I "I give iltefe. JBioks ~ -,.
i for/Sue. founding ff a-Coiligz ytkp.Cyonf

• iLiiiaiaamr •

pgOTwyratTOSTOsro^---— ..—,.^mtwwimM8a

A gift made in honor of
PRESIDENT NOAH PORTER
bv
DEAN SAGE

ST3EM.**&K1S

£B^^iffiMiL'-c-^::~:

The GREAT LAW of

OR, A
DISCOURSE, Wherein the
Nature, Uyy'.yfi-;, and ahfokt'e Neccffy o£
CONSIDERATION,
In order to a Truly Serious and Religious
LIFE, is laid open.

fy A:-THONT yQF.NEC. ", D. D.
late Prebendary of fP'efiminsJer, Minifter of the
Savoy, and Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majefty.
I thought on my Ways, and turned my Feet unto thy
Testimonies, Pfal. cxix. ver. 59.
Bene dicere ad -paucos pertinet, bene autem vivere ad
omnes: Ladtan. 1. 1. Inftit.
The Eleventh Edition, Corrected.
LONDON,
Printed for A. Bettefioorth, at the Red Lycv in Pater-Nofier Row;
J. Hazard, at the Bible againft Stationer', Hall; J. Booh, at
the Flower de Luce againft: St. Dunfiarfs Church, Flcetjhat; and.
R. Ware, at the Bible and Sun in Amen-Comer. j,!.T'Z2X'A.l%

To His GRACE,
CHRISTOPHER, Lord Duke of Albemarle, hfc.
Lord Lieutenant of the Counties of Devon and
Effex, Gentleman of His Majefly's Bed-Cham
ber, one of His Majefly's mofi Honourable
Privy-Council, and Knight of the mofi noble
Order of the Garter, &c.
My LORD, may it pleafe your Grace',
=j Dare not call this Addrefs, Prefumpti-
on, the ufual Compliment Men give to
Perfons of Honour in Dedications of
Books, but Duty, and the greateft Ser
vice I can pay you. 'Tis the Caufe WE
GOD, and the Caufe of Mens immortal Souls, I
am defending in thisTreatife ; a Subject which claims,
Attention from all Degrees of Men, aad wherein the
moft puiflant Prince is as much concerned as the
fneaneft Vaffal. It is a future Eftate ; and what be
comes of Men, when their Bodies do drop from,
them, and what they muft do to inherit that Eternal
Glory, which a merciful God hath been pleafed to
promife them, that I intend to fpeak to ; and if there
be fuch a Thing as a Retribution after Death, and
our Souls when they leave their Earthly Tabernacles
muft come to an After-reckoning, and appear be
fore the dreadful Tribunal of a juft and infinite Ma
jefty, certainly that Man is unjuft to himfelf, and anr
Enemy to his own Prefervation, that dares neglect
his Preparation for that great and tremendous Audit*
A 3 and

VESICATION.
and prefers not Meditation on that laft Account, be
fore all the Senfual Enjoyments of this "World.
My Lord, We are fallen into an Age, wherein fome
few daring Men (Indeed their. Number is inconfidera-
ble, compared with the more Sober PaVt of Mankind,)
have prefumed to mockataPunifhmentafter Death,
and termed that a Bugbear, derived from the Tales of
Priefts, and the Melancholy of Contemplative Men,
which the wifer World heretofore was afraid to enter
tain, but with moft ferious Reflexions. When the ri-
peft and moft fubact Judgments, for almoft Six thou
sand Years together, by the Inftinft of Nature and
Confcience, have believed a future Retribution ; 'tis
pretty to fee a few raw Youths, who have drown'd
their Reafon in Senfuality, and fcarcely ever perufed
any Books, but Romances, and the lafcivious Rap-
fodies of Poets, affume to themfelves a Power to con-
troul the Univerfal Senfe and Confent of Mankind ;
think themfelves wifer than all the grave Sages that
have lived before them; and break Jefts in their Riots
and Debaucheries, upon that, which not only Chriftians,
Rit Jews, Mahometans, and Heathens, the fubtileft and
moft knowing of them, have, ever fince we have any
Record or Hiftory of their Actions and Belief, pro-
feffed, and embraced with all imaginable Reverence,
And, are not Things come to a fine Pafs, my Lord,
when Chriftianity, the cleareft Revelation that was e-
ver vouchfafed to Men, hath been received, confir
med, and approved of in the World above Sixteen
hundred Years-, and the greateft Philofophers, in
many of thofe Countries where it hath taken Root,
have not dared to doubt of the Truth of it, the con
vincing Power that came along with it proclaiming its
Divinity and Majefty ; that thefe bold Attentates
'fhould now begin to arraign its Authority, and put
us upon proving the nrft Principles of it, as if the
World were returned to its former Barbarifm, and we
had

DE 2) IC A TION.
had once more to do with Infidels; as if. Men ,
had diverted themfelves of Humanity, and put on t.e
Nature of Beafts, and were fent. into the World to
underftand no more, but the Matter and Motion of
the Malmshury Philofophy.
%
I confefs, I have fometimes blamed my felf for ac-
cufing thefe Libertines o/ Atheifm, when I have un
derftood whac mortal Enemies they were to Lying and
Nonfenfe*: For how fhould not they believe a God,
that cannot fpeak a Sentence but muft fwear by him;
or the Truth of the Chriftian Religion, that put fo
remarkable an Emphafes upon his Wounds and Blood ;
or another World, that do fo often imprecate Dam
nation to themfelves ; or the being of a Devil, who
do not feldom wifh, he may confound them ? Would
not any Man conclude, That Perfons who do fo ex
claim againft every miftaken and mifplaced Word,
and are fuch perfect Mailers of Senfe, and value
themfelves fo much upon their Veracity, muft needs
believe the Exiftence of thofe Things they make ufe
of in their ingenious Oaths and Curies, the Pompous
Ornaments, which, in this Licentious Age, fet off
the Glory, Wit, and Gallantry of fuch accomplifhed
Pretenders ? But .though we muft not be fo unman
nerly, as to accufe thefe Wits of Contradiction's in
their Difcourfes ; yet any Man that doth not love
Darknefs better than Light, may foon perceive how
faulty this Way thefe Scepticks are, there being no
thing more common with them, than to fmile at the
Notion of that God, by whom they fwore juft before;
and to rail at that Day of Judgment, which they
feemed to acknowledge in their abfurd Wifhes and
Imprecations. Some have I known, who, in a ferious Fit, have
been pleafed to tell me, that if they could be fure
there was another World, and a Retribution for Good
and Evil3 none fhould exceed them in ftridnefs of
A 4 Con-

VESICATION.
Converfation, and exact Piety of Life -, And I am fo
charitable to believe, that thefe fpeak the Senfe of
moft of the reft, and that the imaginary Want of
Certainty in this dubious Point, diverts them from
venturing, on that Innocence and Purity, which was
the Glory of the Primitive Chriftian# But may it
not be requtfite to enquire, Whether thefe Doubters
have ever taken the right Way to be fatisfied ? If one
that had never heard of fuch a City as Exeter, fhould
be told, That a Friend of his lately deceafed there
had left him a Thoufand Pounds •, and he fhould re
ply, That if he were certain there were fuch a City,
he would repair thither, and yet would not enquire
of thofe that are able to inform him: Might it not
be prefumed, that fuch an one had no mind to be fa
tisfied ? And I durft appeal to the Confciences of
thefe Men that doubt of an After-retribution, whe
ther they did ever fincerely and impartially defire,
or endeavour to be fatisfied about it : Did they ever
do what every rational Man ought to do, that is wil
ling to be afcertain'd of the Truth of a common Re
port? Did they ever put themfelves to half that
Tfoouble, to be convinced ot the Certainty of a fu
ture Judgment, that- they put themfelves to, when'
they would know, whether the Title of the Eftate
they would buy, be good or no ? Do not they drudge
from Lawyer to Lawyer, to advice about the Evi
dences that relate to it? And by this we guefs that
they are willing tp be fatisfied.
To Scoff at a Motion of Weight and Moment be
fore Examination, is a great Sign of Indifcretion and
Folly in thofe that do it; whilft the prudent Man,
that defires to know the Truth of it, enquires What
Solidity there is in it : Whether any wile Men were
ever of that Opinion : What Reafon they had to think
fo : And what enticed or moved them to embrace it.
He is fo far from exclaiming againft it at the firft
Hearing, or Arraigning thofe r.hat receive it as too.
facile

"DEDICATION.
facile and credulous, that he'll confult with Men
whom he may rationally fuppofe, to be at leaft as
Wife and Learned as himfelf, and fee what Argu
ments they can alledge for it, and whether thefe Ar
guments be fatisfadpry or no ; nor would I require
more Pains and induftry in the Cafe in queftion, than
fuch an Application of Prudence, to be fatisfied in
the Truth of a future State ; and he that would thus
proceed, muft be ftrangely ftupid, if he be not con
vinced of the Verity and Rationality of it.
But when I fpeak of enquiring into the Truth of
the Notion before us, I do not mean a flight and fu-
perficial Survey of it, not a FJafh of Conception,
which, like Lightning, (to ufe Plutarch's Phrafe) dies
affoon as Born, but a ferious weighing and pondering
the Matter : For it would feem a ftrange Effect of
Arrogance and Self-conceitednefs, to undertake at
firft Sight to comprehend and refute all the Reafons
of a Point, wherein very wife Men have employed
the Contemplation and Study of many Hours, In all
Difputes, there are Topicks of greater or leffer.
Weight, and if fome of thefe pregnant Wits find
themfelves able to refel fome of - the wea.keft Argu
ments, 'tis ill Logick to infer, that therefore they can
as eafily anfwer the ftr.ongeft arid moft ponderous.
And yet this is the ufual Method whereby thefe vain
Men difcipline themfelves into Unbelief; they are
careful to pick out fuch Additional Proofs, which Men,
of Reafon fuperadd to their weightieft Obfervations,
and thefe they take the Boldnefs to cavil at, whilft
they avoid thofe more material Evidences, which
would ftagger their Underftandings, and write aMx,
ne, Mene, Tekel Upharfin, upon their Lufts and Paf-
fions : Which carelefs Difpofition, I can afcribe to
nothing fo much as want of Confideration. And in
deed, 'tis lamentable to fee Men endued with Rea
fon, fink fo much beneath it, and live the Reverfe
of ;hofe Principles, which the Supreme Architect 9f

DEDICATION.
of Heaven and Earth hath engraven on their Con-
fciences. To reduce fuch, and other finful Men, to a feri-
ous Confideration of their Spiritual Concerns, is the
chief Defign of this Work : And all I fhall requeft
of Tour Grace, is, That you will be pleafed to perufe
it fometimes at your Hours of Leifure ; not that I
pretend to have writ more, or better, on this Subject,
than far more Learned Authors have done before me ;
but as the mighty Artaxerxes accepted of a Cup of
Water from the Hand of a Peafant -, fo Tour Grace
will let the World fee, how great a Mafter you are
in the Art of Condefcenfion, by Countenancing the
Poor Prefent of,

My LORD,
Tour Grace's moft Faithful
and moft Obedient
Servant and Chaplain,
Anthony Horneck.

THE

THE
P R E F A C E.
TH E Great Foes of Religion, which have in all
Ages oppofed its Progrefs, and undermined its
Glory, are Hypocrifie and Prophanenefs. Be
tween thefe two Thieves the Jewel hangs, as its Great
Mafter on the Crofs, and they both revile it, the one un
der the Character of a familiar Friend, the other under
that of an Open Enemy. Which of thefe doth the great-
eft Harm, is fomething difficult to determine. Hypo-
crify commonly ufhers in Prophanenefs, and, as a Lad
thruft in at a Window, opens the Door to the greateft
Monfter : For there is nothing more common, than for
Men, who are not very differ ning, to contemn all Piety,
when they fee the Uackeft Crimes profecuted under that
Silken Mantle, and Men with the Temple of the Lord
in their Mouths, abufe both the Temple, and the GOD
that dwells in it. People whofe Under/landings are
weak, obferving Men to carry Daggers under their Bi
bles, and to make ufe of the nobleft Means for the worft
and bafeft Ends, are apt to think they may with Autho
rity laugh at all that's Sacred, and fancy they are excu-
fed from all Devotion, whenthey find the greateft Pre
tenders make it only a Trick to cheat the World. Whe
ther that Prophanenefs, which hath too much of late en
croached upon this Weftern World, do not owe its Ori
ginal to fuch Religious Pretences of Men, who, under
the Name of Juftice and Sanclity, have dared to do that
which Heathens would have trembled at, I leave to wi
fer Men than my felf to judge,
,  ' °nly

PREFACE.
Only I cannot but take Notice of aftrange EffeB, which
our Sermons have accidentally, as the Sun doth Snakes anu
Serpents when fhining upon unclean Dunghills, produced
in the Lives of too many, of whom we might juftly have
expetled belter Returns in Religion ; for while we have
been difcouraging them from Hypocrify, they have run
out into Debauchery ; and while we have endeavoured
to clear our Church from fuch as have but a Form of
Godlinefs, they have made our Attempt an Opportunity
to indulge themfelves in their Lufts, and thought tl>at the
Way to approve themfelves true Members of our Church,
was to drink, fwear, and be lewd, and to commit thofe
Sins openly, which the other ( may be ) did in fecret.
Excellent Sons of the Church! that, Viper-like, tear
up her Bowels, and, by a kind of Gallantry fetch'd
from Hell, rail at their Mother more than Shimei did
at David. I may be bold to affirm, That there is no
Church this Day in all the Chriftian World, that in her
DoBrine doth either encourage Real Goodnefs more, or
ftrive more to keep the Balance even, that God may
have the Things which are God'*, and Man the
Things which are Man'.r, than that we live in : Tet to
pur Sorrow we find, that while we have given People
leave to laugh at Religious Diffimulations, they have
laugh'd themfelves into Licentioufnefs ; and while they
have taken Liberty to cavil at afalfe Religion, they have
at laft learned to be averfe from all that looks like
Holinefs. This hath made me fometimes admire what
thefe Men do with their Reafon, and that they do not
prefently for fwear buying any more Pearls, becaufe fome
there are that fell Counterfeit ones for true. Strange !
They fhould, to avoid one Extreme, run into another ;
and to fhun Deceptions in Religion, run as far from it
as the Devil can miflead them. How foon might the
Folly of both Extremes be difcovered, if Men in^re but
willing to think more than they do : But while they go
on in a Road of a few outward Duties, and confider
not how unworthy »f that Church and Gofpel they live,
whofe Friends they profefs themfelves to be, no marvel if

PREFACE.
if they fright Men away from our Affemblies, and bring
Darknefs upon all the Land of Golhen.
The juft Indignation I have taken at the Injuries
cur Church fujfers from thefe Scandalous Men, hath
been, partly the Oecafion of this Treatife. For I fee,
Mens Cures lie within their own Breafts ; and that
fo many are fick unto Death, and ready to perifh, the
Reafon is, becaufe they will not refteel what unreafona-
ble Men they are ; nor reprefent to themfelves the
Wrong they do to their Souls for want of a lively Con
fideration, as will evidently appear in the enfuing Dif-
sourfe. I confefs divers Accomplijhments which render a
Book acceptable to curious Palates, fuch as are Rheto-
rick, Elegancy of Style, Fancy, Wit, and frequent
Quotations of Authors, &c. will be found wanting
here : But, as I profefs no Skill that Way, fo my De
fign was not fo much to fill Men's Heads with Noti
ons, as their Hearts with Fire. It was to engage the
Ignorant and Carelefs to a fubftantial Improvement of
their Reafon : And if what 1 have faid, can prevail
with thofe that have lived like Beafts, to recover them
felves into Men again ; I both undervalue the little Cen-
fures of Supercilious Men, and content my felf with that'
Succefs. ^We cannot all Jhine as Stars of the firsJ Mag
nitude, in the wide Firmament of the Church ; thofe
that cannot, muft give fuch Light as they are able to
difpenfe : I envy not our Eagles in Divinity, that they
fee far more than I, but thank God I fee fo much :
And while the greater Sages offer Gold and Myrrhe
and Frankincenfe, / am happy enough if I may be al
lowed to bringGozts Hair, and Badgers Skins, towards
the AqfompHJhment of 'the Tabernacle. A Critical Eye
may fpy Faults in this Free-will Offering, and I do.
not wonder at il ; for my duller Sight, now I have donex
diftovers more than I "yifh ihrre. were ir'L But m$
Difcourft

PREFACE.
Difcourfe is fitted to my End. Doing good is my In
tent ; if I fucceed not, 'tis no more but what greater
Men have failed of.

Fareweh

THE

THE
CONTENTS. CHAP. I.
THE Nature of our Souls. The eternal State they are
defign' d for. The Means God hath made ufe of to fit
Men for everlafting Blifs. All thefe Means ineffe
ctual without Confideration. Page i
CHAP. II.
Confideration, no tranfitory view of Spiritual Things ; im
ports laying the Heart and Mind clofe unto Spiritual
Concerns; refembles Magnifying-Glaffes, which difcover
Things imperceptible to the naked Eye. The great In
gredients ef a Self -Examination, Expoftulation, and
ftrong Refolution. i 5
CHAP. III.
The abfolute Neceffity of Confideration, in ord:.r to a ferious
Life: God's frequent Commands to that Purpofe. ¦ Our
Reafon and the Power of Confideration weare furnifh-
ed or endued with, proved to be given us for this end.
Without it, Men have caufe to fufpetl that their Refor
mation is Counterfeit. %9
CHAP. IV.
Of the various Impediments and Remor a' s of Confiderati
on. Men fancy greater difficulty in't than ther eis indeed.
Are continually employed about fenfual Objeffs. Loth to
part with their Sins. Ignorant of the pleafure ofConfi-
deraiion. Reflect "upon the danger of lofing their unlaw
ful Gain. Fear they fhall fall into Melancholy, or go
diftracled with fo much Serioufnefs. Are of Opinion,
that Converfion, in that fife the Scripture fpeaks of
it, is necdkfs. Mislake the Nature of Confideration. Are

The Contents.
Are difcouraged by evil Company. Negletl consulting
with Minifters about this neceffary Work. Delude
themfelves with the Notion of ChrisJ's dying for the
Sins of the World. 87
CHAP. V.
Of the various Mifchiefs arifingfrom negletl ofConfideratu
on. The want of it proved to be the Caufe of mosJ Sins.
Some Inftances are given in Atheifm, Unbelief, Swear
ing, Pride, Carelefnefs in God's Service, Lukewarm-
nefs, Covetoufnefs, &c- 204
CHAP. VI.
Of the various Advantages of ferious Confideration; 'tis
that which makes a Man Mailer of all Chriftian Duties;
it helps a Man to improve fublunary Objecls into Hea
venly Contemplations. 'Tis the great eft Support under
Affliclions ; difpofes a Man to be a Worthy Receiver of
the Lord's Supper ; prepares him for an Angelical
Life on Earth ; makes him prudent and difcreet in fe-
aflar Affairs and Bufinefs. 313
CHAP. VII.
A pathetical Exhortation to Men, who are yet ftrangers
to a ferious, religious Life, to confider their ways ; the
wilfulnefs cf their Neglect, how dangerous it is; how
inexcufeable they are, how inhumane to God and their
.own Souls -, how reafonable God's Requests are, and
how juslly God may turn that Pozver of Confideration
he hath given thetn, into blindnefs and hardnefs of heart,
fince they make fo ill Ufe of it, &c. 735
CHAP. VIII.
Of Retirement and Prayer, the t-zvo great helps' to Confi
deration. Retirement ' proved to be neceffary to make
Confideration of our Spiritual State more quick- and
lively. Prayer calls in the Affislance of God's Spirit y
and renders the Work effectual. A Form of Prayer to
be ufed upon this Oecafion. 402

CON

CONSIDERATION: THE
Nature, Ufefulncfs, and NeceJJity of it,
in order to a Serious Life.

CHAP. 1
fhe' Nature of our Souls. The Eternal State they
are defigned fof. The Means God hath made ufe
Qf to fit Mtn for dverlafiing Blifs. AU thefe
Means ineffectual without Confideration.
||HAT we afe defigned for Nobler
Employments, than Eating, and
Drinking, and Sleeping, and Playing*
and following our Trades and Bu
finefs in this World;, ( an Happinefs,
Which Beafts arrive at as well as v/e ) the great
Souls we carry in our Breafls, do evidently De-
monftrate. Thefe bejng capable of knowing
33 God,

1 The Great Laiv of
God, of delighting in him, and converfing
yyith him for ever, we may rationally fuppofe,
That thofe who fuffer the Profits and Pleasures
of this prefent World to engrofs their Affections,
go aftray and err from the great End of their
Creation. While the Athieft laughs at the Immortality of
his Soul, and the Prophane fells his better Part to
the Devil ; the Religious, who will prove the on
ly wife Man in the End, and who hath none of
thofe Clouds and Mifts, the other are troubled
with, before his Eyes, fees clearly what a Trea-
fure the bountiful Hand of Heaven hath bellowed
on him, in fhedding abroad fo Excellent, fo An
gelical a Being in his Body, a Soul that can build
her Nefi among the Stars of Heaven/ walk thro'
yonder Manfions, and tafte of the Rivers which
make glad the City of God ; a Soul which can
wing her above the Clouds, and furvey the
Crowns and Scepters laid up for thofe that dare
defpife the World, and have their Converfation
in Heaven; a Soul which can live in Paradife,
Iwhile the Body is in Trouble, and rejoice in him
who is All . in All, while the fierce Winds are
whiftling about her Ears.
The vaft Reach of thefe Souls we have ! for
they can comprehend whole Worlds, and dive
into the Caufes, Ends and Defigns of Things, and
in a Moment flie from one End of the Earth unto
the other ; their fitnefs to receive Divine Illumi
nation, their ftrong Defires after Immortality,
their fecret Adlings without the Help of a Bo
dy, their Hopes of Heaven, their Fears of Hell,
their Capacity of feeing Things to come, their
Ability

CONSIDERATION. 3
Ability to live above, their fublime Nature, their
ailing like Angels, their reflex Acts, their Ijjti^,
m&tefiality, the Addrefles God makes to them*-
the T hrfeatnings and Pfohiifes of the Gofpel, the
JDeVil's bufie Endeavours to undermine therp,
the Prefages they have^ the Joys they feel, the
Torments of Confcieihce they .endure fometimes,
all proclaim the cdrtainty of an Eternal State or
Condition they are intended for.
This Eternal State, imprinted on our Natures;
difcdveted to the Gentiles, proclaimed by the
Son. of God, preached by the Angels, confirmed
by Apoftles, revealed to Chriftians, believed in
the World, as it relates either to Blifs Or Mi
sery, to Joy or Tdfment, to Honour or Difho-*
nour'j fa how to enjoy the one and avoid the
other, muft, in all probability, be the great
Object which Gdd defigned Men's Souls fhould.
be chiefly employed acbout.
For as there cannot be a Itching of greater Mo
ment than Etefnity ; fb he muft be a Sot or a
Beaft, that can imagine^ that God ( who ever in
tends the nobldft Creatures for the nobleft Ends ) •
Will give Men leave to bufie themfelves about
picking of Straws, and pleafirig a few fenfual
Lulls, Whan he hath given them Souls capablej
hot only of labouring and feekirig after, but oh-*
taining a Kingdom which fades net aWay* and
When1 y/e fWeat, and toil, and labour to rna"ke
Provifiori for 20, 30, 40 Years, what do we' do,
but prdclaim bur Obligation to be infinitely more
concerned, hbw to provide for that State which
ftiuil never have an End? t? * AM,

^ The Great Law of
And as it was the Goodnefs and Wifdpm of
God, to make us capable of everlafting Durati
on; fo we fhould be injurious to ,both, if we did
not fuppofe, that God had ordered and appoint
ed Means, whereby it is poffible to fave our felves
from the Wrath to come. ,
He that takes a View of God's Proceedings
and Dealings with Men, ever fince the Creation
of the World, cannot but ftand amazed at the
Coft, and Labour, and Pains, and Means, and Mo
tives, and Arguments God hath ufed, to make
Men fenfible of their everlafting Intereft, and to
engage them to a ferious Preparation for that
World they muft live for ever in.
This ferious Preparation muft neceflarily be a
holy, blamelefs, fpotlefs Life; for the Means muft
ever be futable and agreeable to the Nature of the
End. And Heaven being a Holy Place, perfedt
Holinefs reigning there, it is not to be imagined
how Perfection of Holinefs can be entered upon,
without a confiderable Progrefs in Holinefs here,
no Man reaching the higheft Step of a Ladder
without the lowermoft ; and one might as well
flatter himfelf, rhat his Trade by fuch a Time will
bring him in Ten thoufand Pounds, when he is fo
far from minding his Trade, that he contrives
only how to run with others into Excefs of Riot.
Who ever hoped for a Crop of Corn without.
lowing any ? Or who ever expected Tulips fhould
grow in his Garden without planting fuch Roots
as muft produce them? The Innocence which is
above, is to compleat what is begun here j and
what Purity there is in thofe everlafting Manfi
ons, is to crown that San&ity the Soul arrived t®

CONSIDERATION. 5
to here; and the Light that fhines there, is only
to mingle with that which did- illuminate the
Soul in this lower World ; fo that if there be
no Light in our Spirits here, there can no Light
mingle with it hereafter : For God is Light, and
his Heaven is nothing elfe but Light ; and as
Light cannot mingle with Darknefs, nor Fire
With Snow; fo Holinefs hereafter can mingle
with no Soul but what comes attended with the
Light of Holinefs.
And indeed to plant this Holinefs in Men, the
Means have been fo various, fo numerous, fix po
tent before the Law, under the Law, and under
the Gofpel, that one may juftly admire the
Whole World doth not ftand Candidate for Hea
ven, and all the Inhabitants of the Earth do not
take the Kingdom of God by Violence.
Before the Law, the continual Pleadings of
the long-llv'd Patriarchs with finful Men, to
improve the Light of Nature, that Priniar of
Dignity, the many Vifions,. Revelations, Dreams,
Signs, Wonders, Voices from Heaven, the
Miniftry of Angels, God's Patience, Forbear
ance, Long-fuffering, and fometimes exempla
ry Juftice, the Examples of Holy Men, God's
Love to thofe that honoured him, arid the fig-
nal Blefiings "he beftowed on thofe that made
him their higheft and chiefeft Good; what were
all thefe but fo many Calls and 'Entreaties, that
Men would by Holinefs, prepare for a future
Happinefs? .-..>-
No fooner did- the World drop into Luxury »-
and Contempt of the ' fupreme LaW-givtr, but
God raifed'and fent .forth Preachers of Righte-
B 3 oufnefs,

6 The §reat Law of
oufnefs, to give them Notice of his Will, and their
Duty; and when allFlefh had corrupted its Way4
Noah and his Sons, in all Likelihood, became
Preachers Itinerant, who, in. thofe 120 Years,
which God allotted the Rebels for Repentance,
travelled about the habitable World, and forei-
warned every Man, and bid them by Prayer, W
ferious turning to God, fecure his Favour here),
and his more neceffary Mercy hereafter. And
fo after the Flood, when Vice and Folly had
made Men forget fhe ftupendous Deluge the
Almighty had fent on their Fathers to cool their
Jiellifh Lufts; Abraham is fet up as a Mark of G od^
Love and Bounty, and on him are conferred both
the upper and neather Springs of Mercy, {hat by
his pious Example, the Vicious Generation might
be recalled from their evil Ways, and perfwa'ded
into ferious Thoughts of another World, and fo
on till Mofes his Time: In a Word, in Abraham's
Pofterity were fuch Wonders wrought, as were
enough, had not Men fhut their feyes, to engage
them to all that Striftnefs and Circumfpe&iori,
which Heaven and a better Life requires.
,Under the Law, God was fo -far from being
weary of ufing Me^ns, and taking Pains with
Men in order to this End, that he feemed to have
referved thofe Ages for larger and fuller Dempn-
flrations of Hs Power and Munificence ; and if
the People of Lyfira had any Ground for their
Exclamation, the Jews had far greater Reafon to
Aas 1 cry out' ^^at ^°^ waS come down to
them in the Likenefs of Men. For
while other Countries were left in Darknefs, and
like Moles, fuffered to wander in the Shadow and
¦^ -'•'•* VV "*' •'"' 'Valley

CONSIDERATION. 7
Valley of Death, they, as if they had been made
of purer Clay, feemedto be the Darlings of Pro
vidence, and the Favourites of Heaven. Hea
ven bowed to them, and under its Protection
they Wenty as under a Canopy of State, and
might with greater Reafon than the Sultan, have
challenged that lofty Title, The Shadow of God;
and with that Perfian Emperor, ftiled them
felves, Kinfmen of the Stars. Their Eyes faw
Miracles a'lmoft every Day ; and with their dai
ly Bread they received daily Prodigies. Six hun
dred thoufand Men faw the Red Sea divi-
ded. They faw how with the Blaft of God's
•Noftrils, the Waters were gathered together,
how the Floods ftood upright as an Heap, and
the Depths were congealed in the Heart of the
Sea. The Enemy faid, I will purfue, I will over
take, I will divide the Spoil ; my Lull fhall be
fatisfied upon them, I will draw my Sword, my
Hand fhall deftroy them. But the Almighty
blew with his Wind, the Sea covered them, they
funk as Lead in the mighty Waters.
This the Hebrews faw, They faw it and rebel
led; and yet, which was the greater Miracle, in
the midft of their Rebellion, God, like the Sun,
when fmiling through a Cloud, fhewed them a
merciful Face; not that he approved of their Im
piety,, but becaufe by thefe Beams he would
warm their Hearts into Obedience. Their Blef-
fings came down upon them, not in Drops, but
in Showers; and their Profperity, like the Cinna
mon-tree, was fo fragrant, that Strangers might
fmell it a great Way off, before they faw it;:
The Waters .of Life were cpntinually flowing
• B 4 into

8 The Great Law of
into their Bofoms ; and tho' God now and then;
frowned upon them, ( what Father would not
fometimes chide his Son) yet his Indignation^
which, like Flints, fent out Fire, upon their pei
nitential Tears, ftraight-way returned to its for
mer coldnefs. The Rocks poured them out Ri
vers of Oil, they wafhed their Feet in Butter,
and one might fay of their Land, as * he
*/f*Sy" of the Ifle of Rhodes, They were ^ bleffed.
with a continual Sun-Jhine. Their Fro-?
phets, what mighty, what powerful Men were
they? Men that, like Lamps, confumed their
own Oil, to light their Auditors to Heaven ; or,
like Silk- worms, fpun out their own Bowels, to
deck their Hearers with Garments of Righteouf^
nefs. Where Words could not prevail, Tears
were the Means to fupple and affect them ; and,
it feems, -j- There is ?ichfif anger Rhetorick
in the World than thefe. Here one Pro
phet fpoke like an Orator, there another like a
Logician. Here one endeavoured by Eloquence
to charm them, there another by clear Reafon tp
convince them. Here one threatned, there ano
ther prohifed. Here one wooed, there another
f hundred. Here one came with a Scepter of Love,
there another with a Trumpet of War. Here one
called to them from Mount Ebal, there another
from Mount Gerizim. Here one adjured them
by the Bleffings of the Basket and the Stores there
another by the Fruit of their Bodies, and die
Fruit of their Ground. Here one made them
feel the Fiery Law, there another invited them
by Wine and Milk without Money, and without
Price. Here one -fhewed them the Bread and
Water

CONSIDERATION. 9
Water of AfiftiBidn, there another opened Ri
vers in high Places, and Fountains in the midfi of
Vallies. Here one offered his Hand to fave them,
there another made bare his Arm of Revenge.
Here one offered an Ark to thofe that defired
Mercy, there another rained down Floods of Cur-
fes to drown the Obftinate. Here one reprefent-
ed G OD with his Sword drawn, A _
Smoak going up out of his Nofirils, and
devouring Fire out of his Mouth ; there another
followed Sinners to the very Gates of Hell, with
Offers of Mercy in his Hand ; and while Venge
ance was knocking at the Door, and the Sword
was at their Hearts, called to them, Turn ye,
turn ye, why will ye Dye ? And what was all
this, but to lay invincible Obligations on Men to
reform, and, by Reformation of their Lives, to
arrive at laft at thztHarbour ofBlifs and Immor
tality, which the great Preferver of Men hatfi
prepared for thofe that fear him.
Under the Gofpel, to fhew that this wottld be
the very laft Method to perfwade and engage
Men to Holinefs, the Son of God himfelf comes
down from Heaven, and turns Preacher. A Glo
rious Scene I To fee him, who, being, in the Forth
of God, thought it no Robbery to be equal with
God, defcend from his Bed of State, and fink
from the higheft Magnificence, into the Form
of a Servant : What could the Angels think, to
fee the Prince of Life take his Leave of the
Beatifkk Regions, to difguife himfelf in Flefh,
and dwell with Dufl and Afhes ? What was faid,
Gen. 18. 2 1. of God figuratively, / will go down
now and fie, whether they have done according t$

io The Great Law of
to all the Evil that is come up to me, was now
made good according to the Letter; and God,
who in Times paft, in divers Manners fpake unto
the Fathers of old, at laft fpake by his Son.
The Men to whom his former Meflages were
fent, having beaten fome of his Servants, and
ftoned and murdered others, the Everlafiing
Father thought, Surely they will reverence my
Son. Indeed nothing lefs could be expected, than
that the Heir of all Things, by his Greatnefs and
Divinity, fhould ftrike them into the humbleft
Poftures of Repentance ; efpecially coming la-*
den with the Olive-leaves of Grace and Mercy,
and Pardon in his Mouth. Behold, the Defire
of all Nations comes, and He that commands all
the Powers of Light and Darknefs, appears in a
Pulpit. He, by whom the Worlds were made,
leaves the Brightnefs of his Father's Glory, to tell
Men what a Monfter Sin is, how odious, how
loathfomin the Eyes of God: how lovely, how
amiable, how beautiful the Ways of God are j
confirms the Sayings of all the Prophets :of old,
affures Men, ( and certainly he could not tell a
Lye ) that all thofe Meflengers of old were in the
Right, when they profeffed, That Iniquity would
be Mens Ruine,, and that at yonder Gate ho un
clean Thing fhould enter, and that God muft be
preferred before all the Riches, Honours and
Pleafures of this World : A Favour for which we
want Expreffion, and which we muft draw a
Veil over, as Timanthes the Painter did over the
Face of Iphigenia's Father, becaufe we cannot
reach it with our Colours ; it is a Love which
paffes Knowledge; it furmounts the brightefl under-

CONSIDERATION. u
pnderftanding. We fee it gliftering on the Mount
of God, and it leaves us in the Vale gazing, and
flaring upon it, as a Thing which Mortality can
jfhewno Refemblanceof j it ftrikes dumb; itda-
zles the Eyes, it fufpends our Reafpn, binds the
Faculties of an inquiiitive Soul, and fills ^11 the
Channels of it with Admiration. If a King fhould
fend a Meffenger with a Pardon to a Malefactor
that's ready to be turned off the Ladder, there
is no Man but a Stranger to Pity and Compaffion,
but would fpe^k in Commendation of the Royal
Mercy; but mould the King himfelf approach
the Place of, Execution, and abfolve him, it is
like the unexpected Bqunry wquld caft the Ma
lefactor into a Swoon. And then, when the Great
pod of Heaven and Earth made his Favour ec-r
ftatical, went out of the common Road of Mer
cy, ftept beyond all Precedents and Examples,
encreafed his Kindnefs into perfed Miracles,
Miracles which the Ages before cannot parallel,
and file Son of God made his Way through all
jhe Clouds of Heaven, to tell Men how God
longed fpr their Society and Happinefs ; we can
not fuppofe a Poffibility of greater Condefcen-
jion. And that which flill increafes the Won
der, this Son of God intreats, "wooes, and be-
feeches Men to bethink themfelves, and drefs
up their Souls for the next World's Glory. He
that might have come ( as one Day moft certainly
he will ) with Flames of Fire, and taken Ven
geance, on the obftinate, and terrified and ftartled
diem into Serioufhefs, and might, without a Me
taphor, as it is Pfal. 45) 3. have girded his Sword
upon his Thigh, and looked ftera on the Re
bels,

ti The Great Law of
bels, that would not have him reign over them,
dnd frowned thdm into Hell : That this Son of
God, this Sovereign Prince, whom all the Ele^-
Jhents ferve, at Whofe Command the Waters
drown, and the Fire burns, and the Earth
fwallows up, that he fhould Come, and draw
near the City, "arid inftead of confuming^weep
over it, as if he meant to quench the Fire of
God's Indignation againft it; and inftead of
dooming it outright to Eternal Vengeance, wifh,
O that thou hadft known in this thy Day what be
longs unto thy Peace! Call like a tender compani
onate Father, plow vft would I have gathered you
as a Hen doth gather her Chickens under her
Wings, and ye would not? That he fhould bear Af
fronts, and m the midft of thofe Injuries, entreat
Men to be reconciled to him,* and feekfor a Par?
don! That he fhould make nothing of being flan-
dered, fo he might butWhi, them to Repentance ;
be content to undergo Reproaches, fo he might
but allure them to God's Ways; fuffer himfelf to
be abufed, fo. he might but undeceive them in
their flrong Delufions; bear with their peevJfe
nefs and frowardnefs, fo he might but perfwade
them to mind- theirEternal Intereft. That like
his Apoftle afterward, tho' free from all Mfen, he
fhduld yet make himfelf a Servant to all,, that
he might gain the more; unto the Jews become
as a Jew, that he might gain the Jews-, to them
that are under the Law, as under the Law, that
he might gain them that are under the Law ; to
them that are without Law, as without Law,
being not without Law to God, that he might
gain them that^re without Law; to the weak, bfip

CONSIDERATION. ig
become as weak, that he might gain. the wea{$:,
and be made all Things to all Men, that he might
by all Means fave fome; that he fhould conjure
M^nkjnd by Tears, ^nd Wounds,, and his own
Blood, by thofe very Torments and Agonies he
endured for thejRi, to have Mercy on themfelves ;
to take a View, of .the burning Lake beneath, and
run away? to }ppk upon the Joys above, and
be ravifhed with the Sight! That he fhould court
them by the fweeteft Invitations, and the kindeft
Calls; by the greateft Offers, and; the fofteft
Promifes; Promifes of Affiftance, and of his
Holy Spirit, of Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghoft,
and fea'l his ftrong Defires and Longings after
their Holinefs,, with his own Death; and after
his Death, being rifen ^gain, fend Apoftles, and
whole Armies of Corifeflbrs and Martyrs to efta-
blifh thofe' Defires, ordain a Function of Men,
that rnight preach thofe Defires' in Men's Ears to
the World's End; this indeed is a, Condefcenfion
which the great miniflring Spirits in Heaven
ftand amazed at, and may juftly be looked upon
to be one of thofe Things the Angels defire to pry
into. By fuch aftonifhing Means hath the great Ipi-
mprtal God endeavoured to effecl: that Holinefs
in Men, that Serioufnefs, that Piety, that Ltear-
venly-mindednefs, which he hath appointed to
be the only Way to endlefs Blifs. Glorious
Means indeed! But then they are no more but
Pearls thrown before Swine, where Men confi
der not how far they are concerned in the Hea
venly Call; and what can be the Meaning of all
thefe Arts and Stratagems of Divine Compaffi- on

i4 ibe Great Law of
on, and what fhould make God thus felicitous
and careful to procure Man's, Happinefs ; and
how dreadful it muft be id neglect fo great Sal
vation- and God defigns by allthis; and what
the Intent of thefe unufual Ehd&lvours muft be;
whether Things are fo, or no; and if they be fo,-
what monftrouS Stupidity it muft be to lie ftill,'
and fleep urider fuch ftrong and powerful Invi
tations ; to lay all this Labour and Induftry,
and indefatigable Pains of God before the Eyes
of Men, whcri they will not fix their Contem
plations Oil the Remedies intended for their Re
covery; what is it but to make a Learned Orati
on to a Flock of Sheep ; and, With the Popifh
St. Francis, to addrefs our felves to Falcons and
Pheafants, and other Birds; or, with him in
Sulpitiui Sev&rus, to fpeak to Wolves^ to talk to
a blind Man of Colours, to difcourfe Mathema-
ticks to one in a Fever, and to prepare Elixirs
and Cordials for Men deprived of Life arid Senfe?
Without Confideration; We have little but Shape
and Speech left us to diftingiiifh from Beafts;
and God clearly lofes the Virtue of his Exhorta
tions and Entreaties, except Confideration fets
them Home, digefts and applies tbem to the
Soul, and the inward Thoughts, like Sun-beams
in a Burning-Glafs, unite and continue fo long
upon thefe Spiritual Obje&s, till they fet the
Heart oh Fire,

CjlAF;

CONSIDERATION. ij

CHAP. It
Confideration no tranfitory Fieiv of Spiritual
Things ; imports laying the Heart and Mind
clofely unto Spiriual Concerns; refiembles
Magnifying Gia fes, which difcover Things Im-
- practicable by the naked Eye. The great In
gredients of a Self-Examination, Expofiulati-
on, and firong Refolution. $*<y".-s
OW Confideration, Thinking, PondeHng;
Meditation, Contemplation, do differ, is
not Material to enquire. Confideration includes
all thefe, and is nothing but exercifing and im
proving that Rational Faculty the great Architect
hath bellowed on us, to the Glory of God, and
the Felicity of our immortal Souls. The Chara
cter St. Bernard gives of it, may help to illu-
ftrate this Defcription : // difiinguifheih ( faith
he ) Things confufed, colleSleth fuch as lie dif-
perfed ; fearches and dives into fuch as are 'con
cealed and hid, examines Probabilities, refieBs
upon what is done, refiohes what to do,, and pref-
fes towards the Mark, for the Prize of the High
Calling of God in Chrifi Jefus.
The School-men are in the Right, when they
call it, Employing the whole Under/landing about
a Thing ; for indeed, a Flafh of Thinking is
no more Confideration than a few wandring
-Sparks can be faid to Warm a fpacious Room :
As well may a Man hope to fet a Mill a going, by

1 6 The Qreat Law of
by fprinkling fome Drops upon the Wheels, as
imagine that a few tranfient Thoughts will re
form the Soul: And as 'in cold Weather Men
do not get themfelves. a Heat by a ftep or Two,
but by fuch Exercifes as put the Body into vio
lent Motion; fo neither will a carelefs Thoughi;
now and then heat the Heart within : But Con
fideration, which puts the Soul into a flrong and
vigorous Motion pr Agitation, is that which
muft kindle the Holy Fire, and fhed abroad
Life in all die Faculties of the inward Man.
Not to mention here that the Word was origi
nally ufed to exprefs the Induftry of Aftronomers,
who, by diligent Contemplation, and Obfervati-
on of the Stars, their Motion, Pofition, Conjun
ction, Influences, &c. gave a Judgment of the fe
veral Phenomena, or Appearances they met with
al, from whence it was afterwards applied to
Men, who ferioufly and attentively ponder Things
033^? yytif Moment, whether Civil or
ODD T1 *""?!? Sacred; The Scripture uftially
expreffes it, by laying our Hearts
¦- gSM '' 5' 7' clofe to our Ways, as if it were
with Confideration, as it is with Men's liftning
to a confufed Noife, and laying their Ear clofe
to a Wall, with Defign to get a more diflinQ;
Knowledge of it.
And indeed, without Confideration, Eternal
Life, and our Duties in order to it, appear no
very great Attractive. Confideration clears up
thofe Notions, difpels the Clouds and Mills that,
dwell upon our Reafon, wipes away the Duft»
difcovers unknown Worlds, and makes even
fuch Things as were vulgar and obvious before look

CONSIDERATION. 17
iopk with. a .new Face, they being found, upon
Confideration, Things of greater Confequence,
of greater Comfort, of greater Neceffity, of
greater Virtue ,and Efficacy, than before they
were believed to be. So have I feen. an old
Picture thrown by, and buried amongft Rub-
bifh, which afterwards being wafhed, hath pro
ved to be a coftly Original, done by a curious
¦Hand ; and that which at firft, while fullied with
Dirt and Duft, was worth nothing, hath appear
ed to be of extraordinary Value. Confideration
isthatSpunge that wafhes the beautiful Picture
of Grace and Glory, and now the curious Lines
appear, the lively Strokes of our Great Mafter 's
Hand are feen, the fweeter Lineaments difcover
themfelves, and make the Soul enamour'd with
the Spectacle*
. It is much with Confideration, : as it is with
,Microfeppes and Magnifying-Glaffes. What
.contemptible Creatures do fome little Animals,
and fmaller Sorts of Plants appear, while beheld
with our naked Eye, but viewed through Di-
optrical-Glaffes, what curious Fabricks do we
fpy ? How inconfiderable an Infect is a Gnat %
How defpicable a Creature is a Mite ? Yet he
that through fuch Glaffes beholds in them all
the Perfections of the largeft Animals, the Mul
tiplicity of their Parts, the Variety of their Mo
tions, and how curioufly every Limb is wrought,
how Mathematically all their little Members are
framed and fet together, Cannot but like Ca/^
the great Phyfician, wonder at the Spe
ctacle, and break forth into Admiration of the
immenfe Wifdom of their Maker. Who would
C believe

1 8 The Great Law of
believe there lhould be Plumes of Feathers in
the painted Wings. of a Butterfly? Who would
fufpeCt fuch Things as Needles, or fharp tranf-
parent Pikes in a Nettle Leaf, or think that any
glittering drawn Swords and Daggers fhould be
found there ? Who would take an Atom of
Quick-filver to be a Globular. Looking-Glafs?
6r the Sand we throw upon Paper to be like
Fragments of Chryflal, or Lumps of Ahum? Yet
through fuch Glaffes, thefe Objects appear with
a different Shape from what they did before. :
Confideration is that Glafs which reprefents
Spiritual Objects in other Colours, than before
were obferved and detected in them. Sin that
looked but with a faint Red before, through
this Glafs, appears all Scarlet and Crimfon. God?s
Laws which before were hardly regarded fo
much as humane Injunctions, through this
Glafs appear fo beautiful, fo rational,, fo wife,
fo wonderful, fo fuiting to an intelligent Nature,
that a Man with David cannot hold, but muft
cry out, O how I- love, thy Law ! it is my Medi
tation all the Day ! L have feen an. End of all
Perfection, but thy Commandment is exceeding
broad. The New Jerufalem which looked but
like an ordinary Building before; when viewed
thro' this Glafs, the Towers and. Bulwarks of it
are feen glittering afar off, the Pearls and Pre
cious Stones it is paved withal fhine. with more
than ordinary Luftre; and that which looked
but dull and weak before, now dalles the Spe
ctators Eyes with its oriental Brightnefs. Till
Confideration came in, the Prodigal faw little.
He heard Men talk of die Beauty of God's Ways; but

