A SERMON Preached in the College Church OF St KATHARINS', FEBRVAEY the 13th 1698.  
By JOSIA POVEY, Brother and Minister there.  
LONDON: Printed by J. Mayos, in the Year 1698.   

To the READER.  
I Used many Arguments to persuade my Auditors to desist in their desires of rashly passing this Discourse from the Pulpit to the Press, but not prevailing, I fear the uncharitable will Carp at the Inchoherence, etc.   

A SERMON Preached in the College Church of St Katharins'. February the 13th 1698.  PSALM 119. 
Part of the 1st Verse. Blessed are the Undefiled in the way.  
THAT all things do naturally act and are designed to some extreme and ultimate end of their being, is a Truth so secure, either from being denied by Philosophers, or disputed by Divines, that none who enjoy a moderate use of their Reason, but will equally pretend to an Evidence and Demostration of it. Thus to be existent and to have a Natural propension to some chief and final End, are terms both Inseparable and Convertible; and that innate Principle whereby every thing is inclined to prosecute its own well being and perfection, is no less Necessary than Universal: Neither are they lest destitute of means for the attainment of a proper and peculiar End; Nay, all things are naturally invested with particular Instincts and Imbred Faculties, whereby they are enabled for the prosecution of Happiness. All Vegetables are qualified with faculties, whereby they are impoured to spring out of the Earth and to grow up to Maturity, and naturally produce Seeds and Fruits, by which their Species is Multiplied and Perpetuated; The sensitive Creatures being Endued with quick and accurate Senses, have a lively perception of Pleasure and Pain, and carried on with a vigorous and active Propension towards those pleasures of Sens. Being enabled to resist things unpleasant, and Elect those that are grateful, as if they apprehended the means and the end in which does consist their highest happiness; nor is Mankind a jaring Note in this great and Universal Harmony, but all of them, how different soever in their Degrees, Fortunes, or Humours, yet by a general consent do agree in this one desire of being Blessed. This is the great end that all their projects and contrivances do propose, this is the Goal to which the whole course of their lives is only directed, this is the reward which all contend for, and every one expects to obtain; in this agree the Godly and the Wicked, the Pure and Debauched, Remember me O Lord with the favour that thou bearest unto thy People; O visit me with thy Salvation or Blessedness, Sings the Divine Psalmist. Let me die the death of the Righteous, saith Balaam, and let my last end be like his, that is, be Blessed. Thus this eager appetite of being happy, is so incorporated with our Natures, that nothing can divorce that desire, but dissolution; we may with as great facility, new Model our frames, as Extinguish this lively Principle, it bearing the same date with our existence, and cannot be put out, while we are yet not dissolved into our Primitive Nothing; so that its Demonstrable, all court Happiness but most mistake werein it consists, one thinks it's seated on the top Pinnacle of Honour, so with proud Sejanus, climbs so high till he tumbles headlong; another with Midas, thinks it a Mineral that must be digged out of the Earth, so toils to load himself with this thick Clay, till he finds a Grave where he sought his Treasure; and indeed most think Happiness to consist in worldly fruitions which satisfy since, and not in being undefiled, which only can give delectation to the Soul: and since it is so, shall take this Method.  
First, I shall show you Particularly and Negatively wherein Happiness does not consist.  
Secondly, Shall show you in General and Affirmatively, werein it does consist, and how to compass that Blessed State.  
Thirdly, What it is to be Undefiled, and when we may be esteemed so.  
And Lastly, Shall give you the Blessed Consequents of so being.  
First, I shall show you (Particularly and Negatively) wherein Blessedness does not consist.  
First, It (does not or) cannot consist in Riches.  
Secondly, In Honours.  
Thirdly, In Beauty.  
Fourthly, In Humane knowledge.  
Fifthly, In long Life.  
Lastly, That a Concurrence and Combination of all these cannot make one Man happy.  
First, Riches cannot render us truly Blessed and Happy, for that cannot do it that is not desirable for its own Excellency, but for its use and subserviency to the more Ignoble part of Man, and never satisfies, for the more a carnal Man has of them, the more he covets, so that you may as readily extinguish Fire by putting on of Fuel, or fill a Chest with Knowledge, as satisfy a Man's desires with Riches. The Macedonian Monarch, when he had Conquered the World was so far from being contented, that he Wept because he could not find out another.  
