of the Blood and Spirits retarded by the Prevalence of black and melancholy Humours; which being once evacuated, the Man's Body returns again to its former Temper, and upon this he becomes the same Man again that he was before his pretended Conversion. And accordingly it is observed by those very Persons who place the whole Work of Conversion in these Mechanical Passions, that generally after the Pangs of Regeneration are over, their Converts grow cold, and careless, and remiss in Religion; and so like to what they were in the State of Nature, that you would hardly believe they had ever been converted; which is a plain Evidence that this sort of Conversion doth not reach the Soul, that it doth not alter our practical Judgement of things, nor rationally determine our Wills to new Choices and Resolutions; and consequently that it is nothing but a mere Train of sensitive Passions mechanically excited by the Fancy. And hence you may observe in the Modern Stories of our Religious Melancholians, that they commonly pass out of one Passion into another without any manner of Reasoning and Discourse; now they are in the Depths of Grief and Despair, by and by upon the Pinnacle of joy and Assurance; and yet they are the same Men, neither better nor worse, when they do despair, as when they are assured; and consequently have no more Reason to be assured now, than they had when they were encompassed with all the Horrors of Desperation. For the only Reason any Man hath to be assured of God's Love, is his Likeness and Conformity to Him; which is that alone that endears us unto God, and entitles us to the Promise of his Favour. And yet though these Men do not pretend to be better, or more Godlike now they are assured, than they were when they despaired; yet their Hearts are overwhelmed with Floods of sensitive Joy, and they are strangely comforted they know not how nor wherefore: And though while they were in Despair, they thought of those Promises and Motives of Comfort that now ravish and transport them, and had every whit as much Reason to lay claim to them too; yet than they lay like Cakes of Ice at their Hearts without affording them the least Gleam of Warmth and Comfort; which is a plain evidence that both their joys and Sorrows are the products of bodily Temper, and not of Reason and judgement; because they pass out of one into the other without any intervenient Discourse, and are agitated into contrary Passions whilst they are under the same Rational Motives; are dejected this moment, and comforted the next, which argues, that their Reason hath no hand in their Passions; for if it had, they could never be so contrarily affected. Nor can it be supposed, that such irrational Passions are raised in them by the Divine Spirit; because He ordinarily works upon Men in an humane and rational way, beginning with their Understandings, and so persuading their Wills, and exciting their Passions by rational Motives and Arguments: Those Passions therefore that are not so excited can be resolved into no other Principle but that of bodily Temper. And accordingly you may observe, that all this Train of Passions, wherein too many Men do place the whole of their Conversion, are necessarily connected and chained to one another; so that if you move but the first Link, all the rest will naturally follow; which is a plain Argument that they may be excited not only in a free and rational, but also in a necessary, or mechanical way. As for instance, Suppose these Men before their pretended Conversion to have a good Dose of Melancholy in their Tempers, this will naturally dispose them to terrible and mournful Conceits; and being thus disposed, their tender Fancies are easily impressed with dreadful Images of the Wrath of God, and their own undone Condition: And according as the Temper of their Bodies is more or less disposed to fear, so this frightful Passion continues longer or shorter upon 'em; if it continues longer, it will by the reiterated Impressions of those dreadful Objects that first raised it, by degrees be heightened into Horror and Desperation; and when it is so then the Man is under Conviction of his undone Condition, and under the Terrors of the Law, and the Spirit of Bondage; which, according to the new Method, is always the first step to Conversion. And when the first Fury of Despair is over, it naturally issues into a deep Melancholy, and there spends itself in woeful Regrets, and self-condemning Reflections; and this is that which they call Attrition, or Compunction, which is the next Step to be taken in this methodical way of Conversion. And hence many People do continue many Years together in this languishing state, in all which time they believe themselves to be under the Lash of the Law, and the Discipline of the Spirit of Bondage; when, God knows, many times there is nothing in it but a mere melancholy Humour tinctured and heightened with dismal Notions of Religion. But then when the Melancholy begins to disperse, and to make way for the Spirits to flow into the Brain in a more brisk and active Torrent, and so to warm and refresh the drooping Fancy; they will by degrees scatter those horrid Images and dismal Fancies of Religion that rid the Imagination, and raised those tragical Passions; and so the Man will gradually emerge out of the Spirit of Bondage into a more comfortable and Evangelical Condition. For now his Fancy being something more lightsome, but still retaining some Relics of its former Darkness, will be disposed for grateful as well as dismal Phantasms, and to be impressed by lovely and joyous, as well as terrible and mournful Objects. So that if now God or Christ, or any other Object of Religion, be but represented to the Man in such a Dress of Metaphors and glistering Allusions, as is apt to affect his carnalized Fancy, he will presently form such charming Conceits and pleasant Imaginations of them, as will necessarily put his Blood and Spirits into a most amorous Emotion towards them; so that now he shall seem inflamed with the Love of Christ, and fancy him twined in his Arms and Embraces: whereas in Reality the Thing he is so infinitely fond of, is nothing but an Idol of his own Fancy, a mere Baby-Christ, dressed up by his own Imagination in all the Charms of sensual Beauty, and furnished with Smiles, and Kisses, and Caresses, and all the pretty Endearments of a doting Lover. And now the Man's Fancy being thus partly hung with fine Pictures of Christ, those Relics of Melancholy Vapours that are yet remaining in it, will very much dispose it to sad and mournful Conceits; especially when this Idol of Christ, which he so much dotes upon, shall be represented as weeping over his Sins, and grieved at the Unkindness he shows him. And now his Fancy being thus furnished with such a Mixture of amorous and mournful Imaginations, must necessarily beget in him a Mixture of Love and Grief and cause him to mourn for his Sins; because they make his Saviour grieve whom he seems to love so dearly: And this is Humiliation, which is the third Stage in this imaginary Road of Conversion. And now the Man having set up so gay an Image of Christ in his Fancy, and felt within himself such sensible Pangs of Love towards him, and Grief for the Affronts and Unkindnesses he hath offered him, his amorous Imagination will presently suggest to him, that doubtless so sweet a Saviour cannot but be conquered with all these passionate Endearments, and smitten with a reciprocal Love upon so many feeling Expressions of his Kindness towards him; and being possessed with this Imagination, he will presently fancy his dear Image of Christ into all the Postures of a transported Lover; smiling upon him, weeping over him, and spreading out his Arms to embrace him; upon which there will follow such a sweet Effusion of his Spirits towards his enamoured Saviour, that he will fancy himself to be leaping into his Arms, and rolling in his Bosom, and resting, and leaning, and relying upon him. And now his Fancy having carried him to his journey's End, and lodged him in the Embraces of his Saviour, O the Joy and Ravishment! he feels his Heart pant through Excess of Delight, and is ready to break with its own Raptures. And thus you see how this whole Method of Conversion may be easily transacted by an active and melancholy Fancy.  
And as it may be, so I doubt not but many times it is; for how many Men are there who strongly imagine themselves to have been converted, that yet are never the better for it, being still as averse unto God and true Goodness as ever they were before; nay and many times are so far from being bettered by their Conversion, that they are a great deal the worse for it; for instead of forsaking all Sin, which is that wherein true Conversion doth consist, they only shift their Vices, and many times in laying one Devil, they conjure up seven worse in the room of it. Perhaps before they fancied themselves to have been converted, they were openly lewd and profane; they would swear and be drunk, and wallow in Sensuality and Voluptuousness; but notwithstanding these beastly and damnable Crimes, they had some very amiable Qualities in them; they were courteous and affable, and kind and obliging; faithful in their Professions, and just and honest in their Dealings; but now alas! by passing through these dismal Stages of pretended Conversion, they have contracted such a mass of melancholy Humours as hath quite soured their sweet and lovely Tempers into Pride and Envy, Peevishness and Faction, Insolence and Censoriousness, and all the other Ingredients of a sullen and unsociable Nature. So that though now indeed they will not be openly lewd and profane, as they were before, yet, which is a great deal worse, they will be false and ill-natured, and gripping and ungovernable; and, which is worst of all, they will be all this while under the Disguise of Religion, and the Patronage of a deceived Conscience: so that whereas their former Vices had only the Possession of their Wills, but not of their Consciences, these are seized of both, which renders their Condition the more dangerous. For heretofore Virtue and Religion had a strong Party within them, there being a Law in their Minds that warred against the Law in their Members; but now all is subdued to the Dominion of their Sins, and their Wills and Consciences, like Simeon and Levi, become Brethren in Iniquity. Whilst therefore Men place their Religion in such artificial Trains of Passion, they will be liable to all manner of Cheats and Impostures. For the Generality of Men being ignorant of the Power of Melancholy, and of the Frame and Structure of their own Bodies; if their Fancies are but tinctured with Religion, they will be apt to attribute every extraordinary Emotion they feel to the immediate Influence of the Spirit of God, and to account that to be Grace and Inspiration which is a mere necessary Effect of Matter and Motion; and being once possessed with this Conceit, they lie open to all the Follies of Enthusiasm; for now nothing will satisfy them but Heats of Fancy, and Transports of Passion; and whilst they should be attending to the sober Dictates of Scripture and right Reason, they will be looking for Incomes, and Impulses, and secret Manifestations; and consequently, will be apt to interpret every odd Whimsy for an inward Whisper from Heaven, and every brisk Emotion of their Spirits for an immediate Smile of God's Countenance; than which, I dare boldly say, there is nothing more mischievous to Religion, or contrary to the Life and Power of it. For Religion is a wise, a still, and silent thing, that consists not in Frisks of Fancy, and Whirlwinds of Passion; but in a divine Temper of Mind, and an universal Resignation of our Wills to God; and this not only in intermittent Fits of Passion, but in the midst of cool Thoughts and calm Deliberations. For true Religion is a State of a fixed and constant Nature, that doth not come and go, like the Colours of a blushing Face, but is the natural and true Complexion of the Soul. How religious soever therefore we may be in our passionate Heats and Transports, it it altogether insignificant, unless the standing Temper of our Minds be good, and our Religion be settled in our Natures. For though it cannot be denied but these our bodily Passions do profit something, as they are useful Instruments of Religion; yet I think it is very apparent from what hath been said, that he who places his Religion in them doth but deceive his own Soul.  
4. Another sort of bodily Exercise that is of some, though but little Account in Religion, is Fluency and Volubility in Religious Exercises, or a Readiness of wording our Thoughts in proper and affecting Expressions; either in Prayer to God, or in speaking of God and Things divine: the proper Use of which is this, that in Prayer it is apt to exoite and kindle our devout and religious Affections. For besides that Scantiness of Words in Prayer doth divert the Mind by putting it to the Trouble of inventing new Expressions to cloth its Thoughts and Desires, which because of its Inability to attend many things at once, must needs interrupt its Zeal and Intention, and so make Breaks and Chasms in its Devotions; whereas when a Man expresses himself easily and fluently, so that his Words keep pace with his Desires and Affections, he will be able to keep his Thoughts more intent, and to fix himself upon God with all the united Vigour of his Mind, which not being disturbed with the Difficulty of expressing its Desires, will be the more at leisure to intend them, that so its Devotions may flow secundo flumine, in a more easy and undisturbed Current: besides which, I say, we all find by Experience, that proper and fluent Expressions are in their own Nature apt to warm and heighten our Affections, which nothing hath a greater Influence in than the Charms of pathetical Oratory. To be able therefore to word our Prayers in proper and ready Expressions, is of considerable Advantage to our Devotions; our Words being so apt to affect our Minds, and our Passions to keep time with the Music of our own Language: and whilst we wear these Bodies about us, and our Souls are so clogged and depressed with fleshly Desires, we have need enough to use all Arts and Advantages of spiriting and enlivening our Devotions. But yet I confess, of all these bodily Exercises, this is the least considerable in Religion; because we may easily supply the Defect of natural Fluency by excellent Forms of Prayer, the Use of which is doubtless far more expedient than the best of our extempore Effusions. For he that uses a Form, hath nothing else to do in Prayer but only to recollect his own Thoughts, and fix them upon God; and to keep his Mind affected with a due Sense of the Divine Majesty, and his own Need of and Dependence upon him: whereas he that prays extempore, besides all this, is concerned to invent proper and apt Expressions, lest he should be impertinent or indecent in his Addresses unto God; unless he expects that the Spirit should immediately dictate to him the Words of his Prayer, which is to suppose himself a Person immediately inspired, and his Prayer of Divine Revelation; and consequently, of equal Authority with the Scriptures themselves. But the best Religious Use that can be made of Fluency and Volubility of Speech, is in speaking to others of God and Things Divine; here it is useful indeed to make a Man an Orator for Religion, and to enable him to recommend it more effectually to others. Thus far therefore this sort of bodily Exercise may be profitable, both as it may be made instrumental to raise our own Devotions, and to propagate true Piety unto others; but beyond this, I know no place at all that it hath in Religion: for there is no doubt but we may be very good Men without this Gift of Fluency, and very bad Men with it, there being no Necessity of Consequence from an honest Heart to a voluble Tongue. And certainly that which proceeds from no higher Principle than mere natural Enthusiasm, and consequently may be easily attained by Persons grossly hypocritical and debauched, ought not to be looked upon as a Mark of Godliness. And yet alas! how many Men are there that place all their Religion in their Tongues, and esteem it as a certain Sign of Grace that they are able to pray in fluent Expressions, and to talk of God in rapturous Flights of Fancy? For they being most commonly straitened in their Religious Exercises, and not able to vent themselves with any Freedom or Readiness; when they fall into an extraordinary Fit of Fluency and Enlargement, of which they can give no natural Account, they presently conclude it to be an immediate Gift of God's Spirit, and a special Token of his peculiar Favour to them. And accordingly, if you peruse the late Histories of the spiritual Experiences of our modern Converts, you will find that they contain little else but strange Relations of their rapturous Discourses, and wondrous Enlargements in Frayer; which because they have something extraordinary in them, are generally thought to be the immediate Effects of the Divine Spirit: whereas commonly they proceed merely from the present Temper of the Body, and are as mechanical as any other Operations of Nature. For let a Man's Body be but put into a fervent Temper, his Spirits into quick but manageable Motions, this will naturally produce in him a more fine and exquisite Power of Perception, by causing the Images of Things to come faster into his Fancy, and to appear more distinct there; and then his Fancy being more pregnant with new Ideas and Images than it uses to be, his Expressions must necessarily be more fluent and easy. But then if when this natural Fervour of his Temper be intended with Vapours of heated Melancholy, his Fancy be but often impressed and rubbed upon with the most vehement and moving Objects of Religion, such as God and Christ, and Heaven and Hell; it must necessarily raise in him great and vehement Passions, and dictate to him pathetic and rapturous Expressions. And this hath been commonly experimented by the Devoto's of all Religions; for even among the devouter Turks and Heathens we may find as notorious Instances of those Incomes and Enlargements, as in any of our modern Histories of Christian Experiences. Thus the Heathen Poets; in all high Flushes of their Fancy, conceited themselves divinely inspired: Est Deus in nobis, agitante calescimus illo. And that great Orator Aristides positively affirms himself to be inspired in his Orations; because sometimes he felt in himself an extraordinary Vein of Fluency, which was only excited by a brisker Agitation of his Spirits. Wherefore it is not at all to be wondered at if, when Men are employed in Religious Exercises, the same natural Enthusiasm, especially when it is exalted by Religious Melancholy, should so wing and inspire their Fancies. For there is no Man whatsoever, that is but religiously inclined, and of a soft and impressive Temper, but by familiarising his Fancy to the great Objects of Religion, and setting them before his Mind in distinct and affecting Ideas, may easily chafe himself into such a Pathos as to be able to talk to, or of, God and Religion, in lofty and rapturous Strains of Divine Rhetoric; nor is it any Argument of such a Man's being inspired, that his Discourse doth so move and affect those that hear him; because all Language that is soft, fluent, and pathetical, is naturally apt to make deep Impressions on the Auditors. For even the Grecian Sophists, as Plutarch tells us, by their singing Tones, and honeyed Words, and effeminate Phrases and Accents, did very often transport their Auditors into a kind of Bacchical Enthusiasm: And no doubt but the Hearers of whom he speaks, who were wont to applaud their Orators at the End of their Declamations with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, divinely, heavenly, preciously, unimitably spoken, found themselves as much moved, as many a Man doth at a Sermon; who yet thinks it is not the Art of the Preacher, but the Spirit of God speaking in and by him that warms and excites them. Wherefore as we would not deceive and undo our own Souls, let us have a great care that we do not place our Religion in any such Enthusiastic Fervors of Spirit, and Overflowings of Fancy; for though this may be a helpful Instrument to us in our Religious Exercises, yet it is not by this that we are to estimate the Goodness of them, but by those Laws and Circumstances which do moralise humane Actions, and render them reasonable, and holy, and good. For 'tis not in loud Noises or melting Expressions that the divine Spirit is discovered, but in a divine Nature and Godlike Disposition; and the Effects of true Religion are not to be looked for in Words and Talk, but in Life and Action; and therefore St. Paul tells the Corinthians, some of whom, it seems, had too great an Opinion of his Way of Religious Rhetorication, that he would come among them and know, not the speech of them that were puffed up, but the power; for the Kingdom of God, saith he, consisteth not in word, but in power, 1 Cor. iv. 19, 20.  
Fifthly, Another sort of bodily Exercise that is of some, though but little, Account in Religion, is outward and bodily Worship. There is no doubt but we ought, when we are worshipping God, to signify the profound sense that we have of his Majesty and Greatness by outward Adorations and an humble and lowly Demeanour. For though we may signify to God the Honour and Worship that we owe him by the internal Acts of our Mind, by our Love, and Fear, and Hope, and Admiration, because he sees our Hearts and discerns the most secret Motions of our Souls; yet since to him we owe the Members of our Bodies, as well as the Faculties of our Minds, it is very reasonable that we should worship him with both, that both our Bodies and Minds should offer the Tribute of Homage which they owe to the Fountain of their Being's; that so having each of them a share in the Bounties of God, they may be Copartners too in the Returns of Gratitude to him. And though the internal Acts of our Minds do sufficiently signify unto God our Esteem and Veneration of Him, yet it is highly reasonable, especially in our public Addresses to him, that we should signify it to Men also, that they may be excited by our Example to glorify God, and to acknowledge and adore the infinite Perfections of his Nature: and we have no other way to signify to Men our Veneration of God, but only by corporeal Actions, that is, by such Actions or Gestures of the Body as either by Nature or by Custom are significant of our inward Esteem and Adoration of him. And this, without doubt, is a Part of Natural Religion; forasmuch as there never was any People of any Religion whatsoever, but what have always expressed their Veneration of the Divinities whom they owned, by such external Reverences as were customary amongst them. And accordingly we are enjoined in Scripture to offer up unto God the Homage of our Bodies as well as of our Souls; to worship, and bow down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker, Psal. xcv. 6. and to glorify him with our Souls and Bodies, which are his, 1 Cor. vi. 20. And when the Devil solicited our Saviour with the Promise of all the Kingdoms of the World to bow down and worship him, that is, to render him external Homage and Reverence, our Saviour rejects the Motion with an it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve, Matth. iv. 10. which Words must be understood of external as well as internal Worship, otherwise his Answer is no wise pertinent to the Devil's Proposals, which extended only to external Worship and Adoration.  
And as bodily Worship is enjoined by express Precept, so it is warranted by the concurrent Examples of all holy Men; for in the Old Testament you have almost as many Examples of it, as there are Instances of devout and religious Persons: and so observant were the Jews of all external Reverence in their Religious Exercises, that to fall down and kneel before the Lord our Maker seems to have been Proverbial of their Prayers and Public Worship. And lest any Man should imagine these bodily Reverences to have been Part of that Ceremonial Worship that was abolished by the Gospel, there are sufficient Examples of it recorded in the New Testament both to excite and warrant our Imitation. For even the blessed jesus himself who thought it no Robbery to be equal with God, yet being in the Form of a Servant, he thought it no scorn to kneel and prostrate himself before him; for thus when he was in his last Agony, it is said, that he fell on his face, and prayed, Matth. xxxvi. 39 which in those Eastern Countries was a Signification of the profoundest Reverence: and afterwards when having awoke his Disciples, he returned to his Prayer again, St. Luke tells us that he fell upon his knees and prayed, Luke xxii. 41. Thus of St. Stephen, when he was breathing out his Soul in that hearty Prayer for his Enemies, it is said that he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this Sin to their Charge, Acts seven. 60. So also St. Peter, when he came to raise Tabytha from the dead, is said to kneel down and pray, Acts ix. 40. And St. Paul acquainting the Ephesians how earnestly he prayed for them, thus expresses himself; for this Cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord jesus Christ, Ephes. iii 14. And when he was going to Rome, and had taken his last Farewell of the Brethren at Miletum, it is said that he kneeled down, and prayed with them, Acts xx. 36. And how loudly soever some of our new-fashioned Christians may explode external Reverence under a Pretence of worshipping God in a more spiritual Manner, it is certain that there never was any thing even externally more devout and solemn than the Religious Assemblies of the Primitive Christians; for generally at the Reading of their public Liturgies, the whole Congregation kneeled down upon the bare Floor with their Heads uncovered, their Eyes lift up to Heaven, and their Hands stretched forth in fashion of a Cross; and then the whole Congregation being composed into a deep Silence, the Minister began the public Service in a most serious and humble manner, not throwing about his Prayers at random with a clamorous, wild, and confused Voice, but pronouncing them with a most decorous Calmness and Modesty: the People in the mean time demeaning themselves so solemnly and uniformly, that you would have thought the whole Assembly to have been animated with one Soul, and that Soul to have been nothing else but a vital Sense of the adorable Majesty and supereminent Perfections of God. So heavenly wide was the Primitive Pattern from the Rudeness and Irreverence of our modern Devotions, that I doubt not should those blessed Martyrs and Confessors of our holy Religion arise from their Graves, and come into our public Assemblies, they would suspect that we met together rather to be worshipped by God than to worship him; our usual Postures being much fitter for judges than for Supplicants, and such as rather bespeak us to be receiving Petitions from God, than offering up Prayers to him. For what Sign do we give that we come to worship the great Majesty above, when we rudely squat upon our Seats with our Hats half on, as if we thought it too great a Condescension to uncover our Heads, and kneel before the Lord our Maker; and that we made not bold enough with him, unless we treated him as our Fellow, and it were a piece of holy Familiarity to be saucy in our Language, and irreverent in our Addresses to him?  
But by what hath been said I think it is apparent, that bodily Worship is of so much Account and Necessity in Religion, that to neglect it is a Piece of great Injustice to God, and an high Affront to his Majesty, whereunto we owe the lowliest Homage and Adoration. But after all it must be acknowledged, that unless our bodily Worship be attended with an inward lively Sense of God, with great and worthy Thoughts of him and suitable Affections towards him, it is all but a perfect Pageantry; which, tho' it makes a goodly Show, hath nothing of Substance or Reality in it: Nay if by those external Reverences we render him, we do not express the inward Veneration of our Souls; while we pretend to worship him, we mock him to his Face; and by offering him a Shell which hath no Kernel in it, we only seek to put a Trick upon him, to make him believe we honour and adore him, when in reality we do but more demurely flout him, and with our Mock-Obeysances affront him with greater Ceremony: If therefore we do not bow our Hearts before him as well as our Knees, in our most solemn Addresses to him, we are but so many liveless Images of Prayer, that, like our Grandfather's Statues on their Tombs, have our Hands and Eyes lift up to Heaven, but no Soul to animate our Devotions. But God expects that those that worship Him should approach him with pure and humble Minds, with their Wills inspired with divine Affections, and their Souls touched with an over-awing Sense of his. Majesty; without which he accounts all our bodily Adorations to be nothing but demure Scorns, and complimental Mockeries; and therefore upon this very Account God denounced most fearful Judgements against Israel, because they drew near him with their mouths, and with their lips did honour him, when their hearts were removed far from him, Isa. xxix. 13.  
Sixthly, and lastly, Another sort of bodily Exercise that is of some, tho' but little Account in Religion, is a mere outward Form or Round of Religious Duties, such as saying of our Prayers, hearing the Word of God, and receiving of Sacraments, and the like; which are all of them expressly enjoined by the Christian Religion, as the Means by which we are to purge our Minds from all Impurity and Wickedness, and to acquire those divine Habits of Piety and Virtue, which are necessary to qualify us for eternal Life: And without all doubt, such Means they are as, if rightly used, will by the Blessing of God, and their own natural Efficacy, exceedingly conduce to those great and worthy Ends for which they were ordained. For what Means can be more conducive to our Reformation and Amendment, than constant and diligent Prayer? for, besides that hereby we move God to enable us to our Duty by his own Grace and Assistance; by these our solemn Addresses to him we take an effectual Course to abstract our Minds from carnal and sensitive Things; to excite and raise our Affections towards God, and inspire our Souls with an awful Sense of his Majesty; which are the most rational Antidotes we can take against the venomous Temptations of Sin. How necessary is it to make us throughly good, that we should seriously and diligently attend upon the Preaching and public Ministries of God's Word; the great End of which is to state and describe the Bounds of Christian Duty, and to explain and enforce those mighty Motives which Christianity urges to oblige us to it? both which are indispensably necessary to our Reformation; because a Man cannot be good, unless he knows his Duty, and when he knows it, he will not be good, unless he be persuaded to it. What can be more conducive to our Growth and Progress in all Christian Grace and Virtue, than frequent Receiving of the Holy Sacrament? which, besides as it is a Channel and Conveyance of the Divine Grace and Assistance to all worthy Communicants, doth sensibly represent to us one of the mightiest Arguments to Obedience in all the Christian Religion, viz. the Death and Sacrifice of our blessed Redeemer. For here we see his bloody Tragedy acted before our Eyes, the breaking of his Body and the pouring out of his Blood for us being visibly represented to us; which dismal Spectacle (if we have any Remains of Ingenuity in us) cannot but affect us both with Love to Him who suffered so deeply for us, and with Horror against our Sins, which brought those Sufferings upon Him: and being thus affected, how can we forbear vowing Revenge upon our Sins, and perpetual Obedience to our most loving Redeemer, which is one great End of this sacred Festival? So that these outward Duties are not only necessary, as they are enjoined by our Religion, but also as they are effectual Means and Instruments of that internal Piety and Virtue, which our Religion doth principally require and design: and therefore doubtless it cannot but be a great Sin for any Christian to live in the ordinary Neglect of these instrumental Duties, because in so doing he doth not only affront the Authority of that holy Religion to which he hath vowed Submission and Obedience, but also rejects the Means of his own Recovery and Reformation, and so doth openly declare himself a reckless profligate Creature, one that neither is good, nor ever intends to be so. But yet after all it must be acknowledged, that he that only prays, and hears, and receives Sacraments, and places all his Religion in a perpetual Round of these outward Performances, hath nothing of the Life and Spirit of true Religion in him: For, as I have already observed to you, these Duties are intended only for Means and Instruments of that internal Purity of Mind, and those Divine and Godlike Dispositions of Soul, wherein the Life and Substance of Religion doth consist. Now you know it is not barely the using of Means that either is or doth Good, but the using them to some good End or Purpose: as for instance, Books are Means and Instruments of Learning; but it is not barely the using of Books, or turning over the Leaves of them, that will make Men wise or learned; but the using them so, as to understand the Contents of them, and acquaint ourselves with the Things and Notions contained in them. Thus Prayer, and Hearing the Word of God, and Receiving of Sacraments, are doubtless excellent Means to make Men good and virtuous; but barely to use them, without any farther Intention, is to do a thing that signifies nothing, that neither is good in it self, nor will do any good to us: If we would use them to any Purpose, we must use them to the End, they are designed for, or else we had as good not use them at all. For we may as soon become good Scholars barely by turning over the Leaves of learned Books, as we shall good Christians barely by praying, and hearing, and receiving. If we do not pray to the End we may be more humble and heavenly-minded; if we do not hear, and receive Sacraments to the End we may be more just and charitable and meek and temperate; we take a great deal of Pains to no purpose. For tho' a Hammer and a File are excellent Tools to make a Watch, or a Clock, or any such curious Machine; yet doubtless you would account that Man extremely impertinent that should reckon himself a skilful Mechanic merely because he knocks and files with them. And by the same Rule, tho' Prayers and Sacraments are excellent Instruments of Christian Piety and Virtue, yet it is a ridiculous Vanity for a Man to esteem himself a good Christian, merely because he prays and communicates; because as the Art of the Mechanic consists not barely in using his Tools, but in using them so, as to perfect and accomplish his Work with them; so the Virtue of a Christian consists not barely in Praying, Hearing, and Receiving, but in using these Duties with that Religious Art and Skill, as is necessary to render them effectually subservient to the Ends of Piety and Virtue; and unless we use them to these Ends, we were as good not use them at all for any Benefit we are likely to reap from them. For what doth it signify for a Man to confess his Sins to God, if he only go round in a Circle of confessing and sinning, and sinning and confessing again? Is it any Pleasure to the Almighty, do we think, to hear us read over, with tragical Looks and woeful Tones, the odious Catalogue of our uncancelled Guilts? is he so fond of the Affronts and Injuries we do him, as to take delight in hearing them recounted? No, doubtless, it is impossible. 'Tis true, he hath commanded us to confess our Sins to him; but why hath he done so? why, that our Confession might be instrumental to our Reformation; that it might affect us with Shame and Sorrow for our Sins, and Horror and Indignation against them; and if this be not the Effect of it, we do but blazon our Shame, when we confess our Sins, and prefer a Bill of Indictment against ourselves. To what purpose do we daily offer up our Prayers unto God, if we do not endeavour by our Lives to please him? Can we imagine him so easy a Sovereign as to be soothed and flattered with the humble Petitions and Entreaties of open and avowed Rebels? Certainly if we do, we are infinitely mistaken: he bids us pray to him indeed, but why? why, that by our constant Addresses to him we might be always affected with so deep a Sense of his Sovereignty over us and our own Dependence upon him, as might keep us continually in Awe of Him; and if this be not the Effect of our Prayers, we only talk to the Air, and spend our Breath to no purpose. To what End do we praise God, and make Rhetorical Acknowledgements of his Glory and Goodness, if we do not imitate him in those Perfections for which we admire and laud him? Do we think so wise, so great a Being can ever be pleased and tickled to hear himself extolled and commended by a little of that fading Breath which himself gave being to? alas! no; he needs not our poor Praises to emblazon and magnify him, being infinitely glorious in his own Perfections, and a sufficient Stage and Theatre to Himself. 'Tis true he bids us praise him, but why? why, that he might provoke us to imitate what we do commend, and to transcribe into our own selves those adorable Perfections which we laud and admire in Him; and if this be not the Effect of our praising him, all the Good we say of him is nothing but Flattery and Compliment. To what purpose do we come to Church to hear Sermons and pious Exhortations, if we do not live them too? Do we think to please God by meeting together to gratify our Ears or Curiosity with some new Notions, or acquaint Piece of Oratory? If we do, we are much mistaken. He hath commanded us indeed, diligently to attend the public Preaching and Ministers of Religion; and why hath he done so, but only that we might learn his Will, and be instructed in the Motives to Obedience? And if this be not the Effect of our Hearing, we had as good spend our time in hearing the whistling of the Wind, or the roaring of the Sea. In a word, to what End do we receive the holy Sacrament, if we do not improve in Virtue by it? Do you think to please an Alwise God by eating a little Bread, and drinking a little Wine, in a devout and humble Posture? Is it likely that so wise a Being should be taken with such an insignificant Trifle? 'Tis true, He hath instituted this holy Solemnity for a perpetual Memory of our Saviour's Passion; but is this all do you think? Has he commanded us to meet, and eat and drink together, only to remember that a great while ago the blessed jesus was crucified at jerusalem? no, doubtless; that which he ultimately designed by this solemn Memorial was to inflame our Love, to confirm our Faith, and strengthen our Resolutions of Obedience; and if this be not the Effect of it, our receiving the Sacrament is of no more Account in Religion, than if we should eat and drink only to satisfy our Hunger and Thirst. This I have the longer insisted upon, because it is so ordinary for Men to place all their Religion in these instrumental Duties, and to believe themselves highly in favour with God, merely because they pray very often, and hear a great many Sermons, and are constant Communicants at the Lord's Table; when God knows all this is only the Religion of the Means, and is good only as it tends farther to produce in us a divine Temper of Mind, and to make us sober, and righteous, and godly in this present World; which if it doth not effect, it doth nothing at all, but is altogether vain and insignificant. Wherefore as you would not deceive and ruin your own Souls, beware of mistaking the Means of Godliness for Godliness itself, and of taking up your Rest there, where you should only bait, in order to a farther Progress; lest falling short of your Duty, you fall short of the Reward of it, and in the End receive your Portion with Hypocrites in the Lake that burns with Fire and Brimstone.  
2. Having showed what that bodily Exercise is which profits something in Religion, tho', compared with Godliness itself, but very little; I now proceed to the second thing proposed, which was to show you in what Respects it is that this bodily Exercise doth profit but little. In general it profits but little in respect of those great and noble Ends which Religion doth most principally aim at: for there are four great Advantages which Religion doth principally design and intend us:  

1. To reconcile us unto God;  
2. To perfect our Natures;  
3. To entitle us to Heaven;  
4. To qualify us for Heaven;   
And to each of these, these kinds of bodily Exercise are no farther profitable than as they conduce to a holy Life and internal Purity and Goodness; which is that alone by which these great Advantages are to be obtained: so that tho' they profit something, yea very much, as they are Means of Godliness, yet compared with Godliness itself, they profit but very little; because these are only instrumental to make us godly, but it is Godliness alone that reconciles us unto God, and perfects our Natures, and qualifies us for Heaven. In these four Respects therefore these kinds of bodily Exercise do, in comparison with Godliness, profit but very little.  
1. As to the reconciling us to God. 'Tis true, this bodily Religion is instrumental to reconcile us unto God, so far as it tends to purify our Minds, and to inspire us with a divine and Godlike Nature; but farther than this, it hath no Influence at all upon it; for there is nothing can reconcile God to us, or us to God, but only a mutual Likeness and Agreement. While we continue in our Sins, we cannot love God, our Nature being repugnant to His, who is infinitely holy, and pure, and good; nor can He love us, His Nature being repugnant to ours, which is vile, and wicked, and unreasonable. And how can two Natures be reconciled, which have such mutual Antipathies to each other? How can we love him whilst we are so prevalently averse to all that is lovely and amiable in Him, and so unreasonably fond of every thing that He hates and abhors? Doubtless while there is such a Contrariety between God and us, it is impossible we should love him without hating ourselves. Hence the Apostle tells us, that the carnal Mind is not only an enemy, but that it is enmity itself to God, Rom. viij. 7. It is Spite and Rancour in the Abstract, being as repugnant to His pure and holy Nature, as Heaven is to Hell, or Light to Darkness. And the same Apostle gives us an Account of this Enmity, and shows us from whence it doth arise, Col. i. 21. And you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your minds by wicked works: These are the Make-baits that infuse into our Souls a secret Enmity to God, by inspiring them with such Dispositions as are altogether repugnant to the Purity and Heliness of his Nature; and there is nothing will extinguish these wicked Dispositions, from whence our Enmity to God doth arise, but only the contrary Habits of Virtue and true Goodness. So that all our bodily Exercises in Religion do no otherwise tend to reconcile our Minds to God, than as they are instrumental to destroy the Body of Sin in us, and to beget in us a Divine and Godlike Nature; which if they do not effect, they will leave us at as great a distance from God as ever they found us; and after all our Professions, and bodily Severities, our rapturous Passions in Religion, and fluent Strains of Devotion; after our Hearing, and Praying, and Receiving of Sacraments, we shall be found as utter Enemies to God as ever we were before: For there is nothing can reconcile the Mind of a Man to God, but only a thorough Conformity and Agreement in Nature with him. And as we cannot be reconciled to God without being godly, so neither can God be reconciled to us. 'Tis true he bears a hearty goodwill to all his Creation, and earnestly desires the Welfare of every Being that he hath made capable of any degree of Happiness; and there is no Man whatsoever excluded from this his universal Benevolence, which with outstretched Arms embraces the whole Creation: But it is impossible he should love any, so as to be pleased with or delighted in them, but only those that are good; for tho' his Love be terminated upon infinite Objects, yet it is founded upon one unchangeable Reason, and that is true Goodness, which is the only Motive of wise and reasonable Love. Thus he loves Himself, not purely because he is Himself; for that would be rather an Instinct, than a reasonable Love; but because he is good: and he loves Himself above all other Things, not out of a blind unreasonable Fondness to himself, but because he knows Himself to be the highest and most perfect Good. And if upon an impossible Supposition, he were less good than he is, he would doubtless love himself less than he doth; but because his own Essence is the fairest Copy, and most perfect Idea of Goodness; therefore if he love reasonably, he must love Himself most; and consequently love all other things proportionably as they approach and resemble Himself in Goodness, and Purity, and Holiness. For if he love himself best, because he is most good, he must necessarily love all other things proportionably as they are more or less good; and indeed he could not love Himself infinitely, should he love us for any other Reason, but that for which he loves Himself: For he can love Himself no farther than he hath Reason for it; and therefore if he had other Reasons to love us, beyond what he hath to love Himself, he would not love Himself infinitely; because he would not have infinite Reason for it. So that it is plain, God loves Himself and us for the same general Reason. And as he doth not love Himself, but because he is good; so he doth not love us, merely because we are such and such Men, out of a peculiar Fondness to our individual Persons; but because we resemble Him in that Goodness and Purity for which he loves Himself. For one of these three things we must say, That either God loves us for no Reason at all, which would be a degrading of his most wise Love into a foolish Fondness; or else that he loves us for our Sins, which would be to make Him love different Objects, Himself and us, upon contrary Reasons; or that he loves us for our Goodness, and Conformity to his own most pure and perfect Nature. This therefore is that alone, that will reconcile God to us, and without this all our bodily Religion is insignificant. Tho' we should profess Religion with the Constancy of Martyrs, and our whole Lives were a continued Rapture of Religious Passions; tho' we should fast ourselves into Skeletons, and pray till our Knees clavae to the ground; tho' we should live upon Sacraments, and hear as many Sermons as there are hours in the Day; yet if upon all this we do not grow more charitable and benevolent, more honest and temperate, more humble and heavenly minded, it will be all to no purpose; for when all is done, there is nothing but true Goodness can endear us to the good God. So that it is apparent, that notwithstanding all our bodily Exercises, so long as we continue in our Sins, there is so vast a Gulf between God and us, that neither we can go to Him, nor he come to us; and, unless God altars his Nature by becoming impure as we are impure, or we alter ours by becoming pure as He is pure, so immense is the Distance between him and us, that it is impossible we should ever meet and agree. What the Prophet therefore says of Sacrifice, may be said of all bodily Religion, Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or ten thousand rivers of Oil? Will he be reconciled with zealous Professions, fluent Prayers, or melting Passions? no, no; He hath showed thee, O man, what is good. And what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justice, to love Mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God, Micah vi. 7, 8.  
2. Bodily Exercise profits but little in comparison with Godliness, as to the perfecting of our Natures. 'Tis true, this bodily Exercise is instrumental of our Perfection, so far as it promotes in us the Virtues of Godliness and Religion; if it makes us meek and humble, and just, and charitable, and temperate; if it inspires us with a sincere Love to God, and a dutiful Awe and Dread of his Majesty; if it produces in us a hearty Submission to his Will, and a constant Dependence upon his Truth and Goodness; then indeed it doth effectually conduce to the Perfection and Accomplishment of our Natures, it being productive of that wherein the Perfection of our Natures doth consist: But if these are not the Effects of it, we are never the better for it, and after all our Hearing, and Praying, and Professing, our Nature will be still as maimed and imperfect as ever it was before. For the Perfection of a Rational Nature consists not in Forms and Outsides, and such and such bodily Motions and mechanical Exercises of our Sense and Passion, but in being wise and good; in having our Understandings informed with the Principles of right Reason, and our Wills and Affections regulated by them. For to be a perfect Man, is to live up to the highest Principle of Humane Nature, and that is Reason; which is the proper Character of our Being's that distinguishes us from all sublunary Natures, and sets us in a Form of Being above them. When therefore we are released from the Slaveries of Sense and Passion, and all our Powers are perfectly subdued to this superior Principle, as to do every thing that it commands, and nothing that it forbids, and we choose and refuse, and love and hate, and hope, and fear, and desire, and delight, according as right Reason directs and dictates to us; then, and not till then, we are come to the full Stature of perfect Men in Christ jesus. Now what else is Godliness, but only an Habit of living according to the Laws of Reason, or an accustoming ourselves in all our Circumstances, to do those Things that are most fit and reasonable; to demean ourselves towards God, our Selves, and all the World, with that Devotion, Sobriety, and Justice, as becomes Rational Being's placed in our Condition and Circumstances? This is Godliness; and till we are in some measure arrived to this, our Faculties are wholly out of Joint, notwithstanding all our bodily Religion. For so long as we live in a state of Sin, we live in Rebellion to our own Reason, and the Natural Polity of our Souls is dissolved into a wild confused Anarchy. Our Reason, that was made to govern us, is enslaved by its own Vassals, and forced to truckle to our Passions and Appetites. The Law in our Members controls the Law in our Minds, and countermands the Dictates of our purest Reason; and so our Nature is turned upsidedown, and the Cardinal Points of our Motion changed into quite contrary Positions. And so far is our Nature from being perfected without Godliness, that it is the most wretched confused thing in the whole World; a mere undistinguished Chaos, where frigida cum calidis, Sense and Reason, Brute and Man, are shuffled together in a heap of rude and undigested Ruins: and being in this sick disorderly Condition, what can recover us but only inuring and accustoming ourselves to live godlily; or, which is all one, according to the Prescripts of right Reason? This, by degrees, will re-advance our Reason to its native Throne, and reduce our rebellious Passions and Appetites to a pure and spiritual Mind: This will set our disjointed Faculties in order, and restore our decayed Nature to its primitive Health and Vigour. For by inuring ourselves to a Life of Reason, our Passions and Appetites will by degrees be tamed and civilised, so that at length it will be natural and easy to us; and then we shall cheerfully go on from one degree of Virtue to another, till all the Unevennesses of our Natures are filled off, and our Souls are polished into living Images of the most perfect God; till we come to that heavenly permanent state of ever knowing and doing that which is best and most reasonable: and this is the utmost Pitch of Perfection that any reasonable Nature can aspire to. So that it is Godliness alone that doth perfect our Natures, and restore us to the pure state of reasonable Being's. For to be perfectly godly is to be perfectly conformable to the eternal Laws of Reason; and he that is so, is advanced to the utmost Pitch of Perfection that his reasonable Nature is capable of.  
3. Bodily Exercise profits but little in comparison with Godliness, as to the entitling us to Heaven and eternal Life: For God hath been so gracious, as not only to assure us that there is a Heaven and future Happiness, but he hath also promised it to us upon certain Terms and Conditions, that so by performing these, we might not only believe that there is a Heaven, but also be inspired with a certain Hope of enjoying it. For upon our performing the Condition upon which Heaven is promised to us, we are vested with such an inalienable Right to it, as we can never be disseised of; unless the God of Truth break his Word, which he can never do, until he ceases to be God. This therefore is one great Advantage which Religion doth design us, to beget in us such a lively Hope of that blessed Immortality which it promises to us, as might carry us cheerfully through all the weary Stages of our Duty, and support our Minds under all the Calamities of this present World. And without all doubt, the Hope of Heaven is the greatest Blessing that we are capable of on this side Heaven; for if we had all the World before us, and every Pleasure of it were distilled to a Quintessence to feast our Desires and entertain our licorice Appetites, what a poor inconsiderable Trifle would it be, compared with the Hope of being transformed into the Likeness of God, and dwelling for ever in His Presence, there to spend a blissful Eternity with Saints and Angels, Archangels and Seraphims, in one continued everlasting Act of rapturous Love and joy? What mean things are all the sickly Joys, the empty, flat, evanid Pleasures this World doth afford us, compared with the ravishing Pleasures and divine Contentments that spring from such vast and mighty Hopes? This Hope of Heaven therefore being so highly advantageous to us, God hath therefore promised it to us upon certain Terms and Conditions, that so we might have a sure Foundation to build our Hope upon; that we might know upon what Grounds we are to expect that blessed Reward, which we could never have done, had God left himself free to withhold or bestow it upon us, according to the arbitrary, and, to us, uncertain Determinations of his Will, and not bequeathed it to us upon such Conditions by his own irrevocable Promise. That therefore which gives us a Right to Heaven, and is the only true Ground of our Hopes of it, is our performing the Condition upon which it is promised to us; and the Condition upon which it is promised to us, is nothing less than true and universal Godliness. And hence the Apostle tells us, that without holiness no man shall see the Lord, Heb. xii. 14. and our Saviour, in Matth. v. restrains the Beatitudes of the other World to those that are poor in Spirit, and pure in Heart, that are benign and merciful, that hunger and thirst after Righteousness, and that endure the unjust Persecutions of the World with Christian Patience, and Courage, and Constancy. And the Promise of eternal Life is limited by the Apostle to those who by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, and honour, and immortality, Rom. two. 7. And if Godliness be the sole Condition of eternal Life, than it necessarily follows, that all our bodily Exercises in Religion do no farther conduce to entitle us to it, than as they conduce to make us godly and virtuous; which if they do not effect, they give us no more Right to Heaven, or Ground to hope for it, than the most indifferent Actions in the World. Hence our Saviour hath told us before hand, that we may know what to trust to, Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven, Matth. seven. 21. that is, not every one that professes my Name, and acknowledges me for his Lord and Master, and makes solemn Prayers and Addresses to me, shall be admitted into the Kingdom of Happiness; such outward bodily Exercises as these will never entitle any Man unto that blessed Condition: Tho' you should profess my Name never so solemnly, and pray to me with never so much Fervour and Earnestness, yet do not think I will be bribed by such Trifles to connive at your Sins, and admit you into Heaven notwithstanding all your Impieties; no, no; I do assure you before hand, that you may know what to trust to, that there is nothing but your sincere Submission unto the Will of my Father, shall ever persuade me to receive you into his heavenly Kingdom. Let us not therefore flatter ourselves any longer with vain Expectances of Heaven, upon the account of our bodily Religion; for unless our Natures are changed, and our Minds reform and bettered by it, we may as well lay claim to Heaven because we eat and drink and sleep, as because we pray, and hear, and receive Sacraments: For tho' these bodily Exercises are profitable Means to entitle us to Heaven, yet it is only upon this Account, because they are Means to make us good; but if they do not effect this, they are all but so many insignificant Ciphers. He therefore that builds his Hope of Heaven merely upon bodily Religion, builds upon a sandy Foundation, which if he finally trust to, will sink under him, and bury him in eternal Ruins.  
4. And lastly, Bodily Exercise profits but little in comparison with Godliness, as to the qualifying us for Heaven; which is a distinct Consideration from the former. For supposing we could have a Right to Heaven, without being disposed and qualified for it, it would be no Advantage at all to us; for before we can enjoy Heaven, our Minds must be reconciled to the Pleasures and Delights of it, or else it is impossible they should be Pleasures to us. Now in the Temper of every wicked Mind there is a natural Antipathy unto all those pure and spiritual Joys wherewith the heavenly State abounds, which being pure, and chaste, and refined, can never agree with the vitiated Palate of a base degenerate Soul. For what Concord can there be between spiteful and devilish Spirits, and the Fountain of all Love and Goodness? between sensual and carnalized Souls that understand no other Pleasures but only those of the Flesh, and those pure and virgin Spirits that never eat nor drink, but live for ever upon Wisdom, and Holiness, and Love, and Contemplation? How could I be happy in seeing that God, whom I cannot love; in conversing with those Spirits, whose Genius and Temper I abhor; and in being for ever employed in those heavenly Exercises, to which I have the greatest Aversation; no, no; till I am of the same Disposition with those celestial Inhabitants, and my Mind is contempered to the heavenly State, it is impossible that Heaven and I should ever agree; and I may as well see without Eyes, or hear without Ears, as enjoy Heaven without a Heavenly Disposition. For as to the main, we shall be of the same Temper of Mind when we come into the other World, as we are of while we continue in this, it being unimaginable how our Disposition should be totally changed merely by passing out of one World into another; and therefore as in this World it is Likeness that doth congregate and associate Being's together, so doubtless it is in the other too: so that if we carry thither with us our wicked devilish Dispositions, (as we shall doubtless do, unless we subdue and mortify them here) there will be no Company fit for us to asscciate with, but only the Devils, and damned Ghosts of wicked Men; with whom our wretched Spirits being already joined by a Likeness of Nature, will be forced to congregate, as soon as ever they are excommunicated from the Society of Mortals. For whither should they flock but to the Birds of their own Feather? Where should they join Society, but with those malignant Spirits to whom they are joined already by a Community of Natures? For supposing that when they are landed in Eternity, it were left to their own Liberty to go either to Heaven or Hell; yet Heaven would be no Place for them, the Air of that bright Empire of eternal Day would never agree with their black and hellish Natures; for alas! what should they do among those blessed Souls that inhabit it, to whose Godlike Natures, divine Conversations, and heavenly Employments, they have the greatest Repugnancy and Aversation? From hence therefore it is apparent, that to our comfortable Possession of Heaven it is not only necessary we should have a Right to it, but also that we should be prepared and qualified for it; and as to this, all our bodily Exercises in Religion are no farther profitable than as they are effectual Means of true substantial Godliness. For when the Soul goes out of this Body, it must leave all this bodily Religion behind it, and carry nothing with it into Eternity, but only those divine Virtues and heavenly Dispositions, which by the Means of this bodily Religion it did here acquire. For our outward Professions and bodily Severities and Passions, our praying, and hearing, and receiving of Sacraments, are all but Scaffolds to this heavenly Building of inward Purity and Goodness; and when once this is finished for Eternity, then must these Scaffolds go down as Things of no farther Use or Necessity. But as for the Graces of the Mind, they shall stand for ever as the only fit Habitations of the heavenly Pleasures; and therefore 'tis impossible that these our bodily Exercises should formally dispose our Souls for Heaven, since in Heaven they shall wholly cease. For altho' our Love and joy, and all our sweeter Affections, shall there be kept in everlasting Exercise, yet shall they be wholly refined from all bodily Passion, because there we shall be stripped into naked and unbodied Spirits. Our Love shall unite our Wills to God and the whole Choir of blessed Spirits, without any Warmth of Spirit, or Expansions of Heart. Our joy being purely the Jubilee of our Minds and the Recreation of our Reason, shall flow without Shouts or Noises in a most sweet but silent Current; and the whole Scene of our Happiness shall be transacted on the Stage of our Reason. There being therefore no room for bodily Exercise in this heavenly State, it is impossible we should be qualified by it for the Enjoyment of Heaven; but doubtless, our Fitness for Heaven must consist in such inherent Qualities of Mind as separate Souls may carry to Heaven with them; and what these are, may be easily concluded by considering what the Employment of Heaven is; which, so far as we are given to understand of it, consists in contemplating and adoring the Divinity, and in conversing with those pure and blessed Spirits that dwell for ever in his Presence. Now to make us fit for such an Employment, the only necessary Qualities of Mind are an universal Love, and a profound Humility, which two are the fundamental Virtues of Religion, of which all the other Virtues are so many different Operations. 'Tis true, our Love and Humility will not have all the same Operations in the other World as they have in this, because there we shall not have the same Occasions for them; for being placed above all Sufferings in the Enjoyment of the most perfect Good, we shall have no occasion either for the passive Virtues of Patience, and Meekness, and Forgiveness of Injuries; nor yet for those active Virtues which speak us distant from our Happiness, such as Faith and Hope, which shall be swallowed up in Vision and Fruition. But tho' in that blessed State we shall have no occasion to express our Love and Humility in such Acts as these, yet without these two great Virtues we shall be no ways capable of the heavenly Employment; for what Pleasure can we take in contemplating the Being of God, if we do not love Him? Doubtless our own Antipathy to the Goodness and Purity of His Nature will either avert our Eyes from beholding him, or render the Sight of him horrible and dreadful to us. And if we do not contemplate him with an humble and lowly Mind, the Sight of his supereminent Perfections will either provoke our Envy or Contempt, make us pine to see ourselves out-shone by him, or contemn his Glories out of an overweening Opinion of our own. Again, if we do not love God, we cannot adore him with a free and cheerful Mind; and if we are proud and selfconceited, instead of God we shall adore our Selves, and become our own Idols and Votaries. So that without Humility and Love we shall be no ways fit for the other part of that sweet Employment which consists in conversing with holy and blessed Spirits; for their Conversation being wholly regulated by the sacred Laws of wise and holy Friendship, and consisting in an everlasting Intercourse of chaste and mutual Endearments; no Soul can be capable of bearing a Part in it that is not inspired with universal Love and great Humility; both which are indispensibly necessary to every wise and friendly Conversation: For where Humility is wanting, every Trifle will offend; and where Charity is wanting, every Offence will kindle an unquenchable Discord. So that a proud malicious Nature can converse no where with Satisfaction, much less with those blessed Souls, in whose most pure and perfect Friendship there is not the least Intermixture either of Flattery or Envy; for being all perfectly good and perfectly happy, they can neither over-value themselves, nor envy what another enjoys; so that in all their Conversation there is no Entertainment either for Pride or Malice, but on the contrary there is nothing but what is distasteful to them: for where there are none that over-value either themselves or others, but every one loves every one with a sincere and inviolable Friendship, there can be no Conversation but what is distasteful to an arrogant and malicious Temper. What then should a proud malignant Spirit do among those happy Being's, a great Part of whose Heaven consists in rejoicing in each others Happiness? Doubtless could such a Spirit be admitted into their Society, their Bliss would so enrage its Envy, their Perfection so upbraid its Baseness, that it would find nothing but Causes of Discontent in a Conversation so disagreeable to its Nature: so that without universal Love and profound Humility, there is nothing in Heaven that we can enjoy; there being no Employment in that blessed State that is agreeable to the Genius of a proud and malicious Mind. So that unless our bodily Religion doth make us really good by begetting in us those heavenly Virtues of Humility and Love, it is altogether impertinent as to the disposing of us for Heaven; and after all our fasting, and praying, and hearing, and receiving of Sacraments, we shall be found as remote from Heaven, and as unprepared for it, as if we had spent our time in gathering Cockles, or telling the Sands upon the Seashore. So that tho' this bodily Exercise be highly useful and necessary to our Reformation and Amendment, and is in itself a very conducive Means to internal Holiness and Goodness; yet compared with Godliness itself, wherein our Holiness and Goodness doth consist, it is of very little Account, either as to the reconciling us to God, or the perfecting our Natures, or to the entitling us to Heaven, or qualifying us for it.  
Now from hence we may learn, what the true End is of external and bodily Religion: It is not required for its own sake without any farther End or Intention, but for the sake of Godliness, which is the ultimate Mark at which it ought to be leveled and directed. And therefore as he that would build an House must make use of the Means, the Tools and Materials of Building; but if he think to build the House merely by using these Means, by cutting the Wood and carving the Stone, without any farther Aim or Intention, he will find himself extremely mistaken: so he that would be godly must use the Means of Godliness; he must profess the true Religion, and pray, and hear, and receive Sacraments; but he that thinks he is godly merely because he uses these Means, tho' he doth not at all concern himself to direct them unto the great End for which they were designed, doth but deceive and abuse his own Soul. For, for God's sake, what doth it signify for a Man to pray in his Family, and afterwards to go and cheat in his Shop? to keep the Lord's Day strictly, and play the Knave all the Week after? What doth it avail for a Man to hear the Word of God, if he make no Conscience of obeying it? to receive the Sacrament of Charity, if he still retain Hatred and Ill-will to his Neighbour? Do we think that God is so fond of these instrumental Duties of Religion, as for their sakes to dispense with these gross and fulsome Immoralities? No, no; these are things only fit to cheat Children and Fools withal. But let us not imagine, that the wise and holy God will be so imposed upon; that when he hath ordained these Duties only as the Means of acquiring that universal Purity and Goodness which he principally intends and requires, he will be contented barely with your using these Means, whether the great Ends for which he designed them be ever obtained by you or no. If you should enjoin your Servant to copy out such a Letter or Manuscript, and for that End should require him to use Pen, Ink, and Paper; would you not think him extremely absurd or insolent, should he come and show you a large insignificant Scribble, and tell you that according to your Command he had used the Pen, Ink, and Paper, tho' indeed he had not transcribed one Word with them of what you did command and enjoin him? And yet thus rudely and insolently do you deal by God, who place all your Religion in the instrumental Duties of it. God doth require of you that you should copy out his justice, Purity, and Goodness, and transcribe them into your own Natures; and in order to your doing of this, he hath prescribed you certain Means and Instruments, such as Prayer, and Hearing, and receiving of Sacraments; and when you come to give him an account of that mighty Task he hath enjoined you, you show him an insignificant Flourish of Religion, and have nothing to say for yourselves but that according to his Appointment you have prayed, and heard, and received Sacraments; but you must confess that with all these you have not transcribed one Tittle or jota of that Purity and Holiness which he required at your hands. Is this a proper account, do you think, to be given to the wise and holy Sovereign of the World? Would you be thus mocked by your own Servants? and dare you presume thus to mock the great God, between whom and you there is infinitely a greater distance than between you and the meanest Vassal about you? In the Name of God, for what End do you pray? Is it to please him with a fine Speech, or an humble and eloquent Address? or is it to persmade him by your fawning Submissions to befriend you in all your Wickedness and Rebellion against him? If either of these be your Aims, I must plainly tell you, you were as good save your Breath for some other purpose; but if you pray to him upon a sincere Design, to affect your Minds with an awful Sense of God, and to obtain of him Grace to enable you to repent and amend, and for Pardon and Mercy upon your unfeigned Repentance; then your Prayer must necessarily make you more meek, and humble, and industrious to please him by a free and generous Obedience. To what purpose do you come to hear the Word of God? Do you think it gratifies the Almighty that you will please to give him the Hearing? or that you meet in the public Assemblies to furnish your Heads with Notions and your Tongues with Discourse? If this be your Opinion, I must needs tell you, you have very mean Apprehensions of God, to think him a Being capable to be pleased with such a mean and inconsiderable Trifle: but, if you come with humble, honest, and teachable Minds to learn the Will of God in order to your obeying it, your hearing will necessarily lead you to the Practice of all those excellent Virtues which God requires at your hands. What do you design when you receive the Sacrament? is it to please God with offering Vows to him, which you do not mean to perform, to pacify him with a short Pang of religious Passion, with shedding a few Tears over your bleeding Saviour; or to get your Pardon sealed with the Blood of the Covenant without Repentance and Reformation? If so, I must needs tell you, you receive the Sacrament to no other purpose, but only to deceive and abuse your own Souls. But if you come with an honest Design to remember the great things that your Saviour hath done for you; to excite your Love to him with the Spectacle of his Passion, and to renew your Communion with the Saints, and your Vows of Obedience unto God; you will then infallibly be made better by it, and be more and more accomplished in every part of true and real Goodness. So that unless we perform this outward and bodily Religion to the Purposes of true Godliness, we perform it to no purpose at all. Let me therefore beseech you, even for God's sake and your own Souls, do not rest in this bodily Religion, think not that you have done enough, when you have fasted and prayed, heard and received Sacraments; for if you do, you are short of your Duty, and will infallibly fall short of the Reward of it. These Things indeed we must by no means neglect, they being the necessary Means and Instruments of our Reformation; but if we do not use them as such, we take a great deal of Pains to no purpose; if they do not render us more humble and charitable, more sober and heavenly-minded, we have spent all our Labour in vain, and in the End shall have no other Reward for it but the Portion of Hypocrites in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone.   
EZEKIEL XVIII. 30. Repent and turn yourselves from all your Transgressions, so Iniquity shall not be your Ruin. 
THE great Design of this Chapter is to answer an Objection which the jews were wont to make against the Righteousness of God's Procedure with them; viz. That he punished them not only for their own, but for their Father's Sins. Which Objection, though it did not at all impeach the Righteousness of God, it being no Injustice in Him to inflict temporal Evils upon the Children for their Father's Sins; yet that they might urge it no more as a Pretence of God's unrighteous dealing with them, God assures them by his Prophet that from thenceforth he would remit that Right he had to make them smart for their Father's Iniquities, and inflict no other Punishment upon them than what was due for their own personal Faults; that if they did well, they should far well, notwithstanding the Sins of their Parents; and that if they did wickedly, they should surely smart for it, how well soever their Parents behaved themselves. Nay, says he, your Father's Merit or Demerit shall henceforth be so far from excusing you from, or exposing you to Punishment, that you shall not suffer for your own past Wickedness, if you repent of it, nor yet escape for your past Righteousness if you revolt from it. This is the Sum of the whole Chapter to the 24th Verse: and yet, says he, the house of Israel says, the way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel are not my ways equal? Are not your ways unequal? Can any method of rewarding and punishing be more equal than this which I now propose? or can any Accusation be more injurious than this of yours against me? but know, 'tis not your unjust reproaches shall make me desist from this my most righteous procedure. Therefore, says he Verse the 30th, I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways; how much soever you reproach and calumniate me, I will strictly insist upon this method of rewarding and Punishing you according as you repent of, or persevere in your Iniquities; and to let you see that I will be as ready to reward you upon the former, as to punish you upon the latter, do but for once make a trial of me, repent and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, and you shall surely find that your past iniquity shall not be your ruin. The sense of which Words resolves into two Propositions:  