CONSIDERATION. 19
but alas ! he faw no fuch Thing : To him they
looked as the Ways of Sion, rugged, uneven, and
unfrequented ; and the Fruits of the Spirit ap
peared dnpleafant, and ill-tafted, fitter for the
Rabble, and fcum of Mankind, than Men of a
brifk airy Temper: But he no fooner Opens the
Window, and lets in thefe Beams of Confidera
tion, but all thofe Fancies, as Witches at the
Name of Jefius^ vanifh, and he is wrapt into that
high Efteem of the Ways of God, that he prefers
being but a Door-keeper in the Houfe of God,
before the Office of Grand Fifief at the Court of
Ahafuerus. But this will further appear, if we enquire into
the effential Parts, or neceffary Ingredients of
thefe Spiritual Opticks. Confideration, as it is the
Sun that enlightens this Microcofm, Man, and ir
radiates the benighted Faculties of the Soul, fo
that it may have this Virtue, there is required (and
it cannot be Confideration without it ) Self-exa
mination, Expoftulation, and ftrong Refolutions.
I. Self -Examination. That Man who examines
not his Spiritual State or Condition, Whether
he is that Sinner that fhall be everlaftingly mi-
ferable ? Whether the Threatnings of the Gof
pel concern him ? Whether he finds thofe Qua
lifications in himfelf, which the Son of God re
quires of all that fhall be Heirs of Glory ? Whe
ther he feels thofe Things in his Soul, which Men
that have a Title to the great Inheritance are
fenfible of? And whether he walks in that
ftreight Way, and ftrives to enter in at that
narrow Gate iJie Holy Ghoft doth fpeak of?
Ca He

io The Great Law of
He that, with Gallio, cares for none of thefe
Things, is fo far from confidering, that he doth
not believe the Immortality of his Soul, or ano
ther World. For were his Heart feafoned with
a found Belief of that future State, he could not
but enter into his Clofet and refleCl : In this
Bible, in this Book, which I do believe contains
the Oracles of God, and his peremptory Will
concerning the Salvation of Men, I find flub-
born, carelefs, unconverted Sinners, adjudged to
Eternal Torments ; I find God proteft, he will
know none in the laft Day, fo as to fhew them
Favour, but fuch as dare deny themfelves for
Heaven, and heartily endeavour to do the Will
of their Father which is in Heaven ; I find God
fwear, that Men who prefer their Farms, and
Oxen, and fecular Concerns, before his Injun
ctions and Commands, fhall never tafte of the
great Supper of the Lamb.
Am I one of thefe flubborn, unconverted,
carelefs Men, or no ? Why fhould I be afraid to
afk fuch a Queftion, when there is no lefs than
Eternity in the Cafe? I ahi not afraid to look into
my Account-Book, to know what my Debts are,
and what is owing to me; whether I am behind,
or before-hand in the World; whether I thrive
or decay; whether I get or lofe? And fhall I
be afraid to know, whether I am a wife Man,
or a Fool ; a Friend, or an Enemy of God ; a
Favourite, or a Reprobate ; Whether the Por
tion of Lazarus, or the Lot of Dives, will fall
to my Share ? Lord, when I hear, and read, that
Men who are S.trangers to Righteoufnefs arid
Holinefs, fhall be tormented wyjth Fire which is

CONSIDERATION. 21
is not quenched, is it not worth, is it not jufb
is it not reafonable, I fhould afk, whether I am
not that Man ? If I am none of this Number,
What means the Meeting of Sheep, and
the lowing of Oxen in mine Ears ? ,\ '"
What means my Earthly-minded-
nefs? What means my living in wilful Contempt
of fb many Commands of the Son of God ? I
take no Pains to be faved; fome little Forma
lities and Compliments of Religion ferve my
Turn, and fatisfie my Confcience. I can put off
the Great GOD of Heaven with the World's
Leavings, and throw him a dull, heartlefs Pray
er at Night, when I have been wallowing in Sin
all Day. I am for no Devotion that is either ex
penfive or troublefome to Flefh and Blood, and
fuch Ejaculations as do not moleft me in my
Pleafures, and as my Flefh can eafily fpare, with
out any Detriment in its Satisfaction, I am wil
ling to lay upon God's Altar. I feel little or no
Sorrow for Sin, no Remorfe, no CompunClions,
when I offend a Gracious God. A Temporal
Advantage affeCts and revives me more than all
the Joys of Heaven. I live more by Senfe than
by Faith: My fenfitive Appetite is the ruling
Faculty in my inward Man, and my Will is
left unguided and unregarded to the Rapes of
fenfual Pleafure ; I let the Hedge lie open, and
the wild Boar out of the Wood may come in,
and the wild Beafts of the Field ; I mean, my
Lufts may do with me what they pleafe. I take
no Care to rule or mafter them. My Lufts,
like ill-bred Children, muft have all the Toys
they cry for; and if at any Time I do not fatif-
C 3 fie

11 The Great Law of
fie them, it is becaufe I cannot, or dare not ;
and it is not Love to Self-denial, but Force, or
Shame, or Carnal Intereft, makes me crofs their
Eagernefs and Importunity. If I do fometimes
refolve to leave either my groffer Vices, or my
more fecret Iniquities, the next Company or
Divertifement takes me off again ; and I make
no more of breaking my folemn Promifes of bet
ter Obedience, than if God were a mere Stock or
Stone, that takes no Notice of Affronts and In
juries. Self-denial I am fo great a Stranger tox
that I know not what it means. The Graces and
Fruits of God's Spirit, Love, Joy, Peace, Good
nefs, Faith, Temperance, Meeknefi, Patience,
Long-fuffering, have fo little of my Defires and
AffeCtions, that I think it but Time and Labour
loft to bethink my felf how to be Mafter of any
of them. Why fhould I flatter and deceive my
felf ? Why fhould I footh my felf into kind
Thoughts of my Condition, that is fo apparendy
dangerous ? Thus it is with me, why fhould I de
ny it ? Why fhould I call Light Darknefs, and
Darknefs Light ; put bitter for fweet, and fweet
for bitter ? Whom do I cheat all this While ? Is it
not my own Soul! And what fhall I gain by it in
the End? Shall I think my felf fufficiently Holy,
when I am fo little acquainted with the firft Rudi
ments of Holinefs ? Shall I think my felf a Child
of God, when that which I do is fitter for a Child,
of the Devil than a Favourite of Heaven ? Re-.
pentance, or turning to God, which the Holy
Ghoft doth fo often, and with that Vehemence
and Earneftnefs inculcate, implies an univerfal
Change of myDifpofition and Inclinations. And
where

CONSIDERATION. 13
where is that Alteration, that Renovation of the
Mind, Will,* and AffeCtions ? My AffeCtions are
carried out after Froth and Smoke, as much as
ever. My Love is fet on Trifles, and is regardlefs
of the higheft and chiefeft Good as much as ever.
I hate Serioufnefs, and delight in childifh imper
tinent Gayeties as much as ever. The Promifes
of the Gofpel are as inconfiderable in my Eyes,
and the Riches of this World as glorious and ra-
vifhing as ever ;'and I can difpence with the want
of Spiritual Cbnfolations, while I have but my.
Share in thefe outward Comforts • I think it fuf
ficient that I am baptized and wafhed in the La-
ver of Regeneration, but do not mind, whether
I am a new Creature: The Holy Water indeed
was fprinkled upon me, but I am ftill in the Gall
of Bitternefs, and Bond of Iniquity. It is evi
dent by my Actions, that I have driven away,
and quenched that Holy Spirit which was given
me in Baptifm, and yet I ftudy not how to re
cover it; and what will be the End of thefe
Things ? That Spirit is a Spirit of Holinefs, and
till Holinefs returns to my Soul, that Spirit will
not return. Wo unto me ! My Feet run in the
Ways of DeftruCtion, and my Eyes are dazled
with eternal Pomp and Grandeur as much as
ever. An amorous Song is more pleating to
me, than the moft harmonious Pfalm. The
Word of God is but a dead Letter to me, while
a Romance, or a Book that treats of Folly and
Vanity, tranfports me into more than ordinary
content and Satisfaction : And what I mufi Eat,
and what I mufi Drink, and wherewithall I
flail be cloathed; are Queftions I have far
C 4 greater

$4 The- Great Law of
greater Defire to be refolved in, than to knoW
what I muft do to pleafe God, and to be happy
for ever. If I have made light of the Thunders;
andThreatningscf £fn^z«r, Idofo ftill. May
be when God fmites me, I feek him, and return,
and enquire early after God, and remember that.
God is my Rock, and theHigbGod myRedeemw
er; but the Rod is no fooneroff my Back but I
return with the Swine to the Mire, and with the
Dog to the Vomit: Which fhews, that in my
Affliction I do but flatter God with, my Mouth,
and lie unto him with my Tongue, that my
Heart is not right with him, and that I am not
ftedfaft in his Covenant. How am I forced
fometimes to invent Evafions, .caber that it isi
enough to believe with the Crowd ; or that God'
will not be fo cruel, as to damn ail Men that.arer
unfanCtified ; or that if I fhould begin a good
Life, I fhould never hold out; or that if Seriouf-
nefs were fo neceffary, fo many learned Men
would not have fo great an Averfion for it;.
How often am I ready to yield to Athieftica!
Suggeftions, that either my Soul dies with my
Body, or that God takes no Notice of what
we do below ; or that there may be no Life to
come; or that Religion may be nothing but a
Trick. Horrid Thoughts! Yet what will not
a Sinner do, or confent to, fo he may but be let
alone in his finful Sport and Pleasures? My
outward Man may be hath fome Sparklings of
Piety; but how foul, how fordid is my Soul?
How little do I ftrive to be rid of vain, un
clean, and luftful Thoughts ? How eafily do I
yield unto a pleafing Temptation ? The Devil need

C ON S I DE R AT I O N. 1$
need take no great Pains to feduce me ; for if
he do but beckon, I make hafle and run. How
loth am I to refifl an evil Motion ? How loth.
to conquer ? Plow loth to break my League with
Hell ?' What an AvetfiPn have I for the feverer
Duties of Religion ? How fopn am L weary of
pious Exercifes ? I do not abate one Luft, not one
Pleafure, for Heaveri's Sake. If I know that eat
ing a plentiful Dinner on Sundays, will make me
fleep at Church, I have no Courage to forbear fo
much as a Meal for God; What did I ever do
that looked like feeking a Heavenly Country ? I
read of good Examples, but they move me not j
I fee how eircumfpeCtly other Men walk, and.
yet I feel no Fire. When I am called upon by my;
own Confcience to lofe no more Time, I ftifle
thofe Checks. Ah ! how doth that faithful Wit-
nefs within me fometimes, plead with me, and bid
me confider what I do, and what a ftrange Adven
ture I make, and who will have the Lofs of it in
the End, and how hard a Matter it will be to re
call me when I am once 1q$? But I am deaf to
thefe friendly Calls. It tells me, I lie in a dange
rous Ditch, and that I am not in the right Way*
and prompts me to vomit up the Poifon I have
fwalfowed; but I will not be perfwaded that I
am in a State of Condemnation. Tho' grey Hairs
are upon me, and tho' the Marks of God's Wrath
againft me appear in my Soul, yet I had rather
believe any Thing, than believe that God is angry
with me. God's Spirit many Times prompts me
to that which is good, but I run away from
him. I fee the Vanity of this World, and yet
I dote on it; I am difappointed in my Expecta

tions

16 The Great Law of
tions of earthly Felicity, and yet this doth not
drive me to Heaven to feek a better. I have a
Soul defcended from above, a Soul that can foar
above Senfe, and Flefh; a Soul capable of the
nobleft Operations, fitted for the greatefl and
moft Spiritual Employments : But I let that
mighty Intellectual Fire go out : I fuffer that
Light to be clouded and darkned, by following
the Dictates of a fenfual Appetite : I take no
Care to fubdue my unruly Paffions; Good Lord !
how do they tranfport me upon all Occafions ?
If this be not to difhonour God, to defpife him,
to mock his Threatnings, to undervalue his
Promifes, to labour after my Ruine, to flight
the Offers of Grace and Mercy, I underftand;
nothing. O dreadful ! that a Creature, as I
am, fhould have a Soul to look after, and
mind it no more ! An everlafting Empire to gain,
and make no more matter of it ! Endlefs Tor
ments to fhun, and be no more afraid- ! Eternal
Wrath and Indignation to avoid, and be no
more concerned ! Rivers - of Joy to inherit, and
fpeak and think of it fo little! My Confcience
blufhes at my Wilfulnefs, and yet I walk in die
Light of mine own Fire, and in the Sparks that I
have kindled. And muft 1 1 perifh thus tamely ?
Muft I be loft after all the Intreaties of my Ma
ker ? Muft utter Darknefs be my Habitation ?
and the bottomlefs Gulph my Dwelling place ?
Tell not me, vain Heart, that I am fafe enough;
Can I be fafe without the Favour of God ? Can
I be happy, without having my Name written
in the Book of Life ? GotelLa-Man, that he
may fafely fleep on the Pinacle of a Steeple in a
Storm.

CONSIDERATION. iq
Storm. Go tell him, that he may fafely walk like
Queen Emma, upon Plow-fhares glowing hot.
Tell him that he may fafely let a Viper bite him.
Tell him that he may fafely play with a Croco
dile. Tell him, that he may fafely walk with
Peter on the Water, and try whether thou canft
perfwade him ; and wilt thou delude me, that I
need fear no Danger when God-defpifes me ?
What do I do? If I have preferred my fecuiar
Intereft hefore God's Honour and Glory, I do
fo ftill. If I have feared Men more than God, I do
fo ftilh If I have been loth to do Good with
the Temporal Bleffings God hath conferred up
on me, I am fo ftill. And what Sins I leave, it
is more becaufe I have no Inclination to them,
or becaufe I am afraid they will fpoil and blemifh
my Reputation in the World, *han becaufe I
love that God who made me, and hath obliged
me by a Thoufand Favours to efteem and prize
him above all. And is this the Coat of the
Sons of God ? Is this the Livery of a Chriftian
indeed? Is this done like a Man that lives upon
God's Bounty, is fed !by his Charity, - fupported
by his Alms, and maintained from- his Store-
houfe, and cannot fubfift one Moment without
his Concurrence, and hath not a abetter Friend
in all the World than him, who is the Fountain
of Living Waters ? Who can believe this ?
What Man that underftands any Thing, can
think well of this Condition ? Will it cure my
Difeafe, to believe that I have it not ? Will
believing that I am not in Prifon, bring me out
of it? What if I was never in Heaven ? What
if I never faw the Book of Life? What if I
never

28 The Great Law of
never viewed the Lift of thofe that fhall be
damned, and thofe that fhall be faved ? Doth
not the Word of God tell me who they are that
fhall be happy, and who fhall be miferable ?
And if the Marks of thofe that fhall feel his e-
verlafling Wrath are upon me, have not I Reafon
tp look. about me, and feek more diligently after
Grace than ever I have done ? Confideration, one
great Defign; of it being to know how the Cafe
ftands between God and our own Souls ; fuch a
Self-examination muft of neceffity be the Corner-
ftone of this Spiritual Building; and comparing
our Lives with the Rules of -the Gofpel, and the
proper Characters of fuch- as are in a likely Way
to enjoy God for ever, may juftly challenge the
firft Seal in this intellectual Paradife. But then,
as building of a ftately Gate, without a Houfe
anfwerable to it, doth but expofe the Builder to
Derifion and Contempt; fo Self-examination,
without a ferious Expoftulation with our own
Hearts, is but to make the Accufer of our Bre-.
thren laugh at our yain Attempts; and God fcorns
the Endeavour that could be crufhed in the Bud,
and tired before half its Race is run.
II. Expofiulation roufes the Soul from her
Slumber, and drives it away from the foft Down
it would have refted and repofed itfelf upon,
and gives the firft Blow ( for Self-Examination
only threatens it ) to that Tree of Death, I mean
the reigning Power of Sin; and I fee not how Sin
can Ihelter itfelf any longer, or what Excufes it
can make for its Stay and Continuance, where the
Soul doth fummon it to appear before the Bar of
Con-

CONSIDERATION. 29
Gonfcience, and enters into fuch Reafoning and
Interrogations as thefe : Are thefe Things fo, and
do I ftand trifling with my Salvation ? Am I in
danger of everlafting Flames, and do I lie play
ing in the Suburbs of ;DeftruCtion ? Hannibal is
at the Gate, and do not I run to my Arms ? The
Philifiines are upon thee, Samfion, and doft thou
lie ftill ? The Deluge is coming, and do I talk
of Marrying, and giving in Marriage? I fee the
Waters rife, and come up to my Ankles, to my
Knees, to my Loyns, to my Neck, and am not
I frighted? OLord! The Snares of Death in-
compafs me, and the Pains of Hell are ready to
lay hold of me I Either I believe an Eternity of
Torments, that fhall attend a carelefs finful Life,
or I do not ; if not, why dare not I profefs my
Denial ? Why do I play the Hypocrite, and
make the World think I do believe it ? What is
the Reafon that I cannot fhake off the Fears of
it if I would never fo fain ? Why does fame-
thing within me check me when I would be fo
prophane as to deny it ? Can I ever be ferious,
and not believe it ? But then if I believe it, what
a Mad-man am I to loiter, when the Candle I
am allowed to work by is almoft burnt out, and
¦I know not how foon it may pleafe my Great
Mafter to extinguifh it? Do I lead a Life
which is the readieft Way to Eternal Vengeance,
and fhall I not ftep back and prevent it ? Can
I imagine God will blot out that everlafting
Eire, to gratifie my vicious Temper; or de-
flroy that Tophet out of Tendernefs to my
Lufts and Corruptions ? Can I conceive it
pofiible, that God will go from his Word, to
pleafe

g(3 The Great Law of
pleafe a ftubborn Sinner ? or prove a Liar, that
I may go with greater Eafe to Heaven ? What
great Matter have I done for God, that I fhould
expect fuch Favour ? How have I obliged him ?
What, by my walking after the Flefh ? By my
Greedinefs after the Meat which perifheth ? By
my Contempt of his Exhortations and Admo
nitions ? Is God to be obliged by Sin ? Is the
Almighty to be made kind by Folly ? Is he to
be rendred propitious by Affronts ? What Fel-
lowfhip hath Righteoufnefs with Unrighteouf-
nefs ? Or what Communion hath Light with
Darknefs ? Or what Concord hath Chrifi with
Belial f Do I not know that I fhall be mifera-
ble, if I continue in that Courfe I have held on
hitherto ; and am I in love with Eternal Ruine ?
Am I certain that Iniquity will be my Confufi-
on ; and am I refolved to die ? I have all the
Reafon in the World to believe that it was the
Son of God that was the Author of thofe
Threatnings and Comminations I find in the
Gofpel: Do I believe him to be the Son of
God; and can I imagine that the leaft Title of
his Word will perifh ? I have run up and down
in the World thefe many Years, and liunted after
thofe Vanities which fenfual Men do dote uponf
But will thefe fave me when I die? Will not the
Remembrance of my eager Purfuit after thefe
Butterflies and Gaudes, fill me with Anguifh
and Sorrow ? Have I lived in the World all this
While, and am not I nearer Heaven than I was
fome Years ago ? Muft my Body engrofs all my
Endeavours, and muft my Soul be flarved I I
have a Soul tbat cannot die, and muft not die,
; and

CONSIDERATION. 31
and muft fhortly appear before God's Tribunal,
and fhall not I fludy its Safety and Happinefs as
much as I am able ? Lord God ! fhould Death
arreft me before I have made my Calling and
EleCtion fure, how fearful, how wretched would
my Condition be ? Should it fall to my Share to
howl in utter Darknefs ; How fhould I curfe
the Day when firft I faw the Light? How fhould
I cry out, Let the Day perifh wherein I was borny
and the Night in which it was faid, there is a
Man-Chi id conceived : Let that Day be Darknefs,
let not God regard it from above, neither let the
Light Jhine upon it. Let Darknefs and the Sha
dow of Death fiain it'. Let a Cloud dwell upon
it: let theBlacknefs' of the Dayterrifie it. Should
thofe Tortures the Damned feel be inflicted up
on me ; How fhould I wifh that I had lived all
my Days in Deferts and Wilderneffes, and fpent
my whole Time in Praying and Praifing of God,
and giving all my Goods to the Poor, and lived
upon Bread and Water, and undergone the
greateft Hardfhips and Severities; out- prayed a
Saint, and out-fafted a Hermit, rather than ven
tured my Soul in fo flight a Bottom as Wcrldly-
mindednefs muft neceffarily be? Oh! how fhould
I wifh, that, like the Qaderenes Hogs, I had leap
ed inro the Sea, rather than run into Excefs cf
Riot, and precipitated my felf into boiling Cal~,
drons, rather, than into the Adulterous Bed;
received burning Coals into my Bofom, rather
than Partners of my Lufts into my Arms ; and
broiled in Flames fooner, than in the unhallowed
Paffions, that have brought down Fire and Brim-
ftone on my Folly \..L Should that burning Laks. be

$i The Great Law of
be my Habitation for ever, O how I ihould im-
pecate all my merry Companions, that did al
lure me to run with them into Folly and Vanity!
Ohowl fhould wifh that my Eyes had never
feen them; that my Ears had never heard their
Names; that my Tongue had been torn in a
thoufand Pieces when firft it entertained Dif
courfe with them ; that my Arms had been cut
off when they embraced thofe Pleafures, which,
like Syrens, cheat Men into Mifery and Calami
ty! O how I fhould curfe the Place where my
Sins were committed, the Perfons that oecafion-
ed them, the Hour that ever I thought of them !
O how I fhould wifh that I had improved thofe
Opportunities I do now make light of and be
lieved Mofes and the Prophets that gave the
Warning, and turned to God while the Doors of
Grace ftood open, and applied my felf to the
Minifters of the Gofpel, and taken Directions
from them what I muft do to be faved ! How
fhould the Poffibility of fuch Mifery fright and
terrify me into Watchfulnefs and Serioufnefs ?
Is not Eternity more to me than a Moment of
Time ? Can that Gold and Silver I enjoy, and
do fo much prize and adore, be any Motive to
the great Judge of Life and Death to abfolve me?
Can the Pleafures of Sin be Antidotes againft
Sin? Or my Jollities procure a Pardon in that
Day, when God fliall judge Men according to
the Gofpel ? What makes me thus ftupid, that I
fhould forego the Milk and Honey of Canaan,
for the pitiful Garlick and Onions of Egvpt?
Doth God promife the Purple Robes, and fhall
I take up with courfe and ill-wrought Stuff? Doth

CONSIDERATION. 33
Doth God offer me a Royal Seat, arid fhall I ptefer
a Shepherd's Tent before it ? What Devil doth
poffefs me, that I fhould prefer Dancing and Re
velling for a few Hours, before endlefs Joy? Where
is my Reafon ? What is become of my Under
ftanding ? Am I bewitched, befotted, beguiled,
that I fhould believe a few flattering Motions of
Flefh and Blood, before all the Oracles and In-
fpirations of the Holy Ghoft? Are there fuch
things, or no ? I do believe there are ; why
then am I not more affected with them ? Can
there be any Thing more reafonable than Chrift's
Precepts ? What is there in them that fhould dif-
courage me? If God had commanded feverer
Talks, is not Heaven Recompence enough ? If
the Prophet had bid me do fome great Thing, would
not I have done it? How much rather then, wheri
he faith unto me, Wajh and be clean ? I that for
bear the greateft DelicacieSj fhun the choiceft
Dainties, will not be tempted to eat of the moft
palatable Difh, when I am fenfible it will bring
upon me the Pain, either of Choliek, Of Stran- ¦;
guryj nay, I that lying under a raging painful
Diftemper, wifh my felf a Beggar, or the poor-
eft Body alive, and would be content to ftoop
to the meaneft Offices, fo I might be but freed
from the Malady that torments me t Can I
fcruple to obey thefe Laws, when it is to avoid
tin Eternity of Pain and Flames ? Was nofi
Dives as ftubborn as I can be ? And, have not
I Reafon to believe, if he were on Earth again,
he would think the Law of Charity, the eafieft
and the reafonableft Law imaginable ? Have not
I Reafon to believe, he would go beyond Zache~
D us.

34 The Great Law of
us, leave himfelf but juft enough to live on, and
ftudy how to do good with the reft ? Have not
I Reafon to believe, that the Laws of Chrijl
would feem very facile and practicable to him !
Can I think he would fay, A little more Sleep,
and a little more Slumber, and delay his Obedi
ence ? He that hath felt the Mifery of another
World, would think nothing too good, nothing
too dear, nothing too coftly to facrifice to him,
who is the King immortal, invifible, bleffed for
evermore. O how glad would he be that God
would accept of it ! That God would fmell the
fweet Savour, and caft a gracious Look upon it?
God, that gave me thefe Laws, and hath entailed
everlafting Blifs on my fincere Obedience, cer
tainly knew beft what was fit and expedient for
me ; and he that is acquainted with my fitting
down, and my uprifing, and had a Hand in my
Frame ; can I think he would prefcribe me any
Thing prejudicial to my Happinefs? Thefe Pre
cepts as they are Effects of the greateft Wifdom,
fo they cannot but be highly beneficial, and pro
mote my Spiritual Intereft ; for they drop from
a God that is infinitely Good, as well as infi
nitely Wife ; fo that not to fubmit to them, is
not only to ftand in my own Light, and to hinder
my Soul from its proper Food and Nourifhment ;
but to make my felf wifer than the Almighty,
and to extol my Reafon above his Omnifcience,
and to accufe his immenfe Wifdom of Rafhnefs
and Folly. And fhall I add Blafphemy to my
Difohedience? Am I afraid God is not enra
ged enough againft me ? Or, that his Anger is
npt

CONSIDERATION. 35
not red enough ? Shall I throw Brimftope into
the Flame, to make that confuming Fire more
terrible ? Is it fuch a pleafure to have God for
my Foe ? Is it fuch a SatisfaClian to have him
that can deftroy both Soul and Body in Hell for
my Adverfaryr Such Labyrinths, fuch Incon
veniencies do I caft my felf into by my finful
Life : And, are thefe Encouragements to conti
nue in it ? Is this the Wedding-Garment I may
triumph in ? Shall I fing in Chains, rejoyce in
Fetters, glory in my Shackles, be proud of the
Devil's Service, boaft of my Slavery ? When is it
that I intend to be clean ? Shall I delay it one
Moment longer, that know not but I may be in
Hell -before the Clock do ftrike again ? Dull,
blockifh Heart ! what doft thou mean ? Doft thou
fee how all thefe outward Things do fade, and
leave the Owners miferable, and wilt thou take
no warning ? Doft not thou fee how Judas dtoopSi
tho' his Purfe be full of Money; and Cain trem
bles, tho' he is Mafter of a fpacious Country ?
Doft not thou fee how their Hearts fail them
for Fear, becaufe they have not made God their
Friend ? Look down into the fatal Gulph ; Doft
thou ftand upon the brink of Deftruction, and
art thou not afraid ? Doft thou fee a crucified
Jefus ftretching forth his Arms to embrace
thee, and doft thou feel no Warmth, no Heat,
no Zeal, no Affection ? Doft thou fee the great
burning Lake before thee, and doft not thou
quake and tremble ? Doft thou fee the Re->
venge of Blood upon thy Heels, and wilt not
thou run into the Qity of Refuge? Doft thou
fee the Angel of the Lord preparing to rairi
t> a down

3 6 The Great Law of
down Fire and Brimftone on thee, and wilt
thou not fave thy felf in Zoar? Wouldft thou
flay till the Door of Grace be fhut ? Why
ftiouldft thou tarry till all the Oil in thy Lamp
be fpent? Why fhouldft thou fold thy Arms till
Death takes the Fort, and leaves thee innoPoffi-
bility of Mercy? Why fhouldft thou ftand ftill till
the Enemy lays thy Confcience wafle ? Why
fhouldft thou fleep till all the Field be over-run
with Weeds? Why fhouldft thou be idle, till the
Eleventh Hour is paft? Run, run for thy Life;
There is Danger near; The Enemy is at Hand;
The Fort is like to be taken ; The Citadel is al-
moftloft; Thou art almoft at the laftGafp:
Look up, Doft not thou fee thy Saviour fly down
from Heaven to lay hold of thee, and wilt not
thou make hafte and meet Him ? Behold the
Bridegroom comes, and wilt not thou bid him
welcome ? Doft not thou fee how the Martyrs,
how the primitive Chriftians fly to Heaven, and
wilt thou flay behind ? Doft not thou fee how
contented they are under Trials of cruel Mock-
ings and Scourgings ; yea, moreover of Bonds
and Imprifonments ? Doft not thou fee how
willing they are to be ftoned, to be fawn afun-
der, to be tempted, to be flain with the Sword,
and all, that they may obtain a better Refurre-
Ction? Doft not thou fee how they croud in
at the Gate, and wilt thou not fee what they
are doing there? Doft thou think they were
all out of their Wits, tp break thus refolutely
through all Cloggs and Obftacles to Glory ? If
they were not wife Men, why do we celebrate
their Memories ? And if they were wife, wilt not

CONSIDERATION. 37
not thou learn Wifdom of them? If they were
Fools, why do we commend them ? Why do we
write Panegyricks on their Names? Why do we
admire them ? Why do we wifh that we might
be as happy as they ? If they were fo, why wilt
thou not be a Follower of them ? Doft thou fee
them concerned, and canft thou ftand like a Sta
tue ? Doft thou fee with what Life and Zeal they
fall on, and art thou fenfelefs ? Doft thou fee
them bufie, and inquifitive, and active about
God's Kingdom, and can they infpire no Indu-
ftry into thee ? Doft thou fee how they prize
and value the incorruptible Crown, and is all
too litde to perfwade thee into a practical E-
fleem of it ? What hinders thee ? What is it
flops thy Progrefs ? Art thou ftill in Love with
that which will undo thee ? Why fhould Father
and Mother, Wife and -Children, Brethren and
Sifters, Lands and Houfes, make thee lofe a
Ctown ? Hath God's Favour no Temptation ? Is
there no Charm in his Love ? Hath Heaven no
Beauty ? If thou muft be miferable, hadft thou
not better be fo here, than hereafter ? Shall the
prefent Food flatter thee into eternal Hunger ?
And becaufe the Tree is pleafant to the Eye, wilt
thou prepare for being expelled out of Paradife
for ever ? Will a few pleafant Cups counterba
lance thy everlafting Thirft ? Wilt thou venture
an everlafting Storm for a prefent Calm ? .And
run the Hazard of an endlefs Tempeft for a
few Months Recreation? Behold how Mofes
runs away from the World to be fayed, and
wilt thou plunge thy felf into that dangerous
Sea? Behold how Elijah, Elifia, and St. John the

3 8 The Great Law of
the Baptifi retire into the Wildernefs, that their
Eyes may not behold thefe fublunary Vanities,
and doft thou long to be in. the Croud which wi
fer Men defire to be rid of? Good Lord ! Whom
do I intend to pleafe, God, or the Devil? God I
cannot pleafe by it, for he calls to me, Come out
from among them, my People, and be ye fieparate,
and touch not the uncledn Thing, and I will re
ceive you; and fhall I gratifie the Devil then? O
Wretch that I am! the Devil was never cruci
fied for me ; never fpilt one Drop of Blood for
me ; never endured Agonies for me*. He never
wore a Crown of Thorns for me ; he never ta-
fled of the fhameful Death of the Crofs for me ;
And fhall I fly into his Arms? How often hath
he difappointed me in my Hopes and Defires,
and fhall I fawn upon the Enemy ? Lay Force
upon his Kingdom of Darknefs, in defpight of
all the Bars, and Bolts, and Guards which the
great King of .Heaven puts between me and
Damnation ? I have been abufed and cheated by
Sin thefe many Years, and fhall I be cheated ftill?
Does not my Blood rife at the Very Thoughts
of it ? I that will not be cheated in my Trade or
Dealings with Men, fhall I fuffer my felf to be
impofed upon by a lying Devil ? And when I
ftudy how to be revenged on him that hath
fold me a Pebble for a Pearl, a Brifiol Stone for
a Diamond, and endeavour to prevent the like
Deception for the Time to come : Shall I in
thefe great Concerns of my Soul, where the
Cheat is fo apparent, where to difcover it I need
do no more but open my Eyes, where God and
his holy Angels, and all the Minifters of the
Gofpel

CONSIDERATION. 59
Gofpel affure me of the Fallacy, where the Cheat
is of that dangerous Confequence to, and bor
ders upon Eternal Damnation : Shall I be fo de-
generous, fo bafe, fo low-fpirited, as to fuft'er
my felf to be thus grofly abufed and deceived ?
A Child will not be cheated of his Puppits, a
Beaft will not be cheated of his Meat, a Dog will
not be cheated of his Bone ; and fhall I alone be
the Sport of Devils? I, a Creature to whom God
hath given Dominion over the Fifh of the Sea,
and over the Fowls of the Air, and over every
Thing that moveth upon the Earth ? O Monfter !
Why fo cruel to my own Soul ? Why fo barba
rous to my immortal Part ? Why fo inhumane
to my Spiritual Intereft ? Why fo mad to run
into the Fire ? Why fuch an Enemy to my own
Good? Have not I Enemies enough, but I muft
make my felf my greateft Foe ? Shall I join
with that roaring Lion, and teach him how to
devour me ? Shall I give him Advantages a-
gainft my felf ? Firft let him deceive me, and
then laugh at me ? Firft let him feduce me into
the Net, and then punifh me for being taken ?
I believe my Children, if they tell me that they
have feen fuch a Houfe on Fire; and believe
my Neighbours, if they affure me there are
Thieves broke into my Houfe; and believe a
Phyfician, who affirms, that fuch a Powder or
Herb is perfect Poifon ; And fhall not I believe
that God, who hath prepared and fore-ordain
ed thefe everlafting Burnings I hear and read of,
and muft needs know the Terror of them?
Shall not I believe him, when be tells me,
and protefts upon the Word of a GOD, that
D 4 if

40 The Great Law of
if I do not betake my felf betimes to another
Courfe of Life, I fhall affuredly fall a Prey to
thofe endlefs Burnings? Say not, falfe Heart,
howihall I be fure God hath faid fo ? Either pro
fefs thy felf no Chriftian, or confefs it. Haft
thou lived fo long under the Sound of the Go
fpel, and dareft thou harbour fuch a Thought ?
I believe a Servant that tells me, That fuch a
Man is like to run away with the Goods I have
intrufted him with; and I believe a Stranger,
that gives me Warning not to be familiar with a
1 certain Sort of Perfons in the Country I am go
ing to; and I believe a Traveller, that tells me,
that in fuch an Ifland there are Mountains of
Fire, and Mines of Sulphur burning continu
ally: Do I believe an Enemy that threatens to
break my Head when he meets me ; and fhall
not I believe that God that feeds me, and pro
tects me, arid knows all Things, and can do all
Things, and never intended me any Harm, but
hath given me fuch Evidences of his kind Incli
nations to me, that I muft deny my own Being,
if I queftion his Willingnefs to have me come to
the Knowledge of the Truth ? I chufe a prefent
Agony to keep off an After-Evil, and am con
tent to prolong Torment, fo I may but prolong
this mortal Life ; and fhall not I, to avoid thofe
endlefs Tortures, mortify a filly Lull, fubdue my
extravagant Defires, and inflict fo much Penance
on my felf, as to cafhire all darling and bofom
Iniquiaes? What means my Confcience? It
is not quiet under all the Pleafures of Sin: it is
ready to accufe me ; when it gets me alone, it
twitches me, I find it a hard Matter to rock it
afleep ;

i\ Kn

CONSIDERATION. 41
afieep ; and when I think it is faft, like a Giant
it walks again, and affrights me with Flafhes of
the next World's Flames ; and fhall I break thro'
all thofe Funeral Torches to invade Damnation ?
Do what I can it wounds me, lafhes me, tears
me, and like fome Blood-hound, follows me,
and I condemn my felf before any Creature ac-
cufes me ; it is not to be bribed with Money, not
to be hufhed withThreatnings, not to be tied with
Cords, not to be bound with Ropes ; and, Lord,
fhall not I fuffer my felf to be taken Captive by
the King of Saints! Such Expoftulations, if the
Heart be not all Rock and Adamant, cannot but
ftartle the Sinner in his Licentioufnefs, make
him ftamp with his Feet, and force him into o-
ther Refolutions ; which is the Third Ingredient
of this great Art, Confideration.
III. Strong Refolution. This is the neceffary
Confequent of the preceeding Expoftulations, if
they be ferious, and not ufed only out of Forma
lity ; and the Soul, that is by this Time flung
into a Senfe of its danger, and cries out, Lord!
what have I done ? will foon fall from thence
into fuch Refolutions as thefe: Does the Cafe
ftand thus, and muft my finful Life expire into
the Worm that dies not? Muft my Frolicks die
into endlefs Howlings? And muft my Sport of
Sin be crufhed into never-dying Anguifh ? And
my wilful Contempt and Neglect of God's Will,
be turn'd into Chains of Darknefs for ever? Is
it fo as God hath told me? And why fhould he
tell me fo, if it were not fo ? Why fhould he
fright me with painted Fire? And how could it

42 The Great Law of
it'confifts with his Wifdom and Integrity to de
ceive me with Bugbears and Chimera's? If this be
the Fate of a finful Life, then tell me no more
of Delilah's, tell me no more of Impediments
or Excufes, or Delays. If this be the fearful
Exit of Senfuality and Irreligioufnefs, there is
no dallying with Sin ; I will get rid of it whate
ver it coft me ? I will hearken to its foft Airs no
longer ; I will he charmed no more with the love
ly Looks of that Harlot ; its curious Dreffes, its
treacherous Glance fhall commit a Rape upon
my Affections no longer. I will not for a few
jolly Hours, neglect my Eternal Safety; Eternity
is not a Thing to be made light of; I believe
{.here is fuch a Thing ; And why fhould I be
fuch a Changling as not to provide for it with all
imaginable Care and Induftry ? I am gone ;
Farewel Applaufe and Greatnefs of the World.
Farewel ye little fhooting Flames of fenfual
Pleafures, which ferve only to delude not to
revive or enlighten an Immortal Soul. Farewel
Cards and Dice, and all thofe Trinkets of the
Devil, whereby befotted Men lofe their Time
and Peace. Time, What can be more coftly?
Peace, What can be of greater Value ? Farewel
fine Clothes, and richer Habits, which ferved
only to feed Pride and Luxury. Pride, what
can be liker the Devil ? Luxury, what can be
more unmanly ? Farewel Oftentation and Vain-
Glory, for which I have fo often facrificed, not
only my Wealth, but my Reft and Quiet too.
Farewel Applaufe and Acclamations of the gid
dy Croud, which have fwelled and blown up my
Heart fo often, and made me enamour'd with
my

CONSIDERATION. 43
my finfiil felf. Farewel my old Acquaintance,
that cockered and helped to pleafe thofe Lufts
I now abhor. Farewel ye dangerous Friends,
that would have dragged me into Hell, and
would have had me kind to you even unto E-
ternal Fire. Farewel unhappy Men, who would
have made me venture on the Burthen of God's
Anger, which Devils cannot bear, and tempted
me to be miferable for Company's Sake ; I muft
either have no Peace with God, or none with
you. The Friendfhip of God and the World
are incompatible, and would you have me leave
my God, my Happinefs, my Joy, my Comfort,
my Refuge, my Hiding-place, my Riches, my
Treafure, to follow you to a Place of endlefs
Torments? I fee through all thefe Cobwebs ; I
fee, I fee what all your Follies will come to ; I
am convinced, that if there be a Happinefs here
after, as I am perfwaded there is, the Courfe
ye take cannot be the Way to that Paradife. Mo-
left me no more, it is in vain. I will be chous'd
no more ; feek out Arguments, find out Flatte
ries, make your Motives as ftrong as you pleafe,
as cogent as you can ; but with me they fhall
not prevail; here they fhall find no Harbour. I
will have nothing to do with thefe Pirates. They
have made ready to fink my Veffel. They had
fwallowed me up quick, if God had not been
on my Side. They had devoured me, if God
had not watched over me. I thank thee, O
God, that thou haft not taken away my Life
with Sinners : I will climb Mount Sion, I will af-
cend God's Holy Hill, I will be kept in Mejhech,
in the Tents of Kedar no longer. Lift up your
Heads,

44 The Great Law of
Heads, 0 ye Gates ! and be ye lifted up ye ever-
lafiing Doors. I will enter; I will force my Way
through all the Impediments of this flattering
World. What fhould hinder me? Shall Tribu
lation, or Difirefs, or Perfecution, or Famine,
or Nakednefs, or Peril, or Sword? Thefe can
but kill the Body, but I have an immortal Soul
to fave ! if I fecure that, I fecure all ; and I
will fecure it whatever it coft me. I will not
aCt contrary to my own Perfwafions any more :
I am perfwaded that all my worldly Glories
will have a Period, and that they contribute
nothing to my real Happinefs. 'Tis a practical
fervent Love of God that muft make me hap
py: This is it muft intitle me to God's ever
lafting Mercies : This I believe, this I am con
fident of; according to this Faith, I will act. God
holds out a Crown to me, and fhall I be dull
and lazy under that glorious Profpect ? I fee
the Royal Diadem afar off; leap out O my Soul
to reach it, it is worth labouring, it is worth
wreftling, it is worth fweating and toiling for
Day and Night. See, fee how to get Bread, the
poor Miner digs in a poor and lonely Vault,
while the Works over his Head threaten him
with falling in every Hour, and crufhing him to
Death: And fhall I fear Dangers, in flriving to
be abundantly fatisfied for ever widi the Fatnefs
of God's Houfe ? I fee a City which hath Foun
dations, whofe Builder and Maker is God: I be
hold afar off a Houfe made without Hands, e-
ternal in the Heavens. Farewel Temptations,
farewel corrupt deceitful Heart, I will believe
thy falfe Suggeftions no longer, I have a furer
Word

CONSIDERATION. 45
Word of Prophecy to lay hold of. How often
haft thou taught me to cover my Sins with plau-
fible Names, that I might not be forced to leave
them? What, will the Almighty be blinded
with foft Titles? Is he afleep like Baal, or gone
a Journey? Or doth he forget? Or is he to beca-
jolled into Approbation of fuch Doings ? What
doft thou make of him? Doft thou think him
to be fome Heathen Deity, that hath Eyes, and
fees not? Ears, and hears not? A Heart, and
understands not? Canft thou draw a Curtain
before the Eyes of infinite Wifdom ? Will he,
whofe Underftanding cannot by fearching be
found out, be thus deluded ? Is he a Child which
thou canft play withal ? Doft thou call him God,
and forget that he pries into all thy Defigns, and
Purpofes, and Intentions ? Falfe, foolifh Heart !
Art thou not afhamed of this Sophiftry ? Wilt
thou make me believe that White is Black, and
Black White, .and bereave me of my Senfes ?
I remember thy Cheats ; I have not forgot how
thou haft foothed me in a Tempeft of roaring
Confcience; How haft thou darkned mine
Eyes ? What Fumes, what Mills haft thou caft
before me, that I might not fee the true Nature
of finful AClions ? How haft thou prompted
me to call my Pride Decency, my Covetoufnefs
Frugality, my Drunkennefs Good-Fellowfhip ;
my Revenge, Vindication of my Honour ; my
Uncleannefs and Lafcivioufnefs, Impoffibility
of refifting the Dictates of Nature ? My flander-
ing of others, faying but what I hear ? as if
God did not fee my Infide, as well as Outfide :
Or could be deceived with Shadow and Varnifh, and

46 The Great La/W °f
and were not refolved to wafh away thefe CU*
rious Colours with Rivers of Flaming Brim-
flone! How often haft thou bid me call my
greater Enormities, innocent Mirth, and made
me look on them as Men do on ObjeCts through
the wrong End of a PerfpeClive Glafs, as if God
were altogether fuch a One as my felf, and would
therefore be contented to call my Favourite
Vices, Peccadillo's, becaufe my felf was loth to
call them by another Name ! How often haft
thou flattered me with deceitful Riches, if I
would but give my felf that Liberty my irreli
gious Neighbours ufe ! How often haft thou
tempted me with the famous Examples of pro-
fperous Men, that have been Strangers to Seri-
oufnefs and Heavenly-mindednefs ! How haft
thou difparaged Piety to me, as a fneaking Qua
lification, and represented Sin as the Royal Way
to Credit and Reputation! Away with thefe
Fables, I will be trapanned and foothed no more;
cokes Children with fuch Bawbles, I know too
much to be ravifh'd with thefe borrowed Glo
ries. God hath fpoken once, twice have I heard
it, nay a thoufand Times have I heard it, That be
that overcomes, flail not be hurt by the Second
Death; which is, that everlafting Separation of
the Soul from the Great and Glorious Prefence
of GOD: And what overcoming can he mean,
but Conqueft of fuch treacherous Suggeftions?
If I overcome thee, I do my Work. If I mafter
thee, I am made for ever. If I fubdue thee, my
greateft Impediment is removed. If I can but
hate thy Flatteries, behold, God will be my
Rock, and my Salvation, and my Defence, and I

CONSIDERATION. 47
I fhall not be moved. How often haft thou
promifed me long Life, and Eafe, and Plenty, if
I would ftream out my Golden Years in Vanity,
andbrutifh Delights, as if my Youth had been
too good for God ; and God, when he wooed me
to Obedience, came but to torment me, as the
evil Spirit faid in the Gofpel, before my Time, as
if I were the great Difpofer of my Time, and
could command my Age to flourifh at Four-
fcore ! How haft thou bid me delay my Repen
tance and Serioufnefs, and given me Hopes that
I fhould find a convenient Time hereafter, when
I could keep Sin and the World no longer! As
if Repentance were in my own Hands, and I
could command it to attend me at my Pleafure,
and as if it were a Work to be difpatched with a
Sigh or Groan! How haft thou tempted me to
Sin, under a Pretence that none fhould fee it ;
or, if the Sin could not be kept fecret, none
fhould know that I had a Hand in it; as if God did
not fee by Night as well as by Day, and a private
Corner couldkeep out Omnipotence : Or, as if
God fat like an idle Pilot in Heaven, without
regarding how the great Ship of this World is
governed! How haft thou, under the Colour of
a fingle Sin, involved me into a Neceffity of ad
ding another, and been reftlefs till I have added
more to fupport the reft ! And how treache-
roufly haft thou bid me walk in the Counfel of
the Ungodly, when it was but t® engage me to
ftand in the Way of Sinners, and then to make
me fit down in the Seat of the Scornful ! How
haft thou prompted me to palliate mine Of
fences, and to lay them at other Men's Doors ?
Lo!