Secondly, That which is got with much care, and cannot be secured, can never make happy, and that Riches are so, St. Matthew assures us in the 13. and 22. there he compares them to Thorns, to show their vexation: Hosea the 12. and 1. to Wind, to show their incertainty; And Experience tells us, That he who Enjoys the greatest happiness in them, wants one more a security for the future of what he possesses at present; Do not think, says Polycarp, that thick Clay which has passed through so many Hands will ever stick to thy Fingers; Wilt thou set thy Heart on that which is not, says Solomom, for Riches take themselves Wings and fly away, they have not only Feet to walk off from us, but Wings and fly away from us; And he that assures himself of their continuance with him, is as much infatuated as the Rustic that thought himself for ever happy, when a flight of Birds Lodged on his Farm, purposed to feed Deliciously every day, and at night to sleep in Down, but alas! he was soon disappointed, for they suddenly took Wing, and went to his Neighbour; at best the most secure Miser can never have better Fortune, than the Fool in the Gospel, For if Riches go not from a man, he must go from them, for Riches cannot deliver from Death, nor be of any value to a Man in the Grave: He that dies worth ten Pounds is as happy then as he that dies worth ten hundred thousand; Grudge not, saith the Psalmist, tho' a man be made Rich, and the Glory of his House increased, for he shall carry nothing with him when he Dies, neither shall his Pomp follow him. Yet how many with Judas sell their Salvation for Silver, and lose Heaven to engross Earth. I cannot see when we have those things that are necessary in that State werein God hath placed us, what satisfaction there is to view a mass of Treasure, which we brought not into this world with us, only heaped together, and so leave not the world Richer or Poorer than we found it: only fetch a few turns on the Theatre and entertain the beholders with a short Scene of Impertinences, then descend and are never heard of more, and only enrich the Clods with our Avaricious Carcases, amongst which we must shortly lie down: If abundance had been the only Blessing, our Saviour would have left it to his Disciples, and Servants, but in his last Will and Testament, he did not say, My Riches or Honours I give unto you, but my Peace; for that solid and lasting joys are in the peace of the mind; Yet what a scramble and hurry deluded Mortals make about them, as if the chief and only happiness consisted in them, when the way to be Blessed is not to make their Estates greater, but their Spirits and Desires lower.  
Thirdly, Honour cannot make us blest and happy. That which is attended with Cares, Fears, and Incertainties, cannot do it.  
And First, That Honour is attended with Cares, Princes, and others in Power, experience, who rise early, and lie down late, to receive Addresses, and read Petitions, so that Honour must be full of Cares, and uneasy to them that have it.  
But Secondly, It must be attended with Fears, because mostly Envied by those that have it not; so consequently none can be safe, since Honour's Principal dependence rests on the vain and false opinion, and dissembled Favour of Men, who oft Hosannah him one day, that is called Belial on the morrow; Alas, the most Honourable is not altogether unlike a King in a Play, no longer Acting a Majestic Part then the Spectators please; nay, the Favorit's of Crowns are like Court Dial's, whereon all look whilst the King shines on him, and none when night with him. But if Honour chance to last for Life, yet Death equals the Sceptre and Spade; he that's the tallest Cedar of Libanon to day, may to morrow be like a rotten stick, trodden under foot, and meat for worms, and the poorest wretch would not be like unto him, for when such lay down their Sceptre, and pay their tribute to the Tomb, than he that dwelled in his Palace, is Dirt in his Grave, as the Poor that creeps in his Cottage; nor can you then distinguish between the dust of Dives or Lazarus, the dust of him that Grinds in the Mill, or sits on the Throne. Nay a little time and ingratitude renders the Monument and name of the greatest Monarch, as silent as his Ashes; thus it was with the gallant Archimedes.  
But Thirdly, The uncertainty of Power bespeaks its Vanity, it's oft, like Lightning, Flashes in the face and is gone, and it's well if it does not hurt the man; the smallest Cloud obscures its Brightness, the least stain blemishes its Beauty; nay the most trivial accident completes oft its Destruction.  