1. That the Iniquity of any People or Nation tends directly to their Ruin.  
2. That true Repentance and Amendment is the certain way to prevent the Ruin which Iniquity tends to.   
I begin with the first, that the Iniquity of any People or Nation tends directly to their Ruin: So it shall not— intimating that if they did not repent their Iniquity would certainly end in their Ruin. And of the Truth of this the constant Experience of all Ages is a sufficient Testimony; for if you consult either sacred or profane History, you will find that Iniquity, like the Worm at the root of Ionah's gourd, hath many times blasted the most flourishing Kingdoms, pulled down their Banks, and laid them open to such Inundations of Misery, as have finally overwhelmed and destroyed them. And those that have made the strictest Inquiries into humane Affairs have constantly observed that the Rise and Fall of Nations hath been more owing to their Virtue and Vice than to any other Cause, and that upon these two Hinges generally the Fates of Empires turn; that the Foundations of their Rise were laid in virtuous, brave, and generous Actions, and that by Wickedness and Corruption of Manners they were undermined, and sunk into a final Ruin. But the Truth of this will yet more fully appear by considering how many ways Vice doth contribute to the Ruin and Destruction of a Kingdom; all which I shall reduce to these eight Heads:  

1. It doth it by depriving Kingdoms and Nations of the Favour and Protection of God.  
2. By inflicting positive Plagues and Punishments upon them.  
3. By corrupting and infatuating their Counsels.  
4. By melting and emasculating their Courage.  
5. By breaking and disturbing their Order.  
6. By dissolving their Unity and Concord.  
7. By consuming their Wealth and Substance.  
8. By debasing their Esteem and Reputation.   
1. Wickedness directly tends to the Ruin of Kingdoms and Nations, as it deprives them of the Divine Favour and Protection. For if we acknowledge God to be the Almighty Lord and Sovereign of the World, we cannot but confess that the Strength and Establishment of Kingdoms is founded in His Favour and Protection; that his Goodness, Wisdom, and Power are the Pillars upon which those vast and mighty Structures lean; and consequently that if he withdraw from them those necessary Supports, they cannot stand, but must inevitably sink under their own Weight into irreparable Ruins. For nothing can subsist without God, and much less Kingdoms and Nations which have so many Principles of Corruption lurking within their own Bowels, and in which there are compounded so many boisterous Passions, repugnant Humours, inconsistent Designs and contesting Interests; all which like the contrary Qualities of our Bodies do by their mutual jarring with one another continually tend to the Dissolution of the whole. So that did not the wise and Almighty Providence of God continually superintend these contrary Principles, and by its skilful mingling them with one another, preserve them in a just and due Temper, those great and unwieldy Bodies in which they do reside, would be every moment in danger of being diseased, corrupted and destroyed by them. But now the Sins of Nations do mightily contribute to the depriving them of this Benefit of God's Providence and Protection; for how can any Kingdom or Nation expect that God will continue to protect them in their Rebellions against Himself? that he who is so implacable an Enemy of wickedness, and so zealous an Assertor of his own Honour and Authority, will employ his Power to patronise them in the one, and take their part against the other: and if he withdraw his upholding Providence from a Nation, he needs do no more; for now it must sink of its own accord, and like a falling House, when its prop is removed, its Weight will bear it down and quickly crush it into Ruins.  
2. Wickedness tends to the Ruin of Kingdoms and Nations not only by engaging God to withdraw his Protection from, but also to inflict positive Plagues and Punishments upon them. For God being the supreme Sovereign of the World, and especially of this World of Men who are so extremely prone to contemn and violate the Laws of his Government, it is necessary that since our Hopes and Fears are the master-springs of all our Motions, he should take especial Care, as on the one hand to allure us to our Duty by the Hope of Reward, so on the other to awe us into it by the Fear of Punishment; and if he should not, there would be no confining such extravagant Creatures, as we are, within any Rule or Compass. Now as for particular Offenders, the great Scene of God's Rewarding and Punishing them is the future State, where every Man must answer for himself and receive the just Retributions of his own Actions; but as for sinful and virtuous Nations, they are capable only of being rewarded and punished in this Life; there being no such thing as particular Nations and Kingdoms in the Life to come; where Heaven and Hell are the two Nations into which the Spirits of Men are distributed; so that if wicked Nations were not punished here as such, they could never be punished at all. And if there were no such Punishments set up like Banks and Shores to break the Insolence and check the overflowing Wickedness of Sinners, the whole World would soon become a Sink and Deluge of Iniquity: and therefore tho' here God many times spares particular Offenders, there being a future State in which he can reckon with them and call them to a strict account for all their Affronts and Provocations; yet 'tis very rare, if ever, that he suffers wicked Nations to go unpunished here; because if he should, as such they would escape for ever. And how would it weaken the Government of the World, if when God sees a People confederate against him, blow the Trumpets of Rebellion and gather into Armies to urge war against him, he should sit still with his hands in his bosom and take no notice of it? for tho' among Men the Multitude of Offenders be many times the Cause of their Impunity, because of the Weakness of Humane Governments which are glad to spare, where they are not strong enough to punish; yet in the Government of God things are quite otherwise: no Combination of Sinners is too hard for Him, and the greater and more numerous the Offenders are, the more his justice is concerned to vindicate the Affront. However therefore God may pass by single Sinners in this world, yet when a Nation combines against him, when hand joins in hand, the wicked shall not go unpunished.  
3. Wickedness tends to the Ruin of Kingdoms and Nations as it contributes to the corrupting and infatuating of their Counsels. For Vice and Wickedness doth very much depress the Minds, and weaken the Understandings of Men; it doth so warp their Judgements, and cast such mists of Prejudice around their Reason, that they are not able to discern the Issues and Consequents of things; for when they are overpowered by their Lusts, their Affections will misled their Minds, and impose upon them for Truth and Realities their own unreasonable Wishes and Desires: And when we advise in the midst of a Company of headstrong Passions and Appetites, we are like Rehoboam amongst his young and hare-brained Counsellors, who represented things to him not as they were in themselves, but according to his own Desires and Inclinations. And when the Counsels of a Nation are steered by its own vicious Affections, that will most commonly seem best which is most unreasonable, and so Storms will many times be mistaken for Calms, and Rocks for safe and quiet Harbours. No Man is fit to counsel for a public Good but he that is led by simple and unbiased Reason, because he only will attend impartially to the Reasons of things, and accommodate his Advices to the public Necessities and Exigencies of Affairs; but when the Man himself is governed by any unreasonable Appetite or Affection, that will ever and anon intermingle with this Judgement and bias his counsels towards its own unreasonable Desires and Inclinations. And when such blind Affections as Pride and Ambition, Covetousness and Revenge sit at the stern, and are the Pilots and Steer-men of a Kingdom; how can it be expected but that in the midst of so many Rocks and Quicksands that surround it, it should run a ground, or be split in pieces?  
4. Wickedness tends to the Ruin of Kingdoms and Nations as it contributes to melt and emasculate their Courage. For tho' it cannot be denied, but that the Valour and Courage of Nations is very much owing to the temper of the Climes in which they are situate, yet 'tis evident that as People of the most effeminate Climes have by Virtue been improved into heroic and magnanimous, as the Romans and Persians for instance; so those of the most hardy and courageous Climes have many times by their dissolute Manners been broken and dispirited into the most wretched Cowards and Poultroons; as the English for instance, who tho' they have been ever remarked for a People of a daring and undaunted Genius, yet have sometimes been so melted by their own Softness and Luxury, as that they became Preys to every Dog that hunted them. And indeed Softness, Luxury, and Wantonness, are Vices that will effeminate the Spirits and spoil the strain of the most valorous Nation; for as Virtues are increased by Exercise, so they shrink and decay by Inactivity, and there is no State of Life that doth so fetter our Courage and restrain its Vigour and Activity, as that of Idleness and Luxury; in which after it hath stewed and dissolved a while it will convert into the greatest Baseness and Pusillanimity: for an intemperate Bowl, a Bed of Sloth and a Dalilah's Lap are Charms sufficient to effeminate a Hero, and bewitch a Lion into a timorous Hare. And as these particular Vices do naturally discourage a Nation, so Vice in general hath the same Effect; for it naturally impresses a sense of Gild upon the Mind, which fills it with such Tears and Herrors as cannot but weaken and ●●pirit the hardiest and most daring Courage. For how can a Man be courageous that is continually stung with the Remorses, and haunted with the restless Furies of his own guilty Mind; that carries a Hell within his own Bosom, and hath a thousand Guilts, like so many grim and ghastly Devils, continually staring him in the Face? Certainly such an One must either lay by his Reason or his Courage, and become a Coward or cease to be a Man. Hence it is said, The wicked fleeth when no man pursueth, but the righteous is bold as a Lion, Prov. 28. 1. And when a Nation is thus dispirited by their own Lusts and Guilts, then are they ripe for Ruin, and fit to be made a prey for every Nimrod that will hunt and invade them.  
5. Wickedness tends to the Ruin of Kingdoms and Nations, as it breaks and dissolves their Union. For as true Religion knits men's Hearts together by the indissoluble Ligaments of mutual Love and Charity, as it heals their Spirits, and corrects their Passions, and inspires their Natures with all those obliging Graces upon which the Peace and Concord of Society is founded; so on the contrary, Vice and Wickedness tends and divides the hearts of men, sows seeds of Discord in their Natures, frets and inflames their Spirits against one another, and impregnates them with such rude and barbarous Passions as do naturally render them unfociable to each other; such as are Pride and Ambition, Envy and Malice, Covetousness and Revenge, which naturally tend to the Dissolution of Society, and the cutting in sunder all the cords of Friendship and good Neighbourhood. Hence is that of St. james, Chap. iv. 1. From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members. Yea doubtless this is the Cause of all those Discords that spoil the Harmony of this Moral World, the Pandora's Box out of which have swarmed all those Strifes and Contentions, Broils, and Confusions that have destroyed and ruined many flourishing Kingdoms. For tho' the most turbulent Factions are usually faced with zeal for God, yet if you look beyond the Outside, you will always find that most of the Broils that have been conducted under the displayed Banners of Religion have been raised and led on by the Devilish Passions of those who have been the most zealous Sticklers for and Fomentors of them. Thus Vice, you see, doth naturally divide a Nation; and tears the Members of it in sunder; and our Saviour assures us that when a Kingdom is divided against itself, it is soon brought to desolation, Matthew xii. 25. For those Divisions do mightily impair the strength of a Kingdom, which like an impetuous Stream being parted into several Currents runs with far less force, and is much more easily forded. And when once a Nation is torn and separated into Factions, it is at best but like a Confederate Army, which tho' it be united into one Body hath several contrary Interests and Designs which divides their counsels and makes them suspicious of one another, and so less able to withstand the force of an united Enemy; and in these circumstances what can be expected but that either they should fall out among themselves and sheathe their swords in one another's bowels, or be made an easy prey to the power and rapine of their common Adversary?  
6. Wickedness tends to the Ruin of Kingdoms and Nations, as it disturbs them in their Order and regular Administration. For as Religion lays the Foundations of all good Order in a Kingdom, as it obliges the Governors to all those regular virtues that make them public Bessings, to justice and Liberality, to Truth and Mercy, to Constancy and Magnanimity; as it binds the subordinate Instruments and Ministers of State to Fidelity and Diligence as it engages the Subjects to honour and reverence, to obey and submit to their Governors; so on the contrary, Vice and Wickedness when it hath insinuated itself into a Nation, subverts the whole Order of it, and miserably confounds the Course of its Administration: it introduces into the Government Opposition and Tyranny, Fraud and Cruelty, Cowardice and Inconstancy; it perverts the Ministers of it into Traitors and Robbers, and turns its Courts of justice into dens of Thiefs; it alienates the Subjects from their Duty and Allegiance, makes them heady and highminded, rude and pragmatical, factious and ungovernable; and in a word, spreads such a poisonous Contagion over all the vital Parts of a Nation, as, without a speedy Cure, must necessarily end in the Ruin and Desolation of the whole. For such universal Disorders are as the Symptoms of Death upon a Nation, and like those gentler Convulsions within the Bowels of the Earth do portend the Approach of some dreadful Earthquake. And as when the whole mass of Blood and Humours is corrupted, the Body is sick unto Death, and will putrefy apace into a Carcase; thus when a Kingdom is thus universally disordered, when as the Prophet expresses it, the whole head is sick and the whole heart is faint, when from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot there is no Soundness in it, but all is covered with wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; what can be expected but a speedy and a fatal Period?  
7. Wickedness tends to the Ruin of Kingdoms and Nations, as it consumes their Wealth and Substance. Whilst Virtue and Religion do bear sway in a Nation; to besure it is of a frugal and industrious Genius, the People will attend to their own Business and not be intermeddling pragmatically in another's Diocese; They will enjoy themselves within the Bounds of Modesty and Sobriety, and make a conscience of out-spending their Fortunes, and living above their proper Ranks and Degrees in the World. And whilst every Member thus acts within its proper Sphere, the Nation cannot but thrive and prosper, each one by his honest Frugality and Industry being enabled upon all occasions to contribute to the Defence and Support of the Public. But when once Vice and Wickedness have thrust out Virtue and overspread the Nation, it introduces in its room so many costly, chargeable, and prodigal Lusts, as will soon exhaust its Wealth, and suck the Blood out of its Veins. Then in comes Idleness, and like a Drone lives upon the acquests of Industry: Then Pride begins to spread her Peacock's train, and flaunt out what Frugality had saved, in gorgeous Apparel and sumptuous Furniture. Then Drunkenness and Gluttony begin to call out for Meat and Drink offerings to their God, the Belly; and Lust and Wantnoness to crave Provisions to feed and pamper their insatiate Appetites: in a word, then comes in such a Pack of greedy Hellhounds to devour the Fruits of our past Frugality and Industry, as are sufficient to drain and exhaust the Indies. And when there are so many Locusts swarming in every corner of the Land, what can be expected but that at last they should eat up every green Thing, and devour the Fruits of every Tree? For we may maintain whole Fleets and Armies at a cheaper rate than a few extravagant Lusts, and let but Pride and Idleness, Intemperance and Wantonness be let loose, and allowed to sponge a while upon a Nation, and in a little time they shall more impoverish and consume its Substance, than a long and wasting War. And when the Wealth of a Nation which is the vital Blood that runs and circulates about its Veins and Arteries, is thus continually sucked by these insatiate Daughters of the Horseleech that still cry out Give, Give; its Life must necessarily ebb by degrees, and at the last it must faint away and expire.  
8. And lastly, Wickedness tends to the Ruin of Kingdoms and Nations, as it impairs and debases their Esteem and Reputation. Righteousness exalteth a Nation, saith the Wise Man, but Sin is the reproach of any people, Prov. xiv. 34. for Vice hath such a natural Baseness and Uncomeliness in it, that whenever it appears in its own Colours, it creates a mighty Disesteem of itself in the Minds of all that behold it, and wherever it goes, it carries an infamous Character along with it; it blasts the Reputation of its own Votaries, covers their Heads with Shame and Dishonour, causes them to rot above ground, and to stink alive, and when they are dead, writes a black and inglorious Memory on their Graves. When therefore this foul and noisome Leprosy hath spread itself over the Face of a Nation, it must necessarily render it a horrid and monstrous Spectacle unto all that behold it; and tho' the Universality of Sin may give it some Reputation where its Throne and Empire is seated, and render it genteel and fashionable among its own Slaves and Vassals; yet 'tis such a Reputation as hath no bottom to support it. For unless my Honour be founded in some real Excellency, it is not in me, but in the Conceit of him that honours me; his Fancy is the Mint where all my Reputation is coined, and 'tis at his pleasure to stamp me an Angel or a Devil. So that tho' Vice may sometimes be in Vogue where it is universally spread and propagated, yet it being a Vogue without Foundation, all the Credit it gives is only a fantastic Being, a thing that is only the Sport and Dalliance of vulgar Breath and popular Noise; but whilst its own blind Votaries sing Hosannas to it, and strew its way with Palms, all the World besides exclaim against and cry unanimously Crucify it, Crucify it. So that while it is honoured at home, it is vilified abroad, and tho' we may be sometimes so besotted as to reckon it our Glory, yet to be sure all wise and indifferent judges will upbraid it to us as our Shame. For what wicked Nation is there that hath ever escaped the Reproaches and Infamy of Mankind, that hath abandoned itself to Fraud and Treachery, to Softness and Effeminacy, to Oppression and Cruelty; and hath not thereupon drawn upon itself the Scorn and Hissing of all the Nations round about it? And when a People are grown cheap and despicable in their Neighbour's eyes, when their Faith is suspected, their Truth branded, and their Virtue stained and blemished, what Support or friendly Intercourse can they expect from them? Who will trust to their Leagues or Confederacies, or enter into Commerce with them, who have neither Truth nor justice to secure them? for so much Reputation as a Nation loses, so much Strength it loses; for 'tis a mighty Strength to a People to be feared and loved by their neighbouring Nations, neither of which they can expect to be when once they have sunk their Reputation; for who will dread an effeminate People softened with Luxury and Voluptuousness? or who will love a profligate People distained with Cruelty and Falsehood? And when a People hath not Credit enough to make them either feared or loved, if then they are not ruined and destroyed, it is because their Enemies either think it not worth the while, or are not at leisure to attempt it.  
And thus you see, how many ways Wickedness contributes to the Ruin of a Nation. So that when Wickedness hath overspread a People, and is become their Epidemical disease, it doth not only bode their approaching fate, but hastens it, and pulls it headlong down upon them; and without a Miracle they must reform, or sink or perish. For unless God altars the natural Course of things and hinders necessary Causes from producing their Effects, it will be as impossible to hinder the Ruin of a Kingdom that is overwhelmed with Wickedness, and obstinately continues so, as it is to save a House from burning that is wrapped and compassed round with Flames; because the burning of a House is not a more necessary Effect of the Flames that surround it, than the Ruin of a Nation is of the Sins that overspread it. One way therefore there is left, and only one, for such a Nation to save itself, and that is by Repentance; which brings me to the next Proposition in the Text, That true Repentance and Amendment is the certain way to prevent that Ruin which our Iniquities threaten. Repent and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so iniquity shall not be your ruin. But before I enter upon this Proposition, I shall draw a few practical Inferences from what hath been said.  
1. From hence I infer what plagues and nuisances wicked Men are to a Kingdom, since the Tendency of Sin in so many particulars is so very destructive to its Welfare and Interest. These are the grand disturbers of Israel the wretched Incendiaries, that set all in Flames and Combustions about them; their Sins are the Trains that do give Fire to those Mines of Ruin that sink and tear up Kingdoms, and their Breasts are the Seminaries and Harbourers of those Traitors that do conspire against and undermine our Peace and Happiness. For as for those Traitors without, tho' they were a thousand times if possible more crafty and restless and malicious than they are, we might defy their hellish Plots and Intrigues, and smile at their vain Attempts did not our Sins contribute to make us miserable; but when we by our own Wickedness will join hands with their restless Craft and Malice, assist them against ourselves and cooperate with them to our own destruction, what remedy is there for us? when the sins of our Friends are conspiring our ruin together with the malice of our Enemies, how can we hope either, wholly to escape, or much longer to defer it? for if ever that destruction come upon us which hath been so long designing and is now hanging over us, this Epitaph will very well fit our Tombs, Here lies a miserable Nation, whose Ruin is owing more to their own Sins than to all the Designs and Powers of their Enemies. Consider this therefore, O you Sinners in this our Zion; you are, though you know it not, in a strict confederacy with the Priests and jesuits against your native Country, against the Protestant Religion, and against the Liberties and Properties of English Men; you are accessary to all those Treasons which they have contrived, and are still contriving against the Religion and Laws and Government of the Nation; and if ever they thrive and take effect (which the God of Heaven avert) we may thank you for prospering and succeeding them; who by your pride and sensuality, your fraud and faction, your covetousness and oppression do what in you lies to ripen and give a prosperous birth to the treasonous designs of our common Adversaries. And therefore if yet you have any regard either for this sinking Kingdom whose Womb bore you, or to this bleeding Church whose Paps gave you suck (both which in the most sorrowful postures that a Church and Kingdom can be well reduced to, are now crying out unto you, O you our cruel and unnatural Children, have pity upon us! have pity upon us!) if, I say, you have any regard either for the one or the other, O be now at last persuaded to commiserate their deplorable Condition, to take off those loud-mouthed Sins you have set upon them, and are now like a Pack of Hounds tearing and worrying them in pieces.  
2. From hence I infer what is the true Cause of those many national Evils which we feel and justly fear. For since Iniquity doth so directly tend to the Ruin of a Nation, to what other Cause may we more truly attribute either those present or those future Evils that have, or shall befall us? When any Calamity befalls us we are apt to ascribe it all, either to false or else to partial Causes, and if we reckon Sin among the Causes, to be sure we skip and overlook our own. 'Tis the Carelessness or ill Design of this or t'other Minister of State cries one; 'tis the Peevishness and Faction of such a Gang and Party, cries another; 'tis the Rigour and Severity of those who comply with and contend for the legal Establishment, cries a third; when these at most are but a partial Cause, and the main Spring, God knows, of all our Mischiefs lies within our own bosom●. And tho' many of us are sensible, as we cannot well be otherwise, that Sin hath a great hand in all our Sufferings and Calamities, yet alas how few are there that reckon their own Sins into the tale: They are the sins of the Court cries the City, and the sins of the City cries the Country; they are the sins of the Church cries the Separatist, and the sins of the Clergy cries the Laity, and the sins of the Gentry cries the Commonalty. Thus every one washes his own hands, and like the Whore in the Proverbs, wipes his mouth, and cries I have done no wickedness; so that tho' none are guiltless and every one stands accused by his Antagonist, yet if all may be believed, none are guilty: and so the judgements of God are posted from Tithing to Tithing, from one Party of Men to another, and no body will own them tho' they call us all Father; which is just as if a company of People in a dreadful Conflagration should fall a contending with one another at whose House the fire began, and in the mean time permit it quietly to burn on till it had consumed all before it. Whereas if we would put a stop to the judgements that begin to flame about our ears, we should every one reflect upon ourselves, and bring our Buckets of penitential Tears to extinguish that part of them which our own sins have kindled; and if we would but do thus, if every Man would smite upon his own Thigh and cry, Lord what have I done? then we might hope to see that growing Flame put out and quenched that now waves its curled Head, and threatens universal Ruin: but till once we are brought to a sorrowful sense of our own Sins, and of the share they contribute to the public Mischiefs, we are not so much as in the way of Recovery. For since the Cause of the Kingdom's Sickness lies, God knows, in all our Breasts, how is it possible we should conspire to remove the whole till we are every Man sensible of his own part? Let us therefore search and examine our own hearts what we have contributed to the public Disease, and every one purge out his own particular share of it; and then to be sure all will soon be well again, and this poor Kingdom that hath so many years been languishing under the Sins of its Natives, and is now reduced almost to its last gasp, will yet recover, and once more flourish in perfect health and vigour.  
3. From hence I infer what is the just Character of those Men who by their Principles and Practices contribute to the Ruin of Kingdoms. For since Iniquity so directly tends to a public Ruin, we may be sure that those Principles and Practices that naturally tend to the same end are Principles and Practices of Iniquity; and yet good God how many such are there that under the fair disguises of Christian Doctrines and godly Zeal, and with their demure Looks and religious Countenances do many times seduce and cajole weak and well-disposed Minds into such seditious Gangs, mutinous Practices and treasonous Conspiracies as do too often end either in their own Ruin, or their native Countries. Thus in the Church of Rome, what horrid and barbarous Practices have there been occasioned by those Antichristian Doctrines of the lawfulness of destroying Heretics, deposing and murdering of Kings? How many Kings and Emperors have there been excommunicated, butchered and destroyed by them? How many flourishing Kingdoms have there been depopulated, wasted and embrued in blood by them? How many millions of Men, Women and Children have there been sacrificed to the demands of those inhuman and bloodthirsty Principles? Insomuch that it may be justly questioned, whether for 600 Years together, these Pretences of Christianity did not destroy more Lives than Christianity itself hath saved Souls. And would to God that these destroying Principles had been for ever confined within the Pale of that degenerate Church! Then might our Reformation have boldly challenged to itself the Spirit of Peace and Meekness, of unbounded Charity, unstained Loyalty and firm Allegiance, and without a blush in its face have upbraided that Mother of Harlots with being the only Patroness of Treasons, and Rebellions, and Confusions. But alas, those that have turned the World upside down are come hither also, and have sown their mischievous Principles in our fruitful Fields, where they have sprung up many an ill Weed; and these, God knows, have grown apace. For not to touch upon the old Sores, which for our own Credit sake and our Religions, O would to God were lost in perpetual Oblivion; how many are there this day among us that out of a pretence of Zeal for God and Religion, make it their business to divide and tear, rend and distract the Kingdom? who by starting Jealousies and ill Surmises, fetching and carrying Tales and scandalous Reports against the Government, suggesting miscarriages of State that never were, and blackening and aggravating those that are, do what in them lies to blow up the Discontents of the Kingdom into an intestine Flame, and, whilst the common Enemy is boring a Hole in the bottom of the Ship, do set the Mariners together by the ears, that so while they are scuffling within they may neglect the danger from without, till one common Ruin involves them all, and sinks them together with their Swords in one another's Bowels. And tho' it is notorious to all the World what a mighty Bulwark this Church hath always been to the Reformed Religion, how much it hath been the Dread and Envy of Rome, and the Mark of her Power and Malice; how all her Agents have constantly conspired to fight neither against small nor great, but against the Church of England, in hope that if once this Master-fort were dismantled, they should quickly force the lesser Garrisons and Citadels to surrender; yet how many Parties have we among ourselves, who yet pretend great Zeal to the Reformation, that industriously set themselves to batter down its Sanctuary about its ears; that join their Throats in one common Cry with the Priests and jesuits, Down with her, down with her even to the ground; and all this to gratify their prejudice againg a few innocent and indifferent Rites, which as private Communicants they are very little, if at all, concerned in. I do not charge these Men with a Popish Design, tho' I am sure they charge us with it upon far less Reason; but this I say and will maintain it, that whilst they thus industriously set themselves to tear open the Wounds of our Church, and widen them into incurable Schisms, they take a most effectual course to open a gap for Popery, which stands at the door and only waits till the Breach is wide enough for it to enter.  
To conclude all therefore, seeing it is the Sin and Wickedness of People and Nations that is the main Spring of their Ruin and Destruction, let us, as we would escape that dismal Ruin, which for several years hath hung over our Heads, and hath been pouring itself upon the Heads of several neighbouring Countries and Nations, betake ourselves to a deep Humiliation for, and hearty Repentance of our Sins, which threaten us more than all the Powers of our most powerful Enemies. We are now engaged in a War against a great Prince, who hath not only by a most savage and barbarous Persecution of his own Subjects proclaimed himself a mortal Enemy to our Religion, but also by his perfidious Violations of the Laws of Nations, his Infractions of the most sacred Ties and Obligations, and his unparallelled Cruelties towards all that have fallen within the Reach of his Power, hath rendered himself the common Enemy of Mankind, and seems to have been raised up on purpose by God to be the Plague and Scourge of a wicked World; his Power having for several years hung over all Christendom like a dismal Cloud charged with Thunder and Lightning, and having discharged itself upon several Countries and Nations in such prodigrous Showers of Blood, and Tempests of Ruin and Devastation, as scarce any History can parallel: against this mischievous Power that glories in nothing but Outrage, and triumphs upon the Ruins of Mankind, we are now engaged in conjunction with almost all the Christian World in a common Defence, there being no remedy left us but either to repel and vanquish it or to lie at its feet, and tamely submit ourselves to be trampled into Destruction by it: nor is there any Nation under the Cope of Heaven that hath greater advantages of curbing it in its Career than our own, if our own Sins and intestine Divisions do not spoil all. Wherefore as we hope to succeed in this our necessary Defence of our Religion and our native Country, let us every one in our places endeavour by laying aside all our Malice and Revenge, our Pride and Faction, to cement those unhappy Breaches that are among ourselves, and all betake ourselves to a serious and hearty Repentance for our own Sins, that thereby we may reconcile ourselves to God and engage his Almighty Power to fight for us.  
And thus I have done with the first Proposition contained in these Words, [Repent and turn yourselves from all your Transgressions, so Iniquity shall not be your ruin] That the Iniquity of any People or Nation tends directly to their Ruin. And shall now proceed to the second; viz.  
That true Repentance and Amendment is the most effectual way to prevent that Ruin which our Iniquities do so naturally bring upon us.  
This it is upon a twofold Influence it hath,  

1. Upon God.  
2. Upon ourselves.   
1. It hath a powerful Influence upon God, who is the Sovereign Arbitrator of the Fate of Nations, and doth dispose of their Ruin and Happiness as he pleases. For he being the sovereign Lord of the World, and supreme Moderator of all Issues and Events, there is no particular Kingdom or Nation that is exempt from his jurisdiction and Disposal, and 'tis in his Power alone to determine of every one of them whether they shall be happy or miserable. It is the Lord that killeth and that maketh alive; that bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up; the Lord that maketh poor and maketh rich, that bringeth low and lifteth up, 1 Sam. two. 6, 7. And as he thus disposes of the Fate of particular Persons, so he doth much more of the Fate of particular Nations: for 'tis he that increaseth the Nations, and destroyeth them; he that enlargeth the Nations, and streightneth them, job xii. 23. And Dan. iv. 17. it is said, that the most High ruleth in the Kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. And in 2 Kings nineteen. 15. Hezekiah thus addresses to him, Thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the Kingdoms of the earth. And if the Government and Disposal of Nations be in God's hand as you see it is, than whatsoever hath an Influence upon God, to oblige and endear him to a Nation, must needs effectually conduce to its Recovery and Welfare; because it makes Him its Friend, who alone can make it happy and miserable: and that which indears God to us, who alone hath Power to rescue and recover us, must needs effectually conduce to our Recovery. Now that Repentance hath such an Influence upon God, will evidently appear, whether we consider it,  

1. As an Act of natural justice and Rectitude; or,  
2. As the primary End and Design of Punishment; or,  
3. As the best Reparation we can make him for our Rebellions against him; or,  
4. As the Condition upon which he hath voluntarily obliged himself to be reconciled unto us.   
1. Consider it as an Act of natural justice and Rectitude; and as such it must needs have a powerful Influence upon God: for justice or Rectitude of Choice and Action are everlastingly founded in the Nature of God, to whom it is as natural to govern himself and all his Actions by the best and purest Reason, as it is to exist or live. So that whatsoever hath natural Rectitude in it, and is squared and regulated by right Reason, must needs be harmonious to the Nature of God, and consequently doth as naturally please and gratify Him as a musical Note doth a musical Ear: for every Nature hath a delightful Gust and Relish of that which is agreeable to itself; and therefore since it is natural to God himself to act according to the eternal Reasons of things, to see others act so too, must needs be grateful to his Nature; but to repent is the most reasonable Action that sinful Creatures can perform. For if it be best and most reasonable not to do amiss at all, then doubtless when we have done amiss, the next most reasonable is to resolve to do so no more, there being the same Reason why he that hath sinned should sin no more, as why he that hath not, should not sin at all. And therefore I cannot but wonder at the wild Assertion of some of our Philosophical Sinners, that to. repent is an Argument of Meanness of Spirit; and discovers in us a weak and irresolute Mind; as if, because I have played the Fool, I must resolve to be a Fool for ever, for fear of being accounted weak and irresolute; as if to change a mean and base Resolution were a piece of Meanness and Baseness. Indeed to enter into base Resolutions argues a base or inconsiderate Spirit, but to revoke them is so far from being base or mean, that it is highly rational and generous; there being the same Reason for the revoking a bad Resolution as there is against the making it; and next to not yielding to an unreasonable Motion, the highest Bravery in a reasonable Nature is not to persist in it. For if we are reasonable Being's, our Strength and Bravery must consist in being constant to our Reason; but to be constant against it, is to be constant Fools, or constant Knaves, or both; and if this be the Character of a bravely resolute Mind, much good may it do those heroic Sinners that count it a Reproach to repent. For the main of Repentance consists in the changing of unreasonable for wise and reasonable Resolutions, than which no Change can be more agreeable to the eternal Laws of Reason; and these Laws being founded in the Nature of God, this Change must be infinitely agreeable to him, and have a most powerful Influence upon him. For since to repent is the most reasonable Action that a Sinner can do, by what can we sinful Creatures more effectually endear ourselves to God; who being most reasonable himself, must needs be most affected with that which is most reasonable in us.  
2. Consider Repentance as the primary End and Design of Punishment, and as such it must needs have a powerful Influence upon God. For there being no such thing as a blind unreasonable Vengeance in the Nature of God, he cannot be supposed to punish for Punishment sake, since that would be to inflict Misery on others merely to sport and recreate his own Revenge, that being the only Passion in Nature which a pure Mischief can gratify or please. Since therefore there is no such Affection in the Nature of God, we may be sure he doth not punish to please Himself, but to reform and amend his criminal Creatures, and that it is for the Good that Punishment doth us, and not for any Good that it doth Him that he chooses and inflicts it upon us: for he needs not our Misery to make him happy, being most completely happy already in the immense Perfection of his own Nature; and it is nothing but the Want of Happiness in itself that makes any Being desire or design another's Misery. Since therefore God cannot be supposed to design our Punishment under the Notion of a pure Misery, it hence necessarily follows, that if he designs any thing, as to be sure he doth, it must be to do us or others Good by it, and consequently, that since it is for the sake of this Good that he inflicts it, he will most readily dispense with it, if that be but answered and obtained without it. But now our Repentance doth in a great measure answer and supply the End of our Punishment, which is either to reform us when we have done amiss, or to warn others by our Example not to tread in our Footsteps; both which Ends are in an high degree obtained in our unfeigned Repentance. For if we heartily repent of our past Iniquities, we shall be sure to amend them for the future; and it is impossible that Repentance should be true, which doth not upon the first Opportunity commence into an actual Reformation: and so if it be true also, it will render us exemplary Warnings unto others; for it will inflict upon us such bitter Sorrows, such deep Remorses and stinging Reflections as will render us almost as great and eminent Examples of the Evil and Folly of our Sins, as the Punishments that were intended against them: and those of our Brethren in Iniquity that will take no warning by us, when they see the Throbs and Agonies of our Repentance, how it Pierces, Wounds, and Mortifies our Souls; in all probability would be as little affected should they instead of that see the hand of God upon us, chastizing and correcting us for our Follies. For he that heartily reputes; makes almost as woeful an Experiment of the Folly and Evil of his Sin, as he that hath felt the Punishment of it; and next to a bleeding punished Criminal, there is no such Example of the Madness of Sin as a weeping, mournful, and dejected Penitent. Since therefore in both these respects Repentance doth so effectually supply the Designs of our Punishment, we may be sure the merciful God who doth always punish in order to those Designs, will be very much influenced by it. For every Agent is satisfied, when it hath its End, and therefore since our Repentance will supply those Ends which God designs in our Punishment, we may besure it will highly please and gratify him; for in our Repentance he hath what he aimed at, when he designed to punish us, and to be sure a good God will never be so fond of the Miseries of his Creatures as to punish them to no purpose.  
3. Consider Repentance as the best Reparation we can make for our past Sins and Rebellions, and as such also it must needs have a mighty Influence upon God. 'Tis true for Sinners to make a full Reparation to God for the Affronts and Dishonours they have cast upon him, is impossible; because what they have done they can no more undo, than make what is past never to have been. But yet he that heartily reputes of his former Sins, for as much as he hates and laments them and wiseness from his Soul that he had never done them, doth hereby morally cancel and rovoke them; for this universal Act of Nolition extending to all his past bad Choices, tho' it cannot so undo as to cause them not to have been, yet it doth so unwill and unchoose them, as that if they were not, they should never be. 'Tis true, God being our supreme Lord and Lawgiver, the only complete Satisfaction we can personally render him is perfect unsinning obedience to his Laws, of which when we have once failed there is no after-Act of our own can make him a perfect Reparation; because if our after-Act be an Act of Obedience (as all good and virtuous ones are) God hath the same Right to it, as he had to that wherein we failed, and 'tis impossible that by satisfying one Debt we should make a full Repayment of another. But of all our after Reparations there is none approaches so near to Innocence and unsinning Obedience, as this of unfeigned Repentance; for all the difference between an innocent Person and a true Penitent is only this, that the former never chose to Sin, and the latter hath unchosen all his sinful Choices; the one did not Sin when it was in his power to do it, the other would not have sinned, if it were in his power not to do it. So that tho' Repentance is by no means equivalent to Innocence, yet because of all the after-Acts of a nocent Person it makes the nearest approach to it, it necessarily follows that it is the best and highest Reparation that any sinful Cretture can make to an offended God. What better Reparation can I make for the Delight and Pleasure I have taken in offending him than to submit myself to the Pains and Anguish of a bitter and severe Repentance for it? How can I more effectually repair the many Dishonours I have done him by my base and impious Actions, the shameless Affronts I have put upon him, then by laying my stubborn Will at his feet, putting on Shame and Confusion of Face, and abhorring myself in Dust and Ashes before him. This being therefore the best Satisfaction that such a sinful People as we are can make to our offended but most merciful God, we may justly hope, that if we render him this, it will have an auspicious Influence upon him to incline him towards us and avert his just Displeasure from us. When he shall sec us prostrate at his Feet, acknowledging with sorrowful Hearts the infinite Injuries we have done him, offering him all the poor Amends we can make him, and grieving that we can offer him no more; such a moving Spectacle cannot but kindle in him a Relenting towards us, and cause his propitious Bowels to resound with Echoes of Mercy.  
4. And lastly, consider Repentance as the Condition upon which God hath voluntarily engaged himself to be reconciled unto us, and as such also it must needs have a powerful Influence upon him. So in the Text you see he hath obliged himself, upon the Repentance of wicked People, to interpose between their Sin and Ruin, So iniquity shall not be your ruin. So also job xxxvi. 8, 9, 10, 11. you have an excellent Account of God's Readiness to relieve a repenting People, In their Adversity if they be bound in fetters and holden in cords of affliction, than he showeth them their work and their trangression wherein they have exceeded. He openeth also their ears to discipline and commandeth that they return from their iniquity. If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasure. But this prehaps you will say is only a Relation of what God usually doth, and not a Promise by which he obliges himself always to do so well, but it supposes such a Promise on God's part; else there could have been no sure Foundation for Elihu to have promised it. But then Isai. i 16, 17, 18. you have Gods own word for it, Wash ye, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well. Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord, tho' your sins be as Scarlet, they shall be white as snow, though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the Land. So also Hosea. xiv. 1, 2. 4. O Israel return unto the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words and turn to the Lord, say unto him take away all iniquity and receive us graciously, so will we render thee the calves of our lips. To which in the 4th Verse God returns this answer of mercy, I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as the dew unto Israel, he shall grow as a lily and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. But these Promises perhaps you will say, respect Israel only, and consequently ought not to be extended unto other Nations; well then let us see in the last place what he hath said to Nations in general jerem. xviii. 7, 8, At what time I shall speak concerning a Nation and concerning a Kingdom to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy it, if that Nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. So that what he had promised before to Israel his People here extends to all Nations, viz. that upon their Repentance he will be favourable to them, and repent of the Evil he intended against them; which gives us as great a Certainty of the good Influence of our Repentance upon him as we can have of his eternal Truth which is the Foundation of all Certainty. So that if to have God for our Friend can contribute any thing to the saving us from an impending Ruin, then must our Repentance which makes him our Friend be so far the Means of our Salvation.  
2. As Repentance hath a great Influence upon God to move and incline him to rescue us from Ruin, so it hath also a mighty Influence upon us towards the preventing and obviating our Ruin; so that tho' there were no such thing as a God for it to work upon and engage in our Defence and Protection, or tho' that God should wholly withdraw himself from Action, and absolutely refuse to intermeddle in our Affairs; yet would our Repentance itself by its own natural and necessary Influence most effectually operate towards the Prevention of that Public Ruin; and that these four ways:  

1. As it will throughly awaken us into a due sense of our Danger.  
2. As it will animate and encourage us with the Hope of Success upon the Use of due and proper Means.  
3. As it will take us off from those mischievous Actions which do so necessarily contribute to our Ruin.  
4. As it will put us upon such a regular Course of Action as doth naturally tend to the Public Good. In all which respects, as I shall show you, it would be an effectual Means of our Recovery.   
1. True Repentance naturally awakens us into a due and serious Sense of our Danger. For a vicious Life doth naturally lull men into a Sottish and Senseless Security; it makes them stupid and reckless, and bereaves them of their natural Foresight and Sagacity; for besides that it takes off their Minds from the exercise of Reason, and infatuates them with weak and fantastic Prejudices it renders them so soft and indulgent to their own luxurious and effeminate Genius, that they cannot endure any sad or serious thoughts should intermingle with their jovial Airs. So that if Danger stands at any distance from them, they wilfully wink at it, and are afraid to look it in the face, lest it should suggest such thoughts to them as would disturb the Scenes of their Mirth, and dash their Draughts of sinful▪ Pleasures with Wormwood. Hence Amos vi. 1. 3. it is made the Character of the wicked Israelites that lived at ease in Zion, that they put far from them the evil day, that is, they would not entertain a thought of the Nearness of their Danger, lest it should prove a Thorn in their Pillows, and disturb their soft and beloved ease. So also Hosea xi. 9 Strangers have devoured his strength, (saith he speaking of that wicked People) and he knoweth it not, yea grey hairs are here and there upon him, yet he perceiveth it not; that is, tho' they were exceedingly wasted already and had all the Symptoms of an approaching Ruin upon them, yet they were so intent upon their Lusts, and so besotted by them, that they took no notice of it. And if Men will be so stupid as to neglect their Danger, and never think of retreating till they have run themselves into the jaws of it, what Remedy is there for them? how can they escape that will sleep on securely upon the Brinks of a Precipice, and will not regard their Danger till they are dropping headlong into it, and are fallen beyond Prevention or Recovery? But when once Men betake themselves to a course of serious Repentance, they will soon recover out of this their Lethargic temper. For Repentance will not only chase away all those effeminate Lusts which barred their Understanding against all Apprehensions of Danger, and rendered them so supine and regardless, but it will make them deeply sensible of the Desert of their Sin, and what fearful Effects are to be expected from it; so that now they will be so far from thrusting from them the Thoughts of their Danger, that they will reckon it among the numberless Miracles of God's Goodness that they were not long ago swallowed up and consumed by it: and besides those visible Dangers that attend them in the common Course of Things, they will discern a black Cloud arising out of their own Guilts, and gathering into storms of Vengeance, and look upon their past Wickedness as the dire Omens of an approaching Judgement; and being thus awakened into a Sense of the Danger that threatens them, they are so far on their way towards an happy Recovery.  
2. True Repentance will also animate and encourage a People with the Hope of Success upon the use of due and proper Means. It is the natural Property of a wicked Life to render Men secure when Danger is at a distance, and desperate when it is near at hand; when it is remote they are afraid to mind it lest it should interrupt their Pleasures, and mingle Discords with their Harmony; but when by reason of their Fear they are forced to mind it, the sudden unexpected Alarm it gives them raises such an Uproar in their Thoughts that they can neither find nor force an Escape from it. For the opposite Affections of Humane Nature succeed one another in the same Degree. Thus when we hate those whom we loved we usually hate them in the same degree that we loved them; and when two contrary Passions follow one another, they are generally both extreme, and by how much the foregoer exceeded the just medium of one way, by so much will the follower exceed the other; just like the vibrations of a Pendulum, the which the farther you swing it this way, the farther it will return the other; and consequently the more we exceed in Security whilst Danger is pursuing us, the more we shall exceed in Fear when it hath overtaken us. So that when out of an extravagant Indulgence to their sinful Pleasure's Men shut their Eyes against approaching Danger, and will not open them till it is just upon them and stairs them in the Face, the ghastly and surprising Spectacle will presently transport them out of one Extreme into another, out of a deep Security into a dead Dispair; especially considering how naturally the Sense of Danger awakens in guilty Minds their natural Dread of God, and fills them with fearful Expectations from Him: and when a Man awakes upon the brinks of a Precipice and all on a sudden sees an apparent Destruction before him, and by this Sight is at the same time roused into a dismal Apprehension of an Almighty Vengeance behind him stretching forth its arm to thrust him headlong down, how must it needs appall and astonish him, and disarm him of all Hope and Power of escaping. So that out of a secure Impenitence, you see, there is but one remove into an heartless Desperation: and when Men are desperate in the midst of Danger, and are reduced to their wit's end; when they have neither Prudence to forecast, nor Courage to execute any method of Recovery, without a Miracle their Ruin is unavoidable. Of this you have an eminent Example in the wicked Israelites, who when their Danger was afar off were most unreasonably secure and regardless of it, but when Senacheribs Army had invested their City, and they saw themselves surrounded with Ruin on every side, than their Security immedately converts into the most frightful and horrid Apprehensions; for so the Prophet describes it Isaiah xxxiii. 14. The sinners in Zion are afraid, fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites: who amongst us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? Whilst the Power of that haughty Monarch was at a distance from them, they laughed at and despised it; but now it is at their doors they are so frighted at it, that they had no softer Words to express it by than devouring fire and everlasting burnings: So that if God had not rescued them by a Miracle, their unmanly Fears had so disarmed them, that they would have never been able to defend themselves. But now by our Repentance we do most certainly prevent being reduced to this woeful Extremity: for that will open our Eyes to all approaching Dangers, and remove those effeminate Lusts out of our way which interrupted our Prospect of them; so that we shall see them afar off, and having a free Sight and Expectance of them, shall not be surprised by them when they draw nearer, and are ready to fasten upon us; by which means we shall have Time to arm and fortify ourselves against them, and to prepare to receive them with Courage and Conduct. And when they are come, our Repentance will also animate us with the Hopes of a timely Relief and Succour from above, and encourage us to hold out to the last Extremity in Expectance of God's appearing in the Mount, and a timely Interposure between us and Ruin. For this being the Condition upon which God hath promised us his Favour and Friendship, there is no Reason why we should be desperate, so long as we live in the Performance of it. So that the Sense of our unfeigned Repentance will inspire us with joyful Hope that God is for us; and what Danger can dishearten us under this glorious Hope that infinite Wisdom and Power is on our side?  
3. True Repentance doth also abolish those mischievous Actions which do naturally contribute to the Ruin of a People. How much a wicked Course of Life tends to a Nations Ruin, is notorious enough to any Man that hath been an Observer of the Effects and Consequences of humane Actions; how it infatuates their Counsels, weakens their Courage, rends their Unity and Concord; how it disorders them in all their natural Respects and Dependencies, consumes their Wealth, and prostitutes their Reputation; and how by all these mischievous Effects it gradually wastes and consumes them, and lays the Foundation of their inevitable Ruin. So that whilst Vice and Wickedness prevail in a Nation, 'tis like a linger Consumption in our Bodies that soothes us into an Opinion that we are well and in Health, or flatters us with fair Hopes of Recovery; but in the mean time is undermining the Fort of our Life, and preying upon our Vitals. But it is the most wretched piece of Deceit in the World for a Nation to think itself well while it is wicked; for so many Vices as it hath growing in it, so many Diseases it hath engendering in its Bowels, which tho' it may struggle with a while by the natural Strength and Vigour of its Constitution, will by degrees inevitably weaken it, and without a speedy and effectual Purgation finally consume and destroy it; and if it were the best constituted Nation in the World, it would be impossible for it not to decay and languish under the malignant Influence of an Epidemical Wickedness. That therefore which purges away this corrupt Humour out of which all National Diseases spring, must needs be the most effectual Means of a dying Nations Recovery, and that, and that only, is Repentance, one essential Part whereof consists in putting off the Body of Sin, ceasing to do Evil and denying all Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts. And if once this bad Cause were removed, all the mischievous Effects of it would immediately cease, and thereupon the sick and declining Kingdom that groans and languishes under them would immediately mend, and in a little time recover its native Health and Vigour. For what should hinder it from growing well, when the malignant Cause of all its Distempers is removed? when that which befools its Counsels, Dissolves, its Courage disorder its Harmony, breaks its Unity, lavishes out its Wealth and Reputation is utterly abolished; what should hinder it from growing up again into a wise and a valiant, an orderly and unanimous, a wealthy and renowned Nation?  
4. And lastly, true Repentance doth also put us upon such a Course of Action as doth naturally tend to the Public Good. For Repentance doth not only consist in ceasing to do Evil, but in learning to do Well, in putting on the new Man as well as putting off the old, that is, it is an entire Submission of our souls to God, to do what he commands, as well as to forbear what he forbids, and the Matter of his Commands is such as all of it tends to the public Good: and if the several Ranks and Orders of Men whereof a Nation is composed would but unanimously conspire in that Course of Action which God hath enjoined, it would doubtless more contribute to the Weal and Prosperity of such a Nation, than the wisest Counsels or most puissant Forces without it. If those that sit at the Helm would but once resolve to steer by those excellent Rules of honest Prudence, impartial justice, discreet Mercy, wise Liberality, advised Constancy and Magnanimity, it would doubtless render their Government far more safe and easy, more useful, and prosperous, than all the crafty Tricks, dark Intrigues, and wiley Subterfuges of wicked Policy, which instead of promoting the Government do generally lead it into a perplexed Maze, and leave it there miserably bewildered and entangled. Again, if those that are Subjects would but learn to govern themselves by those Laws of Candour and Modesty, of Meekness and Fidelity, of Submission and Loyalty, which God hath enjoined them; with what Peace and Quiet, Safety and Contentment might they enjoy themselves under the Shadow of Government. In a word, if the Rich would be but as courteous and charitable, the Poor as thankful and industrious, and all as just and honest, as kind, and gentle, as ready to assist, forbear and forgive one another as God requires, what a most glorious and happy Society would there spring out of such a regular Course of Action? doubtless for Peace and Contentment, for Bliss and Happiness, next to Heaven itself, there is no Place comparable to a virtuous Nation, and were I in quest of a terrestrial Paradise, I should sooner expect it in a barren Wilderness inhabited with a virtuous People, than in the most fruitful and delicious Canaan peopled with wicked and degenerous Natives. Since therefore a virtuous Course of Action hath so direct a Tendency to the public Good, it hence necessarily follows that Repentance, which is the Entrance and Introduction to it, must needs very much contribute to the Safety and Recovery of a Nation; because it puts the several parts of it into such a Course of Life and Conversation as mutually conduces to the Peace and Happiness and Preservation of the Whole: so that whether we consider the powerful Influence it hath upon God, or the good Effect it hath upon us, you see 'tis a most efficacious Instrument of public Happiness and Salvation. Wherefore if the Consideration of our own private Interest, and everlasting fate in another World be not sufficient to move us to a serious Repentance, let us add to this the Consideration of our temporal Concerns, which are all involved in the fate of the Nation. For the public Good is a common Bank in which every Member hath a share, and consequently whatsoever Damage that suffers, we must expect to bear our Part of it. And yet, God help us! if we impartially view the Designs and Behaviour of the Generality, we would hardly think that they did seriously believe there were any such thing as a Common Weal among us, every one almost endeavouring to advance his own Interest though it be upon the public Ruin, and all our Pretences to the Public being little else but a contrasting of Parties running a Tilt at one another, whilst the Common Good lies between them, and is equally trampled on by both sides. Wherefore as we would not betray our Common Interest, and bury ourselves in the public Ruin, let us be persuaded to consider our ways before it be too late, and turn to the Lord by a deep and hearty Repentance. And to move you hereunto I shall desire you to consider these few things.  