48 The Great Law of
Lo! thus I have found, that God at firft did
make me upright, but thou haft taught me to
feek out many Inventions, Tricks how to be un-
donei Ways how to make my felf worfe than
the Beafts that perifh. Go, Cozener, tell thy
Stories to Men that will not hear the Truth : I
will hear what the Lord will fay to me. O
God, I need no Accufer, no Witnefs, no Spy to
betray me. I confefs my felf guilty, I pafs Sen
tence upon my felf. My Confcience condemns
me, my Judge fits in my Soul, my Eyes, my
Hands, my Feet, the Theatre, the Ale-houfe,
the Tavern, they give in Evidence againft me.
My Actions fill me with Shame, the very Clothes
I wear contribute to my Confufion. Deceitful
Heart ! how haft thou bid me truft to broken
Reeds, and lean on Props which were rotten and
decayed ! I have feen enough of thy Falfhood
and Inconftancy, I will be held no longer, I will
flay no longer in Sodom. Thefe flowery Meadows,
this enamelled Grafs fhall make me lie down no
more ; I fee there is Death in the Pot, and the
Great Day will be upon nie for all the feem-
ing Delay, before this poor befotted World is
aware. I come, Lord, I will ftand out againft thy Calls
no longer; I do hear thy Voice, and I will harden
my Heart no more. It is the Voice of my Belo
ved that knocks, I will arife and let him in. A-
wake up, my Glory, awake ; I have flumbered
long enough. Get up, my fleepy AffeCtions, the
Lord is at hand. My Heart is hot within me,
the Fire of God burns within me. O my God,
wilt thou fpread open thy Arms to a Wretch that
hath

CONSIDERATION. 49
hath been filled with Unrighteoufnefs and De
ceit ; and having known the Judgment of God^
that they who commit fuch Things are worthy of
Death, hath not onty done the fame, but hath
had Pleafure in them that do theni ! Is there yet
Mercy in flore for fuch a Rebel ? Will God be yet
intreated ? Then, I chearfully renounce the De
vil, and all his Works; O God, to whom Ven
geance belongs, fhew thy felf. Arife, Lord ! let
all mine Enemies be fcattered, even my Sins ; as
Smoke is driven away, fo drive them away ; as
Wax melteth before the Fire, even fo let my Sins
perifh at the Prefence of God. I know the World
will laugh at me for this Refolution; but I will
give them Leave to mock ; if I can but get intP
yonder bleffed and everlafting Manfions, laugh on
ye Mad-men, I have a God will honour me; If
there be a future Judgment^ and Men fhall be
rewarded according to their Works, and God
Will be fo fevere againft flubborn Sinners, as, he
hath threatned, ( and indeed he cannot be God
Without it; to be God, and not true to his Wprd<
implies a Contradiction ) then fure lam,- the rich;
the voluptuous, the carnal Men of this Workh
that make fuch Provifion for the Flefh to fulfil
the Lufts thereof, muft certainly be in a mofe
miferable Condition than I. Methinks I fee
how they tremble before the Throne. They
thought it below them here on Earth, to make
Religion their Bufinefs; methinks I fee how
afhamed they are of their Folly,- hoW the
Wretches blufh to fee, that God hath choferi
the foolifh Things of this World to confound the'
wife : Methinks I hear them cry out to Rocks
E and

50 The Great Law of
and Mountains, Fall on us, and hide us from
the Face of him that fits on the Throne, and
from the Wrath of the Lamb. O how their
Thoughts at that Time will be all changed, and
all their Triumphs be turned into Funerals?
Methinks I fee how Herod is confounded to fee
the humble Baptijl advanced above the Kings
and Princes of this World, even that Baptijl
whom he valued not half fo much as he did a
Strumpet, whom for Sport's fake, he could Be
head and deprive of Life, to fave his Reputa
tion among Flatterers and Sycophants ! Me
thinks I fee how the bloody Nero ftarts, to fee
Paul the Prifoner decked with Robes of Eter
nal Light ; that Paul, who fell a Sacrifice to
his Pleafure, and whom he would have dif-
dained to fet with the Dogs of his plock ! I
quake at the. difmal Sight ! My thoughts are filled
with horror ! I'll be wife before it be too late,
I'll not hazard my Soul as moft Men do. O how
I blame my felf for ferving Sin and the World
thus long ! Had God fnatched me away in that
difmal Service, how dreadful would my Wages
have been? Bleffed be God, who hath been
thus patient with me ; I'll trefpafs no longer up
on his Long-fuffering. Come ye Minifters of the
Gofpel, tell me what I muft do to be Saved;
lead me, direct me, I'll follow, and neither Men
nor Devils fhall draw me away. 'I each me to
ling the Songs of Zion. InftruCt me how to
prefer Jerufalem above my chief Joy. Shew
me the Path of Life, leave not my Soul in Hell.
Pun it out of the Fire; I have made a folemn
Choice of God for my Porticn. Let me know how

CONSIDERATION. 51
how I muft love him : I'll obey your Counfel,
I'll aCt according to your Directions. Be not a-
fraid of me, I will not turn back in the Day of
Battle. I have done with thefe ftolen Waters ; I
fee no Felicity that arifes from bathing in thofe
dangerous Streams ; they may lull and charm for
a while, but leave the Soul empty. If .ariyMan
had reafon to find Satisfaction in them, Solomon
had, who had Riches, and Power, and Luft e-
nough to range where he pleafed ; yet when he
had walked through the whole Garden of ftn-
fual Pleafures, cropt the choiceft Flowers, fed
Upon the moft lufcious Fruits, left nothing un-
atternpted to know the utmoft Reach of that
Fools Paradife) fearched all the By-plaCes and
Corners where they faid the Treafures of Satif-
faCtion lay, unravell'd all the fecret Intrigues of
Sin, ranfack'd all the hidden Myfteries of it:
When he had thus wandered up and" down, and
almoft loft himfelf in that unhappy Labyrinth,
"the VerdiCt he gives of all is this, Fanity of Fa?ti-
ties, mighty Nothings, perfect Trouble and Vex
ation of Spirits ; and then protefts, that the on
ly Satisfaction that is folid, and like to laft, lies
in fearing God and keeping his Commandments.
That's it, I fee, Men are forced to confefs at laft,
and too often When it is too late. I fee moft Men
are of another Mind when they come to die, to
what they were in the time of their Strength, and
Health, and Liberty; and that Serioufnefs they
formerly derided, they then wifh for, when the
Sentence is paffing upon them, Cut them down,
why do they cumber the Ground ? The Pearl they
might formerly have had at a reafonable Price,
E 2 and

5 1 The Great Law of
and would not, they now would purchafe with
ten thoufand Worlds, if they had them, and can
not. This it is, to turn the Grace" of God into
Wantonnefs, to play with the Glorious Meffage;
fent to them by the great Bridegroom of their
Souls, and to make light of Invitations to the
Supper of the Lamb. O Folly! O Madnefs!
O monftrous Stupidity! O my Soul, come not
thou into their Secret, unto their AJJembly, mine
Honour, be not thou united. I will take Warning by
thefe fad Examples. Their Imprudence fhall
make me wife ; their Indifcretion fhall make
me take another Courfe. I fee there are fnares
laid for my Soul, I am befet with Tempta
tions. If I tremble at the main Ocean, a fhallow
Puddle Is offered me to drown my felf in. What
fhould make the Devil fo bufie,. fo earneft, fo in
duftrious, to draw my Soul away from the Foun
tain of Living- Waters? Without all perad venture
he fees what Happinefs it is capable of, even
of a Happinefs which knows neither Meafure
nor End. He fees how careful the Angels are of
it, how they folicit it to avouch the Lord for its
God. He was once in Heaven, arid knows that
holy Souls fhall poffefs the Seats of the Apoflate
Spirits, and that what he loft, they fliall enjoy ;
the Dignity he and his difmal Affociates forfeit
ed, they fhall inherit ; and the Thrones he and
his Crew did once triumph in, fhall fall to their
Share. He fees how fair a Soul redeemed with
the Blood of Chrift ftands for this high Prefer
ment: He fees the Inclinations and Propenfions
it hath to take lip with God alone ; and, to di
vert the Stream, "he drefles out Sin in feveral Garbs,

CONSIDERATION. 53
Garbs, that if one will not tempt me, another
may. But, O my God, Sin fhall infinuate into
my Favour no more ; it fliall creep into my Bo-
fom no more ; I will avoid all Familiarity with it;
I will hug the Monfter no more ; I will take it no
longer for a harmlefs Thing, it fliall be my Dar
ling, my Benjamin no more ; my Eyes fliall be
no longer pleafed with viewing of it ; my Tongue
fhall commend and.praife it no more ; I will open
my Door to the fatal Gueft no more : My faint
Oppofitions fhall. be turned into ftronger Refi-
fl^rices; I will call up my Blood and Courage to
withftand its Juggles ; I have refolved, and my
Heart fhall be carried out after this Idol no
piore. Come, my Soul, awake to higher
Thoughts, and Hopes, and Labours. Away
with thy fluggifh Wifhes, and with thy dull
Endeavours. Are thefe fit for feeking eternal
Joys ? Doth a creeping Pace befeem a Man
that is refolved for Eternity ? The Voice of the
Lord is powerful, the Voice of the Lord is full
of Majefty, the Voice of the Lord breaks the
Cedars, the Voice of the Lord fhakes the Wil-
dernefs. And art thou the only Creature whom
.it cannot fhake ? It is done; mine Eyes are o-
pen, and I am refolved. It was Refolution
made the three Men, Shadrach, Mefioach, and
Abednego, adventure in a fiery Furnace. It was
Refolution made St. Paul ready, not to fuffer
only, but to die at JeruJ'alem for the Name of
Jefus. It was Refolution made David's Wor
thies enter into the Camp of the Philif lines, and
draw Water out of the Well of Bethlehem. It
was Refolution made Ignatius defpife Fire,
E 3 and

54 The Great Law of
and Sword, and Wild Beafts, to procure "the
Favour of him whom his Souldid love. It was
m Refolution made the Grecian * Woman
Ayi. c. 50! endure the Rack, and when prompted
by the Executioner to confefs her Affo-
ciates in the Treafon, bite her Tongue in Pieces,
that fhe might not be in a poffibility of betray
ing her Partners in the Conspiracy. It was Re-
* id ibid ^°^u"on macle * Mutius ftand ftill and
unconcern'd, while his Right Hand
burned. It was Refolution made Empedocles fa-
crifice himfelf to the Flames of JEtna. It was Re
folution made Anaxarchus, when his Bones were
crufhed, make Sport with his Torments, and cry
put, Break, break the Carcafs of Anaxarchus, but
his Mind you Jhall never break. It was Refo
lution made Regulus fling himfelf into the mer-
cilefs Arms of his Enemies, and fuffer himfelf
to be flung and prick'd to Death. It was Refolu-..
tion made Attalus fit down chearfully in the Fi
ery Chair his Profecutors had prepared for him,
and fay, I"/ is not we that do eat Children, but it
is you that devour innocent Chrifiians. It was
Refolution made Blandina encourage her Fel-
low-Chriftians, tho' fhe was wounded,
\Inl\l' ''¦''¦' torn' bruifed, racked, arid miferably
.. » 4. Erum- handled. It was Refolution made Job
ttntes bcjii- bear his Loffes, and Ulcers, with invin-
dZfjZJi cible Magnanimity, and, as * he faid,play
fafiufirami- with the Worms that bred in- his Sores,
w/«iand> as they were crawling out, drive
wiat. them back into the Holes and Paftures
of his putrified Flefh. It was Refoluti
on made David run through a Troop, and leap
over

CONSIDERATION. 55
aver Walls, Pfal. 18. 29. It was his Refolution
made thefe Words drop from him, / have /worn,
and . will perform it, that I will keep thy righte
ous .Judgments. I will Jpeak of thy Tefiimonies
before Kings, and will not be afioamed, and I will
delight my J'elfi in thy Commandments; my Hands
will I lift up unto thy Precepts, which I have
loved, and I will meditate in thy Statutes, Pfal.
119. 46, 106. And why fhould not my Refoluti
on prompt me to the fame generous Enterpri-
zes ? Why fhould other Men, to purchafe an
immortal Fame, refolve to lofe their Eafe, and
Lives, and Eftates, and all that is dear and plea-
fing to them here below, and I not refolve to
lofe my Sins, my Lufts, my Pleafures, to gain an
everlafting Inheritance? My Heart is ready,
my Heart is ready ; a gracious God invites me,
a loving Saviour calls to me from the Crofs,
Wafh ye, make ye clean, put away the Evil of
your doings from before mine Eyes ; ceafe to do
Evil, learn to do Well ; a holy fanCtifying Spirit
beckons me. The great God, that might laugh at
my Calamity, and mock when my Fear comes ;
becaufe he hath called, and I refufed; becaufe
he hath fo often ftretched forth his Hands unto
me, and I have not regarded : This great, this
tender Father, after all the Wrongs, and Inju
ries, and Abufes, and Infolences I have offered
him, is willing to receive me, provided I'll be
faithful to him, run no more after other Lovers,
and refign my felf to be guided, governed, and
directed by him. And can I refill that Love ?
Can I harden my Heart againft thefe Charms ?
Can I refufe th is Kindnefs, fpurn at his 'Favour,
E 4 flight

§6 The Great Law of
flight this ftupendous Bleffing, and provoke him
to fwear in his Wrath, that I fhall never enter.
into his Reft? No, no ! I yield, I render my felf
Captive; O God, thou feeft my Heart, I have
no Refervations; I lay down all at thy Feet. Qo?
ver my Head in the Day of Battle. Infpire me;
I will run the Race which is fet before me. By
thee will I run through a Troop, with my God
will I leap over a Wall. I will purfue mine Ene
mies, and overtake them ; neither will I turn
again till I have confirmed them. Behold, they
that are with me are more than thofe that are a-
gainft me. Behold, the Mountain is full of
Horfes, and Chariots of Fire round about E-
UJha. The Lord is with me, the God of Jacob.
is my Refuge. I am convinced that God's Ser
vice is perfect Freedom. He that enters upon it,
is under the Government of a lawful Prince ;
his Life is fweet and eafie, he feels no Tyranny,
no Oppreffion; the King with everlafting Kind-
nefs vifits him, and guides his Feet into the Ways
of Peace ; gives his Angels charge to keep him
in his going out, and in his coming in, and will
not fuffer any of his Bones to be broken. He is
widi him in Diftrefs, and when he weeps, holds
a Bottle under to catch his Tears, Pfal 56. 8. He
binds up his Wounds, and is a Wall of Brafs to
him, a Wall that ftands firm under the Flaflies of
Hell, and dafhes all the fiery Darts of the Devil.
He covers him with his Feathers, and his Truth
is his Shield and Buckler. His Eyes watch Q-
ver him, and his Ears are open to his Prayers.
He protects him from the Peflilence that walks
in Darknefs, and from the Deftruction that
walks

CONSIDERATION. 57
walks at Noon-day. His Groanings are not hid
from him, and he preferves him in all his Ways.
He takes Notice of his Work and Labour of
Love, and there is a Book of Remembrance writ
ten before him, for them that fear the Lord, and
think upon his Name. Here Men are free from
flavifh Fear, as being under the Wings of a Fa
ther. Here nothing but Love rules in then-
Hearts, which makes their Yoke eafie, and their
Burthen light ; makes the ftraight Gate pleafant,
and the narrow Way full* of Delight and Satis
faction. Here Peace of Confidence reigns; a
Peace which is not procured by Riches or Plenty,
or the World's deceitful Glory, or a Multitude of
Children, or Strength of Body ; a Peace, which
kills the Worm within, and frees the Soul from
herPoifonof Grief and Sorrow; a Peace, which
purifies the Mind from all Uncleannefs, and is a
Bed of Rofes, inriched by Showers from above ;
a Peace, which is moft truly God's Banqueting-
houfe, Chrift's Palace, and the Habitation of the
HolyGhoft; a Peace which is felt on Earth, yet
taftes already of Heaven ; a Peace which fills the
Soul with greater Joy, than Jacob's coming from
the Field did the amorous Rachel, or Jojeph's be
ing alive, the Heart of the aged Patriarch. Here
Men fit quiet under their own Vine, and under
their own Fig-tree, and the Subjects of this
Kingdom are acquainted with Joy in the Holy
Ghoft. Here they are fecure. The Enemy may
moleft, but he cannot break them. He may fhow
his Teeth, but he cannot bite; he may rage,
but he cannot raviih them out of God's Hands.
He may raife a Storm, but cannot overthrow their

58 The Great Law of
their Veffel; fet their Houfe on Fire, but cannot
cpnfumethem; rain Brimftone upon them, but
they have a Zoar to flee to. Here the Love of
God illuminates their Minds, purifies their Con-
fciences, eflablifhes their Souls, makes glad their
Heart, and unites them to that Light, which
lighteth every Man that comes into the World.
Here the evil Spirits of their Sins were call out,
and the Spirit of God enters into them, even the
Spirit of Joy, the Spirit of Power, of Love, and
of a found Mind. Here Men are freed from
the Curfe of the Law, and their Minds are em
ployed in the nobleft Contemplations. Here
they dwell in the fecret Place of the moft Hight
and abide under the Shadow of the Almighty,
Here I'll fix, here I'll build Tabernacles, for it is
good to be here. Away with all Suggeftions
that would make me unwilling or backward to
this Work. Away with all Thoughts that would
difcourage me. Away with all Imaginations
that would poffefs me with Mifconftructions of
the Ways of God. Ye are all miferable Comfor- .
ters, ye feek not the Good, but the Lofs and De-
folation of my Soul. I'll feek the Things which
are above, where Chrift fitteth on the Right
Hand of God ; I'll fet my Affections on Things
above, and not on Things on Earth ; I am dead
to all thefe fublunary Vanities, and my Life is
hid with Chrift in God ; and when Chrift, who
is my Life, fliall appear, then fliall I alfo appear
with him in Glory.
Without fuch Refolutions as thefe, Confide
ration is lame and feeble : It is practical Confe
deration that muft do the Work, and it is thefe
Refo-

CONSIDERATION. 59
Refolutions make it fo ; the Neceffity of which
Confideration is the next Thing I muft endea
vour to demonftrate.

CHAP. III.
The abfolute Neceffity of Confideration, in order to
a ferious Life. God's frequent Commands to
that Purpofe. Our Reafon, and the Power of
Confideration we are furnijloed or endued with,
proved to be given us for this End. Without
it, Men have Caufe to J'ufpeB that their Refor
mation is Counterfeit,
WHat we have faid hitherto, is not a Thing
indifferent, left to ovir Liberty or Difcre-
tion to mifid or neglect it as we fhall fee Oecafion.
It is not of the Nature of Meat offered to Idols,
not of the Nature of a Holy-day, which Men may .
neglect, or make Confcience of, as they fee it ex
pedient, for the edifying of their Brethren. * It is
not of the Nature of Civil Actions, of buying or
felling, of fitting or rifing, of flaying in a Place or
travelling, which are Things left to pur Will and
Pleafure, and may be ufed, or fuperfeded, ac
cording as we fee it convenient or inconvenient.
If labouring after a better Life, if endeavour
ing to get a Share in the incorruptible Crown of
Glory, if Attempts to compafs the Eternal Fe
licity of our Souls, if„ftudying how we may be
admitted into the Choir of Angels, and enjoy
the Society of the Firft-born which'are' written in

6o The Great Law of
in Heaven, if contriving how we may arrive to
that Fulnefs of Joy God hath both revealed and
promifed, be indifpenfibly neceffary, this Con-,
fideration muft be fo too. If Self-prefervation
be not a Thing indifferent, Confideration can
not poffibly be fo : For the great ObjeCtof this
Confideration is, how we may preferve our felves
from being undone for eve*: : how we may guard
our Souls from everlafting Perdition ; how we
may avoid the fecond Death; and how we
may make our Happinefs lafiing and durable,
Proof againft the Gates of Hell, and the Affaults
of the roaring Lion, which walks about feeking
whom he may devour,
God, that commands all the Powers of Light
and Darknefs ; and hath the fame PoWer over
us that the Potter hath over his Veffel ; and
hath made us capable of being governed by
Moral Laws ; and hath created us on purpofe
to be ready at his Beck ; and may force us into
Obedience by Plagues and Thunders, if we were
loth to be courted by Smiles and Favours : God,
who owes no Man any Thing ; who gives Life
to all; who hath made all Things for his Glory;
who is in all Places, and All in All; who can
be prefent by Vengeance, where he is not pre
fent by Grace; who can be felt, but cannot
be feen; whb holds all Things, fills all Things,
furrounds all Things, excels all Things, fuftains
all Things, and afar off fees all the Dangers We
are fubjeCt to, and knows what Armies of Ene
mies lie in ambufli, and watch our Fall; it is he
that peremptorily commands this Confiderati
on. A Sovereign Prince expeCts to he obeyed, and

CONSIDERATION. 61
and he that dares refufe or flight his reafonable
Command, is juftly looked upon as a Stranger to
Loyal Principles : And well may God, who is
All-wife, and can do nothing that is unreafona-
ble, expect Submiffion to a Precept fo great, fo
good, fo advantagious both to Soul and Body, as
will appear in the Sequel. Confider your Ways, is
a Law which God ( to fhew he is in good earneft)
inculcates twice in the fame Prophecy, Hagg. i.
£, 7. And for that the Dream is doubled, it is be
caufe the Thing is efiablijhed by God, faid Jofeph to
Pharaoh, Gen. 41. 32. The fame may we fay of
repeated Exhortations. And indeed, when the
famous Mofes bids the People, under his Charge
and Care, to keep the Statutes and Command
ments which God had gracioufly vouchfafed
them, that it might go well with them; and
with their Children after them ; the great Pre
parative he requires for this Religious Frame,
is Confideration, Deut. 4. 39, 40. as if, without
this, all Attempts of Obedience were vain, and
all Endeavours to ferve God in Spirit and Truth,
were no more but Water fpilt upon the Ground.
As if without this, the Thunder of Mount Si
nai, the Voice of God, the Love wherewith
he loved them, the Tendernefs he fhewed
them, the Signs, the Wonders, the mighty
Hand, the ftretched out Arm, the great Ter
ror God brought upon the Nations round a-
bout them, would be no Motives to Seriouf-
nefs. It was upon the fame Account that St.
Paul, as quick-fighted as the other, peremp
torily tells the Romans, That they would ne
ver practically approve that good, and accep table.;

&i The Great haw oj
table, and perfect Will of God, without they
were transformed by the renewing of their
Mind, /. e. made a new Improvement of their
Minds by Confideration. For Confideration re
builds the Houfe that is fallen to the Ground,
makes the Mind new, removes old Prejudices
againft a ferious Life, and transforms the Judg
ment into other Thoughts and Conceptions, car
ries away the Rubbifh which opprefled the Soul,
and leaves it not till it becomes a new Creature,
Rom. 12. 2. What can St. Peter, I. Pet. i. 13.
mean, when he preffes the Chriftians of thofe
Days to gird up the Loins ©f their Minds, but
this great Duty we difcourfe of? Confideration,
as it is a Convocation of our Thoughts, fo it ties
and unites thofe Thoughts to the great Object,
the one Thing neceffary, and, as it were, girds
the Soul, that it may keep within the Rules of
the Word of God, and may not run out into
ftrange Defires or inordinate Affections, but be
more expedite and nimble in her Travels to the
Land of Promife.
The Truth is, from the Mind, as from Aaron's
Head, the precious Ointment runs down to the
Skirts of our Garments. From that Mountain
of Zion defcends this Dew of Hermon, for there
the Lord commands the Bleffing, even Life for
evermore. From that holy Hill roll down all
thofe Drops of Gold that enrich the immortal
Soul, and from that Store-houfe comes all the
Plenty that makes rational Creatures happy.
This is the great Wheel, which fets the leffer
Orbs a going, and if it be once impregnated
with Principles of Goodnefs and Serioufnefs, and

CONSIDERATION. ^
and thefe erilarged and fpread by Confiderati-
ori, the Will and the AffeCtions will foon be
perfwaded to follow that Star, till it brings them
to Bethlehem, the Houfe of Mercy. In our Ci
vil Affairs, it is the Mind muft firft be fully per
fwaded, either of the Neceffity, or Convenien
cy, or Danger, or Advantage of Things, before
any wife Refolution can be taken ; arid we may
juftly conclude, that, in Spiritual Concerns, Men
begin at the wrong End, if they do not feafon
their Minds with fuch Refolutions, as may make
a deep Impreffion on the Will and Affections.
For that thefe may refolve to follow God, and
may be ravifhed with his Love, and apply them
felves to his Ways, and may hate every falfe
Path, and deteft their former Exorbitances and
Deviations, we muft neceffarily fuppofe there
muft be fome Spring to feed them, which Spring
can be nothing elfe but Confideration. And, as
in Sin, it is the Mind that firft reprefents the un
lawful Pleafures of it to the Sinner, and this in
flames his AffeCtions; this imbibes the fubtile
Poifon, and fpreads it through the groffer Parts,
and fecretly conveys it to all the Vital Spirits,
till the whole Head doth ake, and the whole
Heart grows fick. So in its Antidote or Cure,
it is the Mind that muft be chafed with Argu
ments, which may render the Sin Deteftable, O-
dious, and Prejudicial to Soul and Body ; and
this will foon put the AffeCtions into a holy Rage
to fecure God's Favour. Which was the Reafon,
no doubt, why that Father left his Eftate and
Money to his Son, with this Condition, That
he fhould every Day Think a Quarter of an
Hour;

&4 The Great Law of
Hour ; becaufe he knew that Would at laft, by the
Grace of God, work upon the Will, and engage'
the AffeCtions to embrace a nobler ObjeCl.
And becaufe the more Objects, the more
Flowers this Confideration feeds upon, the more
effectual it is, and the greater Serioufnefs it
produces, the more fignal Change it works :
The Holy Ghoft therefore, in order to this
End, particularizes feveral Things, and com
mands them to be taken in as Promoters of
this excellent Work. Hence it is that we are
fometimes called upon to confider our latter
End, Deut. 32; 29. becaufe the Man that thinks
much of his Death, is moft likely to die to the
Vanities of the World; and to value thofe Things
at a very low Rate, which when he comes to die,
can give him no folid Satisfaction. Sometimes the
Works of God, Eccl. 7. 13. becaufe reflecting on
their Beauty, Excellency, and the Wifdom of God
that fhines in them, will oblige us to admire him"
whofe Hand hath made all this, and to pay hiiri
that Refpect and Reverence which fuch traiif-
cendent Goodnefs challengeth. Sometimes the
Lillies of the Field, Mat. 6. 28. that thefe dumb
Creatures may lead us to a fpotlefs Innocence,
and enflame our Hearts with a holy Ambition, to
be one of thofe that fhall walk with the Son of
God in white. Sometimes the laft Judgment;
or the great Account Men muft give of their'
Works, whether they have been good, or whe
ther they have been evil, Pj'al. 50. 22. for this
will fright a Man away from himfelf, make him
fight againft his Lufts, and walk by Rule, and
prefcribe Limits to his unruly Paffions. Some times

CONSIDERATION. 65
times the Teftimonies of God, the Sweetnefs*
Beauty, Perfection, Worth and Excellency of
them, Pfal. 119, 95. becaufe they are fo agree
able to the Truth imprinted on our Minds, fo
fuitable to the Notions of God written on the
Tables of our Hearts, that we cannot but clofe
with them, and take them for our Heritage for
ever. Sometimes the future Reward that God
hath promifed to them that fear him, II. Tim. 2t
7. becaufe if our Souls be not judicially ftupified,
and, in the PJ'almift's Phrafe, as fat as Greafe,
this will attract them into Abftinence frofn
Worldly Lufts, which war againft the Souh
Sometimes the Holy Life, Example, and Chrifti
an Conftancy and Magnanimity of Jefus Chriftj
Heb. 12. 3. becaufe Examples naturally enliven
and encourage the Soul to Imitation, and fo great
a Pattern at once infufes and commands Inclina
tion to follow it. Sometimes God's Correction"
and Chaftifement, together with our Sins, Hab,
2. 15. becaufe thefe reprefented to the Mind,
will fhew us our Ingratitude, and how much we
are to blame that God's Favour hath made no
kindlier Impreffions upon us, and how nee'eflary
it is to make hafte, and remove the eurfed Thing
that is in the midfi of us, that we do not lofe Our
Crown. And all, becaufe the more Candles there
are lighted and fet up, the brighter the Room
will be, and the better the Soul will difcover her
Spots and Errors, and confequently the greater
will be her Earneftnefs to wipe them away, and
remove them.
Nay, of that neceffity doth the Holy Ghoft
make this Confideration, that it feems, God
F (fuch

66 The Great Law of
( fuch a Lover he is of the Happinefs of Man
kind) is not at Eafe without it. He is forced,
as it were, to take human Paffions upon him,
to exprefs his Difpleafure againft the NegleCt of
this Sovereign Medicine. He feems difconfo-
late, if Men flight this Balm, this Water of Life;
this Eye-falve. He calls to Heaven and Earth
to mourn with him, becaufe his People will not
confider what they are a doing, whither they
are going, and what will become of them, Efa.
I. 3. He feems grieved and dejected, becaufe
they confider not the Operations of his Hands,
and what Noble Beings he hath given them;
how he hath made all Things fubfervient to
them, on purpofe that they might ferve him ;
and adorned the World with that great Variety of
Creatures for their Benefit and Ufe, that they
might have the greater Incouragement to offer
up their Souls and Bodies as living Sacrifices to
his Honour and Glory. How he hath made
them but a little lower than the Angels, crowned
them with Glory and Honour, and infufed Souls
into them capable of living for ever, under the
beatifical Vifion and Prefence of Almighty God,
Efa. 5. 12. He feems to droop; and he that is
eternally happy in himfelf, takes on, as if his
Happinefs, his Joy, his Satisfaction were inter
rupted, becaufe Men confider not that he remem
bers all their Impieties ; that he fits on the Battle
ments of Heaven, and beholds all ; that there is
not any Creature that is not manifeft in his
Sight ; and that all Things are naked and open
unto the Eyes of him with whom they have to
do, Hofi. 7. 6. 1
Indeed,

CONSIDERATION. £</
Indeed, God is refolved to deal with us as with
rational Creatures, not as with Brutes and En
gines; as with free Agents, not as with Machines,
and Works of Men's hands ; and that's the Reafon
why he is fo earneft for this Duty* Without all
peradventure, God could force Men into Seri-
Pufnefs; artd he that commanded Light out of
Darknefs, might take the Sinner up in his Arms^
and Carry him, even againft his Will, into that
Banquetirig-houfe, the Banner whereof is Love :
and might fet Men's Souls, as the Workman
doth his Clock, that they fhould not fail of run
ning the Race which is fet before them. But
then what would our Reafon fignifie ? Why
fhould he make US' capable of being wrought up
on by Arguments and moral Perfwafions? Why
hath he given Us Faculties to difcourfe pro artd
ton of Things, and to argue and debate the Cafe
With our felves ? Why hath he given us a Rule
to try our Actions by, arid Power to judge what
is Good, and what is Evil ? What Can be faid
for the one, arid what can be pleaded for the
other ? Which : Arguments are ftronger, diid
Which are weaker? Which are ponderous, arid
which are of no Value ?
If God .'do nothing ih vain, what can We ima
gine that this 'Power of Confideration is given
for ? He that makes a curious Veffel of Gold*
doth not intend it for1 a Trough or Wafhing-
Tub. He • that eriamels a Ring, doth not intend
tp:thrbw it upon a Dunghill. He that builds a
Houfe, doth not intend it for an Habitation of
Owls, and Ravens!, and Birds of Prey. He that
plants a rich and kindly Fruit-tree, doth not in-
F a tend

68 The Great Law of
tend it for Timber in a Hog-fty. He that makes a
rich Carpet, doth not intend it for Difh-Clouts.
And fhall I think God more imprudent than
Man? Shall I imagine that God hath lefs Fore-
fight with him than Duft and Aflies ? Truly if
a Philofopher were to draw Conclufions from
Mens Actions, and their Dealings with the Al
mighty, he could gather no lefs from what they
do, than that they imagine God to be more bru-
tifh than the moft carnal Wretch living, who ne
ver fcrapes for Gold, or toils for Riches to buy
Pins, or Childrens Marbles with it : For they
believe, that God hath given them a finer Spirit
than irrational Creature s have, and yet employ
that Spirit to no higher Ufes, than Beafts do their
natural InftinCt. Shall God give me an exalted
Soul, that can eat Angels Food, and fhall I, with
Nebuchadnezzar, turn it out to Grafs ? Shall he
plant in me an Ability and a Power of Confidera
tion, and intend it for no higher Ufe than to
teach and inftruct me how to rake a little Dung
together, how to feed a poor corruptible Body
for the GraVe, and how to wallow with the
Swine in the Mire ? He that can have fuch low
Thoughts of God, deferves to be banifhed from
all Human Society, and to dwell with Beafts of
the Wildernefs, muft make God the Author
of Confufion, ignorant of the Common Prin
ciples of Prudence, and lefs fagacious than
fome Animals, which, confeious of the noble-
nefs of their Nature, feorn to debafe it to the
Diforder and Naftinefs of the meaner Catde,
And what is this, but to let in Atheifm, while
we profefs our felves to be Chriftians? God
would

CONSIDERATION. 69
would not beftow his Power on me in vain, and
if not in vain, it ought moft certainly to be em
ployed on Things of the greateft Concernment ;
and what Things are there of greater Concern
ment,' than turning from the Power of Satan un
to God, and laying up Treafures there, where the
Moth cannot corrupt, and where Thieves cannot
break through and fie al.
Nay, why fhould God affure the Sinner that his
Impenitence fhall be punifhed with everlafting
DeftruCtion, but that he would have him make
ufe of his Reafon, and confider the truth and im
portance of this Threatning ; the Uncertainty of
his own Life ; and how Sin will certainly harden
him, if he doth not turn with all Speed ; and
how foon Ruin and DeftruCtion may feize on
him, and how dear, his Pleafures may coft him ;
and how fearful it will be to fall into the Hands of
an angry God, whofe Patience hath been abufed,
whofe Words have been fcorned, whofe Thunder
bolts have been laughed at, and whofe Compaf-
fion hath been looked upon only as a Shift or
Trick to enfnare Men into rigorous Severity.
Lord God ! I am not bereft of my Reafon, when
I hear the Supreme Governour of Heaven and
Earth threaten me ; when I hear him, who fits
on the Circle of the Earth, denounce Wrath and
Indignation againft me ; I have a Tongue in
my Head, and can enquire of Men, wifer than
my felf, whether this be really the Threatning
; of God, or no ? And whether the great Creator,
when he threatens thus, be in good earneft, or
! no ? When the Threatning was pronounced ;
•w here delivered ; what Perfons are concerned in
: F 3 it;

70 The Great Law of
it; upon what Condition the Threatning pro
ceeds; Whether that Condition be in me ; Whe
ther I come under that Judgment ? Whether I
have Caufe to be afraid ; and what it is that may
juftly move me to be fo ? I have Eyes to read whe
ther there be a Miftake in fitch Comminations, or
no : I have a reflexive Power within me, which
enables me to determine, when two Ways are be-
fpre me, which of them is fafeft to be taken ; and
whether the Reafons fpr my turning from my
evil Ways be ftronger than thofe which would
diffuade me from it : I have Reafon to ponder
how many Thoufands have, with Shifts and Ex-
cufes, and Delays, been the Caiife of their own
Ruin; and I have Power to reflect, how, that if
I am guilty of the fame Folly, I fhall fhortly be
wrapt in the fame Calamity with them ; and
what poor, what inconfiderable Comfort it will
be, to find thofe Men Companions in eternal Mi
fery and Calamity, that have been formerly Com
panions to me in Sin, and offending God. I have
Reafon and Power ferioiifly to debate, Whether
there be a future Judgment, or no; and with ve
ry little Trouble may fatisfie my felf, that Things
are fo as the Gofpel reprefems them, and that
there is no jefting with edg'd Tools. I have
Power to reflect, that if there were no more but
a Poffibility of eternal Torment, if we could
ftrain the Notion no higher than to a may be, it,
would become a wife Man to prepare for the
Worft, and to endeavour to be on the fure Side of
the Hedge. And having Reafon to confider all
this, power to Weigh and Ponder all this, and fo
to ponder it, that my Underftanding, thus pof
felled,

CONSIDERATION. 71
feffed, may prevail with my Will and AffeCtions
to refolve for contempt of Sin, and of the World ;
I muft heceffarily conclude, that God expects I
'fhould proceed, and come to that Spiritual Life,
this Way. To have fuch a Power, and to let it
continue in an unactive State, to let it be dor
mant, and fpend and confume itfelf, and like a
fickly Perfon, whofe Stomach naufeates the
wholfom Food the curious Hand hath dreffed, to
let it grow cold and infipid, muft needs be a
great Injury to the God that gave it, and intended
it fhould be actuated, and exercifed, as are the
other Faculties, and fo great anUnfaithfulnefs to
our felves, that in fo doing we grow Strangers to
our Self-love, and become our own greateft E-
nemies. And let no Man tell me here, that this
is to make Men independent from God, and to
affert, that Men may convert themfelves, and
change their own Hearts, and give themfelves
— that Repentance and Faith which the Scripture
every Way afferts to be the Gift of God : For
God's Power and Glory is fo far from receiving
any Prejudice by this Doctrine, that I know no
thing can advance and promote it more than this
Affertion. 'Tis confeffed, that Converfion is the
Work of God, but then he expeCts I fhould do
my Part, and work according to the Power he
hath given me, and improve the Talents he
hath already beftowed upon me, and trade with
them, and make ufe of the Faculties I have, and
exercife them as much as I can, in order to a fe
rious Change of Life; and in the Ufe of fuch
Means God will be found, as we feejin Cornelius,
Atfs 10. 4. And his Holy Spirit fliall come down
F 4 and

71 The Great Law of
and make the Work effectual ; and blefs thofe
honeft Endeavours with Grace and Mercy; and
make the Wheels go merrily, which went but
heavily before ; and turn that Piety which pro- .
eeeded from Fear of Hell before, into a fincere
Love of God, and to the Beauty of Holinefs;
and make that Obedience univerfal which was
but partial and by Halves before, and that's a
kindly Converfion. To indulge our felves in Lazi-
nefs and Idlenefs, and Wearinefs of God's Ser
vice, upon pretence that we muft wait God's
Time, and flay till God is pleafed to work upon
our Hearts, is no better than mocking of God.
And a Man that is fallen into the Water may as
well cry, that there he will lie till God by an An
gel from Heaven drags him out ; as a Sinner that
is loth to give over finning, pretend that he can
do nothing till God by fome powerful Charm
leads him out of that Captivity. As well may
we forbear working, and expeCt Providence will
maintain us, as he did Elijah by the Ravens, as
forbear ftruggling and ftriving to get out of the
Snares of Sin, till Chrift by a Voice from Heaven
calls to us as he did to Saul, Man, Man, why
perfecuteft thou me ? For God, who hath prote-
fted, that he'll cafl none out that will but come
to him, and never left himfelf without Witnefs,
and is engaged by Promife to be a Rewarder of
them that diligently feek him ; hath no Where In
his Word promifed to work upon our Hearts,
except we will ufe fuch Means as he hath given
us Power to make ufe of, in order to a Con
verfion; and he that lets the Power God hath
given him for this Ufe lie dead, doth but im-
bezzel

CONSIDERATION. 75
bezzel the Gift of God, and with that unprofi
table Servant, lays up his Pound in a Napkin,
and confequently can expect no other Anfwer
than was returned to him ; Out of thine own
Mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked Servant :
thou knoweft that I was an aufiere Man, ¦ taking
up that I laid not down, and reaping that. I did
not Jbw. Wherefore then gavefi not thou my Mo
ney into the Bank, that at my Coming I might
have required my own with tlfury ? Therefore
take from him the Pound, and give it to him
that hath Ten Pounds. And as for thofe mine
Enemies, that would not that I Jhould reign 0-
ver them, ( and it feems fuch are all thofe that
will not improve the Powers God hath given
them, efpecially this of Confideration, in order
to be reclaimed from the Error of their Ways )
bring them hither, and fiay them before me, Luke
19. 22, 28.
And indeed, he that can fit down and confider
what Loffes may befal him, what Mifchief may
happen to him, if he keeps Company with a tur
bulent quarrelfom Man, and thereupon fhuns
his Society ; He that can confider what Terror
it will ftrike into him if he lie in a haunted
Chamber, how it will difcompofe him, how it will
break his Reft, what Sicknefs it may bring upon
him, and what cold Sweats the Sight of a Ghoft
will caft. him into, and thereupon will not be
perfwaded to take up his Lodging there ; will
find in the Laft Day, that he might as well have
fat down and confidered, what Evil a finful Life
would bring upon him. His Reafon, to be fure,
is capable of taking the one into Confideration as

4 The Great Law of
as well as the other; and he that believes he hath
a Soul, muft be fuppofed able to think of Dangers
that may befal his Soul : And fince Confiderati
on is that which reprefents all Dangers in very
lively Colours, and by that Means affeCts and
makes Impreffions upon the Whole Man, there
is no Perfon but may fafely expect God's Blef
fing upon fuch Confiderations ; not upon the Ac
count of Merit, but becaufe God hath moft free
ly, and moft gracioufly promifed his Affiftance,
where Men fhew their Willingnefs to work in his
Fineyard. For God in this Cafe deals with Men,
as a Mafter with his Servants, who if they huf-
band a little Farm well, is content to let them
undertake a greater, and encourages their Indu-
ftry by larger Conceffions.
And that's the Reafon why Converfion in Scrip
ture is fometimes attributed to Man, and fome
times to the Father of- Lights, from whom every
good and perfeB Gift defends ; and why we read
in the fame Prophet, Make your J'elves a new
heart, and a new fpirit, Ezek. 18. 31. And I the
Lord will give you a new heart, and a new fpirit
will I put within you, Ezek. 36. 26. Becaufe God
expects the Sinner fhould take his Ways and pre-
pofterous Actions, and the Danger which hangs
over his Head, into ferious Confideration, repre
fent the Odioufnefs, and Difingenuity, and Un-
refonablenefs of. his Sin to his Mind, arid mufe
upon that endlefs Happinefs he may arrive to,
Weigh the Comforts and Confolations he may
enjoy on this Side Heaven, and God will encou
rage him, gather the Lambs with his Arms, and
carry them in his Bofom, i. e. profper thofe
fincere

CONSIDERATION. 75
fincere Endeavours, and Water them with the
Dew of his Benediction, till the Byafs of the
Soul is changed, and turned towards Heaven.
So true is that Saying of Chrift, Matth. 24. 29.
To him that hath ( i. e. improves the Stock of
Grace Providence hath already conferred on
him ) fijall be given, and he Jhall have ?nore abun
dant ; but from him that hath not, Jloall be taken
away even that which he hath.
Confideration is the Bed where the incorrup
tible Seed is fown, and on the Ground thus pre
pared, the Sun 6f Righteoufnefs doth fhine, and
by his Warmth produces in the Soul all Manner
of pleafant Fruits, Cant. 7. 13. Confideration,
like the Pool of Bethefda, draws the great Angel
of the Covenant down, who ftirs the Pool, and
gives it a healing Virtue, and immediately the
Blind receive their Sight, and the Lame walk, and
the Lepers are cleanfed,- and the Dead are raijed
up, Mat. 11. 5.
That God hath fometimes by miraculous
Means converted, and turned Men from their
Irreligioufnefs and Contempt of Holinefs, we
do not deny; but though thefe Miracles might
be the Oecafion of their Reformation, it was
ftill Confideration that digefted thefe miracu
lous Providences, and engaged thefe Men to
enquire what they meant, and for what End
they were fent, and how they fhould efcape if
they neglected fo great Salvation. It was this
made them argue that as thefe Calls were great,
, and full of Wonder, fo they challenged Enter
tainment and Submiffien anfwerable to fo great
a Mercy. It was this made them fee the Love of
God,

76 The Great Law of
God, and wonder whence it fhould be, that
God fhould over-look fo many Thoufands, and
knock at their Gates ; pafs by Palaces, and be
content to take up his Reft in their poor Habi
tations. It was this made them ponder, that af
ter fuch Admonitions and Exhortations from
Heaven, there was no flanding ftill, and that Con
tempt of fuch extraordinary Providences, mufi
needs fall very heavy on the Soul one Day, and fink
it into the nethermoft Hell ; upon which Confi
derations and Expoftulations, they refolved to
clofe with Chrifi, and with the Terms of the Gof
pel. Miracles not improved by Confideration
would make but little Impreffion on the Heart,
like the Seed that fell upon the Rock; Piety
might fuddenly fpring up, but for want of Root,
would foon wither away. Confideration is that
which affeCts the Soul with them, makes it con
cerned, cries to Sin to be gone, and aftonifhes it in
to Reformation. Hence it was, that the Jews who
confidered not God's Defign in the Miracles they
faw, remained as obftinate as ever ; whereas had
they by Confideration div'd into the Care God
took to convince them, there would not have
been greater Saints under the Cope of Heaven.
But all this will more fully appear, if we can
prove, That without Confideration, Converfion,
or Reformation of Life cannot but be coun
terfeit, Converfion being a Change of the whole
Man, and loving God better than the World, or
minding Heaven more than Earth, an immortal
Soul more than a frail dying Body, there can no
thing be imagined, under God, more likely to
prevent our being deceived with a Form of God-
linefsj

CONSIDERATION. 77
iinefs, than Confideration. That the Devil Very
ordinarily transforms himfelf into an Angel of
Light, and impofes upon Pur Minds by Shadows
of Virtue; as it is his Intereft, fo it is a Thing
as common as our yielding to Temptations of
that Nature. Daily Experience is a fufficient
Witnefs how Men deceive themfelves with a var-
nifh and paint of Piety, and flatter themfelves
that they are ordained to eternal Life, and in a
Way to thofe Regions of Blifs, when they are
not : Becaufe they acknowledge and profefs that
God is Infinite, Perfect, Glorious, and the Su
preme Governour of the World, and that in him
we live, and breathe, and have our Being ; and
that it is he that rules the great Wheel of Pro
vidence; they conclude they love him better
than their Riches or Pleafures here, when they
do nothing lefs ; indeed no more but what Par
rots may do ; which being taught, can repeat the
fame Words, and be never the nearer that Wif
dom which makes Men wife unto Salvation. We
fee how Men, becaufe they have no Inclination
to fome grofs notorious Sins that other Men are
guilty of, are apt to conclude, that they mortifie
their Lufts, and put off the Works of Darknefs,
walking foberly as in the Day-time ; and becaufe
they frequent the Temple of the Lord, they are
prefeiitly true Hearers of the Word. We fee
how the Harlot, Prov. 7. 14. becaufe flie had
paid her Vows, and had Peace- Offerings with
her, perfuades herfelf that fhe was a great Pro
ficient in Religion ; and the Pharijec did not
' think himfelf a Quarter fo bad as the Publican,
becaufe he paid Tithes of all he had, and was no

y 8 The Great Law of
no Extortioner or Adulterer. Becaufe fuch a
Man is not drunk every Day, but is fober now
and then, he believes himfelf to be a very tem
perate Man. Another, becaufe he doth not cheat
fo notorioufly as his Neighbours, concludes he!
is juft, honeft, upright, and fair in his Dealings;
Another, becaufe he works hard in his Calling,
. and doth no Body wrong, fancies he doth all that
is fit for a Chriftian to do. Another, becaufe he
hath fometimes a good Thought of God, andean
fend up a fhort Ejaculation to HeaVen, is very
confident he meditates and contemplates the Al
mighty. Another, becaufe he hath feme faint
Breathings after him, knows nothing to the con
trary but he is as jealous for God's Glory as any
of his Acquaintance can be. Another, becaufe
he hath now and then a melancholy Thought of
his Sins, and confeffes them to Almighty God,
concludes he doth repent as well as the beft ; and
becaufe he often wifhes for Salvation, and hath
a good Opinion of Holinefs and Goodnefs, he
doubts not but he is made Partaker of the Divine
Nature. That thefe are Cheats and Delufions, is evident
to any rational Man. If a Mountebank's giving
you common Sand for Powder of Pearls, or a
Tradefman's felling you Syder for Wine; or a
Merchant's felling you Earthen Ware, fuch as
is made in Europe, for China, be a Cheat, theri
certainly thefe are Cheats, and the greater Cheats,
becaufe they are in Matters of greater Value. The
Gofpel doth not offer Heaven on thefe Terms,
and it is not partial, but univerfal Obedience that
Chrift requires of his Followers. He is refolved Heavefl

CONSIDERATION. j9
Heaven fhall coft them more than thefe little
Services come to, and they fhall not impofe up
on God, however they may deceive themfelves.
But then how fhall thefe, or any other Cheats
be difcovered and avoided, but by Confideration?
True Converfion confifts in refifting and conque
ring fuch Delufions, but how fhall they be re
filled if they be not known ? How fhall they be
known, if Men confider not whether the Courfe
they take be either agreeable to the Way God
hath prefcribed, or like to bring them to that
Happinefs they aim at.
Tis Confideration muft manifeft, which is God,
and which is the Cloud, which is Gold, and which
is but Gilt ; which are the Waters of Jordan, and
which are the Rivers of Damafcus; which is the
Com, and which are the Tares ; which are the
Fiery Tongues, and which is the Gloe-worm
Light ; which are Jacob's Hands, and which are
the Hands of Efau,
There are not a few Sins which look very
much like Virtues; complying with Men's Im
pieties, look fo like Humility ; Abfalom's Hypo-
crify, fo like Humanity and Civility ; Jacob's
Treachery, fo like Friendfhip and Candor ; Si
mon Magus's Falfhood, fo like true Believing;
Judas's Covetoufnefs, fo like Care of the Poor ;
Flattery, fo like that Charity which bears all
Things, and hopes all Things, and believes all
Things, and endures all Things; Reviling again
when we are reviled, fo like doing Juftice;
Worldly-mindednefs, fo like providing for our
Families; Lying for Profit fake, fo like a Work
of Neceffity, and Self-prefervation ; and bearing a