Former Ages have given us larger Testimonies of it, and our Age no Strangers to it: Valerianus Crowned with the Imperial Diadem, was like a Crane kept in a Cage. Marius the Great General, and Mighty Warrior, begged his Bread at the Ruins of Carthage, where he had formerly Enriched his Soul with Victory; and Zerxes that Darkened the Air with his Arrows, was forced to escape in a Fishing Boat: Nay he that was Adorned with Royal Robes, and Swayed the Sceptre one day, was Vested as a private Man, and Rifled by a Peasant on the Morrow; which may teach us that its Grace, not Honour can make us truly Blessed and Happy, and that it's oft better to live in the valley, where the Storms blow over, than to Inhabit on the highest Hills, where continual Hurricanes disturb, and not to keep that chief in our Affections which we cannot secure in our Possessions (but to be practisers of Piety, which will make us Honourable to all Eternity.)  
Thirdly, Beauty without Grace cannot make Blest and Happy: That which may by every little accident be lost, cannot make happy, and that Beauty is so, is evident, the least Distemper decays it, a Fit of an Ague, Small Pox, or Fever fades it, a few years out of the Grave, or a few moments in it, wholly spoils it; Nor is Beauty the peculiar Prerogative of the rational being, for that the most Powerful and Charming is outdone by Birds and Flowers: It's only a coloured piece of Clay, or like a fair Picture, take away the Varnish, and there's nothing: It's a Traitor in Retirement, and oft carries Poison and Disapointments in its most Endearing Enjoyments. It's a Helena that hurries to the Destruction of Troy: It's a Dalilah to entrap Samson: a Jezabel to infatuate Ahab: And a Bathsheba to allure David: And its Excellency without Piety is perceptible by none but the Purblind, and its Charms, nay Existence, is only derived from Delusion and Empty Opinion. Isaiah 3.19, 20. Esteem not then the Daughters of Jerusalem, but those of Zion, whose Beauty is within: Who are Undefiled in the way, and walk in the Law of the Lord.  
Fourthly, Humane knowledge Abstracted from Supernatural Grace, cannot make Blest and Happy, that which is attended with Vexation, Labour and Error cannot make happy, the wisest of Mortals assures of the First, our own Experience of the Latter; for Wisdom, none Transcended Solomon, he understood Nature and Art, Words and Things, Interest of States, Intrigues of Court, for Policy and Government, none was like him, nor shall any arise hereafter comparable to him; yet he pronounces Humane Knowledge, vain and Vexatious. In much Wisdom, says he, there is much Grief, and he that increases Knowledge, increases Sorrow.  
Secondly our own Experience assures us, that the little knowledge we have, is got with much trouble, and our grief is Augmented that we understand no better; What we know is the least part of what we know not, and the more we do know, the nearer we approach the Sun that blinds us; for since the Infernal Raven hath picked out the Eyes of our Understanding, with a Splinter of the Tree of Knowledge, we only groap for Truth, and stumble at Error. Every Age brings forth new projects, as it does a new Generation of Men; every Age confutes old Errors, and begets new; so that Humane Knowledge makes no Man happy, nor does Blessedness consist in Intellectuals, but to be Undefiled in the way, that is Wisdom, and to walk in the way of the Lord, that is Understanding, to know the Statutes of Heaven, and Laws of Eternity, makes happy; Abstracted from these all our policy, only lights us into the Territories of Darkness, serves only as Pisgahs' top did Moses, shows us Canaan, never brings us thither. But the Study of Divine Wisdom, exalts our Nature, presents new pleasures, fills the mind with Beautiful Ideas; is like a Traveler that ascends, every new step, enlarges his Horizon, and lights him to Everlasting rest.  