1. What imminent Danger we are in.  
2. How much we have all contributed to it.  
3. How possible it is to prevent it by our timely Repentance.  
4. How much our personal Repentance will avail us tho' we should not prevent it.  
5. How dearly we shall repent when it is too late, if we do not endeavour the Prevention of it by repenting now.   
1. Consider the imminent Danger we are in. For if we consider our present Circumstances, how many visible Causes there are conspiring to effect our Ruin, how we lie open to the common Adversary that doth so vigorously pursue our Destruction, and like an unwalled Vineyard, are surrounded with wild Boars without, and overrun with little Foxes within, which, tho' they are of different Kind's, agree in the same Ends, and concur to waste and to destroy; how whilst these little Foxes are pulling down the Vine above, the wild Boars are waiting underneath to seize and to devour both; how the restless and indefatigable Malice of our Romish Adversaries without is assisted with the furious Zeal of our hare-brained Factions within, who tho' they cannot be insensible how much their Divisions weaken and expose us, yet seem resolved rather to venture all than not to be uppermost; how our Counsels puzzled and entangled, and our Procedures clogged and encumbered; how our Choices are poised and suspended between contrary Evils that seem so equally great, that we can hardly determine which is the least; in a word, how our Mischiefs are chained and linked to one another, so that we cannot remove one without drawing on another in the room of it, and the suspicion of future makes us afraid to provide against present Mischiefs: if, I say, we consider all these things, we cannot but be sensible how great and near our Danger is, and how earnestly it calls upon us for a speedy and effectual Remedy. And when we are encompassed with so many Dangers on every side, it is not prodigious Sottishness for us to stand gazing on them with our Hands in our Bosoms, making Speeches about them, and telling frightful Stories of them to one another, whilst like a spreading Gangreen they are growing upon us, and creeping insensibly to our Hearts, whilst the proper Remedy of them is in our own hands, and by a timely Application we may quickly cure and prevent them. When we see ourselves upon the Borders of Ruin, is it a time to stand chattering at the Wind, spending our Breath in fruitless Complaints, impotent Invectives, and factious Murmurings? When if, instead of finding fault with our Superiors, arraigning the Government, and quarrelling at the public Management and Conduct, we would at least resolve to find Fault with ourselves, arraign our own Vices at the Bar of an impartial Conscience, and make a through Inquisition into the ill Conduct of our own Lives and Manners, we might cure the Evils and prevent the Dangers which we talk and complain of to no purpose? Certainly if ever Dangers called for a speedy Repentance, ours do; but if we will be deaf to their Cries we desperately abandon ourselves to the dismal and pitiless Desert of our own Folly and Madness.  
2. Consider how much we have all contributed to the Dangers that are pressing upon us. I doubt if we impartially survey our selves and take a severe Account of our own Doings, there be very few, if any, that will be able to acquit themselves of having some hand in those public Mischiefs that hang over us; that in all Particulars have behaved themselves so soberly and circumspectly as to contribute nothing towards the filling up the Kingdom's Iniquities. Tho' many of us indeed have not been carried away with the impetuous Current of open Profaneness and Debauchery, yet perhaps we have suffered ourselves to be born down with the contrary Stream of Faction, Schism, or demure Hypocrisy; by which we have not only scandalised our Religion, and weakened the Interest of it, imbrolled our Government, and disturbed the methods of our Happiness; but also highly incensed against us the God of Peace and Truth, and Order. And tho▪ others of us have neither been profane nor factious, yet it may be we have been remiss and lukewarm in Religion, or extremely unfruitful under those rich Manuring and growing Showers which it continually affords us; by which we have mightily provoked our God to remove our Candlestick, and leave us in the dark; to cut us down like fruitless Trees that are good for nothing, but only to burden and cumber the ground: and if one way or tother we have contributed to those public Calamities that threaten us, we have no other way to repair the Injury we have done our Country, but by our timely and serious Repentance: this is the only Balsam by which we can hope to heal those Wounds we have given her; and if when we have wounded we refuse to cure her, ' tho the Means are in our own hands, we are doubly guilty of her Blood, and shall be doubly charged with it whenever an Inquisition is made for it. So that Repentance is a Debt we owe the Nation for the Mischiefs which our Sins have done to it, and which we can no otherwise repair but by repenting of those Sins before it is too late, lest we leave such a Reckoning behind us as will ruin the Kingdom, and undo succeeding Generations to discharge it.  
3. Consider how possible it is yet to prevent our Danger by a timely Repentance. Tho' our Condition be full of Hazard, yet, God be praised, it is not altogether desperate; tho' we are inter pontem & fontem descending between the Bridge and River, yet there are a thousand Accidents may intervene, and catch us in our Fall and set us safe a shore again; and that Almighty Providence which orders and disposes the Issues and Events of Things, hath infinite ways, which we foresee not, to change the confused Scene of our Affairs, and reduce our Chaos into Order. And how willing and ready he is to do it, is visible enough by his Long-suffering towards us, and his patient Endurance of our Provocations, in expectation that at length his Goodness may lead us to Repentance. How careful and industrious hath he been to discover our Danger to us? to draw the Curtain from before the dark Designs of our Enemies, and to unmask their intended Mischiefs in despite of all their Arts of Concealment? And considering through how many Difficulties the Providence of God hath pressed in carrying on the happy Discovery, how strangely he hath forced it on, and scattered the Clouds before it, we have abundant Reason to acknowledge his Readiness to succour and relieve us, to prevent our being surprised with an unexpected Ruin, and swallowed up by it before we were aware. For what should his Aim be in showing us our Danger, but only to awake us to Repentance, that so by that powerful Motive he might be induced to rescue and deliver us; Why should he warn us so long before hand of the Blow that is falling upon us, but only to give us Space and Opportunity to prevent it by our timely Repentance? So that ever since the Discovery of our Danger, Deliverance hath been waiting upon us, expecting that happy moment when we would open the door of our Repentance to it, and invite it in, and make it welcome. But hitherto, alas! we have shut the door against it, and made it wait in vain: for several Months the willing Child hath been struggling for Birth in the Womb of Providence, and yet it is unborn; and still it struggles, but all in vain, for want of our Repentance to open the Womb to it, and promote its travail to a happy Birth. And do we yet stand still as Persons unconcerned, when ours, our Country's, and our children's Fate depends upon the Issue of it? When we may yet be safe, if by abandoning our Wickedness we will but assist to our Deliverance, shall we stand looking on with our Hands in our Bosoms, and see it stifled in the Womb?  
4. Consider how much our personal Repentance will avail us tho' we should not prevent our present Danger by it. For I know it will be objected, To what purpose should we repent, if others still go on in their Wickedness? Can it be hoped that our personal Amendment should have such a mighty Influence as to disperse that mighty Cloud of judgements that hangs over the whole Nation? To which, in the first place, I answer, that perhaps it may. It may be there is not yet a sufficient Number of righteous Persons among us to move the holy God to be propitious to this sinful Nation; and if for the sake of five righteous Persons God would have saved a Sodom, why may not you hope that by adding your selves to the far greater number of righteous Persons among us, you may yet prevail with God to save the whole Nation; and for the possible Hope of being Saviour's to our native Country, who would not make such a cheap and easy Experiment? But suppose it should not produce this happy Effect, that notwithstanding our personal Repentance the Cloud should break, and discharge a bloody Storm upon the Kingdom; yet I dare secure you, you shall never have Cause to repent of your Repentance; for God will either call you into his Chambers, shut his door upon you, and hide you for a little moment till the Indignation is overpast, or he will turn it into such an inestimable Blessing that you shall be sure to reap from it unspeakably more Good than Prejudice; and whilst impenitent Wretches shall be lashed at the same time both by God and their own Consciences, whilst they shall be surrounded with Darkness and Horror on every side, and not be able to discover any glimpse of day either within, or without, or above them; whilst Heaven and Earth, and their own Consciences are storming together about their Ears, so that which way soever they turn themselves, they are miserable; whilst God disowns them, their own Consciences reproach them, and the World will no longer help or succour them; you, being reconciled by your Repentance both to your God and your Conscience, will have a safe Retreat within your own Bosoms, whereinto you may retire, and be merry in spite of Fortune; and being there entertained with the ravishing sense of your Father's Love, with the soft Harmonies of a quiet Conscience, and the glorious Hopes of a blessed Immortality hereafter, you will not only be enabled to support your share of the public Calamity, but also to rejoice and triumph under it. So that would you be but persuaded to repent, I durst assure you, you shall find the Benefit of it either in the Removal of the judgements you fear, or in the Assistance it would give you to undergo them bravely.  
5. And lastly, Consider how dearly we shall repent when it is too late; if we do not endeavour to prevent our Danger by repenting now when we are grovelling under those dreadful judgements that hang lowering over us. When our Religion, Liberties and Properties are seized, and become a prey to our insulting Enemies; when our Country is spoiled or embrued in Blood by intestine Broils or Foreign Invasions, and all is involved in Ruins and Confusions round about us; then we shall remember with the Tears in our Eyes that we had once an Opportunity to be happy; that if we would have been contended to part with a few base Lusts that did unman and prostitute our Natures, we might have been still a blessed and prosperous People; that if we would have been so wise as to have sacrificed to God's approaching judgements our Sensuality and Profaneness, our Faction, Oppression and Hypocrisy, they would then have fairly retreated and left us in the quiet Enjoyment of all our spiritual and temporal Blessings we enjoyed; whereas now being incensed and drawn on by our desperate Obstinacy, they have made a dismal Spoil of all, and left us nothing but our Sins and Guilts to bear us company in our Miseries. When we shall see our desolate Country that was heretofore the Queen of Nations sitting like a mournful Widow in the dust, with her Head uncrowned, her Garments torn, her Breast wounded, and all her Parts besmeared with Blood; when we shall see our Church unpaled and all her fences trodden down by wild Beasts; her Beauty defaced, her Sun extinguished, or overcast with Darkness and Confusion; how will it cut our Hearts to think that all this is the Product of our own Follies, and that if we would have been persuaded betime to abandon our Lusts and listen to sober Counsels, all these dismal Ruins and Desolations might have easily been prevented. O than we shall lament our Follies and wring our woeful hands, and wish a thousand and a thousand times that we had been wiser before it was too late! Seeing therefore it is not yet too late, let us for once resolve to make a trial what good our Repentance can do to the Public; and O would to God we would once conspire to make this blessed Experiment! and if upon our making it, a Cure doth not yet follow, if we do not sensibly perceive our Grievances abate, our Dangers vanish, our Enemies weakened and disheartened, and our broken Counsels retrieved and united in the public Good, I will be contented to undergo Cassandra's Fate never to be believed in my Affirmations more. For this I am sure of, Repentance cannot fail of a good Effect, and that besides all the Good it would do us by its own natural and necessary Influence, it would reconcile Him to us that hath the disposal of our Fate, and then all would go well, and God even our own God would give us his blessing. Which he of his infinite Mercy grant, to whom with his eternal Son and Spirit be ascribed of us and all the World all Honour and Glory and Power from this time forth and for evermore.  
Amen.   
MATTHEW III. 8. 
Bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance.  
THese Words are a Part of Iohn Baptist's Sermon to the Pharisees and Sudducees of whom mention is made in the foregoing Verse: the first of which being a sort of demure and formal Hypocrites, who under religious Pretences shrouded the blackest Villainies; the second, a Company of Atheistical Debauchees, who, to supersede the troublesome Obligations of their Consciences, and to obtain of themselves a free Dispensation to be wicked, denied the Existence of Spirits and the Life to come. The Baptist, upon their Address to be admitted to his Baptism, sharply reprehends them both under one common Name, O Generation of Vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come! and than he goes on, Bring forth fruits meet for Repentance. As much as if he should have said, O ye worst of Men, ye brood of venomous Miscreants! I perceive by your coming hither some body or other hath alarmed you with the Forewarnings of that dreadful Vengeance that is falling upon this Generation; and now to prevent it, you pretend Repentance of your Sins, because you have heard that I baptise with Water unto Repentance, you would needs assume this outward Badge of Penitents. But I know you well enough, ye are a pack of arrant Knaves and Hypocrites, and howsoever at present you may be frighted into a demure Pretence of Repentance, I know your Hearts are as wicked as ever, and that you will not part with one of those Lusts which render you so base and infamous. And therefore, for my part, till I have better hopes of you, I am resolved I will have nothing to do with you. Go therefore, bring forth fruits meet for Repentance; let me see by your Actions that you are Penitents indeed, and then if you come I shall gladly receive you to this my solemn Sacrament of Repentance. This I take to be the most natural and genuine Sense of the Words, and I know but one Objection of any weight against it, that whereas this Account makes john Baptist to have refused them his Baptism, other Texts of Scripture seem to assert, that they themselves refused to be baptised of him, and they did not come to him under a Pretence of Repentance, but upon a Design to cavil with him, and expose his Baptism to the People: for Luke 7. 30. it is said, that the Pharisees and Lawyers rejected, the counsel of God against themselves, i. e. the Counsel which God, by john the Baptist, gave them, being not baptised of him; but what Counsel was it that they rejected? Was it the Counsel of being baptised? No such matter; for john Baptist never advised them to it, but the Counsel he gave them was to repent, and to bring forth fruits meet for Repentance. And this they rejected; for which they were not baptised of him. Not but that they would have been, if they could; for it is expressly said in the Verse foregoing my Text, that they came to John's Baptism, but john knowing their Hypocrisy would by no means admit them to it, till they had first brought forth such Fruits as were meet and proper for Repentance. In handling of which Words, I shall endeavour these Three things:  

1. To show you what this Repentance is of which he exhorts them to bring forth the meet Fruits.  
2. What the meet Fruits of this Repentance are.  
3. The Necessity of bringing forth such Fruits.   
1. What this Repentance is of which the Baptist here exhorts them to bring forth meet Fruits? To which I answer, briefly, that by Repentance we are to understand a sincere and thorough change of Mind, which as it hath been often observed, is the proper signification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which is the word which the New Testament most commonly uses for Repentance. And then the Mind is changed, when the prevailing Purpose and Resolution of it is altered; when upon a due Consideration of the Mischief, Indecency, or Inconvenience of his present Resolution, a Man is effectually persuaded into a contrary Purpose, his Mind, we say, is changed; because he hath now a contrary judgement of things, which form his Will into a contrary Resolution: and when once our Mind is thus changed as to any Design or Course of Action we are then said to repent of it. So that to repent of our Sins, is to be effectually changed and altered in our Minds concerning them, so as that whereas before we did in our practical judgement prefer them at lest pro hic & nunc before our duty, and in our Will embrace and resolutely adhere to them, we do now upon cool Deliberation pronounce them to be the worst of Evils, and as such do heartily purpose and resolve to forsake them. And in this consists the Nature and Essence of Repentance, viz. in a firm Resolution to forsake our Sins upon cool and deliberate Judgement. Where, by Resolution I do not mean a mere Logical Conclusion by way of Inference from Premises, that such or such a thing is best and fittest to be done; for in this there is no Choice, the Proceedings of our Reason being as necessary as those of our Sense; and where there is no Choice, there can be no Virtue. But the Resolution of Repentance is an Act of the Will, viz. its decretory and definitive Sentence for the actual Prosecution of such a Course as upon calm Deliberation is proposed as that which is most fit and necessary. For suppose our Reason and Sense as two Parties pleading their respective Causes and Interests, the one for Virtue, and the other for Vice; and suppose that in the Conclusion, either the Matter be left in aequilibrio between them, or that Reason hath baffled Sense, and obtained a clear Conviction that the Cause of Virtue is infinitely best and most preferable, but that still the Will is in suspense, and hath not peremptorily decreed either one way or tother; why hitherto all that hath been done is but mere Speculation, there is nothing of Choice in it, nothing of Virtue, nor consequently of Repentance. But when upon a through hearing of both Parties, the Will interposes its Sovereignty, and pronounces Sentence on Reason and virtue's side, this is my final Resolution, and this by the Grace of God I will stand to, I will from henceforth submit to my Duty, how difficult soever it be, and discharge those base mischievous Lusts of mine what Temptations soever may assault me: when, I say, our Will with good Advice and with a full Consent hath pronounced this peremptory Decree and Resolution, our Mind is changed and our Repentance actually commenced. Thus the Predigal Son, for instance, while he was considering with himself the happy State he was fallen from, How many hired Servants of my Father have bread enough and to spare, and the miserable Condition he was fallen into, and I perish with hunger, was only in the Porch and Entry of Repentance, and had he stayed there and gone no farther, all this had been nothing but a dead Speculation notwithstanding which he would have perished in his Sin. But when from hence he proceeded to that peremptory Resolution, I will arise and go to my Father, in that very Moment he became a sincere Penitent; and if in that instant he had been struck dead before ever he had taken one step towards his Father, he had died in a State of Repentance. For it is plain his Mind was changed, he had put off the old man and put on the new, he had form a new judgement and a new Resolution; and if he had immediately died, he had died in Subjection to God, and would have arose and gone to his Father, as he did while he lived. So that the precise Notion of Repentance, you see, consists in the Change of our Mind, that is, of our judgement and Resolution: and hence it is called being renewed in the spirit of our Mind, Ephes. iv. 23. and being transformed by the renewing of our Mind Rom. xii. 2. Consonantly to which, Hierocles, tho' an Heathen, thus defines Repentance, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 etc. that is, Repentance is the beginning of Philosophy, 'tis a Renunciation of Evil Courses, and a Preparation to a Life not to be repent of. So that when a Man hath repent, saith he, he neither quits real for imaginary Goods, nor chooses Evil for fear of unfortunate Accidents; but conforms his judgement and submits his Will to the divine Canons. And thus you see what that Repentance is of which we are here bid to bring forth meet Fruits.  
2. I proceed in the next place to show what those Fruits are which are meet for this Repentance. In general, they are such Fruits or Works as are natural and agreeable to such an inward Change of Mind and Resolution as Repentance imports, or such as may give a plain Demonstration that you are effectually convinced in your judgement of the Baseness and Malignity of your past sinful Courses, and sincerely resolved to discard and renounce them for the future. For the Fruits of Repentance are nothing but the proper Acts and Operations of it, and 'tis then and then only that we bring forth these Fruits, when the Effects of a real Repentance do appear in our Life and Conversation, and our Actions do signify that our Judgement condemns our Faults, and our Will renounces them. And according to this account, the Fruits of Repentance may be reduced to these following Particulars.  

1. An actual and thorough Reformation.  
2. A profound Humility and Self-Abasement.  
3. A great and tender Modesty in our Expectation.  
4. Candour and Gentleness towards others.  
5. Simplicity and Integrity of Manners towards the offended Party.  
6. Caution and Wariness for the future not to offend again in the same or the like Instances.   
1. One necessary Fruit and Effect of our Repentance is an actual and thorough Reformation. If those invisible Springs of Action the judgement and the Will be changed and rectified, the Wheels of Affection and the Hand of Practice must necessarily move more regularly and orderly: For all our inferior Powers being subject to the Authority of the Will, and carried about with the swing of this Primum Mobile, this first great Orb of the Soul, do naturally apply themselves to the Execution of whatsoever that decrees and resolves on; and to suppose a Man's judgement and Will to be reform when his Life is not, is to suppose that he is not a voluntary Agent but a piece of Clockwork, that he is not determined in his Motions by Choice and Deliberation, but by Weights and Plummets, by necessary Pressures and Impulses; which Supposal not only strips him out of all capacity of Repentance, but also contradicts all Experience. For this we are as sensible of as we are of our Hunger and Thirst, that while we are ourselves, and can deliberate and choose, we do nothing but what we will, nothing but what we judge to be good pro hic & nunc, and nothing but what we choose upon so judging. So that for a Man to pretend to be a Penitent in his Heart whilst he is unreformed in his Life, is to lie against his own Experience. He knows and feels that what he doth he doth voluntarily, with Approbation of judgement and Consent of Will; and therefore if his Actions are bad, his judgement and Will must be so too. You say you do heartily repent of your Sins, by which, if you understand what you say, you mean you do absolutely condemn them in your judgement, and peremptorily disclaim them in your Will; but still you must confess you lead a bad Life and persist in many of those sinful Courses of which you hope you have heartily repent: which is as much as if you should say, I am fully resolved I will play the Knave no more, but yet I must confess I do lie and cheat as much as ever; I am peremptorily determined to be very temperate and chaste, but I must acknowledge I am very often drunk, and do very often whore: that is to say, you do what you won't do, you won't do what you do, your Will hath no Influence on your Actions, your Actions no relation to your Will, there is no Communication nor Intercourse between your Power of choosing and your Power of acting; so that as you cannot derive the Good that is in your Will to your Practice, so neither can you attribute the Evil that is in your Practice to your Will; all which is as false, and you know it is so, as any Contradiction in Nature. So that a thorough Reformation of Life, you see, is a necessary Fruit and Effect of Repentance, and you may as well suppose a Sun without Light, as Repentance without Amendment, if there be Time and Opportunity for it; for if a Man outlives the Change of his Mind, there is not a more necessary Connexion between his Life and his Motion, than there is between the Change of his Mind and the Reformation of his Manners. And hence we find, that to repent and turn from our evil ways, to repent and do our first Works, to repent and be converted, to repent and turn to God, are in Scripture very often put together to denote the inseparable Connexion that there is between them.  
2. Another necessary Fruit and Effect of our Repentance is a profound Humility and Self-Abasement; for between Pride and Repentance there is as direct an Opposition, as between any Vice and Virtue whatsoever. To repent of a Fault is to be ashamed of it, to condemn and abhor one's self for it, to hate and renounce it as vile and abominable; and for a Man to do this, and at the same time to be highly opinionated of his own Desert, and plumed with glorious Conceits of himself, is impossible: such a Sense of our own Shame and Vileness as is implied in a serious and hearty Repentance, can no more consist with a haughty Look, a puffed and selfconceited Mind, than Light with Darkness, or excessive Heat with bitter Cold. And upon this Account the Baptist might well upbraid the Pharisees, who were a Sect of the most bloated Monsters that appeared in humane Forms; and yet by offering themselves to his Baptism of Repentance, pretended to be true Penitents. O ye proud Wretches, do you pretend to Repentance? you that have swelled yourselves with Self-Conceit till ye are ready to burst again! you that are so full of yourselves that you can never forbear overflowing with self Applause and Vainglory! that like a company of Bladders are blown up with your own Breath, and swell and look big, and yet have nothing but Wind in you! go, bring forth fruits meet for Repentance; let me see you grow more humble, mean and prostrate in your own Opinions, and when by this Effect I am satisfied that you are Penitents indeed, I will readily admit you to this my Baptism of Repentance. And God knows, we have too many such Pharisaical Pretenders to Repentance, that under a dejected Look, a solemn Face and whining Tone do carry as haughty selfconceited Minds as the proudest Pharisees of them all; that having been affected a little with the Sense of their Sins, and cast down with the frightful Apprehensions of God's Wrath and Displeasure, or that having suffered the Terrors of the Spleen, and acted through a few tragical Scenes of Melancholy, Fancy, and Passion, are presently borne aloft out of the Spirit of Bondage, as they call it, with such towering and magnificent Conceits of their own Sanctity and Goodness, as causes them to look down with Contempt upon ordinary Mortals, to despise their Superiors, and vilify their Betters, and separate themselves into Parties, that monopolise all Sanctity and Godliness to themselves; which, whatsoever these Men may think, is doubtless a very dangerous Symptom of a rotten and diseased Repentance. For he that hath truly repent of his Sins, must necessarily have discovered Cause enough in them to humble and abase himself in his own Eyes; and he that after such a Prospect of his own Baseness and Vileness as is necessary to Repentance, can upon the next Review applaud and admire himself, and grow fond and conceited of his own Excellencies, hath a Judgement with two Ends like a Prospective, with which he can lessen or magnify himself as oft as he pleases.  
3. Another necessary Fruit of Repentance is Modesty. He that is so throughly sensible of a Fault as heartily to repent of it, will be thereby instructed to behave himself more modestly for the future. The Sense of his Fault will cool his Confidence, and render him more bashful and moderate in all his Pretensions and Expectations. Should I see a Company of Rebels, upon a Pretence of having repent of their Disloyalty, not only lay Claim to their Prince's Mercy, but presently fall foul upon his faithful Adherents, and call themselves his best and most loyal Subjects, and pretend to his greatest Favours and Rewards; I should certainly suspect that they had no Sense of their Gild, but that in their Hearts they were as very Rebels as ever. And thus, when upon pretence that having heartily repent of our Rebellions against God, we presently grow bold and confident, and begin to crow over those who were never involved in our Guilts, as a Company of carnal and moral Wretches; when we are immediately flushed with triumphant Assurances of God's Love, and our Loyalty to him, and nothing will serve our Turns but to be presently counted his Darlings and Favourites, it is a very ill sign that we were never yet truly ashamed of our Rebellions; that whatever we pretend, our Wills are as stubborn and disloyal as ever. And this was the true Genius of the Pharisees whom the Baptist doth here so severely reprehend; who being a proud and conceited Generation, as I showed you before, made no doubt but God valued them at the same rate as they valued themselves; and tho' in reality they were a Pack of as ill-conditioned Knaves as ever walked demurely under the Cloak of Religion, tho' they were as factious and turbulent, as covetous, griping, and oppressive as the Devil himself could make them, yet because forsooth they were zealous for their Party, and the Opinions of their Sect, and the little Modes and Affectations that distinguished them from other Men, they blew themselves up into as high a Confidence of God's Favour to them, as if they had been the most Saintly and Godlike Souls in the World, and did so wholly engross and monopolise the Kindness of Heaven to themselves, that they would scarce allow the least share of it to any of the rest of Mankind; notwithstanding which they pretended to be Penitents, and as such, it seems would feign have been admitted to John's Baptism. But he, considering how inconsistent their Humour was to their Pretence, bids them go bring forth fruits meet for Repentance: As much as if he should have said, You are a special sort of Penitents indeed! one would think by the Confidence of your Talk and Behaviour, you had no Sins to repent of: why you are the godly Party, the only Favourites of Heaven, and will allow none but yourselves to pretend to the Smiles of God's Countenance. Go for shame; if you would be accounted Penitents, behave yourselves as such, learn to be more modest, to live as becomes Persons that are deeply affected with their Sins and ashamed of their Guilts, and then perhaps I may see cause to admit you to my Baptism. And certainly 'tis a very ill sign, when after a few Pangs of Sorrow and Compunction Men are presently perking up into Confidence and Assurance; when they will needs be at the Top of the Ladder before ever they have touched the lowermost Rounds, and be gaping for secret Incomes and Manifestations of God's Love before they have manifested their Repentance by their Obedience to him. Sure if they were but as sensible of their Gild as they ought to be, they would be contented to lie still a while with their Mouths in the Dust, and be satisfied that they are not desperate of being restored to God's Favour, but are admitted to hope well, that by God's Blessing on their Endeavours they shall at length arrive to such a state of Goodness as will entitle them to God's Favour and eternal Life. And such Modesty the Sense and Shame of their Gild would teach them, if it were such as is necessary to an hearty and unfeigned Repentance.  
4. Another necessary Fruit of Repentance is Candour and Gentleness towards others. He that hath been so affected with the sense of his own Faults as heartily to repent of them, will not be very forward to censure and condemn the Faults of others: his Mind is so oppressed with the load of his own Sins, that he is not at leisure to find Fault with other Men; or if he were, yet deeply conscious, as he is, what abundant Reason he hath to find Fault with himself, that gags and silences him. His own Sins fly in his Face while he is censuring other men's; while he is pertly exposing his Neighbour's Fault, his Conscience twits him in the Teeth, and tells him, the Devil rebukes Sin, so that in his own Defence he is forced to be candid and favourable to others, being conscious should he severely reflect upon their Faults, he should thereby libel and upbraid his own. And indeed, 'tis a certain sign that Men have little or no Sense of the Evil and Baseness of their own Sins, when they are so forward and flippant in animadverting upon other men's. Should you hear a deformed Wretch exposing another Man for the Blemishes of his Nature, the Disproportion of his Parts, or the Irregularity of his Features, you would doubtless conclude that either he imagined himself to be very handsome, or designed to make a satire on his own Ugliness. And so when I hear Men that are great Sinners themselves briskly declaiming against the Sins of others, I cannot but conclude that either they conceit themselves to be innocent, or have a mind to expose their own Gild and Shame; but to be sure, were they but as sensible of their own Shame as they ought to be, that would restrain them from throwing Dirt upon others. And doubtless it was upon this Consideration among others, that the Baptist doth here so tartly upbraid the Pharisees; who tho' they had rendered themselves by their malignant Tempers and Practices the greatest Pests and Mischiefs of Soceity, the most direct Antipodes to the Nature of God, and the eternal Laws of Righteousness, were yet the severest Censurers of other men's Actions in the World. What tragical Clamours did they make against the Publicans and Sinners for playing the Beast while they themselves played the Devil? What base Interpretations did they make of the holy and innocent Freedoms of our Saviour, whom because he was not of their sour and unsociable Temper, they damned for a Wine-bibber, and a Friend of Publicans and Sinners? In a word, who was more forward than they to emblazon the Faults of other Men, to fetch and carry scandalous Reports, and shake their Heads at the Iniquities of the Times, when, God knows, they themselves were the greatest Plagues and Scandals of the Age they lived in? And with all this Rancour and Bitterness of Temper they would needs pretend to be Penitents; upon which the Baptist bids them bring forth such Fruits as were proper for Penitents. As if he should have said, One may easily discern what goodly Penitents you are, how deeply you are affected with your own Sins by the Noise and Clamour you make against other men's: you have Wickedness enough of your own to censure and make Invectives on, but while you should be looking inwards, your Eyes are in the Ends of the Earth, observing other men's Faults and Miscarriges. Go, if you would appear to be Penitents, learn to be more severe upon your selves and more candid to other Men, to make the worst of your own Faults, and the best of your Neighbours; and then I shall have reason to hope that you are Penitents indeed. But 'tis fulsome Hypocrisy for Men to pretend to Repentance whilst they are bitterly censorious and apt to judge hardly of other Men. And to Men of Understanding there is nothing can be more ridiculous, than to see one that is just fallen off from a lewd and dissolute Course of Life, presently set up for a Censor of the Age, and with a wise and serious Forehead animadverting upon the Freedoms, and declaiming against the Debaucheries of this or t'other Man; which whatsoever he may think, is a plain Demonstration that he hath never been duly affected with the Sense of his own Sin, and that he is only changing one kind of Wickedness for another. For were he but throughly convinced how bad he hath been himself, he would be ashamed to clamour, and inveigh against other Men, and the great sense he would have of the Beam in his own Eye, would make him less apt to take notice of the Mote in his Neighbours.  
5. Another necessary Fruit of Repentance is, Simplicity of Heart and Integrity of Manners towards the Party offended; for though 'tis a Maxim in Policy not to trust to a reconciled Enemy, yet could I be secure of the Sincerity of his Reconciliation, I should have more reason to trust him than a constant Friend; because if he be throughly sensible that he hath unjustly offended me and hath heartily repent of it, 'tis reasonably to be supposed that he will not only use me as a Friend for the future, but as a Friend whom he hath injured and unjustly provoked, and consequently that the sense of the Injury he hath done me, will make him supererogate in Friendship, and by a Superabundance of good Offices endeavour not only to discharge what the Laws of Friendship exact, but also to expiate the unjust Provocations he hath given me. For the very Sense of a past Injury, when it is heartily repent of, doth naturally kindle into a cordial Affection towards him whom we have injured: And thus, if we have heartily repent of our Sins against God, the Sense of what is past will render us more sincere and cordial to him for the future; and by how much the more we have provoked and offended him, by so much the more studious we shall be to serve and obey him. But if our pretended Repentance produces in us no other Effect but an outward Show of Obedience, and renders us more studious to appear good than to be so; if it puts us upon picking and choosing our Duty, upon being zealous about small things to compensate our Negligence and Remissness about great, it is an infallible sign that it is merely pretended, and that all the Shows we make of Reconciliation are nothing but mere Vizors and Counterfeits. And such was the Temper and Disposition of the Pharisees, they took care to disguise themselves in a pompous Form of Godliness, and to carry a very demure and sanctified Outside. Their Looks were solemn, austere, and mortified, their Tongues all tipped with the Language of Canaan, their Motions and Gestures were artificially composed to the Tune of a humble and heavenly Mind. They fasted thrice a Week, and prayed so long that they made all the Streets ring again with their loud and clamorous Devotions, and gave Alms too now and then in a good Echo whence they might be sure to hear their Charities resounded after them in Praises and Commendations. They kept a mighty Noise about the Fringes and Phylacteries, the external Circumstances and Appendages of Religion, and were most zealous Assertors of pure Ordinances and pure Worship: but under all this Formality our Saviour tells them they were whited Sepulchers, who tho' they look gloriously without, are full of Rottenness within. For this demure Outside of theirs was only a Disguise under which they cheated and played the Knaves more securely. Their long Prayers were nothing but specious Introductions to their Rapines and Oppressions. Their Alms were their Decoys which they sent forth on purpose to train simple and well-meaning People into their nets. Their zeal for the Mint and Cummin was the varnish of their Fraud and Injustice. Their long Fasts for Reformation were stirups to their Ambition of being uppermost, and their constant Refreshments after them were Widows and Orphans tears. In a word, they would cheat in saintly Language, play the Knaves with their Hands and Eyes lift up to Heaven, and while they seemed to be as fervent as Angels in their Devotions, they were as false and treacherous as Devils in their Dealings. And yet these base People would needs have been admitted for Penitents to the Baptism of john; who considering the Inconsistency of their Temper with their Pretence, tartly upbraids them and bids them bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance; that is, learn to be more simple and sincere in their Carriage towards their offended God, study more to be Penitents than to appear such; contract your Show into Reality, and let it appear by your sincere Respect to God, and Devotion to his Service, that you do heartily repent of your Rebellions against him. And certainly there can be nothing more suspicious than for a young Penitent to affect to make a great Show of Religion; for true Repentance is naturally bashful and modest, it shuns the Theatre, the tops of houses, and the corners of Streets, and is best pleased with Silence and Retirement; and provided God sees its Tears and hears its Sighs and holy Purposes, it desires no other Spectator or Auditor. For the great Design of a Penitent is to reconcile himself to God, and if he be but so sensible of his Sin as heartily to repent of it; by how much the more he hath offended him for the time past, by so much the more he will study to please him for the time to come.  
6. And lastly, Another necessary Fruit of Repentance is Caution and Wariness for the future not to offend again in the same or the like Instances. For Repentance is a penal Duty in which a Man undergoes some degree of the smart and punishment of his Fault, in which he endures the Shame and Confusion of a guilty Mind, the Regrets and Remorses of an awakened Conscience; and the burnt Child, we say, will dread the Fire. He that hath undergon the severe Discipline of a deep and solemn Repentance will be sure to take warning by it; and be very cautions for the future not to approach those sins for which he hath smarted so severely. And hence we find that Repentance is not only expressed in Scripture by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a Change of Mind, but also by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies an After-Care; which shows that though the Essence of Repentance consists in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Change of our mind, yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, or an After-Care to avoid those sins from which our Minds are changed and converted, is a necessary Effect and Fruit of Repentance; it being an usual Figure in Scripture to express Causes by their most natural and easy Effects. And indeed when I see Men boldly approaching and venturing towards those Vices of which they pretend to have heartily repent, I cannot but suspect that their Repentance is nothing but a Pretence, that 'twas only a present Pet and Distaste that they took against their sin upon some ungrateful Accident, or under a sudden Qualm of Conscience, and that it never proceeded so far as to a cool and deliberate Change of their Judgement and Resolution concerning it. For certainly had they undergon those Lashes of Conscience, those sharp and cutting Reflections that are usually necessary to prepare the way for such a Change, they could never be so foolhardy as to play upon the hole of the Asp again, and to thrust their hands into the den of the Cockatrice after they have been so severely stung by it; and the Remembrance of those Agonies of Soul, those Spasms and Convulsions of Conscience which their sin hath already cost them, would make them tremble to think of it and be instead of a seamark to forewarn and terrify them from approaching it again. But such was the humour of the Pharisees, that though they pretended to be Penitents, yet when it served their Cause and Interest they were as bold and venturous at an evil Action as ever. For so our Saviour long after this Reprehension of the Baptist, and consequently after this their pretence of Repentance, charges them with being as intimate and familiar with their old Vices as ever. It was their way indeed, and so it was always, to make their Religion a Cloak and Pretence for their Wickedness; but to serve their own Faction, which they called propagating the Glory of God, they esteemed nothing unlawful. And though in any point that was repugnant to the Interest of their Sect they were the most nice and scrupulous People in the World; yet to serve their Cause they could lie and forswear themselves with the help of a juggling Reserve or Distinction, as our Saviour observes of them Matth. xxiii. 16. And no doubt but they could have taken Oaths and Sacraments too against their Consciences to keep their Placcs in the Sanhedrim, and there carry on their factious and turbulent Designs. It being therefore evident by their being so venturous upon sinful Actions, that their Pretence to Repentance was false, the Baptist dismisses them with this severe Admonition, go bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance; i. e. let me see you more wary and cautions of running into those sinful Courses of which you now pretend to repent, and then I shall have some reason to believe that you are Penitents indeed. And certainly while a Man affects to draw near to his old Sins, and to dwell in the Neighbourhood of them, whilst he delights in their Remembrance, and loves to sport and entertain himself with their fantastic Pleasures, while he affects to dwell within View of their Temptations, to venture to the very Edge and Brink of them, to the very utmost Limits of lawful and innocent; it is a very ill sign that he never had that thorough Sense of their Malignity and Danger that is necessary to an hearty Repentance; for if he had, he would be afraid of all Approaches and Tendencies towards them, and be ready to start and run away not only from the sins themselves but even from their Appearances and Resemblances.  
And thus I have endeavoured to give you an Account of the natural Fruits and Effects of true Repentance, by considering of which and impartially consulting our own Experience of ourselves, we may easily determine whether the Repentance we pretend to, if we pretend to any at all, be true or false. We live in an Age that doth so abound with all sorts and degrees of Wickedness, that a Man can hardly mention any kind of Wickedness, or party of wicked men that are branded for such either in Sacred or Profane History, but it is presently suspected that his design is to reproach and expose some Party or other among ourselves. And I confess if men will set themselves to guessing who is meant by the Pharisees, and who by the Sadducees, they may find Parallels enough of both in this degenerate Age; and, God knows they go together too often now in pursuance of worse Designs than those Sadducees and Pharisees that came together to John's Baptism. But if any should ask me who or what Party of Men it is I reflect upon in these severe Representations I have made of Pharisaical Pretenders to Repentance, I can truly answer that I intent no one Party of whatsoever Denomination; there being among all Parties a great many that do not so much as pretend to Repentance, and among most, as I verily hope, a great many that do more than pretend to it. But the Pharisees whom I mean are those whom the Baptist and after him our Saviour himself do so smartly inveigh against; and if you please to consult St. Matthew xxiii, you will there find them treated with much more Severity by the meekest and most charitable Person that ever was. But if in any Party among ourselves there be any such Hypocrites and false Pretenders to Repentance as these Pharisees were, as I doubt there are too many among all Parties, I must then ingenuously acknowledge that I mean them too. And if any thing that hath been said should reflect upon and gall them, they ought to consider that that is their own Fault. They may avoid being Hypocrites, but We must not avoid declaiming against Hypocrisy, and when ever we do so, we must reflect upon them whether we will or no. If Men will be Hypocrites, our Saviour's Sermon as well, as this will upbraid and expose them, and if it doth so, 'tis not his Fault but theirs who made themselves obnoxious to his Satyrs and Invectives. The only way for you to avoid the Edge of such Reflections is to become honest and sincere Penitents, but if you will not, you must thank yourselves, if it cuts and wounds you. For if our Saviour himself had stood this day in this Place, and preached over his Sermon to the Pharisees, it would have been impossible for you not to have been touched and concerned at it, and if you should be so disingenuous as to fall foul on me, as they did on him, I will only propose St. Paul's Quere to you, am I therefore become your Enemy, because I tell you the Truth? and so I have done with the second thing proposed, which was to show you what are the proper Fruits and Effects of Repentance.  
3. I now proceed to the Third and last Argument, namely to show the indispensible Necessity of bringing forth these Fruits, which I shall endeavour to make appear by these following Instances.  

1. That we should bring forth these meet Fruits of Repentance is necessary to the Satisfaction of God.  
2. It is necessary to the Satisfaction of our own Consciences.  
3. It is necessary to the Obligation of Repentance.  
4. It is necessary to the Perfection of our Natures.   
1. That we should bring forth these meet Fruits of Repentance is necessary to the Satisfaction of God. For though it be wholly owing to Christ's Satisfaction, that lost Sinners are admitted to a Possibility of recovering themselves by the Aftergame of Repentance, yet God we see hath declared, that without our Repentance he will not be satisfied. Neither indeed doth Christ's Satisfaction extend to final Impenitence, it cancels none of our Guilts but only those which we heartily repent of, but as to all the rest we are as accountable to the Tribunal of God as if he had never died for us. So that all the Favour which the meritorious satisfaction of our Saviour hath obtained for us is only this, that our Repentance shall be accepted instead of our Punishment, that is, that if we unfeignedly repent of our sins, we shall thereupon be set as right in the sight of God and in the court of Heaven, as if we had undergon the utmost Rigour of the Law. So that now our Repentance being accepted of by God instead of our Punishment, it is necessary that it should be such a Repentance as doth in some measure answer and fulfil the Ends of our Punishment. For since 'tis for wise and good Ends that God punishes, it is not to be expected that he will accept of any thing in the stead of our Punishment which doth not in some measure fulfil and accomplish those Ends; and this no Repentance can do but that which produces the proper Fruits of Repentance. For the principal End of Punishment is either to amend the Criminal himself, or to warn others not to imitate his Sins by the Example of his Sufferings, which Ends can never be effected by our Repentance unless it produce in us the visible Fruits of Amendment. For suppose it possible that I should have internally repent, i. e. that my Mind should be really changed, that in my judgement I should absolutely condemn my sinful Courses, and in my Will I should be peremptorily resolved against them, and no actual and visible Reformation should follow; if this I say were possible, it is plain my Repentance would be wholly ineffectual both as to my own Amendment and the Amendment of others. If indeed I actually avoided the Sins I condemn and am resolved against, my Repentance would effect the Ends of my Punishment, that is, it would make me a better Man, it would reform my Nature, rectify my Motions, and extinguish my bad Inclinations and corrupt Principles, and prove an effectual Means to reform others too; who by the good Example of my Actions might be as effectually wrought upon, as by the sad Example of my Sufferings. And God having thus obtained his Ends by my Repentance, there is very good reason why he should dispense with my Punishment. But if after I have condemned my Sin and resolved against it, neither my self nor other Men can be reformed and amended by it, this Change of my Mind will have no influence on my Nature, it will never correct its disorderly Affections, nor subdue its wild and extravagant Inclinations; but leave it altogether as vicious and degenerate as it found it. Neither will it have any good Influence upon others, because it doth not appear to them in any visible Effects. So that it is only by bringing forth its natural Fruits that our Repentance or Change of Mind serves the Ends of God's Punishments, and 'tis unreasonable to expect that God should accept of our Repentance for our Punishment, when it doth not at all serve the purpose of our Punishment. For this would be to defeat himself, to countermine and baffle his own Intentions, and fond to give up his wise and good Ends to the Obstinacy and Perverseness of his Creatures. You would fain have God dispense with your Punishment; well, but you ought to consider that there are very wise and good Ends that he drives at in punishing you. Would you have him give up these Ends? that is unreasonable, that is to desire him to acknowledge that his Ends are not worth aiming at. Why what is to be done then? I will tell you what, you must give him his Ends by your Repentance, that is, by bringing forth such Fruits of Repentance as will effectually amend you, and contribute to amend others, and then you may be secure that God will be satisfied; but if not, be assured he will prosecute his Ends by your Punishment and take care to warn others by the sad example of your Sufferings, since you would not take care to warn them by the good example of your Actions.  
2. That we should bring forth these meet Fruits of Repentance is also necessary to the Satisfaction of our Consciences; for without such Fruits a Man can never be rationally satisfied that his Repentance is real and sincere for if we have made any Observation upon ourselves, we cannot but be sensible of our own Fickleness and Mutability, how many Sorts of Men we are under our several Circumstances, how our Mind veers about upon every change of Wind, and into what contrary Tempers it is moulded upon contrary Chances and Contingencies. And having such an abundant Experience of our own Inconsistency, how can we rationally conclude upon every Variation of Temper. That this or that is our fixed Judgement or our standing Resolution, that the Mind we are now in will not Change upon the next Change of our Circumstances, and that when contrary Accidents occur we shall not take up contrary Resolutions; especially when our Resolutions do oppose our Inclinations, and our Inclinations are perpetually importuned and solicited by outward Objects and Temptations; which is our Case in the matter of Repentance. In this case for Men to conclude from the present Bent and Inclination of their Wills that they are steadily fixed and determined to good Resolutions is a piece of very unreasonable Self-Assurance; for when they know themselves to be so fickle and inconstant in matters to which their Inclinations are more indifferent, how much reason have they to suspect the Firmness of those Resolutions to which their Inclinations are so extremely averse, and from which so many outward Objects are continually beckoning and inviting them? in this case therefore we have no other way to be rationally satisfied of the Firmness and Stability of the change of our Mind but only by the Fruits and Effects of it, for, if when it hath Opportunity, it doth not pass forth into Action, and display itself upon our Lives in an answerable Practice, if it doth not ordinarily restrain us from those Evils it condemns and resolves against, and spur us on to those good things it approves and consents to, it is most certain it is a mere Cheat and Imposture. For let Men say what they please, it is impossible that any Man should live in those vicious Courses which they absolutely condemn and are sincerely resolved against they may now and then quarrel at their sins and take Pet against them upon some little Disappointment or unhandsome Accident, and in the Heat of their Distaste they may condemn and renounce them, but if when their Passion is allayed, they resent and return to them again, it is plain that their Minds were never changed, and that the Current of their judgement and Will was only interupted by a contrary Gust; but that it was never diverted into a contrary Channel. So that what our Saviour asserts of Men is as true of their Repentance, the Tree is known by its Fruits; if our Repentance be genuine, it will bring forth the Fruit of Reformation, but if it be barren or bring forth nothing but Leaves and good Words and Professions, it is certainly Spurious and Hypocritical. However therefore Men may juggle with and impose upon their Consciences with false Shows and Semblances, they can never hope to be rationally satisfied of the Truth of their Repentance till the natural Fruits and Effects of it appear in their Lives and Conversations.  
3. That we should bring forth these meet Fruits of Repentance, is also necessary to satisfy the Obligation of Repentance: for Repentance is not required of us merely for its own sake, but in order to the Fruits and Effects of it; and the Reason why God obliges us to this Change of our Mind, is, because it is a necessary Introduction to a thorough Change and Reformation of our Manners; and for a Man to condemn Sin in his Judgement merely to condemn it, and resolve against it in his Will merely to resolve against it, is so far from being a Virtue, that it is a ridiculous Impertinence. And if we still practise what we condemn, and do what we resolve against, we are so far from answering the Obligation of Repentance, that we do but enhance and aggravate our Impenitence. For he that doth what he condemns sins against his Knowledge, and flies in the face of his own Convictions; and he that doth what he resolves against, sins against his Promise, and basely falsifies his own Engagements. So that the mere Change of our Mind, you see, abstractedly considered, doth by no means answer the Obligation to Repentance, because the Obligation doth not terminate in it self, but is made with respect to the natural Effects of such a Change; and because this Change in it self is of no farther Use and Significancy in Religion than as it is pregnant with and productive of those Effects. For either the Sin which I condemn in my judgement is such an Evil as I ought to shun and avoid, or it is not; if it be not, it is no Virtue for me to condemn that for an Evil which I need not take care to avoid; if it be, it is a Folly to condemn it, unless I also avoid it. And so again, either the Duty I consent to and resolve upon in my Will is necessary to be done, or it is not; if it be not, it is unnecessary for me to resolve to do it; if it be, it is in vain to resolve to do it unless I perform my Resolution. For as a cipher which is only in order to a Number signifies nothing, unless a Number be added to it; so a Resolution, which is only in order to Action, is perfectly insignificant, unless it be seconded with Action. And since it is nothing but the Necessity of doing what we resolve that can make it necessary for us to resolve to do it, we must either deny the Necessity even of our resolving to amend, or acknowledge the Necessity of our actual Amendment. So that that inward Change of our Mind which Repentance imports being required only in order to the outward Change of our Manners, it is impossible we should satisfy the Obligation of Repentance without bringing forth the Fruits of actual Amendment.  
4. And lastly; That we should bring forth these meet Fruits of Repentance is also necessary to accomplish the great Work and Design of Repentance, which is to repair the Decays and Ruins of our Nature, and recover it from the Diseases it hath contracted by sinful Courses to a State of Health and Perfection. For Repentances suppose a degeneracy of our Nature, and the great Business and Design of it is to raise and recover us. And hence the Prodigals Repentance is called coming to himself Luke xv. 17. implying that before he was gone from himself, that he had abandoned his Reason by which he was constituted a Man, forsaken the Guide and leading Principle of his Nature, and was degenerated either into a Beast or a Devil; which is a very proper Description of the State of Sinners, who when they depart from God do depart from themselves, and run out of Humanity into Bestiality or Devilishness. For they do not govern themselves by Reason as Men should do, but by their Passions and Appetites as Beasts and Devils do; they turn a deaf Ear to the voice of their Reason and Conscience, and constantly choose and refuse what their own black Passions or brutish Appetites direct them, and in the whole course of their Lives do act like upright Beasts or incarnate Devils. The proper business therefore of Repentance is to bring back these Vagrants, to themselves, and restore them to their Wits and Reason, to rescue them out of the Hands of Passion and Appetite, and put them under the Power of Reason and Conscience, that so for the future they may live like themselves and as becomes rational Being's that are related to God and one another. This is the proper work of Repentance, which it can never effect without it bring forth its natural Fruits. For he that so reputes of his evil Courses, as not to correct and reform them, how is it possible he should ever be the better for it, when he moves not a step forward from the corrupt and degenerate State of his nature, but only dances round in a Circle, and sins and reputes, and reputes and sins, and at last still returns to the same point. The only way to reform our Nature and subject its Passions and Appetites to its Reason, is to live well, and regulate our Actions by the Laws of Reason and Righteousness; by this we shall by degrees tame and reduce our irregular Inclinations, and readvance our Reason to its native Throne and Dominion: by forcing ourselves, as we must do at first, to the Practice of Virtue and Religion, we shall by degrees acquire virtuous Dispositions, and those will improve into virtuous Habits, and those in the end will grow to Perfection. But if we only condemn our Sins and resolve against them, but do not actually renounce and forsake them; instead of bettering our Nature we shall more and more debauch and deprave it, and be still declining from bad to worse, and from worse to worse, till at last our Disease becomes desperate and incurable. So that it is indispensibly necessary, you see, that we should bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance, because, unless we do, it is impossible our Repentance should ever accomplish the Work it is designed for; that it should heal and reform our nature, extinguish its vicious Inclinations, and adorn it with those Graces wherein its Beauty and Perfection consists: and we were every whit as good not to repent at all, as to repent so as to be never the better for it. And now give me leave to conclude this Argument with a few Inserences.  
1. From hence I infer what a ridiculous thing it is for Men to make a fond Pretence of zeal for Religion, while the direct Contraries to all the natural Fruits of Repentance do most visibly appear in their Lives and Conversations. I confess of all the offices that belong to a Preacher, I am naturally the most averse to that of Reprehension. I do not love to expose men's Faults, and rake in their filthy Dunghills; and 'tis not only my Charity to Mankind but also the Indisposition of my Nature to find fault, that makes me so heartily wish, O would to God that Men were once so good as to need no Reprehension! that so we might have nothing to do but to praise and encourage them, to excite them to go on with the Comforts of Religion and the just Applauses and Encomiums of their Virtues. But alas we live in an Age that would make a Stone to speak, and force any Man of any Conscience, in despite of all the Candour and Modesty of his nature, to cry aloud against the fulsome Hypocrisies and Impostures that look through our most glorious Pretences to Religion. For, for God's sake Sirs, is it not a Shame, a burning Shame to hear a Company of professed Atheists and notorious Knaves set up for Zealots and Reformers, and raise a Clamour for Liberty of Conscience, and pure Ordinances? as for the sober and pious Dissenters, I can bear their mistakes with as much Tenderness and Compassion as any Man, and can make them as large Allowances as I could reasonably desire for my self, if I were in their Condition. But when I see Men rank themselves under the Banners of Religion, that live in open Hostility to its Commands and Precepts, that make no Conscience of blaspheming the Name of God, traducing his Vicegerents and Representatives, defaming and defrauding their Neighbours, and exposing the most Sacred and Serious things to Scorn and Derision; I cannot but suspect that there is Mischief behind the Curtain, what zealous Appearances soever they may make upon the Stage. For it can never enter into my Head, and I wonder how it should into any Bodies else, that those Men should ever design well to Religion, whose Principles and Practices are so openly irreligious. They may pretend Religion, for that is so venerable a Name that 'twill serve to set a fair Colour upon the ugliest Intentions; but tho' we may be deceived by a well disguised Hypocrisy, yet sure we can never believe that Profaneness is in earnest, when it pretends to be zealous for Religion and a through Reformation. O would to God that Men would at last be so honest as to appear what they are, or at least not be so ridiculous, as to pretend the quite contrary to what they appear! it would make any honest heart bleed to see how Religion, how the Protestant Religion is rendered cheap and vile by the impudent Pretences which bad Men make to it; Men whose Lives are bad enough to disgrace Popery itself, and who are Protestants only because they are not Papists. In the name of God, Sirs, what have you to do with any Religion, and much more with the Protestant, which by its pure and honest Principles defies and renounces you, which abominates your designs and disavows your Actions, and blushes to see how you Profane and Scandalise it by pretending Friendship to and Familiarity with it. For what will strangers think of it, that understand not its Principles, when they hear such as you claim such an intimate Acquaintance with it? how prone will they be to suspect that 'tis a Religion for your tooth, and that it shelters and patronizes you in all your Wickedness? wherefore for God's sake be at length so just to the Reputation of that Religion you pretend so much zeal for, as either to bring forth the Fruits of it by living up to its Principles, or not concern yourselves any farther about it. For this I am sure of, while such as you pretend to it, it loses much more by the Disgrace which your Lives do cast upon it, than ever it is like to gain by your zeal and your Clamour for it.  
2. Hence I also infer how extremely insufficient that Repentance is, which the Church of Rome doth frankly approve and allow of; which is such as plainly evacuates and supersedes the Necessity of bringing forth the natural Fruits of Repentance; as any one may easily apprehend that will but take the pains impartially to consider the Chain of that Church's Principles. For first the Council of Trent teaches that Attrition, which is nothing but a Sorrow for Sin proceeding from the Fear of Punishments, doth dispose Men to receive Grace in the Sacrament of Penance, and that all the Sacraments of the Gospel, of which Penance is one, do actually confer grace upon those that are disposed for it. So that if he hath but the Grace to be afraid of Hell and to be sorry that he is in Danger of it, it is but confessing his Sins to a Priest and undergoing a short trifling Penance, and upon a few words of Absolution he shall presently be dubbed a true Penitent, and be as effectually instated in the Favour of God as if he had brought forth all the Fruits of Repentance. And this Bellarmine tells us is the current Judgement of all their Divines; which if it be true, poor judas had very ill luck to be damned; for according to this Doctrine he was throughly disposed for justification, it being out of mere Attrition that he hanged himself; so that had he had but a Priest to have administered Penance and Absolution to him, that Grace that made him hang himself, would have entitled him to Heaven. 'Tis true indeed they tell us that there is a certain Penance which Men must undergo for their sins in this Life and that if they should not perform what is imposed upon them, or if what is imposed should not be sufficient to satisfy God's Justice, they must be forced to make it up by their Sufferings in Purgatory. But even against this too that Church hath contrived an excellent Remedy, and that is the Treasury of the superabundant Merits of Christ and the Saints, of which at very reasonable Rates Men may purchase such a share, as will immediately pay off all their Purgatory scores, how great soever their present Sins, and how small soever their present Penances are. For out of this Treasury of Merit you may have Indulgence for a Hundred, a Thousand, or a Hundred Thousand Years; and if this will not satisfy, you may besides this have full Indulgence, fuller Indulgence and fullest Indulgence, and 'tis impossible you should ever want Merit to keep your Soul out of Purgatory, if you have but Money and Hearts to pay for it. But if you should still be doubtful, you may secure all, if you please, by listing yourself into an holy Confraternity; for if you will but turn Brother of St. Francis his Cord, you shall presently be entitled to such a stock of Indulgencies as all the Sins you can commit will never be able to out-spend. For at your first putting on this sacred Implement, you have as full and as effectual Pardon as was ever vouchsafed in the Sacrament of Baptism. And afterwards should you fall into mortal Sin, 'tis but taking so much Pains as to walk after the monthly Procession, and you shall have a plenary Indulgence which shall attend your holy Cord to the very Article of your Death. Besides which, you shall have your share in all the superabundant Merits of the Saints, of the Order of Saint Roses, and Saint Clara's and Saint Francis himself, who by preaching to Beasts and teaching Larks and Swallows their Chatechism, and silly Sheep to bleat out their Canonical Hours, with sundry other such like holy Feats, could not fail to treasure up a vast stock of Merits in the common Bank of his Fraternity. Or if you would be surer yet, you may enter yourself a Brother of the holy Fraternity of the 150 Beads of St. Dominick, where, for saying over 150 Ave mary's and 15 Pater Nosters in a week, you shall not only be allowed your Dividend of the superabundant Merits of all the Saints from Adans, and as many Indulgencies as you can possibly have occasion for your self; but such an overplus as will be sufficient to redeem 115 Souls yearly out of Purgatory. And it would be a very hard case if with all this tackle you should go to Purgatory yourself. But if the worst come to the worst, it is but inrolling yourself a Brother of St. Simons Scapular; and than if you should go to Purgatory, the Virgin Mary hath engaged herself, if Pope john XXII. doth not foully belly her, to come down to Purgatory every Saturday night, and pull up every Soul thence that hath worn this sacred Vestment into the holy hill of eternal Life. And when a Friar's Cord, or Rochet, or String of Beads are such excellent tools for Men to work out their Salvation with, what need they trouble themselves to bring forth the Fruits of Repentance? had these things been only the Conceits of some particular Members of that Church I should not have mentioned them in this place, because to us they cannot but look extremely ridiculous; but alas they are Cheats that have been founded and established on the Bulls of their Popes, avowed and contended for by their gravest Doctors, and reverenced and believed by the devoutest Members of their Communion. And how can they be obliged to bring forth the Fruits of Repentance, who are furnished with so many pretty Devices to get to Heaven without them?  
3. And lastly, Hence therefore let us all be persuaded heartily to comply with this Injunction, and bring forth the natural Fruits of Repentance; first to form a hearty and deliberate Resolution against our Sins, and then to put it into Execution by forsaking all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and living soberly and righteously and godly in this present World. I do not deny but in this undertaking there are many times very great Difficulties, especially when we first enter upon it, when after a long Course of Folly we begin to reform; for than we must wrestle against our own Inclinations and struggle with inveterate Habits; and this perhaps will put us to a greater trial of our Courage and Constancy than we are now aware of. But if upon a due consideration of the Arguments on both sides we can but once persuade ourselves to a through Resolution of Amendment, in all probability we have broke the heart of the main Difficulty of Repentance. It is I confess a hard thing for a Man to persuade himself against all his Habits and Inclinations, to resolve without any reserve in Cold and Deliberate thoughts upon an universal Reformation, at once to resolve to bid adieu forever to all his darling Lusts and their appendent Pleasures. This, as our Saviour describes it, is like the cutting off of a right Hand and the plucking out of a right Eye; and therefore must doubtless be attended with vehement Struggle and Reluctances; but when this is done, the sharpest Pang of our Repentance is over; and if now we do not wilfully miscarry, these our bitter Throws like the Virgin Mother's, will soon conclude in Songs and Magnificats. For by arming a firm Resolution against them, we have already broken the main strength of our Lusts, so that now we have nothing to do but to pursue our Victory; and if we have but the Courage to keep the ground we have gotten, and to stand firm to our Resolution that so our conquered Foe may not be able to rally and reinforce himself against us; we shall soon be crowned with the Joys of a Victory that will lead us into an everlasting Triumph. For our evil Habits, being for a while kept under a constant and severe Restraint, will by degrees decay and languish, and at last expire; and then the Trouble of contending will be over, and all our consequent Religion will be Sweet, and Natural, and Easie; and we shall reap far more Pleasure and Delight from it than ever we did from the most jolly Course of Sinning. For besides that a Religious Life is in itself more agreeable to our rational Faculties, and consequently more grateful unto Humane Nature, whose noblest Pleasures do result from the Exercise of her highest Faculties, and whose highest Faculties are never so vigorously exercised as within the sphere of a Religious Life: Besides which I say we shall therein find an unspeakable Satisfaction of Mind, and such a Calm of Conscience, and such ravishing joys and Delights springing out of our sense of the Love of God and our Hopes of a blessed Immortality hereafter, as will abundantly compensate all our Labours past, and render them not only tolerable but delightsom. For how can I think any Pains intolerable, the Endurance whereof will create a constant Harmony within me, will Crown me with the Applause of my own Mind, will endear me to the Fountain of all Love and Goodness, and entertain me with the Hopes of being as happy after a few moments as all the Joys of an everlasting Heaven can make me? But I beseech you to consider, is it not much easier to endure the Agonies of a bitter Repentance, than the horrid Despair of a damned Ghost? to thwart a foolish and unreasonable Lust, than to roar forever upon the Rack of a self-condemning Conscience? if it be so grievous to us to contend with an evil habit and struggle a while with a stiff and obstinate Inclination, to resolve and strive and watch and pray against them, Lord, how grievous will it be to dwell with everlasting Burnings, and to endure the dire Effects of thy unquenchable Fury forever? and yet one of these must certainly be endured, for between them there is no medium. Wherefore seeing we are under such an absolute Necessity of enduring Hell or the Difficulties of Repentance, in the Name of God let us but act like Men, and of the two choose that which is most tolerable, and then I am sure we shall follow the counsel of the Text, and bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance.   
MATTHEW XXV. 10. last part. 
And the Door was shut.  
THESE Words are the close of the Parable of the ten-Virgins, whom our Saviour distributes into five Wise and five Foolish, and by them he represents the different Carriage and Fate of Men both good and bad. For the better understanding of which Parable you must know that our Saviour borrowed this, as well as sundry others, from the jewish Doctors, of which our learned Sheringham in his Preface of his Translation of the joma hath given us sundry Instances; of which this is one, which to this purpose he transcribes out of the Gemara Babylonica; Rab. Eliezer said, be sure thou repent the day before thou diest. Upon which his Disciples asked him whether a Man might know that hour of his death; whereunto he answers let a Man therefore repent every day, because he knows not when he shall die. Upon which Rab. jochanan proposes this Parable; a certain rich man prepared a Marriage Feast, to which he called his Servants, but did not tell them the distinct time when this Feast should be: of these Servants some were wise, and some foolish; the wise clothed themselves splendidly, and sitting before their Master's house thus thought with themselves, all things are here prepared, and nothing is wanting; wherefore since we are uncertain what hour we shall be called, we will wait, that so whensoever he calls us. we may be ready to attend. But the foolish sleepy Servants loitered away their time, concluding thus with themselves; we need not be overhasty in making ourselves ready it being yet a great while before we are like to be called. But on a sudden the Master calls them all to the Supper; upon which the Wise appeared before him ready to attend, but the Foolish being unready would fain have gone away to dress themselves: but the King rèjoycing for those who were ready, and being very angry with those that slept, said, you who are ready shall sit down, and Eat and Drink and Rejoice; whilst you that slept shall be shut out of Door; for so saith the Lord, behold my Servants shall eat, but you shall hunger, my Servants shall drink, but you shall thirst. This is the jewish Parable, which for substance being so exactly agreeable with our Saviour's, we may very reasonably conclude that his was only a Copy of that Original; and since the Design of it is evidently to show the Danger of delaying Repentance to the last, we may fairly suppose the Design of our Saviour to be so too. For by the Wise and Foolish Virgins here, our Saviour plainly means good and bad Christians, and by the Marriage feast, that state of Happiness which he hath prepared for the good. By their going forth to meet the Bridegroom is meant their expectation of Christ's Coming, either to their particular, or to the general Judgement. By their Lamps in their hands Expositors generally understand their visible profession of Christanity. By the Oil that made those Lamps to shine, is meant Charity and good Works, which are the Fruits of a sincere Repentance, and the glory and lustre of our Christian Profession. And as for the Wise who by sincere Repentance had prepared themselves for this feast of heavenly Happiness, they are admitted into it; but as for the Foolish that had put off all to the last, though they bestirred themselves very vigorously in this sad Extremity, yet all was to no purpose; for when they came to ask admittance into Heaven, the Door was shut against them, and they are dismissed with this bitter farewell, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. So that the Design of the Words is plainly to represent the sad Catastrophe of a late Repentance, which tho' it may be very active and vigorous when things are reduced to the last extremity, yet proves most commonly ineffectual, and finds the Door of Heaven shut against it.  
That therefore which I design from these Words is this, to explain and state what is the Effect of a Deathbed Repentance, by which I mean such a Repentance as after a long Course of Wickedness begins upon the very near and sensible Approach, either of a natural or violent Death, such as is put off till Death is at the Door, and Men perceive themselves to be departing hence, and going away into Eternity. For as for that Repentance which is begun in Health, when Death is not in view, and Men are in the midst of Temptations to the contrary, it is much more free and ingenuous than that of a Deathbed can be supposed; and consequently though it should be stopped in its progress by a sudden unexpected Death, yet there is much more hope of it: and that which begins also in a long lingering Sickness, though it be not so free as the former, and therefore not so hopeful, yet is there much more hope of it than of that which begins in more acute Diseases, to which Death more suddenly follows; because it hath much more time to grow in, and to finish and complete itself by. That late or Deathbed Repentance therefore concerning which we are now enquiring, must be such a Repentance as begins in the prospect of a near-approaching Death, and to which that Death doth very suddenly follow. Concerning which I shall inquire these three things.  