8o The Great Lazv of
a Grudge* to him that hath offended us, without
difcovering it in ourAClions, fo like curbing our
Paffions, that few Men will think themfdveg'
concerned to part with them, except they confi
der which is the pure, and which is the fophi-
flicate Metal.
How like Saving-knowledge doth that Know
ledge of God look, which puffs up the Soul, and
tempts Men to defpife others that are not arri
ved to the fame Meafure of the Stature of the
Fulnefs of Chrifi? There is no diftinguifhing of
them but by the Effects : And how fhall the Ef
fects be discriminated, but by Confideration ? I
cannot avoid being deceived, if I do not fit down
and reflect ; Lord ! I pretend to Knowledge of
the Crofs of Chrift, but doth this Knowledge
make me humble and vile in mine own Eyes?
Doth it difcover to me my Spiritual Poverty;
and make me prefer others before my felf?
Doth it make me prize Chrifi above all ? And
doth it engage me to count all Things Drofs and
Dung, for the Excellency of the Knowledge of
Chrifi? Doth it make me ftand under the Crofs
of Chrift, and breathe and pant after his pre
cious Blood, like a Man truly fenfible both of
the Worth and Want of it ? Doth it produce that
Mind in me, which was in Chrift Jefus ? Doth
it fill me with Holy Ardours to be made Par
taker of his Holinefs ? Doth it make me won
der at the Myftery, and Glory in that which to
the Jews is a Stumbling-block, and to the Greeks
Foolifhnefs ? Doft thou feel this, O my Soul ?
How happy art thou if thou art fenfible of thefe
Operations ? Do not deceive thy felf; Doth not
this I

CONSIDERATION. Si
this Knowledge thou pretendeft to, make thee
fecure and carelefs ¦? Doth it not make thee fit
down contented without the Life of Religion ?
Doth it not perfuade thee to believe that thou
art a Chriftian, tho' thou doft not imitate Chrift
in his holy Life and Converfation ? Does it not
make thee proud and felf-conceited, and think
more highly of thy felf than thou oughteft to
think, and, like the Pharij'ees, look between
Anger and Scorn on thofe that know not the
Law ? If fo, how is the Knowledge of Chrift
Jefus in thee ?
The fame may be faid of Faith, 'tis Confidera
tion muft feparate it from Prefumption, and fa-
tisfie me whether it be of the true Eagle-kind
or no ; it is impoflible to know whether my
Faith be of the right Stamp, without I make
fuch Inquifition as this. Faith is a Gift or Fruit of
the Spirit, which I am apt to believe God hath
bleffed and enriched my Soul withal, and I thank
him that I am not born a Heathen, or InfideL
But what Power hath my Faith upon my AffeCti
ons? Doth it purifie my Heart, and drive away
thofe Lufts that have taken up their Refidencd
there ? Doth it make me cut off my right Hand
and pull out my right Eye, when they do offend
me ? Doth it make me live like a Perfon that
believes the Omniprefence and Omnifcience of
God ? Doth it make me, with Abraham, ready
to offer up mine only Son, Sins as dear to me as
the darling Fruit of my Body ? Is it of that force
in my Soul, that it makes me go contrary to
mine Inclinations^ and obey God, though 1 am
in danger of lofing my Place and Office ? Doth
G vi

81 The Great Law of
it make me do the Truth, as well as give Affent to
it ? Doth it make me cautious and afraid of offend
ing that God whom I believe to be of purer Eyes
than to behold Iniquity ? Doth it make me im-
brace Chrift, both as my Redeemer and Gover-
nor, both as my Saviour and my King ? . Doth it
elevate my Thoughts, and make me ftudy how I
fhall advance God's Glory, and do much good
in my Generation ? Doth it rouze my Soul from
her Slumber, and make me look and act like one
concern'd and touch'd with a Senfe of another
Life? Doth it work by Love ? And doth it drivi.
me to give God my deareft and tendereft Lov|(i
Doth it work by Charity too, by good Works *
And doth it make me caft my Bread upon the
Water, give away freely and cheerfully, though
I have no Profpect, and fee no Probability of 3
Recompence here on Earth ? Doth it make me
defpife the World, and overcome it, and ufe it
only as my Servant, while God alone is my
Mafter ? Doth it make me refift the Devil, and
grapple with Powers and Principalities, with'
the Rulers of Darknefs, and with Spirifud
Wickedneffes in high Places? Ephefi 6. 12, Doth
it make me pray with fervency and importuni
ty? Doth it tranfport my Soul into Ravifhments,
upon the Sight of yonder glorious Things God
hath laid up, and prepared for thofe that love
him ? Doth it make me rejoyce in that Saviour
I have not feen, with Joy unfpeakable, and full
of Glory ? Doth it infufe Boldnefs and Courage
into my Soul to ftand up for God, when I ei
ther fee his Name prophaned, or feehisCrea-j
tures fearfully abufed? Doth it make me with Phi-

CONSIDERATION. 85
Phineas, run in artd ftem the ftrong Current of
Iniquity, and with Paul and Barnabas, angry at
the improper Honour Men are going to offer
me ? Does it make me truft God in Adverfity,
even then when the Fig-tree doth not bloffom,
when there is no Fruit in the Fine, when the La
bour of the Olive fails, and the Field does yield
no Meat ; when the Flock is Cut off from the Fold,
and when there are no Herds in the Stalls ? Hah.
3.17. Doth it make me take Notice of God's
gracious Dealings and Providences, and admire
God's Wifdom and Greatnefs, and Power, and
'•? "oodnefs in all ? Doth it make me prize the Pro
mifes of the Gofpel above all Riches, and doth
it make me willing to fuffer for Chrift ? Rejoyce,
O my Soul, if Faith hath thus warm'd thy Heart,
' and if thou findeft thefe Footfteps of God with
in thee ! Thefe are Ornaments fit for thee to
appear in before the great Tribunal. On the other
Side, What Eafe, what Quiet canft thou enjoy, if
thy Faith be dead, and dull, and unaCtive ; if it
doth not touch thy Tongue with a Coal from
the Altar, and doth not make thee break forth
into Celebrations and Admiration of the Height
and Breadth, and Length, and Depth of the Love
of God; If thou feeleft no Holy Force to fhake
off every Weight, and every Sin which doth fo
eafily befet thee ; If thy Faith does not make
thee ftand upon thy Watch, and break through
all Difcouragements and Oppositions, to obtain
: the end of thy Faith, even thy Salvation; If it
I doth not make thy Corruptions abate and thy
: extravagant Defires and Paffions fall, if it be fo
; faint that thy Hands grow wvak, and 'hy Knees
; G 2 feeble

84 The Great Law of
feeble, that thy Graces languifh, and thy Good
nefs dwindles away; If thy Sins grow ftrong un
der the fhadow of it, and the Rod of Iniquity
bloffoms and bears fruit : If it doth not chafe Dif-.
content in a great Meafure from thy Thoughts,
and doth not give thee Bowels of Compaflion.
to Minifters, to the Servants of God, to Chrift's
diftreffed Members; if it doth not drive thee
into Heaven, into Contemplations of a glorious
Eternity, which lhall make amends for all the
loffes, troubles, perils, miferies and Difficulties
thou undergoeft here ; if it doth not make thee
prefer Chrift's Honour and Will before the vaiaj
Allurements of Flefh and Blood ; and the Socie
ty of thofe who delight in God, before Familia
rity with the richeft and greateft, who cafts God's
Law behind them ; if it works no Patience in
Afflictions, no Humility, no Self-denial, no-Meek-
nefs under Croffes, and Injuries, and Perfecti
ons, no Courage to ftand up for God, and for his
Glory, no Delight in the Word and Ways of
God, no fincere Endeavours to practife what
thou heareft, no Relifh in Spiritual Things, no
holy Revenge upon thy Corruptions, no Indig
nation againft thy former Sins, no Carefulnefs to
pleafe God, no vehement Defires after him who
is fairer than the Children of Men ?
Faith thus confider'd, if it be but a painted;
Fire, will quickly betray itfelf; and Confidera
tion will foon give an Item to the Sinner, that
this is no good Foundation to build Eternal Sal
vation on ; this will blow away the Chaff, and
fhew how little good Corn there was in that
Rubbifh. This will melt all the Drofs and Tin
away,

CONSIDERATION. 85
away, and difcover how little of the purer Met-
tal there wa_s in the Lump. This will make all
the droffie Part evaporate, and let you fee whe
ther there be any Thing of Subftance at the Bot
tom. In this manner we are obliged to proceed
in our Prayers and Supplications. Confiderati
on muft acquaint us, whether it be the Defires
of our Hearts, or the Defires of our Lips only,
that we offer unto God ; whether it be a deep
Senfe of our Spiritual Wants and Neceffities,
and of the Greatnefs, Majefty, Purity, Holinefs,
Mercy, and Goodnefs of God that makes us
pray; or Cuftom, and Education, and Civility
to our unruly Confciences ?
So in our Diftributions to the Neceffities of
others, Confideration muft acquaint us, whether
we give enough or no; whether we fulfil the
Rules Chrift and his Apoftles have delivered
.concerning it; and whether it be Vain-glory and
the applaufe of Men, that makes us both liberal,
and fpeak of our Liberality, or an honeft Defign
to-advance the Glory of God, and the Good of
our Neighbour? Whether that which puts us
upon giving, be Compaffion and Tendernefs, or
a Defire to be rid of the importunate Petitioner ?
Whether it is our yearning Bowels, or fear of
being ill fpoken of by other Men, that engages
us to fuch Offices of Humanity.
So in Falling, Confideration muft acquaint us,
whether it be the outward Performance we do
regard more than the inward Frame of the Soul ?
Whether it be a real fincere Refolution to
mortifie Sin, that engages us to this Severity, or
an |ntent of giving God Satisfaction for theAf-
' G 3 fronts

86 The Great Latv of
fronts we have offered him; and whether the au-
fterity makes Sin truly bitter to us, and works an
eternal DeftruCtion of it in our Hearts ; or whe"T
ther it difpofts us to fell on afrefli, and tempts'
us upon the Credit of that Piece of Mortificati
on, to venture into new Sins and Enormities ? ,
So in our Zeal for God, Confideration mufi!
acquaint us whether- we are more paffionate in
Things which concern the Honour of God, than
in promoting of our own Intpreft; whether it be
a Zeal according untp Knowledge, and kindfed
by the Sun of Righteoufnefs ; or furious*, and
lighted by the Flames of the burning Lake; whe-
ther it be Singularity, Peevifhnefs, Spleen, and
Malice, that makes ps hot, or deliberate ponjfer-
inp; of the Affront that's put on the Divine Ma-
jefty. And whether we are zealous for the great
er, as well as for the leffer Matters of the Law;
for Judgment, Fqiih and Mercy, as well as for
paying Tythe of Mint, and Cummin, and Anifef
Without Confideration, our Souls muft necef-
farily remain under very great Darknefs and Mjr
ftakes, and confequently run the Hazard of being
cheated in the Work of Conversion. Howflioula
thefe Cheats be difcovered but, by our Reafon?
How fhall our Reafon judge of then} but,, by
Confideration ? For Confidesatipn calls, thefljW
an Account, lays .them open, . examines their
Rife and Progrefs, difcovers them to be Profs,
and fpies out the Danger they involve the Soul
in, andby that Means works it into a faithful
Refolution to take another Courfe,

CHAP.

CONSIDERATION. g;

CHAP. IV.
Of the various Impediments and Remora's of Con
fideration. Men fancy greater Difficulty in it
than there is indeed. Are continually imployed
about fenfual ObjeBs. Loth to part with their
Sins. Ignorant of the Pleafure of Confidera
tion. RefieB upon the Danger of lofing their
unlawful Gain. Fear they fhall fall into Me
lancholy, or go AifiraBed with Jo much Seru
oujhej's. Are of 'Opinion that Converfion, in that
Senj'e the Scripture fpeqks of it, is needlefs.
Miftake the Nature of Confideration. Are dif-
couraged by evil Company. NegleB confulting
with Minifters about this neceffary Work. De
lude themfelves with the Notion of Chrift's dying
for the Sins of the World.
COnfideration, a Duty fo Great, fo Noble,
fo Neceffary, one would think fhould
find fuitable Entertainment with all Men that
pretend to Reafon, or Wifdom, or Difcretion ;
For in not giving it RefpeCt and Veneration,,
they call their own Reafon in queftion, dif-
parage their Wifdom, and . give juft Oecafion
to their Neighbours to fufpect, that Difcre
tion is a Flower which never grew in their
Garden : The Gueft being fo beneficial, who
can imagine to the contrary, but every Man
will fpread open his Doors, and let it in ?
How! Lock the Gates againft a good. Angel !
G 4 Keep,.

88 " 'The Great Law of
Keep out a Meffenger that brings glad Tidings I
Darken the Room that I may not fee the Suri!
Cpnfideration, that directs me how I may be a
Friend of God, get room in his Bofom, fing with
Arigels, triumph with Seraphims, fit. at the right
Hand of a glorified Redeemer, ftand before the
Thron? -of God, ferve him Day and Night in his
Temple, and be freed from all Poffibility of Sin
and Mifery, from all Difcontent arid Vexation of
Spirit! Is it poffible a- Merchant of that Worth,
and Beauty and Excellency, can want a Lodg
ing! Is it poffible, it fhould fare no better than
the GREAT JESUS, be deftitute of a Place
where to lay his Head ? Is it poffible Men fhould
deal with it as the Inhabitants of Sodom did with
the three Heavenly, MefTerigers that entered into
Lot's -Houfe ? Quarrel with tt ; abufe it ; offer
" Violence to it ? he angry at its harmlefs Language;
fhew; their Spleen againft that,, whofe Prefence
preferves them from being confumedv? And
which, while it is among them, flays the hand of
Heaven, the hand of the deftroying Angel, that
they perifh not ? Does not every Man defire. to
be happy? Did ever aiiy Man hate his own Flefh?
Was ever any Man in love with Torment ? Is it
riot 'every Man's Intereft to ftudy how to prevent.
it ? And then Aire Confideration cannot but
have the Love and. Embraces of all Perfons, that
do not; make Sport with c aft ing Firebrands, and
Death, and Arrows, Prov. 26. 18," 19.
So an impartial ferious Man would think, yet
toour'Grief and Sorrow we find that Men run
away from it as from the Plague, and do as
carefully avoid it as' they would do Ratft>ane$

CONSIDERATION. 89
or Sublimate, or Nightfhade. This will oblige
me in the next place to enquire what are the Re--
mora's or Impediments that make Men neglect
this Panaccza, and, like mad Dogs, fhun the Wa
ter that would cure them, and flight the Remedy
that would infallibly recover them. 'Tis natural
for Men to inquire into the Reafons of any De
cay. If a Tree does not thrive, if Flowers do
wither in the Bud, if a Child do not grow, or if
the Water of a River fails, the firft Thing we do,
is, to enquire where the Stop is, and what the
Caufes of the DefeCt are, and why Things do not
profper according to Expectation ? And he that
hath a Vineyard in a very fruitful Hill, and fences
it, and gathers the Stones out of it, and plants it
with the choiceft Vine, and builds a Tower in
the midft of it, and makes a Wine-prefs therein,
may well afk the Queftion, Wherefore when I
looked that it fhould bring forth Grapes, brought
it forth wild Grapes? Ifa. 5, 1, 2, 3, 4.
The Clogs and Impediments of Confideration
are numberlefs, for indeed 'tis the Devil's Study
and Contrivance Day and Night which Way to
prevent it. Where a Perfon dares extricate him
felf from the Snares of Senfe, and venture upon
this Work, the Enemy juftly fears he fhall lofe
a Subject, and a Soul will be fnatcht out of his
Clutches, and he fhall not be able to hold the
Sinner in his Egyyt, or hinder him from facrifi-
cing to the Lord his God. He dreads this Land
of Gojhen ; and to fee People walk that Way,
makes him fret and florm. It grates upon his
Spirits to behold a Sinner fet his Face towards
Jerufalem, he cannot endure to fee the Difciples

on

90 The Great Law of
on Mount Tabor ; An Ifiaac, that's going to medi
tate, is a Thorn in his Eyes; and being a Spirit
that lives upon Envy, enjoys his Malice, and finds .
}iis greateft Satisfaction in deftroying Mens
Souls; we muft fuppofe he leaves no Stone un-
turn'd, no Stratagem untried, no Means unat-
tempted, to hinder Men from a ferious Recolle
ction of their Thoughts and Imaginations. And
no Hufbandman can be fuppofed to fet more
Traps, or invent more Pit-falls, or devife more
Snares for Vermin and rapacious Animals, than
this Sophifter lays to divert the Stream of Mens
Thoughts into a Channel of Contemptible and
impertinent Objects.
There is fuch Beauty, fuch Lovelinefs in ths
Way of God, notwithftanding the coarfe outfide,
that fhould fuch a Perfon by ferious Confiderati
on be tempted to lift up the Veil, and fee what is
behind it ; remove the Sackcloth and Afhes, and
take a View of that which is underneath ; open
the Iron Gate, and behold the Gold within ; un
lock the Cabinet, and fee the Jewels there ; he
would moft certainly be ravifh'd with the Sight,
and not flay one Hour longer in the Chambers of
Death. This the Devil knows; he is fenfible that
Confideration is a Tree of Life ; therefore left
Men put forth their Hands and take of the Tree,
and eat, and live for ever, we may rationally be
lieve he'll crofs their Endeavours to the utter-
moft; fo that We may fuppofe as many Impedi
ments of Confideration,. as the Devil can invent
Stumbling-blocks to throw in the Way to this
Duty. However, let's take a View of fome of
the Principal. I. The

CONSIDERATION. 9i
I. The fancied Difficulty of it. I fay, fancied,
for there is not that Hardfhip in it Men imagine.
But fuch Enemies are the Generality of Men to
their own Happinefs, that they will fancy Diffi
culties in Things they are loth to do ; and they
therefore cry out, That they are hard, and not
to be compaffed but with an infinite Deal of
Trouble, becaufe they would be excufed from
the Performance or Practice of them. 'Tis ordi
nary for School-boys to plead Difficulty of the
Talk their Mafter fets them, when they have a
greater Mind to play than to learn ; much like
Solomon's flothful Man, Prov. 26. 13. There is a
Lion in the Way, there is a Lion in the Streets.
Vain Man ! there are no Lions but in his own
Brain, no confiderable Difficulties but what are
of his own making. So here, Men fancy that
this ferious Confideration of their Ways, is a
Thing which none but Scholars and Men of
Learning can reach, and none are obliged to
mind but Men of Letters, and fuch as are Book-
ifh, and read much, and have large Capacities,
are Men of great Judgment, and can wholly give
or dedicate themfelves to this Study. A Conceit
as falfe as God is true, and which we cannot re
flect upon without Indignation. For common
Experience refutes it. The meaneft Artificers,
Men that cannot read one Word, Servants of the.
loweft Form, the pooreft Perfons alive, Men
whofe Fortune is as low as their Learning, do ar
rive to this Art, and therefore that Plea deferves
to be hifs'd at : What is done may be done a-
gain ; and if unlearned, ignorant, illiterate Men
do very often make confiderable Progrefs in it,
there

92 The Great Law of
there is no doubt but the Thing is poffible and
practicable, and there wants nothing but Wijr
lingnefs to mafter it.
There is no Man that's fenfible that Gold is
better than Glaffes or Rattles, or that Pearls ought
to be priz'd and valued more than Pebbles ; there
is no Man that is capable of apprehending, that
Three and Three make Six, or can contrive and
plot which Way a dangerous Pond or dreadful
Fire may be avoided, but may confider, whether
the Things the Scripture fpeaks of be true or no;
whether the Promifes and Threatnings of the
Gofpel are Things that belong to him; whether he
lives up to the Precepts of Chrift, and what will
be the Confequence of his Contempt of Mercy,
and what may be the means of efcaping the Wrath
to come; and whether an endlefs Glory be not
infinitely better than a few Hours Pegeantry, and
everlafting Enjoyment more fatisfactory than
momentary Pleafures, and eternal Reft more de-
fir able than a Tranfitory Titillation.
What Difficulty is there in this Confideration ?
What Rocks, what Precipices are there here, that
muft be ventured on to bring it about ? I fee a
whole Street on fire, and am ftruck into Amaze
ment, and cannot I confider how dreadful ever
lafting Fire muft be ? I can confider what a Lofs
it was to Job to be deprived of his Sheep, and
Camels, and what is more, his Children, artd laft
of all his Health, and Eafe, and Quiet ; and*
cannot I confider what a Lofs it muft be for me
to lofe more than all this comes to ? I can confi
der it is worth fitting up late, and rifing early,
and running up and down, to get a Livelihood; and

CONSIDERATION. 93
and cannot I confider how far more rational it is
to fweat, and toil, and labour for an everlafting
Inheritance ; I can confider with Delight, how
much Eafe and Content I fhall enjoy when fuch
an Eftate, I have the Reverfion of, doth fall : And
cannot I confider, how happy thofe muft be, that
after their patient Continuance in Well-doing,
fhall be poffeffed of Glory, and Honour, and Im
mortality, and eternal Life ? I can confider how
pleafant, how glorious a Thing it is to live in the
good Opinion of my Prince, under the Smiles and
gracious Looks of my Benefactor : And cannot I
confider what a Felicity doth attend them that
enjoy the Light of God's Countenance ? Here is
but changing the Object. And I that can confider
how difingenuous and fordid a Thing it is to act
againft a Man that hath rais'd me out of Duft, and
advanc'd me to great Dignity and Preferment ;
cannot I confider what Bafenefs and degenerous
Ingratitude it muft be, to provoke that God who
maintains me, and preferves me, and without
whom I cannot breathe or move ? I that can con
fider the Reafonablenefs of Sorrow and Grief
where I have offended, and done a fignal Injury
to my Superior; cannot I confider how juft and
equitable it is, when I look on that Saviour
whom my Sins have pierced, to mourn as heartily
as one that mourns for his only Son ? I that can
confider how fad a Thing it is to fit in a Dunge
on, deprived of the comfortable Beams of the
"Sun, and what is more, of the Society of all
Lovers and Acquaintance, in an Enemy's Coun
try, where my Food is fuch as Dogs would re
fufe to eat, and the Stench round about me
intolle-

94 The Great Law of
intolerable, cannot I confider how dreadful It
will be one Day to be everlaflingly fhut out from
the Enjoyment of that Light which refrefhes the
Souls and Bodies of glorified Saints for ever, and
to be thruft into a difmal Prifon, whence I muft
come out no more till I have paid the uttermoft
Farthing ? Why fhould not my Underftanding
ferve me to confider the one as well as the other?
Spiritual Things are the moft adequate, and mofi
prPper Objects of my Underftanding. They are
the proper Fuel for the Flames that cheriflies
and feeds it, artd makes it rife, and foar to Hea
ven. Whatever concerns Provifion for the Flefh,
or this prefent Life, is but a fecondary Object,
more by Favour and Permiffion than by Defign.
For God's Defign in giving us Underflandings,
Was that they might be Receptacles of Spiritual
Truths, Store-Houfes of invifible Treafures.
Contrivances how we may get our bodily Wants
and Neceffities fupplied, for ought I know, may
be performed and ordered by Senfe alone, without
Reafon, without this fublime Faculty of Under
ftanding; as we fee in Beafts and ignobler Ani
mals, which being Strangers to this Privilege,
and directed only by Senfe, furnifli themfelves'
with Neceffaries, Conveniencies, and Superflui
ties : Go to the Ant thou Sluggard flconfider her
Ways, and be wife; which having no Guide, Over"
feer, , or Ruler, provideth her Meat in the Summer,
and gather eth her Food in the Harveft, Prov. 6.
6, 7, 8.
But what will not Men call difficult, if they
are unwilling to do what they fhould ? How
would Houfes be built ? How would the Field be

CONSIDERATION. 95
be fowed? How fhould Harveft be brought in,
if Carpenters and Hufbandmen fhould pretend
Difficulty ? If Men will be Droans, Excufes are
foon found out. Our Underftandings are quick
enough to light upon Evafions, and I never knew
any Sinner whofe Wits would not ferve him to
reafon himfelf out of a known Duty. And of
this Nature is the pretence of Hardfhip Men al-
ledge. And who fees not that this is but a fhift
to fatisfie their Conferences, that they may not
twitch them for the Omiffion ; and they muft
have fome Plea leaft they fhould fin bare-fae'd,
and feem to affront God without Caufe or Infti-
gation. And indeed this Plea is a true Stroak
of the Devil ; for though the Way to Deftructi-
on be far more craggy, and infinitely fuller of
•Precipices than the Way to Life, ( witnefs Mens
breaking through Infamy, the Hatred of their
Friends, the Difpleafure of their Relations, the
fences of Modefty, the fcorn of Angels, the In
dignation of a confuming Fire, to get at Sin;
witnefs the venturing fometimes their Fortunes,
fometimes their Lives, fometimes their Reputa
tion,, fometimes the Ruin of their Families to
pleafe the Devil;) yet the Broad Way being
down, whereas the Strait is up the Hill, his
Perfuafion prevails the fooner, that the former
is infinitely more facile and eafie -, and thus he
afiperfes and fieeks to crack the Credit of this fpot-
lefs Virgin, Confideration, the Joy of Angels, the
fenvy of -Devils, the Off-fpring of God ; and
the great Ladder whereby Men muft climb to
Heaven, and hard it muft be, though nothing
be more eafie ; 'tis a Thing portable, and is al-
wavs

96 The Great Law of
Ways to be had; 'tis always in feafon, always at
hand, always within Call, no burthen in a Jour
ney, no Load in a Voyage, Men may carry it
with them where-ever they go; when they are
travelling, when they flay at home; in company,
and out of company ; when they are walking,
when they are fitting down ; when they go to
Bed, when they rife; they need not run beyond
Sea to fetch it, nor revolve many Books to be
Mailers of it ; they need not fail to the Anti
podes to compafs it, nor dig under ground to
find it; they need not ranfack the Indies to
inrich themfelves with it, nor venture Ship-.
wrack to bring it Home ; they need not fell
Lands and Ploufes to purchafe it ; nor run the
hazard of Sword and Fire to fecure it ; they need
not clamber Mountains to poffefs it, nor wade,
through Rivers to inherit it; They carry this
Treafure in their Hearts, and it muft be mere
fluggifhnefs if they let it lie tliere and make no
ufe of it. The Fire is hid under the Aihes, and
they need but ftir it and blow it, and it will foon
flame out; and God hath made the Duty fo eafie
on purpofe that Men might not be deluded by
the Devil into a Belief of its Impoffibility.
Strange ftupidity ! they do not think it hard to car
ry Talents of Lead, or Mountains of Sin on
their Backs, and yet they think Confideration
hard; even that Confideration which like a
faithful Friend, would tell them how to be rid
of that heavy load they bear, a load which would
immediately fink them into Hell, but that the
Devil puts under his Shoulder, and helps them
to carry it, and fo they feel it not. They do
nos

CONSIDERATION. 9y
not think it hard to dig into Hell, and yet they
think Confideration hard, which would teach
them a Way how to quench that Fire. They do
not think it hard to be oppreffed by a moft bloody
Ufurper, and yet they think Confideration hard,
which would fhew them how they might fhake
off that Yoke, which neither they nor their Fore
fathers were ever able to bear. Look how labo
rious the Priefts of Baal are in the Worfhip of
their god ! They cut themfelves with Launcets
till the Blood gufh out upon them. They do not
think it hard to bleed, yet they think it hard to
leave Fornication. The Idolaters, If. 44. 12, 13.
fee what Pains they take: The Smith with the
Tongs both worketh in the Coals, and fafinoneth it
with Hammers, and worketh it with the Strength
of his Arms; yea, he is hungry, ar.d his Strength
faileth ; he drinks ?io Water, and is faint. The
Carpenter firetcheth out his Rule, he marketh it
out with a Line, he fitteth it out with Plains, he
marketh it out with the Compafs^ and maketh.it
after the Figure of a Man, according to the Beauty
of a Man, that it may remain in the Houfe, This1
they do not think hard, yet think Self-denial in a
beloved Paffion hard; a true Emblem of all un
converted Sinners in general. They do not think
it hard to obey every little Slave, every filly Lull,
every common Soldier in that Camp, of which
themfelves might be the Generals ; and yet they
think Confideration hard, which would free
them from that Tyranny, and acquaint them
with a Way how they might be Kings and Priefts
unto God, and fhine as the Stars in the Firma
ment for eyer.
H O

98 The 'Great Law of
O Men unwife, and flow of Heart to believe
all that the Prophets have fpoken ; you that have
Courage to meet an Army in the Field, and, to
ufe Job's expreffion, Have Confidence to laugh at
the glittering Spear and the Shield, Job 39. 23.
You that have Courage to plow the Sea, to face a
' Cannon, to mock a fhower of Arrows, to ftand a
Volly of Shot, to fight Duels, to expofe your
Lives, to lay Siege to a Fort, to endure the Noife
of Guns, to hear the clafhing of Swords, to lie
on the cold ground many Nights together, or to
have an Arm or Leg cut off to preferve the
founder Parts of your Bodies ; You that have
Courage to do all this, and do not think it hard,
fhall you think Confideration hard ? Even that
Confideration, that would make you live like
Men, and free you from the Rubbifh the lapfed
Pofterity of Adam lies groaning under : You
that do Things every Day almoft much harder,
and much more difficult than Confideration is,
will you fcruple that which may be perform'd
with greater Eafe, and which you are more ob
liged to, than adventuring on the Dangers 1
mentioned ? II. Impediment.
II. Love of the World, and being continually em
ployed about fenfual ObjeBs. This is another
Impediment of Confideration. And indeed we
need not wonder to fee Men neglectful and care
lefs of this great and neceffary Work, when the
World takes up their Hearts, and engroffes their
AffeCtions; when we fee how all their Plots, De-

CONSIDERATION. 99
Defigns, Contrivances, Defifes are for the World*
and when they fhind only fiefhly Things, as the A-
poftle phrafes it, Phil. 3. 19. This was well
expreffed by the aricient Parable, in 'which a
Traveller is reprefenfed fleeing from the fierce-
nefs and rage: of an Unicorn, but as he flees, he
falls into a. Pit, and rolling ; down, lays hold on
the bough of a Tree, and now thinks himfelf
fecure fropi nil Danger. 'But as he looks about,
he beholds Two Moles corroding the Rootx>f the
Tree he holds by, and underneath him a Dragon
fpitting fire, and threatning to devour him; and
On both Sides of him four Serpents luffing ; and
in the midfi of all this Danger, fome Honey1
trickling down from the Tree, with theSweetnefij
Of which, and Agreeablenefs to his Palate,, he is
fo taken and ravifh'd, that he forgets his Fears,
and rejoyces, 'though furroundfed with fo many
implacable Enemies. The Unicorn is Death,
the Pit is 'the World, the Tree Man's Life, the
Two Moles Day and Night," the four. Serpents
the four Elements Man is compofed of, the Dra
gon is the Devil, and the Honey Voluptuouf-*
nefs, 'or the fweetnefs' and pleafures of thg
World, What I mean by the WPrld nOrte can be igno
rant of, that hath either read what wife Meri
have Written concerning it, or hath heard the)
Word of the Gofpel fouriding in his Ears. For
indeed 'tis not the leaft part of our Commiffion
to dehor? and difluade Men from fixing their
AffeCtions on thefe fublurtary Objefts, and but
that continual inculcating of the fame Thing ,
would make our Auditors naufeate- the moft .
H 3 whole*

ioo The Great Law of
wholefome Leffons, we could not do them
greater Service than by making fuch Dehorta-
tions the perpetual Subject of our Sermons.
All that is in the World, is the Luft oftheFlefi,
and the Luft of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life,
faith the great Divine, I. John 2. 16. Whatever
outward Object ferves to gratifie Senfe, What
ever here below is moft commonly defired and.
lufted after, Whatever makes for Satisfaction of
the Flefh, or of our fenfual Appetite, all is com
prehended under this Name.
And indeed it is with thefe worldly Comforts,
as it is with the Garden of Eden ; fome are for
Food, fome for Trial ; fome to keep our Bodies
ferviceable to our Souls ; fome to prove our
Souls, whether they will reft on thefe broken
Reeds, or feek Reft and Acquiefcence in. him
that is the Creator of all. And accordingly the
Almighty thought fit to limit the Ufe of thefe
terreftrial Felicities, and to fignifie in his Word,
that his Intent in giving them, was, that they
fhould be our Servants, not our Mailers ; that he
defigned them as Advantages to us, not Hin
drances, in admiring and adoring the immenfe
Goodnefs and Bounty of God ; That he appoint
ed them for our ufe no farther dian they would
ferve to promote his Glory, and the Eternal Fe
licity of our immortal Souls. This the Saints of
old underftood, who therefore were very fea
ring in the ufe of thefe outward Comforts, for
fear of being deluded by them into Fondnefs;
Nay, fome fo dreaded falling in love with thefe
AlleCtives, that they did totally deny themfelves
in the ufe of them, as St. John the Baptijl, who had

CONSIDERATION. iQi
had no Houfe but the Defart, no Chamber but
the hole of a Rock ; he fovved not, neither did
he reap, neither gather into Barns; he ufed no
Wine, no Table, no delicious Couch, no Bed
made of the fofteft Plumes ; his Form, his Table,
and his Bed-chamber were the cold Ground.
His Wild-fowl was Locufts, his Cake wild Ho
ney, the rich Cup he drank in, the Hollow of
his Hand, and his Wine was Water of the neigh
bouring Brook. He took Notice indeed of the
Creator's Wifdom in thefe outward Objects,
but was afraid to put them in his Bofom, for
fear, like Snakes warm'd by his vital Heat, they
fhould fling him into an Epidemical Sicknefs.
But here we find Men generally live the Reverie
of God's Defigns and Intentions, and inftead of
ufing thefe vifible Comforts in order to a grea
ter End, they make that their Home which was
intended only for their Inn, and are for erecting
Tabernacles to dwell there, which God defigned
only as a Thorow-fare.
And to this Unhappinefs, propofterous Edu
cation, which moft Men are fubjeCt to, doth
yery much contribute. For whereas we fhould
be educated into Reafon, and a right Apprehen-
fion of Things, we are ufually educated into
Senfe and Deceptions ; and thofe that have the
Care of us, and fhould teach us Self-denial in
thefe outward Things, and by that means engage
our Souls to fix on nobler Objects, do common
ly prefent us with nothing but fenfual Satisfa
ctions. All their Difcourfes to us are of the
World, and of the Magnificence, Greatnefs,
Splendor, and Ravifhing AfpeCts of thefe out-
H 7 ward

foi The Great Law' of
Ward Gaities; and the firft. Principles they. teach
Us, are, how. to pleafe' Senfe, and to pamper our
Appetite'; and though, now and then they teach
us fome little Notions' of Divinity, yet it is in
fuch a fenfual Way, that it amounts to no more
than a Formality and Divertifemerit, and being
a Thing that's taught by the by, it makes little
or no Impreffion upon our AffeCtions. The firft
Thing we fhould' be, taught,' fhould be Poverty
in the midfi of. Plenty, and the Art of being
contented without carnal Eafe and Satisfaction,
of bearing Injuries aud Reproaches, of doing
Things contrary to our ' natural Defires, and of
defpiiing^all Things that make for the pampering
of the Flefh. We fhould be educated into, a
Love of Sackcloth and Allies,- and doing tha.t
wh'cb. flefh and blood hath the greateft Averfion
from. So the' ancient Chriftians taught their
Children, and that made them fuch excellent
Saints; .but our firft InftruCtions are. Things of a
different Nature. This fine- Coach, and thofe
rich Trappings. This curious Garden,, and' that
¦ commodious Seat. This Necklace; of Pearl, and
that glittering Diamond. This French Difh,
ahd that pungent * Sawce. This filk Coat, and
that velvet Cap.; This Man's ftately Train, and
the other's fplendid Retinue, This Man's Fea
thers, and the other's .coftly Veftment., Thefe
•are the Things v/e are firft - of .all inftructe^lso
gaze on, and to worfhip.
But whatever Ejifadvantages Men lie und^r
upon the account of their fenfual Education, one
would think, when they cofne to the full. Ufe of
their Reafon, and are > capable of underftanding the.

CONSIDERATION. i0?
the vanity, emptinefs, and unconftancy of thefe
lower Objects, and of apprehending that they
were only intended as Ladders, to raife them in
to Contemplations of their great BenefaCtor in
Heaven, when they arrive to this Ripenefs of
Underftanding, come out of their Apprentice-
fhip, fet up for themfelves, become as it were
their own Matters, and enter upon the Poffeffion
of that Eftate, which before was managed by
others: One would think, I fay, they fhould then
begin (as there is commonly an Alteration of
our Temper, upon the Alteration of our Conditi
ons and Fortunes ) to reCtifie thofe fenfual prin
ciples, which their Nurfes and Tutors have led
into them, and wafli away the ftains thofe fond
Mailers ( as indeed Men rhay be kill'd by Kind-
neffes, and, like that Olympian FiBor, be ftifled
with Pofies) have unluckily imprinted on their
Souls. But alas! there are very few, that having
gone thus far, flop, and attempt to captivate
their Appetites to the Obedience of Reafon and
Religion, or feek to elevate their Souls above the
Dung and Trouble of the World, according to
the intent of their Maker; that moft Men fink
deeper and deeper into the gulph of fenfual De
fires, open the Gates wider, make the Doortar-
ger for fenfual Satisfaction to enter in; nay, if it
be modeft and loth to enter, compel it to come in,
and give their Spirits an Infufion of Carnality ;
water and keep warm the Seed of Worldly In
clinations, and find out Ways to increafe their
Thirft; add heat to their Fever, provoke their
fenfual Appetite to enlarge itfelf as Hell, and
H 4 fearing

ic4 The Great Law of
fearing they have not been fufficiently, or faith
fully enough inftruded in the Enjoyment of thefe
worldly Felicities, they try Experiments and
Conclufions to find out new Satisfactions, and
thus plunge themfelves into the main Sea, being
charmed by the Sun-beams playing and glitter
ing upon the Waters, and curling of the Waves;
and the Impreffions which were made on the
Wax when foft and tradable, remain when it is
grown harder ; and now by a continual Hurry
of worldly Cares and Bufineffes, which they
are content to admit of, they make their Souls
the leaft Objed of their Solicitude: And were
they afked as that prophane Duke, What they
think of Heaven? 'tis like they would anfwer in
his Language, or think fo, or at leaft aCt as if
they thought fo, That they have Jo much Bufinefs
en Earth, that they cannot think of Heaven.
Thus their Spirits become Flefh, and their
Souls turn to Earth as well as their Bodies. And
the Tindure of Carnality in them is fo ftrong,
that like petrefying Waters, which turn all things
thrown into them into Stone, or a lapideous
Subftance, it makes all the Thoughts that come
into their Minds fubfervient to their worldly In
tereft. Whence it comes to pafs that their Minds be
ing altogether fenfual, impregnated with worldly
Cares and Satisfadions, and all their Faculties
imployed in contriving how to get a greater fhare
of Earth than they have already, or at leaft to
keep and preferve what they have, there is no
Room for this Confideration of their Spiritual
Eftate or Condition. They hearken to nothing with

CONSIDERATION. 105
with any Zeal, or Attention, or Life, that doth
not carry either fome Worldly Profit or Pleafure
with it; and that which charms or wins them,
muft be the Mufick of temporal Intereft. As the
Wolf in the Fable, being fent to School to learn
to fpell, could make nothing of all that was faid
to him but Sheep. His Mind ftill ran upon that,
and confequently was hardned againft all other
Suggeftions. Confideration how they fhall be faved here
after ! there is no Lands to be bought with it,
no Mannors to be purchafed, no Houfes to be
built, no Countries to be conquered, no Ho
nours to be got by it. It brings in no Riches, it
fills not their Coffers with Gold and Silver, it
doth not give them Refped and Credit with
Princes and Men °f Quality; it doth not cover
their Tables with Dainties and Delicacies, it doth
not furnifh them with Portions for their Chil
dren; it doth not feed their Bellies, nor put
them into a Condition to lie on Beds of Ivory,
or to be clad, like Dives, with Silk and Purple ;
it doth not maintain their great Retinue, nor
prefent them with foft Airs; it doth' not pro
vide for their Families, nor keep up their Pomp
and Grandeur : Were it fuch a powerful thing
as the Philofophers-Stone is fabled to be, and did
it enable them to turn their Iron into Gold, and
did it make their Trade to flourifh, and did it
make their Garners full, affording all manner of
Store, and caufe fuch Fruitfulnefs among their
Flocks, that their Sheep might bring forth Thou-
Jands and Ten thouj'ands in their Streets ; Did it
raife them tp the Power of Senacherib, to the
> '.-<,, ;-"' Magni-

1 06 • ' The Great Law of
Magnificence of Nebuchadnezzar, to the Plea
fures bf Solomon ; did it promife a Kingdom, and
whifper in their Ears that they fhould enj.Oy.Eafe
arid Plenty ; without, all peradventure, nothing
fhould have fo much of their Care or Hearts, as
Confideration of their Ways: But having none
of thefe Baits, and their Hearts being' fixed on
the World, they can find no Time for this. Ex
ercife. As well may a Worm take Pleafure in
the found of a Fiddle, or a Horfe delight in
Arithmetick, or an Ox divert himfelf with the
fight of a Well ordered Army, as fuch Men fet
Time apart for their Recolledion ; and whate
ver Pregnancy there may be in the Motives', a ju
dicious Perfon doth alledge, they cannot attend
fuch Motions.
Cannot, did I fay ? They will not allow, them^
felves Time to retire and confider that they have
fuch things as Souls, or that thefe Souls are capa
ble of Punifhment and Glory, when they fhake
•Hands with their old Companions their Bodies.
They think that time mif-fpent that is beftow'd
upon Confideration of another World, and what
Minutes or Hours are taken from their flefhly Sa*
tisfadions, or from profecuting their worldly
Concerns, they look upon as flung away..
¦ ; >By worldly Concerns, I do not only mean Bu*
•firieffes which an Eftate, or Trade, or Family,
or Office, or fenfual Pleafures caufe, but Bufi
nefs of Study and Learning too ; and one may, be
as much taken up with his Study, as another
is with his Trade, and confequently be- very
loth to allow any Time for this Confideration
•we fpeak of. - To.be-ftudibus and yet inconfi- derateJ

CONSIDERATION. 107
derate, implies no Contradidion; and a Man
may contemplate God, and Heaven, and the
whole Creation, and yet not contemplate them
in order to a holy Preparation for another Life,
or with an Intent to mortifie his Sins and Cor
ruptions, and to imitate God in Holinefs, with
out which it cannot be Confideration ; and the
beft Name we can give it, is an empty Specula
tion: So that a fpiritual Meditation may be but
a worldly Bufinefs, if that which puts me upon
it, be my Profeffion whereby I get a Lively-
hood; if that which makes me ftudy and me
ditate, be temporal Profit, or Honour, or Ap
plaufe ; if it be not undertaken with an Intent
to edify my own Soul, as well as the Souls of o-
thers ; if it be done either to pleafe the Fancy, or
to pleafe the gentle Reader, by publifhing it to
the World.
And indeed, where worldly Concerns fill all
the Channels of the Soul, there can be but very
little Employment for ferious Confideration. A
continual hurry of Bufinefs flieds Darknefs upon
the Soul, thrufts out that Eye whereby it fhould
refled upon itfelf, and makes it intent only on
Things which tickle and pleafe the Flefh ; and
like Felix, when any Motions to ferious Confi
deration arifes, replies, Go thy way for this Time,
and when I have a convenient Seajbn I will call
for thee, Ads 24. 25. This, as the Babylonians
did the Children of Ifrael, keeps Confideration
in Captivity, and binds it up in Chains, that
it can make no Sallies ; and if at any Time it
would go forth,, -like Jonathan, to take a View
of the dreadfiil Army of the Philiftines, checks it,

lo8 The Great Law of
it, and drives it back into its Prifon again, where,
like fome martial Prince, it lies coop'd up, and
its Power and Valour remain unknown to the
Enemies, that were it loofe, would foon feel its
quicknefs and energy. It fares much with Con
fideration as with that Prince's Invitation, Luke
14. 16. Worldly cares and Bufinefies, like thofe
Guefts, when the Soul feels any Suggeftions or
Invitations to Confideration, are presently ready
with excufes, and a thoufand Things are preten
ded why they cannot come, or floop to the gra
cious Meffage or Vocation ; and thefe Briars and
Thorns choke the good Seed that's thrown a-
mong them.
Thus Earth keeps out Heaven, and the World,
like fhutters of a Window, excludes the Light
that would irradiate the Room ; not but that
the Bufinefs of our worldly Callings may lawful
ly be perform'd and follow'd ; and Men ought to
work with Labour, and travel Night and Day, ra
ther than be chargeable to others, II. Theff. 3. 8.
But where the World is made a God, and fills
Mens Minds as well as their Hands, and all the
Time that can be got, is fpent in imbracing and
grafping of it, it is impoffible Confideration
fhould find Entertainment there; it is like a
heartlefs Prayer, for that can be huddled up,
and requires not much Time, and leaves them as
Worldly as it finds them, and doth not hinder
or crofs them in their Fondnefs to the World,
which they are afraid Confideration will do.
And indeed they guefs aright, for Confiderati
on, as Theodofims the Patriarch of Confia7ttino-
ple did the Emperor, when a Lcffon out of the
Bible

CONSIDERATION. io9
Bible againft Images was read, would pull them
by the Sleeve and fay, Hear, Sir, and obey. This
would fhake their Love, make them unquiet in
their Amours, and unfettle their Affedions, pull
down that high Efteem they have of the World,
and make them fee that there is not that Beauty,
that Glory, or that Happinefs in Things below,
which their fickly Fancy dream'd of; it would
fhew them that all thefe Gaudes are but a Pit
covered with curious Flowers, where People
may irrecoverably perifh, if taken with the trea
cherous Flowers they fmell to, and admire their
Odour and Fragrancy. It would fhew them the
vanity of heaping up Riches, when they know
not who fhall inherit them ; and reprefent unto
them the Folly of flattering their Souls with an
Ede, bibe, hide, Soul take thine Eafe, eat, drink,
and be merry, thou haft much Good laid up for
jnany Tears. It would fhew them how falfe, how
perifhable all thefe outward Comforts are, and
that they have fdmething more than this deceit
ful World to look after. Confideration, like a
faithful Counfellor, would undeceive them in
their fond Opinions of this treacherous Friend,
difcover to them his bafe Defigns, the Mifchiefs
he drives at under all his Smiles, the Serpent that
lies under thofe green Herbs, and bid them be
ware of him. Confideration, like the honeft
Jonathan, Jer. 40. 14, 1$. who told Gedaliah
that IJhmael was not the Man he took him for,
would open the Cave, nnd fhew them the roar
ing Lion, and affure them, that the Beaft is not
fo harmlefs as they are apt to imagine, not fo
fit to play with as ito teeming Safenefs would make