Fifthly, Long Life cannot make blest and happy, that which Increases trouble, cannot, and that long life does so; Experience Evidences, those that see most days, see most miseries, Coughs, Cares and Consumptions, attend them, such only Live to see their nearest and dearest Relations go to the Grave before them. This made old Peleus' Grey Head, go down with sorrow to the Grave; this made Hecubà and others Bark with the Inhabitants of the Kennel, Howl amongst the Tombs, and sail to their Sepulchers in a Sea of tears. I might instance a thousand more calamities incident to the life of man, so that were it not for the Expectations of another life, man would be the most miserable of Animals in this; It was an apt Expression of the Philosopher upbraiding one that desired long life, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  
Alas, there's no object so deplorable as a Grey Head, and an Unsanctified Heart, but the Hoary Scalp is a Crown of Glory, and only to be desired by such as excel in Piety. Such aspiring Spirits were not given us, to be tied ever to a Perishing Body; Nor can we think it worth the while, that the maker of the Universe should Create a Soul, and send it down into the Body (or World) on purpose to superintend these trivial affairs, to keep alive a silly piece of Earth, whilst it Eats and Drinks, to move it too and fro in chase of Shadows, and to hold it up while others bow the Knee and do it Homage, No, our Creator has put us into this world in order to our Translation to a better, we are not always to live among Mire, and be tied to a Perishrng body; we come into this World not to take up our abode and rest, this life is only to Exercise our virtues, and qualify us for the world to come, we live not so much to Enjoy it, as to Conquer its Temptations, and despise its flatteries, and if we live long enough to do this we may thank God; for what Labouring man would not willingly be at rest, what Mariner is not glad that he hath weathered all Storms, and steered to his desired Haven, where his soul shall Enjoy Divine pleasure, to big to be described. When Croesus asked Solon, who he thought happy? he told him one Tellus, a man that was dead, for though death breaks the Union between the Body and Soul, yet it cannot break that Union between the Soul and Christ, if undefiled; then why should we think a Temporary Life such a Felicity? then why should it trouble us to leave men to live with Christ and Angels? why should we be so unwilling to leave this body of dust? where we shall sin no more, be sick no more, and troubled no more, but pass from death to life, from a valley of tears to Eternal joys; then why should we not with Scipio desire to be dissolved, when we hear of Immortality and Glory, undoubtedly death to him that is undefiled in the way, is only as a passage through a dark entry into a Glorious Palace, a putting of these Rags of the flesh, and a putting on the Robes of Righteousness, a laying down a Sheephook, and a taking up a Sceptre, a laying down a Crown of Thorns, which Prick, Torture, and Torment us, and a putting on a Crown of Glory which will for ever Comfort and Delight us.  
Lastly, A concurrence and combination of all these cannot make so much as one man Happy, the Heathen Philosopher in search found a conveniency, but no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selfsufficiency; for if one man had all the Excellency and Power, all the Highest and Greatest Treasures and Glory under the Sun, had he all the Bodily perfections, which are distributed amongst the numerous Train of mankind, and all conspired together to make this one man happy, he would infinitely come short of his Design: And this miserable one Person at last would woefully Experiment, that all these Glittering and Guilded Representations, with which this flattering World had dazzled and deceived his Eyes, were but like Painted Sepulchers, glorious and gay without, but within filled with Rottenness, Darkness, Horror and Death; or like Egyptian Temples, with a Specious outside, but Inhabited with Crocodiles and Dragons instead of Gods; I say, had one man all the Ethics of Aristotle, all the Morality of Seneca. all the Learning at Athens, had he all the cunning and tricks of Achitophel, the strength of Goliath, the Treasures of Nebuchadnezar, the Honour of Haman, the Beauty of Absalon: Nay, had he the knowledge of the Scribes, and the Devotion of the Pharises, he would at last discover himself to be a stranger to true Felicity, and utterly unacquainted with the blessed condition, and that on these following accounts.  
At the Fall of our First Parents the Earth was Cursed, so cannot yield to Man any true Comfort; It must now bring forth Thorns and Briers, that is Cares and Troubles, and so it's a Delusion to expect a second Paradise here, or to hope for true Happiness any where but in Heaven, because all here is mutable, and we Mortal. Worldly comforts are transient and vanishing, they cannot extend themselves to Eternity, and thus they want the very life and accomplishment of true Tranquillity; here we cannot write for ever on our Riches, here we cannot write for ever on our Honours or Pleasures, there will be a period put to all Humane Glory; all our Riches, Pomp, and Grandeur, must abandon us at the Frontiers of the Grave; six Foot and a , then will serve  
Indeed were it in our power to Procrastinate our days, could we strike off the nimble Chariot Wheels of time, and with Joshua, Bid the Sun stand still; could we Lengthen out our days to some thousands of years, and those to be employed in the most Entire and Choicest of Worldly Fruitions, without interruption or decay, it would seem a little more plausable to place our Happiness here, But alafs, who is there Ignorant of this said Truth, that the Life of Man is but a Span Long; Are not my days few, saith Job, I go where I shall not return, even into the Land of Darkness and shadow of Death; and none knows but the next breath he draws to cool, and fresh his Lungs, may be that Gale of wind to waft him on the Coasts of Eternity: For when God is but Angry, all our days are gone; Man is sick and dies, Man perishes, and where is he, to day he's set up, and to morrow he shall not be found, for he is turned into dust, and his purpose Perisheth, and his pomp terminateth in a neglected Grave; and in a few Months, after the Mourners have gone about the Streets, and the Solemnity of his Funeral is over, is forgotten, as if he had never been; and if so, why should a thinking Man place his Happiness here? Why should an Eternal Spirit Address a Vapour? Why should an Immortal Soul court a Phantom, since the Spirit of Man cannot delight in any thing that's Terrestrial? here indeed are Diversions that please and tickle the Senses, but cannot give the least Delectation to the Soul, nor any wise satisfy the Capacity of a Man's heart; for if a Man could give Silver as Stones, and Cedars as the Wild Figtrees, that grow abundantly on the Plains; could he provide Men Singers and Women Singers, and be crowned with the Possessions and Delights of the Sons of Men, could carouse it continually with Belshazar in full Bowls; yet all these, or the highest degrees of Luxury, could not descend the most daring Belshazar from the Sting of a Tormented Conscience; for in the midst of Laughter, the Soul and the Heart too if Wicked, will be sad, than all the Jewels in saul's Crown cannot Comfort, or create a chalm within.  