1. How far it is possible for such a Repentance to be effectual.  
2. How extremely hazardous it is whether it ever actually prove effectual to our Happiness or no.  
3. If it should prove so, yet how impossible it is in an ordinary way for us to attain any comfortable Assurance of it.   
1. How far it is possible for such a Repentance to be effectual. And here I dare not pronounce it to be absolutely and universally Ineffectual, though I confess I am horribly afraid that it very rarely proves otherwise. For the Repentance on which Salvation is entailed necessarily includes a through Change of Soul, that is, a new prevailing judgement and Resolution; and for certain wheresoever this really is there is true Repentance. For the very Life of Repentance consists in the universal Subjection of our Souls to God, and this Subjection consists in such a firm Resolution of Soul to obey him, as, whensoever occasion is offered, will render us actually obedient. I know there are some who place this Subjection of our Souls to God in an universal Habit of Obedience, but surely they do not consider that an Habit of Obedience, which consistsin an inherent Aptness and Facility of obeying, is not attainable under a long progress in Religion, and that in our first Entrance into the religious State we are so far from being habituated to obey God, that we generally obey with a greatdeal of Difficulty; and while we do so, 'tis a Contradiction to say that we are habituated to Obedience. So that by placing the Souls Subjection to God in such a Habit, we undermine the Comfort of all Beginners in Religion, and exclude all those from being faithful Servants who have not conquered the Difficulties of obeying. And therefore I think it much more safe to place our first Subjection to God in a hearty Resolution of obeying; for as Choice and Resolution is the principle of all our voluntary Actions, so it is of our Subjection to God; which being a moral Action must be voluntary, and so begin in Choice or Resolution, from whence if it hath opportunity it will proceed into Action, and that being often repeated will gradually improve into an Habit, and so in time render it natural and easy to us. But if Death should intervene and deprive the Man who is thus sincerely resolved on all opportunities of actual Obedience, that being accidental makes no change in his main State, the Frame and Temper of his Soul remains the same, it goes into Eternity a faithful Subject to God, and had it continued longer here would have expressed its Subjection in all the necessary Acts of Homage and Obedience. And far be it from us to imagine the condition of such a Soul to be desperate, for though it is true that a holy Life is the indispensable Condition of Salvation, yet it is also true that a holy Life is necessarily included in this Subjection of our Souls to God. That Man doth live a holy Life who sincerely submits his Soul to God, and is firmly resolved, as occasion offers, to express his submission in all the external Acts of Homage and Obedience. 'Tis true the Deathbed Penitent hath not opportunity to exercise himself in all the parts of Obedience; he cannot practise Chastity and Temperance, nor any other Virtue, to whose contrary Vice his Sickness hath utterly disabled him; but what of that? neither hath the healthful Penitent always opportunity to practise every Virtue which God enjoins: If he be poor or single, he can no more give Alms, or provide for his Children, than the sick Man can be chaste or temperate, and yet he lives a holy Life, I hope, though he hath no occasion or opportunity to practise either of these Duties. Why then may not the sick Penitent that practices his Duty so far as he hath opportunity, that heartily mourns for his sin, and patiently submits to God's correction, that practices Humility and Devotion, is charitable in forgiving Offences, just in making Restitution for Injuries; why may not such a one be as well said to live a holy Life, when he doth all this out of a hearty Subjection of his Soul to God, though he should have no opportunity to practise some other Virtues. For he who is sincerely resolved to submit to the Laws of Temperance and Chastity, is chaste and temperate though he never have opportunity to practise them, and all the difference between him and one that lives to practise what he resolves is only this, that the latter will practise it, and the former would; and in God's account, who sees the Issues of all our Resolutions, he is as really temperate who would be so if he had opportunity, as he who is so when he hath: so that though his Repentance be not strictly the same with the others, yet it being to the same purpose, we cannot imagine that the good God will damn him only for a punctilio. If therefore it be possible for the Deathbed Penitent to reduce himself to a firm, prevailing Resolution of obeying God, I see no reason to conclude his Condition to be absolutely desperate; for being so resolved, he is a holy Man, though very imperfectly I confess; and if he go into Eternity with that Resolution with him, that will dispose him for some degree of Happiness. For if his Resolution be such as would have prevailed if he had continued in this Life, it will as well prevail in the other; and if it so prevail there as to render him actually obedient, it will be necessary consequence render him in some measure a happy and blessed Spirit; Obedience to God being as natural a Cause of Happiness, as the Sun is of Light, or the Fire of Heat and Burning. All the Difficulty therefore is this, not whether God will accept of such a Resolution, as whether a Deathbed Repentance can be so far improved as to rise to such a Resolution. And here I must needs confess, and shall hereafter make it evident, that the Difficulty of perfecting such a Repentance into such a Resolution is so exceeding great, that it is the greatest madness in the World for any Man to promise himself success before hand whilst he is in Health, and hath so many better opportunities of Repentance in his hand. But that it is absolutely impossible I dare not say for these following Reasons:  
1. Because de facto we sometimes find that the Resolutions of a sick Bed have proved effectual. We know there have been some Men who in a Fit of Sickness when they have looked on themselves as abandoned of all Hopes, have yet betaken themselves to serious Resolutions, which when they have recovered to their former Health, have visibly proved effectual. I confess these Sickbed Resolutions do most commonly die when the Man recovers, and he usually leaves his Bed and his good Purposes together; but since there are some Instances wherein they have held and proved effectual, that is sufficient to demonstrate the Possibility of the Thing: for what hath been, may be; and what Reason can be given why some Men may not perform in Eternity what they promised on their Deathbeds, as well as others do after their Recovery what they promised on their Sick-beds? As therefore the Relapse of most Men from their Sickbed Purposes proves it extremely hard, so the Continuance of others steadfast to them proves it possible for such Purposes to be sincere.  
2. Another thing that proves it possible is this, that upon a Deathbed oft times the Arguments of Repentance have a more immediate Access to the Minds of Men than at any other time, and consequently may be well supposed to be much more effectual and operative. Now the Promises and Threats of Religion will strike more immediately on the Soul, the Goods and Evils which they propose and denounce being nearer at hand, and the Soul perceiving herself within a moment of enjoying the one or suffering the other for ever; and that thick Fog of earthly Cares and Pleasures that interrupted her Prospect into the other World being in a great measure dispelled and scattered, she lies more open and uncovered to the Things of Eternity: and therefore as one thing strikes upon another with a natural Effect, as Light strikes upon the Eye, and Sounds upon the Ear; so eternal Things do upon immortal Spirits when there is nothing between to intercept the Stroke, and make most deep and vigorous Impressions on them. And when Heaven and Hell are so near the Soul that she expects almost every moment to expire into the one or the other, who can tell what strange and sudden Alterations they may make in her Temper and Resolutions? So that though I must confess it is a stupendous Effect for a Soul to be changed in the short Twinkling of a Deathbed Repentance, yet when I consider the mighty Influence which the Arguments of Religion may then be reasonably supposed to have upon her, I dare not say 'tis absolutely impossible; especially considering,  
3. And lastly, That how impossible soever it may be to humane Power, yet 'tis not impossible to the Grace of God. 'Tis true indeed, God ordinarily vouchsafes his Grace to Men proportionably to their Improvement of it; and I confess if he proceeds by this Rule with the dying Penitent, he hath less Reason to expect God's Grace now than in any former Period of his Life. But yet we see the Grace of God doth not always proceed by stated Rules and Proportions, for sometimes God hath given the largest Measures of his Grace to those who have made the least Improvements of it: sometimes very great Sinners have been stopped in their wicked Courses when they least expected it, and turned back by a Grace that was almost irresistible; and tho' this be more ordinary than other Miracles are, so that Men may as reasonably immure themselves, and depend upon God to feed them by Miracle, as put off their Repentance to the last in expectation of having their Souls renewed and changed by such a miraculous Grace; yet who knows but when the poor dying Penitent, under the mighty Hopes and Fears of Eternity, is struggling might and main for his Soul, to rescue it from endless Misery; who knows, I say, but the good God may sometimes, and in some peculiar Cases, take pity upon him, and by a more than ordinary Grace concur with his Endeavours, and render them successful. 'Tis, I confess, a sad State when Things are brought to this Extremity that he has nothing but this to depend on; but yet since the Grace of God is not confined to do thus or thus, and no otherwise; but may, when it pleases, transgress the ordinary Methods of its Procedure. I dare not pronounce the State of those Deathbed Penitents wholly desperate, who heartily implore the divine Assistance, and exert their utmost Strength, and use all means within their Power to change the wicked Temper of their minds. For God may hear and pity them if he please, and if he will, there is no doubt but his own Grace concurring with their Endeavours can produce this happy Effect how great and difficult soever it may be. All that can be said therefore in the Case is this, that an internal Change of Soul from a State of Disobedience to a State of universal Subjection to God, is indispensibly necessary to Salvation; that such a Change is possible to the Deathbed Penitent, and so consequently is the Salvation which depends upon it. But alas, 'tis barely possible, so barely possible, that while I am in my Wits I think I should hardly venture on it for a thousand Worlds. Which brings me to  
2. The next Thing proposed, which was to show you how fearfully hazardous it is, whether a Man that begins his Religion on his Deathbed can actually arrive to that degree of Repentance as is necessary to his future Happiness. And this will plainly appear if we consider,  

1. The great Difficulty of the thing itself.  
2. The Impotency and Indisposition of him that is to perform it.  
3. The little Reason he hath to expect any extraordinary Aid and Assistance from God.   
1. It is extremely hazardous, because of the great Difficulty of the Thing itself. We find by Experience, that after a long Course of Sin, 'tis one of the most difficult Things in the World for a Man to reduce himself to a thorough Resolution of Amendment; for Custom of sinning begets sinful Habits, and sinful Habits are a second Nature to us. So that for a Man to resolve upon a holy Life after he hath been long habituated to the contrary, is to resolve to make War with himself, and to live in open Hostility with the Inclinations of his own Nature; and thus to resolve against the Grain, and incline himself against his own Inclinations, is one of the greatest Acts of Violence that a Man can offer to himself. 'Tis true, in a sudden Heat and Transport it is an easy matter for a Man to resolve upon any thing when he is in a Pet against his Sins, or his Mind is chafed into a religious Temper; but, alas! these inconsiderate Purposes are generally the greatest Cheats in the World, for they rarely, if ever, work any Alteration in the Soul; for though now the Man be in a Pet against his Sins, yet his Judgement of them is the same, and that is the Principle of his standing Resolutions. Men are often angry with their best Friends, and while the Passion continues, they can easily resolve to discard them for ever; but notwithstanding they do so, yet they are Friends still, and love them heartily, though at present they do not perceive it: and as soon as their Passion is over, their Love will return, and immediately cancel all their Resolutions against them. And so it is with these passionate Resolutions Men make against their Sins, which work no Change at all in the standing Temper and Disposition of their Souls and are so far from curing them, that they are only the Intermissions of their Disease; and though at present they are angry with their Sins, and do purpose never to be reconciled to them more, yet still they love them heartily though they perceive it not, and as soon as their Passion is over, their Love returns and reverses their Purpose; and so these Fall out of Lover's end in the Renovation of Love: so that these rash and hasty Resolutions are so far from being hearty Submissions unto God, that they only make a Truce with him to fetch Breath and recruit for a farther Rebellion. And thus to resolve, is, I confess, the easiest thing in the World; but for an old Sinner to enter into a serious Resolution of Amendment in the midst of cool and deliberate Thoughts, when his Sins are about him entertaining him with the fresh Remembrance of those dear Pleasures they were wont to invite him to; when he is, or supposes himself to be environed with Temptation, and importuned on every side with all those soft Allurements that are so sweet and grateful to him; this, doubtless, is such a Task as will exact his utmost Industry and Consideration. For now he will meet with such Oppositions from his Appetites, such Shrink and Recoiling from his Will, such Struggle and Pulbacks from his darling Lusts, as will even distract his Soul, and interpose a thousand Impediments to hinder him from coming to a thorough Resolution. So that unless he be armed with great Consideration, animated with invincible Courage, and aided by a mighty Grace, after all his Deliberation he will either not resolve at all, or, which is almost as bad, resolve with Reserves and Exceptions. Since therefore to form a hearty and thorough Resolution of Amendment is so extremely hard and difficult, what a fearful Hazard must that Man run that remits it to a dying Hour. For how can we hope to accomplish so great a Work in so short a Time? when we crowd up a Duty of so vast a Bulk, in so narrow a Room, in how much Danger must it be of being strangled in the Birth for want of Time and Air to breath in? I dare not say it is absolutely impossible in so short a Time to make a thorough Change in our Temper and Resolution; but sure I am it is so extremely difficult, that 'tis the greatest Hazard in the World whether we actually perform it, especially considering.  
2. The great Impotency and Indisposition of Deathbed Penitents to perform it. By what hath been said of the Difficulty of it, you plainly perceive that to the Performance of it there is required vast Industry, great Consideration, and earnest Strive and Contests with ourselves; but alas! how unable and unfit is a Man for these things when he lies languishing on a Deathbed? when commonly the sickness he languishes under is either such as wholly disables, or extremely weakens and impairs his Reason; so that either he is wholly incapable of such Reflections and Considerations as are necessary to a thorough Resolution of Amendment, or at least is very unfit for them. Now in this sad Extremity what can the poor Wretch do? His sinful Soul sits drowzing on the very Brinks of a dismal Eternity, and Death's cold hand is thrusting it headlong down; so that if She doth not presently rouse and start up and run away from her Danger, within a very few moments she will awake in everlasting Flames. But alas! how should she rouse herself out of those fatal Slumbers when she hath scarce Reason enough to reflect upon her Danger or to take any Notice of that fearful Precipice before her; when by the distemper of her bodily Organs She is so stunned and stupefied that she can neither discern where She is, nor whither She is going? But suppose his Sickness be such as leaves him the free Use of his Reason, yet considering how much he must needs be distracted by Pain and Uneasiness, by Weakness and Languishment, by the Cares of settling his Affairs in this World, and the frightful Prospect that he hath of another, it will be impossible for him, without a mighty Assistance from above, to range his scattered and unwieldy Thoughts into such sober Reflections and serious Considerations as are necessary to the forming of a thorough Resolution of Amendment; for such a Resolution can never be form in a hurry of Passion, but must be the Result of calm and composed Deliberations. For, as I showed you before, hasty and passionate Resolutions work no Change upon the Soul, and till a Man hath made a new Judgement of Things, it will be in vain for him to make any new Resolutions; because 'tis impossible that any Resolution should be lasting that is not founded in the Judgement. But what Capacity can a Man be in to make a new Judgement of Things in the midst of the incessant Hurries and Distractions of a Deathbed, when he cannot consider a quarter of an hour together, but is interrupted almost every moment by a thousand Accidents and Avocations? So that to refer our Repentance to a Deathbed is the same thing as to retire into a Battle to meditate, or to set up a Closet to study Philosophy in the Head Quarters of an Army, where a Man is as capable of free and undisturbed Contemplations as Men usually are of forming through Resolutions of Amendment when they are a dying; which, without an extraordinary Assistance from God, being utterly impossible, must needs be extremely hazardous; considering,  
3. And lastly, the little Reason such a Man hath to expect any extraordinary Assistance from God. When a Man hath slighted all God's Invitations to Repentance, and wilfully turned a deaf Ear to all the secret Whispers and Importunities of his blessed Spirit, when he hath all his Life-time rejected the Motions and Tenders of his Grace upon this resolution that he would sin on as long as he was able, and never repent till he could sin no longer; with what confidence can he expect that God should vouchsafe him in his dying Hour that extraordinary Grace which he stands in need of, and without which he must die forever? For when a Man hath been mocking God all his Life with the Promises of a future Repentance, but from time to time hath still delayed and deferred it till he hath driven it to the last Extremity, so that now he must repent, or be damned prehaps the next Moment; with what face can he implore such an extraordinary Favour from that God with whom he hath so wretchedly prevaricated? For unless we suppose God to be a Being that loves to be provoked, one that is taken with Affronts and Injuries, and consequently that measures his Favours to us by the degrees and number of our Rebellions against him; we cannot reasonably expect that he should be then most kind to us when we have offended him as much as we are able, and would never be persuaded to repent of our Wickedness till we were able to offend him no more. I desire to have as large Apprehensions of the Mercy of God as can be reasonably admitted, but withal I am assured he is the hardest to be imposed upon of any one in the World; and being so, it cannot well be expected that when in despite of his Authority and frequent Invitations to Repentance, the Sinner hath squandered away all his Strength and Vigour in a Course of Wickedness, God should be so indulgent to him on his Deathbed as to supply that Strength which he hath spent in sinning against him by the extraordinary Assistances of his own Grace; especially considering how often he hath declared his Resolution of dispensing his Grace to us in greater or lesser Proportions according to the improvements we make of it. So james iv. 6, 7, 8. For the Scripture offereth more Grace; and therefore saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore unto God; resist the Devil, and he will fly from you; draw near unto God, and he will draw near unto you. And thus more expressly in the Parable of the Talents, Matt. xxv. 29. For unto every one that hath, that is, improves what he hath, shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not, i. e. improves not what he hath, shall be taken away, even that which he hath. God therefore having thus declared that he will lessen or augment his Grace proportionably as we abuse or improve it, we may reasonably expect that the oftener we do repulse its Motions, the weaker will be its Attempts upon us, and so weaker and weaker till 'tis wholly with drawn, and hath given us up for desperate and irreclaimable; and consequently if God proceed in this Method, as doubtless he most ordinarily doth, than the longer a Man continues in sin, the more he is abandoned of the Grace of God. So that when the Sinner is arrived to his Deathbed, he may reasonably expect that if God's Assistance be not wholly withdrawn and lessened into nothing, as he may justly fear it will, yet it will be much less vigorous and powerful than in any former Period of his Life; and if it be, his Condition is next to desperate; for if his Soul be not renewed and changed, within a few Moment's it is ruined beyond all recovery. And since to effect this Change is a Work of mighty Difficulty, what but a mighty Grace can enable the dying Penitent in so short a time and with so small a Strength to perform it? So that the Sum of all is this, though the Condition of him that remits his Repentance to a Deathbed be not absolutely desperate, yet 'tis so fearfully hazardous, that nothing on this side Hell can be more wretched and deplorable; and therefore for Men to put off their Repentance to the last, and venture their Souls upon so great an Uncertainty, is a piece of the most desperate Folly and Madness. I confess when a Man hath been so desperate and cruel to himself as to run himself upon this fearful Venture, I would by no means discourage his Repentance, but rather use all Means to invite and persuade him to it: for Repentance is always the best thing we can do, and when a Man hath been so desperately besotted as to defer it to a Deathbed, and put himself upon this woeful Extremity, this is the last Remedy he can apply, and the best Refuge he hath to fly to. But so long as Men are well and in Health, and have a fair space of Repentance in their hands, I would not for all the World encourage them to run such a desperate Hazard; for next to leaping headlong into Hell without any Repentance at all, doubtless the most desperate Folly a Man can be guilty of is to defer his Repentance till he is dying. And so I pass on to  
3. The Third and last thing proposed; which was, to show you that supposing our Deathbed Penitent should repent effectually, yet how impossible it is for him in an ordinary way to attain any comfortable Assurance of it. And indeed considering how many Cheats and Frauds there are under most of our Resolutions of Amendment, it is at least extremely difficult for us to be any otherwise secure of them than by their Effects and Performances. As for the dying Penitent therefore that doth not long enough survive his Resolution to see the Execution of it, how can he be secure that it is sincere and perfect, especially considering that the Circumstances in which he makes it are such as do conspire to render it extremely suspicious. For  

1. He makes it under the fear of Death.  
2. In the Absence of Temptation.  
3. Under a great agony of Conscience.  
4. In the near Neighbourhood of Eternity.   
1. He makes his Resolution under a mighty fear of Death, which gives him great reason to suspect it. We daily see how much our Humours change and vary upon every Remove out of one Condition into another, and how these do cast the Balance of our Superior Soul and make us every day so many several sorts of Men. Every Wind almost turns our Minds towards a new point, and like Water we take the form of every Vessel we are put into. So that we have great reason to suspect that our Deathbed Repentance is not so much the Mould of our Minds, as of the Condition we are put into, and that were we poured back again into an healthful Condition, we should immediately lose our present Shape, and return into our former Figure again. For when Men see their Life is in God's hand, and that he is ready to cut it in sunder, it is no wonder at all if they do what they can to bribe him to spare them a little longer; and consequently, if they resolve well, and make fair Promises of future Obedience; which is the best thing they can do in this Extremity. But if their Resolution be founded in the Fear of Death, its Foundation is contrary to its Performance, the Motive of their Resolution to live well for the future being a presumption that they shall live no longer; And it will be an Act of Reason and justice to themselves to stick to their resolution, when the Motive of it is changed: and on the Contrary, of Imprudence and Unkindness, to forsake the Conclusion, when the Premises are consulted. So that upon such grounds as these what can be expected but that this sick Resolver will resume his Sins with his Health if he should recover, and leave his new Vows in that Bed where he first took them up, and discharge his Fears and his good Actions, his Physician and his Confessor together; it being so, how is it possible he should be assured that his Resolution is sincere unless he recover and perform it?  
2. He makes his Resolution in the Absence of Temptation, which gives him also great reason to suspect it. For now the Seasons of the Pleasures of Sin are over, he cannot relish their Delights because his cloyed Appetite distastes them as the full Stomach doth the Honeycomb: and his Soul being now uninterested in all sinful Pleasure, and being naturally in continual Motion, must necessarily divert the Current of its Action some other way; and the future State to which it is so nearly allied being all it hath to work upon, it is no wonder if the Freedom of its Motion turn thitherwards, being diverted out of its old Channel: for if he love his Sins or the World never so well, he must leave them whether he will or no: if he dislike God and his Holiness and an everlasting Abode with him never so much, he is forced upon them, or dashed upon eternal Misery, which it is impossible for him to choose. So that now his good Resolution is scarce an Act of Choice; for tho' he would not choose to obey God if he could still enjoy his former Lusts, yet they being out of his reach, he must take what is to be had. So that 'tis mighty Suspicious that the Sense of his Resolution is no more than this, Holiness is good when a Man is just dying, but while he lives and can enjoy his Lusts, they are a great deal better; so that the Approach of Death makes Holiness good to him upon this account only, because there would be some thing worse, and there can no longer be any thing better; and 'tis to be feared he esteems it good only in comparison with Hell which without it will inevitably follow. And when it thus purchases the reputation of being good from the near approach of such a mighty Evil, it is not so much esteemed a Good as a lesser Evil; which argues that the Man's Judgement is not at all altered, for still he looks on Holiness as an Evil, and in choosing it before Hell, he only chooses of two Evils the least, and 'tis extremely Suspicious that he would no more have chosen it now than he did while he was Well and in Health, but that it stands at present, out of the Air of Temptation, and is presented to him without the Counterpoise of those sinful Delights for whose sake he formerly rejected it. For there are many Apprehensions which make deep Impressions not only on our Brain and Fancies, but on our Affections too, whilst these are calm and unprovoked; which impressions notwithstanding quickly vanish upon the starting of new Objects, and the provocation of contrary Fancies and Affections by them; so that it is impossible to be certain what those good Resolutions will come to which a Man makes when he hath no Temptation to the contrary. The utmost therefore that can be said of them is this, they may be sincere and they may hold out, but there is an infinite Hazard in them; they are easily made, because at present there is no Temptation against them, no vicious Appetite strong enough to control them; but there is vast Reason to fear that should the Man recover, and his Appetites return again upon him, the next Temptation would betray him and make him surrender up all his Resolution; and consequently if he die before he hath made a Trial of himself, his Condition must needs be extremely uncertain, his Hope must sit upon the Brinks of Despair, and his Soul go trembling into Eternity to think what a Hazard it is now a running.  
3. He resolves under the Horrors and Agonies of an awakened Conscience, and this also renders his Resolution extremely Suspicious. And indeed that Man must be in a dead Sleep that will not awake when Death is sounding the Trumpet of judgement in his Ears, and calling him instantly away to give up his unprepared Accounts. For though when judgement seems to us at the other end of Heaven all is quiet, yet certainly when Death brings us to the very Seat of it, the Awe of that dreadful Tribunal of which we are now in sight, and the Sense of so many Guilts staring us in the face, of which we must the next Moment acquit ourselves, or Die for ever, must necessarily shake out sleepy Consciences into unspeakable Horrors and Agonies, and make us infinitely Solicitous to fly from the Wrath that is to come. And in this Distress being conscious to himself that the best thing he can do is to resolve upon Amendment for the future, here he puts in for Sanctuary having no other hole to hide his guilty Head. So that now to resolve well is hardly an Act of Choice, and it is much to be feared that 'tis only an Expedient snatched up for the present Extremity; and though now he be very serious, yet that prehaps is only the effect of a sudden Cast of Melancholy on his Thoughts; and if it be, when that removes, his Thoughts will be quite of another Colour, or if it be the Result of a more through Conviction, yet it is very probable that may go off too when the Man's Circumstances are altered; that when the present Tragic Scene is removed out of sight, and the Alarm of his approaching Judgement sounds no longer in his Ears, he will presently let fall those Resolutions again which he took up only as a shield, against his Conscience. And this being so uncertain, what a fearful Hazard must that Man run that depends upon such Resolutions, and imbarks his Soul into Eternity in them? For though it is possible they may be sincere, yet it is highly probable that they are not, but as they were raised only by a Storm of Horror, so if that were laid they would fall again; and if they should be False and Hypocritical, as God only knows whether they are or no, the poor Man is certainly lost and undone for ever.  
4. And lastly, he resolves in the near Neighbourhood of Eternity, which also renders his Resolution very Suspicious. For the Soul is never more sensible of Eternity than when 'tis walking on the Confines of it; for the very losing it from the Body wherein it dwells, and in which its Motions are all confined, doth many times give her some lesser Degrees of those Advantages which free and naked Spirits have that are not imprisoned in Flesh. For the less the Soul is found to work by the Body, the higher are its Operations, and all her extraordinary Motions are a kind of Ravishment from Sense. It is therefore very probable that when the Soul is leaving the Body, it hath naturally a more sensible Touch and Feeling of its eternal State, because the nearer any thing is to its Residence, the more vehement is its Motion thither; and consequently the nearer the Soul is to its eternal Abode, the more quick and vigorous may we reasonably suppose its Motions thither; so that when the other World is in view, and it is just upon the Region of Spirits, it is no wonder if the Sense of her approaching everlasting Fate put her into great Tremble and Agonies. For now there is nothing between her and Eternity to intercept her Prospect of it; no sinful Pleasures or Delights to interrupt her Thoughts of it, or deaden the force of its Impressions: so that if in this State of Things she should not resolve to throw off her Sins and embrace Virtue, when she is in view of that Hell of endless Miseries to which those tend, and of that Heaven of Joys to which this aspires, it would be prodigious. But whether this Resolution will hold when Heaven and Hell are vanished out of sight again, it is a mighty Hazard; and sadly probable it is that if the Man recover from the Brinks of Eternity, and get farther off it, he will soon forget his good Resolutions, and leave all his Piety behind him. For when he resolved, alas he was sick and dying, leaving this World and launching into another; but when he is well again, the Case will be altered; this World will be present to him, and the other a great way off; and when his Resolution is thus abandoned of the Motive that animated and held it together, there is infinite reason to suspect that it will immediately languish and expire. So that the Sum of all is this the Deathbed Penitent may possibly repent sincerely, but 'tis an infinite Hazard whether he will or no; and if he doth, it is ordinarily impossible for him to have any comfortable Assurance of it. I will not deny but in some rare and extraordinary Cases, to serve some great and excellent End, God may immediately suggest Comfort to him and give him the Joy of his Repentance; but whether ever he doth or will do so or no, is more than I am able to determine. For this I am sure of he hath no where obliged himself to it, and what he hath not promised, we have no reason to expect. For whatsoever is extraordinary, is more than what is promised, but the ordinary Comforts of dejected Penitents are such as arise from an inward Sense of their own Sincerity, and of the glorious Hopes to which that entitles them. But as for the Sincerity of the Deathbed Penitent it is so indiscernible by reason of Suspicious Circumstances, that without an immediate Revelation it is hardly possible to be perceived, and from any promise, that God hath made, there is not the least encouragement to hope for any such immediate Revelation. So that if any such Comfort be vouchsafed to him, it is doubtless very rarely; because it is extraordinary. I know there is nothing more common than for Men that never repented till they came to die, to die very comfortably; but alas I am horribly afraid that generally their Comforts are nothing but the Effects either of their Stupidity, or their Disease, or else the Consequence of very false and dangerous Principles.  
First, many times it is plainly the Effect of their wretched Stupidity and Sottishness. For some Men we see are so Stupid in their Sins, that nothing but Hell flames will awake them; and though when they feel themselves upon the edge of Eternity passing into an irreversible Condition, they cannot forbear reflecting on their Sins, and starting at the dangerous Consequence of them; yet if they can but so far obtain of themselves as to weep for, and resolve against them, they think that all is well again, and so go into Eternity with a great deal of Comfort and Assurance. But these are a sort of Stupid Souls that have no regard of themselves, that are dying forever but have not Sense enough to apprehend their Danger, or to feel the Disease of which they are dying; for if they had they would never be so confident of their Recovery upon such slight and easy Applications; they would consider how false and hypocritical all their former Resolutions have proved, and how much cause there is to suspect lest those should prove as bad as they, and how impossible it is to impose upon God to whose allseeing Eye the inmost Nature, and utmost Issues of Things are open and naked, which would necessarily render them extremely jealous and Solicitous concerning their eternal State. I am now going away into everlasting Weal or Woe, Lord, what will become of me, the only security I have that it will go well with me forever is only this, that I am resolved upon a future Amendment; but alas I have too much reason to suspect my Resolution is rotten at the Core, and if it be, Woe be to me that ever I was Born. This without all doubt would be his Language if he were but throughly awakened into a Sense of his Danger, which because he is not he dies in a Dream of Happiness and will presently awake in real and intolerable Misery. And as this Comfort of the Deathbed Penitent doth often times arise from his Stupidity, so,  
Secondly, many times 'tis nothing else but the mere Effect of his Disease. For there are many Diseases that have a natural Enthusiasm attending them, viz. such as alternately i'll and freeze the Blood, and put the Spirits into unequal Motions; and to such as these Dejections and Transports do as naturally follow, as Shivering and Burnings to an Ague. For when the Blood runs low, and the Spirits are weak and languid, then usually the Scene is all Tragedy; melancholy Vapours cloud and overwhelm their Fancies, and they are lost in a Wood of Spiritual Desertions. But when the Tide turns and warmer Blood flows up into the Brain, and refreshes the drooping Fancy with Brisk and active Spirits, than they are full of Raptures and Ecstasies, which, because they look on as streaming from an heavenly Original, they labour to swell and heighten to the utmost Brink of their Capacities; in so much that sometimes they are even stifled and overwhelmed with joy: and it is usual for them, especially in high Fevers, when their Blood is more briskly fermented by the sharpness of their Humours, to chafe and tickle themselves into real Trances and Deliriums, which they, not understanding the Structure of their own Bodies, and the Nature of their Disease, do commonly mistake for the immediate Sealing and Incomes of the Spirit of God. So that if they chance to die in one of these Transports, those that are Spectators of their End conclude that they depart in full Assurance, and are most infallibly received into the joy of their Master; whereas most commonly I fear their Joy expires with them, and leaves them desperate and miserable. But than  
Thirdly, In the third and last place, their Comfort is many times nothing else but the Effect and Consequence of their own false and dangerous Principles. They have entertained such Principles as these, that their own Personal Righteousness is not at all necessary to render them acceptable to God, and that all is required of them is to rest and rely upon jesus Christ; which if they do, all their Defects and Miscarriages shall be most certainly covered with the Robe of his Righteousness, and God will look upon them, and deal with them as if they had been as righteous as he. That Men have imbibed such Principles as these, and learned to practise on them, we who converse with Sick-beds cannot be ignorant; for when they have gone on impenitently to their Deathbeds, and we come to inquire into the grounds of their Hopes, this we find is the ordinary Refuge they fly to, that jesus Christ hath obeyed and suffered for them; and therefore they firmly rely upon him, and fling their Souls into his Arms, and make no doubt but he will catch them and save them from the Wrath to come: as if the design of our Saviour's Undertaking had been to privilege those who believe in him to Live wickedly, and Die comfortably. That he by his Merit and Satisfaction hath obtained this Grant of his Father, that all who heartily submit themselves unto him shall be received into his Favour, notwithstanding their past Rebellions and present Imperfections of Obedience, I think an undoubted Principle of Christianity; but that he hath obtained this Favour for us absolutely whether we submit to his Father or no, is so far from being Christian, that I think 'tis one of the most Antichristian Doctrines that was ever set on broach in the World; for it plainly defeats the main Design of Christianity, and totally dissolves all its Obligations. For whereas the principal Drift of Christianity is to teach Men to deny Ungodliness and Worldly lusts, and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present World, this Doctrine unteaches all again, and giveth Men a Dispensation to live as wickedly as they please. For if upon my Reliance upon Christ I shall be received into God's Favour whether I submit to him or no, farewell to all Obligations of Obedience. What need Men be so Solicitous of making such hearty Submissions of their Souls to God, if the Righteousness of their Saviour be a Sanctuary from the Authority of his Laws? So that for Men to rely confidently upon Christ before they are secure that their Souls are heartily subjected to him, is a piece of the greatest Arrogance and Presumption; and tho' they may pacify their Conscience with it when they are dying, yet when they are dead they will find they have made more bold than welcome with their Saviour; that he will not be a Patron to their sins, nor side with them so far in their Rebellions against his Father, as to shelter them in his Wounds from the due Vengeance of eternal Fire. Although therefore these deathbed Penitents do too often die very comfortably, yet considering what false grounds their Comforts generally stand on, I had much rather see them go down to their Graves in the greatest sorrow and anxiety of Soul; for if they should miscarry, as there is vast reason to fear they will, it grieves my Soul to think what a surprise they will be in, how they will be blanked and amazed when, contrary to their bold Presumptions of waking in immortal Joys, they find themselves among Devils and damned Ghosts abandoned to endless Misery and Despair. And indeed I cannot but wonder that a Man who hath deferred his Repentance to a Deathbed should have the confidence to talk of Comfort and Assurance; which is such a Reward as God usually appropriates to long and most eminent Piety. But for a Man that hath rebelled against God all his days to pirk up presently after a few sighs and submissions, and pretend to as much Assurance of his Saviour as if he had been his ancient Friend and Familiar, is down right inexcusable Impupudence. Alas poor Man! what less canst thou do in Modesty than spend the small Remainder of thy Days in Sighs, and Tears, and deep Humiliations; and when thou hast done thy utmost, to content thyself with this, that thou art not altogether desperate? But as for Comfort and Assurance, it would well become thee to leave them to those who have better deserved them; for after all thou canst do, if thou gettest to Heaven it will be a Wonder of mercy: so that unless thou art absolutely besotted, thou must die in great fear, and go trembling away into Eternity. So miserable is the State of the deathbed Penitent, that it is a mighty Hazard whether ever he repent to purpose, and if he doth, it is ordinarily impossible to reap any comfortable assurance of it.  
And now I expect that it will be objected against this Discourse that it savours of too much Rigour and Severity, because it represents the State of dying Penitents so very near to desperate. To which I briefly answer, that if it were absolutely desperate, as I confess I think it very near so, yet doubtless the best way is to represent Things as they are: for the nature of the Thing is already fixed, and neither your Opinion nor mine will alter it. Indeed if I could recover a dying Man by telling him that he is not dying, it would be cruelty in me to pronounce him past Recovery; and so could I save the dying Penitent by telling him that he is secure. I never very much to blame should I say his Case is desperate; but alas! if it be so, it will be so, let me say what I please; so that in pronouncing that it is so, I only make him sensible of it a few Moment's sooner. I do but show him what he must trust to, and what he will presently be convinced of by woeful Experience; and by ringing out a passing Bell to his departing Soul, I do him this kindness at least that he will not be in Hell before he is aware of it. And certainly this is some Charity, tho' it be severe; but yet neither do I represent the Case to be altogether desperate, tho' I must confess some very great and eminent Divines have done so; for I have endeavoured to show that true Repentance is not impossible on a Deathbed, tho' extremely hazardous and difficult; so that still there is some Hope, enough to encourage the Sinners utmost Endeavour, and keep his Head above water; and for him to give up himself to Despair while there is any glimmering of hope, is to enter into Hell before his time, which is a degree of imprudence next to that he hath been already guilty of, in putting himself upon this dismal Extremity. But supposing it had been represented as wholly desperate, yet this can occasion no Man that hears me to despair, unless it be through his own Default. For God be praised I am not now preaching to a sick or dying Auditory; you are now well and in health, and have a space and season of Repentance before you, which if you will but diligently improve, you prevent the fearful Hazard whereunto a deathbed Penitence exposes you. But if through your own Neglect you should fall into it and despair in it, who can you blame but yourselves for it. All that I aim at is to prevent your Danger by persuading you to repent betime; but if you will be so cruel to yourselves as to delay it till it is too late, and then Despair overtake you, you may thank yourselves for it that would take no warning. And therefore to render this Argument yet more effectual, I intent to represent to you at large the Folly and Wickedness of deferring our Repentance to the last, and thereby to excite and provoke you to a speedy Resolution of Amendment; that so when the Bridegroom comes you may not with these foolish Virgins in my Text find the Door of Heaven shut against you, but that having finished your work, you may be admitted with that good and profitable Servant into the joy of your Master.   
REVELATIONS II. 21. I gave her space to repent of her fornication and she repented not. 
THE Person here spoken of is jesabel, as you may see in the foregoing verse; but who this jesabel was is very much disputed by Expositors. Epiphanius and some that follow him refer this title to those Women Heretics, Priscilla, Maximilla, and Quintilla who followed Montanus, and about Commodus his Reign took upon them to be Prophetesses, and under that pretence propagated many monstrous Heresies. But since it must be after St. John's time that those Women were in the Church of Thiatira, and since St. john here speaks not prophetically of what should be, but historically of what already was, it is not supposeable that these Montanist Women should be the jesabel here spoken of: besides that the Character here given her doth not agree with that Sect, for these Montanists were a very severe and strict Sect, and that was the main motive which seduced Tertullian to it; whereas this jesabel, or Sect described by her Name, is here accused of Fornication, and sacrificing to Idols. So that it seems more probable that by her is meant either the whole Sect of the Gnostics, which as all agree was infamous for Lewdness, Uncleanness and Idolatry; or else some particular Woman who was an eminent Patroness and Ringleader of that Party. And if he mean this latter, as it seems most probable by the Distinction he makes between her and those that committed Adultery with her, that is, her Followers; than it is probable that he means Helena the Whore of Simon Magus, who was Father of the Gnostics; whom he styled his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, or first Conception. And well might she be called jesabel, since she so much resembled the Wise of Ahab called by that name in her notorious Whoredoms and Idolatries; but yet in her he reprehends the whole Sect which was all involved with her in the same Impenitence. So that it was equally true both of her and of her Followers, that God gave them space to repent of their Fornications, and they repented not, that is, God's patience waited on them, and gave them time to reform their lend and infamous Practices; but still they deferred and put it off, and under all his Forbearance continued obstinate and impenitent. So that the design of the Words is to represent the Evil of men's putting off their Repentance when God in mercy forbears them, and gives them space enough to perform it. And how great an Evil this is I shall endeavour to represent to you,  

1. By showing you the Wickedness,  
2. The Absurdity, and  
3. The Danger of it.   
1. I shall show you the Wickedness of it, and that in these following particulars:  

1. 'Tis a profane mockery of God's Patience.  
2. 'Tis an ungrateful Undervaluing of his Service.  
3. 'Tis an open Contempt to his Authority.  
4. 'Tis an impious Presumption on his Goodness.  
5. 'Tis an arrogant defiance of his Displeasure.   
1. To defer and put off our Repentance when God gives us space to repent is a profane Mockery of his Patience. That he did not strike us dead upon our first sin, and consign us immediately to the chains of Darkness, was purely the Effect of his Goodness; 'twas this that obliged him to try us a little longer in hope that at last we might be prevailed with to consider our danger, and correct our folly before it had determined us to an irreversible Ruin. Whilst therefore we linger out the space of our Repentance in Delays, we sport and dally with the Patience of God; we promise fair, and give it hope that it shall at last obtain its Ends upon us; but when we come to performance, we baffle and disappoint it, and render all its past attendance ineffectual. For when the Date of our former Promise is expired, and God expects our Performance, instead of that, we only give him new Promises, and pay him with Words instead of Things; as if by our Promises we only intended to raise in him an expectation of our Repentance, that so we might have an opportunity to vex him with a Disappointment. We promise we will repent hereafter only to get leave to sin for the present, and so when that hereafter comes we promise again, and only repeat the old Delusion; as if we meant to tantalise his Patience by proffering the golden Fruit of our Repentance, and snatching it away again before he can lay hold of it. Now what a fearful wickedness is this for Men to put such Tricks upon the Almighty, still to defer the payment of a Debt that hath been so long due, and so often demanded, and still to pay his Demands with Promises, and only feed his Expectations with Air! as tho' we thought him bound to attend our Leisure, and to give us Credit to run deeper on score upon the security of our Promise of future Payment which we have already forfeited over and over.  
2. Thus to put off and delay our Repentance, is a most base and ungrateful Undervaluing of his Service: For the Reason why we delay our Repentance, is, because we think it will be time enough to return to our Duty hereafter, when the Opportunities of Sin are gone, and the Pleasure of it is out of season. For into what other sense can God construe our Delays but only this, that it is our Design to shift off him and his Service, till we have served our Lusts as long as we are able, and never to begin our Repentance till we are able to be wicked no longer. Now I beseech you, could you without Horror and Trembling make such an Address to God as this, O God, I know it is my Duty, and the very End of my Life to serve thee; but I beseech thee, be not angry, if while I live I serve my Lusts, and employ the Powers thou hast given me in Rebellion against thee: And if thou wilt but indulge me this, I will be thy humble Servant when I am good for nothing, neither to serve, nor disobey thee: Do but have Patience till I am Bedrid, and can enjoy the World and my Lusts no longer, and then I will return to thee, and be sorry for my Sins, and wish that I had never offended thee. I would now devote the Service of my Youth and Strength to thee, but that I am sensible it is too good for thee; and therefore come what will, I will feed my Lusts with the Marrow of my Days, and if the dull insipid Bone will content thee, it is at thy Service. This, though it be horrible Language, is yet the natural Sense of our Delays. We would repent immediately, but that we think it is a Thousand Pities such fair Opportunities of sinning should be lost, and so many precious Minutes should be so ill bestowed: So that the reason of our Delay is this, that at present we apprehend we can spend our time more pleasantly in sinning on, than in the Exercise of a severe Repentance, and consequently, while we can still sin on with Pleasure, we shall still have the same reason to delay, and never think it reasonable to begin our Repentance till we are old, decrepit, or dying, and can sin with Pleasure no longer. Now what a profane Reflection is it upon God and his Service, to think ourselves too good to serve him till we are good for nothing; that the Dregs and Lees of our Life are good enough for him, and that he ought to be satisfied with the leave of our Lusts, and to take it as a Favour that we will repent of our sins when we are no longer capable of sinning with Pleasure? With what Patience can he endure to be thus slighted and contemned by us, to be thus rudely put off with the Refuse of our Lusts, thus unmannerly treated with the Scraps of the Devil's Table?  
3. To defer our Repentance when God gives us space to repent, is an open contempt of his Authority; for by the Laws of Religion we are bound either always to continue innocent, or when we have contracted any Gild, to expiate it by immediate Repentance; for so long as we continue under any guilty Impenitence, we are in a state of actual Rebellion against God, and are not only accountable for the Gild of the first Sin, but also for that of not having repent of it. And though we do not repeat the first Sin any more, yet our very continuing impenitent under the Gild of it, brings a distinct Gild upon us, and renders us doubly criminal in the sight of God; for unless our sinning against God doth cancel the Obligation of his Laws, they must necessarily oblige us to repent, that is, to revoke our wicked purpose, and return to our Obedience as soon as ever we have broken and transgressed it. 'Tis true indeed as for particular affirmative Precepts, they being always relative to Time, and Place, and Persons, are to be practised only in special Times, and pertinent Occasions, because they being but Parts of a good Life, must give way by turns for other Parts and Instances of it, which are of the like particular and limited Nature with themselves; but yet we are always obliged to the Purpose and Disposition of Practising these, whensoever Occasion doth require it. A man is not always bound to be doing justice, by giving Alms, or saying his Prayers; but to the Devotion of Prayer, the Disposition of Justice, and the Charity of Alms he is continually obliged: These being Works of the inward Man cannot be limited to Times and Opportunities, nor receive any accidental Determinations from without, but are always possible, and always good, and always necessary; for the performance of them depends only on the Grace of God, and the Will of Man, and that never fails, if this doth not; and therefore is always possible, unless we will not, but it is always necessary whether we will or no: So that when we have broken our purpose of obeying God by any actual Sin, it is another distinct Sin, not to renew it by immediate Repentance, and when by this actual Sin, we have lost our disposition to obey God, and contracted the contrary, there is in this a proper Gild, and Venom distinct from that actual Sin that introduced it. But then there are general Precepts, of Religion, such as to love God, and to Repent from dead Works; the first of which includes the whole Religion of a Man, the second, the whole Religion of a Sinner; and consequently we being both, must needs be universally obliged to both these Duties in all Accidents, Times, and Cases. For when once we have apostatised from our Duty, all our after-obedience is an Act of Repentance; and therefore though the Command of it be affirmative, yet because it is universal, including all those Duties, which by binding at several Times, do fill up all our Time; there can be no Time in which we are not bound to repent. This I have the longer insisted on, because it is a great Question among the Roman Casuists, whether a Man be always bound to this Duty, and some of them have been so wicked, as to determine that a Man is not bound to repent till he comes to die; others, that it is sufficient if he repent once a Year; others thrice upon the Three great Holidays of Christmas, Easter, and Whitsunday; as if there were any time wherein it was not our Duty to return to our Duty; or the Laws of our Religion did only oblige us at certain seasons, and in the Intervals gave us a free Dispensation to live as wickedly as we pleased. Since therefore as soon as we have sinned, we are bound immediately to repent, it necessarily follows, that he who sins, and then delays his Repentance, sins Twice; his very Delay being a farther Provocation. For how can we imagine that he who persists in Rebellion against God Twenty Years together, doth not much more offend him, than he who submits within Twenty Months, or Twenty Days, or Twenty Hours; and if the longer we persist, the more we do offend him, than every delay of our Repentance must needs be a further Provocation. The Sum of all therefore is this, that every Day God calls us to Repentance, and that every Call of his ought to be regarded, and consequently, that every regardless Delay of it, adds to the heap of our Gild, and helps to fill up the Measure of our Iniquities. And what a rude Contempt is it of God's Authority, when he commands us to repent to Day, to cry well we will repent tomorrow? Lord, we beseech thee be not so hasty with us, suffer us to offend thee yet a little longer; for whether thou wilt or no, we are resolved to do it. We will repent, but will not be prescribed when, as for that, leave it to us, for say what thou wilt, we are fully resolved to take leave to do it when we please. This in effect is the impious meaning of every Delay of our Repentance, and when God commands us to repent, we might as modestly tell him that we will not repent at all, as when he commands us to repent now, tell him, that we will repent hereafter.  
4. To defer our Repentance when God giveth us space to repent, is an impious Presumption on his Goodness. The reason why God forbears us when we sin, is to give us second Thoughts, and to see our Danger, and to run away from it; that so he may not surprise us into ruin: for the end of his long-suffering, is to lead us to Repentance; but when upon this Consideration we take encouragement to delay, we do not only defeat his Goodness, but so far as in us lies, render it injurious to him. For we war against him under the Protection of his kindness to us, and fortify ourselves in our Rebellion, in that very Goodness, and Long-suffering, with which he seeks to conquer and subdue us. O barbarous Ingratitude! that we should fetch Arguments from his mercy to offend him, and maintain Enmity against him out of the Revenue of his own Indulgence! would you not look on that Malefactor as a Monster, that should rob his judge merely because he reprieved him, and use him with all the Despite and Ignominy, because he knew him to be a merciful Man, and will be loath to hang him the next Sessions? and is it not altogether as monstrous for us to abuse God, because he is kind to us, and to take Encouragement to rob him of our Duty, because we know he is unwilling to ruin us? but tho' every Man hath not Impudence enough to assign this Reason, yet it is plain, this lies at the bottom of all their Delays. Because Sentence against an evil Work is not executed speedily, faith the Wise Man, therefore the Heart of the Sons of Men is fully set in 'em to do Evil, Eccles. 8. 11. But what horrid Baseness is this, to urge his Goodness against himself, and fetch Motives from his Mercy to affront his Authority? it seems, if he were worse to us, we would be better to him; if he were less kind, we would be more dutiful. O Wretches that we are! I had almost said, 'tis even pity that we have a God to deal with, that we are not under the Government of some Fury that would watch for our halting, and catch at all Opportunities to plague and punish us; and we were best have a care we do not presume too much upon God, for tho' he bears long, he will not bear always; and there is nothing can sooner provoke him, than to see us conduct our Rebellions against him under the Banners of his own Goodness. This is such an intolerable Provocation as is sufficient to enrage a Soul of Patience, and turn the most boundless Mercy into Fury: and if once his Wrath be kindled against us, he will make us rue for ever in our Abuses of his Goodness.  
5. And lastly, To defer our Repentance when God gives us space for it, is an arrogant Defiance of his Displeasure, for God hath sufficiently declared to us the Displeasure he takes in the Delays of our Repentance. Thus in his holy Word he hath given us fair warning of it; thus Rom. 2. 4. despisest thou the Riches of his Goodness, and Forbearance, and Long-suffering, not knowing that the Goodness of God leadeth thee to Repentance? From whence I argue 1. that the Goodness of God is a Motive to Repentance. 2. That not to be persuaded by it, is to despise his Goodness. 3. That this despising his Goodness by delaying our Repentance, is treasuring up Wrath against the Day of Wrath. So also Rev. 2. 5. remember from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do thy first Works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy Candlestick out of its place except thou repent. Where he plainly declares, that if our Repentance be not very quickly, his Judgements will be too quick for us; by which he plainly signifies how much he is displeased with our Delays, how importunately they urge and provoke him to overwhelm us with a speedy Destruction And accordingly we see by Experience, how he takes some away in their early sins, and gives them no respite; and he who hath made it Damnation to some for not repenting instantly, hath made it damnable to all. The Earth doth not open, and swallow up all Rebels in the Day of their Mutiny; but it did so once, and thereby God hath sufficiently signified to all Ages his Displeasure against Rebellion; And so it is in deferring Repentance; for that some have smarted for it eternally is a sufficient Manifestation that God is displeased with every one that defers it. Whilst therefore we delay our Repentance from time to time, we sit down quietly under the divine Displeasure, as if it were altogether indifferent whether the Almighty be pleased or displeased with us; we do as good as say, Lord, we know well enough thou wouldst have us repent immediately, and that if we do not, thou wilt be angry with us; but be thou never so angry, we will not repent us yet, we must enjoy our Lusts a little longer, and if thou wilt be displeased, we will run the venture. We had rather endure thy Frowns a while, than part with our sins for ever, and think it much more tolerable to be hated by the Fountain of all Love and Goodness, than abandoned of all our sinful Pleasures. This is such Language perhaps as the boldest Sinner would hardly be able to pronounce without trembling, but yet such as it is, it is the natural Sense of every Man's Actions, who delays and puts off his Repentance: he knows that God is displeased with him, but regards it not, and as if he were ambitious of being a Hero in Wickedness, he defies Heaven, and dallies with its Thunderbolts, and runs into the Mouth of its Canon whilst they are spitting Fire, and roaring out Destruction upon him.  
And thus you see the monstrous Wickedness of men's delaying their Repentance, which is such, as had we not seared our Consciences, and stifled our natural Sense of God, we could never be able to reflect on without Horror and Agonies. And so I pass to the Second Head of Discourse, the great Absurdity of delaying our Repentance; which I shall endeavour to demonstrate in these following particulars.  
1. It is putting off a Work that must be done to the most unfitting Season of doing it.  
2. It is putting it off upon no other Reason, but what will hereafter be more prevalent than now.  
3. It deprives us of the Satisfaction of having done what we must do at last, and prolongs the Pain and Trouble of doing it.  
4. It defers the doing it upon no other Presumption, but that it shall one Day dearly repent of its own Neglect.  
1. To delay our Repentance, is to put off a Work that must be done to the most unfitting Season of doing it. That Repentance is indispensibly necessary to the Recovery and Happiness of a Sinner, is a Principle wherein all the reasonable World are agreed; and since it must be done, it is highly reasonable we should take the best Opportunity of doing it, and for a Man to say, I must do such a thing, and am resolved to do it, but however, I will take the most improper Season to do it in, is the most absurd and ridiculous Thing in the World. But for a Man to repent in, there is no Season can be so convenient as the present; for it will never be so easy for us to repent as now; the difficulty of it will daily grow upon our hands, and if we do not engage in it immediately, it will be harder to morrow than it is to day. When Men begin to sin, their Nature starts and boggles at it, from an innate Sense of God, and of their Duty, and this natural shiness must be tamed and broken e'er they can be through-paced in Wickedness; but when they have enured themselves to it by frequent Acts, they grow by degrees familiar with it, and then every Act breeds Delight in it, and every Delight begets a Desire of repeating it, and that Desire brings forth a new Act. And when a Man hath walked the Rounds a while in this Circle, at last he centres in Custom and Habit of sinning, and then every new Act will confirm the Habit, and root it deeper in our Natures, and so as we sin on, it will grow stronger and stronger, till at last it becomes almost fatal and necessary, and then the Lord have mercy upon us; for without a Miracle of Grace we shall never be able to retrieve ourselves. Thus every step we take in our sinful Progress, leads us further out of our way, and renders our return more hard and difficult, so that by going on in a sinful Course, we do what in us lies to block up the way of our Return, and do as it were build a Wall behind us, to disable ourselves from making any Retreat. What a ridiculous Thing therefore is it for Men to pretend that they will repent, but not yet; when it is so apparent, that if they repent not now, it will never be so easy again as long as they live? To Morrow it will be more difficult than now, and every Day it is delayed will drive it nearer to an Impossibility: So that by our foolish Delays, we do but make Work for ourselves, and heap up Difficulties on our own Heads; we resolve that we will repent, but withal, that we will not go about it, till we have rendered it more difficult, and ourselves less able to do it. Our Soul is wounded, and must die without the sovereign Balsam of Repentance, which we therefore resolve to apply and make use of; but first her Wound shall fester into a Gangrene, not to be cured, but by the most painful Lance, and Corrosives. And can there be any Thing more ridiculous for a Man to resolve to do a Thing, and at the same time resolve to make it more difficult before he doth it? For certainly, if our Repentance after so many Delays, should at last commence, which is very questionable, it will in all probability be accompanied with so many sad Circumstances, so many Tumults of Passion, and Uproars of Conscience, so many piercing Sorrows, and bitter Agonies, that we shall dearly repent we did not repent sooner.  
2. To delay our Repentance, is to resolve to defer this Work to hereafter, upon a Reason which will then be much more prevalent than now; and for a Man to defer a Thing to hereafter which he resolves to do upon such a Reason as will be much more prevalent hereafter than now, is doubtless the absurdest Thing in the World. Now the main Reason why Men are now unwilling to repent is, because they love their sins, and are unwilling to part with them, and in all likelihood, hereafter they will be much more unwilling; so that this Reason will every Day improve upon their hands, and have so much the more strength, by how much the longer they defer their Repentance: So that we can have no Reason in the World against fixing on the present Time, but only because it is present; but when hereafter comes to be present, the Reason will be just the same. But as for our Unwillingness to leave our sins, if that be the Reason of our Delay, that will every Day increase and grow more prevalent upon us; for Sin gains, upon the Will by Practice, the Delight of it recommends it to the Desire, and renders us more fond of its Embraces; so that if we defer our Repentance till hereafter, because we are unwilling to leave our Sins, when that hereafter is present, we shall have much more reason to defer than now; and so the plain Sense of our deferring our Repentance upon this reason, is this, I cannot yet forsake my Sins, because I love them, and am highly pleased with them, but hereafter I am resolved I will; but first I will act them a little longer, and grow more in love with them, and then when I love them more, and am more enslaved to them, I will be sure to hate and forsake them for ever. Whilst therefore we delay our Repentance, because our Sins do please us, we shall have the same reason to delay it for ever. For the longer we live in Sin, in all probability, the more it will please us; and so Twenty Years hence, the reason of our Delay will be far more prevalent than now; and if we forsake not our sin till it ceases to please us, we shall never forsake it as long as we live: So that to resolve not to repent now, because our sins do please us, is the same thing in effect as to resolve not to repent at all; and indeed this generally lies at the bottom of all such Resolutions, when men's Consciences like importunate Creditors begin to dun and clamour upon them, they are forced many times to give good Words, and appoint some future Day of Payment, else they will put them to a great deal of Trouble, and ever and anon arrest them with Horrors and Affrightments; but still they purpose to run further in Debt, and to put off the Day of payment from time to time, till they are utterly insolvent. So that by these promises of repenting hereafter, Men only delude themselves, and under a specious Pretence of future Repentance put tricks upon their Consciences to blind and bribe them that may not disturb them whilst they are sinning themselves into Ruin.  
3. By delaying our Repentance we deprive ourselves of the satisfaction of having done what we must do at last, and prolong the pain and trouble of doing it. To have accomplished a necessary Work, especially if it be difficult and important, is a great satisfaction to the Mind; and whereas, whilst it is yet to do, the prospect of the Pain and Labour we must undergo in doing it creates in us a great deal of Trouble and Anxiety; when once it is done, the very Reflection on the Pains and Labours we have passed, sweetens our present repose, and crowns it with greater Joy and Triumph. And so it is with Repentance, which we all acknowledge to be a most necessary Work, and of the vastest Moment and Importance to us; and tho' it be never so painful and difficult, yet we must undergo it, or that which is much more intolerable; so that if once it were done, it could not but give a great satisfaction to our Minds, and fill us with unspeakable Joy. When a Man shall thus reflect with himself, Blessed be God, I have done that work, which had it been yet to do I must have done, or been undone for ever. I charged through all those pains and difficulties that were wont to startle and affright me, and by the grace of Heaven am come off victoriously. O happy Achievement! how well am I rewarded for all my labour! now I am past it, and settled in the quiet possession of my conquest! When, I say, a Man can thus reflect with himself, it must needs be unspeakable Pleasure to him: whereas he who defers his Repentance and hath it yet to do, is in perpetual pain and anxiety; whilst he thus considers with himself, alas, to repent is a very sad and painful work! but yet at last I must undergo it, or suffer that which is a thousand times more painful. I must lament and weep for my folly, watch and pray against it, struggle with and overcome it, or rue for it to all Eternity. O that it were done! but O how loath am I to go about it! O that my pain were over! but O how afraid am I to endure it! Thus the poor Wretch for fear of Pain exposes himself to a linger Torment, and whilst by one brave Attempt he might ease himself, and set his soul at rest for ever, he languishes away his Life in misery, and is sick with the fear of his Remedy: just like some Men under the torments of the Stone, they know they must be cut or die, but the frightful apprehensions they have of their Remedy makes them delay it from time to time. They will endure it, they say, rather than lose their Lives, but when they come to the trial their heart fails and they must needs have a little longer respite; and all the while they are full of pain and uneasiness, and full of sad Apprehensions of those severer pains they must endure in order to their recovery, and yet these at last they must endure too or that which is much more terrible to them; whereas had they but endured them at first, they might have saved themselves all those Torments, and all those Fears of farther Torments which they endured in the time of their delay. And is not this extremely absurd and ridiculous? And yet just thus it is with those who put off their Repentance. Had they repent on their first Lapse, their hearts might have been at ease a great while ago, and they might have saved themselves all those gripes and twinges of Conscience which they have been forced to endure. But Repentance they thought was a sad remedy, and the fear of that too augmented the torment of their disease. But be it never so sad, they know well enough they must at last apply it, or perish for ever. Well; but they will apply it, that they resolve on; but fain they would have a little longer respite. Ah foolish Souls! will it hereafter be more easy than now to you? Will your Delay do you think mollify the pain and anguish of it? Alas no, it will rather render it more dolorous. So that all the while you delay, and think of it only but do not do it, you do but anticipate the Torment, and prolong the misery of it; and whereas if once it were done you would be at rest, and all the pain of your past Gild, and the fear of your future Repentance would be over; whilst you only think of it but do it not, is is a continued Disease to you, and the very Apprehensions you have of it are many times more dolorous than the performance.  
4. And lastly, to delay our Repentance is to do a thing upon no other presumption, but that we shall one Day repent of our own Action. And can there be any thing more ridiculous than for a Man to do an Action in hope that he shall live to repent of it? for either the Action is reasonable, or not, if it be, why should he hope to repent of it? if it be not, why should he be so extravagant to do it? so that for a Man to do a Thing upon Presumption that he shall repent of it, is to proclaim himself a Fool; and yet this is the Case of him that delays his Repentance. For that this very Delay is a Sin superadded to those criminal Actions of which he ought to repent, I have already demonstrated; from whence it necessarily follows, that this must be repent of as well as those. So that for Men to encourage themselves not to repent at present, in hope that they shall repent hereafter, is to act professedly contrary to the reasons of Things. For if the Nature of our Delay is such as that we have reason to hope we shall one day repent of it, this is so far from being a proper Encouragement to it, that it is one of the strongest Reasons that can be urged against it; and for a Man to rob in hope to be hanged for it, or to drink deadly Poison in hope to be convulsed and tormented with it, is every whit as wise and rational, as to delay our Repentance in hope to repent of it. For who but a Madman, or one that is resolved to act counter to all Rules of Reason, would ever practise on this extravagant Conclusion; I will do this or that Action at present, in hope that hereafter I shall be sorry for, and extremely ashamed of it, and wish a Thousand times that I had never done it. I know it is a great Evil, and do plainly perceive, that one time or other I shall find it so; but come what will, I will venture upon it, in hope that hereafter I shall be ashamed with the horror of it, and tormented for it upon the Rack of a self-condemning Conscience. And now, I beseech you, is this a reasonable Hope, or proper Encouragement for a wise Man to act upon? or rather, is it not one of the most absurd and foolish that ever any Fool or Madman proceeded on? and yet this is plainly the Meaning of our Pretention, when we delay our Repentance in hope to repent of it hereafter.  
And thus you see how extravagantly absurd it is for Men to defer and put off their Repentance; so that methinks had we any Reverence for ourselves, any Respect for those reasonable Natures by which we are constituted Men, we should be ashamed to act so inconsistently with all the Rules of Reason and Sobriety: and so I pass on to  
3. The Third and last Head, under which I proposed to demonstrate the mighty Evil of delaying our Repentance, and that is the Danger of it; which I shall endeavour to make appear in these following particulars.  