' 1 1 o The Gredf Law of
make them believe. Brit fuch is the Love they'
bear to the World, that they are jealous of all
Things that would fubvert their Love, andhiate''
Confideration as an Enemy, becaufe they are a-
fraid it will difcompofe thofe Imbraces, and break'
the League between them and thefe earthly Sa*
tisfadions, and put their Hearts, that lie clofe1
to the World, out of their Place, difpoffes them'
of their Earthly-mindednefs, and prompt theni
to lay up in Store for themfelves a good Foun
dation againft the Time to come, and lay hold.'
on Eternal Life. A ftrange Fondnefs ' this !
which doth- not only marry the Heart unto the
World, and makes them Two, one Flejh, but'
fends out Spies to watch againft all the Endea
vours of this.faithfi.il Monitor, viz. Confiderati
on, that it may not break the Match j or diffolve '
the Bond, or make the Heart fenfible of its A-
dulteries. O God ! how is thy Similitude in Man defa
ced! How is that Glorious Image thou didft
once flied into his Breaft, blotted and defiled!
Is this the Man that received a Soul to mind Hea
ven moft? Is this the Man over whom thou didft
fpread thy Skirts, whofe Nakednefs thou didft
cover, and with whom thou didft enter into an
everlafting Covenant ; whom thou doft draw by
Cords of Love, whofe Soul thou didfi betroth un
to thee for ever in Righteoufnefs, and in Judg
ment, and in L'oving-kindnejs, and in Mercies!
Hof 2. 19. Is this the Man about whofe Crea
tion thou didft confult, and about whofe Make
fche Holy, Bleffed and Glorious Trinity entered.
into deliberation? Who would have thought that
> the

consideration: m
the Favour would ever have been forgotten, or
that this extraordinary Way of forming him
would ever have been raz'd out of his Memory ?
Who would have thought that, after this Mark
of God's Love, he would have loved any Thing
befides God, or who would have expected lefs
than his intire dedicating himfelf to his Maker
after -fuch uriufual care and induftry of the Dei
ty ?. Falfe treacherous Man! Is. the World become
his- Mafter ?n Is his fervant become his Soveraign ?
And. is that which. Was intended, for his Foot-
ftoof 'become his Throne, whereon he braves: all
¦the Meffages of Grace and Pardon ? Shall* fo
great a Soul be married to fo mean .a .Slave?;' So
great a Spirit joined to fo pitiful a Vaffal; And
fhall that which was defigned for him to tram
ple on and defpife, domineer, and ufe himtike a
Prifoner, put Fetters about his Feet, and fhackle
his Soul, that it may not return to that Hufband
to whom it hath fworn Fidelity, and promifed
Allegiance and Subjedion? Unhappy Creature!
art thou defign'd to judge the Apoftate Angels^
and doft thou make thy felf their Sport ? They
would dread thee, hadft thou Courage to defpife
the World, and doft thou make thy, felf de-
fpicable in their Eyes? They would fall; at
| thy Feet and be afraid, as they were at the Sight
of Jefus, and doft thou fufferthem to ride over
thy Head? How art thou fallen from Heaven, O
Lucifer, Son of the Morning? And thou who hadft
once Power given thee to aj'cend into Heaven,,
and, without a Metaphor, to exalt thy Throne
¦above the Stars of God, to afcend above the Heiglrt
of the, Clouds, and to be like unto the Moft Hi g&;
How

1 1 1 The Great Law of
How art thou brought down to'Hell, to tlie Sides
(f the Pit? How art thou cut down to the
Ground? How is thy Pomp brought down to
the Grave? Ifa. 14. n, 12, 13.
III. Impediment.
I'll. Unwillingnefs to part with their Sins. This
certainly is the greateft Impediment of Confide
ration, and the chief Caufe of Mens negleding
this moft ufeful Work. Their Confluences, or
their Hearts mifgive them, that Confideration
will difcover the Deformity and Odioufhefs of
their Vices, and will put them Upon forfaking
their darling Lulls; they are afraid it will raife
Doubts and Jealoufies in then- Heads about their
prefent condition, difturb them in their flumber,
difcompofe them in their golden Dreams, drive
them from their Softs and Eafe, and make their
Candle burn dim and blue, which for the prefent
gives a very delightful Shine, and therefore they
are loth to apply themfelves to it. They look
upon it as four Grapes that will fet their Teeth
on Edge, though in good Truth their Sins are
thofe four Grapes which ftupifie their Reafon,
their Minds, their Underftanding, and their
Will, deftroy their Spiritual Appetite, and ren
der the Bread of Life infipid to them.
I have heard of fome rude and favage Indians,
Who being decently cloathed by our Merchants,
( for in their own Country it feems they knew
no other Ornaments, but dung and guts of Beafts
about their naked Bodies ) and brought over
into England, with an Intent to civilize themy and

CONSIDERATION, „i
and rilake them Irtftruments, upon their Return,
to teach their own Nation Modefty and Decen
cy ; as they Were walking about the Streets of
London, and beholding the ftately Houfes that
adorned that goodly City, they were obferv'd to
figh and groan, and to look very melancholly ;
thofe that took notice of them, charitably belie
ved, that their dejeded Looks were no other but
Charaders of their mourning at their unhappy
Countrymen, who were ftrangers to fuch Edi
fices, fuch Pomp, fuch Glory, fuch Plenty, fuch
Magnificence and Gallantry. But being fent o-
ver into their own Country again, they quickly
betrayed the Reafon of their Sighs, and foon dif
covered that their Melanholy was caufed by their
being delivered from their Naftinefs, and beaftly
Way of living : For they were no fooner come
to fhorej but they tore off their Cloaths with In
dignation, fell about the Necks of their Coun
trymen with Joy, and betook themfelves to their
Dung and Guts again, and in thefe Ornaments
they came triumphing to the Englijh. There
cannot certainly be a fitter Emblem of Sin where!
Men are enamour'd with it. They delight in
their Plague -fores, rejoyce in their Wounds and
Bruifes, Wounds not bound up, nor 'mollified with
Ointmenti They are afraid of Plaifters, and do*
fo defire to be let alone in their Mifery, that
l they are jealous of a Cure, and dread a Phyfici-
, an. Their Filth is fo pleafing to them,- their
, Itch fo amiable^ that he that offers to free them
, from it, attempts tearing of their Bowels frorh
, them, and that's it makes them afraid of Confi-
. deration. I For

1 14. The Great Law of
For indeed, Confideration would Anatomize
their Sin, fhew them the Venom that's fpread
through every Part ; fhew them who that God is,
who profeffes himfelf offended at it ; fhew them,
that he who is provoked by it,, is that God with
out whom they cannot be happy; whom to for-
fake, is to be miferable ; whom to adore, is to live
,in joy; whom to ferve, is to reign; whom to fear,
is to be quiet ; whom to know, is to be glorious ;
whom to love, is to leave all ; whom to defire, is
to be contented ; whom to follow, is to walk in the
right Way; who breathed into their Noftrils the
breath of Life, and gives them the Meat they eat,
the Drink they drink, and the Cloaths they put
on ; that hath the fame Power over them, which
the Potter hath over his Veffel, and can create
and deftroy them at his Pleafure ; that fits on the
circle of the Earth ; and before whom all Nations
are as a drop of a Bucket, and are accounted as
the fmall Duft of the Balance; before whom they
are nothing, yea, lefs than nothing, and Vanity;
from whom all their fpkitual and temporal Mer
cies do defcend; without whom they could not
be one Moment out of Hell ; who is their beft,
their greateft, and moft conftant BenefaCtor;
who lets his Sun fhine upon them, and his Rain
drop down on their Fields and Paftures ; who
fends his Holy Angels to watch their fteps, and
to keep them in their Ways ; who hears the Hea
vens for them, and makes the Heavens hear the
Earth, and the Earth to bear the Corn, the Wine
and the Oil, and commands all thefe to relieve
them ; who preferves them from Danger, pre
vents their being hurt, and charges all the Ele
ments

CONSIDERATION. 115
ments tofpare them; who keeps them by his Pro
vidence, fupports them by his Wifdom, proteds
them by his Power, and thinks nothing too good
for them, if they will but approve themfelves
obedient Children, and live like Perfons who
are fenfible of the Obligations of the Higheft.
Confideration would let them fee, That this
God who could undo them, wooes them to Re
pentance, and he that could, as Gideon did the
Princes of Succoth, tear their flefh with Thorns
and Bryers of the Wildernefs, befeeche's them
not to flay in Sodom ; and he that could, as Ddvid
did the Ammonites, put them under Saws, and
under Harrows of Iron, and under Axes of Irons
fpeaks to them to Turn, as a Man fpeaks to his
Friend; and that there is nothing in the World
God hates more than Sin ; and that this is it his
Soul abhors, being Holinefs itfelf, and Of Infinite
Purity. Confideration would let them fee, that
their Sin controuls the Will and Wifdom of that
God, who feeds them ; fets up Laws of his owrt
Making, in Oppofition to thofe Commands,,
which the Holy Angels dare not mention with
out Trembling. This would let them fee the.
Majefty and Glory of that God whom they do
affront; a God who charges his Angels with
Folly, and on whofe Brightnefs thofe bleffed
Minifters cannot look, without covering their
Faces with their Wings, and crying out in A-
mazement, Holy, Hol)\ Holy, Lord God of Hofts,
A God who covers himfelf with Light, as with
a Garment ; Who ftretehes out the Heavens
like a Curtain ; Who lays the Beams of his
Chambers in the Waters; Who make* the Clouds
I 2 his

116 The Great Law of
his Chariots, who walketh on the Wings of the
Wind, who maketh his Angels Spirits, and his
Minifters a flaming Fire. Lift up your Eyes
on high, and behold who hath created thefe
Things, that bringeth out their Hoft by Num
ber, he calls them all by their Names, by the
Greatnefs of his Might.
Confideration would reprefent to them the
various Mercies and Opportunities they do flight,
and how hard it will be for them to kick a-
gainft the Pricks ; this would fhew them what
refitting their own Mercies means, and what
fighting againft their own Happinefs imports;
how Bleffings flighted will turn to a Curfe, and
Mercies abufed will aggravate their Guilt ; how
ftubbornnefs makes God weary of fliewing Mer
cy ; and refufing to come in while the Gates are
ppen, provokes the Mafter of the Houfe to pro-
teft, That the invited Guefts fhall never tafte
of his Supper. How Opportunities of being fe
rious, if negleded, may be fnatch'd away, and
the Scepter of Grace, if look'd upon with Con
tempt and Scorn, may never be ftretched forth
again. Confideration would let them fee what Grief
their Sins do caufe in Heaven ; how they make
the eternal God complain ; how loathfom, how
abominable they make them in the fight of God,
and how they treafure up unto the Owners wrath
againft the Day of Wrath, and revelation of the
righteous Judgment of God. This would fheW
Chrift Jefus on the Crofs; How that Beauty
bleeds, how that Monarch fighs, how that Con
queror groans, how heavy, howdejeCted, how dif-

CONSIDERATION. u7
difeonfolate fin makes him, how deep he drinks
of the Cup of Trembling and Aftonifhment, and
what exquifite Anguiih the Sins of Mankind
caufe in him ; how fin puts him to infinitely great
er Pains, than the Rack or Gibbet, or a fiery Fur
nace, or the Wheel ; and makes them feel Ten
thoufand Times greater Torment than the Male-
fadors felt which were crucified with him : This
would befpeak them in the Language of the
Prophets, Who is this that comes jrom Edom,
with dyed Garments from Bofrah? Wherefore
is he red in his Apparel, and the Garments like
him that treads in the Wine-fat ? Ifa. 63. 1, 2.
This would fhew them, that the Blood which
trickled down from that Sacred Head, trickled
down upon the account of their Follies and
Tranfgreffions; that their Oaths, and Curfes, and
Blafphemies, were the Thorns that prick'd his
Head ; that their Lafcivioufnefs, and Fornicati
ons, and Adulteries, were the Spears that opened
his Side ; that their Boldnefs in finning, their
Refolutions to be Damned, made the Tears gufh
from his Eyes; that their Hatred, their Malice,
r.heir Envy, their revengeful Defires, were the
Hands that did buffet him; that their Covetouf-
nefs, and Worldly-mindednefs, and Negled of
their Duty towards God and Man, were the
Rods that fmote him ; that their evil Thoughts,
and idle Words, and extravagant Adions, were
the Furies that fpit iri his Face; that their Perfi-
dioufnefs, their Treacheries, their Hypocrifies,
were the Nails that were ftruck through his
Hands and Feet; and that their labouring after
Hell, their Endeavours to be miferable, their
I 3 con-

1 1 8 The Great Law of
contempt of the Goodnefs of God, made him
fweat Drops of Blood in. the Garden of Gethfe,
mane ; that their Delight in abufing God, and
in trampling on his Laws, was that which made
him fhriek out to the Amazement of Heaven and
Earth, My God, my God, why hafi thou forfaken
me ? That the Heat of their Lufts was the Caufe
pf his Drought, and proved the Gall and Vine
gar that was given him to drink ; that their fin-
ful Lives kill'd him; and their deadriefs in Duty
murther'd him; that their Impatience and Un
belief haled him to the Crofs; and their Impeni
tence was the Caufe of that purple Flood, which
the Angels, for the Rarity and Strangenefs of it,
defcended from Heaven to behold.
Confideration would lay before them all the
Curfes of the Law, the Terror, the Confump-
tion, the Sorrow of Heart, the Anguifh that at
tends fin in the end; the Troubles of Confcience
it will raife e'er long, the Frights, the Difquiet
it will produce ; how it diftraded Francis Spirct,
how it difquieted Richard the Third ; how it
difcompofed King Saul, and better Men than
thefe; how it bowed down David, and made
him go mourning all the Day long, and roar for
the difquietnefs of his Heart ; how it made the
Publican blufh, afraid to lift up his Eyes to Hea?
yen ; how it made him buffet hisBreaft, and rear
dy to pluck the Hair from his Head. This
would reprefent to them the Flames that Dives
felt, and made the Wretch cry out for a Drop of
Water to cool his burning Tongue. This would
fhew them what Blacknefs fin doth caft on their
Underftandings, and that their being baptized into

CONSIDERATION. 119
into the Chriftian Faith, doth fignifie little, ex
cept they leave their Sins ; and that they do
name the Name of Chrift in vain, without
they depart from Iniquity. This would fhew
them their Error in flattering themfelves with
the Hopes of God's Mercy, and demonftrate
to them how ridiculous it is to believe that
God will pardon them, becaufe they pardon
themfelves; or, that he will forgive them, be
caufe they are loth to fuffer. This would fhew
them that God fees and hears them, and will
judge them, and fet their Tranfgreffions in order
before them for all the feeming delay of his Ven
geance. Confideration would difcover to them the
Pardon and Reconciliation they muft go with
out, if they do not fpeedily return ; the Blef-
fings they deprive themfelves of, the Comforts
they bid Defiance to, the Light, the Favour
of God, and the Mercy of Chrifi Jefus they
muft for ever want, and be deftitute of, if
they fly not into his Arms with the greateft
Expedition and Alacrity. This would tell
them, that if they might light of Salvation, it
will be with them, as with one who hath been
in want for a long Time, and that Day fome
great Eftate falls to him, he dies, and muft
not enjoy it ; or, as with a Man deftitute of dai
ly Food, who is brought into a Room, where
are the moft delicate Difhes, the greateft Dain
ties, the mOfl nourifhing Meat, the moft pala
table Difhes, and yet muft touch none of them,
but go away Empty and Hungry, anatlarve
in the midft of all that Plenty. This Would
I 4 assra-

Iio The Great Law of
aggravate their Sins, make them appear in their
proper Cplpurs, and fhew that they are no bet
ter than Cockatrice Eggs, and Spiders Webs,
Have you not feen the crafty Spider weave a
Net, and then lie in Ambuffi, till the filly Fly,
dazled perhaps with the Curiofity of the Net,
haftens to thofe unhappy Labyrinths ; but while
fhe is fporting her felf in thofe Chambers of
Death, out comes the Murderer, and leads the
Captive Wretch in Triumph home. Confident
tion would ffiew them, that thus it is with Sin;
and that with much fair Speech, as that Harlot,
Prov. 7. 2 1, 22, 23. it caufes the Sinner to yield \
with the faltering of her Lips fhe forces him. He
goes after her firaightway, as an Ox goes to tke
Slaughter, or a Fool to the Cor reB ion of the /locks:
till a Dart ftrike through his Lfcsr, (is a Bird.
haftens to the Snare, not knowing that it is for his
Life. ^
This Kindnefs Confideration would do them,
Thus and thus it would tell them ; and this is it
Men are afraid of, and therefore care not for en
tertaining it. Their Sins afford them prefent Sa-
tisfadion, and the Pleafure they promife is brilk
and lufty on their Fancies ; their Body feels it,
their Eyes fee it, their Ears hear it, their Tongue
tafles it, it tickles all their Senfes, it makes them
merry and jovial, and makes their Blood ftilk
and dance in their Veins. It makes them forget
their Sorrows, and put the evil Day far from
them. It is an Opiate that takes away all Senfe
and Fear, and they are not afraid, though fur-
roun^ed with the greateft danger; it makes them,
fing on a Precipice, and laugh while the Houfe
cracks,

CONSIDERATION. m
cracks, and is ready to fall on their Heads. If
makes them drunk, and confequently infenfible
of all thofe dreadful things which the Prophets
and Apoftles of God have fpoke of; perfedly of
the Temper of Nero, who plays while Rome is
burning, and makes merry while the Smoke of
the City goes up to Heaven. Frequent Con-
verfe and long Acquaintance hath made their
Friendffiip with Sin inviolable. And though it
is really the greateft Evil, and the Caufe of all
Evils in the World ; though it murders while
it laughs, and poifons while, it fmiles and crin
ges; though it isfo mercilefs, that not content
ed to kill the Body, it attempts the Soul too ;
yet having like the Prophet's Ewe-lamb, II. Sam.
12. 3. been nourifhed and kept by its Owners
for many Years, and being grown up together
with them, and having eaten of their Meats,
and drank of their Cup, and lain in their Bo-
foms, and been to them as a Child, the Fondnefs
is grown fo great, that nothing can make them
willing to part with it. Hence it is, that Con
fideration is looked upon as a fawcy, ill-bred,
unmannerly Meffenger, that would part the
deareft Friends, divide Sin from their Souls, and
caufe a Civil War in their Bowels, deftroy the:
reigning Power of Vice, attempt its ftrong
Holds, and florm its Fortifications. They lie
encircled in its Arms ; and though they hang
all this while oyer Hell-fire by a twined Thread ;
though God all this while fhakes his Rod over
them, and while they hug the Sin, is preparing
the Inftruments of Death, and whetting his
Sword, and bending his Bow, and making it
('';>;¦• ready;

ill The Great Law of
ready; yet it feems fuch is the prefent Hearts-
eafe Sin affords, fo fweet is the Sleep it yields,
that Men care not for being awak'd by Confi
deration. Unhappy Qualification ! Doft thou
come to thy Friend at Midnight, and knock,
and afk him for three Loaves, and will not the
Churl rife and give thee what thou wantefl, '
notwithftanding all thy Importunity ? Thofe
Three Loaves, what are they but the Under
ftanding, Will and Affedions of the forlorn
Sinner ? And will he part with none of thefe
to relieve thy Neceffity, or rather to relieve his
own? Thou only wantefl them to make him
happy, and doth he refufe to give thee Materials
to build him a lafiing Houfe, which, like the
everlafting Hill, can never be moved ?
We fhould wonder to fee a Man that's ready
to flarve for want of Food, refufe the Bread or
Meat that's offer'd him ; and wonder to fee a
Perfon that's ready to perifh with Cold, reject
the Fire and Cloathing we have prepared for
him ; and wonder to fee one who is blind, fcotn
the Help of him that would certainly reftore
him to his Sight; and wonder to fee one who
is fallen among Thieves and Robbers, make
light of the Afliftance of a Prince, who offers
to refcue him out of their Hands. And doft
not thou wonder, O my Soul, at the infuffera-
ble Stupidity of finful Men, that enticed with
the Milk and Butter fwimming in a Lordly
Difh, enter into a Tent, where they will cer
tainly meet with a Nail and Hammer, and yet
are afraid of that which would affuredly pre
vent their being pierced and ftricken through their

CONSIDERATION. 133
their Temples? mourn over them, lament their
Wretchednefs, grieve for them that will not
grieve for themfelves ; call for Rivers of Tears,
wifh for a Fountain of Water. Behold, Sin
hath blinded them : Confideration would open
their Eyes, but they love Darknefs better than
Light. Sin transforms them into the Idols of
the Heathen, and makes them that though they
have Eyes, yet they fee not; Ears, yet they
hear not ; Hands, yet they handle not ; they
fee not their own Good, they care not for
hearing thofe Leffons that would curb their in
ordinate Defires, they feel nothing of the Pow
er of God, and do not love to handle the Law.
Sin doth expofe them naked to the Contempt
and Scorn of God and his Holy Angels, and
they rejoyce under that Weight. Sin deprives
them of the Bread of Life, and their Souls are
ready to die for want of the hidden Manna,
and they laugh under their Want and Mifery.
What Changelings doth Sin make Men ! How
doth it make them feed with Swine upon Hulks
and Shells! What Tyranny doth it exercife o-
ver them, what a Babel doth it caufe in their
Minds ! How doth it turn all upfide down !
How doth it confound, how doth it ruine all !
How doth it tear their Hearts ! How doth it
make the Ways of Sion mourn ! How defolate
doth it make the Soul ! What a Cage of un
clean Birds doth it make the inward Man ! How
bafely doth it leave the Sinner in the Dark, in-
fomuch that he cannot difcern Gold from Lead,
Silver from Brafs, or precious Stones from
common Pebbles, and counterfeit from folid
" Wif-

M\ The Great Law of
Wifdom! Lord! how it doth unman them!
how much below themfelves doth it make them
Jive! Unto God and his Holy Angels they ap- ,
pear perfedly diftraded, as the poor Wretches
vn. Bedlam feem tous; only herein their Wretch-
ednefs exceeds the others Mifery, that they may
be releafed of their piftradednefs, and will
not ; the other if they would, cannot ; the for
mer Deliration is voluntary, the other forced ;
the former hath Malice in it, the other Weak-
nefs only; and whereas the latter challenges
Pity and Compaffion, the former deferyes no
thing but Wrath and Indignation.
IV. Impediment.
IV. Ignorance of the Pleafure of Confider ¦ali
en, is another Impediment. 'Tis Ignorance of
the Price of Pearls, that makes the Ideot flight
them . 'Tis Ignorance of the Worth of Dia-
mons, that makes the Fool choofe a Pebble
before them. 'Tis Ignorance of the Satisfaction
Learning affords, that makes the Peafant defpife
and laugh at it; and we fee very ordinarily now
Men tread and trample on thofe Plants, which
are the greateft Reftoratives, becaufe they know
not the Virtue of them, and the fame may juft
ly be affirmed of Confideration, the Reafon why
Men meddle no more with it, is, becaufe they
are not acquainted with the Pleafanuiefs of the
Talk. There is certainly fuch a Thing as Pleafure of
the Mind, and all Delight confifteth not in fen
fual Satisfadion. We fee with what Pleafure Men,

CONSIDERATION. 115
Men fpend their Time in the ftudy of the Ma-
thematicks ; the Profeffors of it could live and
die in thofe fludies, and defire no greater Satif-
fadion on this fide Heaven; their Minds are fo
pleafed with that Harmony, Symmetry, Order,
and Proportion they fpy in Things, that they
could difpenfe with the courfeft Diet, fo they
might but have leave to enjoy that mental Plea
fure. None can be ignorant how the noble Ar
chimedes did even forget to eat his Bread, and
would hardly allow his Body neceffary Refrefh-
ment, fo much was his Mind taken up with
the Pleafure he took in his Angles and Circles !
And of Pliny we read, that fuch was the De
light he took in Learning, and enriching his
Mind with Knowledge, that he fometimes ne-
gleCted both his Food and Sleep ; Such was the
Content that Demofihenes took in the Art of
Speaking, that he cared not to what Torment
he put his Body, to make himfelf eminent in
that Faculty.
And indeed, if Knowledge be a Pleafure ; if to
be acquainted with our felves be fatisfadory ; if
to difcover tlie impoftures, falfhood, defigns and
ambufcades of a dangerous Enemy be delightful,
Confideration muft needs be fo : For this gives
us an Infight into our Hearts ; lets us fee what we
are, points at the Nets which are fpread for
us, and manifefts the Temptations of the Devil,
which, like Lime-twigs, are defign'd to catch us
into Death and Ruin. That the Devil, or ra
ther his Emiffaries, the evil Spirits that are un
der his Power and Dominion, are daily walk
ing to and fro, and obferving our Adions, and
De-

Ia6 The Great Law of
Defigns, and Behaviour, the Company we con-
Verfe withal, the Circumfiances we are under,
our Conftitutions, Complexions and Difpofitions,
and feeking whom they may devour, the Ho
ly Ghoft hath made fo evident, and
l. Pet. 5. 8. our Experience does fo clearly de^
Epbef.6.1 f. monftrate, That he that doubts of it
muft be a Man that's altogether guided
by Sertfe, and takes Notice of Things no more
than the Beafts that perilh ; Thefe evil Spirits,
whenever they tempt, they tempt with a Defign
to hurt ; they try Men to do Mifchief, and pro
voke them to fuch Adions as may pull down
the Wrath of God upon their Heads. And as
the Inftruments or Engines they make ufe of
in their Temptations are various, fometimes
Profperity, fometimes Adverfity ; fometimes our
own corrupted Hearts, giving them Advan
tage to fpur us on to Sin ; fo the Temptati
ons vary according to the feveral Degrees, and
Conditions, and Tempers of Men : For 'tis cer
tain all Men will not be dragg'd or feduc'd into
Hell the fame Way ; and a Temptation which
will fit one, will not fit another; and a Motion
which one will contentedly fwallow, will not
go down with another ; feveral Conftitutions
muft have feveral Suggeftions, and according
as Men change, the Temptation changes, and
the Devil takes other Meafures. Some abhor
him in the Shape of a Lion, to fuch therefore
he is content to come in Sheeps Cloathing ;
and they that do not like to fee him in the Fi
gure of a Goat, fliall behold him fansform'd
into an Angel of Light. So little doth he care
what

CONSIDERATION. 127
what pofture he affumes, if he doth but prevail
with the unprovident Pilgrim. They that are
for a bitter Potion, fhall have a bitter Potion, and
they that are for a fweeter Morfel, fhall have
it fuited to their Palate. David cannot be per-
fuaded the fame Way that Saul is wrought upon,
and the Arguments which prevail with the for
mer, are of no great force with the latter. Paul
is not tempted the fame Way with Judas, nor
Peter the fame Way with Herod. The Drunkards
Temptations differ from thofe of the Abftemious,
and the Adulterers from the Suggeftions of him
that' s dull and phlegmatick, and hath no Incli
nations to Vices of that Nature. The melancho
ly Man is oppreffed with Imaginations different
from thofe which the merry and jovial meets
withal ; and we cannot fuppofe that the Prodi
gal is tormented with the fame Suggeftions that
the Covetous ads by: 'Tis true, in the End all
thefe Temptations agree, the intended End be
ing Deftrudion, and offending God ; but ftill
they are of different Kinds and Complexions;
and how pleafant muft it be to fee through all
thefe Wiles and Devices of the Devil, a Profped
which Confideration alone can afford ! The fkil-
ful Gardener pleafes himfelf with the Know
ledge of the beginning and end of the Maze or
Labyrinth, which the Stranger that comes into
the Garden lofes himfelf in. He fees the mif-
guided fleps of the unwary Walker, and can
tell where he muft tread, and in what Order he
muft go, and where he miftakes his Path, and
wherein the Myftery lies, and by what Means
he might eaflly extricate himfelf from that in-
chan-

ia8 The Great Law of'
Chanted Ground; he beholds it and fmiles, to
muft he that by Confideration can fee through all
the Stratagems of the Prince of Darknefs.
There are many Temptations which feem to
folicit to Good, when indeed they provoke to
Evil. When a Man who wallows in Sin and Un
cleannefs is prompted to truft to God's Mercy,
and to lay hold on the Merits of Chrift, and to
apply himfelf to the Comforts of the Gofpel ;
the Things he is tempted to are good in them
felves, but the Defign of the Temptation being
to render the Sinner fecure and prefumptuOus,
and carelefs of a ferious Life, it cannot but be a
pleafure to any Man that's fenfible of his fpiri-
tual Intereft, to difcover the Cheat, and this
difcovery is made by Confideration of the Nature,
Defign and Tendency of the flattering Motion,
Men are not only provoked to Commiffion of
Sin, but too often to the Negled of their Du
ty towards God, and towards Man. And he \
that is not tempted to Murder, to Theft, to A*
dultery, to Fornication, to Contempt of his Pa
rents, to bearing falfe Witnefs againft his Neigh
bour; is yet enticed toldlenefs, to Flefh-pleafingf
to neglect of Prayer, of Meditation, of Charity,
of Faith, of Hope, of Confidence in God, of
Zeal, of Fervency, of fpeaking for Chrift, of
vindicating his Honour when abufed, of impro
ving his Time to God's Glory, and his own E-
ternal Good.
The young Man rejoyces in his youthj and lets
his heart cheer him in the days of his youth, and
walks in the way of his Heart, and in the fight
of his Eyes, hates Gravity and Serioufhefs, and ad-

CONSIDERATION. 129
admits of fuch motions as thefe ; The Precepts
of the Gofpel fure were not intended for me,
who have Youth, Blood, and Spirit to fit me
for Recreations : Can I. think God would give
me a defire to Things, and not permit me to en
joy them ? Why fhould I believe he would tan
talize me, make me greedy after the Pleafures
of the flefh, and reft rain me in the ufe of them 5
let the Apples bob againft my Mouth, and for
bid me to eat of them ? Give me a raging Hun
ger and Thirft for Things of this Nature, and
oblige riie to ftarve my Paffions ? I have heard
young Saints make old Devils, and I believe it j
for when in their riper Years they refled what
Time they have loft, and how they have fpent
that Age which was fitteft for Pleafure, in retire
ed Devotion ; They cannot but turn prophane
out of defpite, and ftrive to redeem the Time
they have mif-fpent in following the Advice of
melancholy Scholars. Religion is a Thing fit on
ly for thofe who are either difcontented, or
grown weary of the World; for Men who can
iin no more, and whom Age hath mortified into
forfaking of their Vices. Shall I forbear my
Mirth, and amorous Songs, and witty Talk, my
Raileries, and modifh Accomplifhments, for I
know not what ? Shall I, in the midft of my Bed
of Flowers, think of Death, and Judgment ? And
in a Paradife meditate of Hell, and darken my
fprightly apprehenfions, with fmoak fetched from
that fiery furnace ? "When the World and its Glo
ries fmile upon me, fhall I make a fullen Face,and
furrow thofe Cheeks with my Tears, which were
form'd on purpofe to be warm'd with the fofter
K kiifes

i^o The Great Law of
kiffes of the Female Sex ? The Men in black
fpeak for their own Intereft, and God fure is
kinder to Men, than to give them an Appetite to
fenfual Satisfadions, and then put Bits and Bri
dles in their Mouths to crub them. What need
is there of this hafle ? And why fhould I apply
my felf to a Religious Life fo early, when I have
fome Forty, Fifty, Threefcore Years before me,
and can fhake off my Follies any Time hereaf
ter? Thus the weak Youngfter pleads, and imbra
ces thofe motions as Cordials for his fickly Paffi
ons, as Elixirs for his heated Blood. Confidera
tion would let him fee, That thefe Temptations
are Meflengers of the Devil, Threads to lead him
into Darknefs, into Captivity, into perfed flavery,
and none but a Mad-man could forbear rejoy-
cing at fo happy a Difcovery.
When the gray and hoary Head from his great
Age infers the greatnefs of his Graces, and from
the multitude of his Years concludes the mul
titude of his Virtues; flatters himfelf, that God
loves him, becaufe he hath had little or no affli-
dion in the World ; and from his impunity here,
draws an argument tp prove his impunity hereaf
ter; and fooths himfelf with God's Favour upon
this account, chiefly, becaufe he never difcovered
his Anger in fignal Judgments; and bids his Soul
truft to it, that he ftands fair in the good opinion
and Efteem o'f God, becaufe his Labours in the
. World have been crowned with fuccefs ; and be
caufe he hath a Garden of Eden here, fecurely
g romifes himfelf. a Paradife hereafter ; and will
not be perfuaded to the contrarv, but that his
Plen-

CONSIDERATION. 131
Plenty here is an earneft of a fuller Vintage, and
richer Granary intended for him in the Land of
Canaan; and that his long life on Earth is a pledge
of his eternal life in Heaven : What are thefe
but Temptations, which Confideration would
difcover to be Impoftures, and confequently
flied both Light and Joy into the Soul ?
When the Poor from their outward Conditi
on conclude their Spiritual Poverty, and will
needs think they are in a flate of Grace, becaufe
they are in a ftate of Want ; when they think
that Lazarus was faved, becaufe he had not
wherewithal to fubfift ; and was admitted into
Abraham's Bofom for no other Reafon, but be
caufe he had no certain Dwelling-place ; when
they imagine that his Sores alone mounted him to
Heaven, and the Dogs licking him, was all the
motive the holy Angels had to carry him on their
Wings; When they argue from their difeonfolate
Eftate on Earth, that they may lawfully negled
the known, Duties of Religion; and fancy that they
may fecurely pilfer, becaufe God hath made no
other provifion for them ; and that they fhall re
ceive their good Things in the next Worldj be
caufe they received their evil things in this ; that
they fhall be rich in Heaven, becaufe they were
deftitute of Conveniencies here on Earth : That
they muft neceffarily be Lords hereafter, becaufe
they were Beggars here ; and fhall certainly re
joice in the next Life, becaufe they mourned
in this Valley of Tears ; and cannot but be bleffed
for ever, becaufe they had a very large Meafur*
of mifery here. When the Rich from their Pre
rogative on Earth, conclude their Prerogative
K 2 in

I 3 2 The Great Law of
in Heaven ; and becaufe they are advanced above
other Men, think they may ufe greater Liberty
in offending God than others ; and becaufe they
have greater Eftates than the meaner Sort, may
therefore fin more boldly, and more confidently
than they. When they think their little Charities
will waft them over to the fhore of an happy
Eternity, tho' they feed their Lufts ; and fancy
that preparation for another World confifts in
little, but being kind now and then to a needy
Man. When they imagine, that a Legacy left to
the Poor of the Parifh is an Affurance of their
Treafure laid up in Heaven ; or that their giving
.fomething to an Hofpital, will palliate their wil
ful Offences, and throw a Cloak over them that
God may not fee them. When from their Pow
er they infer the lawfulnefs of their Extravagan
cies, and becaufe they can ftand it out and brave
the World, fancy they may opprefs the poorer
Sort, and may fwear and curfe more boldly than
•their Tenants, and refent, and affront, and re
venge Injuries with greater Juftice than Clowns
and Peafants ; When from the Cuftom of the
Age, they infer their Privilege of being more
fenfual than other Men ; becaufe Perfons of the
fame Quality are not, argue that they need not
be fo cautious or circumfped in their Words
and Ways as other Men.
When the gentiler fort of People feel Inclinati
ons in themfelves to be a-fhamed of the Gofpel,
and to forbear profeffing any zeal or fervency for
Religion in company, vyhere Chrift's Blood and
.Wounds are abufed, where God and Heaven are
railied, y/here the Precepts of the Almighty are
" lau-Jih-

CONSIDERATION. 133
laughed at, and the Gofpel turned into ridicule ;
when they think 'tis enough to fay their Prayers,
tho' they take great Liberty to talk foolifhly ; and
imagine 'tis needlefs to keep their thoughts fixed
upon God in their Devotion, while they perform
the Talk they have been ufed to ; when they ne
gled the Publick upon flight Occafions, and their
private Duties for every impertinent Vifit that's
made to them, and think that God is taken more
with outward bowings and cringings in his Ser
vice, than with a heart melting at the Confidera
tion of their fins ; when they find an unwilling-
nefs feize upon their Spirits to reprove either
their Equals, or Inferiors, for fome notorious
Impiety they commit; when they think it below
them to pray with their Families, to exhort their
Servants to ferioufnefs, and to ffiew a good Ex
ample to thofe that are under their charge; when
they find a difpofition to comply with lewd Socie
ty, to laugh and finile, and confent to their frothy
fpeeches, and abufive reflections, and to conceal
the Truth where it ought to be profeffed and
fpoken. When the Tradefinan thinks of putting off his
naughty Commodities to the ignorant Chapmen,
and 'of circumventing and deceiving his Neigh
bour, where his Neighbour underftands not what
he buys ; when he is willing to put off his Devoti
on upon every trivial worldly bufinefs that comes
in his way; and to create bufinefs, rather than o-
bey the checks of his Confcience, that chides him
for not minding his Spiritual Concerns more.
When he is loth tp do Ads of Charity, becaufe he
hath a Wife and Family to maintain, and is afraid
K 7 he

1 3 4- The Great Law of
he may Want himfelf. When he thinks that Piety
may procure Poverty, and ftridnefs of Life may
lofe him his Cuftomers, and following the ways of
God may make his Acquaintance leave him ; and
that to be idle in his fhop, is better than reading,
or meditating, or employing his mind in Contem
plations of God's Goodnefs and Mercy, and the
various bleffings he hath beftowed upoe him.
When Parents are unwilling to corred and
admonifh their Children, are perfwaded to let
them take their courfe, abufe others, and defpife
thofe they have a Grudge againft. When they
are prompted to connive at them alone in their
Sins till they grow older, and to indulge them
in their undecencies till they arrive to a greater
ufe of their Reafon. When their fondnefs bids
them ufe gentle Means, where more fevere Pro
ceedings are neceffary, and excufe immodeft car
riage in them, which they are apt to find Fault
with in the Children of their Neighbours. When
they are loth to inftrud them in the fear of God,
loth to initiate them in the Love of their faithful
Creator ; are apt to be more angry with dieir
Children and Servants for negleding their Com
mands, than the Service of God; and apt to be
delighted more with their Induftry and Pains in
temporal Concerns, than with their Attempts in
the Affairs of their everlafting Salvation ; apter to
teach them how to maintain the Pundilio's of
their Honour, than affert the Glory of God; and
apter to encourage them in vindicating their
Credited Reputation, than in fecuring the e-
verlafting Treafures, or making their Calling and
Eledion fure.
When

CONSIDERATION. 155
When Children ( provided they are able ) are
loth to relieve their Parents, loth to adminifter un
to them Neceffaries; if in .want, unwilling to obey
thofe wholfom Counfels which their Parents,
guided and encouraged by the Word of God, im
part to them; unwilling to imitate them in their
Serioufnefs and Heavenly-mindednefs ; are apt to
obey their Parents more than God, and apt to do
Evil becaufe their Parents bid them, tho' God
enjoins the contrary; when upon their Parents
finding fault with them, they are moved to ex-
pofe their Infirmities to the Contempt of others ;
and to call any Thing unreafonable they bid
them do, becaufe it agrees not with their prefent
Intereft; when they find in themfelves an Incli
nation to mourn more for difpleafing their Pa
rents than offending a gracious God ; and to be
more pleafed with the fmiles of thofe which have
the Government of them, than with the Light
of God's Countenance.
When Servants are moved to backbite and re
vile their Mailers according to the flefh, find an
unwillingnefs on their Spirits to honour the fro-
ward as well as the gentle; are apt to be unfaith
ful to them, to embezzle their Goods, and to
wrong them in Things they have committed to
their charge ; when Thoughts of revealing the
Secrets of the Family, merely to fport them
felves, arife in their Minds; when they find Incli
nations to be induftrious in their Mailer's Pre
fence, carelefs and lazy in their Abfence ; to put
them off with Eye-fervice as Men-pleafers, to
murmur againft the lawful Injundions, to anfwer
K 4 again

i%6 The Great Law of
again if rebuk'd for their Faults, and to confpire
againft them by way of Revenge.
What are all thefe Motions and Inclinations,
but Temptations of the great Deftroyer of Mens
Souls ? Thefe are fome of the Gins and Strata
gems, whereby he doth infenfibly mine the great:
eft part of Mankind: Becaufe they look like our
own Thoughts, therefore we fufped no Enemy,
and becaufe he mingles his Suggeftions with our
own Imaginations, and gives them the fame
Shape, we know nothing to the contrary but that
they are friendly Motions; but notwithftanding
all this, they are Meflengers that come out of .the
Camp of the Philifiines, from the Leaguer of
Hell; and we may confidently affirm, That what
ever Thought, Reafon, Argument, Suggeftion,
Propofition, Imagination, would difcourage us
from a clofe Adherence unto God, from a fer
vent Love to our gracious Redeemer, from ear
neft Breathings and Pantings after him, from re
lying on him, and obeying him : and encourage
us to any thing that's difpleafing to God, or con
trary to Chriji's Rules and Injundions, or preju
dicial to the Honour of God, or to the Welfare
of our Neighbour, or to a good Confcience; whe
ther the Suggeftion be immediately, like Light
ning, fhot, and darted into the Mind, or con
veyed mediately by our corrupted Hearts, or
by the World, or by the Adverfary, or by Pro-
fperity, or by good Report, or by- evil Report;
they are Temptations of the Enemy, which, how
plaufible foever, defign nothing but our decay in
Goodnefs, and in the Favour of God, and the lofs
of our fpiritual Comfort and Reficihment. Con fide-

CONSIDERATION. 137
fideration examines the end of all thefe Motions,
and finding out the Mifchief they drive at, difco
vering the Tempeft they aim at, it cannot but
give great Satisfadion to a rational Man that
would not be a Stranger to himfelf.
Indeed none are more fenfible of the Pleafure
of this Confideration, than thofe Whom God's
Spirit hath raifed from the death of Sin, and who
have efcaped the pollutions of the World thro'
Luft. Thefe refled with more than ordinary de
light on the Snares from which they have in a
great meafure been delivered. And tho' they are
ftill fubjed to Ternptation, yet that which very
much contents them, is, that they are not ignorant
of Satan's devices. To fee all his Workings under
ground, to fee the fleps he goes by, and while he
thinks they are blind, and dp not mind to arm
themfelves againft them, increafes the Satisfadi
on. Fancy you fee Faux in the Cellar laying his
Faggots in order, digging a hole in tfie Ground,
and laying a Train of Gun-powder, while the
Wretch fufpeds no man takes notice of him. The
undifcovered Spedator knows he can crufh his
Defigns in a moment, and therefore with Pity
and Pleafure beholds the Induftry of the Caitif.
They fee the windings and turnings of the Ene
my, and can laugh at the miferable ffiifts he ufes
to deceive them. They fee his Goings and his
Ways, and can trace the Foe in all his Stratagems.
They fee his Juggles, and how he teazes the Sin
ner Day and Night.
Look, O my Soul ! look upon yonder Sinner,
that hath renounced his Follies, and yet goes
drooping under the burthen of hi? fins. Doft no.t
thou

1 38 The Great Law of
thou fee the Enemy behind him ? The Foe can
make him prefume no longer, and therefore he
feeks to drive him to defpair; and he that before
told the Wretch of Gardens and Walks and Plea
fures, now fhews him nothing but Hell, and a
burning Lake. He that before reprefented God
to him as a mighty Sardanapalus, one that doth
not mind fuch little Things as fins, now fets out
God arrayed in a Habit of Vengeance, and as one
who doth but watch for an Opportunity to con
demn him. He that before gave him Words fofter
than Oil, now difcovers to him drawn Swords ;
and he that before flatter'd him with Beds of Ro-
fes, and Couches of Ivory, and few'd Pillows un
der his Elbows, now gives him a Profped of no
thing but Racks and Tortures ; and that which
before feemed only a harmlefs Butterfly, now
turns into an ugly Toad. He that before made
the Burning lighter than ftraw and flubble, now
makes his little Finger heavier than his Loins;
and affnred him that what feemed but a Cloud
before, its all Hill and Mountain now. He that
before talked of nothing but Mercy-feats, now
changes his Note, and knows of no other Reme
dies but Tribunals of Judgment. He that before
made the filly Wretch believe that God had no
Voice but that of Mercy, no Scepter but that of
Love, makes God all Thunder and Lightning
now. Judas believes him, and is loft ; Mary Magdalen.
fees the Impofture, and efcapes ; fhe refts upon
Chrift's Word, and is convinced that there is no
Sin that's capable of true Repentance, but is ca
pable of Pardon too ; and that Chrift is fo far
from

CONSIDERATION. 139
from calling thofe away that come to him with an
humble and contrite Spirit, that the greateft Eafe
and Refreshment is their Portion. She fees that
the poor in fpirit have a Right to the Kingdom of
Heaven, and that thofe that mourn ffiall never
be deftitute of Comfort. She is fenfible how hap
py that Perfon is that feels his Heart bleeding and
melting upon the account of his former fins, and
can make his Bed to fwim with Tears. She is fen
fible the Holy Ghoft moves upon thefe Waters,
and that fuch a Perfon is indeed baptized with
Water and the Holy Ghofi.
This fhe beholds, and beholds with Pleafure.
Confideration gives her a profped of the Devil's
Subtilty,and her Eyes gufh out with Tears of Joy.
And certainly if it be a greater pleafure to fee,
than to grope in the dark ; a greater pleafure to
know the Precipices I am hurried into, than to
have them hid from mine Eyes ; a greater pleafure
to fee the brink of DeflruCtion I do ftand upon,
than to be ignorant of it ; Confideration muft be a
Pleafure, for this fhews me the fteep Rock,Temp.-i
tation; this Ignis fatuus would have led me to the
Ditch this falfe Light would have flatter'd me in
to, the fatal Sea this falfe flar would have feduced
me into. This muft neceffarily fill me with glad-
nefs, for it gives me a profped of the Whirl-pool
where the Devil thought to have fplit my Veffel;
the Sands againft which I was to have ftranded ;
the Earthquake that fhould have made me fink
into the Ground ; and of the terrible Tempeft
that fhould have carried me away.
How have I feen a Traveller rejoice, when wa
king in the morning, he had feen the Water or the
Mine

140 The Great Law of
Mine he muft have neceffarily tumbled into, if he
had gone but one ftep farther, and had not ftopt
where he did; How doth he admire the Provi
dence which hath preferved him? And how doth
he go on in his way, rejoycing that he hath feen
the Gulph he might have rufhed into, and efcap-
ed it ! And, O finner! doft not thou think thou
fhouldft rejoyce to find by Confideration, that
thy averfenefs from Religion, thy backwardnefs
to Devotion, thy unwillingnefs to fpend Time in
private Meditations, thy excufa tions of Sin, thy
palliations of extravagant Defires, thy pleadings'
for Licentioufhefs, thy apologies for pleafingthe
Lufts of the Flefh, thy eagernefs to run into evil
Company, thy defires to wallow in Uncleannefs,
thy longings after Things God's Word forbids,
thy inclinations to Unbelief, That all thefe are
Temptations of the Devil, Corn which that
Fowler fpreads and fcatters before the unwary
Birds, to kill and deftroy them ? Confideration
would difmantle Satan, pull off his Mafk and Vi
zard, and convince thee that the fweetnefs of the
Potion is but to- make the poifon go down more
glib; and however the Pill may be gilded, it is but
to dazzle thee into love with eternal Ruine. This
would tell thee, Look, here was the Cave into
which thou fhouldft have been dragg'd, and then
murder'd; behind this Bufli, behind this Temp
tation, lay the Lion watching thy playing with the
Bait. This Device was to have made thee weary
of Religion, the other was to have drawn away
thy Affedions from God. And what Man of
Senfe can refled on thefe hidden Things of Dif-
honefty he hath efcaped, without bleffing the
' AI,

CONSIDERATION. 141
Almighty, and going on like the Eunuch, ABs
8. 39. in his Way rejoycing !
V. Impediment.
V. Danger of lofing their unlawful Gain. It
is a Thing not unufual for Men to thrive by Sin,
and to profper by Iniquity ; To grow rich by
Oppreffion, and to advance in Wealth by unlaw
ful Callings ; To get Money by pleafing other
Men in their Luft, and to procure a Livelihood
by Injuftice, and complying with the Vices of
the Age we live in. The Devil muft have foma
Rewards to beftow, elfe his Kingdom would
foon expire ; and tho' his Rewards, as well as
Temptations, are deceitful, yet Rewards they
are, and being prefent and vifible, and confe
quently apt to make the deeper Impreffions,
they invite more ftrongly, and carefs Men into
Defires and Appetite. Men many Times would
not venture on Sin, but that they believe it is the
Way to Gain, and the known Road to Advan
tage and Emolument. And as fin is judg'd to be
the Way to Profit, fo they look upon it as the
only Means to preferve what they have got and
acquired. If Abfalom had not had a Kingdom in his Eye,
he would hardly have dared to rebel, and Viper
like, prey'd upon the Bowels that did feed and
nourifh him. Demas fees how plentifully the
Heathen Priefts did live, what Credit,, what Ho
nour, what Wealth and Glory they enjoy 'd, and
that makes him forfake Chriftianity, and embrace
their ways. It was Gain made Demetrius fo zea lous