For if a Man have a defiled Conscience, though he were decked with Majesty, and arrayed with Beauty and Honour, though he wash his Paths with Butter, and the Rocks power him out Rivers of Oil, though he purchase a confluence of all created beings, and could leave tokens of his pleasure in every place: Were he the Universal Governor of the Ocean, and could not only Trace, but Control and Command the Motions of the Sun and Stars; yet the Restless and Ambitious Curiosity of his Soul, would aspire beyond the highest Heavens, pry after some unrevealed Excellency, some absconded Felicity, which the whole extent of this finite Material World with all her perfections, could in no ways afford, there being an inherent Insufficiency riveted in the very Essence of Sublunary beings; that we can never allay our thirst at these Puddles of Egypt, but if we'd be satisfied we must be undefiled, and so soar aloft to the Cysterns of the Celestial Canaan: For that nothing can Extinguish the thirst of a man's Soul, but the Waters of the Well of Life, and the unfathomable Sea of the comforts of another World.  
And those that hope for happiness in any Worldly fruitions, without walking in the way of the Lord, O! how is their Ignorance to be pitied; O! with what compassionate Tears should that Carnal state of man be lamented, by all that understand the worth of a Soul: What hart doth not bleed for miserable man that is perpetually mocked with Shadows, cheated with false delusive appearances, infatuated and betrayed by their own Senses, whilst they rise up early, and lie down late, to seek rest in trouble, and life in death, that run away from true Blessedness, whilst they pretend to pursue it; Descend patiently to the Chambers of Death, and Dream of nothing but an Earthly Paradise, till they are amidst the infernal Regions.  
Now if their Circumstances are thus, to be Lamented that hope for happiness in Riches, Honours, etc. or a Concurrence of all these, then sure it concerns all to inquire what will make them blest and happy. My second General proposed.  
True happiness consists in being invested with as good a state and condition, as our Natures are capable of receiving; but since the united sufficiencies of all created beings are not enough to satisfy our boundless desires, and to make us truly and for ever perfect and happy. The Soul of man being unsatiable in its appetite, as its immortal by nature; It only remains then that our aspire must terninate in an infinite and eternal being, in acquaintance and Fellowship with God the fountain of all Blessedness, who alone being infinite, is able to fill the Soul of man which is Immortal; and therefore we may be assured, that true happiness can consist in nothing else but a Regenerate state, in a devout contemplation of God, in being a Child of his, an heir of Salvation, in supernatural Grace, and the blessed consequents thereof.  
These are the Sources and Fountains of all happiness, these the parents of Joy and Peace; those Rich and mighty Cordials that raise Nature, make all Purity, all Glory, lay all Storms, compose all Mutinies in our Bosoms, extinguish Troubles, prevent Fears; such a one can commune with his own Heart without uneasiness; reflect on's Actions without regret, is ever raised above Melancholy, being continually cherished by Celestial influences, and ever encircled in Gods Love. These are the never failing Fountains that perpetually feed and supply those Rivers of endless and unspeakable Blessings; these are the Springs which for ever maintain that Ocean of Infinite and Eternal joys; these are those inestimable Jewels, which whosoever is securely possessed of, his heart is so filled with love and admiration, that for ever he employs his dearest and most noble thoughts on them, ever fixing his Eyes, and uniteing his heart to God the supreme Good.  