1. Every Delay of our Repentance, is a nearer Approach towards final Impenitence.  
2. 'Tis a desperate Venture of our Opportunity of Repentance.  
3. It endangers the forfeiting that Grace without the Assistance whereof we cannot repent.  
4. It drives us nearer to the last Extremity.   
1. Every Delay of our Repentance is a nearer Approach towards final Impenitence. For a sinful State is like a shelving Pool, in which the farther a man wades, the deeper it is; and so deeper and deeper till he come to the bottom of it; and when we are there, we are sunk beyond all hope of Recovery; so that at every step forward, we are in Danger of going beyond our Depth, and plunging into an irreversible Ruin. For final Impenitence, which is the Consummation and Perfection of all Sin, is nothing but a persevering Neglect, or Refusal to repent. And as a Man is always dying, and that which we call Death is only the last and finishing Act of it; so final Impenitence is not the Sin of one Day or Moment, unless it be by accident, but it is a state of Sin, begun as soon as ever the Sin is acted, and carried on through each repeated Action, and in fine is nothing but the same Sin so many times told over. But if it should happen, that he who sinned Yesterday should die to Day, it would be final Impenitance in him to defer his Repentance that one Day. So that our first Delay of Repentance, is the beginning of our final Impenitence, which in all its Periods differs from the Delay only by Chance and Accident; it is materially the same Sin, and if Death chance to strike the next Moment, it will also have the same Formality. For as he that dies young, dies as really as he that dies after Fourscore Years, so he that dies in the midst of a short Delay of his Repentance is as well finally Impenitent, as he that is snatched away to die for ever after Fourscore Years Impenitence; for though the Evil be hot so great, nor the Judgement consequent to it so heavy, yet is it as fatal, and as irreversible as the Decree of Damnation on the fallen Angels. So that all the Time we delay, and put off our Repentance, we are bordering on the worst of Evils, we are just upon the Confines of an irreversible Mischief, and the next step for all we know may carry us beyond Recovery. For if Death should intervene between us and to morrow, this Days delay will be fatal, and irreparable. And can we stand upon the brinks of this Precipice, and feel how the ground sinks underneath us, and yet sleep on securely, without ever thinking whether we are falling, or being in the least concerned at this amazing Prospect of our Danger? Methinks if we had any concern for our own safety, we should think it high time now to start up, and run away from our neighbouring Ruin, and not presume any longer to swim within the Circumference of this fatal Whirl-Pool that is every Moment sucking us in, and for all we know the next Moment may swallow us up irrecoverably.  
2. Every Delay of our Repentance is a desperate Venture of the Opportunity we have to repent in, and that is this present Life, which is the Day in which we are to do our Work, the Time of Trial in which we are to pass our Probation, and perform our Exercise for Eternity; and therefore considering how uncertain this Life is, and to how many Events and Casualties it is exposed, it must needs be a most desperate Venture for a Man to delay his Repentance. For who can tell but while we talk of repenting hereafter, there may be some latent Disease undermining the Fort of Life, and ready to seize the Garrison of our Souls; So that perhaps before this Day is at an end, we may be surprised in the midst of our Delay, and lose all our hopes of to morrow? For what is vain Man that he should talk of repenting hereafter, when perhaps, whilst the Word is in his Mouth, there may be an Imposthume in his Head or Breast, or a ripe hardened Stone in his Kidney ready to drop down into his Bladder the next Moment; when he may be inflamed with a Fever by what he drinks to Night, or drowned in a Surfeit with what he eats to Morrow; when he may expire his Soul with the next Breath, or suck in Poison with the next Air, and so many unlooked for Accidents may put an end to his talk of repenting hereafter, and render it impossible for ever. And suppose we should be thus surprised, as many others have been before us, that while we are merry and jolly in our Sins, that all on a sudden we should be hurried away out of the Company of our jovial Associates, into that of howling and tormented Spirits, and from our Songs and Laughter into weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of Teeth; how should we be blanked and amazed, and with what Horror and Astonishment should we reflect upon the woeful Change, and upon our own desperate Folly that was the Cause of it? How dare we then talk of repenting hereafter, who cannot command one Moment of future Time, nor promise ourselves one Day longer? when for all we know the hope of Eternity that is now in our hands may be lost for ever, and drop through our fingers before to Morrow Morning; and we that lie down this Night, and sleep securely in our Sins, may before the next Twilight awake with Horror and Amazement in Hell? Blessed God that ever any reasonable Creatures should be so stupefied, to venture a Soul and an everlasting Interest on so great an Uncertainty, and rather than begin his Repentance to day, run the hazard of being eternally miserable to morrow Morning! that he who will not trust his Gold one hour in the Possession of a Thief, nor his Life one minute within the reach of a Lion's Paw, should abandon his Soul whole Months and Years together, to the Mercy of a Danger great enough to distract all the Wits of Mankind, did they but fully understand it! Let us therefore consider that the present Time only is in our Power, and that as for the future, it is wholly in God's; so that while we defer our Repentance to the future, we do as it were cast Lots for our Souls, and venture our everlasting Hopes upon a Contingency that is not in our Power to dispose of. For all we know, this may be the Evening of our Day of Trial; and if it be, our Life and Eternity depends upon what we are now doing. Wherefore it highly concerns us, as we regard our own Safety, wisely to manage this last Stake, the winning or losing whereof, may prove our making or undoing.  
3. Every Delay of our Repentance endangers the forfeiture of that Grace, without the Assistance whereof, we can never repent to purpose. For we can no more repent without God's Grace, than we can live without our Food. No man can come to me, saith our Saviour, except the Father which hath sent me draw him. Joh. 6. 44. But since God hath promised, that if we draw near to him, he will draw near unto us. Jam. 4. 8. that if we work out our own salvation, he will work in us to will, and to do. Philip. 2. 12. and that he will give the holy Spirit unto every one that asks him. Luke 11. 13. Since I say, God hath thus entailed his Grace upon our Endeavours, Repentance is within our Power, so long as that Grace is so; by which, if we do our Endeavour, we shall be enabled to it. He who can repent by the Grace of God, is able to repent so long as he is able to obtain his Grace to assist and concur with his Endeavours; but if he once withdraw his Grace, and give us over to our own Hearts Lusts, then are we no more able to repent by our own natural Strength and Power, than a Clod of Earth is to mount up to Heaven, and fix itself a glorious Star in the Firmament: But all the time we do delay our Repentance, we are wearying out the Grace of God, which whilst we are running away from God and our Duty, follows us with Importunities to return; but instead of complying with it, we still defer to listen to its Solicitations, and put it off from time to time with false and empty Promises, what can be expected but that after so many defeats and disappointments it should at last abandon, us to ourselves, and leave us to the miserable Fate of our own Folly and Madness: and if once it doth so, farewel to all the Hopes of our Recovery. Consider therefore, O thou vain Man, that sayst thou wilt repent hereafter; must thou command God to wait thy leisure, or fasten his Grace with such adamantine Chains as that it should never be able to get loose from thee? art thou sure it will be always at thy Beck, or that notwithstanding thy long Provocations, it will be ready to come in to thy aid whensoever thou callest for its Assistance? for by promising to repent hereafter, thou dost not only promise for thyself, but for the Grace of God too, whose Assistance is as necessary to thy Repentance, as thy own Endeavour; and methinks 'tis a strange piece of Confidence in thee, to promise for that which thou hast so much disobliged, and which upon that account thou hast so little reason to trust to. 'Tis true God hath promised you his Grace, but I beseech you, where hath he promised that you shall have it when you please? or that after all his Tenders, and your scornful Refusal of it, it shall be still at your Choice whether you will at last accept of, or again refuse it? for unless you can produce some such Promise as this, you can have no reason to expect that God will still continue his Grace to you, how long soever you refuse and reject it: And if he should at last deal by you, as you have dealt by him, this will be the final Issue, because when he hath called, you have refused, when he hath stretched out his hand, you have not regarded, but have set all his Counsels at naught, and would not hearken to his Importunities; therefore when you call, he will not answer, when you seek, he will not be found; but will even laugh at your Necessity, and mock when your last Extremity comes upon you. And should things be reduced once to this sad Issue, woe be to us that ever we were born.  
4. And lastly, Every Delay of our Repentance drives us nearer to the last Extremity, which is that of a Deathbed Repentance; and how great a one that is, I have already showed you at large, and given you evident Proof, that tho' it be not absolutely desperate, yet it is most fearfully hazardous and comfortless; and yet this is the common Centre to which all our Delays do naturally tend. We venture to sin on, because we know that if we do repent, God will have Mercy upon us, and so we do resolve upon both; that is to sin now, and to repent hereafter. And by this Train the Devil touls us on through all the Stages of Sin and Life, till we come to our Deathbed, and then when our Time and Strength is spent, we shall have all the Business of our Life to do, and being reduced to this Extremity, what a woeful Condition shall we be in? when we shall feel ourselves departing into a long Eternity of Weal or Woe, and have nothing to bear us company thither, but our Sins and Guilts, which, if they be not canceled in an instant, will consign us immediately to endless Misery; and whether we look either within, without, or above us, shall be able to see nothing but a black and dismal Cloud hanging over us, and Causes of Fear surrounding us on every side; how will our Heart sink within us, and our Soul quiver on our Lips to think how naked and harbourless she is left, having no other Refuge to fly to, now the Avengers of Blood are at her heels, but only that wronged and affronted Mercy which all her Life time she spurned and trampled on? When we shall consider what a vast Work we have to do, how little Time we have to do it in, how our own Strength is spent, and what little Reason we have to expect that God should strengthen us by a Miracle; in what a Tumult will our Souls be? how shall we quake and tremble to think whither we are going? and what will become of us for ever? Surely if we die in our Wits, and are not Atheists or Sots, it will be impossible for us to reflect on ourselves and the fearful Risque we are running, without extreme Horror and Amazement. For we must be strangely stupefied, if when we perceive ourselves upon the Confines of Eternity, within a very few Moment's of being Happy or Miserable for ever, we do not awake from our Security; and if we do, the vastness of the Work that lies upon our Hands, the number of the Guilts that will stare us in the Face, and the little Time and Power we have to perform the one and expiate the other, must needs put our guilty Consciences into a fearful Agony, and unchain, and let lose all its Terrors upon us: And then how miserable will our Condition be, when we shall look about for Comfort, and see nothing but God's everlasting Threats ready to be fired and discharged upon us, and not one Promise opening a Door of Hope, nor any Arm of Mercy held forth to catch us now we are leaping down into Eternity; but Hell gaping for us as wide as our Grave, and both ready to receive a part of us, and ourselves ready to divide ourselves into those Two sad Habitations. O then shall we sigh and lament our Folly, and curse our lingering Delays, and wish a Thousand and a Thousand Times we had begun our Repentance sooner. This is the sad Extremity whereunto we are driving in every Delay of our Repentance; and considering all these Things, methinks these mighty Dangers whereunto our Delays expose us, should be enough to frighten the most resolute Sinner into present purposes of Amendment. And O would to God, that this might be the happy Effect of it! that Men at last would be but so wise as to consider these things, how monstrously Wicked, how shamefully Absurd, how fearfully Dangerous it is for them to put off their Repentance; and that considering this they would be so kind to themselves as now at last to betake themselves to the Discipline of a severe Repentance. This I know is a Word that Men are extremely frighted at, they think if once they betake themselves to Repentance, they must encounter with vast Difficulties, and enter into a very dolorous and unpleasant Course of Life, which while they can live merrily in their Sins, they are very loath to do. And indeed I cannot deny, but after an habitual Course of Sin, our Entrance into a penitent Life, will in all probability, be attended with a great deal of Sorrow and Disquiet, but who can help this? it is you that have brought this Inconvenience on yourselves by deferring your Repentance so long; and assure yourselves, the longer you defer it, the more difficult it will be whenever you begin. But for God's sake consider Sirs, which do you think will be more uneasy, to undergo the Severities of Repentance for a Time, or Hell Fire for ever; to weep for your Sins whilst you have Hope of Mercy, to contest against them whilst you have a Prospect of Victory; or sigh and groan for them to all Eternity, without any hope of Ease or Redemption; for whether you will or no, you must endure Repentance or Hell; and therefore since there is no other remedy, at least be persuaded to choose that which is most tolerable, and if you do so, I am sure you must conclude, that 'tis infinitely easier to repent, than to be damned. But yet it is plain, that Men do commonly fancy Repentance to be much more grievous than it is; for could they once persuade themselves to resolve upon the Work, and seriously to engage in it, they would find the greatest part of the Trouble were over; for the main Difficulty of Repentance, lies in forming our first Resolution; this indeed will exact great Consideration, and vigorous Struggling with the wicked Habits and Inclinations of our own Natures; but when we have so far overcome ourselves, as to obtain a full and clear Consent and Resolution, we have passed the main brunt of our spiritual Warfare, and if we have but the Courage to keep our Ground, shall soon be crowned with the Joys of Victory, and that which seemed at first so frightful, and terrible to us, will presently grow tolerable, and soon after easy, and after that by degrees so pleasant and delightful, that we shall prefer it before all the Pleasures of Sense, and feel ourselves infinitely more blessed and happy in it, than ever we were in the midst of the highest Ravishments of our sinful Delights. Come then, my Brethren, let us stand no longer amusing ourselves with the Difficulties, but let us seriously consider the indispensible necessity of it, the great Assistance God hath promised us if we will speedily undertake it, and the immense Rewards he proffers to encourage us to it, and let us never leave pressing ourselves with these Considerations, till we have obtained of ourselves a full and free consent to it, and wrought our Wills into a serious and hearty Resolution. And when we have prevailed thus far, we have gotten over the greatest Difficulty that lies between us and Heaven, and if we do but vigorously pursue our Resolution, our Work will every day grow easier and easier, and so at last it will be our Recreation, and we shall reap from it so much Peace of Conscience, so much joy in the Holy Ghost, such a calm and sweet Enjoyment of ourselves, and such a glorious Hope of a future blessed Immortality, as will carry us with unspeakable Vigour through all the weary Stages of our Duty, till we are arrived to our Journeys end, where all the Sorrows of our Repentance shall be swallowed up in everlasting Joys and Triumphs.   
LUKE XXII. 42. Nevertheless, not my Will, but thine be done. 
THESE Words are a Part of our Saviour's Prayer in his Agony; in which his Soul being at present under a mighty Contest with the Powers of Darkness, and under a vigorous Apprehension of his approaching Passion on the Cross, expresses an earnest, but yet natural and innocent Desire of Deliverance; Father, if thou be willing, saith he, remove this Cup from me. For his Humanity being now in a great measure deprived of the Supports and comfortable Influence of his Divinity, and left alone to grapple by its own single Strength, with the powerful Malice of Men and Devils, and being under a piercing Sense of those mighty Evils they intended against him, began to recoil and shrink, out of a natural desire to preserve itself; but yet this natural desire being perfectly under the Government of his Reason, and that as perfectly under the Government of God, He does to this Effect address himself to God, Father, if it be thy Will, remove this Cup away from me. I do not desire in the least to control or cross thy blessed Will in any thing, no, rather than thou shouldst suffer the least Disappointment in thy blessed Intentions, I am ready to undergo the utmost that the Malice of Men and Devils can inflict upon me; but alas! the Evils that I feel and fear are so exceeding grievous unto Flesh and Blood, that if it might be without Contradiction to thy Will, or Prejudice to thy gracious Intentions to a sinful World, I cannot but earnestly desire that they might be removed from me. But if there be any the least Competition between thy Designs and my Desires, so that they do not fairly agree, and perfectly consist with one another, whatsoever I endure, not my Will, but thine be done.  
Behold here a most perfect Pattern of Submission to the Will of God, and that under the most dismal and difficult Circumstances. When he plainly saw it was the Will of his Father to expose him to the utmost Extremity of humane Misery, to object his naked Breast to the utmost Malice of Men and Devils; when, by the Force of a most powerful Instinct, his Nature recoiled at the Apprehension of it, and would fain have been excused; then did he supplicate on his bent Knees, that his Father would not listen to the innocent Language of his natural Fears and Desires, but that he would fully execute his own severe and terrible Will upon him; not my Will, O Father, i. e. not the Will of my natural Fear and Desire of Self-preservation, but thy Will be done; though it be to inflict on me the utmost Misery that a poor Innocent, as I am, can be exposed to. The Words being thus explained, do naturally resolve themselves into this Proposition,  
That God's Choices for us, are much better than our own, and consequently, that if it were in our Power to determine which of the Two should take Effect, it would be very unreasonable not to choose what God hath chose for us.  
The Truth of which will evidently appear if we consider these Two Things:  

1. That God doth as really and heartily will what is Good for us, as we do for ourselves.  
2. That he knows much better what is Good for us than we.   
1. That God doth as really and heartily will what is Good for us, as we do for ourselves; i e. So long as we are proper Objects of his good Will, and have not sinned ourselves into an utter Incapacity of being beloved by him; for then the Case quite altars, and that good Will which he formerly bore us, converts into a severe Resolution of making us dreadful Examples to others, that so when through our own Obstinacy and Incorrigibleness he can do no more good upon us, he may do good to others by us, and warn them not to imitate our Actions by the fearful Example of our Sufferings. But so long as there is any Hope of doing good upon us, he declares himself as heartily inclined to do good to us, as ever any Man was to do good to himself; for what mighty Designs hath he set on foot? what expensive Methods hath he used to save us? in what passionate Strains hath he expressed his good Will towards us, and with what restless Importunity doth he court us to be happy? He swears by his own Life, that he desires not our Ruin, but rather that we should return and live, and solemnly professes, that he would have all men to be saved, and to come to the Knowledge of the Truth. And when with all his Courtships and Addresses he cannot prevail upon our Obstinacy, to dissuade us from ruining ourselves, he puts on the Passions of a mournful Friend, and with yearning Bowels laments our fatal Folly; by all which tender Expressions he plainly declares, that he doth as heartily will our Welfare as we can do our own. But because a firm Belief of this Principle is indispensibly necessary to a free Submission to his heavenly Will, I shall endeavour briefly to demonstrate the Truth of it from these Four Considerations.  
1. That his Interest in us is much greater than ours in ourselves.  
2. That his own Self-love doth as strongly incline him to will our Good, as ours doth to will our own.  
3. That in concerning himself about us, he can have no other End to serve, than what we have in being concerned for ourselves.  
4. That even that good Will that we bear to ourselves, is only a Derivation from, and Participation of that infinite good Will which he bears us.  
1. That his Interest in us is much greater than ours in ourselves. If we believe him to be the Author of our Being's, we must acknowledge him to have a most absolute and unalienable Propriety in us; that what we are, as well as what we have, we hold from him who is the Head-Landlord and Supreme Proprietor of all those Being's that are derived from him, even as Brooks and Rivulets owe all their Streams to the Fountain from whence they flow. And can we imagine him not to be greatly concerned for what he hath so great an Interest in? or that he who hath so much greater Propriety in us, should have less Regard for us than we have for ourselves? Can it be thought that the great Father of Being's, should be forgetful of his own Offspring? that he who hath imprinted on all other Parents such a tender Kindness toward their natural Issue, should be so regardless of his own, as to expose them to a wide Wilderness, and leave them there to shift for themselves? no, doubtless the mighty Interest he hath in us cannot but endear his Affections to us, and render him mightily concerned for our welfare. Can the Mother forget her sucking Child, that she should not have Compassion on the Son of her Womb? yea, they may forget, but I will not forget thee saith the Lord. Isai. 49. 14. For since every thing is naturally inclined to love its own, we cannot but conclude that the God of Nature, from whom all natural Inclinations spring, hath in himself a most tender Regard for all that Family of Being's, of which he is the Parent; especially considering  
2. That his own Self-love doth as strongly incline him to will our Good, as ours doth to will our own. For if he love himself as he cannot but do, being infinitely lovely; he must necessarily love what is like him, and affect to propagate his own Resemblance. But no miserable Thing can be like himself, who is infinitely happy; and therefore he cannot love to make others miserable, since in so doing, he must affect to produce what is contrary to himself, which implies a plain Contradiction. For unless he love our Misery, he cannot be supposed to desire it, because as I shall show you by and by, himself can never be the better for it, and therefore if he desire it, it must be for its own sake. But how is it possible that the same Being should love Contraries at the same time; that he should at once take Delight in himself, and in what is most unlike him, or, which is the same thing, that he should be pleased with his own Happiness and with our Misery together. So that if he love himself who is infinitely happy, his own Self-love must necessarily incline him to will the Happiness of others; and unless our Happiness might be supposed to be prejudicial to his, which is impossible, it would be an Expression of Hatred to himself to wish ill to his Creatures. In his willing Misery in us, he would manifest himself to be displeased with his own Happiness, and openly declare that Misery was much more grateful to him; for how can he love Misery for itself, as he must needs do, if he take Pleasure in ours, and at the same time love himself who is so infinitely happy? This therefore we may build upon, with as much Confidence, as upon any first Principle in Philosophy, that God hath the same Reason to will our Happiness, as we have to will our own; that as we would be happy, because we love ourselves; so because he loves himself, he would have us be so. He loves that others should be like him, even as every other Being doth that loves; for what he loves in himself, he must love in another, and that which he loves in another where it is, he must love to propagate to another where it is not; and consequently, as he must love our Happiness, because he loves his own, even so for the same Reason he must love to make us happy▪  
3. That in concerning himself about us, he can have no other End to serve, but what we have in being concerned for ourselves▪ He is so infinitely happy in himself, that he can neither conceive nor desire any Good for himself, beyond what is contained within the Immensity of his own Being and Perfections; so that now he can have no Self-ends to serve, because he doth already enjoy all possible Degrees of Perfection and Happiness; and so can desire nothing without himself as an Addition to his own Beatitude, which is so infinite already that it will admit of no Increase. From hence therefore we may be assured that he can have no other Reason to concern himself about us, but only to do us Good, for to do us Mischief cannot be his End, because he can do himself no Good by it, his Happiness being already so complete, that it cannot possibly need our Misery either to increase, or to serve as a Foil to it. 'Tis only Want and Indigence that make one Being desire the Misery of another. If I desire to rob another of his Happiness, 'tis to increase or to secure my own; if I desire to make another miserable, 'tis either to preserve my self from being so, or to procure myself that ill-natured Comfort of having a Companion in Misery. But God by the boundless Happiness of his Nature, is infinitely raised above all such mean Considerations, and therefore cannot have any Temptation in his Nature to do any Thing but Good to his Creatures But doth not the Scripture tell us, that he doth all things for his own Glory, and that he obtains this End as well by punishing as by rewarding his Creatures? Very true, but than it is to be considered, that the Glory he aims at, consists not in receiving of any Good from us, but in doing and communicating of all Good to us: For infinite Goodness can no otherwise be glorified than by its own Overflowings, and free Communications, and it can no otherwise be glorified in the Punishment of its Creatures, but only as it doth Good by it; for should it punish without good Reason, it would reproach and vilify itself; but if it doth it for good Reason, it must be because it is good either for it self or others: for it self it cannot be; for how can an infinitely happy Being reap any Good from another's Misery? and therefore it must be for the good of others, either to reduce those who are punished, or to warn others by their Example from running away from their Duty and Happiness. So that to do Good, is the End of God's Punishment, and because it is so, he is glorified by it; and considering that he is so infinitely happy, that he can no ways serve himself by our Miseries, it is impossible he should have any other End in concerning himself about us, but only that great and Godlike one of doing us good, and making us happy. For the very Notion of an End includes Good; and therefore since the End of God's Concern about us, cannot be his own Good, it must necessarily be ours.  
4. And lastly, That even that good Will that we bear to ourselves, is only a Derivation from, and Participation of that infinite good Will which God bears us. For it is plain, that our natural Instincts, and Propensions, must be derived from the same Fountain with our Natures, and consequently that God is the Author of both; and if so, than that unquenchable Self love, and Thirst after Happiness, which is implanted in our Natures, must needs be derived from him, and owe its Original to some overflowing Spring of Love and Benevolence in his Bosom. For what should move him so to contrive the Frame of our Natures, as that we cannot but love ourselves and breath after our own Happiness, but only his own good Will to us, and tender Care of our Happiness? What other End could he propose to himself, in stamping this vehement Propension in our Natures, only to excite us by it to be careful of ourselves, and to pursue our own Interests? Doubtless if he had not loved us more than we love ourselves, he would never have caused us to love ourselves as we do, since he could have no other aim in causing us to do so, but only to oblige us to befriend ourselves, and contribute all we are able to our own Welfare. And since it was out of mere Love to us that he made us to love ourselves, and our own self-love is nothing else but a Ray and Participation of his Benevolence towards us, we may be sure it is purer in the Fountain than it can be in the Channel, that it is much more intense and vigorous in his Bosom than in our own. For as the natural Love of all Parents towards their Offspring is a plain Instance of the indulgent Care which the great Father of Being's hath for all his Children, that he hath committed them in their Infancy to such tender Nurses as will be sure to take care of them when they cannot provide for themselves; that he hath not entrusted them to the Compassion and good Nature of other Being's, to be maintained by the Alms and Benevolence of their fellow Creatures, but hath taken security for their liberal Nature and Education from the inmost Bowels of their Parents; so that vehement Propension of Self-love which God hath implanted in us is a most genuine Signature and Impression of his Benevolence towards us, and shows how careful he was of us thus to take security of ourselves for our own Welfare, and to oblige us to be happy by the most tender and vigorous Passion in our Natures. By all these considerations I think it is as clear as the Sun that God doth heartily loves us, and hath as unfeigned a goodwill for us, as we can have for ourselves; so that unless we can suppose that we are better able to choose for ourselves than he, we have at least as much Reason to acquiesce in his Choices for us as in our own. It is plain he is as much our Friend as ourselves, and therefore tho' what he wills and chooses for us may in some particulars appear very harsh and severe, yet that his Intention is good, and that he means as well towards us as we can towards ourselves; and therefore if in the Event it prove not as well for us as our own contrary Will and Choice would have done, we may be sure that it was not want of good Will to us, but for want of Skill to choose what was best for us. But if it appear that he doth not only wish as well to us as we do to ourselves, but also that he knows how to choose for us a great deal better than we, than we have all the Reason in the world to acquiesce in his Choices how grievous soever they may appear to us, and to join heartily with our Saviour in this excellent Petition, not our wills, O Father, but thy Will be done. Which brings me to  
2. The second general Head of discourse, that as God hath as good a Will to us as we have to ourselves, so he knows much better what is Good for us than we. And to prove the Truth of this it is sufficient that God infinitely exceeds us in Knowledge and Understanding, he being Omniscient, and having all Things before him in one entire View and Prospect, whereas we see but in part, and know but in part, and are extremely shallow and superficial in our Conceptions of those Things that lie before us, which must necessarily render us infinitely less capable of judging what is Good for ourselves than he. And this will more plainly appear by particular Instances, of which I shall only produce these five:  
1. That we many times know only what is Good for ourselves singly, but God knows what is Good for us as we are Parts of the Whole, and in Conjunction with it.  
2. We many times know only what is Good for us with respect to such a particular End, but God knows what is Good for us in the main.  
3. We many times know only this or that to be Good for us singly and apart by itself, but God knows whether it be Good for us in Conjunction with those Concomitants and Consequents that are necessary to it.  
4. We many times know only what is Good for us in respect to our present Temper and Disposition, but God knows what is Good for us in Reference to our constant and most abiding Disposition.  
5. We many times know what is Good for us with respect to this present State of Things, but God knows what is Good for us in Reference to our eternal Condition. In all which Instances I doubt not to make it appear that God is much fitter to choose for us, than we for ourselves.  
1. That we many times know only what is Good for ourselves singly, but God knows what is good for us as we are Parts of the Whole, and in Conjunction with it. Man is naturally a sociable Creature, and as such can never be happy alone. His Music is always best in Consort; when it consists of numerous Voices, every one bears a Part with every one. And since our Nature is such, as that we are not comparably so well pleased with solitary as with sociable Fruitions, it is every single Man's Interest that his own private Good should not be separated from the Good of the Whole; that it should not grow like a Wen by engrossing the Nourishment that is due to all the other Parts, but rise and increase in such just Proportions as is consistent with the Happiness of all the Rest: and there is no man whatsoever that hath the least Spark of Generosity in him, but to contribute to a Public Good would joyfully submit to a great many private Inconveniences, and would reckon his own personal Damage fairly compensated by the Advantage that the Public receives by it. But so narrow and confined is our Prospect of things, that in our private Choices we many times ignorantly separate our own Interest from the Publicks, and choose that for ourselves, which, should we obtain, would prove very injurious to the Whole. We would fain change our present Condition for some other which we have Reason to believe would be much more advantageous to us; but should we obtain our Desire, it may be the Public would be much more injured by it, than ourselves could be benefited. Perhaps we are fittest to do Good in our present Station, or, should we remove, some unworthy Person may get in in our Room, or some Person that is more worthy than ourselves may be displaced by us; and by a thousand other ways which we are not able to comprehend, our shifting of Places may so puzzle and disorder the well-laid scene of Affairs, that had we foreseen it at first we should much rather have chosen to keep where we are. Again, we lie under the sense or Apprehension of some great Calamity, and doubtless if we might choose for ourselves we would immediately be delivered from it; but did we always foresee how much Good others may reap from our Sufferings, how much our private Infelicity may conduce to the Weal of the Public, I hope we should not be such narrow-spirited Persons as for the sake of our present Ease to neglect so fair an Opportunity of being public Benefactors to the World. But now God hath such an entire Prospect of all Things before him, that he plainly sees all the little Clashing and Interfering of men's private with the Public Good. And as he knows that we cannot be happy alone, so he resolves that we shall not; for he never wishes any Man's private Good separately from that of the Public, but in one steady Drift he carries on the Interest of each single Part in Conjunction with the Interest of the Whole. And hence in the Prosecution of single Ends we see he is not always wont to proceed in the most direct and compendious Way, but often times winds about in a large Circuit, in which he infolds and takes in a thousand concurrent and subordinate Designs; and drives them all at once before him in the Course and Series of his Providence. And tho' in this general Drift of Things, the Concerns of particular Men are sometimes set forwards, and sometimes backwards, in Pursuance of the main Design; yet all at last conspires in the public Good, whereof each Particular hath a share. And therefore tho' for a public Good we some times suffer a present Inconvenience, yet since we cannot be happy but in Society, it is much better for us that we should be dammaged than the Public; because the Happiness of each particular Member redounds from the Welfare of the whole Society, and is necessarily involved in it: And did we but rightly understand our own Interest, we should never esteem any Thing Good for ourselves that is a Nuisance to the Public, because whatsoever this suffers, I and every Man suffer; and unless I could be happy alone, that can never be for my Interest in particular that is against my Interest in common. Since therefore the Happiness of every Part is included in that of the Whole, and consequently whatsoever promotes the Public Good is beneficial to each particular Member; it hence necessarily follows that God can choose much better for us than we. For whereas generally our Foresight is limited within the narrow Horizon of our own particular Concerns, by reason whereof we cannot many times avoid choosing against the common Interest, God hath the whole series of Things before him, and so must necessarily see even from the Beginning to the End what is for the public Interest and what not; and therefore since he who is sole Administrator of the public Bank of humane Interest knows how to make the best Improvement of it, it is doubtless much more advantageous for us that he should manage all our particular Shares of it, then that we should reassume them into our own Hands, and manage them separately by themselves: And though under his Conduct and Management we suffer some present Inconveniences, yet so long as we are sure of this, that the Public Good requires it and is promoted by it, we have all the Reason in the world to be satisfied. And this was the Case in the Text; the Inconvenience which our blessed Lord did here so earnestly deprecate was indispensibly necessary for the Commonweal of Men, in which himself had a large Share, being a Member of the Corporation of Mankind; so that had God granted his Desire, and excused him that bitter Cup he drank, not only Mankind in general but himself in particular, as he was a Man, would have been very much damnified by it; for he would have been deprived of those Felicities which he now enjoys in common with us as he is the Head of a glorious Church, whom he redeemed and purchased with his Blood. He would have fallen short of that Mediaterial Dignity to which he is now advanced, and lost the Satisfaction of being the Author of our Happiness, and seeing the blessed Fruits of the Travail of his Soul; by all which he hath been abundantly compensated for those momentary Sufferings he endured. So that in the Issue we see it was well for him as well as for us that the Will of God took place, his own personal Share in the common Happiness of Men being enough to recompense him a thousand Fold for whatsoever he suffered to procure it. Upon this Account therefore it is best that God should choose for us, because he always chooses what is Good for us in conjunction with the Public, in the Prosperity whereof all our particular Welfare is involved.  
2. We many times only know what is Good for us with respect to such a particular End, but God knows what is good for us in the main. The Generality of Men we see are so rash and precipitant in the Pursuit of their particular Ends, that they commonly overlook those Things that are of more general and Catholic Concern to them, and run themselves upon a thousand Inconveniences for the sake of such particular Goods as can never make them any reasonable Amends. Thus in our worldly Affairs, how often do we endanger our main Interest by snatching too greedily at some present Good? We think if we had it, it would serve such a Purpose and conduce to such a desired End; but when we have it, it proves a Mischief to us, and disappoints us of other Ends and Purposes which are of much greater Weight and Moment to us: And I believe there is no Man that hath been but a diligent Observer of his own Affairs, but hath found by Experience, that many of those Things which for such or such Purposes he hath earnestly coveted, have proved in the main extremely prejudicial to him; that either his Health or his Estate, his Peace or his Reputation, which are the main Ingredients of our temporal Welfare, hath been very much impaired by the Acquisition of some of those Goods which he hath most impatiently longed for. And how often have we seen Men impoverished by those Pleasures, disquieted by those Profits, made infamous by those Honours, and unhealthful by that Ease which they have doted on, and pursued with the greatest Impatience? So fond are we generally of our little particular Ends, that in the prosecution of them we seldom consult our main Interest! we consider only that this or that Good will serve this or that Purpose, and so we immediately let fly our Desires and Endeavours after that, without ever enquiring whether it will not be more prejudicial to us in general, than it can be beneficial in this or that particular; in which Case if we had but our own Wills, we should many times ruin ourselves for Trifles, and sacrifice all the Happiness of our Lives to the present gratification of some fond and unreasonable Desire. But now God in the Conduct and Management of our Affairs considers our whole Case, and hath all our Circumstances together in his View, and so cannot but know whether this or that particular Good be consistent with our Welfare in the general; and whereas we, like Men in a Fever, do for our present Ease and Refreshment oftentimes long most impatiently for what is most hurtful and injurious to us, God, like a wise Physician, consults our future Health more than our present Ease, and having an infallible Prospect of our whole Case and Circumstances, suits all his Prescriptions to the Necessities of our Condition, and not to the blind Impatiencies of our Appetites and Longings. He many times plainly sees that what we desire would be our Bane; and therefore out of tender Mercy chooses rather to deny us than to destroy us. That Patient would be accounted very unreasonable that should fall out with his Physician for disturbing his sleep when he is inclining to a Lethargy, or denying him Drink in a Fever or a Dropsy; because tho' what he desires is good for those particular Ends of his present Ease and Refreshment, yet it is apparently destructive to him in the main. Thus doubtless it would have been very well for joseph, as to many particular Ends, not to have been sold by his Brethren, or imprisoned in Egypt, and doubtless had it been left to his own Option, he would much rather have chosen to continue at Home under the Care and Patronage of an indulgent Father; but had he seen, as God did, from the first Link of the Chain of his Fate to the last, and how inseparably his After-advancement was connected to his present sufferings, in the Course and Series of Things; he would doubtless have willingly chosen as God did for him, since tho' the contrary had been well for him in some particulars, yet this was much better in the general.  
3. We many times know only this or that to be good for us singly and apart by itself, but God knows whether it be good for us in Conjunction with those Concomitants and Consequents that in the Course of Things are necessary to it. For the divine Providence, which runs through all Things, hath disposed and connected them into such a Series and Order, that there is no single Event or Accident, (but what is purely miraculous) that depends not on the Whole, and hath innumerable Causes antecedent to it, innumerable Concurrences going hand in hand with it, and innumerable Consequents attend it. But so narrow and confined is our Prospect of Things, that we only see that part of their Series and Orders that is at present before us; and there are innumerable Things both concomitant and consequent to every Event that are out of the sphere of our Cognizance; by Reason of which it is impossible for us to make any infallible judgement either of the good or evil of almost any Event that befalls us; because. tho' we may be secure that such an Event singly and apart by itself may be good or evil for us, yet for all we know, in the whole series of Things there be such concomitant or consequent Events inseparable to it, as may quite alter its Nature, and render that Evil which considered singly may be Good for us; or that good, which considered singly may be evil. So that in our Choice of Events we are necessitated for the most part to choose in the dark, because we see so little of the whole Series of Things, and of the Circumstances wherewith Events are accompanied and attended, that it is not in our Power to determine which is good or which bad for us. We many times look on such an Event as highly good for us and extremely desirable, and believe that if we could compass it we should be extremely happy; but poor, unbiased Creatures that we are! we see neither the Company, nor the Train of it. If this Event doth befall us, according to the Series of Things, a thousand others must, and what they will prove we are not able to prognosticate, and for all we know the Mischief of them may abundantly outweigh the Benefit of this: and did we but foresee all that goes along with and all that must follow it, we should be many times most afraid of what we most eagerly desire. This therefore being our Case, how extremely unfit are we to make Choices for ourselves, since it is almost an equal Lay whether what we choose will prove our Food or our Poison. But God being the supreme Orderer and Disposer of Things, must needs have them altogether entirely in his View; and having the first Link of the whole Chain of Causes in his own Hands cannot but plainly see all the intermediate ones from the Beginning to the End. And since his Power is the Cause not only of all actual Events but even of the Possibility of those that shall never be actual, he must needs discern the utmost Issues of every possible as well as actual Event, and see the remotest Effects and Consequents that are in the Wombs of all actual and possible Causes and Principles; and having all Things that are, or that may be in his View, he doth not only see what is good or hurtful to us, but what would be so if it were actual and existing. So that He needs not try Experiments upon us to know what is beneficial or injurious to us, because the Operation and Consequence of every possible Event is as obvious to his all-comprehending Knowledge before as after it is befallen us. And hence it is impossible for him to be mistaken in his Choices; because he knows as well before hand what Things would be if they were, as what they are when they actually exist. And tho' we may sometimes pervert the Natures of Things by our Abuse of them, and make that Evil to us which is really Good; yet God cannot be mistaken so as to prescribe us for Physic what is in its own Nature Poison; and consequently if he love us but as well as we love ourselves, as I have demonstrated he doth, he must needs choose better for us than we; because he sees the utmost Consequents of all that doth or can befall us, and so cannot be imposed on by shows and false Appearances as we often times are. And of this I shall only give you one Instance, which is that of good old jacob when he lost his Son joseph, which we plainly see by the Sorrow he expressed at it was an Accident that happened sore against his Will, and which he would have gladly prevented had he been but aware of it. But it is plain the good Man saw but a little Way into the Series of Things; he saw his Loss, but he saw not the Issues of it, for doubtless had he beheld that Train of happy Consequents that was chained and annexed to it, how it tended not only to Joseph's Advancement but to the Preservation of himself and his Family from the ensuing Famine, he would doubtless have been more a Friend to himself and a Father to his Family than to have countervoted God in his Choice and Election for him. But it was well for jacob that God saw farther into the Consequents of Things than he; for if he had not, not only joseph had miss of his Preferment, but himself and all his Family had been in a great deal of Danger of perishing in the Famin. So that when all is done, you see the wisest Course we can take is to resign up ourselves into the Hands of God, who seeing the utmost Issues and Consequents of Things can never be mistaken in choosing what is best for us.  
4. We many times know only what is Good for us with respect to our present Temper and Disposition, but God knows what is good for us in Reference to our constant and most abiding Condition. We are a Sort of Creatures that are extremely fickle and immutable, our Humours change upon every new Occasion, and our Desires, like the Weathercocks look contrary Ways upon every contrary Wind; now we are of one Mind, and by and by of another: this seems to us now, and anon the quite contrary, and often times in the same Hour we are several Sorts of Men. But still we choose according to our present Temper, and so still as this altars, our later Choices thwart and run a Tilt at our former. So that should every Thing happen to us that we desire and wish for, we should be the most miserable Creatures in the World, since what we choose in this Hour we should reject in the next, and what we longed for to Day we should be sick of to Morrow. And since no Man certainly knows now what mind he shall be of anon, for all that he can tell, that which is most agreeable to him now may be most disagreeable to him then, and if he should change his present Mind, as it is very likely he may, he will immediately unwish what he now wishes for, and dearly repent of what he most heartily chooses. How then is it possible that we should choose well and wisely for ourselves, all whose Choices do depend on a Temper that is so everlastingly fickle and variable? But now God, who foresees what our most constant, lasting, and durable Temper will be, is much better able to adapt Events to it, and to contrive all our Circumstances into a fair Accommodation with it; and tho' it is impossible but he must sometimes cross us, because our Humours do so vary, and we do so often cross and contradict ourselves; yet knowing best what our standing and permanent Temper will be, he must needs know best also what will be most constantly convenient for us and agreeable to us. For if he be cordially our Friend, as it is apparent he is, he will not so much consult the Gratification of our peevish, fickle, and unconstant Humours, as of our most permanent Temper and Disposition; and if he know much better than we what our most permanent Temper and Disposition will be, as it is apparent he doth, he must needs be much abler to suit and accommodate it with convenient Events and Circumstances. Of this you have a remarkable Instance in the Method of Gods conducting Israel out of Egypt into Canaan. Doubtless had They had their own Choice, they would have been immediately translated from their miserable Bondage into that happy Land; but God knew their standing Temper better than they did their own; he saw they were a stupid, stubborn, and untractable People, and as yet wholly uncapable of such a propitious Change, and that if he had conducted them into Canaan directly and in a Moment, they would have presently forgot their Benefactor, and let lose themselves to all Licentiousness and Wickedness; which must have naturally shortened their Prosperity and hastened it into an untimely Ruin: And therefore God saw it necessary to continue them some time longer in Egypt, that so by his mighty Works there he might awaken their stupid Minds into an awful Sense of his Majesty and Power. And when by his outstretched Arm he had brought them out of Egypt, he made them wander about Forty Years in the Wilderness; whereas had he led them directly on, a very few Days Marches would have brought them into Canaan. But he considered their stubborn Temper which was not yet capable to bear a prosperous Condition, till it was throughly disciplined for it in the School of Affliction; till it was broken, and tamed, and civilised, and rendered more tractable and obsequious. And tho' in thus Dealing with them, he acted quite contrary to their present Humour and Desires, yet did he act most advantageously for them, considering their standing Genius and Temper; for had he transmitted them into Canaan with all those barbarous Conditions that they brought out of Egypt, their Prosperity would have only heightened their Insolence and hastened their Ruin: And accordingly Deuter. 8. Moses tells them at large, that all God's Severities to them in the Wilderness were to dispose them for the happy condition of Canaan; to prove and polish them, to break and humble their untractable Spirits, and do them good in the latter End; as you may see verse 2, 3, 5, 16. And if God choose to do what is best for us with respect to our standing Temper and Disposition, we have no reason to complain that he sometimes crosses our more fickle and variable Humours and Fancies.  
5. And lastly, We many times know only what is Good for us with respect to this present State of Things, but God knows what is Good for us in reference to our eternal Condition. For we being a Sort of Creatures that are born to live for ever in eternal Weal or Woe, it is really a Matter of very small Moment to us whether we are happy or miserable here; 'tis no more than a short Night's Dream of Pain or Pleasure to a Man that hath fourscore or a hundred years to consume in Delights or Torments: and when we awake in Eternity all that is past will seem a Dream to us in the Presence of those never ending Ages of joy or Misery before us. But yet so fond are we generally of the present, that we most commonly choose without any Regard to the future. In our Choice of Objects we seldom project beyond our present Pleasure; if the Thing will but please us now, we rarely trouble our Heads to inquire what Influence it may have on our eternal Pleasure or Pain; yea, and many times if we should, it would be to no purpose; because in most of those Goods we choose and covet there are a thousand Snares we cannot discern, as well as a thousand Advantages which we are not aware of. In those Evils and Calamities which we run away from, we are not able to foresee how many Ways our souls may be endangered by those outward Goods we covet, nor yet how many spiritual Blessings those outward Evils may be pregnant with at which we are so startled and affrighted: so that in most of our Choices we can look no farther than our present Convenience, but what Effect they may have upon our everlasting Fate we can never certainly know till the Event hath determined it. Thus in this great Lottery of Goods and Evils we unbiased Creatures are fain to choose at a Venture, and till the Event hath determined what our Choices are, we know not whether they are Blanks or Prizes. So that if we always had what we choose, God only knows the Mischief that would follow upon it; for to be sure every Man would choose to be prosperous, and if every Man were so, how many Thousands would perish for ever for want of the saving Remedy of Affliction, which is as indespensibly necessary to the reclaiming of some Persons and putting them into a Capacity of Happiness, as Food is to satisfy our Hunger, or Nourishment to sustain our Lives. Lord! what miserable Creatures than should we be, shouldst thou be so regardless of us as to allow us our Wills, who having so small a Prospect beyond this State of Things should many times for the sake of a present Convenience choose what might occasion our eternal Woe? But God being our best Friend must needs be supposed to intend our main Interest, which being lodged in our eternal State, he must needs be much more concerned about than about our Happiness and Conveniencies in this present Condition; nor indeed would he be our Friend should he advance our present Interests to the Prejudice of our Souls and immortal Concerns. So that if he love us, as we are most sure he doth, the main Drift and Design of his Providence over us must be to secure our Happiness in the World to come; and when this cannot be secured but by the Damage of our earthly Enjoyments, it is Mercy and Kindness to us to fling that Lumber overboard to save our precious and immortal Fraight. But he having a most perfect Intuition of the inmost Nature and utmost Consequents of Things, cannot but discern all those Stops and Turnings where our temporal and eternal Interests do clash and interfere with one another; and having a perfect Insight of all their Competitions, where the one cannot be advanced without the Depression of the other, he must needs know infinitely better than we how to prefer our main Interest, and to choose what is best for us. For he knowing best what our Temper is, and what the Consequents of things are cannot be ignorant of what is best for us and most conducive to our eternal Interest; whether Prosperity or Adversity be safest for our Souls, and most for the Security of our Virtue and Innocence; and knowing this he can so accommodate all Events to our spiritual Necessities, as that they shall all work together for our eternal Good. And if at any time he sees it necessary for our spiritual Good to instruct us by Rods, or to discipline us by Affliction, it is infinite Mercy in him to cross our blind Wills by interrupting our beloved Ease and Prosperity. And if we saw but what he sees when he corrects and chastises us, and knew the Reasons of his Actions; we should doubtless beseech him to do as he doth, and whilst we were smarting under his Lashes, we should be adoring his Goodness for making such wise Provision for our Welfare. Thus when David was hunted like a Partridge on the Mountains by those successive Afflictions which God let fly at him, he doubtless concluded himself to be very severely dealt with, and would God but have allowed him to choose his own Fate, he would much rather have chosen to have lived in an uninterrupted Calm of Prosperity, than to be exposed, as he was, to the incessant Storms of an adverse Fortune. But when Experience had better instructed him what were the Reasons of God's Actions, how necessary they were to correct his Follies, and curb the Extravagancies of his Nature; he was then plainly convinced that God had dealt much better by him, than he would have dealt by himself, and was forced to acknowledge that it was well for him that he was afflicted; for before I was afflicted, saith he, I went astray; But now I have kept thy Commandments. Psal. 119. 67.  
So that by all these Instances you plainly see that God can choose much better for us than we for ourselves, and therefore if to this you add what hath been so largely proved, that he is as heartily our Friend as we can be our own, it will from hence necessarily follow that it is much better for us, that his Will concerning us should take Effect, than any contrary Will or Desire of our own.  
What then remains, but that with all Cheerfulness and Alacrity we resign up ourselves into the Hands of God, and submit all our Choices and Desires to his heavenly Will; who having as unfeigned an Affection for us, as we can have for ourselves, and a much better Prospect of our Affairs than we, must needs manage our Concerns to much greater Advantage than it is possible for us to do. Why then should we murmur and repine at any thing that befalls us? are we wiser than God? no; or can we pretend to be more careful of our Interest than he is? neither. In the Name of Goodness, what would we be at then? Would we have him resign up our Concerns to ourselves, and not intermeddle any farther in our Affairs? God forbid, that either he should have so little Regard of us, or that we should be such Traitors to our own Interest. For on this side Hell I know nothing more formidable than for God to let us alone, and give us up to our own Wills and Desires. And if I should hear him thus bespeaking me from the Battlements of Heaven, O foolish Creature, since what I do will not please thee, and thou art so dissatisfied with my Conduct and Management, from henceforth I will cross thy Desires no more, but let the Event prove good or bad, I will comply with thy Choices, and order all things to happen to thee according to thy own Will: I think I should look on my self as the most forlorn and abandoned Wretch on this side Hell, as one utterly excluded from the greatest Blessing that belongs to a Creature; and if I had any Hope of his Reacceptance, I would on my bent Knees resign back myself, and all that concerns me into his Hands again. I would beseech him above all things not to leave me to my self, not to throw me from his Care, or discharge me from his Conduct; and if I could prevail with him to take me again into his Care and Protection. I would promise never to repine against him more, but cheerfully submit to his heavenly Will how severely soever he should think good to deal with me. And this not only I, but every Man else would do, that truly loves himself, and understands his own Interest, for where can our Concerns be better or safer lodged, than in the Hands of that infinite Wisdom that knows what is best for us, and that infinite Goodness that wills what it knows best, and of that infinite Power that doth what it wills? Why then should any Man be displeased that his Affairs are not managed his own way, when we are so sure of this, that they are managed by One that hath much more Skill to manage them than we; and One that having the same Love for us that we have for ourselves, will be sure to manage them to the best Advantage? And since there is the same Benevolence towards us in God's Will, that there is in ours towards ourselves, how much better is it for us that his should take Effect that is guided by such an infallible Wisdom, than ours that hath nothing to conduct and steer it but a blind Sense, or at best, a unbiased Reason. Wherefore tho' our Affairs go never so contrary to our Wills in this present state of Things, yet this we may build upon, that it is best that Things should be as God will have them. And as when we are grown up to the Age of Men, we thank our Parents for those loving Severities they Exercised towards us when we were Children, and not able to govern ourselves; because than we see, that if they had let us have our Childish Wills, and given the Reins to our wild Passions and Appetites, we should in all Probability have undone ourselves: so when we come to our full Stature in Christ, and are grown up into a State of Perfection, than we shall see Reason to admire and praise the Goodness of God for those merciful Denials and kind Severities, upon the Account of which we now murmur and repine against him; and be fully convinced that it was happy for us, that we were not suffered to be our own Carvers, but had all our Allowances carved out to us by the wise and gracious Providence of our heavenly Father. Whensoever therefore we are crossed by his Providence in any of our Desires, let us but consider how unfeignedly he loves us, and how much more fit he is to choose for us than we, and then we shall see infinite Reason to acquiesce in his Providence, and to join with our Saviour in this excellent Prayer, Father, not our Wills, but thy Will be done.   
MATTHEW XVI. 24. Then said jesus unto his Disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his Cross and follow me. 
IN the 21. Verse our Saviour declares to his Disciples, that it was necessary for him to go up to jerusalem, and there to suffer many things, and to be killed, and be raised again the third Day. Upon which St. Peter rebukes him v. 22. saying, be it far from thee, or as it may be rendered, be propitious to thyself; this shall not be unto thee. But Jesus considering that this was the Work he came into the World for, tartly rebukes him, get thee behind me, Satan, thou art an Offence unto me; for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of Men. i. e. thou talk'st as if thou didst not yet understand what God hath foretold of me, viz. that I shall be advanced to my Kingdom by my Sufferings, and as if thou wer'st merely guided by Rules of humane Policy; according to which, to expose one's self to Calamities and Death, is a very odd way to Glory and Empire. But I tell thee, Peter, that it is not only certain that I must suffer in order to my Advancement, but that those also that will come after me, must deny themselves, and take up their Cross and follow me. In the management of which Words, I shall endeavour these Three Things;  