143 The Great Law of
lousfor the Worfhip of Diana; and the Maftefi
of the Damfel that had a familiar Spirit, fo ear
neft for telling of Fortunes and unlawful Divi
nations. 'Tis this that makes Thoufands comply
With Mens finful Humours ; and Unwillingnefs
to lofe a Temporal Advantage, makes them jogg
on in a Courfe which perhaps they do diflike.
Tell them of their fin, and how dangerous it is;
the Anfwer is, they cannot help it ; and becaufe
they muft not want Bread, they muft neceffarily
continue to offend God. Their Maintenance is
Wrapt up in their Tranfgreffion ; and having laid
it down as a Maxim,That nothing can be ill that
makes for their Profit and Emolument, they de
fend their fin and their gain together, and jufti-
fie the one by the other. He that hath but little
to live upon in the World, what fhould he do but
feek Support where he can find it? And if Provi
dence call his Lot among Men that will give him
nothing, or flop up the River of dieir Bounty
to him, except he do as they do ; flatter their in
ordinate Defires, and accomodate his Will to
theirs, and lye, and fwear, and drink with them,
and commend their lewder Doings, he muft
take that Way, there being no other within
Profped. This, 'tis like, made Rahab turn Harlot, and
many of the Jews, Publicans and Extortioners ;
nay, it blinds the Eye ; and whatever Men do,
looks harmlefs, where Gain is the Mantle that
doth cover it. This made Hophni and Phineas
fhame their Profeffion, and Felix pervert Juftice.
This made Judas a Traitor, and the Pharifees
guilty of moft notorious Hypocrifie. Lord! v/hat

CONSIDERATION. 143
what doth not Hope of Preferment make Men
do ? And how is all Religion laid afide, where
Greedinefs after Gain begin to engrofs the Fa
culties ? This made the Jews become Idolaters.
And we know who they were that told the Pro
phet Jeremy ; As for the Word that thou hafi
fpoken unto us in the Name of the Lord, we will
not hearken unto thee ; but we will certainly do
whatfoever Thing goes forth out of our own mouth,
to burn incenfe unto the Queen of Heaven, and to
pour out Drink-offerings unto her: For then we
had Plenty of FiBuals, and were well, and jaw
no Evil. But fince we left off to burn incenfe to
the Queen of Heaven, and to pour out Drink-Of
ferings unto her, we have wanted all Things, and
have been confumed by the fiword, and by the fa
mine. Jer. 44. 16, 1 j, 18.
And indeed this Principle, that a finful Life
is the only profitable Life, doth fo fpread and in-
fed the Hearts of Men, that moft are afraid to
fit down and confider their Ways, for fear Confi
deration fhould make them weary of a finful Life,
and confequently make them quit and cafhier
the gain and profit they do reap by it. Profit is
the great Goddefs the World adores, and to pre-
ferve that, Men employ their ftrength and friends,
and make ufe of all Opportunities to fecure it ; 'tis
that which they are really jealous of, and which is
as dear to them as their Lives, and which makes
them climb Rocks, and clamber Mountains, and
fight their Way through all Impediments that
would oppofe and crofs it : Touch that, and you
touch the Apple of their Eye; and whatever
Caufe they are zealous for, tho' other Reafons ir,ny

144 The Great Law of
may be pretended, yet Profit and Intereft com
monly is the true caufe that inflames their Paffi
ons, and makes their Spirits fervent, and they
feldom matter whether it be by lawful or unlaw
ful Ways that they have made their Fortunes,, fo
they be but made and advanced to fuch a Pitch,
they'll be fure to proted what they have pur-
chafed ; and it is not an eafie matter fhall fnatch
it out of their Clutches.
Confideration, that unruly Faculty, would
create ill Thoughts of fuch Gain in their Minds;
fuggeft to them the fate of Men who make Con
fcience truckle to their Intereft, hUhv they make
God a flave to Man, and the Almighty a fervant
to the bafeft Mafter, even to the World; Than
which nothing can be more contemptible : How
by that means they bring in Atheifm, and deny
God's Being, it being all one, no God, and a God
that's fubjed to the Creature, and how fearful
confequently their end muft be, their Proceed
ings being in effed nothing but a D'erifion of the
Deity. And therefore as Men that are loth to
meet their Creditors, and when they fee them a-
far off, turn out of the Way, that they may have
no oecafion to fpeak to them; fo the Generality
of Men do carefully fhun Confideration as an un
happy Remembrancer, that will put them in
mind of Things they do not defire to hear, and
touch the Sore they would not have handled or
meddled withal, and fearch into thofe Wounds
they would not have healed up, or come under
the Hand of a Piiyfician. I do but think what
a World of Religious Men v/e fhould have,
how Men would flock to Chrift from all Corners, what

IP -f
CONStJOfiRATiOR 145
% What a number of picmS Souk Would appear in
'H all places, if We could affure them that a ferious
1^ Life will for certain furnifh them wkh an Eilate
4 anfwerable to their luxurious Appetite ; and I
ines,! am apt to belieVe, were Men confident, and could
aft they truft to it, that they fhould get an Eftate of 9
I'tf ot ioooo /. per A%nums by frequent reading, prayi
iii iogj meditating, md Obedience to Chrift's Com*
mands, the greateft part Would make a hard fhift
1 1 to confider how to leave their fins and Vices, and
r| apply themfelves to reformation; We fhould he^ir
id no more of the Ejseufes they now make^ than
heya they have no time, or that their Condition is
a in fucfrj that they cannot ferve God as they fhouldi
ijl. The Impoflibilities they nowprefcenc^ Would all
ilt:l Vaniffi s And they that now rack, and tonneatj
ali and tire themfelves fbr a little Profit, upon prcn
uM fpedof io confiderable an Advantage, wduld
wj^ turn their pains and labour another Way;, Sndi
pm b«ccaa*e very devout Worfhippers of the. Holy
„!,,( Jefus, and find no fiich Trouble in a circumfpecl
sy Life, as they now do. One great reafon. why the
.jjj Jews did not belieVe in Jefus, was, Becauifii ha
' j came without a Royal Train, They expected a
Jj Meffiasi that fhould ride in Triumph, esrufll th«
( Heathen world, make the reft of Mankind! fkves
¦ j to the Seredof Abraham, and enrich all his Coun-
, trymen with the fpoil of potent Nations : Aiid had
1 the Lord Jefus given them affurance, that all ofs
^ thefii fhould have had preferment in his Couitt^
j and be put into gainful Offices, Whereby they
^ might enrich themfelves their Wives and Chil-
' ^ dren, and live at theitf 4afe tp the fatiefa£liatt pf
^ the flefh, and -gleaiag; their fenfual Appetite y
1 L Where

iai.ii

146 The Great Law of
where one adhered to him, there would have
been a Hundred that would have flocked to his
Tent, and very few ftood out, or, with the in
vited Guefts in the Gofpel, anfwered, / pray
thee have me excujed.
Should Chrift appear in a vifible fhape from
Heaven to the Swearer, or Drunkard, or Forni
cator, or Adulterer, or Covetous, or any other of
the finful Herd, with vaft glittering Treafures in
his hand; nay, could we the Minifters of the Go
fpel, fecure fuch a Lordfhip, fuch a Principality,
fuch a Kingdom, fuch an Empire, to any of" thefe
Sinners, upon condition they would part with
their Vices; fure it would be a mighty Tempta
tion to them to fhake Hands with their darling
Impieties ; for I fee they fell their Souls to the
Devil for 2, 3, or 400 /. many Times; and I am
fo charitable as to think, they would fave them
for a far more confiderable Sum.
'Tis like fome would be fo brutifh, fo fwinifh,
fo fottifh, ( and yet but very few neither ) that
would rather flarve, than leave their fins ; dwell
rather in a Hogfty, than renounce wallowing in
the mire of their follies; and live upon Bread and
Water, rather than deny their luftful defires ; and
ftoop to the meaneft, loweft, and moft fordid
Condition in the World, rather than bow to the
noble Commands of Chrift Jefus : But one might
engage fafely for the generality of finners, Profit
and Riches being the great Load-flone that
makes Men willing to do any Thing.
I fee how, if a Prince, or other great Perfon,Men
depend upon, or exped fomething from, diflike
fuch a Sin that they are guilty of, they can for
bear

CONSIDERATION. 147
bear it, arid comply with their Prince's Will and
Devotion. I read of Theodofiu's the younger, how
all the Courtiers betook themfelves to Religious
exercifes, when the Emperor" and his After would
encourage none but thofe that did fo ; and the
Court became a kind of Monafteryj fo ftrong an
Influence had the Emperor's Example, and Will,
on all that depended on his Favour. When Di-
onyfius of Syracufe applied himfelf to Philofophv,
and countenanced none but Philofophersj moft
Men, that expeded any Grace from him, became
Sttidents of Pkilofophy. I fee how a Perfon of
Quality can frown ail his' Family into Seriouf-
nefs ; and the moft vicious Servant he hath^ for1
fear of lofing his Mailer's Favour, and the good
Place he hath under him, will find a Way, for
Profits fake, to fubdue his Inclinations, and fake
leave of a finful pleafure, fince it is fo that he can
not enjoy that and his Mailer's Good- will toge
ther : And therefore could we promife Temporal
Crowns, and Scepters, and Eftates, and were
able to perform our Promife, upon Men's quit
ting of their fins, 'tis very probable Holinefs and
Serioufnefs would be mainly embrac'd and fol-
low'd, and What is now out of fafhion, would bs
as much the mode then; and a Perfon that would
not conform to the Rules and Orders of a ferious
Life, would look like an Antick, as much as he
does now that dares be truly Good in a finful
dnd adulterous Generation.
But feeing all the Divinity we teach cannot
inereafe their Trade, and make their Rocks
drop with Honey, and fill their Trunks with
fhining Clay, they look upon that Holinefs we
L 2 prefs

148 The Great Law of
prefs and recommend to them, as a very beg
garly Bufinefs, and mind it only on the bye,
when they have nothing elfe to do.
And this it confirms them in their fancy, That
a loofe and vicious Life is the only gainful Life ;
a Maxim notorioufly falfe, and which Confide
ration would foon fcatter, were it but called in
to do its Office : This would pull them by the
Sleeve, and bid them look on the covetous Ge-
hazi; how he got indeed by Lying, but with his
Gain inherited the Leprofie ; and how in the
fame Manner the Leprofie of Sin will cleave to
their Souls, harden their Hearts, make them a-
verfe from Goodnefs, and render their Repen
tance difficult, if not impoffible ; and how this is
but the Devil's policy, by thefe little things, to rob
them of the greater; and deludes them with thefe
dreams, That when the day of the laft Judgment
fhall dawn, they may find themfelves the moft mi
ferable Creatures under Heaven ; how by this
their finful Gain, they arm the Enemy againft
themfelves, and put a Sword into his hand to de-
flroy and kill them ; this would reprefent to 'em,
how their Gain, which hath fo ill a Foundation,
muft neceffarily be a Moth in their Eftates ; and
how promifing foever their Gettings may be for
the prefent, they will foon bring a confumption
on their Fortune,, and prepare for their greater
forpow and vexation. This would reprefent to
them, how fuch Gain doth purchafe the Wrath
of God, and procures Treafures of God's Indig
nation; how it prognofticates a more plentiful
Condemnation, and is a prefage of richer flames
hereafter. This will lay before them thatfay-

CONSIDERATION. 149
faying of Chrift, Mat. 16. 26. What Jh all it profit
a Man if he gain the whole World, and lofe his
own Soul? or what flail a Man give in exchange
for his Soul? This would fhew them their flupen-
dious Folly, in venturing eternal Torment for a
little Trafh ; and difcover to them, how dear
they buy their Plenty.
Confideration would let them fee, That a feri
ous Life is ( in defpight of all the fuggeftions of
the Devil to the contrary) the way to the greateft
Gain, and yields the mofi durable Profit, and lays
a foundation for Riches which grow not old, and
fade not away : That Abraham's Faith made him
richer than his Poffeflions did; and that God's
faying to him, I am thy Shield, and exceeding
great Reward, proclaim'd him more wealthy,
than all the Spoil he might have taken when he
returned from the flaughter of the Kings ; That
nothing can be of greater value than divine Love,
and that Peace with God is a far greater Treafure
than all the Gold of Ophir : And Reconciliation
by the Blood of Jefus, a nobler Poffeffion, than
all the Jewels and Pearls of the. Indian Monarchs ;
and that the Apoftle was in the Right, when he
counted all Things but lofs and dung, for the Ex
cellency of the Knowledge of Chrift, Phil. 3. 8.
This would fhew them, That Friendfhip with
God,, and fellowfhip with the Father and his , Son
Jefus Chrift, is worth more than Ten thoufand
Worlds; and reprefent to them the groans of the
damn'd in Hell, who were they to live over their
days again, would fell all they had to purchafe this
Pearl, and give Ten thoufend millions of Gold, if
they had them, for his Friendfhip, becaufe this
L 3 Friend-

150 The .Great Law. of
Friendfhip would blow out their Flames, and
cool their burning Tongues, which all that Mafs
of Wealth will not dp.
Confideration would lay open all the Riches a
ferious Life procures; it would let them fee that
the Interceffion. of Chrift Jefus is entailed upon it;
a Bleffing inconfiderable in the Eyes of the
World, bur. which Men will one day fet a higher
Price upon, when it is too late. A Bleffing, which
neither Tantalus his Wealth, nor Licinius his
Hand, nor Cleopatra's Jewels, nor Agathocles
his Golden Yeffels, nor CraJ'us his Poffeflions,
nor CrafJ'us his Demefnes can parallel. To have an
Advocate in Heaven, who anfwers all the Cavils
and Exceptions and Accufations of the Devil &?
gainft our fmcere Endeavours, who cpntrouls the
rage and nialice of the Enemy, fleps in while the
Foe is arguing againft us, fhews his Merits, his
Wounds and the Marks of his Nails, and makes
our imperfed Services pafs for current Coin in
the Court of the Higheft, covers the WeaknefTes
and Infirmities of our Duties, perfumes our D^
votions with the precious odours of his Satisfa-
dipn, offers up our Prayers jn his Golden Cenfor,
throws his Garment over us, flops the Lion'?
Mouth that's opened againft us, contrives out
Happinefs, promotes our Intereft with God, and
pleads, not to call us away from his Prefence, nor
to fake his holy Spirit from us. What profit there
is in having fuch an Literceffor, none will e'er
long be more fenfible of, than thofe who hav§
been deftitute of the Benefit of this IntercefliT
on; and indeed none fhare in that Mercy,
hut Men that dare apply themfelves tp that
ferious

CONSIDERATION. 151
ferious Life, whereof Confideration is the
Key. Confideration would fhew them, That this fe
rious Life gains the Affiftance and Illumination of
God's Spirit. A mercy of that moment, that with
out it the greateft Philojbpher isbutaDunce; and
a Man lies expofed to all the Infinuations of Se
ducers ; is like the Wave of the Sea, toft to and
fro; and his Wine of the Vine of Sodom, and of
the Fields of Gomorrah ; his Grapes are Grapes
of Gall, and his Clufters bitter ; his Vine is the
poifon of Dragons, and the Venom of Afps; that
is, even his Devotions are Abominations. And
indeed to have the Mind fo purged, as to fee the
Vanity and Emptinefs of all fublunary Objeds,
the beauty of Holinefs, the odioufnefs and loath-
fomnefs of Sin, the tranfcendent Excellency of
God, the defigns of God's Providence, the Me
thods of God's Mercy, the Reafonablenefs and
Equity pf his Proceedings, and to be fo affifted
from above, as to dare to oppofe the moft pleafing
Temptations, tho' they charm never fo wifely ;
and to Efteem an Hours Communion with God
above all the Preferments and Glories of the
World; (for in this manner the Holy Ghoft aflifts
thofe that apply themfelves to a ferious circum-
fped Life, ) he that fees no profit, no gain, no ad
vantage in this Privilege, may juftly be fuppofed
to be quite blinded by the God of this World.
Confideration would let them fee, That the
Promifes of the Gofpel, are qtherguefs Riches
than Plenty of Corn and Wine and Oil ; That
there is no Diftrefs, no Calamity, no Mifery,
Wherein thefe Promifes cannot hold a Believer's
L 4 head,

1 5 1 The Great Law of
head, and fupport him againft fainting; that thefe
can give content, when nothing in the World can
quiet the Soul; and that thefe can make Men
triumph, when they are made as the Filth of the
World, and as the Off-fcouring of all Things.
Confideration would let them fee the unfpeak*
able Gain which attends the ferious, fincere, and
felf-denying Chriftian when he comes to die; how
little is he frighted, how big his hopes and expe*
dations grow; how contentedly he leaves dig
World ; how the thoughts of the everlafting Rich
es he looks for, fupport him; how God compofes
his Spirit with Refledions upon his approaching
Reft ; how this Death is nothing but a fleep, from
Which he will in a fhort time awake again, and
open his eyes, and behold the Lord fitting on his
Throne, ftretching forth the Scepter of his Love
to him, and afliiring him that the Day of Salva
tion is conie; that the everlafting Spring is at
hand, which will make him forget the tediouf-
nefs of his Travels, the burthens of his former
Life, and whatever in this World look'd like
anguifh and calamity. This would fhew them,
That the immarceflible Crown of Glory, the Rer
ward of a ferious Life, doth infinitely tranfeend
all that the World can imagine to be advantage*
ous and profitable.
Nay, Confideration would difcover to them,
That a ferious circumfped Life, entitles Men
to Temporal Gain, as well as to Spiritual and
Eternal Advantages. This would fhew them,
That mpre Men are ruined in their Eftates, by
a Vicious, than there are by a Religious Con
verfation •. and that Drunkards, Whoremongers, Adulr

CONSIDERATION. 153
Adulterers, ambitious and quarrelfora Men, break
fooner and oftner in the World, than thofe whofe
bufinefs is to keep a Confcience void of offence
towards God and Man. This would fhew them,
That this World's Goods are not ingroffed, or
poffeffed altogether by Men who flight God and
their own Souls; but that even many of thofe
who truly fear God, have a very large fhare in
temporal Plenty and Profperity; and that many
Times Men thrive the better for a ferious Life,
and a fecret Bleffing attends them, Plenty fleals
upon them beyond Expedation; and, as if fome
good Angel were at work for them^ Riches flow
infenfiblyupon them, and every Thing they un*
dertake doth profper, infomuch that themfelves
cannot but wonder at their Increafe.
This would convince them that many Men,
who during their ungodly Converfation could
not thrive, had fignally profper'd in the World
affoon as they have applied themfelves to a fe->
rious Life, that the face of their affairs hath been
changed; That Manaffeh, who had nothing but
Trouble and Diflrefs to attend him while he
wallowed in his Iniquities, upon his Return to
the God of his Fathers, was brought back unto
his Kingdom, and lived in Wealth and Plenty;
That Nebuchadnezzar, who for his Pride andln-
folence was driven out of his own Dominions by
his Subjeds; Upon his Sobriety, and acknow
ledging his Folly, and adoring the God of Hea
ven, was on a fudden reftored to his former
Grandeur? and that a ferious Man is beft quali
fied for getting Profit, and encreafing an Eftate ;
gpd that the Generality of Men had .rather deal
\vith

154 The Great Law of
with a confciencious Man, than with a Perfon
who is carelefs of all things but his own Intereft,
as knowing that being confciencious, he dares
not cheat or deceive them, but will think him
felf obliged to deal juftly and honeftly with them,
and do by them as he would have others do by
him; and that this is the great Misfortune of Un
godlinefs, and the Glory of a ferious Life, that one
wicked Man dares not truft another, but both
good and bad dares truft him who ftands in awe
of God, and makes it his great Care and Study
how to pleafe him.
This would fhew them that the ferious Man in
being charitable, takes the readieft Way to pro
filer in his fecular Concerns; and that as great a
Paradox as it may feem to fenfual Men, there is
not a greater Truth in the World than that
which Solomon fpeaks, Prov. ii. 24. There is
that fiat ter eth, and yet encreafeth. This would
lay before them the Examples of Men, who by
confecrating a great Part of their Eftate and
Incomes to pious and charitable Ufes, have en
larged their Fortunes, and by calling their Bread
upon the Water, have found it again with In
tereft after many Days ; who have denied them
felves in their Superfluities, and yet are grown
rich; given away, and yet got more than they
had in Times paft. This would lead them into
the pleafant Field of Gpd's Providence, and
fhew them how that wife and gracious God
wheels and turns Things about for the Good of
thofe that dare truft him for a Recompence,
and makes that. Money which was laid out for
- - the

CONSIDERATION, 155
the Ufe of the Needy, return with Advantage
and Ufury,
A remarkable Example whereof I cannot but
alledge upon this Oecafion. In Nijibia there was
a Religious Woman, who had a Man that was
a Heathen for her Hufband. They were poor,
yet by hard Labour had got Fifty Pounds toge
ther ; whereupon the Hufband thought good to
put it out to Intereft, that they might not fpend
upon the main flock. His Wife, being a Chri
ftian, readily told him, that none paid a greater
Intereft for Money lent him, than the God of
the Chriftians. The Man pleafed with the News,
demands where this God was to be met with ?
The Woman told him at fuch a Church, where
he had Deputies to receive the Sum. They take
Money and to the Church they go, where they
faw fome poor Widows fitting; Thefe are the
Deputies of the God of the Chriftians, faid the
Woman, who will receive your Money, and
pay you Intereft. The Man, not much pleafed
with his Security, yet over-perfwaded by his
Wife, lets the poor Widows have the Money,
who not knowing the Man's Intent, thankful
ly received it.
A quarter of a year after, the Man finding him-
fel f pincht for want of Neceffaries, bids his Wife
go and demand a quarter of a years Intereft; to
which fhe replies, that if he would go to thofe
poor Widows, and demand the Ufe, fhe did not
doubt but he might have it.
He goes and expoftulates wjth thefe perfons ;
but what he had given them was confumed, and
they were fo far from paying him Intereft, that
they

156 The Great Law of
they were ready to beg more of him ; with that
he goes fad and forrowful out of the Church ;
but in going, fpies apiece of Gold, one of thofe
pieces he had given to the poor, which acciden
tally it feems he had dropt in his Difiribution
of the Sum upon the floor ; he takes it up, goes
home, complains to his Wife of the Cheat thofe
poor Widows had put upon him. She bids him
truft that God whom he had lent the Money to,
and take that Piece he had found, and buy Ne
ceffaries for their Family. He goes his way to
the Market-place, and among other Things buys
fome Fifh, which were to be drefs'd for Dinner.
His Wife opening one of the Fifties, finds' in
the Belly a precious ftone which betrayed its
Worth by its unufual glittering. The Man carries
it o a Jeweller, who prefently gives him Three
hundred Pounds for the Jewel, at which the
Man tranfported, falls a praifing of the God
of the Chriftians, and himfelf becomes one, a-
flonifhed with the Providence which had fo
miraculoufly difpofed of the fecond Caufes for
his fignal Profit and Emolument.
Confideration would let them fee how vari
ous God's Temporal Bleflings are, which very
often light on the Head of a ferious Religious
Man ; and tho' he had no Trade which ftands in
need of Augmentation, but a flanding Revenue,
how yet God may watch over him fo, that he
fhall lofe little, and all he undertakes fhall prof-
per ; that his houfes fhall be preferved from fire,
and his Cattle from decay ; that his Fields fhall
bring forth plentifully, and his Lands be as the
Garden of the Lord; that he fliall fee his Pofteri-

CONSIDERATION. i57
ty advance in Wealth and Honour, and his Chil
drens Children grow as the Lillies, and fpread
their Branches as the Cedars in Lebanon.
Confideration would let them fee how a whole
Kingdom thrives, where Serioufnefs and the Fear
of God is encouraged with Vigour and Sincerity ;
What a Darling a ferious Prince is to his Subjeds,
how well they love him, how highly they efteem
him, and how plentifully and contentedly they
live under his fhadow. This would lay before
them the Example of David, of Solomon, of He
zekiah, of J ofiah, of Antonine, Princes for whom
their Subjeds would have in a manner pull'd out
their own Eyes, and given them to them ; The
Riches, the Honours, the Triumphs, the Vido-
ries, the Careffes of Foreign Monarchs that were
heap'd upon them, and all becaufe they did that
which was right in the fight of God. This would
refrefh their Memories, how upon a publick Hu-.
miliation God hath been entreated, and the Judg
ments under which a Nation groan'd, have been
averted; and the Heavens, which before were
turned into Brafs, have vifited the Earth again
with fhowers, and the former Scarcity hath been
transform'd into Plenty and Abundance; and how
God hath feen their Works, that they turned
from their evil ways, and hath repented himfelf
of the evil he hath faid he would do unto them,
and hath not done it.
Confideration would let them fee, that though
a ferious Man fhould decay in the World, and
his Confeientioufnefs be the Caufe of his Ruin,
yet he would have more to fupport him under
his Loffes than another Man : For how fhould not

158 The Great Laiti of
not he be able to fupport himfelf, that hears the!
Son of God faying to him, That there is no Man
that hath left Father and Mother, Lands and
Houfes, Brethren and Sifters for his fake, or for
Righteoufnefs fake, whether voluntarily or forced
to it by Enemies, but fhall receive a hundred fold
in this Life, that is, in Grace and Comforts of the
Holy Ghoft, and in the World to come everlaft
ing Life ? Mark 10. 29, 30. And it could not but
be a very great Satisfadion, that it was not any
Vice or Licencioufnefs that broke him, but a good
Confcience, which is its own Reward, and the
beft Prefervative againft Murmuring, Repining
and Defpair, and very often a Prefage that God
will fet him up again; and, as it was in Job's
Cafe, make the latter part of his Life more prb-
fperous than the former.
By fuch Reprefentations as thefe, Confidera
tion will fcatter the Suggeftions of the Devil
That a finful Life is the only gainful and ad-
vantagious Life. But what Argument can pre
vail againft Experien e, and where Men have
found already that their fins have proved profi
table, and that their Carelefnefs of Religion hath
procured • them no fmall Advantages ? Their
great care and ftudy now muft be, that they do
not put themfelves into a Way of lofing them ;
and therefore exhort them to confider what the
end of thefe Things will be, and whether this be
a likely courfe to get a Title to the Inheritance
incorruptible, refetved in Heaven for Believers,
They'll be ready to reply, What ! part with my
Livelihood ? Quit that which muft fupport my
Family? Would you have me flarve and perifh?
Will

CONSIDERATION. i59
Will your Righteoufnefs give me Bread? Would
you have me precipitate my felf into Ruin ? Will
nothing lefs ferve the Turn, than leaving all, and
following Chrift ? Why fhould I defpair, when
God bleffes me; and think ill of my Way of li
ving, when God by profpering my Endeavours,
declares his Approbation of my Deportment?
My Gain is his Mercy ; and if he did not allow
of what I did, he would with-hold his Benedi-
dion. His giving Succefs to what I do, fhews his
Love; and I have Reafon to believe he is not an
gry with me for taking this Courfe, becaufe he
never crofs'd it by his Thunders. God would
have me live in the World, and fince I have no
other Way to thrive but this, I muft fuppofe it is
that which God hath called me to. My Induftry
is in Obedience to his Command, and why
fhould I fright my felf with his Indignation,
when my profperous Fortune fpeaks his Smiles
and Sunfhine ?
Confideration would let them fee, That God
doth not blefs them for their Sins, but doth it to
invite them to Amendment. That though God's
Bleffings flow in upon them while they fin, yet
thofe Bleffings are no Approbation of their
Sins, but Diffuafives rather ; Marks of God's
Befeechings, and Charaders of his Entreaties,
that they would not be fo bafe and unworthy,
as to fight againft him with his Mercies, nor
make ufe of his Kindnefs againft him ; Signs
whereby God lets them know, that he had ra
ther hear their Hallelujahs in Heaven, than their
Groans in Hell. Nay, this would fuggeft to them,
That it may not be God that blefles them, but the
De-

i6o The Great Lain) of
Devil ; and that he that is permitted to fhew
them all the Kingdoms of the World, and theGlo-
ries of them in a Moment, hath power alfo to re
ward Iniquity; and that Profperity which is ae*
quired by Sin, cannot be of God's making, but
is an effed of the Devil's Bounty,, who never
fives but with an intent to murder ; and makes
refents for no other end, but to make the Soul
a Prey to his Fury ; who gives, like the Grecians,
only to overcome, and feems kind, only to get an
Intereft in the Sinner, and to take Advantage a-
gainft him when there fhall be oecafion; who
Bleffes with a defign to Curfe, and rewards to
harden Men in their contempt of the Almighty;
who lets Men reap Profit, that they may venture
confidently on fin ; and is contented they fhould
have fomething for their pains, that they may de
dicate themfelves more entirely to his DifpofaL
So that it may be faid of fuch a Man's Poffef-
fions, as the Lacedcemonian in Plutarch faid of
Lampes, whom a Gentleman commended for
being rich in Shipping ; I do not like that Fe
licity which depends fo much on Cords and
Threads. Indeed he fpake it with refped to
the Uncertainty of fuch Riches ; but we may
juftly call fuch a Man's Wealth Cords and Strings,
in another Senfe; Cords which intangle him, and
by degrees tye him fafter and fafter to the Devil's
Service; drag him into hardnefs of Heart and
Impenitency, and at laft into that Prifon, from
whence there is no returning, till he hath paid
the uttermoft Farthing.
But what can you exped from Men that are
refolved not to fee, and are fo wedded to their"
Gain

CONSIDERATION. \&i
Gain that they are frighted with the very
Thoughts of a Remedy that would clear their
Sight, and fhew them the fatal Hand that gives
them their Profperity, and difcover to them the
Fiend that conveys the Gain they get into their
Houfes, and bribes them into everlafting Tor
tures. O poor befotted Sinners! And do you lofe
Heaven for this ? Is it for this you leap into
Deftrudion ? Is it for this you hazard the Fa
vour of God ? Is it for this you fcorn the Gold
of the Sanduary ? Is it for this that the Riches
of Grace and Mercy are vile, and mean, and de-
fpicable in your Eyes? Is it for this that you
break your Sleeps heat your Blood, difcompofe
your Minds, diforder your Bodies, and alienate
your Affedions from him,, who, being Ricbg
became poor for your fake ? Will not Heathens
be your Judges ? Will not Phocion, Fabritiusf
Fabius, Diogenes, Socratesi Plato, Demetrius, A-
pollonius, mere Heathens, who would not ac-,.
cept of the Riches they might have had, and
which were freely offered them, left their Vir
tue fhould fuffer in the Acceptance, and they
be tempted to grow remifs in their Self-De-
nials. Would any Man think you had rational, im
mortal Souls within you, that fees you live thus?
Would any Man imagine, that you believe a
Reward to come, that fees you greedy after a
prefent Recompence ? So greedy, that you
fight your Way through Oaths, Curfes, Lies,-
Oppreffion, Extortion, Injuftiee, Covetoufnefs,
Uncleannefs, Blafphemy, Flatteries, Railings.,
M Slan-

162 The Great Law of
Slanders, Abufes, Drunkennefs, and through ihe
moft fneaking, moft fordid, and moft difinge- ;
nuousSinsto get it? To fee this, what fober
Man would not blefs himfelf? What Man of
Reafon would envy fudh Advantages ? Pity ydu^
he may, but he can never wifh for your Happi
nefs; for that which you call Happinefs, is Mi
fery in grain, and muft fhortly die into endlefs
Lamentations. Ferily I Jay unto you, Tou have
your Reward, Matth. 6. 5.
VI. Impediment.
VI. Fear of being melancholy with fo much
Serioufnefs, is another Impediment. And as the
Devil ceafes not Day and Night to inflill this
Principle into Mens Minds, fo it ufually pre
vails with the Jolly Crew, and fuch as are all
for Mirth and Railery, and hate Sadnefs as
their moft deadly Enemy. Confideration they
are afraid will ftrike them in Dumps, and a
View of the Odioufnefs and Loathfomnefs of
their finful Life, deprive them for ever of that
merry Temper kind Nature hath beftowed on
them. Confideration of the Danger, they fear,
will put them in mind of the fevere Duties of
Religion, and fuggeft fomething to them that
will lie gnawing within, and make them that
they fliall never enjoy a merry Hour again.
They look upon Men abroad, who have ap- !
plied themfelves to Confideration of their
Ways, and fludied how they fliall be happy af
ter Death, and find it hath fpoiled their Tri
umphs, and caufes them to walk about difcou- ragd

CONSIDERATION. 163
rag'd and dejeded. They hear of difmal Sto
ries, how People that have been fludying Things
of this Nature, have been deluded by the Devil,
and how fome have been drown'd, and others
ftabb'd themfelves : Though it is only an Ef
fed of fome Bodily Diftemper, which would
have happen'd to them had they never thought
on Spiritual Objeds, yet they are willing to im
pute it to the aufiere Rules of Devotion ; and
tho' the fame Argument would hold againft
greedinefs after the Riches of the World, whicii
makes fome Men come to the Gallows, and
others fall into ftrange Tortures of the Mind,
yet they wifely forbear examining the ftrength
of the Argument, left they fhould want Pre
tences for their Lazinefs. They fee how fome
that think much of their Salvation, hang down
their Heads like a Bulrufh, fold their Afms^
and fpend their Days in Tears and Weeping,.
They fee how uncomfortable Confideration
hath made their Lives, how it hath filled their
Hearts with Sorrow, and Grief, and Anguifh,
and they are afraid this will be their Fate ; and
the Effeds it hath wrought in others, fright
them, left they fhould be as difeonfolate as they^
While they maintain their jolly Temper, they
can live quietly, and with content ; and while
they have little or nothing to do with thofe feri
ous Things Divines do talk of, they feel no Di-
flurbance; and why fhould they meddle with
Confideration, which will certainly infufe fad
Thoughts into their Minds, and give them
Gall and Vinegar to drink ? Might not one
plead as well, that it is in vain to fortifie fuch
M 2 a

164 The Great Law of
a Town againft an Enemy, for not a few Cities
in the World, that have been of no great ftrength,
have efcaped well enough ; and why fhould they
difcompofe themfelves with fears of an Affault,
having been fecure fo many Years? Why fhould
they now begin to diforder themfelves with dif
mal Prefages, or be at the trouble of digging, arid
building, and raifing Fortreffes, when they can
lie ftill in their Beds, and indulge themfelves, and
eat the Fat of the Land ?
And are not thefe excellent Arguments againft
Confideration ? Are not thefe very lofty and preg
nant Reafons, to confute the neceffity of fo great
a Duty ? Wretched, deluded Men! Confideration
would let you fee, that there is a great difference
between Melancholiy andSerioufnefs; and thate-
very Man that looks grave and fober, is not there
fore dejeded, and difeompofed within ; and that
'tis poffible for Men not to rant, and tear, and
fwagger, and yet to enjoy great calmnefs and qui-
etnefs in their Souls. That a Man is not therefore
fad, becaufe he will not fwear and drink ; nor there
fore Hypochondriack, becaufe his Confcience
will not digeft thofe Sins which you can fwallow
down without chewing.
Confideration would let you fee, That you,
who allow your felves in Sin and Vanity, of all
Men have leaft Reafon to be merry ; who have
the King immortal and invifible for your Enemy, ,j
and the Blood of Jefus Chrifi fpeaking againft
you, and God's Spirit bearing witnefs of your Dif
ohedience, and know not how foon God will
open the Floodgates of his Anger, and how foon
your Portion will be\in outer Darknefs; who
have

CONSIDERATION. 165
have no Title to the Benefits of Chrift's Paffion,
and are dead while you live ; Who have your
Underftandings darken'd, your inward and out
ward Man polluted, and your Garments fpotted
by the Flefh.
Confideration would let you fee, That your
Joy and Mirth is but flight and fuperficial, fo far
from being folid, that oftentimes in your very
Laughter your Heart is forrowful ; and as fair as
you carry Things outwardly, your Confciences
cannot but fright you with an approaching florin
fometimes; and as merry as you feem to be, you
now and then feel Terrors, which make you
flee when no Man purfues you. This would let
you fee, how fhort your Mirth and Pleafures are,
and how they perifh in the very Enjoyment, and
are no better than Butterflies ; which when you
have with great labour and induftry got into your
hands, their curious Colours decay with a Touch,
and you can boaft of nothing but a fqualid Worm.
This would fhew you, That your Jollities are
much like Attalia's Nuptials, whofe Wedding-
Day proved his Funeral; and like Philip the
Macedonian's Triumphs, which in a Moment
are turned into Sadnefs by the daring PauJ'anias :
This would fhew you how weak a thing it is with
Lyfimachus, for a Cup of cold Water to lofe a
Kingdom, and to hazard an Eternity of Joy for
Mirth, which at the beft is but as a Morning
Cloud, and as the early Dew which foon paffes
away. Confideration would let you fee, That your
Mirth is worfe than Sadnefs and Sorrow, becaufe
it proceeds from a ftupified Soul, and from a
M 3 h&xd

1 66 The Great Law of
hard heart; from a Soul whofe nobler Sparks are
oppreffed with Soot and Afhes, and which hath
loft its delicate Palate, its refin'd Tafte, and is
made fo infenfible of the purer tranfports of Joy,
that it hankers after nothing but Earth, and fuch
drofly, muddy Divertifements, as Men of Reafon
and Contemplation would fcorn, as much as they
do the Extravagancies of an impotent Enemy;
and that it is rather a Man's felicity to be a ftran-
ger to your Mirth, than Unhappinefs, becaufe
your Mirth is fo vain, your Delight fo frothy,
and your Joy ufually hath fuch a fearful end ; an
end much like that of Belflazzar, who made a
Eeaft to his Lords, drank Wine before them; and
to make the Debauch compleat, and to make the
Blood of the Grapes drink with greater Brifknefs,
call'd for the Golden Veffels which his Father
had taken out of the Temple of Jerufalem, as if
it encreafed the pleafure of Drink to prophane
thofe Veffels by Drunkennefs which were confe-
crated to God, and Wine out of a Bowl of the
Sanduary gave greater Life to the Spirit, and re
vived the Heart more than a common Cup. But
while their Hearts danc'd and leapt for Joy, an
unknown Hand from Heaven writes the fatal
Doom, the Charaders of Ruin, and the Lines of
Death upon the Wall, and on a fudden, The King's
Countenance changes, and his Thoughts trouble
him, fo that the joints of his Loins were loofined, \
(ind his Knees Jmote one againfi another, Dan.
5* 6.
Confideration would let you fee, That your
Joy doth not deferve the name of Joy, and that
your Mirth is nothing but Wantonnefs, and how
much

CONSIDERATION. 167
much below a great Spirit fuch Pleafures are ;
how unworthy of a Man created after God's I-
mage and Similitude; how empty they leave our
Souls; and how like the Sea, when ebbing in
muddy places, they leave nothing but flink, and
filth, and naftinefs behind them.
Confideration would let you fee, That none
can rejoice fo heartily as thofe who make God
their Portion, and fet the Lord always before
their Eyes. For, in this cafe they may be confi
dent, that not only God, but all his Creatures are
their Friends; and that the Red Sea which drowns
the /Egyptians, fhall be their Wall and Bulwark ;
and the Cloud that's Darknefs to the finner, fhall
be Fire to them ; and that tho' God is neither
Bread, nor Water, nor Light, nor Clothing, nor
Habitation, confider'd by the Rule of Senfe, yet
he will be all this to them ; even Bread to feed
them, Water to refrefh them, Light to revive
them, Clothing to warm them, and an Habita
tion to defend them from Wind and Tempeft.
This, would fhew you, That Light is fown
for the Righteous, and GladneJ's for the Upright
in Heart, Pfal. 97. 11. And that no Perfons
in the World have greater reafon to rejoice than
they, whofe great Care and Study is, Firfi to
feek the Kingdom of God, and his Righteoufnefs,
as being Perfons who are acquainted with a
lively Faith, and know by bleffed Experi
ence what that Hope means, whereby Men
purifie themfelves, even as God is pure; ^nd
what it is to be ftrengthned with alt Might
unto all Patience, and Long-fuffering, and
what the conftraining Love of God implies,
' M 4 and

1 68 The Great Law of
and what it is to be married to him who is altoge^
ther lovely, and what it is to have Union and
Communion with him.
Confideration would fhew you, That peace of
Confcience, and Honour with God, andtheSpi,
rit's making Interceffion for us with Groans un
utterable, and Pardon of Sins, Privileges which
attend a ferious Preparation for a better World,:
are a continual Feaft, and confequently afford
Matter for greater Joy than all the Rarities and
Curiofities of this prefent Life. This would let
you fee, That that one Bleffing, pardon of fin,
which a ferious Man enjoys, is a Mercy which
he may juftly Rejoyce and Triumph in, more
than the greateft Monarch of this World in his
boundlefs Empire; And that neither Alexan
der's Vidories, nor Augufius Ccefar his Tran
quility, nor Darius his Plenty, can equal that
Rejoycing, or deferves to be compared with it,
This would lead your Thoughts to take a View
of the prefent Condition of the unhappy Spi
rits in Hell, to whom Pardon of Sin would be a
greater Comfort and Refrefhment, than all the
Pleafures of this World diftilled into Quintet
fence: Should a Proclamation be made in th&t
difmal Vault, by fome Angel fent from Heaven,
that all Prifoners are freed from their Guilt by the
new and living Way, even by the Blood of Jefus,
and that God hath condefcended at laft, and is
prevailed withal to forgive their Iniquities, what
Leaping, what Dancing, what Joy, what Glad*
nefs, what exultation of Spirit, what ferenity of
Face, what a chearful Air would appear in every
corner of that lpathfom Prifon ! How would one
Wretch

CONSIDERATION. i69
Wretch jog the other, and bid hirn break out into
Praifes and Celebrations of his Maker for fo great
a favour! How like Heaven would Hell look on
a fudden; and all their Howlings, which Grief
and Anguifh did draw from them, change into
Acclamations of Gladnefs! How would their
Hearts fwell and dilate themfelves, and tranf-
port them into an Extafie of Joy ! How fordid,
how mean, how pitiful, how inconfiderable,
would all their former fenfual Delights feem to
this Pleafure or Satisfadion!
Confideration would let you fee, That whate
ver Men that are become vain in their Imaginati
ons may prate, there is no Pleafure, no Felicity,
like that which flows from walking in the Ways
of God; and that fin hath trouble and vexation
for its individual Companion ; That Pride, and
Envy, and Ambition, and Luft, and Revenge,
whilft they promife eafe to the finner's Mind, do
but torment it more ; That Goodnefs is the beft
Security; That the Joy of the whole Earth, is
Mount Sion ; that in this Garden are the fweet-
eft Rpfes, the moft odoriferous Flowers, the
moft fragrant Plants; Rofes which have lio
Prickles underneath, like your carnal Delights ;
Flowers which wither not away, like that frothy
Mirth which the laughter of Fools affords ; Plants
which feed and nourifh and heal, and poifon
not, like thofe airy Satisfadions which flow from
making provifion for the flefh. This would re
prefent to your Minds the examples of Millions
of Saints, who are able from their own Experi
ence to affirm, That the Ways of Serioufnefs are
truly Ways of Pleafantnefs, and thatW/ her Paths (ire

iyo The Great Law of
are peace ; that they have found more Satisfadi-*
on in being Door-keepers in the Houfe of God,
than they have done in being Mafters of the
moft glorious Tents of Wickednefs ; That they
have had more joy from Contemplation of Hea
ven's Glory, and from refleding on the All-fuf-
ficiency of God in one hour, than ever they recei
ved from running up and down many Years toge
ther, after the things the vain World is enamou
red withal; that they would not be in that mi
ferable, unregenerate flare again, if they might
have whole Kingdoms to entice them ; and that
there is no Condition in all the World fo full of
briars and thorns, and anguifh, and pain, and dif-
quietnefs, and trouble, and vexation, as a finful
Life, and an unconverted Eftate.
This would fet before you the Example of St.
Paul, who could glory and rejoyce even in Tri
bulations ; and whereas his Enemies could rejoice
in nothing but in Money, in Health, in Power,
in Honour, in Dignities, in Delicacies, in Silks,
in rich Tables : He cou'd rejoice in Ship wracks,
in Stripes, in Perils, in falfe Accufations ; and that
which appeared terrible to others, fhewed plea
fant to him; and as bitter as the Root of his Af-
flidions was, it produced notwithftanding . the
fweeteft Fruits, even the Fruits of Humility and
Charity. This would fet before you the joys of David],
I will rejoice and be glad in thee, Pfzl. 9. 2. In thee,
not in Voluptuoufnefs ; not in luftful Touches;
not in curious Taftes; not in precious Odours;
not in the Melody of airy Songs ; not in the
Beauty of a Female ; not in the Applaufes 9f
Men

CONSIDERATION. I?i
Men; not in Matrimony; not in Children; not
in raking Wealth together; but in Thee, who
canft make even broken Bones to rejoyce, make
the Confcience fkip, and the Heart dance for
J°y- Confideration would let you fee, That thofe
ferious Perfons who look dejeded and melan
choly, have Joys within which no ftranger inter
meddles withal; and as little fhew as they make
of Chearfulnefs, they carry that within their
Breafts, which can make their Life a perpetual
Jubilee. So far is Confideration from making
Men melancholy, that it points at the Things
where the greateft Joy is to be found ; and as
Confideration itfelf is a pleafure, as we proved
before, fo it is a Guide to lead Men into fuch a
Paradife, as they would be content to lofe them
felves in, and defire no greater Felicity on this
fide Heaven. VII. Impediment.
VII. Fear of going difiraBed with poring on
things too high for their Capacities. The averfe-
nefs from a truly ferious and circumfped Life, in
moft Men, is fo very great, that they'll entertain
the abfurdeft, fillieft, and moft childifh pretences,
rather than be perfwaded to that courfe God and
his holy Angels, Scripture, Confcience, Minifters,
and all the Providences of God do call and
invite them to. And fuch a fhift is that we
have before us; a Plea fo impertinent, that we
might juftly afk the Queftion, Whether thofe
that make ufe of it are not diftraded already ?
Men

171 The Great Law of
Men had as good give us a downright Anfwer,
and tell us plainly, That they will not take their
everlafting State into Confideration, and will
have nothing to do with Salvation, as make us
conclude fo much from their Unfteadinefs and
Tergiverfations. Their Adions fhew it, why
fhould they deny it with their Lips? Their works
declare it, why fhould not they confefs it ? God
concludes fo much from their Converfation,
Why fhould they love to bear the World in
hand, that it is not fo ? The Heathenifh People
of Congo were honeft, who being baptized into
Chriftianity, and underftanding afterward that
the Religion they had embraced required Chafli-
ty, and forbad Polygamy and Lafcivioufnefs,
came back to the Priefts that had baptized them;
and there folemnly renounced their Baptifin, al-
ledging, That they were refolved not to part
with thefe Sins; and fince the Chriftian Religi-
pn did forbid them, it was in vain to own them
felves Followers of that Religion, the Rules of
which they were refolved not to obferve, or live
up to. Here the Priefts knew what to make of
them, and did never after exped better Things
at their Hands. But 'tis otherwife with the gene
rality of Men that call themfelves Chriftians ;
they love to leave God, and themfelves, and their
Neighbours in the Dark; and we find they halt
between two Opinions, unrefolved whether they
fhall follow God, or Baal. They would neither
defpife God, nor the Devil. The Devil's Fa
vour they keep and maintain by their fecret
Averfenefs from a ferious Preparation for ano
ther Life; and God's Good-will they court,