And now Secondly, The way to compass this Blessed state, our dearest Redeemer tells us in his Sermon on the Mount Mat. 5th. also, the patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, and wisest of Mortals from their own experience assure us, that there is no Happiness without Holiness. Therefore they passionately excite us, to elevate our affections above these contemptible vanities and Fallacious Ideas, and to esteem them as Dross in comparison of those sublimated Excellencies which are at God's Right Hand, and if any ever hope to be happy here or hereafter; he must be Innocent, Charitable, Humble, Harmless, and Honest, he must love Righteousness and hate any thing that is foul or ill, he must have a heart first fixed on Heavenly things, and subservient to these; the necessary affairs of his honest and lawful occupation. And thus let the way of the Lord be your path then doubt not of being Blessed for his Graces will enliven you, his Blessed Spirit will be your guide, his Holy Angels your guard, his Word your Light, and Blessedness your end, for Blessed are the undefiled in the way, that walk in the Law of the Lord. Which leads me to my third proposed, to tell you what it is to be undefiled: and when we may be esteemed so.  
First, To be Undefiled is to practise the precepts in the 15th. Psalm. and to continue in a general and sincere course of Piety and Charity, St. James in his first Chap. and last Verse tells you, That pure Religion and undefiled before God is to visit the Fatherless and Widow in their affliction. and to keep yourselves unspoted from the World. You'll answer we may visit the Fatherless and Widow, but we cannot be unspoted; Its owned that we cannot wholly put of the Rags of Corruption till we wholly put on the Robes of Righteousness, for that this Heredetary Corruption Sin will stick to our Flesh, though we wash this Ethiope with all our Hyssop it will be black, though we rub this Leopard with all our Nitre, it will have some spots. The flesh will be a Solicitous Dalilah about us, and within us, will Sojourn in our Mesec, and dwell in our Tents of Kedar, for while we are in this Village, where our Martha dwells, our affections will have a taste of Earth, we may correct our Corruptions, but cannot wholly destroy them, we may and must be without blame, as to gross Iniquities, but cannot be without blemish, as to sinful Infirmities, till we pass this Egypt, and arrive at the Celestial Canaan, for there, and there only are the Spirits of Just men made perfect and undefiled.  
God never had but one Son here without Sin, Except him the best of Saints have been subject to it, and are Enjoined to confess their daily Trespasses; for to tread always firm in the paths of Righteousness without ever sliping, to walk so uprightly as never to fall, by security, weakness, or inadvertency; is a task not for a man but an Angel: if there be any Souls so happy as to triumph over all Infirmities, and so watchful as never to be surprised, they are peculiar Jewels kept in undiscerned Cabinets. Tho some of the Patriarches, Apostles, and blessed Martyrs arrived to such Sanctity, that they seemed uncapable of Accessions; St. Paul said, He was Crucified to the World, etc.  
Yet in this Age of ours, not to be subject to disorderly desires, not liable to Irregular Motions, wand'ring thoughts, dulness in Duty, is only the Privilege of Souls clothed with Immortality; for our understandings are not so clear and bright, but they may be deceived, nor the bend of our affections so strongly set, but they may be perverted. Where is the Love that has no drfect? where is the hope that has no fear? we have secret Dispositions in Nature, to folly and error, we have ebbs and flows of Blood, and Spirits; Distempers within, roughness of Conversation without, Irksome Adversity and Flattering prosperity, Nay, we have Souls engaged with our Senses, and these with the World, we are so surrounded with variety of objects, which through the Intervention of our senses, leave their Ideas in the head, that the Eye of the mind can no more help looking on them, than not to wink when a blow is given; so that we must almost forget our Nature to be undefiled wholly, amongst so many Snares.  