1. To show you what is here meant by denying ourselves.  
2. What abundant Cause and Reason there is for it.  
3. How absolutely necessary it is to our eternal Happiness.   
1. What is here meant by denying ourselves. In general, by ourselves here we are not to understand our Nature, considered as it is the Creature and Workmanship of God; for God hath endowed us with rational Faculties, and stamped immutable Principles of Reason upon our Minds; which Principles we are so far from being obliged to renounce, that they are the fundamental Laws of our Nature, by which we ought to regulate all our Motions and Actions. By ourselves therefore we are to understand our sinful selves, or our corrupt Nature as it is under the Power and Dominion of wicked Principles and Inclinations; for so ourselves doth in Scripture many times denote our sinful and corrupt selves. And so 2 Tim. 3. 2. 'tis made a Character of bad Men, that they should be lovers of their own selves; whereas in strictness to love ourselves is so far from being a Fault, that it is a necessary Instinct of Nature, and the Root and Principle of our Virtue. By loving our own selves, therefore must be here meant, being indulgent to the vicious Inclinations of our Nature, as he explains himself in the following Words, being Covetous, Boasters, Proud, Blasphemers, etc. And accordingly Christ is said to have died for all, that they which live, should not henceforth live unto themselves; i e. to their corrupt Principles and Inclinations; but unto him which died for them 2 Cor. 5. 15. By ourselves therefore here we are to understand every thing in us that is opposite to God, every Motion and Inclination of our Nature that stands in Competition with his Will, and doth any way contend with his Authority. For the Soul of Man is a Throne to which God and its corrupt Nature are Rivals; God claims it by a natural and essential Right, as he is the Sovereign of Being's, and the Lord of the Creation; Corrupt Nature claims it without any Pretence of Right, but like a barefaced Usurper derives its Propriety from its Possession, and will rule, because it will, and because it hath got Strength and Interest enough to support its Dominion. So that to deny ourselves, is to renounce our corrupt Nature, and to refuse to be governed by it, and wholly to resign up ourselves to the Government of God; to abandon those evil Inclinations which are God's Competitors in us, and would countermand his Will, and usurp his Dominion. In a Word, to deny ourselves, is to give away ourselves from ourselves to God; to put all our Powers of Action out of our own Disposal into God's, and not to suffer any Desire or Inclination of our own to take Place of his Will, or prevail against his Authority. And therefore as they are said to deny God who reject his Authority in Compliance with the corrupt Inclinations of their Nature, Tit. 1. 16. so they may be truly said to deny themselves, who refuse to gratify those their vicious Inclinations in Compliance with the Will of God. In short therefore, to deny ourselves, is to prefer God's Will before our own, to sacrifice our Inclinations to our Duty. and in all Competitions between him and our Carnal Interests and Affections to take his Part, and follow his Command and Directions.  
2. I proceed to the Second Thing proposed, which is to show you what abundant Reason there is for this Duty; and this will evidently appear if we consider seriously how much more advantageous it is in all respects, for Men to be 〈◊〉 by God, than by themselves; to 〈…〉 his Will, and comply with his Pleasure, rather than give up ourselves to the Government of his Rival, viz. the Appetites and Inclinations of our own corrupt Nature: which will evidently appear in these following Particulars.  
1. By thus denying our own Will in Compliance with the Will of God, we shall choose and act with much more Ease and Freedom.  
2. We shall choose and act with much more Evenness and Consistency.  
3. We shall choose and act with much more Peace and Satisfaction.  
4. We shall choose and act with much more Prudence and Conduct.  
5. We shall choose and act with much more Security of the Event.  
1. By denying our own Will to comply with God's, we shall choose and act with much more Ease and Freedom. He that makes his own Will his Law, is upon every new Occasion put upon new Deliberations, and upon every Change of Circumstances is fain to change his Will, and to consult new Choices and Resolutions; in debating of which, he is commonly so mazed and bewildered with cross Thoughts, and opposite Counsels and Deliberations, that he hardly knows which way to determine himself, and is more at a loss what to resolve upon, than how to execute his Resolution. And being thus clogged and encumbered in the whole Course of his Motion, how is it possible he should act with any Ease and Freedom? But now when once a Man hath renounced his own Will, and entirely submitted himself to the Direction of God's, he is free from this Toil and Encumbrance. For the Will of God as to all the material Parts of our Duty is so plainly revealed, that an honest Mind with little Enquiry may be soon informed, and satisfied about it; and when once it is so, all its Choices are already determined, so far as they are concerned in the Matter of its Duty; for God's Will being his, he no sooner knows that, but he rests in it immediately with a free Assent, and uncontrolled Approbation, and whatsoever the Event be, he is fixed to one steady Course of Motion, being resolved once for all, what ever happens, to do as God would have him. So that when once a Man hath entirely denied himself, and put himself out of his own Disposal into God's, God chooses for him, and thereby frees him from all the Trouble of doubting, and deliberating, and disputing pro and con, of being distracted between contrary Reasons, and bandied to and fro by cross and opposite Importunities. For now his Soul acquiescing in God, as in its proper Place and Element, doth no more dispute, no longer waver between Two Loadstones, but being unison with God, resounds and echoes to his Will, and freely follows him without deliberation.  
2. By denying our own Will to comply with God's, we shall choose and act with more Evenness and Consistency. For so long as Men live in Subjection to the Principles and Inclinations of their corrupt Nature, 'tis impossible they should act evenly and consistently with themselves; for our corrupt Nature is wholly governed by the Goods and Evils that are without us, and without our Power and Disposal; by Gain and Loss, by Ease and Pain, by Applause and Disgrace; and therefore all its Pleasures and Displeasures must be as Casual and Contingent as the Goods and Evils are from whence they do arise. And whilst we are governed by such casual Things as these, we are not our own Men, but do live in Subjection to a foreign Power, and must be what these Things that govern us will have us; we must turn as the Wind blows, and like Water take our Form from the Vessels we are poured into. And while the Passions and Appetites that overrule us are thus overruled by the Chances and Contingencies without us, we must of necessity be as various, as fickle, and as multiform as they; we must put on as many Humours as Fortune doth Countenances, and shift our Pleasures and Displeasures upon every Turn of her Wheel; in a Word, we must be as various, inconsistent, and contradictory to ourselves, as the Chances and Accidents are that do befall us. Now what a wretched State is this, for a Man to be never the same, but be continually wreathing and distorting his Humour into all the antic Figures of his outward Condition, which change and vary almost every Moment? Doubtless that Man will find enough to do, that shall undertake to make Faces after an Ape, but he will find a great deal more that will needs be aping an inconstant Fortune through all its Grimaces and Changes of Countenance.  
But now he that hath throughly learned to deny himself, and to submit entirely to the Government of God, is all of a Piece, and throughout even and constant with himself. He is for the main, the same Man when he loses as when he gains, when he is reproached, as when he is applauded; and the reason is, because he governs himself not by the uncertain Contingencies that are without him, but by the immutable Will that is above him; and while he doth so, he knows that his Happiness is as much above the reach of the impotent Malice of Fortune and Men, as the Moon is above the Noise of those impertinent Curs that sit yelping and barking at her from below. And being under the Command of one Rule, which is the Will of God, and one End which is the Enjoyment of God, he goes evenly on in a calm and composed Current of Action through all the Changes and Vicissitudes without him; and all his Motions and Designs, Choices and Prosecutions continue as uniform and consistent with themselves in the midst of the various Contingencies of this World as the Sovereign Will is that commands and determins them.  
3. By denying our own Will to comply with Gods, we shall choose and act with much more Peace and Satisfaction. So long as a Man governs himself by the Appetites and Inclinations of his corrupt Nature, 'tis impossible he should ever be satisfied with himself; for besides that his own Reason will reproach and upbraid him with the natural Filthiness and Turpitude of his Actions, and represent them to himself as shameful and inglorious; besides which, I say his own Conscience will be ever and anon vexing and plaguing him with anxious and unquiet Thoughts and Reflections. For God hath imprinted a Dread of his own Power and Majesty so deep upon our Natures, that with all our Arts we are not able to deface and obliterate it; and tho' for some time perhaps we may suppress and stupefy it, yet in despite of ourselves, it will first or last return again upon us, and avenge the Affronts and Violences we have offered it. Whilst therefore a Man sides with his corrupt Nature against God, it is impossible he should be throughly satisfied with himself; for either his Reason will be upbraiding him with the filthiness of his Actions, or his Conscience will be alarming him with the Vengeance that is due to them.  
But when once a Man hath throughly denied his own Will and Affections, and entirely resigned up himself to the Government of God, he will be able to produce God's own Will and Command for the Warrant of his Choices and Actions; and this will effectually discharge him at the Tribunals of his Reason and Conscience. For why should our Reason shame, or our Conscience terrify us, so long as we choose and act in Subordination to God? for so long as we do thus, our Will and Actions are his, and being clothed in the Livery of his Authority, are thereby sufficiently protected both from Shame and Fear. For why should I be ashamed to do as God wills me, whom I know to be the Standard of all Perfection? or why should I be afraid to do as God wills me, whose Will is so entirely righteous and good, that I am sure it can never be displeasing to his Nature? Whilst therefore I choose and act in Submission to God, what should hinder me from being as courageous as Truth, and as confident as Innocence itself? for so long my Conscience must not only acquit me, but reverence me. So that now my Soul which heretofore lived in Thunders, and Lightnings, and Storms, will dwell above in a serene Aether, and there breath nothing but calm and gentle Thoughts; and instead of those uneasy Reflections that were wont to disturb my pleasant Scenes of Mirth, I shall be continually entertained with the silent Melodies of a clear Conscience, and crowned with the Applauses of my own Mind.  
4. By denying our own Will to comply with God's, we shall choose and act with much more Prudence and Conduct. Did we understand either God or ourselves, we could not but be sensible that it is much more for our Interest to be governed by his Will, than by our own; for tho' there is no doubt, but we wish well to ourselves, and would not wilfully prejudice our own Interest: yet it is to be considered, that there is the same Benevolence towards us in God's Will; besides which, God's Will hath an infinite Wisdom to steer by, which sees through all the Intrigues of our Interest, and hath an entire Prospect of whatsoever can hinder or advance it. Whereas our Wills are generally guided either by a blind Sense, or by a unbiased Reason that many times mistakes our Interest, and directs us to Rocks instead of Harbours. And when the Disadvantage on this side is so great and apparent, how can we imagine ourselves so safe under the Government of our own Wills, as we are under the Government of God's? He would have us do this? and we would do the quite contrary; and yet we acknowledge his Will is as kind and benign to us, as ours is to ourselves. Why then, which of the Two Wills do we think is the Wisest? God's sure we will all acknowledge. Will then, is it not much safer for us to take the Sun for our Guide, than to grope by the twinkling Light of a Glow-worm? While we follow our own Will, every Step, for all we know, may plunge us into Bogs and Quagmires; but while we follow God's, we choose as wisely for ourselves, as an infinite Wisdom can direct us. So that what our Will chooses may be good for us, but what his Will chooses must be so; and therefore to be sure when ever we choose contrary to him, we choose against our own Interest. I am as confident of this, as of any Principle in Nature and Religion, that whatsoever God commands me to do, he must certainly know that it is for my Good, and that is the Reason why he commands it; and if it be, than this I am equally sure of, that whensoever I act contrary to his Command, I run from a certain Benefit, to a certain Mischief. But while I submit my Will to God's, I am guided by God's Wisdom, and in every genuine Act of Obedience, I am as infallible as Omniscience itself. Whilst therefore I am in the Exercise of my Duty, I am sure I am safe; because I am under the Direction of a Will that can never be misled, and so can never misled me. And had any Thing he commands been hurtful to me, I know he is so good that he would never have enjoined it; yea, had any Thing been but indifferent to me, I know he is so wise that he would never have concerned himself or me about it. And if he hath commanded me nothing that is either hurtful or indifferent to me, it is doubtless richly worth my while to obey him even in the smallest and most inconsiderable Instances.  
What a mighty Advantage therefore have those happy Persons who have entirely renounced their own Wills, and submitted themselves to Gods? for whilst others, poor Wretches! do grope about under the Conduct of their own blind Wills, and do they know not what, and go they know not whither themselves, but live by Chance and act at Random; They are conducted in all their Choices and Actions by an alwise Will that never fails to measure their Actions by the best Rules, and point them to the best Ends. So that while they move by the Directions of that heavenly Guide, they are sure of their Ends, and do know infallibly before hand, that all their Choices and Actions shall finally conspire in their own Happiness.  
5. And lastly, By denying our own Wills, to comply with God's, we shall choose and act with much more security of the Event. One of the great Causes why men's Minds are so unquiet and anxious, is, that they are not able to discover the Events of their own Designs and Actions, and it is this that makes them so doubtful and tremulous in their Motions, and Causes them to act with so much Caution and Anxiety; because they are not able to pry into those hidden Events that lurk in the Womb of their Designs. Now while Men give up themselves to follow the Inclinations of their own corrupt Nature, they cannot but be fearful of ill Consequents, especially when they consider, that the Consequents of their Actions are in the hands of God, against whom they are in Rebellion. For our Understanding being our leading Faculty, and the Eye that is to direct our Practice, it is impossible that whilst that doth either disapprove or doubt of our Actions, we should ever be able to act with Steadiness, and Assurance. For while a Man acts with a misgiving Mind, and that which should be the Guide of his Actions is dissatisfied with his Way, he walks like a benighted Traveller in a dangerous Road, and is fain to feel out his Steps, and tread cautiously, lest he should stumble into a Bog, or a Precipice. Whilst therefore a Man knows that his Actions are displeasing to God, and considers that the Events of them are in God's hands, he must be very unreasonable if he expect to be blessed, and prospered in them; he must either conclude, that God's Displeasure is nothing but a dead and ineffectual Passion, or that his way of expressing it, is by Smiles and Endearments. So that whilst we take part with our corrupt Nature against God, we can never have any rational Security of the Events of our Actions, but must see abundant Cause, if we do not wilfully shut our Eyes, to be afraid of every Thing that happens to us; because nothing can happen to us, but by his Disposal whom we daily incense and provoke by our Actions.  
But now he who hath sincerely resigned up himself to God, knows enough of the Events of his own Actions to set his Heart at Rest, and keep his Mind in a quiet Enjoyment of itself; for he acts with the full Consent and Approbation of his Mind, and hath no byways from the Road of his Reason and Conscience; but keeping strait forwards, as he doth in the plain Tracts of eternal Goodness, he treads firmly and boldly, being secure of the Ground he goes upon, and is neither ashamed nor afraid of his own Actions; which being such as his best and purest Reason approves, have the cheerful Euges and Applauses of his Conscience continually echoing and resounding after them. And when a Man is well satisfied that his Ways are pleasing to God, he may cheerfully expect, that the End and Events of them will be blessed and prosperous; he may build upon it, that God will first or last express the Pleasure he takes in his Actions, by crowning them with a happy Success, and that how grievous soever any present Event of his righteous Actions may be, yet there is a great deal of Righteousness in it; because it proceeds from the righteous Lord who loveth Righteousness; and that in the winding up of the Bottom, that which now seems most grievous, will be found most beneficial to him. For suppose I had an infallible Physician, whom I know to be my Friend, constantly attending on me, and ordering my Diet, my Physic, and my Exercise; how securely should I live, and how cheerfully should I follow all his Rules and Prescriptions! should he order me a course or a distasteful Diet, I should thus conclude with myself; well, I am sure this is for my Health, and how nauseous soever it be at present, I know I shall be the better for it as long as I live; and this would render it very grateful and palatable. Should he prescribe a strong and painful Purgative; I should thus conclude, well, this is to remove or prevent a Disease that will be much more painful than all the present Gripes and Twinges it gives me, and I am sure it will have its Effect, and set me perfectly at Ease within a very few Moment's: and this Consideration would turn my Pain into Pleasure. In a Word, should he impose upon me a toilsome and laborious Exercise, I should resolve thus with myself; well, tho' I stretch and sweat for it now, I shall certainly be the better for it anon, and reap many Years Health and Vigour from my present Toil and Weariness; and this Reflection would convert a Drudgery into a Recreation. And yet this is the real Case of those Men, who have entirely denied their own Wills, to choose and act in subordination to God: For he is an infallible Physician, and they have made him their Friend by submitting themselves to him, and putting their Lives and Interests in his Hands; and therefore since as he is God, and their Friend, he cannot but know and design what is good for them, they have all the Security in the World, that every thing he order them, shall conduce to their good, so long as they follow his Prescriptions, and that he will order them nothing, but what they would order for themselves, if they were but as infallible as he is, and did fully comprehend all his Reasons; and in a Word, that tho' this or that Event may be for the present very troublesome in its Operation, yet if they do not hinder the Effect of it by their own Irregularity, it shall certainly conduce to their everlasting Health and Happiness. And under this Persuasion, how cheerfully may a Man bear up under all Events, and welcome the worst that can happen to him; for being secure of the infallibility of God's Skill, and of the sincerity of his Kindness to him, he hath abundant Reason to conclude, that since all Events are under God's Disposal, he will take effectual Care, that nothing shall happen to him but what is for his good. For while his Will is subject to God's, his Condition is a Thousand Times more safe and secure than if God's Will were subject to his; because tho' there be the same Benevolence to him in both, yet his Will might misled God's, but God's Will cannot misled his.  
And thus I have endeavoured to represent to you the abundant Advantages that do arise from Self-denial, i. e. from renouncing our own corrupt Will and Inclination, and entirely submitting ourselves to the Will of God; which are such as, one would think, should prevail with any Man that doth but love himself, and sincerely respect his own Interest. For this is as certain a Truth, and as much confirmed by Experience, as any Maxim in Philosophy, that there is no state of humane Life in which a Man can be happy, whilst his own corrupt Will is his Law; nor none in which he can be miserable, whilst he is entirely resigned and devoted to the Will of God.  
3. I now proceed to the third and last Thing proposed, which was to show you how absolutely necessary it is to our eternal Happiness, that in Obedience to God, we should deny our own Will and corrupt inclinations; and this will evidently appear if we consider  

1. That the Disposal of our Happiness is not in our own Will but God's.  
2. That the Standard of our Perfection is not our own Will but God's  
3. That the Conformity of our Nature to our Happiness consists not in what we will, but in what God wills  
4. That the essential Acts and Ingredients of our Happiness, are not what we will but what God wills.   
1. That the Disposal of our Happiness is not in our own Will, but in Gods. If we would be everlastingly Happy, we must comply with that blessed Will upon which our everlasting Happiness depends; and the Apostle assures us, that eternal Life is the Gift of God. If it were in our Power to support and defend ourselves in a blissful Existence to all Eternity, we might with some Confidence set up for independent Free-willers, and live as we list; and after we have followed the Swing of our own corrupt Inclinations in this World, promise to ourselves an Eternity of Happiness in the other: But alas, we are a sort of poor precarious Being's, that are beholding to God for every Breath we draw, and for every Moment of our Existence and Duration; and if he should withdraw from us the vital Influence of his Providence but for the Twinkling of an Eye, we should be so far from continuing happy, that we should vanish into nothing. And therefore if we intent to be happy for ever, it is necessary we should submit ourselves to his Will, upon whom every Moment of our Being depends. For when merely by withdrawing his Arm from us, he can let us drop into nothing when he pleases, how can we hope, when we will not be ruled by him, to be upheld by him in a happy Being for ever? can we think that the wise and holy Governor of the World will be so regardless of his own Authority, as to sustain and uphold his Subjects in their Rebellions against him; unless it be with a design to reduce them, or to make them everlasting Monuments of his Vengeance? No, no; since our Being and Wellbeing doth for ever depend upon him; we may build upon it, that either he will be obeyed by us, or that he will not so uphold us, as to encourage us in our Rebellion; and consequently, that if he doth uphold us forever, as he hath declared he will, it will be with a dreadful Purpose, viz. to continue us in an everlasting ill Being, and hang us up in Chains for public Spectacles of his Vengeance, that all his Creation may take warning by us. Wherefore if we are resolved to adhere to our own Will in Opposition to God's, it is in vain for us to aspire after a happy Being hereafter, unless we can find some way to deprive God of the Disposal of it, and secure it in our own Power. For so long as God remains the sole Arbitrator of our Fate, we must make his Will ours, or renounce all our Hopes of Happiness.  
2. It is to be considered that the Standard of our Perfection is not our own Wills, but Gods. For the Faculties of every Nature being the Senses by which it perceives and enjoys its own Happiness, it is impossible we should ever enjoy a perfect Happiness so long as the Faculties by which we are to enjoy it are imperfect. Ours therefore being a rational Nature, all whose Motions are under the Direction of an understanding, and the Command of a free Will, is framed and designed for a rational Happiness; which it is as impossible for us perfectly to enjoy whilst our rational Faculties are out of Order, as it is to perceive the Pleasures of delicious Meats, and Sounds, and Odours whilst the Sensories of our Taste, and Smell, and Hearing are discomposed and obstructed by any bodily Disorder. But now while we follow our own Will in Contradistinction to Gods, our rational Nature is all over out of Tune; for whereas according to the true Order and Constitution of our Nature, our Understanding is to guide our Will, and our Will to command all our Passions and Appetites; so far forth as our Will swerves and deflects from Gods, it goes quite counter to the Principles of its own Reason and Understanding, and subjects itself to the Dominion of those Passions and Appetites which it ought to command; it chooses and refuses by the Inclination of its Affections, and not by the Directions of its Reason and Conscience; which is the reason of that Civil War there is between the Law in its Mind and the Law in its Members, that is between its Reason and Conscience, and its corrupt Lusts and Inclinations: because while its Will takes Part against God, it sides with its Lusts against its Reason, and whilst it doth so, it will be so far from being happy, that it will be continually at War with its self, and its Will and its Conscience will be perpetually clashing with one another. For so long as a Man goes against his Reason, his Reason must necessarily go against him, and be continually reproaching and upbraiding him, and vexing his Mind with severe and angry Reflections. And how can a Man enjoy himself, whilst he is thus divided; or how can he enjoy the Happiness of a rational Nature, whilst he is thus divided from his Reason, and lives in perpetual Variance with it? A Body may as soon be at Ease whilst its Bones are out of Joint, as a Soul whilst its Faculties are thus broken and divided. If ever we would be happy with our Reason about us, we must be all of a piece with our Reason; that is, our Will must be rational, our Affections must be rational, and our Actions must be rational; if they are not, our Reason will be as much against them as they are against it, and so there will be an everlasting Broil and Mutiny within us. Till therefore we are throughout perfectly rational, that is, till all our Faculties are entirely compliant with our Reason, it is impossible we can ever be perfectly happy; and tho' we had Power enough to defend ourselves from all hurtful Impressions from without, and to ward off the Blows not only of Devils and Men, but even of God himself; yet so long as our Reason and our Will are at Variance, our Will will be a spiteful Devil to us, and our Reason an angry God. So that while we are imperfect, you see, we cannot be happy, and while we follow our own Will against God, we cannot be perfect. For to follow God and Right Reason, saith the Philosopher, is the same thing; and to present ourselves, saith a far greater Author, a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, is our reasonable service, Rom. 12. 1. For the Will of God being invariably determined in all its Choices and Refusals, by the infinite Wisdom and Goodness of his Nature, must be the most perfectly rational Will in the World, and as such, the Standard and Pattern of all other Wills; and therefore so far forth as our Will doth deflect from his, it must necessarily be imperfect and irrational: But while I govern my Will by his, and do choose and refuse by his Commands and Prohibitions, I follow the Pattern of my Perfection; and while I follow his Will which is a most perfect Transcript of his Nature, I transcribe his Perfections into my own. For while I am copying his Will I am imitating his Nature, and while I am imitating his Nature I am growing into his Likeness and Resemblance: And when once my Will is all godlike, and its Affections and Inclinations are perfectly conformable to God's, than I am perfectly rational, and shall be perfectly happy. For now as I resemble God in his Perfections, I shall resemble him in his self-enjoyment; my Reason will be perfectly satisfied with my Will, even as God's Reason is with his; and my Nature will be a fair and beautiful Prospect to my Understanding, even as God's Nature is to his. I shall contemplate my own Graces with a transcendent Pleasure and Delight, and while I alternately turn my Eyes upon God and myself, and compare Grace with Grace, and Beauty with Beauty, I shall feel, as he doth, a Heaven of Content and Joy springing up in my Bosom. Thus by denying our own Will, you see, and submitting to God's, which is the Standard of our Perfection, we naturally grow up into Blessedness; whereas by following our own Wills in Opposition to God's, we fatally sink our selves into Wretchedness and Misery.  
3. It is also to be considered that the Conformity of our Nature to our Happiness consists not in what we will, but in what God wills. To make us blessed it is not only necessary that there should be blissful Objects for us to enjoy, but that our Minds should agree with and be contempered to them; for unless we are affected suitably to the Worth and Excellency of them, all the Objects of Heaven cannot make us happy. For as Delicacies are grateful only to delicate Palates, and Music to musical Ears; so the glorious Entertainments of the World to come are a Heaven only to heavenly Minds: For to dwell with a God whom I do not love, and to be confined to a Society of Spirits whose Tempers I am averse to; to be put upon Exercises against which I have an Antipathy, would be a tedious Constraint instead of a free Enjoyment; so that before ever Heaven can be a Heaven to me, my Mind must be tuned and adapted to its Joys and Beatitudes. And this is not to be effected by following our own Will but God's; for our Will as it stands in Opposition to God's is either a sensual or a devilish one, or both; and 'tis either Covetousness or Luxury which are the Lusts of the Flesh, or Pride or Malice which are the Lusts of the Spirit, that sway and determine it in all its Choices and Refusals; both which are as repugnant to the heavenly Enjoyments as Light is to Darkness, or one Contrary to to another. For between a spiritual Heaven and a carnal Mind, a divine Heaven and a devilish Mind, there is an irreconcilable Distance; and for such a Mind to live happily upon such a Heaven is as impossible in the nature of the Thing as it is for a hungry Wolf to fill his Belly with Syllogisms, or to satisfy its Appetite upon a Lecture of Philosophy. Whilst therefore we give way to our corrupt Will and Inclination we do contract an Antipathy to Heaven, and do what in us lies to prepossess our own Minds with an implacable Aversion to all its Joys and Beatitudes. We take an effectual Course to antidote our Souls against true Happiness, and to secure our Minds from being ever touched and affected with the divine and spiritual Pleasures of the World to come. So that if we are still resolved to take part with our own wicked Will against God, we were best take our Pleasure while we may have it, while we live among these sensitive Enjoyments that suit with our brutish Appetites and Affections; for when we go hence into the Spiritual World, that will be like a barren Wilderness to us, where we shall find nothing to live upon, but be forced to pine away a long Eternity under a desperate Hunger and Dissatisfaction. But if we heartily resign up ourselves to God, and prostrate our Wills to his, we shall thereby quickly acquire a heavenly Frame and Disposition. For the proper Business of all those Duties he requires at our hands is to dress and prepare our Souls for Heaven, and make us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light. 'Tis by these that he carves and pollishes our Natures, cuts off the Roughnesses and Unevennesses of our Temper, and squares us into fit Materials for the heavenly Building. For this is the will of God, saith the Apostle, even our sanctification, 1 Thess. 4. 3. That is the purging our Nature from all its Aversion and Repugnancy to the Blessedness of Heaven, and the inlaying it with all those divine Dispositions wherein our Conformity with Heaven consists; for so our Saviour explains it, Io. 12. 50; I know that his commandment is life everlasting; that is, that what he commands, is the Seed and Principle of everlasting Blessedness: That it is the Charity and Humility, the Righteousness and Temperance, and Self-resignation which he commands, which do attemper our Minds to the heavenly State, and by which we are to relish the Joys and Pleasures of it for ever. For it is these Virtues that do reconcile our Appetites to Heaven, and without these, our Souls can no more relish the Joys of it, than our Palate can Sweetmeats while is is over-flowed with Gall. Unless therefore we will deny our corrupt Will and Affections, and submit ourselves to God, it is Nonsense for us to talk of going to Heaven; for Heaven itself without a heavenly Disposition to relish it, is a tasteless and insipid Thing, and it is as possible to please a blind Man with the Beauty of Colours, and a deaf Man with a Consort of Music, as to gratify a vicious Mind with its divine and spiritual Enjoyments.  
4. And lastly, It is to be considered, that the essential Acts and Ingredients of our Happiness are not what we will, but what God wills. It is a great mistake, to imagine that the Happiness of Man consists in external Possessions, or in being seized of a great Plenty of outward Goods of any kind whatsoever; whether they be earthly or heavenly. It is not the possessing the outward Goods of this World, but the enjoying them that makes any Man happy; and if I had all the World in my Possession, no more of it could go into my Happiness than just what I enjoy; all the rest would be like the Possession of a great Mountain of Sand which I could neither eat, nor drink, nor apply to any of my Needs or Conveniencies: So that the Possession of outward Goods is good only as it is in Order to the Enjoyment of them, abstracted from which, it is altogether indifferent whether I am possessed of them or no. But now 'tis by our own Actions that we do enjoy the Goods we are possessed of, by applying them to the Needs and Conveniencies of our Nature, and by the Content and Satisfaction we take in the Application. So that in short, our Happiness is not in the Goods that are without us, but in the Enjoyment of them that is within us; that is, in those Acts of Fruition, by which we feel, and perceive them. And thus if we were possessed of all those outward Goods that Heaven abounds with, they could signify nothing to our Happiness, unless we had an inward Enjoyment of them, and by proper Acts of Fruition did taste and perceive their Beauty and Delightfulness. So that all the Happiness, you see, that Heaven or Earth can afford us, is immediately lodged in our own Acts of Enjoyment, without which, neither the Possession of Wealth and Honour upon Earth, nor of the Presence of God, and Saints, and Angels in Heaven can make us in the least degree happy. Since therefore our Happiness is so immediately lodged in our own Acts, it will hence necessarily follow, that those Acts by which the Goods of Heaven are to be enjoyed are the Acts of our future Happiness. Now the chiefest Goods of Heaven, being God, and Saints, and Angels, and ourselves, the chiefest Happiness of Heaven must consist in those Acts by which God, and Saints, and Angels, and ourselves are enjoyed; and by what Acts can these be enjoyed, but by Godly, Saintly, and Angelical Ones? 'Tis by Worship and Contemplation, by Love and Imitation, by Dependence and Subjection that God is to be enjoyed by us; 'tis by Charity and Righteousness, by Modesty and Peaceableness, by Submission and Condescension that Saints and Angels are to be enjoyed by us; 'tis by Prudence and Moderation, by Fortitude, Temperance, and Humility, that we ourselves are to be enjoyed by us: And therefore, if when we go into Eternity, we carry with us a Mind and Will habituated to these beatific Actions, these Acts are the Sum and Substance of God's Will and Law. Whilst therefore we take Part with our own Will against God's, we act quite counter to our own Happiness, and go contrary to all the Acts of our heavenly Fruition and Enjoyment. For that which God designs in all his Commands, is to educate and train up our Nature for Heaven, to discipline and exercise it in the beatifical Acts of the heavenly Life; that so when it is advanced from this School of Probation, to the University of Happiness, it may be instructed in the Language, and naturalised to the Exercise of it; that it may be predisposed and habituated to Love and Dependence, to Charity and Righteousness, and all those beatifical Acts by which Heaven is enjoyed. So that while we follow his Will, we are learning to enjoy Heaven, and perfecting ourselves in the Acts of our everlasting Fruition; that so when we go from hence to take Possession of the Goods above, we may be perfectly versed in the Enjoyment of them, and have the Skill and Ability to make a happy Use of them for ever. Whereas on the contrary, while we follow our own corrupt Will and Inclinations, we do not only not learn these blessed Acts of Fruition, but we learn the quite contraries. Instead of learning to enjoy God by Love and Adoration, we learn how to divide ourselves eternally from him, by contracting Enmity to him, and a profane Contempt of his Majesty. Instead of learning to enjoy Saints and Angels by Charity and Righteousness, we learn how to banish ourselves from their Society, by contracting malicious and dishonest Inclinations; in a Word, instead of learning to enjoy ourselves by Humility and Temperance, we learn how to be our own Devils and Tormentors, by contracting Pride and an unlimited Propension to bodily Pleasures; by which means we shall at last render our Nature not only impotent, but also irreconcilable to all those blessed Acts of our future Happiness, and so utterly disable ourselves from enjoying Heaven, that it would be a real Grievance to us to be forced to endure it. For when by thus following my own wicked Will, I have contracted a deep and inveterate Aversion to all those beatifical Acts by which Heaven is enjoyed, I have an Antipathy against Heaven in my Nature, and so long as this continues, Heaven must be a Torment to me instead of a Fruition; and if when I go from hence into Eternity, I should be admitted into Heaven, with this prevailing Aversion to the beatifical Acts of it; I should be so far from enjoying it, that I should loathe it, and rather choose to banish myself from it for ever, than to be confined to a Condition so unsuitable to my Nature. Whilst therefore I am running from God after my own Will, I am running from Heaven; and if I do not stop the sooner, shall run myself to a Distance from it, as immense and irreconcilable as that which separated Dives from Abraham's Bosom.  
And thus you see how indispensibly necessary upon all these Accounts Self-denial is, in order to our future Happiness. Hence then, let us all be persuaded to renounce our corrupt Will and Affections, and resign up ourselves to the Government of God: And further to move you hereunto, I beseech you briefly to consider with me these Four Things.  

1. That in its self, this is the most just and equitable Thing you can do.  
2. That in this consists the Life and Substance of all your Religion.  
3. That this is the great Hinge upon which your Safety and Security depends.  
4. That in this you do the most effectually consult your own Interest.   
1. That to deny your own Wills, and resign up yourselves to the Government of God, is in itself the most just and equitable Thing you can do. For all your Powers and Faculties are Gods by an unalienable Right and Property; your Understanding is his, and your Will is his, and all your Powers of Action are the Births and Products of his fruitful Will, and Almighty Goodness. And if it be thus, we must necessarily be obliged to subject ourselves to him, and prostrate our Wills, and all our Powers of Action at his feet. If then we are his, as we must be if we are made by him, what have we to do to dispose of ourselves contrary to his Will and Pleasure? with what Colour of justice can I choose what He commands me to refuse, when my Power of choosing is his, and he hath a far more undoubted Right to it than I have to the clothes on my Back? when he is the supreme Proprietor of that Will wherewith I choose, with what Conscience can I vote with it against him, or give away any of my Choices and Elections from him? What is this but to embezzle my Master's Goods, and alienate his Property from his Use and Service? Remember, O Man! in every wicked Choice that thou makest, thou givest away thyself from thy right Owner, and dost sacrilegiously rob God of the Fruits of his own Creation, and must one Day expect to render a dreadful Account to him for every Choice thou hast given away from him, and for every Thought, and Word, and Action which thou hast presumed to dispose of contrary to his Orders: For thou hast no more Right to give away thyself, or any of thy Choices and Actions from God, and canst no more justify thyself for so doing, than thou hast to sell away thy Landlord's Fee-simple, or to entail his Inheritance on thy Children. And before you make too bold with God's Property, or presume to dispose of his Goods at your Pleasure, you were best consider seriously whom you have to deal with; that you have not to do with a Being that is to be hectored out of his Rights, or born down with Might and Violence; but with a God that is sufficiently sensible of your unjust Usurpations, and abundantly able to revenge them; that is jealous of his own Rights and Properties, has a deep Resentment of all your injurious Invasions of them, and an Almighty Arm to assert and vindicate them. And when you have considered this, then alienate your Choices from him if you dare; but in the mean Time, as you will answer the Injustice of it at the Tribunal of God, have a Care how you dispose of yourselves contrary to his Orders, lest as a just Retribution he should one Day dispose of you contrary to your Wills to everlasting Misery and Despair.  
2. Consider that in this denying and resigning ourselves to God, consists the Life and Substance of all our Religion. For what is Religion, but a 〈◊〉 a Tying or Binding fast men's Minds and 〈◊〉 to God? It is the Bond of our Allegiance to the Throne of Heaven, by which we oblige ourselves to be God's Subjects, and do resign up our Wills, and all our Powers of Action to his Government; and in this, as I showed you, consists Self-denial. For when once we have mastered our own Self-Will, and conquered its Obstinacy, and persuaded it to yield up itself to the Will of God, then is his glorious Empire set up in our Souls, than he is crowned our Sovereign Lord, his Kingdom is come into us, and we may cry Hallelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. But till once our Religion hath tied our Souls to God, and obliged our Will to renounce all other Lords, and submit to his Empire, it is only a Name, an empty Show and Formality of Religion; 'tis a Religion without a Religion, or a Bond without a Tie; that is, 'tis down right Nonsense, and a Contradiction to itself. And what Shows or Professions soever we may make of Religion, how zealous or forward soever we may be in the external Acts of it, it will all signify nothing to us, unless there be a prostrate Will, and a resigned Heart at the bottom. For this is the Alpha and Omega, the Corner and the Top-Stone of Religion, and to pretend Religion without this, is to pretend Loyalty in open Acts of Rebellion. And indeed could Religion consist with a rebellious Will, the Devil himself might very fairly pretend to it; for that which makes him a Devil, is nothing but his own boisterous Self-Will that is continually struggling and lifting up itself against God. And hence Belial is the Devil's Name, which signifies without Yoke; and accordingly the Children of Belial are described to be such, as do altogether break the Yoke, and burst the Bonds of the Lord. Jer. 5. 5. and called Children of Disobedience. Eph. 2. 2. because like their Father Belial they are impatient of Restraint, and will hearken to no Law but that of their own boundless Self-will. So far are those Men from being truly Religious, whose Wills are divided from God's, that they are in Belial's Predicament, unyoked from the Divine Government, and their Wills are in a strict Confederacy with the Devil. And hence the Prophet Samuel speaking of Saul's Rebellion against God, tells him, that Rebellion is as the Sin of Witchcraft, 1 Sam. 15. 23. that is, Rebellion against God, is an implicit Confederacy with the Devil, even as Witchcraft is an explicit one. For the Devil being the Prince and Ringleader of the Rebel-Creation, whoever sets up his Will against God, does thereby renounce his Allegiance to Heaven, and like a false Recreant joins hands with the Devil in Rebellion against his Maker. And whilst a Man's Soul doth thus clasp Wills with the Devil, and conspires with him in his Rebellion against Heaven; what impudent Hypocrisy is it for him to pretend to Religion? Wherefore, either let us be so modest for the future as not to pretend to Religion, or any of those blessed Hopes it sets before us; or let us resolve to be so honest to our Pretensions as to deny ourselves, and resign up our Wills to God. For while our Will and God's are divided and separated, and do in any Instance tread Antipodes to each other, all our Pretence of Religion is a shameless Cheat, which when it comes to be examined at the Tribunal of God, will be found a mere Paint, and artificial Complexion daubed upon a black and devilish Nature.  
3. Consider that upon our denying ourselves and resigning our Wills to God, depends all our Safety and Security. For if God be against us, all the Powers of Heaven and Earth can't secure us; because his Will hath an infinite Power conjoined with it, that like an irresistible Torrent bears down all Oppositions, and sweeps every Thing before it that stands in its way. To what purpose then should such impotent Things as we, set up our Wills against his, Can you ever hope to prevail against him, or to force his Almighty Will into a Compliance with yours? Gird up yourselves like Men, and I will demand of you in the Name of God; have you an Arm like God, or can you thunder with a Voice like him? are ye able to withstand the Whirlwind of his Power, or to shelter your Heads against the Storms of his Vengeance? alas! no; a Feather in the Air may sooner stop a Thunderbolt that comes roaring down from the Clouds, than you can the Course of that Almighty Will which doth whatever it pleases both in Heaven and Earth: And if so, with what safety can you oppose your impotent Will to it, or how can you expect to prosper in such an unequal Contention? Since therefore God doth so infinitely outmatch you, and 'tis infallibly certain, that first or last he will be too hard for you; all that is left to your Choice is, whether you will do his Will or suffer it; whether you will obey his Commands, or endure his Inflictions: for one of these you must do, but which of the Two, is left to your own Election. If you think it more eligible to obey what God hath enjoined, than to endure what he will inflict, you may by choosing the former, eternally secure yourselves from the latter; For, besides, that such is the generous Goodness of God's Nature, as it will not permit him to trample upon the Prostrate, nor to deny fair Quarter to such as lay down their Arms, and freely surrender themselves to his Will and Disposal, besides this, I say, upon the Satisfaction which his own Son hath made for the Sins of the World, he hath obliged himself by a public Grant and Promise of Mercy to receive us into his Favour and Protection upon our unfeigned Submission to him, and to treat us graciously notwithstanding all our past Rebellions, as if we had been for ever perfectly loyal to him, and had neither in Thought, nor Word, nor Deed offended him. So that if now if we will heartily submit our Wills to him, he cannot let loose his Power on us without forfeiting his Truth, and doing Violence to the Perfections of his own Nature. But notwithstanding all the Goodness of his own Nature, and all the Virtue of that Propitiation that he hath made for our Sins, this is a Law which he will never dispense with; I will see that my Creatures shall obey me, or feel me, that they shall conform to my Will, or sink under my Vengeance; and if they will be so desperate as to refuse the former, all the Powers of Heaven and Earth shall not secure them from the latter. If therefore you are so abandoned of all Reason, as to think it more eligible to suffer the Will of God than to obey it, you must even take what follows; for as sure as God is in Heaven, and you upon Earth, you shall one Day feel the Weight of his Arm, if you do not freely surrender yourselves to his Will and Disposal. But before you do so, for your Soul's sake consider once more what a terrible Election you are making, that 'tis the unquenchable Wrath of the everliving God that you are throwing yourselves upon, a Wrath that will imprint itself upon every Faculty of your Nature, and be dropping like burning Sulphur upon your Souls for ever. And if after you have considered this, you will still adhere to your desperate Option, the Lord have Mercy upon your Souls.  
4. And lastly, Consider that if there were no Obligation to this Duty, or no Danger in the contrary, yet in thus denying ourselves, and resigning our Wills to God, we do the most effectually consult our own Interest. For God, being infinitely happy in his own Perfections, and deriving all possible Satisfaction from his own Selfsufficiency, cannot be supposed to desire any Thing for himself without himself; and being perfectly exempted from all Want and Indigence by the infinite Fullness of his Being, he can have nothing of Envy or Malice in his Nature, which are weak and impotent Passions that do always spring out of a sense of Need and Insufficiency, and are utterly inconsistent with a State of perfect Fullness and Beatitude. Since therefore in his outward Administrations he can have no Self-Ends to serve upon his Creatures, and since he can have no Principle of Envy or Malice towards them in his Nature, it hence necessarily follows that in ruling and governing them he can have no other Design upon them but to do them good, and make them like himself, i. e. perfectly good and perfectly happy. So that God's End and ours is always the same; we would be happy and God would have us so too, and we ourselves cannot aim at our Happiness more heartily and sincerely than he does; all the Difference therefore between him and us is about the Means and Way to our Happiness: We are for one Way, and he is for another; we think the Way to our Happiness is to live in all Ungodliness and worldly Lusts, and he thinks the Way to it is to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present World. So that the whole Dispute between God and us, so far as Reason is concerned in it, depends upon this, whether God be in the right, or ourselves; whether we are not deceived in choosing this Way, or God be not deceived in prescribing the contrary. If we have any Reason to think that we are wiser than God, or do better understand the Way to our own Happiness; than it must be acknowledged that in refusing God's Way and choosing our own, we do advisedly consult our own Interest; but this is such a Supposal, as, I believe, never entered into any Man's sober Thoughts. And if we have all the Reason in the world to conclude not only that God is wiser than we, but that whereas we are extremely unbiased and apt to be imposed upon with glistering Shows and Appearances, he hath such a full Comprehension of all Things as that he cannot be deceived; then we may be sure that when we forsake our own Way and follow God's we cannot be misled, but at every step must be tending directly to our own Happiness. For if God cannot be deceived, and we may, it is certain that whenever our Way to Happiness lies contrary to his, he is in the right and we are in the wrong; and consequently that when we forsake his Way to follow our own, we go from Happiness to Misery. Is it likely that we should know what belongs to humane Nature, and the ordering and regulating its Affections and Actions? That we should understand the just Bounds and Measures where it is to be restrained and where to be indulged better than the God that form and composed it. And if it be not, as doubtless it is not, were we not much better resign our Wills to his Government than to live at our own Disposal? For he desires to govern us for no other Reason but because he knows he can govern us much better than ourselves. He sees that we are a sort of blind and precipitant Creatures, that must unavoidably stumble into eternal Ruin if we follow our own Wills; and therefore he would fain retrieve us our of our own Hands, that so having the sole Disposal of us himself, he may conduct us safely to Happiness. And when He intends as kindly to us as we can to ourselves, were we not better follow his Wisdom than our own Folly? He knows that our Self-love will in the Effect prove Self-hatred to us, if it be not moderated and directed by a better and a wiser Love; and therefore he would have it under the direction of his, which is the best and wisest Love in the World. He desires to have the Government of our Will upon no other Account but only that he might determine all its Choices to our Happiness, and requires our Hearts of us merely for this End, that he might fill them with Peace and Rest. He knows that our Perfection and Happiness lies in Compliance with our Duty, in Piety and justice, Mercy and Humility, and that out of the free and constant, sprightly and vivacious Exercise of these Virtues arises all our Heaven both here and hereafter; and knowing this, that tender Love he bears us, that mighty Concern he hath for our Welfare makes him thus urgent and importunate with us in his Demands of our Duty; for he regards our Duty no farther than it tends to our Good, and values each Act of our Obedience by what it contributes to our Happiness. He affects not to burden us with unnecessary Impositions; all that he requires of us is what our Interest requires, which is so dear and precious to him that he will dispense with nothing that is necessary to promote and secure it; and 'tis therefore he will not dispense with us, because he cannot, without releasing us from our Obligation to be happy. Why then should we desire, O foolish Creatures that we are, to be released from the Yoke of his Government? Or how can we count it Liberty to be loosed from an infinite Goodness that is conducted by infinite Wisdom and Power? For whatsoever my blind Lusts and Passions may dictate, my Reason assures me that the greatest Privilege that belongs to a Creature is to be under the Government of God, and that if he should release me from my Subjection to his Will by a Dispensation under the Broad-Seal of Heaven, and give me an unlimited Licence to live as I list, promising never to be displeased with me more, or to take any farther Cognizance of my Actions; the best and wisest Thing I could do for myself would be to resign back myself to his Government, and surrender up my blind and precipitant Will to his most wise and gracious Disposal! And if he should refuse to re-admit me to his Government, and abandon me for ever to my own Self-Will, I should be the most forlorn Soul on this side Hell; I should not know what to do, nor which Way to turn myself; but be forced to wander in a dark Wilderness without being ever able to discover any certain pathway to my Happiness. But so long as I am under the Government of God, I am sure I am safe; and while I follow his Alwise and most gracious Will, I know that I am going to a happy End; and that how rough soever my Way is, it will bring me to Canaan. What then remains but that from henceforth we utterly deny ourselves, renounce our corrupt Wills and Inclinations, and cheerfully resign ourselves to the Will of God; which hath no other Design upon us but to do us Good, to raise and advance our degenerate Natures, and conduct us through the Kingdom of Grace into the Kingdom of Glory.   
1 JOHN III. 7. Little Children, let no man deceive you: He that doth righteousness, is righteous, even as he is righteous. 
THese Words are a short and plain Resolution of that Grand Case, viz. how a Man may know whether he be in a state of Grace and Favour with God; or, which is all one, whether he be a good Man and a good Christian. The Gnostics, against whom St. john particularly directs this Epistle, placed all Righteousness and Goodness in certain pretended Illuminations, which had nothing in them but certain swelling Words of Vanity, and like gilded Bubbles were blown up with wind, and filled with mystical Nonsense. And tho' in their Lives and Manners they were a Reproach and Scandal not only to Religion, but even to humane Nature; yet merely upon the account of these their own Wild Dreams, they vaunted themselves to be the only Elect, and Favourites of God, and imagined themselves advanced to that degree of Perfection, as that they were above all Law, and freely dispensed with under the Broad-Seal of Heaven to live as they list, and to wallow in Riot and Voluptuousness. Against these wild Men the Apostle here seems to forewarn his little Children; suffer not these vile Deceivers to impose upon your Faith this their damnable Error, viz. that by receiving their highflown Mysteries and pretended Revelations, you shall without any more ado be constituted perfect and righteous Men in the sight of God; for from God himself I do assure you that he, and he only, that doth Righteousness, is righteous even as he is righteous; i. e. as Christ is righteous, of whom I just before discoursed.  
In the Prosecution of which Argument I shall endeavour these two Things; First, to show you, what it is to do Righteousness in general; Secondly, what that righteous Doing is which in the sense of Christianity constitutes us Righteous Men.  
1. What it is to do Righteousness in general. I answer, it is to give to every one his Due, or to perform to God, ourselves, and to all the World whatsoever is owing from the State of our Nature, and the Relations and Circumstances wherein we are placed. And in this Latitude to do Righteousness is the sum of Religion, and the Whole Duty of man. The righteous Man therefore, or the Man that doth Righteousness is, in the sense of the Text, one, that demeans himself so, as in the Judgement of Right Reason he ought to do towards God, himself, and all the World; that looking upon himself under the Relation of God's Creature and Pensioner, doth freely render him all that Homage, and Reverence, and Love, and Gratitude, and Trust, and Adorotion that are owing to so great a Creator, and so liberal a Benefactor; One that considering the Frame of his own Nature, how he is compounded of contrary Principles, viz. Spirit and Flesh, Reason and Sense, exercises himself in all those humane Virtues, which consist in the Dominion of his superior Principle of Reason over his sensitive Passions and Appetites; such as Patience and Equanimity, Courage and Meekness, Temperance and Chastity; all which are proper to us as Being's made up of contrary Principles, from whence spring those contrary Appetites and Inclinations in us; in the good or bad Government whereof, the Essence of humane Virtue and Vice consists. In a Word, the righteous Man is one, who, considering his State, and Circumstances, and Relations in the World, behaves himself in them all as right Reason directs and obliges him; that as he is a Member of humane Society, bears an hearty goodwill to the whole Corporation of Mankind; that is courteous and affable, peaceable and condescending, long-suffering and ready to forgive; that is grateful to those from whom he hath received Good, and so far as he hath Opportunity, is ready to do Good to others; that is faithful to his Promises, sincere in his Professions, just and honest in his Dealings; that heartily wishes every Man were good, and without manifest Reason to the contrary, believes every one to be so; that when he sees a Fault is ready to excuse it, and where he cannot, silently bewails and laments it; that as a Subject is loyal and obedient to his Superiors, and as a Superior is careful of the Public Good, and just and benign towards all his Inferiors; that as a Father loves his Children, piously and wisely educates them, and is provident for their Happiness both here and hereafter; that as a Child reuerences his Parents, and is ready to comfort and assist them in their Needs, and in all lawful Things to render them a cheerful Obedience; that as a Husband is kind to his Wife, compassionate to her Infirmities, and easy to be entreated by her; that as a Wife is modest in her Behaviour, careful and vigilant in her Family, and soft and tractable to the Will of her Husband; that as a Master is just and benevolent to his Servants, and studious of their Welfare both temporal and eternal; that as a Servant is industrious in his Business, and faithful to his Trust, and obedient to his Master; that in Adversity is resigned and contented, honestly industrious to live, and grateful to those that relieve him; that in Prosperity is humble and modest, and full of good Works; and to name no more, He is a cordial Friend, a good Neighbour, a faithful Correspondent, and a zealous Lover of his Country: These are the main Ingredients that compound a righteous Man; and accordingly we find that wherever he is mentioned in Scripture, he is always described by such like Characters as these: thus in the 15th Psalm, where the Psalmist sets himself on purpose to describe the righteous Man that should dwell in the Tabernacle of God, he is represented as one that walketh uprightly, and worketh Righteousness; that speaketh Truth, and is tender of his Neighbour's Reputation; that freely lends to those that are in Need, and will not be bribed against the Innocent. So also Ezek. 18. 14, 15, 16, 17. he is described to be one that is no Idolater, no Adulterer, no Oppressor; that doth not defraud his Neighbour of his Right, but is just and Liberal to the Poor, and freely lends to those that are in need. And Micah 6. 7. the Prophet tells us what it is that renders us just and acceptable in the sight of God, viz. doing justice, loving Mercy, and walking Humbly with God. So also in the New Testament we are taught, that pure and undefiled Religion consists in visiting the Fatherless and Widows in their affliction, and keeping ourselves unspotted from the World. James 1. 27. and Gal. 5. 22. St. Paul tells us that the fruits of the Spirit which render us righteous in the sight of God, are such as these, Love, joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance; and to name no more, the same Apostle Tit. 2. 11. saith that the Righteousness which the Gospel, or Grace of God designs to propagate in the World, is this, that denying ungodliness and worldly-lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present World; which Three, are the Sum of all those Virtues which constitute a Righteous Man.  
Having thus showed what it is in general to do Righteousness, I now proceed in the second Place to show what that Righteous Doing is, which in the Sense of Christianity doth constitute us Righteous Men: In order to which it will be necessary to premise these Three Things.  
1. That Christianity supposes many Imperfections and Infirmities in those whom it yet allows to be Righteous Men; and indeed if it did not, it could admit no Man in the World to be righteous. For it hath seemed good to the Divine Wisdom to introduce us into the World in an imperfect State, that so by the good Use of our own free Wills and rational Faculties, assisted by his Grace, we might by Degrees advance to a more sublime and perfect Condition, till through our gradual Progress from this rude and imperfect State, we at length arrive to the Perfection of Happiness for which we were made: And such is the Condition of our Nature, as that it is as necessary for us to begin imperfectly, as to be born Infants; nor can a Babe in Christ any more have the Perfections of a grown and experienced Christian, than can an Infant of a Span long have the Strength and Wisdom of a Man. In this State of Things therefore, if God will not allow the lowest Degree of our Perfection to be good, neither can he the highest; for our Improvement being gradual, there must of necessity be a first Degree, before there can be a second; and therefore if God allows not the first, he must for the same Reason disallow the second of the same kind, and so on from the third to the highest Degree of all. Seeing therefore Christianity is a Religion for Men, it must be supposed to be fitted to their low and imperfect Condition, which it could not be if it did not abate for our Defects, and admit us to be righteous in the main, even while we are imperfectly so; and that it doth so, is apparent by the distinction it frequently makes between the less and the more Perfect, still allowing both to be Righteous. Thus it distinguishes between Babes and Men, allowing both to be in Christ; between the Weak, and the Strong, and Confirmed, allowing both to be in the Faith: And our Saviour himself speaking of some, who upon receiving the Seed of the Gospel brought forth Thirty, of others who brought forth Sixty, and others a Hundred-fold, doth yet allow them all to be good Ground. Matth. 13. and Luke 19 14. He as well allows him to be a good and faithful Servant who had improved his Talent into Five, as he who had improved his into Ten. From all which it is evident, that the Gospel doth not judge of our main State by the Degrees, but by the Reality of our Righteousness.  
2. It is to be premised, that that which constitutes us Righteous Men in the Judgement of the Gospel, is some internal vital Principle of Righteousness. For as all other Things receive their Denomination from their Forms, so it is from some internal Form of Righteousness that righteous Men receive their Denomination. It is not the simple doing righteous Actions that constitutes a Man righteous; for he may be a very bad Man, not only while he doth that which is Righteous, but also in the very doing of it. Thus a Man may fast and pray, only to gloss his Oppressions; he may do an honest Action, to disguise a knavish Design, in which Case he sins in the doing of it, because in the doing it, he profanes Religion by making it a Cloak for his Wickedness; a plain Evidence, that Actions which in themselves are materially good, do partake of the Principles from whence they do proceed, and receive their Form and Denomination from them; seeing even good Actions may be infected by a bad Principle, and derive into themselves the Malignity and Baseness of the Fountains from whence they flow. And if without a righteous Principle our Actions cannot be righteous, to be sure neither can we; b cause we are as our Actions are. Hence you may observe in the New Testament, that good Men are generally denominated from some internal Form of Goodness; they are said to be born of God, and to have the seed of God remaining in them. 1. Joh. 3. 9 and to be renewed in the Spirit of their Mind, Eph. 4. 23. to be spiritually minded, Rom. 8. 6. and to be transformed by the renewing of their Mind, Rom. 12. 2. and to be partakers of the Divine Nature, 2 Pet. 1. 4. all which, do plainly denote, that to constitute us righteous. Men in the Sense of the Gospel, there is necessarily required some internal Form and Principle of Righteousness.  
3. And lastly, We must premise, that Christianity being the Law or Rule of our Religion, the internal Principle, which in the Sense of this Law constitutes us Righteous, must be strictly Religious; that is, it must be such as doth immediately respect God, who is the great Object of all Religion. For Religion in the strictest Sense, is the Rule of Divine Worship, and under this Notion of Divine Worship, or Homage, and Obedience to God, Christianity exacts every Duty of us; for it requires us to do all as unto God, and to do all to the Glory of God; i. e. in Obedience to him, and out of a sincere Acknowledgement of his Authority over us, and immutable Right to rule and command us: And even those moral Virtues which do immediately respect our Neighbours and ourselves, are enjoined as Duties unto God, and bound upon us with religious Obligations. So that now all the Acts and Functions of a good Life are adopted into the Rubric of Christian Worship, and required of us as Acts of Obedience to God; from whence it follows, that the Spring and Principle of those Acts must be strictly Religious, immediately respecting God and his Authority over us; it being impossible those Acts should be truly religious, which do not proceed from a religious Principle.  
These Things being premised, I come now to lay down what that Principle is, which in the Sense of Christian Religion constitutes us righteous Men. In general, it is a considerate, universal prevailing Resolution to obey God, proceeding from our Belief of the Christian Religion: For the better understanding of which, I shall briefly explain the particular Terms of it.  