CONSIDERATION. 173
by pretending that they would follow him, were
it not for fuch and fuch Obftacles and Impedi
ments. And indeed their Flefh does no fooner
fuggeft an Excufe to their Minds, but they pre-r
fently flatter themfelves, That that fhift will be
a fufficieut Apology for Negled of their Duty.
And tho' going diftraded with Confideration be
a Thing very unlikely, next to Impoffibility ;
yet a pitiful fhift being better than none, this
comes in with the reft, and helps to rock the
Soul into a pleafing Slumber. It feems their
Brains are ftrong enough to contrive how to
promote their own Fall, but will not ferve them
to ponder how to keep themfelves from Ruine.
One would think they could not be worfe mad
than. they are already, and therefore they might
venture upon a ferious Confideration of their
ways without danger. Take a view of thy Adi
ons, Sinner : Go into Houfes where Mad-men
are kept, and fee whether thy Deportment and
Pradice be not as like theirs, as one thing can be
like another : 'Tis the Charader of Mad-men,
to chufe Means altogether unfuitable to the End
they defign; if they offer to kindle a Fire with
fhining Brafs, or attempt to build a Houfe with
out Materials, or think that a Net will fecure
them againft the bittereft Froft, or hope to be
Mafters of a Trade without learning of it, or
talk of being acquainted with fuch a Language,
when they have neither Books nor Men to con-
verfe withal ; We juftly look upon them as
diftraded : And would not one think thee be
fides thy Wits, that hears thee hope for Hea
ven, without taking the Way that leads to it 5
And

t<74 The Great Law of
And talk of being fav'd, when thy Adions fa^
vour only of Preparation for eternal Mifery?
To hope to be faved by following the Didates
of the Flefh, is as wife an Ad, as to hope to be
Warm by fitting upon Ice, or by furrounding thy
felf with Snow-balls. Thou wouldft take that
Man to be befide himfelf, that fhould chufe to
lie all Night in Mire and Dirt, when there is
a convenient Bed prepared for him ; or that
fhould prefer fleeping on a Dunghill, before
repofing himfelf upon a clean Couch : And dofl
not thou ad the fame madnefs, when thou pre-
ferreft lying in the Arms of an Enemy, before
refting in the Bofom of a gracious Redeemer ?
And hadft rather reft in fin, more odious and
loathfom to God than any Dunghil, than de
light thy felf in him whofe Service is perfect
Freedom ?
Can there be a greater madnefs than to prefer a
Stone before Bread, and a Serpent before a Fifh ?
And is not thy Diflradion as great, to efteem a
finful Pleafure more than the Favour of God ?
and fet by the Drofs and Dung of this World,
more than the Excellency of the Knowledge of
Chrift ? No Man commends Midias for his Wif
dom, when he defired, That all things he touch
ed might turn into Gold ; for hereby his very
Viduals fuffered Tranfmutation, and he Was
flarv'd ; And art not thou as foolifh when thou
defirefl nothing but worldly eafe and pleafures?
When thofe Things thou doft fo earneftly wifh
for, will be thy undoing, and thofe very Delicates
thou longeft for, will at laft famifh thy Soul for
ever ?
Who

CONSIDERATION. 175
Who takes not the Corinthians for diftraded
Men, When they abufed the Ambaffadors of a
powerful Republick, which could crufh them
into Ruin ? And art not thou as much befide thy
felf when thou doft vilifie and flight the Mef
fage of the King of Heaven, and n°t only
floppeft thine Ears againft the Offers of Mer
cy, but putteft ill Conftrudions on the Endea
vours of God to convert thee, as if he intended
to rob thee of thy Happinefs, when nothing
but that Endeavour can procure it ? Is this thy
Wifdom, to" negled the weightieft Concerns,
and fpend thy Time in admiring Bubbles ? Is
this thy Wifdom, with Rehohoam, to defpife
the Counfel of the Grave and Ancient, and fol
low the Advice of young Men ; to negled what
the Ancient of Days proclaims in thine Ears, and
to hearken what a few rafh Youths do fuggeft ? To
flight what the moft prudent Men affure thee
upon Experience to be fo, and to tread in thofe
Paths which thy greateft Enemies entice thee to
walk in ? Is this thy Wifdom, fo prefer a few
drops before an immenfe Ocean of Bleffednefs ;
an Atom before an Infinite; and the fmalleft duft
upon the Ballance before mount Zion, which
can never be moved ? Is this Wifdom, to thruft
away Salvation with both Arms, and to oppofe
the Endeavours of that God, that even com
pels thee to come to the Supper of the Lamb ?
Is this thy Wifdom, to lie in a Dungeon, when a
Palace is prepared for thy Reception ? And to be
enamoured with Deformity itfelf, when thou
art courted by him who is altogether Lovely ?
Is this thy Wifdom, to rely on broken Reeds, ra-

176 The Great Law of
rather than on the Rock of Ages? And to truft
more to Caftles in the Air, than to him who
is the Ancient of Days, and hath promifed nei
ther to leave nor to forfake thofe that call upon
him faithfully ?
And when the Cafe ftands thus with thee, when
thou art as mad as thou well canft be, fure thou
neeedeft not be afraid that Confideration of thy
Ways will make thee fo. Confideration ! Why
this will make thee fober; this would bring thee
to thy right Senfes again ; this would make thee
live like a rational man again ; this would reftore
thee to thy Wits again ; this would cure the Di-
ftempers of thy Brain; this would be fo far from
promoting, that it would chafe away all madnefs
anddiftradion; this would clear thy Underftan
ding, and redifie thy Will and Affedions, and
make all thy Faculties move more orderly *
Confideration would let thee fee what Mad
nefs it is to defpife him whom thou flandeft
moft in need of; and to negled that noyVj which,
upon thy Death-bed, thou wilt wifh thou hadft
minded day and night. This would reprefent
to thy mind, what Weaknefs of Judgment it is
to call thy felf happy, with Crcefus, before thy
end; and to flatter thy felf with Felicity, before
thou knoweft whether the latter part of thy Life
will be agreeable to the former, or to the prefent
ia Affluence and Profperity* This would fheW
thee what a Folly it is to flight the Fountain of
Ik i ig Waters, and to hunt after broken Cifter'ns
which can hold no Water; and to efteem a Wil
der nefs, a land of dejdrts, and of pits; a land of
drought, and of the Jhadow of Death ; a land
¦which

CONSIDERATION. 177
which no Man pajfes through, and where no Man
dwells, infinitely more than a plentiful Country,
Jer. 2. 6. This would fhew thee what a Folly it
is to forfeit the Favour of him that muft be thy
Judge one Day; and to make him thy Foe,
without whofe Mercy thou muft fall a Prey to
hellifh Furies; To fcorn that Provifion now,
the Crumbs whereof thou wilt be glad to gather
one Day ; and to mock his kindnefs now, when
one day thou wouldft rejoice at the leaft Smile of
his Countenance, if thou couldft but have it,
This would fhew thee, what a Folly it is, to be
ravifhedmore with a painted Coronet, than with
the real Glories of a Kingdom; and to rejoice
more in the prefent Pomp and Adoration of a
Stage, than in thy Right to the Reverfion of a
Crown ; and what diftradion it is to think that
the Great God, who changes not, will make thofe
Bieffed, who renounce his Blifs, and quench Hell-
fire for Men, becaufe they are refolved to run
into it ; to make thofe like unto the Angels of
God, that will live like Beafts here ; and prefer
thofe to his Throne, that would not have him to
Reign over them! This would fhew thee what a
Folly it is to make merry at the Brow of a Pit ;
and to fing Care away, when thy Sins call for
Mourning and Lamentation.
Confideration, Sinner, would let thee fee, That
there is no Wifdom like that Wifdpm, which
makes Men wife unto Salvation; which makes
them deliberately take God for their Guide and
Portion, and fearch into thofe Things which do
inoft nearly concern them; which makes them
attentive to God's providences, and coiifiderate
N in

178 The Great Law of
in examining the Reafons, and End of his Love to
Mankind; which makes them chufe the Good
and refufe the Evil ; and teaches them how to
prefer the Suggeftions of the Spirit before thofe of
Flefh and Blood ; which teaches them to apply
Things to their own Souls, and to reduce general
Precepts to particular Perfons, Times, Places,
and to digeft them into fpiritual Profit and Emo
lument; and that thofe, who deny all Ungodlinefs
and worldly Lujls, living fioberly, right eoufty and
godly in this prefent World, looking for that blej-
fied Hope, and the glorious Appearing of the Great
God, and our Saviour J ejus, are the only Men
that are in their Wits ; and that the reft who
forget their Calling, and walk not worthy, of the
Focation wherewith they are called, do really un
man themfelves, and live below their Reafon.
This would let thee fee, that thofe who give all
diligence to add to tkeir Faith, Virtue ; and ts Vir
tue, Knowledge; and to Knowledge, Temperance ;
and to Temperance, Patience; and to P alienee, God-
linefs; and to Godlinefs, Brotherly -kindnej's ; and to
Brotherly-kindnefs, Charity; and are net bar
ren nor unfruitful in the Knowledge of our Lord
Jefus Chrifi, are the Men that chufe the fitted
Means for the greateft End ; and that he that
works to Day in God's Vineyard, and fo num
bers his Days, that he may apply his Heart unto
Wifdom ; and lives like a Perfon that remem
bers he hath a Soul to be fav'd, is the Man who
governs his Affairs with Difcretion. This would
let thee fee, that Men do pretend to Learning in
vain, while they are ignorant of Mortification of
their Members which are upon the Earth, and of

CONSIDERATION. ij9
of a fpirirual Life, which is every Man's greateft
Intereft. That the Painter doth but draw the
Pidure of his own Ruin, who is not wife for
Eternity, or doth not reprefent to his Mind the
Images of that Glory which fhall e'er long be
revealed in holy Men, fo as to lead a Life which
may be a Preparative to it. That the Dijpulant
is no better than a Heretick in Manners, who
doth not reafon himfelf out of the Snares of Sin,
and fhew forth, out of a good Converfation, his
Works with Meeknefs. That the Logician, who
refolves all knotty Arguments, is but a Fool, while
he knows not how to keep himfelf from the
Wiles of die Devil ; and that the Grammarian,
who redifies the Errors of Speech, is but a
Mad-man, while he takes no care to redifie the
Errors of his Life. That the Afironomer, who tells
the ftars, and calls them by their Names, is vain
in his Imaginations, while he hath not his Con-
verfiuion in Heaven. That the Metaphyjician,
that fpeculates Things above Senfe and Nature, is
but a very indifcreet Perfon, while he takes no
Heed to make God his higheft Comfort and De
light. That all Opticks are Npnfenfe, which do
not teach Men to behold the Mighty God that
made them; and all Geometry but Confufion,
which leaves Men ignorant of the Height and
Depth of the Love of God.
Confideration would difcover to thee, That
God who is moft Wife, is moft Holy too ; and that
in vain we imitate him in one Attribute, except
we imitate him in another; and how irrational a
Thing fin is ; what flrange unmanly Adions it
puts Men upon ; Adions which they muft be
N 2 aihamed

180 The Great Law of
afliamed of, if ever they are faved ; and muft
renounce and deteil, when they have done them,
if ever they arrive to inward Peace and Satisfacti
on. This would fet before thee the Euge's, the
Applaufe, the Honour God bellows on thofe
who are fo wife as to take their Leave of Sin,
before Sin leaves them, and exercife themfelves
unto Godlinefs, that they may attain unto eter
nal Life.
But what will not Prejudice do? It was that
which made the Jews call Chrift a Samaritan, a
Devil, a Wine-bibber, a Friend to Publicans and
Sinners. It was that made them hale the Apo
ftles to their Governors, and cry out, Away with
them, it is not fit they fijould live upon Earth. It
was this made Ahab hate the upright Micaiah,
and the Athenian condemn the juft Arijlides,
thov he had never feen him. It was this made
the poor Man, who knew not what John Httjs's
Dodrine was, fo bufie and induftrious to carry
Wood for his Funeral Pile, and as zealous to
kindle it ; infomuch that the Martyr could not
but cry out, O Holy Simplicity ! 'Tis this fets
Men againft Confideration of their Ways, and
makes them give out, That it will crack their
Brains, and diforder their Underftandings. In- -
deed it will caufe a Tumult in the Soul, a con-
flid between the Spirit and the Flefh, between
Chrift and Belial, but fuch a ftrife, as will end
in a Glorious Calm. When Confideration en
ters, Madnefs vanilhes ; as wild Beafts do creep
into their Dens at the Approach of Day-light.
The World may make Men go befides them
felves. Confideration reduces the whole Man to

CONSIDERATION. 181
to fobriety. Confideration indeed may put Men
upon Adions, which, in the World's apprehen-
fion, may be Madnefs ; Thus it made St. An
thony part with all hisSubftance to the Poor, that
he might have Treafure in Heaven; and made
others live upon Herbs and Bread and Water
only, that thereby they might fubdue their Lufts
the better ; but of this, none can judge fo well,
as he that is the Fountain of Wifdom, even that
God, who is Wifdom itfelf; and if he fet the
Mark of Wifdom on them, the Verdid of the
World is to be regarded no more, than the Judg
ment a blind Man gives of Colours. I know he
that will deny himfelf in fenfual Pleafures, and
trembles at a Sin, which others laugh at, and is
afraid of offending God even in fmaller Matters,
and prays with all Prayer and Supplication,
watching thereunto with all perfeverance, paf-
fes for a Mad-man with Men whofe Confciences
are defiled ; but fuch Mens Tongues are no flan-
ders: And Confideration would fhew, That
nothing is more agreeable to the Rules of Wif
dom and Prudence, than to live in conformity to
the Will and Pleafure of him, who is the great
Sovereign of the World, and hath given us
Souls capable of being govern'd by Moral Laws
and Precepts, and is refolved to fcourge him
with Scorpions, that knows his Mailer's Will,
and doth it not.
It was fin made the Prodigal diftraded, it was
this puffed him up, and tempted him to fay with
Pharaoh, Who is the Lord, that I fhould obey
his Foice ? It was this made him ill-natur'd, and
turbulent, difcompofed his Underftanding, and
N 3 robb'd

1 82 The Great Law of
robb'd him of the Notions which Nature and
good Education had planted in him ; and in
this he difcover'd his Folly, that he left his Fa
ther's Houfe, travell'd into a far Country, as far
from Heaven and Holinefs as he could, and
there wafted his Subftance with riotous Living;
whence it came to pafs, that a Famine arii'.mg
in the Land, he would fain have filled his Belly
with the Hufks the Swine did eat, and no Man
would vouchfafe them to him: Confideration
brought, him to himfelf, and to his Happinefs a-
gain; and his pondering, How many Servants
of my Father have Bread enough, and to fipare,
and I perifi? with Hunger ? I will arife, and go
to my Father, and will fay unto him, Father, I
have finned againft Heaven, and before thee, and
am no more worthy to be called thy Son : Make
me as one of thy hired Servants, Luke 15. 17,
18, 19. This, I fay, brought his. Reafon into
Order again, and confequently prepared for his
Qujet and Happinefs. And indeed, the Con-
feifion of Men who put off the Old, and put
on the New Man created after God in Righte
oufnefs and true Holinefs, fhews what we are
to think of Confideration. When they come in
good earneft to refled on their former finful
Life, they are ready to call themfelves a Thou-
fand Fools, and Beafts, and Sots, and wonder
how it was poffible for them to live fo long di«
redly contrary to Reafon, and to all the Prin
ciples of Gratitude and Humility. Confiderati
on fets all to Rights again ; and they would not
for any thing, but that they had ruminated on
their Folly, and compared it with the Intereft of
• ' ' their

CONSIDERATION. 189
their Souls, and the Will of God, in order to a
juft aggravation of their Madnefs: For now they
are fenfible, that before they underftood nothing
to any purpofe, and aded but like Changelings,
contrary to all the Didates of the Law of Na
ture, and their own Confciences. Thus Confi
deration, as Ananias did to Saul, comes in, and
immediately there fall from the Sinners Eyes, as
it were Scales, and he receives Sight forthwith,
and arifes, and is Jlrengthned, Ads 19. 9. and
Wifdom enters into his Heart, fuch Wifdom as
before he was a ftranger to : The MerchandiJ'e of
it is better than the MerchandiJ'e of Silver, and the
Gain thereof than fine Gold : She is more preci-
' ous than Rubies ; and all the Things thou canft
defire, are not to be compared unto her. She is a
Tree of Life to them that lay hold upon her, and
happy is every one that retains her, Prov. 3. 14,
Confideration enlightens him, and makes him
wifer than Socrates, more learned than the Dru
ids, more fagacious than the Brachmans, more
quick than the Gymnofiophifis, more apprehenfive
than the Perjian Magi : Epicurus, tho' called
The Sun of the World ; Anaxagorus, tho' ftiled
The Mind of Mankind; Ariftotle, tho' firnamed
The Sea of Wifdom, the Miracle of Learning,
and the laft Attempt of Nature ; yet are nothing
compared with a Man whom Confideration hath
reduced to that Wifdom which is from above, firfi
pure, then peaceable, gentle, eafie to be intreated,
without Partiality, and without Hypocrijie, full
of good Works.
N 4 VIII. Im-

184 The Great Law of
VIII. Impediment.
VIII. An Opinion, that Converfion, or turning
to God as Divines do reprefent it, is not neceffary
to Salvation. We may charitably believe, That
moft Men who are averfe from Confideration,
come to Sermons ; and we may fuppofe, that, as
carelefs as they are in hearing the Word of the
Living God, fometimes before they are aware
fomething ftrikes their Hearts, and fticks with
them; which, when they are any way fober, or'
free from Bufinefs, will goad and fling them into
Confideration of dieir Ways; and not feldom, .
with Agrippa, they are almoft perfwaded to take
their finful Lives into ferious Confideration, and
feel good Purpofes, and Wifhes, and Intentions,
and Defires in their Souls, to fet Time apart for
pondering how they may be converted, and de
dicate themfelves fincerely to God's Service, in
order to their everlafting Blifs. But in fuch cafes,
either the Devil, or their corrupt Hearts are rea- ,
dy to whifper in their ears, that Converfion is not
fo operofe, fo laborious, fo dreadful a Thing, as is
deferibed in publick Difcourfes; and that the
Men that preach, ftretch it farther than needs;
and confequently, Confideration how to get into
the; State that's recommended to them, is altoge
ther needlefs ; for if that ftridnefs and clofe walk?
ing with God be not neceffary, why fhould any.
Man break his Brains with Confideration how to
attain to that humble, felf-denying circumfped.
Life, as is faid to be the effential Ingredient of
Converfion. I

CONSIDERATION. 185
I know not how Converfion can be made more
neceffary, than Chrift hath made it. If daily
Bread be neceffary, if Meat and Drink be ne
ceffary, if Raiment be neceffary, if Health and
Strength be neceffary, then Converfion is neceffa
ry ; for it is the Bread which comes down from
Heaven, it is the Meat and Drink of our Souls :
This muft keep them warm, and cover them, and
make them Healthy, and Strong, and Vigorous.
'Tis that which Heaven is entail'd on, and with
out which Men ( if they dare take the Word of
diat J ejus, whom they do believe to be the Son
of God ) can look for nothing elfe but everlaft
ing Deftrudion : Except ye be converted, and be
come as little Children, ye Jhall not enter into the
Kingdom of Heaven, Mauh. 18. 3. are the exprefs
Words of him, who came from Heaven to re
veal his Father's Will; Words, which would
ftrike like Thunder, pierce like Lightning,
frighten like Ghofts, and, like Charms, bind the
Soul to her good Behaviour; Words, which do
not only import the abfolute neceffity, but repre
fent the Nature and Manner of true Converfion.
And if the Words added, by way of Explication,
be throughly weighed, it will appear to any ra
tional Man, that ^/laborious Converfion, which
the Minifters of the Gofpel prefs and commend,
is no other, but what Chrift requires in order to
Salvation : For what can be the meaning of this
Phrafe, becoming as little Children, but that Men
muft learn to be Children in Malice, I.Cor. 14. 20.
pull down their Paffions, watch over their in
ordinate Affedions, overcome themfelves, and
harbour np grudge, no hatred, no revengeful Thoughts

1 86 The Great Law of
Thoughts in their Hearts, againft thofe that
have offended them ; and, like new-born Babes,
defire the Jincere Milk of the Word, that they
may grow thereby, I. Pet. 2. 2. i.e. with all hu
mility and alacrity fubmit themfelves to be guid
ed, and ruled, and governed by the Precepts and
Injundions of Chrift in the Gofpel, without dif
puting or contradiding his Commands, tho' le-
vell'd againft Flefh and Blood, as much as Chil
dren leave themfelves to the guidance and dire
ction of their Nurfes; and have neither ftrength,
nor will, nor malice, to oppofe the Will or Or
der of thofe that lead them: Not that Chrifi
forbids examining either the Divinity or Rea
fonablenefs of his Dodrine and Injunctions.
~No: God is not afraid to have his Will tried
and examined by right Reafon ; for as it is the
Effed of the higheft Reafon, fo it muft needs
be moft agreeable to Reafon, it being impofiible
that Truth can be inconfiftent with Truth. Go,
lay together all the Principles which that fpark of
Divinity, right Reafon, doth fuggeft. Do not
confult the Reafon of fenfual Men, who call
Laughter, Reafon, and brutifh Delights, Effecfs
of a Human Underftanding; fo Devils may call
the Fire they roll in, the Light of God's Counte
nance : But fummon together all the Princi
ples which the wifeft Men in all Ages have una-
. . . 1
nimoufly agreed on, and let God's Will be tried
by that Touchftone, and its Glory will foon ap
pear; its Charaders, like the Stones of the
High-Prieft's Ephod, will glitter and fparkle to
admiration : And therefore Chrift doth fo little
difcourage Men from trying the Divinity of his
Say-

CONSIDERATION. 187
Sayings and Commands, by the Rule of Right
Reafon, that in feveral Places he bids the Pha-
rifecs,. and whoever were his Adverfaries, to
judge impartially of the Arguments he gave for
the Divine Original of his Dodrine. And with
out all peradventure, this Liberty every Man
hath to examine, and fatisfie himfelf, whether
the Injundions of Chrifi, and his Apoftles, were
Things that dropt from Heaven, or no. But
then, when Men are convinced, or have fuffici
ent Reafon to be convinced, That thefe Precepts
are the peremptory Will of God concerning their
Salvation ; ( as any Perfon who is not a Change
ling, or a meer Natural, may find upon due Ex
amination and Enquiry, if he will ; ) there God
expeds moft juftly, that ali Pretences and Excu-
fes and carnal Reafonings fhould fall, and the
Soul fubmit readily to the Yoke of Chrifi, and
refign its Will to Chrift's Will, ( though it can
not for the prefent comprehend the true Reafon
of fome Commands ) and fuffer itfelf to be ad-
ed and guided by thefe Laws, without Contradi
dion, or Oppofition, or Tergiverfation, denying
and renouncing every Apprehenfion or Suggefti
on that would follicit or tempt it to ftart afide
from fincere Obedience, and all Difcourfes that
would dafh or impede its Willingnefs and Readi-
nefs to embrace them.
And indeed, this is all we mean by true Con
verfion, viz. ceafing to obey the Didates of the
World, the Flefh, and the Devil, and endeavou
ring ferioufly to live up to the Precepts of the
Gofpel, without afking our Lufts, or vain De
fires,

1 88 The Great Law of
fires, whether they are willing to it or no ; a
fincere Refolution to get from under the Yoke of
Sin, and to make the Lord Jefus, who bought
us with, his own Blood, our fupream Ruler and
Governor. And fince there can be no Govern
ment without Laws, and we never heard of a-
ny other Laws Chrift gave, but what we have
in the Gofpel, we cannot and dare not but
conclude, that to live up to thefe Laws of the
Gofpel, is true Converfion. And therefore, an
unconverted Sinner is called, A Man without
Law ; not but that he hath a Law in his Mem
bers warring continually againft the Law of his
Mind; nor that he lives under no Law of the
Civil Magiftrate : He can live in no Society, but
he muft be fubjed to the Municipal Law of
the Land; But becaufe he doth not make the
Law of Chrift the Rule of his Thoughts, and
Words, and Adions, which upon his Conver
fion he begins to do, and becomes a Man that
lives by Rule, and is as cautious of doing any
Thing againft that Law, tho' in fecret, and re
moved from the fight and prefence of Men, as
if the greateft and graveft Affembly did fur-
round him.
And indeed, the Primitive Chriftians took no
Perfon to be converted, that did not make thefe
Laws the great Rule of his Life, and fhewed by
his Adions, That he prized and efteemed and
valued thefe Laws, above all the Orders and De
crees and Conftitutions of the greateft Monarchs.
Not that they difobeyed the Laws of their
Prince, where they clafhed not with any Law of
God : No, this they fcorn'd and abhorred; nay,
they

CONSIDERATION. 189
they gloried in their Submiflion to all the lawful
Commands of their Superiours. But when the
Laws of their Princes interfered with any Law
of Chrift, there they fhew'd, by their chearful
Sufferings, that they had a greater Mafter to
ferve, and that there was no greater King than
Confcience. When we do intreat and admonifh Men to be
converted, what do we do but perfwade them
to mortifie their Members which are upon the
Earth, Fornication, Uncleannefs, inordinate Af-
fedion, evil Concupifcence, and Covetoufnefs,
which is Idolatry; and to put off Anger, Wrath,
Malice, Blafphemy, and filthy Communication
out of their Mouths; and to put on Bowels of
Mercy, Kindnefs, humblenefs of Mind, Meek-
nefs, Long-fuffering, fo as to forbear one ano
ther, and forgive one another. To let the Word
of Chrift dwell in them richly, in all Wifdom,
teaching and admonifhing one another in Pfalms
and Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, finging with
Grace in their Hearts unto the Lord ; and whate
ver they do in Word or Deed, do it all in the
Name of our Lord J ejus Chrift, giving Thanks
unto God and the Father through him. To
be poor in Spirit, to be meek, to hunger and
thirft after Righteoufnefs, to purifie their Hearts,
to follow Peace with all Men as much as in
them lies. To be patient under Slanders, Re
proaches, and Perfecutions. To live in a fenfe of
future Joys, and of an everlafting Recompence.
To avoid all apparent Occafions of Evil, even
Things that are harmlefs in themfelves, if they
provoke or tempt to Sin. To avoid Swearing in

190 The Great jLazv of
in their ordinary Difcourfes artd Communica
tions ; to love their Enemies ; to do Good to
them that hate them -, to pray for them which
perfecute them^ and defpitefully ufe therm To
give Alms without any finifter Ends; to pray
without affedion of vain Applaufe, or laying a-
ny ftrefs upon the Length of their Prayers. To
Faft without Oftentation ; to lay up their Trea
fure in Heaven ; to truft God's Providence
in their refpedive Callings and Conditions; to
love him better than the World ; to ufe the
World as if they us'd it not. Not to grieve the
Holy Spirit of God, whereby they are fealed
unto the Day of Redemption ; not to judge rafh-
ly, but to forfake their greater Sins, before they
find Fault with the leffer Tranfgreffions of
their Neighbours; not to be cold and indiffe
rent in Matters of Piety; not to be peevifh, or
frOward, or impatient, to hearken to the Re
proofs and Exhortation of faithful Monitors;
not to be pleafed with their own Praifes, nor to
comply with finful Men in their vicious Incli
nations ; not to liften to the Didates of Flefh
and Blood, to the Cenfures, Backbitings, Re
proaches, Afperfions, which prophane Men caft
upon the Ways of Holinefs; to be bold as Li
ons, in maintaining the Honour of Religion,
and in daring to be good in a finful Generation ;
to walk in the flrait Way, and take Pains for
Heaven. To avoid Hypocrify, and to manifeft
their Profeffion by their Lives; both to hear, and
to do what they hear, and to bring forth Fruits
meet for Repentance ; and to let their Light fo
fhine before Men, that they may fee their good
Works,

CONSIDERATION. 191
Works, and glorifie their Father which is in
Heaven. To be faithful unto Death, and to hold
out to the End; and to fuffer fpr the Teftimony
of Jefis, if God thinks fit to call them to it ; and
to confider him, that endured fuch Contradidion
of Sinners againft himfelf, left they be weary and
faint in their Minds ; to feed the Hungry, to
cloath the Naked, and . vifit the . Sick, and to
hope and to believe that they fhall be rewarded
at the Refurredion of the Juft.
Thefe are the great Leffons we beg of Men
that they would hearken to; Leffons which
would refine their Souls, clarifie their Reafon,
make them fit for converfing with him thatdwel-
leth in the Heavens.
Thefe are the Things we would have them la
bour after, when we entreat them to turn, or
to be converted unto God : And what are all
thefe Performances, but Duties enjoined by our
Lord and Mafter upon pain of Damnation ? He
hath protefted, That thofe who wilfully negled
thefe Laws, and do not think themfelves oblig
ed to obey them, when yet they profefs them
felves to be his Difciples, fhall find by woeful Ex
perience what it is to tread under foot the Son
of God, and to turn away from him that fpeaks
from Heaven. He is unchangeably refolved,
where Men make light of his Invitation, and
flight thefe reafonable Terms of Salvation, and
entertain his Meffage with Contempt, and nei
ther repent of that Contempt, nw teftifie their
Repentance by Tears, and Sorrow, and Refor
mation, and Obedience, for the Future, to let
them

19^ 'The Great Jbaw of
them have that eternal Mifery, that unquench
able Fire, whereby he thought to fright and
wean them from their Lufts, and to drive them
into Paradife, and which is fo far from terrifying
of them, that they run into it moft greedily, feem
to invade thofe Flames, and to be in love with
endlefs Agonies.
And now let any Man in his Wits judge, whe
ther Converfion in that fenfe we fpeak of, both in
publick and private, be not indifpenfibly necef
fary? And whether Confideration how to be
converted, fall not under the fame neceffity? Our
Natures are not fo very prone to Goodnefs, that
we may yield to thefe Laws, without examining
and thinking what we ought to take, to work
our Hearts into holy Willingnefs to fubmit ; for
'tis a fwimming againft the Stream, climbing up
a Hill, running counter to our Inclinations:
And therefore the Soul had need be feafoned
with Thoughts of the admirable Contrivance,
Goodnefs, Profit, Benefit, and Advantages of
thefe Laws, and of the Love and Compaflion of
God that fhines in them ; and of the Harmony,
Order, Calmnefs, Peace and Satisfadion Obedi
ence caufes, before we can conform pur Will to
his Will, who is refolved, that Dogs and Swine
fhall not enter into Heaven. Indeed, a Man that
will obey, and. be faved, muft be a thinking Man,
his Mind muft fet fail, and launch out into the
deep ; fetch the ancient Hermits from Mgypt,
Saints from Jerufalem, Parthians and Medes,
and Elamitcs, and what holy Men lived formerly
in Pontus and AJia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, and
bring them into his own Clofet, fet them before hi*

CONSIDERATION. i^
his Thoughts, behold how they kept under their
Bodies, and brought them in fubjedion, left they
fhould mifs of a Recompence in the Refurredion
of the Juft.
But what fhall we fay ? When Men are re
folved to live like Swine, and will not believe
that God demands that Holinefs of them, the
Scripture fpeaks of; when they believe God to
be altogether fuch an one as they themfelves, a
friend to Sin, and falfe in his threatnings ; when
they believe, That difcourfes of Divines about
Converfion are no more but Talk, and a Caft of
their Office, and that themfelves give no Credit to
the Things they preach to others ; when they be
lieve, That God denies them nothing that their
Nature prompts them to, and is pleafed with
their Frolicks, and Divertifements. When
they believe, That the great end of their Crea
tion is to get Money; and that they have a Be
ing given them in this World, to fill their Bel
lies with all the Dainties they can get ; wheri
they do not heartily believe a Judgment to
come, and look upon the Flames of Tophet but
as painted Fire; when they take worldly Felici
ty for their Heaven, and wifh there were no o-
ther Beatitude after this Life, but Mahomet's
Paradife. When they account that to be the
beft Calling, and Condition, and Place for,
them to live in, where they have but fulnefs or
Bread, and Money enough, and Inftruments of
eafe ; as Coaches, and Chairs, and HorfeSj and
Servants to attend them : When they do fo^
We had as good tempt them to knock their
heads againft a Wall, as perfwade them into a
O feri-

194 The Great Ldzv of
ferious Confideration of their Ways. Without
all perad venture, 'tis worth confidering, That
God intends fomething by the aforefaid Pre
cepts, and that they are not defigned for Beafts,
and irrational Creatures; That God doth not
think fo light of them as we do; and hath a
Senfe of Honour, and will not let a wilful
Contempt of Things fo facred, and fo venera
ble, go unpunifhed ; that Obedience makes Men
like unto God, and caufes them, in fome meafure
to approach the Holinefs of his Nature; That
thofe certainly muft be in a better Condition,
when they come to die, who follow thefe
Rules, than the other, that know no Laws, but
the Didates of their own Licentioufnefs ; That
thefe Laws enjoin nothing but what agrees with
and promotes the Profperity of Mankind; and
that if we believe God to be jealous of his Glory,
to obey thefe Laws, muft, in all probability, be
the moft likely Way to pleafe him ; That thefe
Precepts do fignally advance the Dignity of
Human Nature; and clofing with them, fhews
the generofity and greatnefs of Man's Soul, that
he dares live above the common level of Man
kind ; that to become fubjed to thefe Laws, is
the fafeft Courfe; and a Man can lofe nothing
confiderable by that fubjedion, if there were no
other World; that all thofe that fubmit to thefe
Laws, cannot be Fools; and if the wifeft of Men
clofe with thefe Injundions, it muft, to fpeak
moderately, be very great Imprudence to laugh
at them.But where Converfion is thought a Thing fu-
perfluous, no marvel if Confideration be look'd upon

CONSIDERATION. 195
upon as a Talk fit only for Men who have no
thing elfe to employ their Time in. And yet
in their temporal Concerns fuperfluous Things
are moft coveted ; Rooms of State they feldom
make ufe o£ more Provifion than they can
well fpend, more Furniture than they need,
more Garments than they have juft Oecafion
for : So that fuperfluous Things are not al
ways caft afide, and therefore Converfion might,
at leaft, be as much minded; as thofe Superflu
ities of Vanity. But the fame Reafon that
ferves them in Temporal, doth not ferve them
in Spiritual Things ; and they will count that
a good Argument in Matters relating to their
Bodies; which they Will by nd Means admit of
in a point relating to their Soul, though the cafe
and circumfiances be the fame. And as it is
with Men; that will not receive a Prefent fent
them from one they fcorn ; They do not only re
fills the Gift, but will not fee the Meffenger that
brings it : So here, Confideration being the
Meffenger that would prefent them with the
vaft Treafure of Converfion, they do not only re
jed the Gift, but the Donor too. Indeed, where
People defpife the Houfe, they'll have no great
Value for the Porch ; and when the End
feems needlefs, they'll not trouble themfelves
much about ufing the Means' that lead to it.
And fuch Perfons we muft leave to be convin
ced of the Neceffity of Converfion, by their
Punifhment; Since Reafon cannot perfwade
them, Judgment muft take away the Veil from
their Eyes. What Exhortation cannot effed,.
Thunder muft produce. What they will not
O 2 believe1

1 96 The Great Law of
believe upon the Word of God, they muft be
forced to give affent to by the Flames they fhall
e'er long feel the rage and fury of ; and God,
who could not be glorified in their Converfion,
muft glorifie himfelf in their everlafting Confu-
fion. IX. Impediment.
IX. Mifiaking the Nature of Confideration.
As the Way to Life is but one, fo the Ways that
lead to Deftrudion are infinite, and without
Number. And fuch Root doth a finful Life, if
not check'd betimes, take in Men, that if they
can but find the fhadow of an Excufe, they will
not fail to lay Hold of it, ,that they may not
part with what they love fo dearly. 'Tis from
hence, that all their little Attempts to perform
their Duties, pafs with them for the Duties
themfelves ; as if lifting up, or moving a Piece
of Lead^ were as much as carrying of it from
one place to another. They would be angry
with their Servants, if demanded what Work
they have done they fhould reply, That they
have executed their Mailer's Command, when
they have only touch'd the Plow with a Fing
er, or played with it to divert them ; and take
it very ill of a Waterman, that fhould afk
Money of them for carrying them to the
place they intended for, if he fhould but give a
flroke or Two with his Oar, and fo give over;
and laugh at that Perfon, that fhould pretend
he hath made them a Fire, when he hath laid
but Two or Three fticks together. The Folly they

CONSIDERATION. 197
they find fault with in others, they pradife them
felves; and while they pretend to take the Mote
out of their Brother's Eye, they are infenfible of
the Beam that is in their own ; for thus we find
they do proceed, when exhorted to a ferious
Confideration of their Ways ; they take every fad
Thought of their Spiritual Concerns for Confi
deration, and a rambling Imagination of their
Danger, paffes for Contemplation of their Spi
ritual Wretchednefs.
Becaufe now and then, when fome lofs or af-
flidion befalls them, -a melancholy conceit fleals
into their Minds ; and when they cannot have
their Will, or are croffed, and difappointed in
their Worldly Expedations, they begin to fret,
and grow Impatient, and in that Impatience
give a Look to the Image of J ejus, and his Dif-
ciples, who endured great Afflidions ; becaufe
when their Children have dealt unkindly by
them, or Poverty is like to come upon them,
they vouchfafe to let in a tranflent Contem
plation of the World's Vanity; And when
fome great Man hath caft them off, or their
Friends are difpleafed with them, they do
flightly refled on the never-failing Compaflion
of God, and caft a carelefs Look on their Sins,
that may have deferved the Trouble they are un
der; they give out, they confider the Things
that belong unto their Peace; and if thofe
Flafhes do not produce the Effeds in them
the Holy Ghoft expeds, they are apt to charge
Confideration with Unfufficiency ; and cry out
againft it, as a Means improper to produce
that Serioufnefs of Life, which God requires
O 3 of

I98 The Great Law of
of them in order to everlafting Happinefs; as
if, like Aqua-fiortis, it would take out the Ink
which Sin and the Devil hath caft on their
Souls in a Moment; and a Raven could be
changed into a Swan, with an Almighty Fiat,
Let it be fo, and it mufi be fib. Wherein they
appear to me like young and hafty Chymifts,
that are impatient, and will not let the Men-.
firuum ftand long enough, but would have
the Experiment perfed, before the matter be
ripe for Operation ; and thus they come to
mifcarry. To think how Men play the fool with Religi
on, how aukardly they g<*about it, and how filly
the Apologies are they make for this Neglect,
cannot but make a fober Man admire, how it is
poffible for them to fink into fuch fimplicity, or
fondnefs rather, to delude their own Souls! They
know it is not a ftroke or Two that will fell a
Tree ; nor knocking twice, or thrice, that will
pull down a Houfe ; nor blowing flightly, that
will make green Wood burn; and yet that they
fhould be fo fottifh, fo impertinent, fo abomi
nably carelefs in the greateft Concern of their
Lives; and fancy, that a few carelefs Thoughts
now and then will produce that circumfpedLife
God commands and urges; betrays fo great a
fhallownefs of Reafon, and is an Ad fo weak,
that I know not how to give it a Name difparar.
ging and low enough.
Alas, Confideration, as hath been hinted be
fore, is a frequent, reiterated, lively Reprefenta-
tion of the Danger of a finful Life ; and, S INr
}M E R, didft not thou go ahout it like a Man that

CONSIDERATION. 199
that is in jeft, thou wouldft fee what Wonders
it doth caufe. Didft thou fet upon this thought
ful Talk in fober Sadnefs; and, if the firft, and
fecond, and third Confideration, would not
weaken the Fortifications, or ftrong Holds of
Iniquity, affault them with frefh Supplies of
Thoughts, and aggravate the Sins thou wouldft
be rid of, and think how often flighted Convi-
dions border upon the Sin againft the Holy
Ghaft, and move God to fwear in his Wrath,
That fuch Men fhall never enter into his Reft ;
thou wouldft not find that Relifh in Sin, which
now thou doft ; thou wouldft find it hath more
of the Gall and Wormwood in it than of the
Honey. The fenfiial Appetite would lofe much
of its heat and fury, and thy Paffions would be
brought into a cooler Temper. Elifioa bid the
King of Ifirael J'mite upon the Ground, and he
fmote thrice, and fiayed; And the Man of God
was wroth with him, and faid, Thou fhouldft
have fmitten five or fix times, then hadft thou
fmitten Syria till thou hadft confumed them,
II. Kings 13. 18, 19. An Emblem of what is to
be done in the Cafe before us. Sin may be weak-
ned by fome ftrokes. of Confideration, but will
not be confumed without thofe ftrokes be often
repeated. One great Error Men lie under, is this, That
they confider the Pleafure of Sin, more than the
Benefits of a ferious Religious Life ; and whate
ver hath moft of my Confideration, muft necef
farily prevail moft with me. Let but the Want
pf God's Love be mpre thought of, than outward
Poverty, and Gpd's Holinefs and hatred of Sin
' O 4 dwell.

2oo The Great Law of
dwell on your Underftandings, more than the
difpleafure and contempt of Men ; let but the
Concerns of your Souls have more of your
Contemplations than the Satisfadion of the
flefh, and you'll fee other effeds.
But where Men fuffer the fenfual fatisfadian,
they have either felt or heard of, to play upon
their fancy, and fport itfelf with their imagina
tion; where they dandle the foft conceit, and
call the fmiling Pleafure to mind oftner than the
real and folid Pleafures of Holinefs; There the
former cannot but get the better, and play the
Sovereign, and rule the Soul, as will appear ( to
mention no more ) from thefe Two inftances :
Such a Man is troubled with lafcivious Thoughts,
and luftful Defires; when the finful Thought
fhoots firft ' into the Mind, if he do prefently
call in Confiderations of God's Prohibition,
and anger, and of everlafting burnings, and fet
before his Eyes the fate of Sodom and Gomor
rah, the Brevity and Tranfitorinefs of thefe
flefhly Satisfadions, the Tears, the Anguifh, the
Grief they muft coft him, if ever God fhould
accept of him; the uncertainty of his Life, the
hazard he runs of being cut off before he may
have a Heart to repent; The Multitude and
Variety of Sins his Lufts will engage him in ;
The Difeafes and Infirmities he may procure;
The Unquietnefs of Confcience he fliall pull
down upon himfelf, &c. and refolve to enlarge
upon thefe Difcouragements, and do it as often
as he finds his Flefh grow unruly and trouble-
fom, he'll certainly get the Vidory, and capti
vate his Lufts to the Obedience of Chrift Jefus. But

CONSIDERATION. 101
But when thefe Confiderations are called in
only for Formality's fake ; and the Sinner, to
make God fome Recompence for the Folly he
delights in, and flop the Mouths of the crying
Child, his Confcience, not out of any Love to
the Duty, but forced and dragged, as Men go
to the Gallows, is content to think a little of
his Extravagance, and that which gratifies his
fickly paffions, is fuffered. to be die chief Gueft
of his Underftanding ; when inftead of Argu
ments againft thefe Lufts, he lays out for To-
picks, and Confiderations, which may diminifh
and take off from the greatnefs of the Sin ; as
that God will not be angry for one Sin, and
that, fure, God remembers how frail and weak
his Nature is, and that he doth not intend to
allow himfelf long in it, and that he would a-
void it, but cannot ; and that the Strength of
his Paffion will excufe the Heinoufnefs of his
Crime, and that moft Men have had their Fro-
licks in their younger Days, &c. where he fuf-
fers the Circumfiances of his laft Nights Revel
ling to roul in his Mind, how foft fuch Em
braces were, how kind the Perfon was that
loved him, how fweet her Addreffes were, how
melting her Smiles and Favours, how pleafing
what fhe faid and did, how merry the Meeting
was, how eafie he was under thofe fenfual Rap
tures, how glad other Perfons would be to have
fuch an Opportunity as he had ; How he was
heightned by fuch a Cup, how elevated with
that curious Drink, how that Liquor with the
ftrange Name difpofed him for the Careffes of
fuch a Beauty, how fuch a One applauded him for

loi The Great Law of
for his Wit; how Taking that was, how
delighted the Company was with his Rallary,
&c. Where, I fay, the Mind dwells upon fuch
light and frothy Conceptions; and whatever
Would dafh them, is only fhewn, as it were, to
the Mind, but is not fuffered to enter in to take
pofleflion ; beats only againft the Fancy, is not
permitted to mingle with it, or if it enter, is
quickly thruft out again; and if it be allowed a
Seat there, is foon difmiffed, and turned away a-
galn ; there certainly the Man muft continue a
flave to his Corruptions and paffionate Defires ;
and the Confiderations, which were to produce
Serioufnefs and Obedience in him, cannot but
be ineffedual, becaufe they do not lie on long
enough ; as falted Meat will not lofe much of
its faltifli Tafte, if but dipt in Water, nor Cloth
imbibe a Tindure that is but only fprinkled
upon't. Another receives a fignal Injury, the Affront
he fuffers is great and notorious ; on a fudden
his Paffions are up ; his Underftanding is fruit-
> ful, fuggefts a thoufand Methods to him, how
he might right himfelf. The Devil fecretly
helps to enlarge the heinoufnefs of the Fad, en
riches the Invention, makes it quick, apprehen-
five, fills him with the unhappy Images of ag
gravating Circumfiances, reprefents to his Mind
the fweetnefs of Revenge, the difmal Afped of
the Indignity, the unfufferablenefs of the Dif-
grace, the ways and means how to compafs his
vindidive Defign, the fhame that's thrown up
on his Honour, the bafenefs of the Injury, the
fordidnefs of the Adion, the Ingratitude that's
fhewn

CONSIDERATION. 203
fhewn it ; the Incivility the Offender hath difco
vered ; the Verdids of his acquaintance in cafe
he doth not reward the Offender according to
his Work; the blot that will be upon his Family
for ever ; the various Advantages he formerly
had againft the Wretch, which yet he fcorned to
take, &c. And while his mind is filled with thefe
imaginations, 'tis poffible Refledions on the Fol
ly of his Anger, and the Charity he owes to all
Mankind, the Example of Chrift and his Apo
ftles, praying for their perfecutors; the Generofi-
ty of pardoning an Offence, and forbearing of
Revenge, when it lies in our Power to be even
with the Offender; fuch Thoughts as thefe, I
fay, may ftrike his Mind; but if he fuffer the
Motives to Revenge to lodge more quietly in
his Mind than the Motiyes to patience and F©r-
givenefs, it is foon guefs'd which of thefe will
be Conquerors. Let but his Mind ruminate and
enlarge more upon the great Duty of Forbearing
Revenge, than upon the Pleafure of taking Re
venge ; let him refolve to lay afide the Thoughts
of the latter, and only take a View of the for
mer; and when any Motions to refled on the
Injury, and to take.it ill, come in, be peremptory
that he will think of nothing but the Beauty of
Meeknefs and Patience; and the Thoughts which
inflamed his Spirits, and made the Blood boil in
his Veins, will cool by Degrees, and the Moti
ons of the flefh will give ground to thofe of the
Spirit. The fame may be faid of all other Sins, which
he that names the Name of Chrift is obliged to
depart from ; he that would be rid of them, muft not

204 The Great Law of
not let the tranfitory Satisfadions thofe Sins af
ford, hover in his Mind, more than the great
worth of an immortal Soul ; where the latter is
made the moft frequent Objed of our Thoughts,
Love to the other will dindle away, and at laft
expire. For our Love changes, and moves from
one Thing to another as the Charms of the new
Objeds are more frequently reprefented to our
Minds, and the attradives of the one are more
thought on than the other. It is fo in the very
Ways of Sin. The luftful Sot leaves the Beauty
he doted on juft now, and is tranfported with a-
nother. What's the Reafon? The new Objed
rolls in his Mind and Fancy more than the other,
and confequently captivates his Affedions more ;
fo that were the lovelinefs, that is in Goodnefs,
fet before the Eye of Reafon, more than the
Gaudes of Sin ; Goodnefs, by the Grace of God,
would at laft preponderate, and carry away the
Vidory. To make this appear, we need no other Proof
but common Experience ; and tho' after a Man
hath ruminated on the Odioufnefs of a darling
bofom Sin, he may fall into it again ; yet the
Arguments which make againft it, and prompt
him to part with it, being called in again and a-
gain, and laid on afrefh; and as they wear out, or
decay, renewed and ftrengthned with greater in-
forcives, it will be found, That he who finned
with Courage and Confidence before, begins
now to fin with trembling, and reludancy of
Mind, and at laft is moved to bid an Eternal
Farewel to it. The frequent thinking on thefe
Reafons, the renewed and reiterated Contem- pla-