Such sagacity of Judgement, such strength of resolution, such felicity of circumstance, we can never soar to, but that some venial defect may lurk in the most sanctified Soul, but we must have a care of mistaking contracted habits for frailties of nature, of cherishing any ill motions, or throing ourselves into the way of Temptations, when we have warnings without or misgivings within, for than they cease to be Sins of surprise, or infirmity become Mortal, bring dishonour to God, injury to our Neighbour, and defile our Nature. Therefore,  
Secondly, Here's the Characteristic of the good man that shall be esteemed Undefiled, he is one though he stumble accidentally on a Temptation, yet he lies not in the Mire, but rises again presently, and keeps on his Journey, gets ground of his Passions, and is ever accompanied with earnest desires, and serious endeavours, he presses after the Mark of the high calling, and when any Temptations ofered, yields not to it; for it's not his Sin to be Tempted, or to feel that he is so, but the Evil is in yielding and doing, since his actions are at his command, though not always his mind: Its Corruption allures, but consent defiles, therefore the good man, so soon as any unlawful object is represented to him, he resists the Lure, and the Fight of Rephidim gins, sometimes Israel prevails, and sometimes Amalec, but he still holds up his hand, that is, let's his thoughts be Elevated, and his mind Soaring, till he hears the shout that Israel hath the day: And when he hath once got the Victory, sets a strict watch at the Cinque port of his Senses, and so soon as the Devil shows him the World, dispises it, and the Devil too, with a, Get thee behind me Satan; And when ever he is Assaulted, by any darling Sin, he never parleys, but if in danger of being overcome, immediately throws himself into the Arms of his Blessed Saviour, in full assurance that he hath given his good Angels, more power to preserve him, than the Evil to hurt him, and rests his hand on the Pillar of Faith and Prayer, till Amelec fly before him.  
Now such a man that thus struggles for the Consolation of the Spirit, more than for sensible things, that soars aloft on the Wings of Faith and Love, that Prunes the Luxuriancy of untaught Nature, and Animal inclinations, that adorns himself with those three Heroic Virtues, Faith, Love, Humility; that is fervent and frequent at Public and Private Devotions, is a constant Communicant, is just in all his deal, is Generous in Charity, like the Sun reaches his rays to all, is active in the work of Angels, thankful to God, Meek and Courteous in Behaviour to men, is modest in Prosperity, chalm and resigned in Adversity, that acts as uprightly as if he were to die to day, and give an account at night.  
Now such a man that thus fears the Lord his God, and does all the good he can to men, may be as well assured, he is in the state of Salvation, as that Jesus is Risen; such a Man may be satisfied he is undefiled according to Gods Will, though not according to the purity of his August Essence; and may be confident that his defects for Christ's sake shall be Pardoned, and the spots that he hath contracted, shall be by the Robe of his Righteousness covered, and shall compass the Blessed Consequents of being Undefiled: My last proposed,  
First, If God sees it good, you need not doubt of being Externally blest, since the service of God hath a Friendly regard to worldly Prosperity; Godliness saith the Apostle, is profitable to all things having the promises of this life, 1 Tim. 4.8. for that piety inclines Men to be serious in their thoughts, temperate in their lives, and diligent in their callings, which Enriches; Read Deut. 28. Wicked men indeed may prosper by industry, but it's not by the blessing, but sufferance of God, and such cannot be secure in what they posess, since none are safe from Ruin, but in the favour and protection of God the giver, Psal. 73, 12.18, 19 verse. For the Elect's sake, God made the World, Enriched and Redeemed it.  
Therefore if thou wouldst be blest with Riches, then be undefiled, and thou hast the God of wealth, and the Minerals of the world, to supply thy wants; if Honours thou hast him that makes the Heaven's Bow, and Sceptres and Diadems obey: if Wisdom, the treasures of Eloquence and Riches of Eternal Knowledge are in his bosom; all which God will certainly give thee, if for his Glory and thy good.  
Indeed God does not in the Gospel promise Wealth, Honour etc. to every man; on this Theatre all are not to act the part of Princes, and Prelates, because the perfection of human Affairs, requires a Diversity amongst men (Kings and Subjects, Masters and Servants) Bishops and Deacons, el's a general Equality would usher in a general confusion.  
But Secondly, If thou hast not an affluence of Temporals, yet if undefiled, thou art secure at least of Christ's Legacy, internal Peace, which is the greatest Blessing, since a man is nothing but his mind, and if that is out of order, the greatest Treasures, the highest Honours, and the softest Pleasures, cannot make happy, but posessing peace of mind, though never so poor, thou Enjoyest infinitely more comfort in it, then in the affluence of all created beings, without it, and all that walk in the paths of virtue, need not doubt of compassing this Peace; since such act according to their Primitive Institution, and are in the state they were intended, and in that condition for which God designed them; But in the revers, those take much pains to lose their Labour, that hope to find Peace in the paths of Impiety.  