1. I say it is a Resolution.  
2. It is a Resolution of obeying God.  
3. It is a considerate Resolution.  
4. An universal, and  
5. A prevalent one.  
6. A Resolution of obeying God, springing out of our Belief of the Christian Religion.   
1. It is a Resolution; by which I exclude the Habit of Obedience from being the prime and constitutive Principle of Christian Righteousness. For Christianity, as was shown before, supposing great Imperfections and Infirmities even in those whom it allows to be righteous in the main; if we would judge rightly of our own State by the Christian Rule, we must take measure of ourselves from that which is the lowest and most imperfect Principle of Righteousness, and not conclude ourselves to be unrighteous, because we are not righteous to such a Degree; but as for the habit of Obedience which consists in an inherent Promptness, Facility and Easiness to obey, it is so perfect a Principle, as is not attainable but under a long Progress in Religion. For when after a vicious Course of Life we begin to reform, we are so far from being habituated to obey God, that we obey him with Difficulty, and strong Reluctancy, and are fain to row against the Stream of our own Inclinations; in which state we are far from having attained to an Habit or Promptness of obeying. So that by making this the constitutive Principle of Christian Righteousness, we exclude from the State of Righteousness all Beginners in Religion, and do allow none to be faithful Servants, but those who have conquered the difficulties of obeying. The true Form or Principle therefore, from which we receive the Denomination of righteous Men is that Point or Term, from which we begin to be righteous, and that is a righteous Resolution. For Choice and Resolution is the Spring of all voluntary Actions, and consequently from thence we begin to act righteously, and in the pursuit of that, we grow and improve into an habit of Righteousness. Our first step, is to resolve well; our next, to do well; the uninterrupted Repetition of which, will at length improve into an habit of well-doing. I will arise, says the Prodigal, and go to my Father; that was the first step of his Return, and the vital Principle whence all his After-motions did proceed.  
2. It is a Resolution to obey God; by which I exclude those good Resolutions from being the Christian Principle of Righteousness which have no respect at all to God, but either to the gratifying our natural Temper only, or to the securing our Health, or Reputation, or secular Interest; which, tho' they may be productive of very good Morals in our Conversation, are far from being the inward Form and Principle of Righteousness which Christianity requires; for that, as was before premised, must be strictly religious, and consequently, must be a Resolution to obey God. For that we should obey God, is the fundamental Law of Religion, whence all its particular Laws derive their Force and Obligation; and therefore to resolve to obey God must be the fundamental Principle of Religion from whence all the particular Acts of it proceed. So that the internal Principle which constitutes us religiously good, must answer to that external Principle which obliges us to be so; and it is only our Resolution to obey God, which answers to that external Principle that makes it our Duty to obey him. In this Resolution, and in this only, consists the Submission of our Wills to God, the Homage and Fealty of our Souls; without which, all external shows of Piety and Virtue, are but a dead Formality. Not that an actual explicit Resolution of obeying God is necessary to every good Action, for this is impossible: our Occasions of doing good being so infinite, and so often occurring in our secular Affairs, and our Minds so incapable of attending many Things at once, that it is not in our Power to form an actual Resolution of Obedience, as often as we are called upon to do good Actions. It is sufficient therefore, that in general we have such a Resolution fixed in our Minds; and this, tho' we do not exert it in every particular Action, will constitute every Action good, and render it acceptable to God.  
3. It must be a considerate, wellweighed Resolution; by which I exclude from being the Principle of Christian Righteousness, all those rash and unsettled Purposes Men make in Heats of Passion. For there can never be any holding good Resolution, but what is founded upon Reason and judgement; for Reason is the same Thing in all Circumstances; it is a stiff and inflexible Thing, that will not ply and bend to the Alterations of our Humours and Interests; whereas Passion is a fickle and inconstant Thing that is generally governed by outward Accidents, and is as various and mutable as they. He therefore that found'st his good Resolutions upon Heats of Passion, sets his Soul upon a Weathercock, which every contrary Blast of Humour or Interest, blows into a contrary Position. Till such time therefore as a Man hath a new Judgement of Things, it will be in vain for him to make any new Resolutions; because it is morally impossible that any Resolution should be lasting, that is not founded upon Reason and judgement. But when a Man hath steered the past Course of his Life by an old, inveterate, false Judgement of Things, it will require a great deal of serious Consideration to form and settle a new one; and if before this is done, men enter upon new Resolutions, they must resolve without considering either the Matters they resolve on, or the Motives which should support their Resolution; insomuch that when they come to practise what they thus hastily resolved, either they find more Difficulty in the Matter than they were aware of, or want sufficient Motives to carry them through it; by reason of which their Resolution flags in the Execution, and many times yields to the next Temptation that encounters them. To the forming therefore of a holding Resolution, such as will prove a living Principle of Righteousness, great Care must be taken to found it on a through Consideration both of the Particulars we resolve upon, together with their appendent Difficulties; and of the Motives and Arguments with which Christianity backs and enforces it. First we must set before our Eyes the Sins we must part with, and the Duties we must submit to, and fairly represent to ourselves the many Difficulties and Temptations that are like to attend us in both; and having thus placed ourselves in the midst of the Difficulties of a religious Life, and so far as in us lies, rendered them actual and present to us; we must never cease pressing our stubborn Wills with the Arguments and Motives of Religion, till we have obtained of them an explicit Consent to every Duty that calls for our Resolution. And when we have thus weighed all Particulars over and over in the Balance of an impartial Consideration, and implored the Divine Assistance, (without which our strongest Resolutions will certainly fail, and which is never wanting to any but those who are wanting to themselves) let us then resolve, and seal our Resolution with solemn Vows and Promises to God: For thus our blessed Saviour, when he saw the Multitude forward to follow him, fairly proposes to their Consideration the Difficulties they must engage in, if they would be his Disciples; that so their resolving in too much haste, might not give them Occasion to repent at leisure; as you may see at large Luke 14. 26— 34. And elsewhere he compares rash and inconsiderate resolver's, to a Man that goes about to build a Tower, without ever considering what it will cost, or whether he hath Money sufficient to finish it; and so when he hath laid the Foundation gives it over, and renders himself ridiculous; and the same he compares also to a King that goes to war without ever considering whether he hath Force enough to encounter his Enemy, and so rushing headlong into the Battle, is either forced to retreat, or yield to the Mercy of the Conqueror. And in the Parable of the Prodigal Luke 15. wherein he purposely describes the whole Progress of the Soul towards God; the first Thing the Prodigal did after he came to himself, was to consider what an happy Change he should make in his Condition by returning to his Father; how many hired Servants of my Fathers have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! and having well considered this, he at length resolves, I will arise and go to my Father. Thus also the Prophet David introduces his Resolution of Amendment, through a deep and serious Consideration of his ways, I thought on my ways, and turned my Feet unto thy Testimonies. Psal. 119. 59  
4. It must be an universal Resolution of obeying God, such as indifferently extends to all the Instances of our Duty, otherwise it can be no entire Principle of Righteousness; because tho' it may reform us in some Instances, it must leave us unreformed in others, and so can only render us less wicked, but never entirely good. For seeing the Christion Law exacts of us universal Obedience, and doth not oblige us in one Instance, and dispense with us in another; it is impossible that any Resolution should be the Principle of that Righteousness it requires, but that which respects the whole. If we keep the whole Law, saith St. James, and yet offend in one point, we are guilty of all; for which he subjoins this Reason, he that hath said, do not commit adultery; said also, do not kill, James 2. 10, 11. i. e. it is the same Authority that forbids the one as well as the other; and therefore, tho' thou dost not the one, yet if thou dost the other, thou sinnest against the Authority of both. Seeing therefore we are not accounted universally righteous by the Law of Christ, unless we do universally obey it, a partial Resolution to obey can never constitute us Righteous; because such a Resolution will never make us universally obedient. Then shall I not be ashamed, saith David, when I have respect unto all thy Commandments. Psal. 119. 6. So that to make our Resolution a Christian Principle of Righteousness, it is necessary that it should be universal, i. e. of equal extent with that Law which is the Measure of our Righteousness; that like a fruitful Womb it should be pregnant with every good Work, and virtually contain in it every Particular that our Religion hath made our Duty.  
5. It must be a prevailing Resolution; a Resolution of such Force as doth engage us to do what we resolve, and actually prevails over all Temptations to the contrary. For all the Virtue of a good Resolution consists in its Relation to Action, because if that we resolve to do, be not necessary, it is indifferent whether we resolve to do it or no; but if it be, it must be done, otherwise we had been as good never to have resolved to do it. The goodness of our Resolution therefore consists in this, that it is an Engagement to practise what we resolve; and consequently if our Resolution to obey God, be not prevalent enough to engage us to obey him, it is so far from being a true Principle of Christian Righteousness, that it is a mere insignificant cipher. For as that can be no Cause which produces no Effect; so that can be no Principle of Righteousness, which is not productive of it; and if to make it a Principle of Righteousness, it is necessary, that it should be a prevalent Engagement to a righteous Life, than it follows that when it ceases to be prevalent, it ceases to be a Principle of Righteousness; and consequently that whenever we do commit any Sin that is inconsistent with a prevailing Resolution to obey God, we do for that Time cease to be righteous Men. But there are no Sins inconsistent with a prevailing Resolution to obey God, but such as do prevail against it, and actually overpower it; and therefore as for those Weaknesses, Surreptions, and Surprises, which, for Distinction-sake, we call Sins of Infirmity; either we do not consent to them, and consequently they are so far from overpowering our good Resolution, that they do not at all contest with it; or if we do consent to them, it is unawares, before we can oppose our Resolution against them. So that tho' upon Surprise they do win our Consent, yet they do not win it from our good Resolution, which in this sudden Hurry of Thoughts had not time to canvas for it; but had Power enough to have obtained it, had it had but Opportunity to prefer its Claim; and therefore as for such Sins as these, they may fairly comport with a prevailing Resolution of Obedience. But then there are Sins of Wilfulness which proceed either from wilful Habits, or from deliberate Choice, and these are no more consistent with such a Resolution, than one Contrary is with another in the same Degree. For he who sins wilfully is prevalently resolved to sin; and to be so, and at the same time prevalently resolved to obey God is a Contradiction in Terms. Whilst therefore Sin hath the Prevalence in us, we are so long Servants of Sin, and do so long cease to be Servants of Righteousness. 'Tis true, there are Degrees of Wickedness, and the longer a Man continues wicked, the worse he will be; but still he is a wicked Man, who is more prevalently resolved to sin than to obey God; and he who is so, tho' but for an Hour or a Day, is so long wicked, as well as he who continues so for a Month or a Year: He is not wicked indeed to so high a Degree, and so may far more easily recover; but from the Time that we deliberately consent to any known Sin, to the Time that we repent of it, we are wilful Sinners. If we repent immediately, we immediately recover into that good Estate from whence we were fallen, and so our Wound is cured almost as soon as it is made. For the proper Repentance of single Acts of wilful Sin, is either to resolve not to repeat them, or, where it can be done, to undo them again by Restitution. But when our baffled Resolution to obey God is thus recovered into a prevalent Engagement to obey him, it revives into a living Principle of Righteousness; but yet before we can reasonably conclude it is such, we must make some Trial of it; for as it is certain, that until it be Prevalent, it is not a true Principle of Righteousness; so it is certain, that till for some time it hath actually prevailed, we cannot be secure that it is prevalent. That is not to be called a prevalent Resolution, that for a Day or a Week puts us into a Fit of Religion, and so expires; such flashy Purposes are so far from being through Cures, that they are only so many Intermissions of our Disease, that always leave us as bad or worse than they found us. But if upon sufficient Trial we find that our Resolution doth hold against all Temptations, and actually engage us to our Duty in despite of all Solicitations to the contrary, we may then safely conclude, that it is that very vital Principle, which in the Judgement of our holy Religion, doth constitute us Righteous Men. And accordingly Matth. 21. 28, 29, 30. our Saviour compares those who might, but did not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, to a Son that first resolved to go whither his Father commanded him, but afterwards cooled and did not obey; implying, that the great Fault, which spoilt his Resolution, and rendered it insignificant was this, that it was not firm and prevalent; which had it been, it had actually entered him in the Kingdom of Heaven.  
6. And lastly, It must be a Resolution to obey God, springing out of our Belief of the Christian Religion; and this it is which renders it strictly and properly, a Christian Principle of Righteousness. 'Tis true indeed, if either we never heard of Christianity, or it had never been proposed to us, with sufficient Motives of Credibility, our Infidelity would have been only our Misery, but not our Crime; and if upon a through Consideration of the Arguments of natural Religion, and of the Good and Evil which naturally springs out of good and evil Actions, we were effectually resolved to study the Will of God, and, so far as we understood it, to obey it; it had been no criminal Defect in our Resolution not to be founded upon our Belief of Christianity; because to believe without sufficient Reason, is so far from being our Duty, that it is our Defect, and an Argument of our Weakness, and foolish Credulity. But now that Christianity hath been made known, and sufficiently proposed to us, we cannot be good Men, unless we do believe it, and if we do believe it, we cannot be good Christians if we do not thereupon effectually resolve to obey it. In short therefore, they who have not the Gospel, are obliged to obey God upon the Motives of natural Religion, which is all that can reasonably be expected from them; but as for us who have the Gospel, wherein, together with the Arguments of Nature, God hath fairly proposed to us the higher Motives of Christianity, we are bound to believe these as well as those; and upon this Belief to proceed to a firm Resolution of Obedience; which if we do, our Resolution is strictly Christian in Contra-distinction to theirs who have not the Gospel, and so resolve only upon Principles of Natural Reason; not but that their Resolution is for substance the same with ours, only ours is founded upon greater and more prevalent Motives. The Duties of Christianity are the same with those of Natural Religion, and excepting those three positive Precepts, of Baptism and the Lords Supper, and of worshipping God in and through Christ, there is no Command in the Gospel distinct from the Eternal Rules of Morality which the Gospel doth improve upon new Principles, and strengthen with more powerful Obligations.  
And thus I have explained to you what is that Vital Form and Principle which, in the Sense of the Law of Christ, doth constitute us Righteous Men. In short, he is a Righteous Man in the true Christian Sense, who upon a through Consideration of the Arguments and Motives of Christianity is universally and prevalently resolved to obey its Laws. To conclude all therefore, from hence I infer  
1. What is the true safe Way for a Man to resolve his own Conscience concerning the main State of his Soul, whether in the Gospel-sense he be Righteous, or no. I know it is a common Doctrine with some Men, that the Resolution of this great Case depends upon an inward Whisper, Suggestion, or Testimony of the Spirit of God, which I fear hath fatally deluded too many Men into a groundless Confidence and Assurance. For when all of a sudden they feel themselves surprised with joyous and comfortable Thoughts, they presently conclude it to be an inward Whisper and Testimony of the Spirit of God, when many times there is nothing in it but an unaccountable Frisque of melancholy Vapours heated and fermented by a feverish Humour; and many of these sudden Joys and Dejections, which these Men interpret to be the Incomes and With-drawing of the Spirit of God, do apparently proceed from no other 'Cause than the Shivering and Burnings of an Ague; upon which account Hysterical Fits are frequently mistaken for spiritual Exercises. And when Men have most confidently believed themselves overshadowed by the Holy Ghost, their Fancies have been only hagged and ridden by the Enthusiastic Vapours of their own Spleen. And some times I make no doubt, but this sudden Flush of joyous Thoughts proceeds from a worse Principle, even from the suggestion of the Devil; who, tho' he hath no immediate Access to the Minds of Men, can doubtless act upon their Spirits and Humours, and thereby figure their Fancies with sprightly Ideas, and tickle their Hearts into a Rapture; and this Power of his we may reasonably suppose he is ready enough to exert upon any mischievous Occasion, when ever he finds a Man willing to be deceived, and to rely upon ungrounded Presumptions. The true and only safe May therefore for a Man to resolve himself is impartially to survey himself, and to consider whether in the main his Intentions and Actions are righteous. If you ask, by what Signs and Tokens shall a Man know this? I answer, there is nothing can be a true Sign of Righteousness but Righteousness, nothing but what is an Act or Instance of Righteousness. But then we must have a great Care, that we do not argue from particular Acts and Instances that we are Righteous in the main; For you may as well conclude that you are not blind, because you hear well, or that you are not deaf, because you see well, or that you have all your Senses, because you have one or two, as that you are Righteous in the main, because you are so in this or that particular. Well then, how shall we do to resolve ourselves in this most material Enquiry? Why do but consider what it is to be Righteous, and then reflect upon your own Motion, and you will quickly feel whether you are Righteous or no; for to be Righteous is for the main to intend righteously, and act accordingly. If you ask again, how you shall know whether you so intent and act; I shall only answer, that it is an unreasonable Question, and that you might as well ask, whether you are hungry or thirsty; because you do as naturally feel the Motions of your Soul, as those of your Body; and for you to ask another Man what your own Intentions are, is to make him a Conjurer instead of a Casuist. Would it not look extremely ridiculous for a Man to ask his Creditor or Customer, Good Sir, how shall I know whether I intent to pay my Debts, or am sincerely resolved not to overreach you? Should any Man ask me such a Question, I should only bid him consult himself, and if then he suspected his own Honesty, truly I should suspect that he had too much Reason for it. For if a Man intends righteously, to be sure he intends it knowingly; and if he knowingly intends it, he cannot but know he intends it; for if he cannot know that he doth it, it is because he cannot know how to do it; and if he cannot know how to do it, he is not a capable Subject of Morality, but must of necessity live and act at random, and blunder on, like a Traveller in the dark, without being able to distinguish whether he goes right or wrong. Wherefore as you would not be deceived in a Point of the highest Importance in the world, a Point upon which your everlasting Fate depends, viz. whether you are Righteous Men or no; do not measure yourselves by any other Rule, but this sure and infallible one in the Text, He that doth Righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.  
2. From hence I infer, that seeing Righteousness is the good State of our Souls, that the main Thing upon which we ought to value ourselves is upon our being truly Righteous. For if we have any such Thing as a rational and immortal Soul about us, it is doubtless by far the noblest Ingredient of our Being's; 'tis that by which we are near allied to Angels, and do even border upon God himself. He therefore who values himself by any Thing but his Soul, and that which is its Grace and Perfection, begins at the wrong End of himself, forgets his jewels, and estimates his Estate by his Lumber; in so much that one would think it impossible, did not too many woeful Expeperiments daily evince the contrary, that any Creature owning and believing a rational and immortal Spirit to be a Part of its Being, should be so ridiculous as to value itself by such little trifling Advantages as a well-coloured Skin, a Suit of fine clothes, a Puff of Popular Applause, a Bag of red or white Earth; and yet, God help us, these are the only Things almost by which we difference ourselves from one another. You are a much better Man than your Neighbour, who is a very poor contemptible Wretch, a little creeping despicable Animal, not worthy to be taken notice of by such a one as you. Why in the name of God, Sir, what's the matter? Where is this mighty Difference between you and him? Hath he not a Soul as well as you, a Soul that is capable to live as long and be as happy as yours. Yes, that is true indeed; but notwithstanding that, you thank God for it, you are another guise Man than he; for you have a much bandsomer Body, your Apparel is finer and more fashionable; you live in a more splendid Equipage, and have a larger Purse to maintain it; and to your great Comfort, your Name is more in Vogue and makes a far greater Rattle in the World. And is this all the Difference then between your mighty Self, and your poor Neighbour? Alas, a few Days more will put an End to all this; and when your rich Attires are reduced to a Winding-sheet, and all your vast Possessions to six Foot of Earth, what will become of all these little Trifles, by which you value yourselves so highly? Where now will be the Beauty, the Wealth, the Port and Garb, of which you are so conceited? Alas, now that lovely Body will look as pale and ghastly, that lofty Soul will be left as bare, as poor and naked, as your despised Neighbours; and should you now meet his wand'ring Ghost in the vast World of Spirits, what will you have left to boast of more than he; now that your Beauty is withered, your Wealth vanished, and all your outward Pomp and Splendour buried in a silent Grave? Now you will have nothing left to distinguish you from the most Contemptible, unless you have wiser and better Souls, which are the only Preeminencies above other Men that will survive our Funerals, and distinguish us from base and abject Souls for ever. If we are now more pious, and humble, and just, and charitable than other Men, this will stick by us when our Heads are laid, and to all Eternity render us glorious and happy. And indeed when once we have thrown off our Body and all our bodily Passions and Necessities, the only Goods we shall be capable of enjoying are God, ourselves, and the Society of blessed Spirits, and these are no otherwise enjoyable but only by Acts of Piety and Virtue. It is only by our Contemplation and Worship, our Love and Imitation of God that we can enjoy him; it is only by our Prudence and Moderation, our Temperance and Humility that we can enjoy ourselves; it is only by our Charity and justice, our Modesty, peaceable and mutual Submission and Condescension to one another that we can enjoy the glorious Society of blessed Spirits, but if our unbodied Spirits carry with them these divine Graces into the other World, we shall by them be possessed of every Thing our utmost Wishes can propose; of a good God, a godlike, joyous and contented Mind, a peaceful, kind, and righteous Neighbourhood, and so all above, within, and without us will be a pure and perfect Heaven. So that if when I go from hence to seek my fortune in the World of Spirits, God should thus bespeak me, O man! seeing thou art now leaving all the Enjoyments of sense, consult what will do thee good, and thou shalt have whatever thou wilt ask to carry with thee into the spiritual State: I say should God thus offer me, I am sure the utmost Good I could wisely crave, would be this, Lord give me a Heart inflamed with Love, and winged with Duty to thee, that thereby I may but enjoy thee; give me a sober and a temperate Mind, that thereby I may enjoy myself; give me a kind and peaceable and righteous Temper, that thereby I may enjoy the sweet Society of blessed Spirits: O give me but these blessed Things, and thou hast crowned all my Wishes, and to Eternity I will never ask any other Favour for myself but only this, that I may continue a holy and a righteous Soul for ever; for so long as I continue so, I am sure I shall enjoy all spiritual Goods, and be as happy as Heaven can make me. What a prodigious Piece of Folly therefore is it for Men to value themselves more upon these outward Advantages, of which ere long they must be stripped, than upon the Graces and Virtues of their own Minds, on which they must subsist for ever? Suppose now that you were a Merchant in a far Country where you were allowed for a short uncertain Time the Benefit of free Trade and Commerce in order to your gaining a good Estate to maintain you in your own Native Country, when ever you are forced to return; would you be so indiscreet as to lay out all the Product of your Merchandise in building fine Houses, and purchasing great Farms, when you know not how soon you may be commanded to depart and leave all these immovable Goods behind you? Or rather would you not think yourselves obliged by all the Rules of Interest and Discretion to convert all your Gain into portable Wealth, into Money or Jewels or other such movable Commodities, as, when ever you are forced to depart, you might carry Home along with you, and there maintain yourselves with them in many years' Ease and Plenty? Do but think then, and think it often, that while you live here you are but Strangers and Foreign Merchants; that you came hither from another, World, to which you know not how soon you may be forced to return; that all the Wealth, the Lands and Houses you gain by your present Commerce are immovable Goods which you must leave behind you when you go from hence, and that there is nothing portable of all that you can gain in this World but only the Graces and Virtues of your Minds, and that therefore while you have Opportunity it concerns you above all Things to store and treasure up a plentiful Portion of these; that so whenever you are shipped off into the eternal World you may carry such an Estate of them thither with you as may suffice to maintain you there in Glory and Happiness for ever; which God of his infinite Mercy grant.   
1 JOHN III. 9 Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. 
FOR the right understanding of these Words, it will be necessary to inquire, first, what is here meant by committing Sin; secondly, what is meant by being born of God; thirdly, in what sense he that is born of God cannot commit sin.  
First, what is here meant by committing sin? I answer, that this Phrase in the Writings of this our Apostle hath a special Energy, and doth not denote the simple doing of any sinful Action, tho' it be out of Ignorance, Incogitance, or Frailty; nor doth it only denote an habitual Course and Custom of sinning wilfully, but primarily the doing of any sinful Action whatsoever deliberately, wilfully, and presumptuously. For as for the first, it is not true that he that is born of God doth commit no sin at all; seeing the best of God's Children are liable to be surprised into evil Actions through their Weakness, Ignorance, or Inadvertency, of all which, there are some Remains even in the most purified Natures. And as for the second, viz. the habit of sinning wilfully, tho' that in the Apostles Sense is not only to commit sin, but to commit it in the most eminent Degree; yet it is plain, that it is the deliberate Acts of Sin that he here primarily intends: for so Verse the 4th he that committeth sin transgresseth the Law, for Sin is a Transgression of the Law; which is plainly meant of every single Act of wilful Sin. So ver. 8. he that committeth sin is of the Devil, that is, he is therein an Imitator of the Devil, which is true of every deliberate Act; as well as of the Habit of Sin. So here in the Text, he that is born of God doth not commit sin; that is, understanding him still in the same Sense, he doth not commit any wilful and deliberate Act of Sin.  
2. Our next Enquiry is, what is here meant by being born of God? To which I answer, that to be born of another, denotes in general our receiving the Beginning and Principle of our Life and Motion from him, and consequently to be born of God, is to receive from him through the Operation of his Grace and Spirit, the Beginning and Principle of our spiritual Life and Motion, viz. a considerate, universal, prevailing Resolution to obey God, proceeding from our Belief of the Christian Religion. When therefore God by the Influence of his Grace and Spirit hath wrought our Minds into such a Resolution, then are we truly born of him, as having herein received from him the Principle of a new Life and Motion. And this the Apostle expresses by being transformed by the renewing of our mind. Rom. 12. 2. i e. having a new practical Judgement and Resolution of Soul begotten in us; and this he elsewhere calls the renewing of the holy Ghost 'tis 3. 5. Upon which account we may very well be said to be born of God; because it is from his blessed Spirit that we derive this Renewing, which is the Principle of our spiritual Life and Motion.  
Our last Enquiry is in what Sense this Assertion of the Apostle holds, viz. That he who is thus born of God cannot sin? To which I answer, That this Expression, he cannot, relates to the state he is now in; he cannot, as he is one that is born of God, and while he doth continue so; for so the Phrase is frequently used in Scripture. So Rom. 8. 7. The carnal mind cannot be subject to God; not but the Mind which is now carnal, may hereafter be subject unto God, viz. when it is renewed and changed: but it cannot be so while it continues carnal. And in the same Sense he tells us in the next Verse, that it cannot please God. So Matth. 7. 18. a good Tree cannot bring forth evil Fruit, neither can a corrupt Tree bring forth good Fruit; which can import no more than this, that whilst the good Tree continues good, it cannot bring forth evil Fruits, nor the corrupt Tree bring forth good Fruits whilst it continues corrupt; not but that one may hereafter become evil, and bring forth evil Fruits, as well as the other may become a good Tree, and bring forth good Fruits. So that the meaning of he cannot sin, is no more than this, it is so utterly inconsistent with the State of one that is born of God, to sin wilfully and deliberately, that when ever he doth so, he actually falls from that blessed State, and for the time ceases to be born of God. And hence the Reason assigned why a Man cannot sin wilfully, and be born of God at the same Time, is, for his Seed remaineth in him; that is, because that Principle of new Life and Motion, which the divine Spirit hath produced in him, and which is nothing else but an universal, prevailing Resolution of obeying God, remains within his Breast, and for a Man to be universally and prevalently resolved to obey God, and at the same Time to sin wilfully is a Contradiction in Terms; because whenever he sins wilfully, he is prevalently resolved to disobey him. And therefore seeing in every wilful Sin we are prevalently resolved to disobey God, while we are so, our Resolution to obey him, which is the Seed and Principle of our divine Life, must necessarily be extinguished; and consequently, till such time as by our Repentance we have revived and recovered it, we must cease to be born of God. He therefore who is born of God, cannot sin wilfully, because while he continues in this State his Seed remains in him; which is no more reconcilable to our sinning wilfully, than contraries are in the same Degree. And therefore he adds, he cannot sin, because he is born of God; that is, his State is such as will no more admit him wilfully to disobey God, than to be dead and alive in the same Moment. But in pursuance of this Argument, it will be necessary yet further to inquire what those wilful Sins are which the Apostle here declares to be inconsistent with a good State, or which is the same thing, with our being born of God; the Resolution of which is of absolute necessity to enable Men to make a true Judgement of their own State, whether it be good or bad. And in order hereunto it will be necessary to premise the following Particulars.  
1. That by wilful Sin, I mean the Acts as well as the Habits of Sin.  
2. That by wilful Habits of Sin, I mean such as are contracted by wilful Acts, and are wilfully retained and indulged.  
3. That by wilful Acts of Sin, I do not mean all evil Actions which have any Degree of Will in them, but only such as are deliberately chosen.  
4. That the same Actions may be Sins of Weakness, and Sins of Wilfulness in the same, or different Persons under different Circumstances.  
1. That by wilful Sins, I mean the wilful Acts as well as Habits of Sin. To be sure there is no Sin can be consistent with our being born of God, for which the Gospel binds us over to eternal Condemnation; for while we thus stand bound, we are Children of Wrath, and so cannot be Children of God at the same time. Now the Law of Christ condemns us for all wilful Sins whatsoever, whether they be single Acts or Habits; and every single wilful Act is as much a Transgression of the Law, which threatens Condemnation, as any wilful Habit whatsoever. The Law, which forbids wilful Lying under the Penalty of eternal Death, doth as well forbid the single Act, as the Habit of wilful Lying, and therefore must forbid them both under the same Penalty; and indeed if it did not, there are some of the most heinous sins would escape. For there are some Sins which when Men have once committed, they never have Opportunity to repeat, being prevented either for want of a new Occasion. or by just Sentence of Law; such as Rape, and Theft, and Murder; and others, which can never pass beyond a single Act, such as Parricide and Self-murder; and so can never grow into an Habit: and yet I think there is no Man can doubt but that even the single Acts of these Sins (supposing them wilful) do put a Man into a state of Condemnation. I know it is usually said, that such horrible Sins as these indeed do so, because the Mischief of them is so great, and the Malice so heinous that it renders them equivalent to an Habit of any other Sin. To which I answer, the Law of Christ condemns these Sins, not as they are greater than others, but as they are Transgressions for which it threatens Condemnation. Indeed the greatness of the Sin doth increase the Condemnation; but yet the Law which condemns us for a lesser Sin, doth as certainly condemn us, as that which condemns us for a greater. As for Instance, the Law of Christ as well condemns us for Drunkenness, Adultery, Lying, and Malice, as for Murder. And as every wilful Act of unjust Killing, is Murder; so every wilful Act of Adultery and Malice, is Adultery and Malice; and therefore the Law of Christ condemns to far greater Pains for the one than for the others; yet still it condemns us for both: for that Law, which forbids any wilful Sin indifferently under the Penalty of Condemnation, forbids every Act of it under the same Penalty; because every Act of it is the Sin so forbidden; and therefore we may as well say, that the Law of Christ doth not condemn us for Parricide and Self-murder, because these are only single Acts of Murder, as that it doth not condemn us for any other single Act of any other wilful Sin. For every single Act of wilful Intemperance and Incontinency, are as truly Sins against the Law, which forbids them under the Penalty of eternal Condemnation, as those single Acts of Murder are against the Law which forbids Murder under the same Penalty; and consequently do as well put us into a State of Condemnation; and to be sure, while we are in this state, we cannot pretend to be born of God.  
2. I premise that by wilful Habits of sin, are meant such as are contracted by wilful Acts, and are wilfully retained, and indulged. For if you take Habits of Sin in the largest Sense, as they signify a forward Propensity, Promptness, and Readiness to do Evil, there is no doubt but there may be sinful Habits in Men, which never were contracted by wilful Acts, as on the contrary, there may be sinful Habits contracted by wilful Acts, which tho' not utterly extirpated, may yet cease to be wilful. As for instance, a Man may be prompted to unreasonable Anger, or excessive Lust, even from the natural Temper and Constitution of his Body, without the Concurrence of any wilful Acts of his own; and tho' he may be much more disposed to be angry or lustful than another of a cooler Constitution, yet he may be much farther removed from any wilful Habit of Anger and Lust, because the latter perhaps contracted them by his own wilful Acts, and by his repeated Practice of them, doth still cherish and indulge them; whereas the former had no more hand in contracting them, than he had in the moulding of of his own Constitution, and is so far from cherishing them by any wilful Acts of his own, that it is the main endeavour of his Life to oppose and vanquish them. And so on the other hand, a Man that by frequent wilful Acts of Sin, hath contracted wilful Habits, may afterwards heartily repent, and take up a prevailing Resolution of Amendment, and yet still the evil Habit, the Promptness, or Propensity to his Sin, may be more or less remaining in him; but this is now so far from being wilful, that the prevailing Bent and Current of his Will is against it; and tho' still his evil Inclinations are ready to take fire upon every Spark of Temptation that falls upon them, and to blaze out into evil Actions; yet by the Strength of his Resolution he so keeps it under, that it cannot break forth but upon a surprise, and even that Surprise will render him more watchful and vigilant to suppress it for the future. But now when evil Habits do not only exist in us, but are also cherished and indulged by us, and do ordinarily influence and govern our Practice; they are then not only wilful Sins, but a fixed and settled State of wilful Sin; and are pregnant with a distinct Gild and Venom from those Acts of wilful Sin, that begot them. And hence in Scripture you find them marked with the blackest Characters; they are called, the Root of bitterness, the evil Heart, the Concupiscence wrought by Sin, the Law in the Members, which those who are carnal and sold under Sin do obey, the carnal Mind, the Flesh in which dwells no good, and enmity to God: by all which they are sufficiently pronounced inconsistent with our being born of God.  
3. I must premise that by wilful Acts of Sin I do not mean all wilful Actions which have any Degree of Will in them, but only such as are deliberately chosen and consented to. Every sin is so far voluntary, as that when we choose it we are free to refuse it; otherwise it is necessary; and what is necessary, is no Fault, nor can be justly liable to Reward, or Punishment. Those evil Actions therefore, which, for Distinction sake, are called sins of Infirmity, are no farther Sins than as they are chosen, and have some Intermixture of Will in them; for if they have none, they have only the Matter of Sin in them, but not the Form. But we are seldom so surprised with any Temptation to Evil, but that it is possible for us to deliberate upon it, and thereupon to resolve against it; and many Times by our Care and Watchfulness we do prevent those Evils, which, when we are more remiss, do steal upon us unawares: and we that can prevent them this Moment, can prevent them the next too, and so the next, and so for ever. But then considering the Weakness and Imperfection of our Natures, how our Wills are biased with bad Habits and Inclinations, and our Thoughts dispersed and squandered among the infinite Diversions that surround us; it is morally impossible, that is, it is not reasonably to be expected that in these Circumstances we should be always upon our Guard against every evil Object without, and every evil Motion within us, so as never to be surprised, or to act unadvisedly. Whenever therefore we are so surprised into an evil Action, as that we could not consider if we would, either for Want of Time, or for Want of Order and Distinction in our Thoughts occasioned by some sudden Tumult of Passion; this is not our Fault, but our Infelicity; because our Will is no way concerned in it. But when we are so surprised, as that notwithstanding we might have considered, had we taken all due Care to recollect ourselves and exert our utmost Attention; this is partly our Fault; because there is something of Will in it; but more our Infelicity, because there is more of Weakness and Infirmity than Will in it; and therefore is called a sin of Infirmity, which by the merciful Indulgence of the Gospel is discharged of Course from all eternal Penalties. But if when we are tempted, we either designedly omit to consider, or consent upon Consideration; this is pure Malice of Will, which, while we are born of God, can have no Place in us.  
4. And lastly, I must premise, that the same Actions may be Sins of Weakness and Sins of Wilfulness in the same, or in different Persons under different Circumstances. For seeing it is the willing of an evil Action that makes it be a sin, it necessarily follows, that it is the willing of it in a greater or a lesser Degree that makes it a greater or a lesser Sin; and it is certain that the same sin may have more or less of Will in it in the same, or different Persons under different Circumstances. As for Instance; one Man may be excusably ignorant of the Evil of such an Action, which another doth either know to be a Sin, or would have known it had he not been wilfully ignorant; and that Sin, which this Man commits upon Deliberation, another may be hurried into on a sudden surprise, in which Case, tho' both do the same Act, and in some Sense both do it willingly too; yet because the one wills it more intensely than the other, it is a Sin of Wilfulness in the one, and a Sin of Infirmity in the other. And this holds true also in the same Person, who may do the same Action ignorantly and inconsiderately at one Time, and knowingly and advisedly at another; and if, when he hath fallen into any Sin unawares, he is wilfully careless and neglective to prevent the Return of it; that which now is a pitiable Weakness, and as such falls under the general Indulgence of the Gospel, will anon be inexcusable Obstinacy. From all which it is apparent, that is not the Kind of the Sin but the Will of the Sinner that makes the Difference between Sins of Weakness and Wilfulness; seeing the same Sins according to the different Degrees of Will that are in them may be Sins of Infirmity at one time, and Sins of Obstinacy at another. For so by the Law of England the same Act of Killing is distinguished into Chance-medley, Manslaughter, and Murder; the first of which is innocent, because it hath no Will in it; the second pitiable, because but imperfectly willed; the third capital, because freely chosen, and fully consented to. And so also by the Christian Law the very same Act under different Circumstances may be an innocent Error, a sin of Infirmity, and a sin of Wilfulness; for if it be perfectly involuntary, it is an innocent Error; if imperfectly willed, it is a sin of Infirmity; but if fully consented to, a sin of Wilfulness. So long therefore as the Temptations of Men are so infinitely various, and their Capacities of resisting so unequal, in different Persons, there will be more or less of Will in the same Actions; and the same Act will be far more excusable where there is a greater Temptation to it, and a less Power of resisting, than it can be, when the Temptation is less, and the Power of resisting it greater. All that can be done therefore in the Case before us is this, to lay down such general Rules of Distinction between Sins of Infir-mity, and Sins of Wilfulness, as that thereby every Man, that hath the free Use of his own Faculties may, upon a due Consideration of his Particular Circumstances, distinguish whether his Sin be wilful or no. For when all is done every Man must thus far be his own Casuist; it being impossible for another to determine what Degrees of Will there are in his Sin, unless he knew under what Circumstances he committed it; because different Circumstances do vary the Case, and make the Sin to be more or less voluntary.  
These Things premised, I come now particularly to state what those Sins are, upon the Commission of which we cease to be born of God: and these I shall rank under 3 Heads: 1. Sins of wilful Ignorance. 2. Sins of wilful Inconsideration. 3. Sins against Knowledge and Consideration.  
1. Sins of wilful Ignorance; I say wilful, to exclude all invincible and unaffected Ignorance: By invincible Ignorance I mean such, as we neither do nor can surmount by the utmost Improvement we can make of our Reason. For sure not to understand, what we cannot understand, is not all criminal; and if our Ignorance be innocent, whatever is the necessary Effect of it must be so too; all necessary Effects being of a common Nature with their Causes. And certainly no Man breathing can be innocent, if he be not so who acts to the best of his Knowledge, and knows to the best of his Capacity For so our Saviour himself pronounces concerning the Pharisees; If ye were blind ye should have no sin, but now you say that you see, therefore your sin remains, John 9 4.  
By unffected Ignorance I mean such as is vincible, but by Reason of some innocent Hindrances, such as the Obscurity of the Object, or the Weakness of the Capacity, or the innocent Prejudice and Prepossession of the Understanding, is not to be removed without extreme Difficulty; which tho' it be so far sinful, as it is within the Reach of our Power to be better informed; yet is by no Means to be accounted a wilful Sin. For if it be wilful Sin not to know and do the Will of God to the utmost of our Power, there is no Sin in the World but what is wilful; because it is no Sin at all not to do more than our utmost. But then there is a wilful and affected Ignorance, which proceeds either from our profane Contempt and Regardlessness of God, by which we have so far extinguished our natural Sense of Religion, as not to think it worth the while to concern ourselves about it, and so rudely stop our Ears against all the Means of Instruction; or else this wilful Ignorance arises from some sinful Prejudice against the Knowledge of the Truth begotten in us by some darling Lust, which, that we may quietly enjoy without any Remorse of Conscience, we industriously shun all the Means of Conviction; and either exclude all Thoughts of Religion from our Minds lest they should discover to us the Evil and Danger of our Sin, (which is the way of those who are openly profane, and irreligious;) or endeavour to wheadle our own Understandings to such false Opinions as are soft and easy and indulgent to our Lusts, (which is the way of Hypocrites and false Pretenders to Religion.) Now as for this Sort of Ignorance, it springs from a wicked Will. and is not so much to be imputed to the Weakness of our Understandings, as to the Depravedness of our Affections; they are the impure Vapours from below that cloud the Sky above, and overcast the intellectual Region with Darkness and Confusion. And if we are ignorant of our Duty, because we will not be informed; our Ignorance is so far from excusing our Neglect of it, that itself is inexcusable. If I commit a Sin, because I am wilfully ignorant, the Wilfulness of my Ignorance makes my Sin to be wilful. Here the Effect always partakes of the Nature of the Cause, and derives into its self all its Venom and Malignity; and therefore if my Ignorance be a wilful Sin, whatever Sins it betrays me into, they must be all wilful as well as that. And hence our Saviour tells us, that this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, John 3. 19  
2. Another Sort of wilful Sins are Sins of wilful Inconsideration. I say wilful, because there are sundry Evils whereinto we are perfectly surprised; as when Temptations start out so suddenly upon us, as that either for Want of Time, or the great Hurry and Tumult it puts our Thoughts into, it is not in our Power to consider and deliberate; in which Case we are not capable Subjects of Law and Morality. For that which makes us capable Subjects is first, that we are rational Agents, and so can deliberate what is best to choose. 2. That we are free Agents, and so can choose what is best upon Deliberation; without which Madmen and natural Fools are as capable Subjects of Law as we. Whenever therefore our Circumstances are such that we cannot deliberate, and choose upon Deliberation, tho' the Actions we do are materially Evils, yet are they not formally Sins; because while we do them we are not capable Subjects of the Law that forbids them, nor consequently accountable to it. As for Instance; it is doubtless a great Sin and deserves a great Punishment, for a Man to wound his Friend, or abuse his Benefactor; but yet in a Madman it is no Sin at all, because when he doth it, he is incapable of being governed by the Law that forbids it. And this I judge is the Case of Men under perfect surprises, when they are violently hurried into evil Actions in a sudden Distraction and Confusion of Thoughts; which doubtless may sometimes be the Case of very good Men, especially under great Pains, or the sudden Appearance of frightful Dangers, which for the present at least may distract and scare them out of all Capacity and Deliberation; and at other Times, while their Thoughts are innocently wand'ring among the vast Variety of outward Objects, a Temptation may suddenly break in, and prevail upon them before they have Time to recollect themselves. For we find by Experience, that the Mind hath not that absolute Dominion over the Will as to make it choose or refuse at its beck upon the bare Proposal of good or evil Objects; but many Times before it can prevail is fain to dispute it out with our Passions and Appetites, and to oppose their Importunities with more prevalent Motives to the contrary; and therefore if it should so fall out that in that Moment when the Temptation comes, the Mind should be very much diverted by other Employments, it is in many Cases morally impossible, but Passion and Appetite should prevail, and obtain our. Consent before the Mind is aware of it; because that being at present otherwise employed; and always unable to attend many Things at once, it cannot be ready in the present Exigence immediately to urge the Arguments on its own side, and to detect the Fallacies on the other. Tho' this I confess, will hardly hold in any gross Acts of Sin, because in these there is generally some Pause and Interval between the Temptation and the Action, wherein the Mind may easily be advised with, which if it be a good Mind cannot fail to suggest sufficient Arguments against it: But if the Temptation doth so hurry the Man, as that he cannot deliberate, he is so far innocent; and if as soon as he considers he retracts the evil Consent into which his Will was surprised, before it passes into Action; or if having acted it, before he was aware, he becomes more wary and watchful for the future, it is not so much his Fault as his Misery. 'Tis true, there are surprises of Temptation which are not innocent; but then the Reason is, because they are not pure surprises, but such as do not incapacitate us to deliberate; and if when it is in our Power we either do not deliberate at all, or not enough, but make a rash and foolish Choice, when, if we had used our utmost Care, we might have chosen more advisedly; our Choice is culpable, and so is the Action thence proceeding. But seeing ours is the Religion of Men and not of Angels, and it cannot reasonably be expected, considering our Circumstances, that we should always do as well as possibly we can, it is to be supposed that this Religion of ours, which is purposely accommodated to our imperfect State, admits us to be good in the Main, tho' we are not so to Perfection, or which is the same Thing, to the utmost of our Possibility. For while our Soul is fain to minister to a Body, and hath so quick a sense of its Necessities, and while we are encompassed with so vast a Variety of tempting Objects, and our Thoughts are so dispersed and squandered among them; it is morally impossible, but that many of our Actions should be unadvised, and pass our Watch without a severe Examination: nor can it reasonably be expected, that we should in all Cases, where it is in our Power, so precisely weigh every minute Circumstance of our Actions, as to determine exactly on which side our duty lies: and therefore should our Religion exact this of us without any Mitigation or Abatement, I doubt that even the best of Men would never be able to abide the Test of it. But then besides this Kind of Inconsideration, which is either purely involuntary, and by consequence innocent, or but partly voluntary, and so excusable; there is another Sort of it, which is absolutely and inexcusably wilful. And This is twofold, viz. actual and habitual. Actual is either when, notwithstanding we have been sufficiently forewarned by precedent Surprises, we are wilfully neglective of ourselves, and take no Care to fortify our Minds by Consideration against them in Case they should return again upon us; or when upon the Appearance of a prevailing Temptation we either quench the good Motions of our own Consciences, and refuse to consider the Evil and Danger of the Sin we are tempted to, lest we should be deterred from committing it; or purposely contrive to baffle our own Consideration, and to render it ineffectual by opposing against it either some ungrounded Hope of Impunity, or some fallacious Promise of future Amendment. In all which Cases our Inconsideration is apparently wilful, and so consequently must the Sins be, which follow upon it; and he who pleads his own wilful Inconsideration as an Excuse for his Sin, doth only Apologise for one Fault by another, which instead of extenuating inflames and aggravates it. And then as for habitual Inconsideration it is the Effect of our frequent stifling the Convictions of our own Consciences, whereby we fear them into a deep Insensibility of Good and Evil, so as that at last we Sin on without Remorse, and return to our Lusts with a perfect Indifferency without ever considering what we do, or reflecting upon what we have done. Now as it is no Excuse for our Sin if it proceeds from a sinful Habit contracted by frequent Acts of wilful Sin, so neither will it excuse our Sin that it proceeds from an habitual Inconsideration contracted by often refusing to consider. And as vicious Habits have a proper Evil and Guiltiness in them distinct from those vicious Acts that produced them, so habitual Inconsideration hath in it a peculiar Venom of its own beyond what was in those wilful Acts of Inconsideration whereby it was contracted. And accordingly in Scripture it is described as the most desperate State of Sinners: it is to be past feeling, which was the Condition of the lewdest and most irreclaimable Gentiles, Eph. 4. 19 it is to have a seared conscience, the Character of Sinners under the last Apostasy, 1 Tim. 4. 2. it is to have a reprobate mind, which was the Cause and Effect of the foulest Gentile Impieties, 1 Rom. 28, 29. In a word it is to have a hard, and unrelenting Heart, by which Men are said to treasure up wrath against the day of wrath, Rom. 2. 5.  
3. And lastly, another Sort of wilful Sins are such as are wilfully committed against Knowledge and Consideration. I say again wilfully, to exclude those known Evils, which either we do not all consent to, or very imperfectly. For it is a known Evil for a Man to rove in his Devotions, or to think blasphemous Thoughts of God, or to be drowsy and liftless in our Addresses to him; and yet many times these are the necessary Effects even of innecent Causes, such as Melancholy, or Weariness, or antecedent Thoughtfulness; and therefore tho' they are evil in the Matter, yet because they necessarily proceed from such Causes as are not evil, we are no more accountable for them than for the Returns of our Appetite, or the Palpitation of our Heart: and if we do not indulge our Drowsiness, nor harbour and entertain our evil Thoughts, but throw them out of our Minds as soon as we observe them, and keep a more careful Watch to prevent their Return, our Will is innocent, and so long we may be sure God will not condemn us for our Weakness. Again, it is a known Evil for a Man to be angry without a Cause, or to have an unchaste Desire, or to love, or hate, or hope, or fear, or rejoice, or grieve unreasonably; yet these Evils are such as no Care can wholly prevent, and against which no Warchfulness is a sufficient Guard. And tho' in many of these Instances there be many times so much of our Will intermingled as to render us culpable, yet this is not sufficient to extinguish the Principle of our Regeneration, or to degrade us into a State of Wickedness. But when a Man knows that such an Action is evil, and either actually considers that it is so, or neglects to consider it through habitual Inconsideration, and thereupon actually consents to it; he doth hereby openly defy God, and maliciously trample upon his Authority, being desperately resolved to pursue his sinful Desire let God and his Conscience say what they can to the contrary; which is such an Height of wilful Malice as no Apology can extenuate. Hence our Saviour pronounces that the servant that knows his Master's will, and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes, Luke 12. 47. And accordingly St. james tells us, that he that knows to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin; that is, 'tis a very great and inexcusable Sin, james 4. 17. and St. Paul assures us that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; that is, who know the Truth, and yet wilfully sin against their Knowledge, Rom. 1. 18. and to name no more Heb. 10. 26. we are told, that if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sin; which Words are to be understood according to the general Analogy of the Gospel [if we sin wilfully] i. e. if we are deliberately guilty of any known Sin [after we have received the knowledge of the truth] i. e. have been chatechized and baptised in the Christian Faith [there remains no mere sacrifice for sin] i. e. unless we recover ourselves by Repentance, and Amendment of the Fact. And seeing that where we sin wilfully the Virtue of the great Sacrifice for Sin hath no Place without a special and particular Repentance, and consequently there is no other Remedy left for us in the Gospel, all that remains is what follows in the next verse, viz. a certain fearful looking for of judgement, and fiery indignation to devour the adversary. From whence it follows that upon our sinning knowingly and wilfully in any particular Instance, we fall into a State of Wrath and Condemnation, and consequently fall from the happy State of our Regeneration, or being born of God.  
And now to conclude this Argument, from the whole I infer the horrible Evil of consenting to any known Sin, after we have entered into good Resolutions to the contrary; which will plainly appear upon the following Considerations.  
1. Consider the shameful Weakness and Impotency of it. For such Resolutions, if they are well form, are grounded on the strongest and most momentous Reasons in the world; and for a Man to Cancel a Resolution enforced with such powerful Motives for a mere Vanity, or to gratify some foolish and importunate Lust, the Pleasure of which dies away in the Enjoyment, argues him to have a base and prostitute Mind, that hath no Strength of Thought, or steadfastness of Will in it, but is whiffled up and down like a Feather in the Air by every little Counterblast of Wind.  
2. Consider the prodigious Hazard to which we expose ourselves by it. For by every wilful Sin after such a Resolution we throw ourselves headlong from the best into the worst Estate in the world, from a State of Love into a State of Wrath, from being born of God to being a Son of perdition; and if we thence be snatched away, before we have recovered our Relapse, (as who knows but we may,) we shall die for ever, and by one desperate Act of Folly fall from Heaven into Hell. But suppose we should survive our Sin, and be allowed a space of Repentance; yet is it a mighty Hazard whether ever we make a good Use of it. For when by one wilful Sin we have made a Breach into our good Resolution, in all probability that will open a Gap for another to follow, and that for another, till hereby our evil Habits at last recover their full Power, and then our Will and Practice will be laid open again into a common Thoroughfare of Iniquity. For when we consented to the first Sin it was with a Promise of repenting immediately, and upon the same Promise in all probability upon the next Temptation we shall consent to a second, and so to a third; and by this Train the Devil will toll us on through a long Course of Sin, till at length our Will is depraved again, and our Conscience seared, and then we shall lay aside all Thoughts of Repentance.  
3. Consider the great Sorrow and Remorse that must follow upon our Sin, in Case we should repent of it. For to be sure before we can heartily repent of it, our Mind must be stung with many severe Reflections upon our own wretched Weakness and Impotence, and our Falseness and Perfidiousness to our own Engagements and Resolutions, upon the Affront we have given to our good God, and the vile Contempt we have offered to his most righteous Authority, and our ungrateful grieving his holy Spirit, whereby, before we committed this Wickedness, we were sealed unto the day of Redemption: all which if we have any thing of good Nature and Ingenuity, and much more if we have any the least Foot-step or Remains of that divine Seed, by which we were born of God, must necessarily create in us a most pungent Sorrow and Remorse, whenever we reflect upon it; a Sorrow that will be much more than equivalent to the highest Pleasure we can hope for from any wilful Sin: and for a Man to commit such a Sin upon a Presumption that he shall repent of it, when he cannot but foresee, if he be in his Wits, that his Repentance will cost him far more sorrow than his sin will yield him Pleasure, is all Folly and Madness.  
4. Consider how much of that Ground we lose back by every wilful Sin which by hitherto keeping true to our good Resolution we had gotten against our evil Inclinations. Our Religion can never be easy to us till in some good Measure we have mortified and extinguished our depraved Inclinations; for till then in the whole Course of our Religious Practice we shall row against the Stream, and be continually warring against and doing Violence to ourselves. But if when a Man hath once entered into a good Resolution he takes care to pursue it, he will find by degrees his bad Inclinations decay and wear off; and proportionably, as they decay, Piety and Virtue will grow more and more natural and easy to him. But when a Man hath for some time faithfully pursued his good Resolution, and hath thereby got a great deal of Ground of his bad Inclinations, if then he unravels it by any one wilful Act of Sin, his bad Inclinations will thereby recover all those Degrees of Strength and Vigour which they lost in the past Course of his Piety and Virtue; so that now he must be forced to begin the whole Work of his Religion again, and to struggle through all those Difficulties, which he had before surmounted. Now he must fight over again all the Victories he had gotten, before he can regain that Command and Empire of himself, to which he was arrived before he revolted from his good Resolution; and thus for a Moment's Satisfaction he foolishly creates himself a long and tedious Labour.  
5. And lastly consider how by every wilful Sin you will weaken and impair those comfortable Hopes you had arrived to by persevering in your good Resolution. While you persevere in Welldoing, your Minds will be all a long entertained and refreshed with the growing Hopes of your Reconciliation with God at present, and of a glorious Immortality to succeed; and those blessed Hopes will every Day improve upon your Hands, till at length they are ripened into a full Assurance; the Comfort of which will mightily spirit and inliven all your Religious Endeavours, and carry you on with indefatigable Vigour through all the weary Stages of your Duty. But now by committing of any wilful Sin, thereby you throw yourselves out of the Arms of God's Favour, and give up all your Pretensions to eternal Happiness; and tho' by your serious Repentance you should afterwards recover to the blessed Condition from whence you are fallen, yet in all Probability it will be a great while before you will be able to recover those blessed Hopes from whence you are fallen. For the Sense of your past Lapse, if you have any Modesty in you, will make you very anxious and doubtful of yourselves and render you extremely fearful and suspicious, lest you should fall again; and so only sin and repent, and repent and sin on, till at length you have sinned yourselves beyond all Repentance; and these very just Fears and Jealousies will very much hinder the Growth of your Hopes, and cause them to spring by slow and insensible Degrees.   
JOHN XIV. 27. 
Peace I leave with you, my Peace I give unto you: not as the World giveth, give I unto you: Let not your Heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  
THese Words are a Part of our Saviour's farewell Discourse to his Disciples, in which after he had given them some necessary Instructions for the Information of their Faith, and Conduct of their Manners, in which after he had comforted them with the Assurance that e'er long he would return again to them by his holy Spirit, and assist them in their Work, and support them under their Troubles, he takes a solemn leave of them, Peace I leave with you Which among the Hebrews was the usual Form of Salutation when they met or parted, Shalom Lacha, Peace be unto you; where, by Peace, they meant all manner of Blessings; so that it was equivalent to all those Three Salutations among the Greeks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, in which they wished to each other Satisfaction of Mind, Health of Body, and Success of Affairs. So that in this Salutation Peace I leave with you, our Soviour wishes all Good to his Disciples, of which, Peace strictly taken, is one of the principal Instances. Nor, saith he, do I only wish Peace to you in general, but I give you my Peace, or the Wish and Salutation of my Peace; which is a much better Peace than that which Men have hitherto enjoyed, an inward Peace of Mind and Soul founded upon much surer Grounds and better Principles than those which natural Reason and Philosophy pretend to. And this new kind of Péace which is properly mine, because founded upon my Principles, I give unto you: not as the World giveth, give I unto you. The Men of the World give the Salutation of Peace to each other many times out of mere Compliment, without any real Wish, or hearty meaning, and when they mean what they say, it is commonly nothing but an empty impotent Wish that conduces nothing, or at least, not enough to the Peace and Satisfaction of those whom they salute. But as for my part, as I give you the Salutation of Peace, so I heartily mean and wish that you may enjoy it; nor do I only wish you Peace, but I have also taken Care to furnish you with such abundant Means, and effectual Principles of Peace, as that if you are not extremely wanting to yourselves, you cannot long be without it. The Words thus Explained, the Sense of them may be resolved into this Proposition.  
That our blessed Lord as he heartily wishes Peace and Quiet of Mind to all his Disciples and Followers, so he hath taken Care to furnish them with the most sufficient and effectual Means to obtain it: the Truth of which, evidently appears upon a full Consideration of these Two Particulars: First, that he hath taken the most effectual Care to remove from us all the Causes of Trouble and Disquiet of Mind. Secondly, that he hath taken Care to supply us with the most effectual Principles of Peace and Satisfaction of Mind.  
1. I begin with the first of these, viz. that our blessed Lord hath taken the most effectual Care to remove from us all the Causes of Trouble and Disquiet of Mind; and they are principally these Five.  