No, it's only a Religious life can make us happy, for that ever yields comfort, when we stand most in need of it, in times of Affliction or Death, Holiness being of that Blessed Nature, that it makes all Light within, though there be nothing but Darkness without.  
Riches, Honours, Pleasures and Preferments, (saith a Pious Author) are coy, and keep distance, and when we lose them, leave us with a weeping Eye, and heavy Heart; but Virtue never leaves us till we force and chase it from us: It's the Sovereign Cordial in all conditions, it's not lost in the many Misfortunes that surround us, it continues sweet and comfortable in Misery, gives Courage in Adversity, makes us rich in Poverty, is such a Physician that puts us to little Expense, yet gives such Cordials, as cheer the Body, Spiritualise the Soul: Nay, is the precious Pearl that purchases our Peace to all Eternity, and shines on our Souls even here with Beams of Everlasting Glory.  
For such thoughts of Spiritual Ravishment and Unutterable rapture, are many times inspired by the Spirit of Comfort, into the hearts of God's Children, who have oft in a sweet shower from Heaven, a whole Sea of Comfort poured on their Souls; and by the Glorious fruition of inward Peace and Joy, have such a lively perception and foretaste of Everlasting pleasures, as is beyond the power of the Heart of Man to conceive, or the Tongue of Angels to express, as if with one hand they had already laid hold on the Crown of Life, and had got one step within the Gates of Heaven; for the Angels whom they fill with joy, with a careful tenderness and alacrity, become their Guardians, and servisable to them.  
All the Creatures are in League with, and reconciled unto them, and with a secret reverence do adore that Sacred Character of Divinity that is imprinted on them, for by being Undesiled. These regain all, that Adam by his fall lost, and are happier in this state of Integrity, than Adam in that of Innocency; for the Undefiled are now Sons of God, and Heirs to his Kingdom: Nay, for aught we know, such may hereafter Equalise, if not, Transcend the splendour of Angles, for though the Undefiled are lower than Angels by Creation, yet they are superior by Adoption: Angels have only Glorified Spirits, but the Undefiled shall have Glorified Souls, and Spiritualised Bodies too, even like our Saviour; for the Felicity and the Eternity of such shall be like his, as in the 1 Epistle St. John, 3 Chap. 2, 3 Verses.  
And if the Pious enjoy such Transcendent Peace and Glory, who in his wits then would not deny himself the pleasure of a moment, to be pleased for ever? Who then would not be a Christian for a few years, to Reign with Christ for ever?  
Did you see as I oft do (in my Visits of the Sick) I say did you see Sinners in that stormy night, when Vengeance reaches them, or Death pangs seizes them, you could no more describe their Fears and their Cares, then fathom the Firmament: But on the contrary, if you were sensible of the Transports of Peace and Comfort that Pious Souls enjoy in the time of Afflictions or Death, it would make the greatest Debauch turn Puritan, and the most refined Epicure a Mortified Saint; it would charm the Cup out of the hand of the Drunkard, and lure the Sinner from the softest Embrace.  
For when the Undefiled resign their already Mortified Bodies into the cold hands of Death, their Souls being conscious of an upright and unspoted Life, have created Eyes so Fortified, that many enjoy Transcendent Rays of the Beatific Vision before Departure. Nay, being supported by the Spirit of Comfort, feel no sting in Death, discover no darkness in the Grave; no amazement at that Great and Terrible day of the Lord, when the Sun shall be turned into Darkness, and the Moon into Blood, when the Heavens shrivel together like a Scroll of Parchment, and the high and mighty Mountains skip out of their places, like roused Hinds.  
Then Lastly, The Undefiled shall be Eternally Blest, they shall not only look down with Cheerfulness into the Grave, but in to the other World without terror, where they shall not see a Court of Justice, but a Throne of Grace, where they shall not see a severe Judge, but a kind Father, and a Saviour, who died for them, ready to pronounce them Blessed, and set the Crown of Glory on their Heads; where they shall ever be in the conversation of Excellent Persons, brave minds, Charitable Souls, and dear Friends; be eased of all their Pains, resolved of all their Doubts, freed from all their Fears, and happy beyond their Hopes; having Sceptres made to fill their Hands, and mighty Glories to Crown their Heads, and forever enjoy God's dearest delights, and highest Glories; for, Blessed are the Undefiled in the way that walk in the Law of the Lord.  
FINIS.