1. The Sense of Gild.  
2. False and extravagant Estimations of the good Things of the World.  
3. Our taking up wrong Measures and Opinions of the Evils of the World.  
4. An effeminate Softness and Delicacy of Temper.  
5. Misplacing of our Happiness in Things that are out of our own Power.   
1. One Cause of disquiet of Mind, is the Sense of Gild. For God hath imprinted such an awful Apprehension of his own invisible Power and Majesty on our Minds, that whenever we reflect upon the manifold Provocations we have given him, to arm his Omnipotent Vengeance against us, it must naturally suggest very anxious and direful Thoughts to our Minds, and fill us with black and horrible Apprehensions of the fatal Consequents of his Wrath and Displeasure against us. So that till such time as Men have stupefied their natural Sense of God by a long Custom, and inveterate Habit of sinning, it will be as impossible for them to be at Peace under the Apprehension of his Displeasure, as it is to sleep with an Alarm in their Ears. But till such time as our Saviour had procured for us the new Covenant, by which God hath solemnly obliged himself to pardon us upon our Repentance; sinful Men, tho' true Penitents, could never have arrived at that Degree of Security, that God was reconciled to them, as is necessary to set their Minds at Rest, and free them from all Anxiety. For tho' to repent is the best thing a Sinner can do, yet this doth not at all alter the Nature of the Sin he reputes of, so as to render it less evil, or less deserving of Punishment; and so long as the Desert of Punishment remains, God hath a natural Right to execute it, and so long we can never be certain whether he will exact it or no. Some wavering Hopes a poor Penitent might have arrived to, upon the Consideration of the infinite Benignity of the divine Nature, but the utmost Comfort he could have given himself, was that of the penitent King of Nineveh; who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? Jonah 3. 9 But alas! when a Man's Mind is hagged and ridden with his Guilts, who can tell? is such a poor Relief as must necessarily leave it extremely anxious and disponding. But now upon our Saviour's procuring for us the new Covenant, you and I, and every one of us can tell, and that with as much certainty as that God is true, that if we do repent, and turn from our evil Ways, God will turn, and repent of his Anger, and Displeasure against us. So that now all we have to do is to reflect upon ourselves, and examine whether we are true Penitents or no, whether we have submitted our Will to Gods, with a full Purpose and Resolution to fly whatever he forbids, and follow whatever he commands us; and if we have, we may upon the Terms of the New Covenant, from thence as certainly conclude that he is reconciled to us, and that his high Displeasure against us, is all converted into the dearest Kindness and Complacency, as we can that he is God, or which is all one, that he is true and faithful; which doubtless is one of the most solid Foundations of Peace and Satisfaction in the World. For what can disturb me while I feel myself lodged in his Arms and Embraces whose Wisdom, I am sure, no Craft can out-wit, and with whose Power no Force is able to contend. Here I dwell as in an impregnable Fortress, where nothing can come at me, but what is for my good; how then can any thing prove adverse to me, while he is my Friend, in whose Hands and Disposal every thing that concerns me is placed?  
2. Another Cause of Disquiet of Mind, is our false and extravagant Estimations of the good Things of this World. The main Spring of those Troubles which perplex our Minds, is the Goods and Evils that are without us, and without our Power and Disposal, in which we commonly fancy far more Good and Evil than really there is. We look upon the good Things of this World as unskilful Spectators do on Landscapes, in which while they stand at a Distance, they fancy they behold here a smiling Meadow, there a delightful Grove, and there a lofty Mountain; but upon a nearer Approach, and more considerate View, find all this goodly Prospect to be nothing but a course Canvas artificially painted with Colours and Shadows. Thus while we behold the Riches, the Pleasures, and the Honours of this World at a Distance, to our wild Imaginations there appear vast Mountains of Happiness in them, fruitful Fields of Pleasure, delightful Groves of Content and Satisfaction, which while we are in the pursuit of them, fills our Minds full of Cares, and anxious and solicitous Thoughts about them; but then as we approach nearer to them, and come to survey them more closely, the Mountains presently dwindle into Molehills, the Fields and the Groves into empty Shadows; and after all our Labour and Care to possess ourselves of them, our Enjoyment of them amounts not to the Tithe of our Hope, and so we are still restless and unsatisfied, both while we are in the Quest, and while we are in the Possession of them. While we are in the Pursuit of them, we are wild and imaginative; we swell with fantastic Joys, and juggle ourselves into Expectations as great and eager as our own Desires; but as soon as we are possessed of them, we presently find their Vanity and Emptiness, and perceiving how little they are able to perform of those vast Things they promised us, our abused Fancy that had raised itself with such high and swelling Expectations, falls flat underneath the Disappointments of Fruition, and so while we are following, we are restless, and when we have overtaken them, we are dissatisfied; all which arises from those extravagant Estimations we make of them. Whereas did we but value them as they are, and according to the true Rules of Reason and Religion, we should pursue them with far more Indifference, and enjoy them with far more Content. While we are in pursuit of them, we should look upon them as Things without which we may be happy, and consequently as Things that have not worth enough in them to deserve of us any mighty Care or Solicitude, and so we should follow them with a calm and sedate Mind; and entering into the Possession of them with a moderate Expectation, we should find every Thing in them, that we hoped for; for all the Good that they promised, they would be sure to perform, and so we should have no disappointed Hope to vex & disturb us, but our Expectation would be entirely satisfied in our Enjoyment. Thus would we take care to fix in our Minds a true Estimation of the good Things of this World, and to prise them at those Rates that our Religion sets upon them, they would never be able to give us half the Disturbance they now do; for than we should look upon them as Things that are extrinsic to our Happiness, as Things that we may want without Damage, or enjoy without Advantage to our main Interest; and esteeming them as such, we should pursue them with much less Concern, and enjoy them with much more Satisfaction; We should not be vexed with such an impatient Desire of gaining them, nor alarmed with so many tormenting Fears of losing them; but with S. Paul we should know both how to want them, and how to abound in them, and to undergo both Fortunes with a calm, and cheerful Mind.  
3. Another Cause of Disquiet of Mind, is our taking up wrong Measures and Opinions of the Evils of the World. As for those Evils which are only the Objects of our Faith and Reason, and such are the eternal Evils of the other World, we are always apt to lessen and diminish them, and flatter ourselves with soft and easy Apprehensions of them; but as for those that strike upon our Sense, we are ever prone to swell and magnify them; which is the reason that the former disquiet us too little, and the latter too much, tho' our Disquiet for the one is necessary to prevent them, whereas our Trouble for the other doth only serve to render them more grievous and oppressive. For the greatest Power these outward sensible Evils have to hurt and damnify us, they derive from our own Imagination, which oftentimes disguises them in grim and frightful Vizards, and makes them appear to us a Thousand Times more terrible than they are, insomuch that the Prospect and Apprehension is generally more grievous to us, than the Sense and Experience of them, and what we imagine in them, is far more than what we feel. And thus we turn each Whip into a Scorpion, and swell our Molehill into a Mountain of Misery; so that the greatest part of what we suffer, is generally of our own creating, because we suffer not only the real Evils which are in the Things themselves, but which are commonly more, the fantastic too which our own Imagination forms and affixes to them. So that would we but take Care to strip Realities from Fantastry, it would be impossible for those Evils which we feel or fear to give us half the Disturbance that they do; and the only way for us to do this, is to take our Measures of these outward Evils from Religion, which will soon satisfy us that they are nothing near so formidable in themselves, as we imagine them. For as for Instance, what mighty Matter is there in the loss of these outward Goods which are all so extrinsic to our Happiness, which cannot help us in our greatest Needs, nor make us easy in their fullest Enjoyment, and which Thousands enjoy not, and yet are a Thousand Times more happy than those who possess them in the greatest Abundance? Again, what great Evil is it for a Man to be contemned, and reproached, and vilified? for as for these Things they are Good or Evil as we please to fancy them, and there is scarce any other Venom in them, than what our own Imagination doth infuse. If we think them great Evils, they will be sure to vex and discompose us, which is the greatest Injury they can do us; but if we scorn and despise them, they are impotent Things, which like Wildfire, do only crack and vanish into Air, but leave no formidable Effects behind them. To name no more, what mighty Hurt is there in being persecuted for Righteousness sake? Suppose I were banished from my Friends and native Country, do I not see Men every Day undertake a voluntary Exile, and banish themselves into the remotest Parts of the World, only to get an Estate, or to learn Experience, or satisfy a Curiosity? for all the difference between one and tother, is only this, that the one is forced, and the other voluntary, and why the one should be worse than the other, there can be no other Reason assigned, but only this, that we imagine it so. Could we but cure our erroneous Fancy, such Banishment would be only a more advantageous Travel, since doubtless, he who travels to save his Conscience and Innocence, and secure his Hopes of everlasting Bliss, makes the best Voyage in the World. Suppose I should suffer a close Imprisonment, and be secluded from human Conversation; is it such a deplorable Thing for a Man to be kept within Doors, to be snatched out of the Crowd and Hurry of the World, and be forced to retire within himself, and converse with God, and Heaven, and his own Thoughts? Are not these Company enough to entertain our Solitudes, and to supply the Want of the Noise of the World, in which there is commonly so much of Discord and Impertinence? But then suppose the worst that you can suppose; that you should suffer a tormenting Death, and be chased out of the World with the severest Instruments of human Cruelty. It is certain that e'er long you must have died whether you had suffered Martyrdom or no; only now you die a little sooner, and so anticipate your eternal Happiness. And if you had died a natural Death, perhaps the Torment might have been much greater; you might have languished much longer under the Gout, or Stone, or Strangury, than under the Hands of the Executioner, and endured the same Degree of Torment, without the Comfort of dying in a brave Cause, and being assured of an immortal Recompense. Thus Religion sets the Evils of this World in a true Light, and represents them to us in their own natural Forms and Colours, without any of that terrible Pomp in which our Imagination is so apt to dress and disguise them; it assures us that they are all designed for our good, and are convertible into it, and if we take Care to make a wise and pious Use of them, we shall be the better for them for ever; it certifies us that they can deprive us of no Good, but what e'er long will be insignificant to us; and that they can do us no Hurt, but what e'er long we shall be insensible of for ever; and by thus exposing these Evils naked to us, it shows us their Nakedness, and Impotence, and thereby deprives them of the Power they borrow of our Fancies to disturb our Tranquillity and Peace.  
4. Another Cause of Disquiet of Mind, is an effeminate Softness, and Delicacy of Temper, arising from our Neglect of exercising those Virtues which naturally tend to confirm and fortify the Mind against troublesome and disquieting Accidents; such as Faith, Patience, and Self-denial, Submission and Resignation to God, which when like so many Guardian Angels they pitch their Tents about the Soul, are an invincible Defence to her against the Strokes and Impressions of Misfortune, and without which, she is left altogether naked and unguarded amidst all the disquieting Accidents that surround her. For in the Absence of these heavenly Graces, a Man hath nothing wherewithal to resist any Evil that befalls him, but only the insensible Stupidity, and brutal Sturdiness of his Temper, which can never hold out long under any pressing Calamity; and when once these are broke by the repeated Strokes and Impressions of unfortunate Accidents, the Man presently dissolves into Softness and Effeminacy; for now the natural Brawniness of Temper being worn away like a Stone with the continual Droppings of Rain, his Mind will become so tender, and sore, and uneasy, that every little Touch of Misfortune will pain and disturb him; in which Case he can derive no Relief from his Reason, having all along disused himself to advise and consult with it; and so every Alarm of Danger from without, presently raises a Tumult within, and puts his whole Soul into an uproar, in which his Mind is left naked of all Relief, and utterly abandoned of those wise and brave Thoughts which should guard and defend it. But now had he taken Care but to educate his Mind in the School of Christianity, that by instructing him in all those manly Virtues of Patience and Temperance, Constancy and Resignation to the Will of God, would have inspired him by Degrees with such an invincible Stayedness and Firmness of Spirit, as would have rendered his Peace and Tranquillity impregnable against all the Assaults of Misfortune. And when all is done, these Virtues are the best Protection we have against the Power of those calamitous Accidents that surround us. For when by Temperance a Man hath weaned himself from the Pleasures of the Body, when by Patience he hath hardened himself against the Pains and Displeasures of it, when by Constancy to himself, he hath acquired a continual Presence of Mind, and ready Use of his Reason and Consideration, when by frequent Acts of Resignation to God he hath reduced himself to an Habit of embracing every Accident as a Token of Love, and bidding every Thing welcome that befalls him; when, I say, these happy Effects are produced in him, he is as safe and secure from the disquieting Power of these evil Accidents below, as if he lived in the uppermost Regions of the Air, where he enjoys a perpetual Calm and Serenity, where he tramples upon Clouds, and is above all Storms, and with a cheerful and composed Mind can sit securely, smiling at the rolling Thunder below, whilst it grumbles and bursts underneath his Feet. Thus will the constant Practice of these excellent Graces, so steel and harden our tender Minds, that those Evils will be able to make no Impression on us, which now do wound us to the Heart. For as the Light of the Sun, and Freshness of the Air which are apt to offend the Sickly and Tender, are not only tolerable but delightful to Men of hail and vigorous Constitutions; so many of the little Hardships which trouble and incommode the Tender and Delicate, are so far from disturbing patient and temperate Minds, that they rather refresh and divert them  
5. And lastly, Another Cause of Disquiet of Mind, is our misplacing of our Happiness in Things that are out of our own Power. For Happiness is the great Loadstone that attracts and governs all our Motions, the Mark of all our Aims and Intentions, and the End of all our deliberate Actions. Whilst therefore we place our Happiness in Things that are out of our Power, we must be governed by Things that are out of our Power, and while we are so, we can never be quiet. For the Things that are out of our Power, being all of them casual and contingent, such as Honour, and Greatness, and Carnal-Pleasures; we can never be secure of the Comfort and Happiness we place in them, and consequently, our Happiness and Misery must be as casual and contingent as the Goods and Evils are from whence they do arise. And whilst we are governed by such casual Things as these, we can never be our own Men, but must live in Subjection to a foreign Power, and be what the Things that govern us will have us; and so long as the Passions and Appetites that overrule us, are overruled by the Chances and Contingencies without us, we must be as various, as sickle, and as multiform as they. Whilst therefore we place our Happiness in these uncertain Enjoyments, it is impossible our Mind should ever be at rest, but like a Ship in a tempestuous Sea, must be perpetually tossed and driven to and fro by the furious Gusts of our own Passions, which can never be calm and sedate, till we fix upon a Happiness that is certain and Stable: For as our Desires can never be satisfied till we are completely happy, so our Fears can never be composed till such time as we are secure of our Happiness. But so empty and fickle is all worldly Good, that we can never be either happy in it, or secure of it; for when we have what we did first desire, that only inflames our Thirst, and makes us gasp for more; and then the Tenure of all is so insecure, that the Accession of more doth only increase our Fear of losing what we have. So that our Mind must be perpetually ground between these Two restless Millstones, the Desire of getting more, and the Fear of losing what we enjoy; and therefore seeing it is impossible for us to alter the Nature of these outward Goods, or to render them either more secure, or more satisfying, the only way for us to be truly happy, is to alter the Temper of our own Minds, to wean them from this World, and determine them to an Happiness that is more Solid and Substantial, and within our own Disposal; and such a Happiness is that which Christianity proposes to us, an Happiness that depends upon our own free Acts, and grows out of the Graces and Virtues of our own Mind. For so that everlasting Heaven which the Gospel proposes to us is inseparably annexed to the right and good Use of our natural Liberty, and consequently is as much within our Power, as our own Resolutions, and voluntary Motions. Whilst therefore we are under the Government of this Christian Happiness, we are Masters of our own Fortunes, and do live independently on Chance and the Wills of Men, and it is within our own Power to be happy without ask leave of any but God and ourselves. Now we are no longer Tenants at Will to the little Casualties and Accidents of the World, no longer liable to be turned out of our Happiness by Storms, or Fires, or Invasions, by the Contingencies of Providence, or the Knaveries and Cruelties of Men; no more exposed like miserable Vagrants to beg our Happiness from Door to Door, to creep, and cringe, and fawn to the Humours of an inconstant World, to court its Smiles, or tremble at its Frowns. For if Heaven be the Happiness we depend on, there is nothing can deprive us of it, but our own free Acts, and it is as much in our Power not to be miserable, as not to be wicked; and our Happiness being all embarked in the same bottom with our Piety and Vertüe, they must both of them run the same Fate, and eitherswim or sink together. If therefore we would be at Peace within ourselves, we must put ourselves under the Government of the Happiness of Christians, which is the only one that we can be sure of, there being no other within our own Power and Disposal; for till this is done, we are like Men in a Crowd, encompassed about with so many cross rancountring Accidents as will never let us be at rest, but be perpetually shoving, and jostling us to and fro, and still as we get free from one, another will be pressing upon us, and that which thrusts on this, will still be thrust on by another without any Pause or Intermission; and so our miserable Minds will be always hurried about, and never want Causes of Disquiet: But when once we have fixed upon that Happiness above, we shall be so much above these little Accidents below, and their Force will be so broken, before they can reach us, that we shall scarce be sensible of their saint Impressions, and so we shall pass on as quietly and undisturbedly through them, as we do now through those Crowds of Motes that are always dancing in the Air about us.  
And so I have dispatched the first Thing 〈◊〉 proposed, which was to show that our blessed Lord in order to his giving us his Peace, hath removed from us all Causes of Disquiet.  
2. I now proceed to the Second, which is to show, that he hath also taken Care to supply us with the most effectual Principles of Peace, and Satisfaction of Mind; and they are these following:  
1. That by the Sacrifice of himself, he hath purged away our Guilts, and thereby given us the most certain Ground of Peace of Conscience.  
2. That as he sacrificed himself for us, while he was upon Earth, so now he is in Heaven, he hath the Ordering and Disposal of every Thing that concerns or befalls us.  
3. That he hath procured for us a Futurity, sufficiently happy to make us infinite amends for the worst Evils that can befall us here.  
4. That he hath established this happy Futurity upon such Terms and Conditions, as are within the reach of our own Power.  
5. That he hath taken Care in his Absence to provide for us such Supports as are proportionable to every Burden he will lay upon us.  
1. One Principle of Peace and Satisfaction of Mind wherewith our Saviour hath supplied us is this, that by the Sacrifice of himself, he hath fully purged away our Guilts, and thereby given us the most certain Ground of Peace of Conscience: For he declared that he died in our Persons and stead, and that all those miserable Things he endured upon the Cross, were in lieu of that Punishment that was due to God for our sins; that the Blood he spilt there, was designed by him for the Price of our Redemption, and that the Life he laid down there, was in exchange for the forfeited Lives of our Souls. And to manifest God's Acceptance of it, as an Equivalent for our Punishment, he rose from the dead, and was actually discharged from the Prison of the Grave; by which he gave us an Acquittance under God's own Hand, purporting, that he had graciously accepted his Son's Death in lieu of our Punishment, and that if now we would heartily repent and amend all our past Guilts and Obligations to Punishment should, in Consideration thereof, be for ever dissolved. Who then can lay any thing to the Charge of God's Elect, seeing it is Christ that hath died, and thereby tendered a full Ransom for us to God; yea, rather, that is risen again, and thereby certified us, that the Father of Mercies hath graciously accepted and allowed of it? So that if now we repent, we are as certain of our Pardon, as we are of the Death and Resurrection of our Saviour; which are such Facts, of which we have as plain Demonstration as the Nature of Things will bear. And having so certain a Ground of Peace of Conscience before us, what can be more conducive to the Ease and Satisfaction of our Minds? For a quiet Conscience is a Paradise within a Wilderness, whereinto a Man may retire when he can find nothing else to live upon, and live cheerfully and merrily in despite of all Misfortunes, which, like Showers of Hail falling upon the Tiles of a Music-house, are not able with all their Clattering and Noise, to disturb the grateful Harmony within. As therefore when all is smooth and prosperous without, a Man may shelter himself there from the Persecutions of his Conscience, so when all is calm and serene within, he may shelter himself there from the Persecutions of the World; but when both are bestormed, he hath no Refuge to fly to. And therefore that we may never be left utterly forsaken and abandoned, our blessed Saviour by washing away our Gild in his own Blood, hath opened to us a safe Retreat within our own Breasts, viz. that of a quiet and serene Conscience, whereinto we may easily retire, and house ourselves when we are persecuted with Storms and Tempests from without.  
2. Another Principle of Peace and Satisfaction of Mind wherewith our Saviour hath furnished us, is this, that as he sacrificed himself for us when he was upon Earth, so now he is in Heaven, he hath the Ordering and Disposal of every Thing that concerns or befalls us. For now he is in Heaven, he intercedes for us in Virtue of that Sacrifice which he offered on Earth; and in the Virtue of this his meritorious Intercession, all Power is given him in Heaven and Earth. And indeed herein consists the Royalty of his Priesthood, viz. that by interceding for us as a Priest, and continuing so to do, he first obtained, and still continues vested with a kingly Power and Authority to bestow upon us all those heavenly Blessings he intercedes for. And hence all the Graces and Favours of God are in Scripture said to be derived to us in, or by, or through jesus Christ; implying, that as it is from God the Father originally, that all our Mercies flow, so it is through God the Son immediately, that they are handed and derived to us; and that interceding for us as he doth, and always hath done, in Virtue of the powerful Oratory of his Sacrifice, he was first constituted, and is still continued the royal Distributer of all his Father's Graces and Favours to Mankind. So that now we are assured, there is nothing can happen to us good or bad, but by his merciful Disposal; and can we think any thing bad that comes from his hand, who hath evidenced himself so much our Friend as to die for us? He who loved us to such a stupendous Degree, as to come down from Heaven, and assume our Natures, and therewith, all our innocent Infirmities and Miseries, and at last to suffer for us the most grievous and infamous Death; can he be unkind to us now he is our King, and hath the ordering and disposal of all our Affairs? Whenever therefore any calamitous Accident befalls us, and we begin to grieve or repine at it; let us remember that it is through his Permission or Appointment, who was so much our Friend while he was upon Earth, that he tendered our Welfare far beyond his own Life; and if this doth not set our Hearts at rest, and reconcile us to the worst of Things that can happen to us, we are beyond the Reach and Influence of Reason and Discourse. For how can we suspect any thing to be hurtful to us, that is sent us down from our merciful Redeemer in Heaven, who when he was upon Earth never thought any thing, no not his own Life and Blood too much, or too dear for us. How grievous soever therefore any present Accident may appear to us, the Hand it came from, speaks and declares it to be a Token of Love, since to be sure nothing but Love can proceed from that Hand whose Heart always loved us far above its own Ease, and Joy, and Life.  
3. Another Principle of Peace and Satisfaction of Mind wherewith our Saviour hath supplied us is this, that he hath procured for us a Futurity sufficient to make us infinite Amends for the worst of Evils that can befall us here; for he hath not only purchased for us Life and Immortality at the Price of his Blood, but hath also clearly discovered and brought it to light by his Gospel, the joyous Prospect of which is abundantly sufficient to support our Spirits under the most direful Accidents. For now when any melancholy Apprehensions begin to invade my Mind, this blessed Theme furnishes me with such a mighty Force of joyous Considerations as are abundantly sufficient to dispel and scatter them, and cause them to fly away like the Morning Mists before the rising Sun. Hold out, O my Faith and Patience, it is but a very little while that I have to suffer: This woeful Dream that now lies hover over my Imagination will vanish as soon as I awake in Eternity, and be as if it had never been at all. There all these sad Remembrances shall in one Moment be for ever lost, and swallowed up in one continued everlasting Joy; there I shall unload myself at once of all my present Sighs and Griefs, and in their room take up eternal Songs of Praise and Hallelujahs; there I shall be placed far above all these Clouds and Storms in a calm and quiet Region, where there is nothing but Light and Harmony, nothing but Peace, and joy, and Love; from thence I shall e'er long look down upon this dark unquiet Atmosphere, and remember with Joy all the foul tempestuous Wether I here endured, and have now surmounted, and the glad Remembrance of what is past will then serve only as a Foil or Shadow to set off that blessed State of Things, and render it more charming and illustrious. Why then art thou cast down, O my Soul, under the Sense of these short-lived transitory Evils of which within these very few Moment's thou shalt be sure to take leave for ever? Tho' this Night be dark it is but short, and then will follow an everlasting Day. Tho' thy Voyage be foul, it is not long; 'tis only a short days Sail to a blessed Eternity, from whose happy Shores thou wilt a little while hence be looking back upon this boisterous Sea, and blessing those angry Storms and Waves that drove and hastened thee to that happy Port; where every Moment's Enjoyment will be sufficient to recompense thee a thousand-fold for all the Hardships under which thou art now suffering and complaining. Such Thoughts as these that blessed Futurity our Saviour hath purchased for us do naturally suggest to our Minds, which mingling with the utmost Griefs and Anxieties that any Evil from without can raise within us are abundantly sufficient to compose and calm them, and to create a happy Serenity in our own Breasts, while all without us is stormy and tempestuous. For what outward Evil is there weighty enough to sink a Mind, that hath the hope of an everlasting Heaven to support it?  
4. Another Principle of Peace and Satisfaction of Mind wherewith our Saviour hath supplied us is this, that he hath established this happy Futurity upon such Terms and Conditions as are within the Reach of our own Power; that is, upon Faith in Christ, and Repentance from dead Works; which tho' in this degenerate State of our Nature it be not immediately in our Power to perform, yet mediately it is by those Helps and Assistances which God hath promised to us, and inseparably annexed to our making a good Use of our own natural Power. For since God by his own free Promise hath entailed the Assistances of his Grace upon our honest Endeavour, his Grace is as much at our devotion as our own Faculties, and it is as much in our Power to perform what we cannot without his Grace, as it is to perform what we can; and therefore seeing by his Assistance we can perform the Conditions of eternal Life, it is in our Power to perform them, because it is no less within our Power to oblige him to assist us than it is to oblige ourselves to exert our own Power and Endeavours; the Conditions of our Happiness being through the Grace of God within our own Power, our Happiness is so too; which if duly considered is a mighty Support under all Afflictions from without. For why should we grieve that it is in the Power of Men and a thousand adverse Accidents to rob us of our Ease and our Wealth, our Liberty and Reputation? God be praised our main Happiness consists not in these Things, but in Heaven; there lies the Treasure of our Hearts, and the Hope of our Lives, of which there is none but ourselves can disappoint us. If we will be happy in the eternal Possession of that inexhaustible Mine of Bliss, we may, and all the Hardships and Inconveniencies we may endure on the Way to it are neither able to obstruct our Passage, nor hinder our safe Arrival; unless by a base Surrender to them we betray ourselves. So that now we may give a bold Defiance to all the combining Malice of Men and Devils, and tell them that we will be happy, eternally happy in despite of the worst they can do to us, seeing the matter wholly depends upon our own Courage and Resolution backed and assisted by the neverfailing Grace of God. There is nothing that Men or Misfortune can deprive me of but I can live without, and maintain myself in a happy and glorious Post for ever. Why then should I grieve to see my Drugs flung overboard, which within a few Moment's hence will be of no Use or Value to me, so long as it is in my Power to save all my precious and immortal Fraight; and thereby to secure myself of a most happy and prosperous Voyage? Whenever therefore we are threatened with sad Contingencies, or with the Power or Malice of Men, we have this Answer ready to return to them; God be praised, our main Happiness depends not upon you; we can, if we will, go to Heaven in despite of you, and when once we are there we shall be far beyond your Reach, and then these light Afflictions which you now lay upon us, and which are but for a moment, will be found unworthy to be compared with that eternal Glory which shall be revealed to us. Which Consideration closely applied, and deeply imprinted on our Minds, is of sufficient Virtue to ease and relieve us under the most calamitous Circumstances; for while our main Chance and Interest is safe, all is well with us, and then we are secure none can prejudice us but ourselves.  
5. And lastly, another Principle of Peace and Satisfaction of Mind wherewith our Saviour hath supplied us is this, that he hath taken Care, during his Absence from us, to provide for us such Supports as are proportionable to every Burden he will lay upon us. For so he tells his Disciples, when he was departing from them, that it was expedient for them that he should go away, because until he went, according to the divine, Oeconomy, the Comforter was not to come; but when I depart, saith he, I will send him unto you, Jo. 16. 7. And accordingly when he departed he sent down his holy Spirit to represent himself and act as his Vicegerent in his heavenly Kingdom, and to do all that for us which he himself would have done had he continued personally present with us. So that tho' now he is a great way off from us in Person, yet by his Spirit he is still present with us; present with all that tender Affection, and with all those yerning Bowels of Compassion that he expressed towards us while he was upon Earth. And whereas had he continued among us in Person he could have been present with us only at such determinate Places and Distances, he is now present with us wherever we are, in every Place, and at every Distance by his immense Spirit, which like an Omnipresent Soul being diffused through all his Mystical Body gives Life and Motion to every Part and Particle of it. And having thus taken Care to supply his personal Absence from us with this divine Presence, which is every way co-extended to the utmost Diffusion of his Church, we may depend upon it that wherever or in what Circumstances soever we are, he is by us, and with us, beholding all our Needs with a compassionate Heart, and ready to extend to us whatever Aids and Supports we stand in need of. How then can we droop in his blessed Presence? How can our Hearts sink while he stands by us? What Evil is there can scare or distract our Minds, whilst we consider that the Almighty Spirit of the blessed jesus our Friend is always and every where with us, ready bend to stretch forth his helping Hand to support us under every Oppression? Alas! I am afraid this Burden will at length grow too heavy for me, that my Strength and Courage will at last be forced to yield, and sink underneath it. Well, tho' you fear your own Strength, yet sure you cannot doubt the Strength and Power of the Spirit of God, and his Strength is yours to all necessary Purposes as much as it is his own; and therefore unless you apprehend your Burden to be too heavy for his Power as well as yours, you have no Reason to dread that you shall sink underneath the Weight of it. You are afraid lest you should be called forth to suffer for Righteousness sake, and lest under the Rage and Violence of Persecution your Faith and Constancy should shrink and yield. Why consider with yourselves, are there not Thousands of Christians that have suffered before you, suffered as terrible Things as you can possibly dread, and this not only with Patience and Constancy, but with joy and Triumph? Why then should you suspect that blessed Spirit which supported them, to be less able or willing to bear up you? He who hath so often enabled so many tender Virgins, delicate Matrons, infirm and aged Bishops to sing in the midst of Flames, to smile upon Racks, to triumph upon Wheels and Catasta's; and in short, to endure such long and dolorous Martyrdoms, as many times they did, when their Tormentors took their Turns from Morning to Night, and plied them with all Kind's of Cruelties till many times they were forced to give over, and confess that they had not Heart enough to inflict the Tortures which those poor Sufferers had Courage enough to endure: He, I say, who hath thus far enabled them, can he not as well enable you? Is his Arm shortened that he cannot save, or his Ear grown heavy that he cannot hear you as well as them? Consider then, you have the same Right that they had by the same neverfailing Promise to this his enabling Power, which by so many glorious Instances hath demonstrated itself sufficient to support you under the heaviest Oppressions; and therefore you have all the reason in the world to expect the same Aids and Supports from it if ever you should be reduced to the same Extremities. Our great Care therefore aught to be that we do not desert our Saviour, either by wilful Apostasy from his Faith, or Disobedience to his Laws; for so long as we continue faithful to him he cannot leave and desert us; our main Concern aught to be that we do our Part, and not that he doth his; for he cannot fail, tho' we may. If we prove true to him we may assuredly depend upon it that he will prove true to us, and not leave us destitute of any Help or Support that in any Condition is necessary for us. If therefore to serve the wise and holy Ends of his Providence he should at any time think it meet to call us to suffer, we may set our Hearts at rest upon this Assurance, that so long as we take Care to maintain our Integrity he must take Care to maintain our Strength, and not permit us to sink under any Burden he lays upon us for want of any degree of Comfort and Support that our State and Condition requires. Which Consideration duly applied cannot fail of giving a great deal of Ease to our anxious and desponding Minds.  
Having thus shown at large what abundant Provision our Saviour hath made for the Peace and Satisfaction of our Minds, I shall conclude all in a very few Words. Our blessed Saviour hath long since told us that in this World we shall have Trouble, but that in him we shall have Peace; which, tho' it were more eminently true in those early Days of Suffering and Persecution, doth yet hold most certainly true not only in Times of Peace, but even in the most prosperous Circumstances of humane Life. For we cannot but know that we are dependent upon Chance; we cannot but know that it is in the Power of ten thousand Contingencies to disturb us, and this in despite of us will create a great many anxious Thoughts, and vex us with melancholy Apprehensions of our Futurity: And tho' at present we may hush them with Jollity and Mirth, upon the next Reflection they will be sure to awake again, and to revenge themselves upon us for those Moment's of Ease we ravished from them; and then when any evil Accident threatens or approaches us we can give ourselves no certain Assurance of escaping it. For when we have done all that lies within the Compass of our Wisdom and Power, there may a thousand Crosses arise in our way which it is impossible for us either to foresee or prevent, and turn our most promising Designs upon ourselves, and hasten the Evil upon us by those very Means which we choose to prevent it; the Sense of which must necessarily cause many a stinging Thought to swarm about our Minds, and to vex and disturb us in our deepest Security. Thus in our best Estate we are poor and indigent Creatures, fain to seek abroad, and to go a begging for our Happiness from Door to Door; to depend upon Chance, and live insecure of every thing we either possess, or desire, or hope for. And considering how prone we are to be alarmed with the Prospect of a sad Futurity, and to magnify distant Evils in our own Apprehensions, and to aggravate present ones by our Impatience and Despair; and in a word, to palls our best Enjoyments by expecting more from them than their Nature will afford; considering these Things, I say, it is the greatest Nonsense in the World for Men to expect Peace and Satisfaction of Mind from any thing here below. And if we are thus liable to Disturbance in our best Estate, alas, what are we in our worst! When Calamities come rolling upon us like the Waves of the Sea upon the back of one another, and we have no Harbour in View to put in at. In this vast Tumult of things therefore whither shall we betake ourselves for Tranquillity and Peace? If we go into the World, every thing in it tells us it is not in me. If we go out of the World into Deserts and Solitudes, the Stings we shall either find there or carry thither with us will soon convince us that it is not in them. Where then can we hope to find Peace, but only in jesus the Prince of Peace? To him therefore let us go with an humble Faith and obedient Will, with a resolved Mind to adhere to his Truth, and submit to his Laws, and wholly to resign ourselves to his Conduct and Government. And if in him you do not find all that Peace and Satisfaction you have hitherto sought in vain, never give Credit to anything that is sacred more. I am sure it is to be found in him if we wisely, and honesty, and industriously seek it: Thousands have found it in him, who could find it no where else; and having found it have enjoyed themselves all their Days after in sweet Content and Peace, and at length have breathed out their Souls to him in Praises for the happy Discovery. And therefore if it be not our own fault we may soon add ourselves to this blessed Number, by devoting ourselves to him as they did, and surrendering our Lives and Interests to his Government and Disposal. And when once we have performed this with a sincere and resolute Intention, we shall by degrees perceive these Tempests within us quieted and abated, and our stormy Minds clearing up into an happy Serenity; and still as we more and more subdue our Wills and Affections to him we shall feel and experience ourselves more and more at Ease, until at length we shall arrive to such a settled Peace and Tranquillity of Soul as that it will be beyond the Power of any outward Concern to disturb us. And now our Mind will be a Paradise to itself, a Paradise wherein it will be able to live contented and happy, and to breathe calm and gentle Thoughts how tempestuous soever its Condition is without. And finding all composed and quiet within, we shall lead a Life far more easy, and even, and consistent than ever; for now we shall no longer reserve ourselves to follow Fortune and the Turns of outward Affairs, to comply with all the Mutabilities of the Wind, and still to transform ourselves into new Shapes as we are running through the still-changing Fashions of the World. Now we shall no longer perplex and entangle ourselves by Knavish Tricks and sordid Compliances, by being forced still to study how to act a new Part, and to put on a new Garb of Humour and Conversation upon every new Alteration of Affairs; but our Way will lie even, easy, and direct before us, and whatsoever happens to us from without, whether it reins or shines, proves calm or tempestuous, the inward Peace and Satisfaction we shall find in following jesus by our firm Adherence to his Truth, and Obedience to his Laws, will carry us safely through all Events, and render us far more happy even in our persecuted sincerity than we can reasonably suppose to be in the most prosperous Hypocrisy. Wherefore if ever you intent to be at Rest within, and to enjoy yourselves in Peace and Tranquillity; go to jesus the Prince and Author of Peace; Take with you Words and say, O blessed jesus, hitherto we confess other Lords have had Dominion over us, such as Pride and Ambition, Lust and Avarice; and these have all proved unmerciful Tyrants to us, they have continually harrased and oppressed our Minds; they have laid waste all our Peace, stripped and plundered us of our Self-enjoyment, and almost worn out our Lives in perpetual Troubles and Anxieties. Wherefore now at last we return unto thee weary and heavy laden, not only with Guilts but Vexations, resolving for the future that thee alone we will serve. O do not reject us thy oppressed and miserable Creatures, who are driven unto thee for Refuge from those cruel Taskmasters that have hitherto reigned over us; but permit us to spend the Remainder of our Days under thy happy Government. We know thy yoke is easy, and thy Burden light; and therefore suffer us now at last, we beseech thee, to come unto thee that in thee we may find rest for our Souls, who have sought it in vain in everyThing but thee. And having thus surrendered up ourselves to him, let us by our constant Perseverance in Welldoing endeavour to subdue ourselves more and more to his Will in this full Assurance that from our hearty and punctual Conformity thereunto, we shall reap not only Peace and Tranquillity here, but also immortal Glory and Happiness hereafter: Which we beseech thee to grant us all of thy infinite Mercy, O blessed jesus; to whom with thy great Father and eternal Spirit be ascribed of us and all the World all Honour and Glory and Praise from this time forth and for evermore.  
Amen.   
JAMES I. 8. A double minded Man is unstable in all his Ways. 
BY a double-minded Man here we are to understand (as is plain from the Context) an insincere Man, one who pretends to Religion, and hath a good Inclination towards it, but is not arrived to a firm and prevailing Resolution of adhering to it, maugre all Temptations to the contrary; that bears some faint and ineffectual Regard to the Rules of his Duty, and the Dictates of his Conscience, but not such as hath the Superiority over him, and doth command and govern his Life and Conversation; not such as hath that prevailing Influence upon him, as to hinder him from being ordinarily counterswayed by his Appetites, or Passions, or secular Interests to the Commission of unlawful and irregular Actions. So that the single-minded Man is one who hath no other Mind, no other prevailing Purpose and Resolution, but to adhere to God in the Profession and Practice of true Religion, and upon every Emergency, is ready fixed to perform what God demands of him by the Voice of Revelation and right Reason; and in a Word, that lives under no other commanding Principle but this, I will always do what God will have me: and so on the contrary, the double-minded Man is one that fluctuates between Two Minds and Wills, a Will for God, and a Will for the World; and is governed sometimes by one, and sometimes by another, but is never true or constant to either. In short, he is one who being yet unsubdued to the commanding Power and Influence of Religion, hath no fixed no determined Mind or Resolution; but is not only of several Minds upon several Occasions, but also of contrary Minds upon contrary Occasions. For his Heart is so divided between his God and his Interest, his Duty and his Lust, that like a Needle between Two Loadstones he is always wavering too and again, and pointing alternately to both, but is never fixed to either. And of this Man the Apostle tells us, That he is unstable in all his Ways. Where by Ways according to the Hebrew Phraseology, he means Actions; he is unstable in all his Actions, that is, he always acts with an anxious, doubtful, and misgiving Mind; he knows not where to find himself, nor many times which way to turn himself; he leads a very uncertain, insecure, and unquiet Life, being all along perplexed and entangled in the whole Course of his Actions. The Words thus explained may be resolved into this Proposition;  
That whilst men's Minds are divided between God and their Lusts, and are not entirely subdued to his Will; they must necessarily lead very anxious, insecure, unstable Lives: That till such time as we Act from an entire Submission of our Souls to God, we can never act steadily and securely, but must be always fluctuating in great Anxiety and Uncertainty.  
The Wise Man tells us, that, He that walketh uprightly, walketh surely Prov. 10. 9 He goes on in a direct, secure, and even Course of Action, wherein there is no Perplexity, or Intanglement; whereas the Life of a double-minded Hypocrite whose Heart is divided between God and the World, is a perpetual Maze and Labarinth, wherein the farther he goes, the more he is lost and confounded. And this will evidently appear upon the following Considerations.  

1. That he acts upon no fixed or certain Principles.  
2. That the Way and Course of his Actions is all obscure and intricate.  
3. That he is always fain to live in a Disguise, and is therein insecure of Concealment.  
4. That he is always at odds with himself, and in perpetual Variance with his own Reason.  
5. That he is at a miserable Uncertainty as to the present Events and Issues of his own Actions.  
6 That he hath a most dismal Prospect before him of the final Issue, and Event of all.   
1. The double-minded Man acts upon no fixed or certain Principles. For the Principles he proceeds upon are such as have no Foundation in the Nature of Things, but, like Castles in the Air, are built upon mere Dreams and Delusions, which whenever his Reason awakes, will sink and disappear. For either he lives upon no Principles at all, but acts like the Beasts that Perish, upon blind Instincts, and the unaccountable Impulses of his brutal Sense; or upon such Principles as these, that there is no such Being in the World as an eternal, and invisible, almighty Power; or that if there be, he lives retired from us, and takes no Notice of what we do; or that if he doth, 'tis as an unconcerned Spectator to whom it is purely indifferent whether we do Good or Evil; or that if he be at all pleased with our good Deeds, and displeased with our bad, yet it is not to any such Degree, as to entail any future Rewards upon the one, or Punishments on the other; or that if there be any such Rewards and Punishments prepared by him, they are so slight and inconsiderable, that the Loss of the one, and Sufferance of the other, are abundantly compensated by the present Pleasure of a sinful Life; or in fine, that if neither the one nor the other prove true, yet we may securely enjoy these Pleasures while we are able, and by repenting at last when we are old or dying, and are able to enjoy them no longer, may entitle ourselves to those Rewards, whatsoever they are, and secure ourselves from those Punishments. This is the Cham of Principles, upon which bad Men live and act, if they act upon any at all, and which are all of them grounded upon such doubtful Presumptions, such thin Pretences, and unsatisfactory Reasonings, as no Man in his Wits can ever be throughly secure of. For besides that they contradict the best and wisest Part of the World, the current Sense of humane Nature, and the common Consent of all Mankind, which are such Prejudices against them, as must necessarily render them very doubtful at least; besides all this, I say, they have so strong a Current of Evidence against them, and are overpowered with such a Force of Arguments from all the Quarters of Reason and Religion, and the contrary Principles are so much more agreeable to all the Appearances of Things, to the sacred Oracles, to human Society, and to the very Frame of human Nature; and in a Word, have every way so vast an Over-weight of Reason on their side, that it is impossible for any Man in a cold Mind to be confident that they are true, how much soever it may be his Interest to wish them so. So that whereas the sincere and upright Man living, as he doth, upon well-tried Principles that for their Truth have been always found most agreeable to Reason, and for their Usefulness always approved by constant Experience, treads firmly and boldly, being secure of the Ground he goes upon; the double-minded Hypocrite, being all along uncertain of the Grounds of his Action, walks like a benighted Traveller in a dangerous Road, where he is fain to feel out his way, and to tread tenderly, and cautiously, lest his next step should be into a Bogg or a Precipice. And so long as he is insecure of the Principles upon which he acts, he can never be secure that he acts safely. He knows that if the Principles he goes upon prove false, he is undone, and whether they will prove so or no, he is at best uncertain; and so through the whole Course of his Sin and Life, he walks with an anxious and misgiving Mind, and goes trembling on between Hope and Fear to the final Issue and Event, which for all he knows may prove such as will put an end to all his Hopes for ever. For maugre all his Confidence, he cannot be sure but that when he dies, he may find all the Principles he acts on, baffled by a woeful Experience; he may then feel that there is a God to whom Vengeance belongs, and an eterternal Life of Rewards and Punishments; and if he should, how will it blank and amaze him, to find himself, instead of being reduced to an insensible Substance, landed on a strange inhospitable Shore, inhabited with ghastly Furies, and miserable Ghosts, and shut up with them by a vast surrounding Gulf in everlasting Horror and Despair: and therefore seeing he can have no Security, but that such may be the fatal Close of his sinful Life, he must, when ever he coolly reflects, be miserably anxious, and uneasy, and expect the mighty Event with Dread, and dire Abodings.  
2. The Way and Course of a double-minded Man's Actions is all obscure and intricate. For whereas the Course of an honest, upright Man is for the main of it chalked out to his hands, both by divine Revelation, and the natural and eternal Reasons of Things, and that so plainly, and clearly, that as soon as he opens his Eyes, he may easily discern it without any great Reach of Wit, or Depth of Judgement; the Rule of his Actions being open and direct, without any dark Subtleties, or intricate Windings and Turnings; the false pretending Hypocrite lives in a Maze, wherein having no certain Rule to go by, he is very often at a loss which way to direct himself. For having forsaken the plain Paths which God hath described to him, he is put upon inventing a Way for himself, of studying his own Steps, and groping to his End through a Labyrinth of popular Errors and Mistakes; in which he is oftentimes so lost and bewildered, that he knows neither where he is, nor whither to go next; and sometimes the Way that he takes lies quite cross to his Ends, and sometimes leads him about in such a wide Compass, that by that time he arrives at them, they are not worth his Travel; and even when he thinks himself most in the right, and goes on with the fullest Assurance, Time and Chance many times cast up so many Difficulties and perplexing Intercurrencies in his Way, as do puzzle all his Wit and Contrivance how to break through them. Thus when men leave God's Way which is a plain, a sure, and infallible one, and commit themselves to the Conduct of their own blind Wills and unbiased Reason; they forsake the Light of the Sun to follow a Night-fire, which instead of conducting them in the plain and direct Way, carries them at random about in the Dark, leads them hither and thither, backwards and forwards, over Hedges and Ditches, through Breaks and Bogs, till they are lost and mazed in their own Wander. While they walk in God's Way, they have God's Wisdom for their Guide, which cannot misled them; there they have nothing to do, but to follow the easy Directions of an infallible Mind, to receive his Commands, and to obey them; there they are free from all the Trouble of forming new Resolutions, and inventing new Measures of Action upon new Emergencies; there they see their way plainly described to them, and are resolved once for all to pursue it through all Events, without any further Pause or Deliberation, being fully satisfied in themselves, that it is much safer for them to follow God's Will, which acts from infinite Goodness, by infinite Wisdom, with infinite Power, than to follow their own which they know by woeful Experience is so liable to be imposed upon by false Shows and Appearances; and to mistake Poison for Physic, and Evil for Good. Thus while they are in God's Way, they find all things direct, and plain, and easy to them, but when they divert into their own, there they have nothing to guide them bat a vain foolish Mind that is easily tricked and imposed upon, and a blind Appetite that is conducted by a roving Imagination; there they are fain to live by their Wits, upon extemporary Shifts and Evasions, and still to invent new Ways upon new Occasions, and to wander about in a mysterious Labyrinth of little Tricks and Contrivances, which instead of extricating them out of the Difficulties of Life, do commonly but more and more perplex and entangle them. And hence, as the Path of the Justice is in Scripture described to be as the shining Light Prov. 4. 18. to have nothing froward or perverse in them, and to be plain to him that understandeth Prov. 8. 8, 9 and to be an even Place, where none of his Steps shall slide. Psal. 26. 12. compared with 37. 31. So on the other side the Paths of the Wicked are said to be dark and crooked, Prov. 2. 13. 15. and to be uneven and slippery Jer. 23. 12. And in such a way as this, how is it possible for a Man to walk firmly and stably?  
3. The double-minded Man is always fain to live in a Disguise, and is therein very insecure, of Concealment; and this also renders him unstable in all his ways: Tho' considering what a false and ill-natured World we live in, it is many times an honest and necessary Prudence for a Man to reserve his Mind, and not proclaim even his fairest Intentions in every one's Ear with whom he converses. But for a Man to live in a continual Disguise, and always look one Way, and row another, to counterfeit and dissemble, and mask his real Intentions with contrary Appearances, is a very uneasy Way of living; for there is twice the Difficulty in every Thing that he aims and drives at, as there is in an honest and above-board, Procedure. Here honest Ends are pursued by direct Means, without need of any Colour or Artifice; whereas, there commonly more Art is required to justify the Means, than to manage them; and to dissemble the Ends, than to obtain them, For whilst the Ends a Man proposes be foul and dishonest, he must in his own Defence pretend quite contrary to his own Intentions; and to form and manage his Pretensions so artificially, as to conceal his bad Intentions under them, till they are executed, is commonly the greatest Difficulty in the Execution of them. For tho' Men may be foolish enough, yet they are not good-natured enough to be always imposed upon by fair Pretences; their very ill Nature makes them jealous and suspicious, and their Jealousy and Suspicion makes them prying and inquisitive. And what a deal of Art must it require for a Man to conceal himself, and carry on his ill Aims with any plausible Colour, when he hath so may jealous and inquisitive Eyes upon him? And then for a Man to dissemble, is an outrage to himself, 'tis to act against the Grain of his own Nature by making an outward Show and Appearance of that which he inwardly hates. For while a Man pretends to be that which he is not, he must seem in his Actions to be that which he is most averse to, and all the while he doth so, he thwarts himself, and acts directly contrary to his own Inclinations. If his wicked Aims did not force him to hide himself, while he is making a formal Show of Mortification, he would much rather be satiating his hungry Lusts; while he is hanging down his Head like a Bulrush to disguise his Pride and Ambition, he would much rather be strutting, insulting, and domineering; while he is giving his Alms to be seen of Men, he would much rather be grinding and oppressing the Poor; and whilst in order to his devouring Widows houses he is making long Prayers, he would much rather be glutting his Avarice with the Spoil. So that all the while he pretends to be the contrary to what he is, he must practise the contrary to what he is inclined, and while he doth so, he offers a perpetual Force and Violence to himself. Now what an uneasy Way of living must this be, for a Man to be always studying how to conceal himself, and to be forced to live in a Disguise that he hates? and yet this is the Life of the double-minded Man that trains between God and the World. And then that which adds to his Uneasiness is, that after all he can never be secure of his Disguise; he knows that if he should be discovered through it, it would quite spoil his Game, and instead of setting a Gloss upon his foul Intentions, it would only render them more ugly and odious; there being nothing can render Wickedness more ugly than it is, but the Discovery and Appearance of it through the Veil of Sanctity. So that if ever his wicked Intentions should happen to be discovered, they will be sure to far the worse for their being disguised, and 'tis a Thousand to One, but first or last some Accident or other detects and unmasks them; and then they are for ever baffled and disappointed. So that this double-minded Hypocrite walks like a Malefactor in a Vizard, afraid of every one that looks wishly upon him, jealous of being betrayed even by his own Voice, or Shape, or Deportment, full of anxious Thoughts, lest by some Accident or other his Vizard should drop off and discover him; being conscious to himself, that if ever the Mystery of his Iniquity should be unfolded, and what he hath acted behind the Curtain should be brought to Light, he shall not only lose all the Credit and Advantage of the Part he hath hitherto so artificially acted, but also be hissed off the Stage with Scorn and Infamy. And how then is it possible for a Man to walk steadily under such slippery Circumstances, when he dances upon a Rope as it were, where if he trips he falls, and if he falls is ruined.  
4. He is always at odds with himself, and in perpetual Variance with his own Reason. There is a Sense in men's Souls that doth as naturally distinguish between Good and Evil, as their Taste doth between bitter and sweet, and is equally pleased or offended by them. Whilst therefore this Sense remains alive within us, and in any Degree quick and perceptive, every Touch and Impression of Evil will more or less pain and aggrieve it, and till with the customary Impressions of Evil a Man hath seared and stupefied his Sense of it, he will never be able to sin in quiet for it, but upon every cold Reflection on his own ill Courses, will feel a sensible Remorse and Compunction. And this is inevitable to the double minded Man, who divides himself between God and his Lusts; for he retains so much of God, as will always keep his Sense of Good and Evil alive, and together with it, he retains so much of his Lusts, as will always disturb and offend it: so that at once he takes effectual Care both to preserve his Sense of Evil quick and vigorous, and to be perpetually vexing it with the painful Impressions of Evil, and so treats himself, as heretofore the Tormentors did the suffering Martyrs, who gave them Cordials to keep them alive, only to enable them to sustain more Torments. If he would wholly abandon God he might thereby extinguish his Sense of Evil, or if he would wholly abandon his Lusts, he might thereby prevent his sensation of Evil; but while he retains both, he retains both Sense for his Torment, and Torment for his Sense, and at once cherishes the Evil that afflicts his Sense, and preserves his Sense alive to endure the Affliction. There are no Two Things in the World can less endure one another in the same Breast than a sensible Conscience and a wicked Will, which like Fire and Water will be continually struggling till either the one is quenched, or the other evaporated. The Will will not let the Conscience be quiet, nor the Conscience the Will; and so those Two Commanding Powers of our Souls will live in perpetual Variance, and admit of no other Intercourse but mutual Violences and Outrages, till either the one is extinguished, or the other subdued. Whilst therefore a Man's Mind is double and divided, his Soul is in a State of War, there being Two irreconcilable Parties perpetually struggling within his Breast; a Law in his Mind fight against the Law in his Members, his Reason against his Appetite, his Conscience against his Will; so that he can take neither Part without doing Violence to himself. If he sides with his Conscience, he outrages his Will, if he sides with his Will he forces his Conscience; If he take part with his Appetite, he makes War with his Reason; if he complies with his Reason, he bids defiance to his Appetite Thus which way soever he determins himself, he is sure to determine against one Part of himself; and it can never be otherwise till one of these adverse Parts of himself are subdued, and his double Mind is reduced to a single one. When he hath but one Mind, whether it be a good or a bad one, he will be at Peace and Unity with himself; but before he can have one good Mind, he must form a good Resolution, and follow it till he hath entirely subdued his Will and Appetite to his Reason and Conscience, and then the intestine War will conclude in a happy Peace; and so on the contrary, before he can have one bad Mind, he must abandon himself to all Ungodliness and worldly Lusts, and continually drink in Iniquity as the Horse drinks in Water, till he hath intoxicated his Reason with it, and stupefied his Conscience; and then the intestine Struggle will conclude in a lethargic Quiet and Insensibility: But to arrive at this, is far more difficult than it is to acquire the former; for while a Man contends with his Reason and Conscience, he contends with his original Nature, and to vanquish that, is far more difficult than to subdue his wicked Will, and inordinate Appetite, which are but his acquired Nature, and consequently doth not so inseparably adhere to him, nor is so inveterate. But till his Conscience and his Reason are entirely vanquished, they will be struggling and contending; and whilst they do so, he will be continually at Odds and Variance with himself. He must act all along with a Self-condemning Mind, and be content to endure the Reproaches of his Reason, and the Clamours of his Conscience; and while he doth so, he can never act steadily and securely. For whilst his Reason, which is to be his Guide, is dissatisfied with his Way, it is impossible for him to walk on without Dissidence and Anxiety; at every Step he must tread with Distrust, and proceed with a trembling Heart, lest the Ground should sink under him; and while he thus walks with a misgiving Conscience, and an ill-aboding Mind, it is impossible but he must be unstable in all his ways.  
5. He is at a miserable Uncertainty as to the present Event and Issue of his Actions. He knows, or at least he shrewdly suspects, that there is a wise and allseeing, a just and Almighty Providence that overrules all Causes, and disposes of all Events, and without which there is nothing can succeed how wisely soever it is designed and projected. He knows that in this superintending Power and Providence there is an essential Goodness and rectitude of Nature, which invariably inclines it to love and bless Goodness and Righteousness, and to hate and curse their contraries in whomsoever it finds them; and being thus persuaded he cannot but conclude himself insecure whilst he either aims at unjust Ends, or uses unjust Means to obtain them, both the one and the other being infinitely odious to that overruling Power upon which his Success depends. For he must either imagine that the most probable Way to▪ oblige this Power to succeed him is to brave and hector it into a fawning Compliance with his Wishes, than which there is nothing more absurd and unreasonable; or be at least infinitely jealous and suspicious that the wicked Courses he takes will, instead of obliging it to prosper them, arm its Vengeance against them, and provoke it to determine them in some dire Event. For if God hath the disposal of all Events whether good or evil, it is certainly every whit as reasonable a Project for a Man to drink deadly Poison to obtain his Health, or to commit high Treason to escape hanging, as to endeavour to obtain any Good, or to escape any Evil by such Courses as God hates and abhors. For if the Way to obtain his Favour is to please him, and the Way to please him is to do what is pleasing to him, as most certainly it is; than it is as evident as any Proposition in the Mathematics, that he who endeavours by such Courses as he knows are displeasing to him to obtain any Good or avoid any Evil with God's disposal, uses the most contrary Means to effect his Ends, and only spends his Pains to thwart and countermine himself. The double-minded Man therefore being conscious to himself that he hath rendered God his Enemy can never be reasonably secure in his own Mind of obtaining any Good, or escaping any Evil that is in God's disposal. For tho' to serve the wise Ends of his Providence God many times gratifies bad Men, and gives them their own Hearts desire, yet for them to expect any Good at his hands, whilst the whole Course of their Actions is a continued Provocation of him, is the most unreasonable Presumption in the World; 'tis to suppose him not only insensible of Affronts and Injuries, but also fond of them, pleased and delighted with them to that Degree as to own himself obliged to crown and reward them with his Favours; For unless it be this, there is nothing they can fancy in the Nature of God that can incline him to be kind to them. While therefore they are in Pursuit of any Good, or in Flight from any Evil, if any wise Thought arise in their Mind concerning the Event, it must be very anxious and desponding. There is such a Good in my View which I would fain enjoy, and am resolved to use my utmost Endeavour to compass; but alas it is in the Disposal of God who is the Sovereign Arbitrator of my Fate, and unless he will be so kind as to award it to me, my utmost Skill and Conduct in the prosecution of it will prove insignificant; But how can I hope that he will succeed my Design, who hath so many Reasons to be my mortal Enemy; and if he will not, he hath ten Thousand Accidents under his Command by any one of which he can baffle and defeat me; and if he should gratify my Desire, I have no reason to believe that it is out of Kindness; and if it be not, instead of a Blessing it will prove a Curse to me. There is such an Evil hangs over me that I would fain escape, and am resolved to employ my utmost Care and Industry to prevent it; but when I have done all, it is in the hand of God whose Vengeance I have armed against me by a Thousand Provocations; and if he will bring it upon me (which I have too much cause to fear) he can do it by those very Means whereby I am endeavouring to prevent it. And if he should succeed my Endeavours, I have just Ground to suspect that it will be in Displeasure to me; and than it will prove but the Removal of a less Evil to make way for a greater. Thus if he truly reason with himself concerning the Events of his own Actions, it must create in him infinite Despondence and Anxiety. And whilst a Man thus lives in Fear of the Event it will be impossible for him to act with any Steadiness or security. This therefore is the Case of the double-minded Man, who being conscious to himself that all Events are in God's Disposal, whom he hath so many ways provoked to be his Enemy, must necessarily act with a dubious and trembling Mind, being so uncertain within himself whether that which he is doing will issue in his Benefit or Bane.  
6. And lastly, He hath a most dismal Prospect before him of the final Issue and Event of all. Whenever he casts his Eyes beyond this present Scene of Things, wherein his Mind is tossed to and fro in such infinite Uncertainties; there he sees nothing but dismal Horror and Tragedy, nothing but Darkness, Wretchedness and Despair; nothing but Famine to his Appetites, Anguish to his Mind, and Torment to his Conscience; nothing to accompany him but Devils and damned Ghosts, nothing to entertain him but horrible Thoughts and dire Reflections; which woeful Prospect; if he hath not out sinned all Sense, must necessarily alarm all his Fears, and strike his very Soul into an Agony. And when a Man thus feels his present State bad, and foresees that the future will be ten Thousand Times worse, he must be a perfect Sot or a miserable Wretch. Whilst he is walking through this short Enclosure of Time here, at every Step he feels himself pricked and torn by his own Cares, and Fears, and Anxieties, which like Briars and Thorns grow up round about him; and when he looks over the Pale into the vast Field of Eternity, there he sees nothing but dire and horrid Spectacles, nothing but burning Wrath and Vengeance attending to persecute him to eternal Ages. So that whether he looks backwards or forwards, or but just before him, his Eyes can find nothing but uncomfortable Objects. That which is passed is all tasteless and insipid; that which is present is mostly nauseous and unpalatable; but that which is to come is all dire and intolerable; and this is the sting of his Misery. Were his past or present Circumstances far worse than they are, they were easy to be born in the Prospect of a more comfortable Futurity; but when this is worse, ten thousand times worse than the worst of what is either past or present, for a Man to pass through all these sad Things together with any Patience or Content requires the Hardiness and Insensibility of a Stone. It is sad enough, God knows, to walk through the Cares, and Fears, and Disquietudes which naturally attend a false and double Mind; but to walk through all these within full view of Hell, and at every Step to perceive one's self approaching nearer and nearer to it; is to pass through a most dismal Expectation to a more dismal Experience, which is doubtless the most woeful Condition that humane Life can be exposed to. And yet this is the Condition of the double-minded Man; who acts his Sin with an Expectation of suffering eternally for it, and robs within sight of the Place of Execution. And when with that Persian Judge he is thus condemned to sit out all his Days with the Sword of eternal Vengeance hanging over him by a frail Thread of Life, which is every moment in danger of breaking; how is it possible he should enjoy himself in any tolerable Degree of Peace and Security of Mind. Doubtless if he hath any sense of danger, the Foresight of so great a one as this of being miserable for ever, must necessarily create in him a proportionable Fear and Anxiety, and consequently render him very unstable in all his Ways.  
What then remains but that seeing the State of Hypocrites and double-minded Men is so wretched, and miserable, and insecure, we all of us from henceforth resolve, as we tender our own Ease and Quiet, to lay aside all Hypocrisy and Double-dealing, and act through the remaining Part of our Lives with Plainness, Integrity, and Simplicity of Mind. Of which way of living if you would once be persuaded to make a through Experiment, I dare engage you would find it abundantly more secure, and easy, and comfortable than that which you have hitherto pursued. And to convince you of the Truth of this, I will crave leave in a few Words to represent to you the Reverse of the double-minded Man's Life, and to show you the opposite Advantages of living honestly and uprightly.  
1. He who lives uprightly goes upon firm and staunch Principles, such as these, that there is a God that governs the World, that inspects all the Thoughts and Actions of Men, and will reward or punish them with eternal Happiness or Misery; which being founded upon as full Evidence as the Nature of the Thing will bear, and attested by the inmost sense of humane Nature, by the Consent of wise Men of all Ages, Nations, and Religions, and in short by the unanimous Vote of Mankind, are such as will endure the Test of our severest Reason, and give ample Satisfaction of their Truth to the most inquisitive Minds. The upright Man therefore proceeding upon such Principles as these treads upon firm ground, which he is secure will never sink under him, and which is more, if it should will in the End leave him in as good Condition as those who proceed upon the contrary Principles. For whereas if their Principles prove false, their acting upon them will prove their eternal Ruin, if his should prove so, he will live more at Ease for them, more suitably to his Nature, and more satisfied with himself; and when he dies, he will only be left in the same Condition with them, in a State of eternal Sleep and Insensibility. So that if his Principles should prove false, he can never be the worse for acting upon them; but if they should prove true, he will be infinitely the better. And 'tis a vast security to the Mind to proceed upon such Principles as, if they prove false, will leave us safe and at rest, and if they prove true will leave us eternally happy.  
2. The upright Man walks in a plain, easy, and direct Way. Those eternal Tracts of Righteousness and Goodness wherein he walks are so plainly characterized upon his Heart and Conscience by the Finger of God, and described and inculcated in the divine Oracles with so bright a Sunbeam, that if he honestly inquire he cannot miss them, and when he hath found them he cannot easily swerve from them. For whereas Wickedness is a boundless Wilderness whose Paths do all thwart and cross one another, all Vices consisting in Extremes which are direct Contraries, and being either the Defects or Excesses of some Virtue; so that there are not only two Vices to every one Virtue, but both are Extremes running counter to one another: the Paths of Virtue lie strait forward between these vicious Extremes, and like parallel Lines never interfere. So that here a Man may walk on safely without any great Reach of Wit, or laborious Diligence of Enquiry, and needs do no more than follow Solomon's Direction; Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look strait before thee. Turn not to the right hand, nor to the left. Prov. 4. 24. 27. Here, according to the Prophet, is an highway, called the way of holiness; the way-faring men, tho' fools, shall not err therein, Isaiah 35. 8. And having so plain and direct a way before him he needs neither tire himself in the search of it, nor rack his Brains with any anxious Deliberations in the Choice of it, nor grate his Mind with Scruples and galling Regrets in the Pursuit of it; but may always find it with Ease, and follow it with Security.  
3. The upright Man acts openly and without fear of Discovery; for being conscious to himself both that his Intentions are clear, and his Prosecutions of them fair and honest, he could be well enough content that he had a Window into his Breast that all the world might see through him. He knows that his Thoughts and Actions are such as will endure sounding, and bear sifting to the Bottom; and therefore takes no care to disguise himself in false shows and Appearances. For he who can reflect upon himself with Satisfaction and Complacency may look all the World in the face with Confidence and Assurance; as knowing that the more curiously he is watched, and the more exactly he is scanned, the more highly he shall be approved by all that are wise and good. And tho' his Reputation may for a while be clouded by Malice or Mistake, yet he is fully satisfied that one time or other the very Light of Things will scatter these Mists, and clear these Misprisions, and that then he shall shine the brighter for being overcast. And being thus satisfied he walks openly through the World with a bare Face, and in the sight of the Sun, having no Occasion to Skulk into Coverts and Retirements.  
4. The upright Man lives in Peace with himself, and in an amicable Accord with his own Reason and Conscience. For he who follows his Reason, and makes his Conscience his Guide (as every upright Man doth) can neither be reproached by the one, nor condemned by the other; And having to all his Aims and Actions the full Approbation of his Reason and Conscience in reiterated Echoes resounding after him, he hath always good Wether within and a clear Sky above him, wherein his Mind breathes none 〈◊〉 and wholesome Thoughts, and hath a 〈◊〉 Confidence, and a cheerful Satisfaction in every Thing he doth, as being agreeable to his own Reason, conformable to his Duty, and worthy of himself. And being thus crowned with the Applauses of his own Conscience, he goes on through all the Difficulties of Life with Alacrity and Courage, having nothing from within to countermand or control him, no Sting of Remorse for what he hath done, nor Check or Struggling against what he is doing; nothing to pull him back from his way, or to cause him to halt in it, or any way to disturb and distract him in his Motion. And when at any time he is balked and defeated in any of his honest Designs and Prosecutions, he goes on with an exact Mind under the Disappointment, triumphing in the Integrity of his Heart and the Innocence of his Procedure, having a Paradise within him where he lives at Ease, and enjoys himself in Serenity and Peace; let Things be never so stormy and tempestuous without.  
5. The upright Man is secure of the good Issues and Events of his honest Aims and Prosecutions. Not that he is confident that Things shall always succeed according to his present Aims and Desires; but this he is sure of, that they shall always succeed as God would have them, who is wiser than he, and loves him better than he loves himself. He is satisfied with this, that God will never cross him but for very good Reasons; such Reasons, as if he himself did fully comprehend, would make him heartily wish that God in his tender Mercy would cross and disappoint him; and living under this Persuasion, he is secure in his own Mind that he shall either have what he desires, or something better in Exchange. He builds upon this, that if what he is projecting be good for him, it shall certainly succeed according to his Wishes; but that whether it be good for him or no, God knows better than he, and therefore if it doth not succeed, it is well for him that it doth not; because God certainly knew that it was not good for him that it should: And to be disappointed of those Hopes which he fancies are good for him, is a Thousand Times more for his Interest than to be gratified, which God knows will be hurtful to him; because he is certain, both that he may be mistaken, and that God cannot. Wherefore let the worst that can arrive, (or that which through his Blindness and Folly he esteems the worst;) this he depends upon, that matters being rightly stated, he shall in the Issue of Things come off very well, so as to be a Gainer in the foot of the Account; and being thus persuaded, his Mind is not harrased like other men's, with anxious Thoughts concerning the Event, but let what will happen, he goes on with a calm and satisfied Mind, and embraces his Fortune with Satisfaction and Complacency.  
6. And lastly, He hath a fair and glorious Prospect before him of the Issue and Events of all. The Sense of his own Integrity and Uprightness hath raised him to a glorious Hope, whereon he stands, like Moses on the Top of Pisgah, surveying the heavenly Canaan, whose fruitful Soil abounds with every Good, and flows with everlasting Pleasure: From whence with joyful Eyes he sees the happy Period of his tedious March through this barren Wilderness of Life: He sees the blissful Mansions and Abodes, that the God of Love hath prepared to receive him; he sees them most richly furnished with all the Delights that his vast hungry Desires can crave or swallow to eternal Ages. He sees that there is nothing but a short momentary Death, that like the River jordan, separates this Wilderness from that heavenly Land, and that as soon as ever he hath past and forded this, his Travel will conclude in endless Rest and Pleasure, in the Accomplishment of all his Hopes, and the full Satisfaction of all his Wishes. With the Prospective of his Faith and Hope he beholds the illustrious Orders of Angels, the glorious Company of Apostles, the goodly Fellowship of Prophets, the noble Army of Martyrs, with Crowns of Glory and Blessedness on their Heads, beckoning to him from the farther Shore, to make haste thither, and come into the joyous Participation of their Society and Happiness. The sight of all which glorious Things, inspires his Heart with such an Addition of new Life and Vigour, as carries him on with Cheerfulness and Alacrity through all the weary Stages of his Life; for he who walks with Heaven in his Eye, is a Thousand Times happier in his Expectation, than if he had all the Goods this World affords in his Possession. The upright Man therefore having this blessed Expectation before him, he goes on with a bold and secure Mind, and in his Course is steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the Work of the Lord; for as much as he knows that his Labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. Seeing therefore the vast Advantages Integrity and Uprightness hath of Double-dealing, as we tender our own Ease and Security, let us all study for the Future, to lead the Remainder of our Lives in exact Sincerity, and Simplicity of Heart; which will not only extricate us from the greatest Difficulties and Perplexities of this present Life, but also crown us with immortal Ease and Happiness in the Life to come: Which God of his infinite Mercy grant, to whom be Honour, and Glory, and Praise, from this time forth and for ever.  
Amen.  
FINIS.   

Books Printed for Walt. Kettilby at the Bishop's- head in St. Paul's Churchyard.  
DR. Scott's Christian Life; 4 Vol. 8ᵒ Mysteries in Religion vindicated, or the Filiation, Deity, and Satisfaction of our Saviour asserted against Socinians and others, with occasional Reflections on several late Pamphlets; by Luke Milburn a Presbyter of the Church of Engl.  
Allen's Works; 4 Vol. 8ᵒ  
Of Trust in God, or a Discourse concerning casting our Care upon God in all our Difficulties; together with an Exhortation to patient suffering for Righteousness; in a Sermon on 1 Pet. 3. 14, 15. by Nath Spinks M. A. a Presbyter of the Church of England.  
A Discourse concerning Lent, in Two Parts; the first, an Historical Account of its Observation; the second, an Essay concerning its Original: this subdivided into Two Repartitions; 1st Preparatory, and shows that most of our Christian Ordinances are derived from the Jews; the 2d conjectures that Lent is of the same Original; by George Hooper D. D. Dean of Canterbury, and Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty 8ᵒ.  
An Essay to revive the ancient Charity and Piety; wherein God's Rights in our Estates, and our Obligation to maintain his Service, Religion, and Charity, is demonstrated and defended against the Pretences of Covetousness and Appropriation, in Two Discourses; written to a Person of Honour and Virtue: by George Burghope Rector of Little Gaddesden in the County of Hertford, and Chaplain to the Right Honourable john Earl of Bridgewater. 8.