CONSIDERATION. 207
plations of the horrid ingratitude againft God,
and of the fhame and forrow the fin muft end in,
firft weaken and loofen the poifonous Plant,
then bruife it, and at laft do quite root it up
and deftroy it : Which is the Reafon why the
Almighty calls to Men, If a. 46. 8. Remember
this, and fhew your felves Men ; bring it again
to your mind, O ye Tranfgreftors : To fhew, that
without often repeated Confideration, they will
continue fettled upon their Lees ; and that, with
out it, they ad not like rational Men, but like
Children rather, whofe flight and thin Remem
brances of their Errors make them fall into
them again, with the next Opportunity.
X. Impediment.
X. Converfe with evil Company. There is not
certainly a greater encouragement to real Ho
linefs, than Religious Society, and good Exam
ples. That Innocence we fee, makes deeper
impreffions on our Hearts, than that we hear of,
and our Eyes afford greater Motives to imitati
on than our Ears. A Religious Friend charms
me into that Piety he embraces, and his Kind-
nefs inftills his Devotion into my Soul. I am
apt to imbibe his Principles of Virtue, with his
kind expreflions; and frequent converfe makes
his goodnefs as familiar to me, as his Perfon. The
fevereft mortifications, if I fee them performed
by thofe I love, lofe much of their rigour and
difmal afped, and become amiable; and as un-
pleafing a thing as Self-denial is, it looks more
eafie and facile, when he, I am intimately ac
quainted

H&6 The Great Law of
quainted withal, fbeWs me that it is pradicabie',*
it doth not appear fuch a formidable Thing, as
before it did. He attempts to dafh the Thoughcs
of impoflibility; and When a Thing comes once
Within the Compafs of poffibility, there is that
natural, Or acquired Generality in fome People,
as to fcorn to leave that undone, which o-
ther PerfonS are to do ; and the Refult of fee
ing their Endeavours is commonly this Que
ftion, If fuch a Man can do fo, Why can--
not I?
There is no fenfe works upon the Affedions
like that of Sight ; it makes the Objed live in
the Underftanding, and from thence the Will
and Affedions are follicited into Embraces of it.
This was the Reafon why the Chriftians of old,
when they would in fober fadnefs apply them
felves to a truly Chriftian Life, retired into De-
farts, Where fome devout Hermits had their
Cells, that by looking on their exemplary De
votion; they might be tempted into a cheerful
Imitation of their Goodnefs.
And as it is with Religious Society, it both
makes the Tafk of the greater and weightier
Matters of the Law lefs difficult, and kindles
Defires in our Breafts, to follow fo excellent a
Pattern; fo evil Company on the other Side,
doth as much difcourage Men from Performan
ces, as are fomewhat troublefom to Flefh and
Blood; and hereof, Confideration of their
Ways is not the leaft. This implies fome Self-
denial, and the Sound of the Word imports
making War with the foft and fickly Defires of
the Flefh ; and having, wrought their own
Hearts

CONSIDERATION. 207
Hearts into a Deteftation of this Duty, they
fright others from it ; as from Medufa's Head,
which will certainly turn them into Stones, or
infenfible Creatures : They care not for fincere
Devotion themfelves, and would not have others
live ftrider and precifer than their Neighbours :
For, to fee others live better, is to receive a
Check ; and the Goodnefs of fuch Perfons is a
fecret Reproof of their own Carelefnefs. Con
verfe becomes uneafie, where the other Party is
Religious, and^ nothing is fo great a Reftraint.
upon their Inclination, as the Confciencioufnefs
of a Companion that gives a Reprimand to their
Humour ; and, as Muftard laid on the Nurfe's
Nipples mars the Child's Greedinefs after her
Milk, fo the modeft and ferious Behaviour of
thofe they are to converfe with, embitters that
Mirth they would gladly take their fill of; and
therefore as they have a low Efteem of the Ways
of God, fo they would not have others prize them
at a higher Rate. They delight in fenfual Satif-
fa&ions, and look upon other Mens Difcourfes
concerning Spiritual Delight, as Nonfenfe.
They are averfe from fubjeding themfelves to
the Will of God, and would have others as difo-
bedient as themfelves. They think it was a
far better World when there was not fo much
Praying and Preaching as there is now; and
would have others flight Chrift's Invitation to
the Supper of the Lamb, as much as them
felves. He that makes fuch his Familiars, and looks
upon them as difcrect and rational Men, muft
necefla-

208 The Great Law of
neceffarily continue a ftranger to Confideration of
his fpiritual and everlafting Concerns; for, as
they are no Admirers of Difcourfes which may
advance the Welfare of a Soul, and feldom take
the name of God in their Mouths, except it be
in their Oaths and Curfes ; fo to be fure, they'll
tell very difmal and doleful Stories of Religion
upon all Occafions, and reprefent the fevere per
formances of Piety in fuch an antick Drefs, that
he, who prizes their Company, or Acquaintance,
fliall applaud their Invention, and admire them
for their witty Conceits, and defpife all ferious
Thoughts concerning Things of everlafting Con
fequence. For the Humour is catching, and
Things fet off with a Jeff, firft tickle, and then
make Profelytes; and he that at firft affifted only
in the Laughter, comes at laft to imitate, and
he that bore a part in the fmile and applaufe, is
brought fo far, as to tranfcribe the Temper and
Inclination. The Age we live in hath taught the World to
vend Prophanenefs under the name of Wit, and
to contemn Religion under tlie Mantle of Repar
tee, and quicknefs of Fancy ; and he that loves
to be with thefe beaux Efprits, will, in all pro
bability, learn to be as carelefs, and as fecure as
they. Evil Company, where a Man delights in
it, will infed him, do what he can ; if he have
any Good in him, they'll wafte and confume it ;
if he be deftitute of virtuous Principles, they'll
keep out all Confiderations, as fhall either dif
compofe him in his Folly, or flied Refolutions in
to his Soul, to come away, and feek a better
Kingdom; infomuch that it may truly be faid of

CONSIDERATION. 209
of fuch a Man5 as of him in the Gofpel, who
travelled from Jerufialem to Jericho, That he is
fallen among Robbers, who firip him of all, and
leave him miferable, Luke 10. 30.
Evil Companions are the Devil's Agents, whom
he fends abroad into the World to debauch Vir
tue, and to advance his Kingdom; and by thefe
, Embaffadors, he effeds more than he could do
in his own Perfon. His own fhape and appear
ing would fright rather than allure, and as welfas
Men like Sin, did they fee the Father of it, they
Would not be very fond of being his Children,
But ading in the Children of Difohedience,
Which are of the fame Flefh and Blood with
us, and Creatures of the fame fhape, and for
which we have no Averfion, but rather fome
times a -great Affedion to, the Bait is eafily fwal-
lowed : Thefe are his Fadors, and by thefe he'
draws Men into Eternal darknefs. By thefe he
pecks up all. the good Seed that's fown in us, and
infufes bad qualities into our better part. Thefe
laugh Men into Deftrudion, and damn them in
kindnefs. Thefe fawn Men into Mifery, and
tickle them into an Eternity of Torments. Thefe
turn Religion into Jefts, and make the Precepts
of the Gofpel matter of Railery. Thefe are true
Devils, that delight in the Murther of Souls*
and finking into the bottomlefs Pit, pull down
their Adherents with them.
And what Likelihood is there, That a man
fhould confider the Intereft of his Soul, that con-
forts with Perfons, who do, as much as lies in
than, depricate the value of it, and ftrive to
put all ferious Contemplations out of his Head ?
p What

2 I o The Great Law of
What probability, that a Man fhould fit down,
and fet before him the Terror of the Lord, and
be transformed by the renewing of his Mind,
who, when the Holy Ghoft exhorts him to prove
what is the holy, acceptable, and perfeB Will of
God; to be fervent in Spirit, J'erving the Lord; to
rejoyce in hope, to be patient in tribulation, to con
tinue inftant in prayer, to blefis them which perfie-
cute kim, Rom. 12. 2, 11. gets prefently after
into Company, where all thofe Leffons are de
rided, where the contrary Vices are commended,
where Confideration how to be mafter of thefe
Graces is exploded, as a Thing only fit for Alms
men, and Hofpital-Boys ; where thefe ferious
Exhortations are drowned in Laughter, and fuch
Things fuggefted as render a Man wife only for
the World, and for the Flefh, and make him fa-
gacious how to gratifie his Head-ftron? Paffions
and inordinate Affedions.
He that confiders his Ways, and yet frequents
fuch Society, imitates a foolifh Gardner, that after
he hath fown his Seed, and fees it come up, lets in
Hogs to devour and tear it up, and with Penelope,
undoes that at Night, which he hath woven in the
day-time ; or like fome foolifh fliepherd, having
for fome hours watch'd his fheep, leaves them at
laft expofed to the fury of the Wolf, or fome fuch .
noxious Animal. Confideration ( as I fliall prove
in the Sequel ) requires Separation ; and when
God calls, Come out of Babylon, O my People; it is
not only that they may not participate of their
Punifhment, but that they may not lhare in their
Sins, and confequently, that they may be at leifure :
to confider how to prevent, and avoid both. I

CONSIDERATION. 2U
I do not deny, but Men may deal and traffick
with Men of a loofe Converfation, and not lofe
their ferioufnefs, nor be difcouraged from a holy
Preparation for a better Life; fo St. Paul may
converfe with Nero, and St. John with Herod ;
Daniel with Nebuchadnezzar, and David with
King Achijh. So the firft Chriftians had Commerce
with the worft of Heathens; and he that lives in
\ the World, or hath any confiderable Concerns in
it, is forced to keep fome Correfpondence with
Men of ill Principles, and worfe Pradices. But
there is a great Difference between travelling
thro' Ethiopia, and dwelling there; the former
may not change the Complexion, but the latter
will infallibly do it. / wrote to you in an Epiftlei
not to company with Fornicators, yet not altoge
ther with the Fornicators of this World, or with the
Covetous, or Extortioners, or with Idolaters ; for1
then you mufi needs go out of the Wofld : But now I
have written to yoU not to keep company, if any
Man that is called a Brother, be a Fornicator, or
Covetous, or an Idolater, or a Raileri or a Drunk
ard, er an Extortioner, with fiuch an one not to eat,
faith the Apoftle, I. Cor. 5. 9, 10, 1 1. It is one thing
to converfe with a Man as with a ftranger, another
to converfe with him as a Brother; one thing to
pay the duty of Civility to him, another to admit
him into the number of my Friends; one thing to
be neceffitated to difcourfe with him, another
to delight in it ; one thing to go into fuch Com
pany with cautioufnefs and eircumfpedion, ano
ther to rufli into it without fear or wit ; the for
mer doth not import a Neceffity of Pollution,
the other makes the Infedion inevitable,
P a So-

2 r 2 The Great Law of
Society in fin ftrangely takes off from the hei-
noufnefs of it ; it makes the Sin appear with a
fainter red; it doth not look fo dreadful, when
Men have Companions in their Offences ; they
think there is fome comfort in having affociates
in Mifery, and dare to fin more freely, when
they are not alone in their Tranfgreffion. They
are afraid their fingle Valour will never be able ,
to duel God's Wrath and Indignation, but ha- j
ving others join'd with them, they may make a
fhift to weather out the Tempeft of his Anger.
They hope God will not damn a Multitude of
poor Creatures together, and fancy the great
Number of finners may fright or move the Al
mighty into Compaffion ; if they fuffer, they
think they fhall not fare worfe than their Neigh
bours ; and if they fmart for their Rebellion, they
fliall be able to bear it as well as their Confede
rates in the Iniquity. With fuch airy Notions
Men feed themfelves; and tho' thefe are very
dangerous Pillows, whereon Men fleeping
catch their Death, yet becaufe they are foft and
promife prefent Reft, they are made ufe of; and
whatever is faid to the contrary, is look'd upon as
the Pharifees Boulflers, filled with Nails and
Straw, and fuch harder Materials unfit for repofe,
and inept for cordial Embraces.
Ill Example draws out the inward Corruption
into Adion, and the inbred evil Concupifcencej
may be, would lie quiet, or die, if fuch Patterns
did not put it into Fermentation. Many Chil
dren would be modeft, did not their Parents be
haviour feduce them into Love of their Vices.
§ome Servants have ingenuity in them, and durft not

CONSIDERATION. 313
not venture fo far into Sin as they do, did not
their Mailer's Example encourage them. Adam
fins for Companies fake, and 'tis like would have
continued fledfaft in his ignorance, if he had not
feen the Woman eat of the forbidden Tree, and
been folicited to imitate her defperate Enter
prize. The IJ'raelites being mingled among the
.Fkathen, learn their Works; and having con-
overfed long with the /Egyptians, who were
^great Worfhippers of Oxen, ered a Calf in the
• Wildernefs of Sina : Growing intimate with
the Midianites, they imitate their Whoredoms,
and pollute themfelves with ftrange flefh, go to
the Sacrifices of their Gods, and eat of them, and
bow down to their Deities. Jofieph comes to be
familiarly acquainted with Pharaoh's Courtiers,
and an Oath, By the Life of Pharaoh, goes down
without bogling or reludancy. Lot had lived
among Men who made nothing of the vileft un-
cleanneffes imaginable, and foon after confents
to inceftuous Copulation. Solomon, by his inti
macy with his Concubines, learns to worfhip
Devils ; and his Son Rehoboam, by making the
young Gallants at Court his Familiars, grows
rafh, even to his own Deftrudion. Had not
Peter gone into the High Prieft's' Hall, 'tis like
he would never have been perfwaded into Cur-
fings and Imprecations. Converfe with Drunk
ards, by degrees, caufes approbation of the Sin,
and at laft delight in it. And thus it muft needs
be in the cafe before us, inconfiderate Men make
others as fupine and negligent as themfelves ;
and he that lets his Acquaintance with them
grow into Familiarity, will be apt to think, that
'"¦ ' P 3 fure

214 The Great Law of
fure he may negled Confideration of his Ways, as
well as they ; if they venture, why may not he ?
And if they think not the Omiffion prejudicial to
their fpiritual Intereft, why fhould he terrifie him
felf with counterfeit Thunder? If they hope to
do well after this, why may not he ? And if they
fear no revenging Arm, why fhould he make his
Life miferable by thinking of Punifhment ?
Imprudent Men indeed ! You may have feen o-
thers hang, or drown, or burn themfelves; but is
this a temptation to you to follow them ? You may
have feen a paffionate Fool throw himfelf down
from a Precipice, becaufe he could not enjoy the
reciprocal affedion of the Party he doted on,' but
doth any of you think this diftradion merits imi
tation ? Becaufe fuch a Man ruins himfelf and his
Family, have you a mind to do fo too ? Becaufe
fuch an one doth not mind his Trade, but lies in
Ale-houfes and Taverns, muft you neceffarily
make him your Pattern ? Becaufe fuch a Man dif-
regards the Favour of his Friends, that are both
able and willing to affift him, is that an argument,
that you muft needs learn his ways ? Becaufe fuch
an one lets his Garden run to Weeds, muft you
therefore fill yours with Briars and Thorns ? Be
caufe fuch an one embezles his Eftate, muft you
therefore fpend yours in riotous Living ? And
will you florm the Gates of Hell, becaufe o-
thers are fo defperate as to do it ? Will you
howl with Devils, becaufe others delight in
that Mufick ? Will you fcorn the Offers of
Salvation, becaufe others will not be drawn
by the Cords of Love ? Will you run the Ha
zard of lofing the light of God's Countenance for

CONSIDERATION. 215
for ever, becaufe others know not how to prize
it? O my Soul, be not thou tempted by thefe weak
Arguments, follow not a Multitude to do evil.
Let not the Way that leads to Deftrudion invite
thee, becaufe many there be that find it. Com
pany, whatever refrefhment it may be in Chains
er Prifons here, can afford but little Confolation
in etarnal Flames. Company there will but in-
creafie Mens Sorrows, and Society heighten their
Woes and T orments; in that Tophct one will not
be able to help the other, and the fhrieks of him
that was feduced into Sin, will but aggravate the
Groans and Anguifh of the Seducer, when he
muft remember, that he was that Devil that
dragged the other into endlefs Tortures. In
outward Calamities, fuch as Poverty, Exile, Ba-
nifhment, Difgrace, Contempt, Perfecution, So
ciety may give fome eafe, and qualifie the Injury;
but in anguifh of Mind, in tortures of Confcience,
Company rather inrages than allays, irritates ra
ther than compofes the Grief and Sadnefs, and
fuch dolours reign in Hell. Strive, ftrive, O my
Soul, to walk in the ftreight Way. Let not the
fmall Number of Travellers fright thee, 'tis the
likelier Way to Heaven, becaufe the great, the
mighty, the wife Men of this World, will not
ftoop to this narrow Gate; for God's Ways
are not as our Ways, nor are his Thoughts as
our Thoughts ; what the World admires, he de-
fpifes, and what fenfual Men make light of, he
crowns with Glory, and Splendor, and Immor
tality : So thou canft but be faved, no Matter
how fmall the Number is of thofe that arrive
P A tO

ai 6 'The Great L,aw of
to Happinefs. As fmall as it is, to thefe belongs
the Promife, Fear not, thou little Flock, for it is
your Father s good Pleafure to give you the King
dom of Heaven, Luke 13. 32.^
XI. Impediment.
XI. NegleB of confuting with the Minifters
of the Gofpel about this neceffary Work. It was
God's Command of old, The Priefts lips Jhould
keep Knowledge, and they Jhould feek the Law at
his Mouth, for be is fhe Meffenger of the Lord of
Hofis, Mai. 2. 7.. How mean foever the Age we
live in thinks of this Fundion of rvlen, as if they
were needlefs Members of a Common-wealth,
yet there was never any Nation fo barbarous,
but after they were civilized into Societies an4
Government, judged thefe Men moft ufeful, and
moft necefiary for the prefervation of their Com
mon-wealth or Kingdom. Nature hath taught all
Mankind to believe a Deity, fome Thing which
they look upon to be above all creased Beings,
and from whofe Sovereign Command and Wi$
either their Bleffings or Misfortunes flow. This.
Supreme Being they have ever thought themr
felves obliged to worfhip, not only in private
but in publick too: And that the publick Ado
ration might ftrike greater Reverence, and be
performed with greater Solemnity, to depute and
order certain Perfons, a peculiar fort of Men to>
manage thofe Sacred Rites and Ceremonies,
And indeed, the great eternal God, ever fince
he hath vouchfafed to plant a Church in the
World, hath been pleafed to make it one gre^tCha-

CONSIDERATION. 217
Charader and Mark of his Favour and Bounty
to Her, to give Her Teachers, and Prophets, and
Evangelifls. And the Commiflion he hath grant
ed thefe Men, the Titles and Honours he hath
conferred on them, and the Love and Reverence
he hath commanded all Men to exprefs towards
them, the Promife he hath made them, to be with
them unto the end of the World, the threatnings
he hath pronounced againft thofe that fhall dif-
parage their Office, and undervalue their Fundi-
on and Dodrine, the Precepts and Rules he hath
left them to proclaim in the Ears of an unbe
lieving World, evidently declare, That they are
Ambaffadors of the great King of Heaven, which
in Chrift's ftead, befeech Men to be reconciled
unto God; and that he that receives the Word
they deliver from the Mouth of God, receives
him that fent them.
In thefe Gofpel Days, 'tis true, there is fhed
abroad a larger Meafure of God's Spirit, than
was formerly known under the Jewifh ©eco
nomy, and Men under the new Covenant are
promifed to be taught of the Lord. They Jhall
not teach every Man his Neighbour, and every
Man his Brother, faying, know the Lord ; for all
jhall know me from the Leaft to the Greateft,
Heb. 8. u. Yet that doth not make this Fun
ction of Men needlefs, but enforces rather the
abfolute and indifpenfible Neceffity of their
Office and Authority. For befides, That this
Promife doth eminently relate to the Primi
tive Chriftians, who were made Partakers of
the miraculous effufion of the PIcly Ghoft, and
had their Knowledge and Learning from above, there-

'i 8 The Great Law of
thereby to fit them the better for the Propagati
on of a new Religion ; if we fuppofe, that the
Prophecy muft extend to all that profefs them-
feves Chriftians, the Meaning of it can be no
more but this, That God will ufe a more gentle
Way, in converting Men under the Gofpel, and
in that Converfion, or inclining their Hearts to
his Commands, give fuch lively Reprefentations
of the reafonablenefs of them, and fo convince
them of their agreeablenefs to the Law of Na
ture, or the Law written in their Hearts, that
they fliall not need to be put in mind by their
Neighbours, of their Juftice, and Equity, and
Spirituality. They that have thought that this
Promife refpeds the Life to come, have certainly
been regardlefs of the Apoftle's drift and purpofe,
who intends to declare what People under the
Gofpel Difpenfation may exped from God, and
his fpeaking to us in thefe laft Days of his Son ;
and what Method God means to ufe in convert
ing Sinners from their evil Ways : Sin fhall be
made fo odious, fo loathfom to their Souls, that
they fhall abhor it as much as they loved it be
fore, and the Ways of God fliall be reprefented
to them by the Holy Ghoft, working on their
Hearts in fuch lively Colours, that they will
need no Monitor to embrace them.
But then this gracious Promife doth not ex
clude, but prefuppofes ftill the Means of Con
verfion, of which the Miniftry of the Word be
not the leaft ; and if the Miniftry of the Word is
intended as a ftanding Ordinance, in order to
thofe kindly Operations of God's Spirit, in the
Hearts of thofe that fliall be converted ; and God be

CONSIDERATION. 219
be peremptorily refolved by the Preaching of
the Word, to work on the Souls of Men, none
hath Reafon to find Fault with the Contrivance
of the Almighty, but rather admire his Wifdom
and Goodnefs, that fhines through this Difpen-
fation ; not to mention, as God under the Gof
pel obliges Men to greater Knowledge than for
merly, fo 'tis fit there fhould be Men eminent
for Knowledge and Piety to inftrud others, and
who like Candles fet on Candlefticks, may light
the reft, and by Urim and Thummim of their
Dodlrine and Purity, lead them and encourage
them to prepare for Heaven. And if notwith
ftanding the prodigious Gifts of the Holy Ghoft
poured out in the primitive Times upon all
Flefh, God thought it neceffary to ,give Apo
ftles, and Teachers, and Pallors, when the il-
lapfes of the Spirit could teach Men what their
Pallors were to teach them ; how much more
neceffary, may we think, muft the Miniftry be
now, when thofe extraordinary Gifts have Ceaf-
ed, and the Generality of Men are funk into
monftrous Ignorance, Inconfideratenefs, and
Stupidity ?
Indeed thefe are the Men whom God hath
placed in the Church, to dired others in the
way to Salvation ; with whom the Ignorant are
to confult, what they muft do to be happy for
ever: Such Perfons are therefore called Stars,
and Lights, which may influence the Minds
and the Lives of the Ignorant, warm them with
their Zeal, condud them by their Brightnefs,
lead them by their Shine, and fhew them the
Rocks and Shelves they are to avoid. And as
upon

220 The Great Law of
upon a wrong Information given by the Tea
cher, God is refolved to require the feduced Par
ty's Blood at his hand ; fo no Man, that hath a
Tongue in his Head to inquire, can with any
Juftice excufe himfelf from inquiring of thefe
Men, what it is that the Lord his God requires
of him. And were this Method followed in the
Cafe before us, and did Men ferioufly demand of
therA, which way to compafs an effedual Con
fideration of their Soul-concerns; here they
might be informed and inftruded, and undecei
ved in the Errors of their Ways.
The Truth is, fome are fo civil as to fend for
us, when the Breath is going out of their Body,
and give us Leave to come and teach them what
they muft do to be faved, when the Phyfici-
an gives them over, and they are ready to be
fummoned to appear before the great Tribu
nal : They are contented we fhould give them an
Epitome of their Duties, when they are paft
working in God's Vineyard ; ' and furnifh their
Minds with thoughts of Heaven and Eternity,
when their Underftandings are as weak as their
Bodies, and their inward Man as languid and
feeble as their outward. But there needs no
great ftore of Arguments to convince any rati
onal Man, that this is meer mocking of God
and his Meffengers ; 'tis a fign Religion is much
like Phyfick to them, which they do not make
ufe of but in cafes of Neceffity, and when no
thing elfe will do them good ; 'tis a fign they
have a pitiful low Efteem of another World,
who think Heaven worth no more than a fee
ble Thought, when they can ferve the Devil and,

CONSIDERATION. 221
and Sin no longer : 'Tis a fign they look upon
Eternal Glory, as fome poor beggarly Happi
nefs, who cannot vouchfafe it a ferious Look
till their Eyes grow dim, and the Sun and the
Moon and the Light and the Stars are darkned,
Ecclef. 12. 2.
Would they but fend for us, or come to us,
while Marrow is in their Bones, and their Blood
brifk and lively in their Veins, their Reafon
ftrong, and their Underftanding in its full Vi
gour and Glory, and advife with us about thefe
everlafting Things ; we would then tell them,
what Eternal Life means, and how no Man
can be a Man, or be faid to ad with common
Prudence, that doth not with all Diligence
make his Calling and Eledion fure; we would
then let them fee how many Thoufands perifh
for want of thinking of Eternity. We would
let them fee how miferable thofe Mens Condi
tion muft needs be, who have their Portion
in this Life, who after this Life muft look for
nothing elfe but Everlafting Chains of Dark
nefs; we would reprefent to them, That their
long Life here on Earth, except it be adorned
with Goodnefs, is but a long preparation for a
longer Mifery; and that he that dies full of
good Works, though at Thirty Years of Ag*,
hath lived much longer, than he that hath lived
an Hundred, and been a Servant of Sin and
fenfual Delights; for he only lives that lives to
God, the reft are dead while they live, and ra
ther take up Room, than live. We could prove
to them that thefe are not Things to be laughed
at, but deferve their moft ferious Contempla tions,

22 2 The Great Law of
tions, and that the faving of a Soul is not fo
light a Thing as they may imagine. We would
let them fee, That the pious Kings, and Princes,
and Philofophers, Confeffors, and Saints and
Martyrs of old, whofe Memories we adore,
were no Fools, when they kept under their Bo
dies, and brought them into fubjedion, left they
fhould become Caft-aways; when they looked
upon all the Loffes, and Troubles, and Miferies
that could befal them for Righteoufnefs Sake,
as Things not worthy to be compared with the
Glory which e'er long fhould be revealed in
them ; when they did not count their own Lives
dear for the Gofpel of Chrift, and were ready to
pafs through the moft daring Flames to Hea-
veiii We would let them fee, That thofe Men
had Brains, and were Men of Wifdom and Dif-
cretion as well as they, and living fo near the
Time of Chrift and his Apoftles, could not pof-
fibly be ignorant of what was to be done in
order to everlafting Happinefs ; and if they had
not been very confident of the Truth of Chrift's
Promifes, and known for certain, That without
ftridnefs and contempt of the World, and
watching againft Temptations, there was no
entring into their Mailer's Joy, they would
never have ftriven fo much to enter in at the
ftreight Gate as they did. We fhould let
them fee, That they did rightly apprehend the
Defign of Chriftianity, which was to make
Men out of love with fublunary Objeds, and
to mind nothing fo much as the Things of the
Spirit: That it was not Force, but their
Choice, that made them fwim againft the Cur rent

CONSIDERATION. 225
rent of their flefhly Inclinations, and that what
they did, was to inflrud us, how we are to inhe
rit the Promifes.
We would let them fee, how different Mens
Thoughts are when they come to die, from what
they have when they enjoy Strength, and
Health, and Liberty; and that a melancholy
Thought now and then concerning their finful
Life, is not Repentance ; nor leaving fuch Sins,
which would blemifh their Credit and Reputa
tion in the World, doing whatfoever Chrift
commands them ; nor talking now and then of
the Vanity of the World, forgetting what is be
hind them, or crucifying the World unto them
felves. We would let them fee what the Scrip
ture means, by working out their Salvation with
fear and trembling ; and how dreadful that Say
ing is, If the righteous be J'carcely faved, Where
•will the wicked andftnner appear ? We would let
them fee, That the Expreffions the Holy Ghoft
ufes concerning our travelling to the Land of
Promife, imply very great Care and Induftry,
and do plainly intimate, That God will not part
with his Heaven to Men, that do not think
it worth feeking, or being at any Trouble a-
bout it. We would let them fee, That if a-
ny Thing in the World deferves their Pains
and Care, Heaven deferves it infinitely more, as
it is of infinitely greater Confequence, than
the moft boundlefs Empires or Principalities.
We would let them fee, That God is no Re-
feeder of Perfons; and without Holinefs, lie-
liogabilus is regarded no more than Codrus ;
and Ptolomy no more than Pauj'on -, Gyges no
more

224 The Great Law of
more than Aglaus ; and then, as he hath fitted
Religion for all Mens Capacities, infomuch that
tho' all cannot be Wife, or Learned, or Great, or
Rich, yet all may obey him, and keep themfelves
unfpotted from the World, fo he will one Day
fummon every Mai^ to give an Account of his
Stewardfhip, and bring every Work into Judg
ment, with every fecret Thing, whether it be
good or evil. We would let them fee, that what
fatisfies Men now, will not give them any great
content or fatisfadion then, and tho' now fome
fprinklings of Piety may lull them into a conceit
of themfelves and of their Worth, yet thefe, like
Blowballs, will then be all, upon the leaft touch,
fhattered into Atoms.
By fuch Difcourfes as thefe, we might by De
grees engage them into a ferious Confideration
of their fpiritual Concerns, and warm them into
refolutions, to lay by, for fome time, the thoughts
of their Baskets, and of their Store, of their
Bams, and of their Fields, and ruminate on
things which carry fo much Terror and Majefty
with them. And indeed fuch Things, were
they heard without Prejudice, would in fome
meafure confound and flartle Men in their
Courfes; and, if they are not given over to a
hard Heart, or to a reprobate Mind, rouze
their Spirits into nobler Thoughts and Contem
plations ; they would difcover to them, That the
love they bear to the World defiles their Souls,
vitiates their Charity, hurts their Neighbours,
wrongs the Almighty, captivates their Minds,
and will moft certainly deceive them in the end;
and that therefore they had better change the
Objed

CONSIDERATION. 225
Objed of their Affedions, and place them there
where permanent Satisfadions are, where our
Expedations can never be difappointed, our
Defires never fruftrated, and our Hopes never
baffled ; but our Enjoyments will be perpetual,
our Fruition everlafting, and our Habitation e-*
ternal in the Heavens.
But alas ! they fhun our Company, except it
be to talk of worldly Affairs, or to afk us about
fome nice Points of Divinity, and are afliamed
to make their Condition known, and to own
themfelves ignorant of the Path that leads to
Glory. They either excufe themfelves with this,
that their Neighbours and their Friends will
laugh at them for making Minifters their Ora
cles ; or plead, that they know as much as the
Man of God can teach them : Would God they
did! and that all the Lord's People were Pro-»
phets ! But if they did, Is there not fome dif
ference between knowing thefe facred Truths,
and having them fet home upon the Confcience ?
That fhall flick in a familiar Difcourfe, which in
reading we take no Notice of; and a Word in
private Conference may drop from a holy Man,
and may be fpoke with that Zeal and Honefty,
as fhall ftrike the Soul into a Change or Renova
tion of Mind, which perhaps many Years ftudy,
or a large flock of Knowledge, would not have
effefted : So that if the Queftion be allied, Is
there no Balm in Gilead? Is there no Pkyftcian
there ? Why then is not the Health of the T)augh-
ter of rny People recovered? We may truly fey,
We would have healed Ifirael, but they would not
be healed.
q_ m.

226 The Great Law of
XII. Impediment.
XII. Deluding themfelves with the Notion of
Chrift's dying for the Sins of the World. Why
fhould they confider how to be rid of Sin, and
lay the Pleafures of Piety before their Eyes ?
Why fhould they torment themfelves with
thinking how God's Favour may be purchafed,
and involve themfelves in anxiety and trouble
about their Tranfgreffions, when Chrift hath
done all that is to be done ; appeafed his Fa
ther's Wrath againft the lapfed Progeny of A-
dam, and purchafed them a glorious Freedom
from the flavery of a mercilefs Law ? If he hath
fatisfied God for the Injuries he received by their
fins, why fhould they make a new Satisfadion
by holinefs of their Lives ? Is not that it which
all Pulpits ring of, That the eternal died, that
we might not die Eternally ; and- that God
would fuffer, that we might efcape Torments for
ever ? That the Innocent was punifhed for the
Nocent, the Judge for the Malefador, the Ma
fter for the Servants, the Juft for the Unjuft,
the Good for the Bad, that we finned, and he
was affiided ; we commit the Crime, and he
was condemned; we trefpaffed, and he was
tortured ; we exalted our felves, and he was
humbled ; we were difobedient, and he fmarted
under the reward of Difohedience; we did eat
of the forbidden Tree, and he endured hunger
for it ; and we tafted of the Apple, and he of
the Gall and Vinegar to expiate all? Is it not
this that all Proteflant Churches teach ? That
Chrift

CONSIDERATION. 227
Chrift Would be crowned with Thorns, that we
might have ail incorruptible Crown of Glory
hereafter; arid that he endured Reproach, and
Calumnies, and Cojitradidions of finners againft
himfelf, that we might inherit everlafting Ho
nour ! And Why fliould they difparage Chrift's
Sufferings fo much, as to hope to gain Heaven
by Mortification of their Lufts, aud poring up
on their Sin and Mifery ? This would be to
fall back into Popery, and enflave our felves a"
gain into Superftitiori. This would be to make
us fubjed once more to the Law of Works, and
to marry us to the Hufbarid5 from which We'
were divorced by Chrift's giving up the Ghoft,
even to the LaW which neither we nor our Fore
fathers wete ever able to bear. This would be to
undervalue fo great a Bleffing, and to tell the
World, that Chrift's purchafe of eternal Glory for
us was imperfed ; and Without there be an Additi
on of our own Works and Merit, that Redempti
on fignifies littfej and hath not ftrength enough
tocompafs what was defigned by it ?
' Thus Men prevent their Confideration of Spi
ritual Concerns, and dafh the checks and motions
of their Confidences when prompted to call their
Ways to Remembrance. They examine not the
etid of Chrift's death, nor their own Obligations,.
They run away With the notion that Chrift died
for them, and are not at all careful to know what
His Death fignifies ; much like heedlefs Servants,
Who, before they have half their errand, run away,
and when they are come to the place they are fent
to, know not what Meffage to1 deliver, Th©
'ba&rine i9 pleafing to their Flefhj and that they
Q_a may

228 The Great Law of
may not lofe their pleafure, they'll be fure not
to enquire what the true Meaning of it is.
Would they but caft their Eyes upon that Bi
ble, which they believe contains the Oracles of
Heaven, they would find tnlt the great Reafon
why Chrift gave himfelf for us, was to redeem us
from all Iniquity, and to purifie unto himfelf a
peculiar People, zealous of good Works, Titus 2.
14. They would find St. Paul was of ano
ther Mind, when he wrote to the Romans, In
that Chrifi died, he died unto Sin once; but in
that he lives, he lives unto God: Likewife,
Reckon ye alfo your Jelves to be dead unto Sin, but
alive unto God through Jefus Chrifi oar Lord.
Let not Sin therefore , reign in your mortal Body,
that ye Jhould obey it in the Lufis thereof; nei
ther yield ye your Members as Infiruments ofiun-
righteoufnefs unto Sin, but yield your Jelves to
God, as thofe that are alive from the dead, and
your Members as Infiruments of Righteoufnefs un
to God, Rom. 6. 10, 11, 12, 13. And that
the Apoftle is conflant to himfelf, appears from
II. Cor. 5. 5. Chrifi died for all, that they
which live, jhould not henceforth live unto them-
Jelves, but unto him that died for them, and rofit
again. And indeed, this is no more than common gra
titude ; fo great a Mercy challenges no lefs than
Reformation and Obedience. For leffer Favours
Men require far greater Things ; for relieving a
poor Wretch, we exped continual Attendance ;
and for giving fuch a Man a hundred Pounds in
his Neceffity, we cannot imagine that he will
ever be falfe to us. For Twelve Pence a Day,

CONSIDERATION. 229
a General expeds his Soldier, that fights under
him, fhould be true to him; and the Day-labourer
is chid, if being hired to go into the Vineyard, he
doth not perform ifee Work he is fet about with
all Faithfulnefs. Doth the Hufbandman, that
fows good Seed in his Field, look for Tares ? Or
he that plants a Fig-tree exped Fruit contrary to
the Nature of the Tree ? He that redeems ano
ther from Barbarian flavery, doth it fo much as
enter into his Thoughts, that the Wretch can e-
ver be fo inhumane, as to defpife, and fcorn, and
vilifie fo great a Benefador ? That God could
have given Man Accefs to his Favour and Recon
ciliation fome meaner Way, than through the
Crofs and Death of Chrifi, is very probable;
for what may not infinite Goodnefs do ? What
may not the Fountain of Mercy do? What may
not he dp, whofe Bowels of Compaffion furpafs
the Underftandings of Men and Angels ? But it
feems he would not. This Remedy was his choice,
he would pitch upon this flupendious Way, to
amaze and aftonifh Men into Holinefs and Seri-
oufnefs. He thought Men could not pofftbly avoid
being Converts, and heavenly minded, when
they fhould fee the Son of God wading through
Blood and Death to refcue them from Hell.
God looked upon the Mercy to be fo dreadfuL
and the Kindnefs to be fo full of Majefty and
Compaffion together, that he thought the in-
comprehenfiblenefs of the Favour would carry
Terror with it, and fright Men into Repentance
a nd Contrition.
He thought Men would have fo much Senfe
^nd modefty in them, as not to rufh through ago-
Q_3 nies

250 The Great Law of
nies and torments, and groans and fobs, and
fighs and tears, and wounds and ftripes of the
Son of God into eternal, deftrudion. He thought
thofe Thorns and Nails that ttvounded that Sa-r
cred Head, would fcratch and fling them into
awe and reverence of fo great a Love ; as they
were rolling into eternal Flames, He thought
they muft diveft themfelves of all humanity and
Self-love, if under the Crofs of Chrift they could
purfue their own Damnation, and make the
Streams- of that Blood a River to carry them into
eternal Darknefs.
But thou haft feen, O God, and beholdeft,
and canft not but behold it with Sorrow and
Indignation, how thefe Men, that pretend to be
Chriftians, live the reverfe of thy defigns ! How
they improve the Crofs of Chrifi into affronts of
thy Power and Glory ! How, under that Tree of
Life, they work out their own Death ! And
how that precious Blood doth but encourage
them to bid defiance to Heaven ; and the Sweat
and the Toil of the Son of God, under the bur
then of their Sins, makes them fweat and toil,
to fall a prey to the mercilefs Clutches of the
Devil! If I had not come, faith Chrift, they had
had no Sin, i. e. Their fin would not have been
fo great as now it is, John 15. 22, So it is, if
the Son of God had not fpilt his Blood, and had
Men difobeyed, their Difohedience would have
received an ordinary Recompence of Reward ;
but trampling on the Blood of the Son of God,
that is a Thing which muft needs make Gpd's
Indignation inexpreffible, and affpnifhing. God

CONSIDERATION. 231
God indeed reconciled the World unto him
felf; and Chrift, by his Death, purchafed that Re
conciliation and eternal Life ; but there is a great
Difference between the Purchafe of thefe Blef
fings, and the application of them; between the
poffibility of poffeffing, and the adual Enjoy
ment of them. A man may buy an Eftate, and/in
tend it for the ufe of fuch and fuch Perfons ; but
when he hath bought it for them, may lawfully tie
them up to certain Conditions upon which they
fhall enjoy the Eftate ; or, in cafe they negled
thefe Conditions, go without it. A King that is
juftly offended with his Subjeds, and, for their
notorious Rebellion, hath defigned them all for
Ruin and Deftrudion, upon fome noble Attempt,
apd generous Enterprize of his only Son, the
Prince, may be moved, or brought to a willing-
nefs to pafs by their Crimes ; but when the King's
good Will is obtained, the Prince may juftly ap
point fome Condition, upon which the condem
ned Wretches fhall receive their great Mafter 's
Favour. And as upon the Kings good Inclina~
tion to be Friends with his Subjeds, it doth not
follow that he is adually reconciled to every one,
there being fome Conditions required, upon
which the Pardon fhall be figned and fealed to
every one of them in particular ; fo neither do
all Men effedually fhare in that Reconciliation
to God through Jefus Chrift, but thofe that turn
to God with all their Hearts, and with all their
Souls, and are weary of Sin, and heavy laden
With the fenfe of it, and, in fober fadnefs, re
folved to fubmit to Chrift's Yoke and Govern
ment; and accordingly fuch are called, as are
0^4 «-.

2^2 The Great Law of
refolved to walk in the Light, even as God is in
the Light, and to be like Chrifi J ejus, and to ex
prefs the power of Chriftianity in their Lives,
and to attain to fuch Chriftian Qualifications: as
are required in the Gofpel, by the ufe of exter
nal Means, and internal Aids ; for though all
Mankind fliare in the poffibility of enjoying this
Reconciliation, and the pardon may be truly faid
to be purchafed for them, and for their ufe, yqt
all are not made partakers of the adual PofTeffi-
on of it, becaufe all Men will not confer, t to ful
fil the Conditions upon which that Reconcilia
tion is offered them, viz. unfeigned Re oentance,
l^nd firicere Obedience for the Time ..o come.
That 'tis offered on thefe Conditions, the whole
Gofpel witneffes ; and he betrays his Ignorance
that makes Advantage of this Dodrine, and lef-
fens his Care, Diligence and Zeal, in working
out his Salvation, in governing kxs Spirit, and.
Appetite, and io perfeding Holinefs in the fear,
of God.
Shimei was a Man condemned to Death,. I.
Kings 2. 36. 'Tis like, fome Courtiers of Solo*,
mon got him his Pardon ; The King grants it,
but requires this one Thing of him, That he
fhould build him a Houfe in Jemfalem, and
dwell there, and go not from thence any Whi
ther; and fulfilling this Condition, without
all Peradventure he might have liv'd happily
and fafe as the beft of his Neighbours ; but
when he muft needs be running after his Ser
vants, and prefer a fmall Advantage before per-r
petual Safety, he. juftly fuffers the Punifliment
the King appointed for him. The Son of God, by

CONSIDERATION. 235
by the Blood of his Crofs, hath in truth gotten
all Chriftians their Pardon, but is refolved none
fhall enjoy it, but thofe that will forfake their
Sins, and refign themfelves to his Guidance and
Diredion. A reafonable Demand, a C©ndition
fo equitable, fo juft, fo eafie, that no Man in his
Wits but may fay as Shimei unto Solomon, The
Saying is good, as my Lord the King has J'aid,
fo will thy Servant do. But then, if the Par
don the Son of God hath obtained for them
appear fo inconfiderable a Thing in their Eyes,
that they do not think it worth enjoying, ( and
certainly they do not think it worth enjoying,
that will not agree to fo reafonable a Condi
tion ) no Marvel if they fall a Prey to that
Wrath, from which the Son of God is ready
to deliver them, and if their Blood be upon their
Heads, that do defpight unto the Spirit of Grace,
and count the Blood of the Covenant, wherewith
they were to be J'anBified, an unholy Thing. An,
Affront fo great, that no ordinary Vengeance
can expiate it : And fhould God afk them, as
the Prophet Nathan did David, what Punifh-
ment they themfelves thought fit for fuch Offen
ders, ( provided they did not know that they
were the Perfons concerned ) they would, no
doubt, doom themfelves to as great, if not great
er Plagues, than God intends to inflid upon
them. When Amurath, Emperor of the Turks, had
Notice given him, That a Dodor of Law had!
cheated a poor Pilgrim that was gone to Mecca,
and at the Man's Reairn would not reftore to
him the Jewels he had entrufted with hinp, but
; ;- re-

234 The Great Law of
refolutely denied that he had received any fuch
Things from him : The Emperor one Day, in a
third Perfon, afked the Dodor, What he thought
a Man, that had notorioufly betrayed his Truft,
might juftly deferve? He anfwered, It was fit
ihat fib notorious a Fillain Jhould be pounded alive
in a Mortar. . He had no fooner faid the Word,
but the Emperor gave Order that fo it fhould be
done to him, who had fo notorioufly cozened
the poor Pilgrim.
So here, as harfh as fuch Men as continue in
their fins may think it to be doom'd to eternal
Vengeance, were themfelves in the third Perfon
afked, What was fit to be done to fuch ungrateful
Monfters ? Themfelves would give the fame Sen
tence againft themfelves, for putting fo notorious
an Affront upon fo aftonifhing a Mercy.
So that altho' a true Believer, and a fincere
Penitent, may boldly fay with the Apoftle, That
Chrift hath redeemed him from the Curfe of the.
Law, being made a Curfe for him, Gal. 3. 13.
And that Chrifi hath wafted him from his Sins
with his own Blood, Rev. 1. 5. And that he
hath an Advocate with the Father, Jej'm
Chrift the Righteous, who is the Propitiation
for Ins Sins, I. John 2. 1. And, that Chrift hath
made his Peace with God, Colof. 1. 20. Yet
Men, that are Strangers to the fandifying
Work of God's Spirit, cannot be faid to have at
prefent, during their unregenerate Eftate, any
other Benefit by the Death and Paffion of Chrift,
but a poffibility of all thofe great and glorious
Advantages ; and it is poffible for them to be freed
from the Curfe of the Law, to be admitted into the

CONSIDERATION. 235
the Number of thofe that fhall be faved ; to en
joy the remiffion of Sins, to efcape the Wratfy to
come, and to fee God Face to Face in Heaven,
and all this by virtue of Chrift's Death ; if they
will but fhake Hands with their darling Vices,
and agree to a pradical Love of their Maker,
and Redeemer, and Sandifier. To think that
, unconverted Sinners do adually enjoy thefe Be
nefits, is to contradid Scripture, and to give the
Apoftles of our Lord the Lye, who unanimoufly
tell us, That thefe Mercies are ,: ot effedually ap
plied to the Soul, till the Soul by fincere Repen
tance, and Reformation of Life, applies her felf
to Chrifi J ejus.
And indeed, this is the prodigious Mercy of the
Second Covenant, That God, for Chrift's Sake,
will accept of fincere Repentance, inftead of
perfed Obedience, (which was the great Condi
tion of the firft Agreement between God and
Man) and looking upon the precious Blood of
his Son, will pafs by whatever Men have done
before, if they will be in love with fin and de
ftrudion no longer, and fincerely endeavour to
pleafe him in thofe Commands, which defign
nothing but our Intereft and Happinefs.
Thefe things are not very hard to be under
ftood, but the generality of Chriftians feem re
folved not to underftand them, that they may
not be obliged to take their Ways into ferious
Confideration, At this Rate they can ferve
two Mafters, and reconcile Light with Dark
nefs, God and Belial, the Temple of God and
Jdols, Froft and Heat, Snow and. Fire ; pleafe
God and pleafe the World; gratifie their Lufts, and

1^6 The Great Law of
and fecure Heaven ; build Tabernacles here, and
fecure Manfions hereafter ; keep in with God
and Man, and like the Samaritans, II. Kings ij.
41. fear the Lord, and ferve Graven Images.
This Dodrine, That Chrift hath freed them
from the Wrath of God, in their Senfe, makes
Religion fit foft and eafie upon them, and doth
not difturb them in their fenfual Enjoyments.
'Tis a comfortable Dodrine to Flefh and Blood ;
Never could any Thing have heen . invented
more agreeable to their Lufts ; and if God had
fludied to do them a Kindnefs, he could not
have done them a greater, than to let his Son
fuffer all that is to be fuffered by them ; and fo
after their Delights and finful Satisfadions here,
condud them into a far more glorious Paradife.
If it be fo, truly Confideration is Vanity, and
the Preachers are Fools and Mad-men to prefs
it upon their Auditors : Spiritual Men are di
ftraded, and fitter for Bedlam than the Pulpit.
Their Religion is nothing but a Trick, and they
keep a great ftir to no Purpofe ; Cry aloud, but
edifie not ; and lift up their Voices merely to
trifle away Time, and confirm the Houfe of
Jacob in their Sins. But who fees not that this
is an Invention of the Devil, firft to darken the
Sinners Underftanding, and when the Candle
is out, to rob him of his everlafting Happi
nefs !
And, firs, will you be robbed thus quietly of
your Blifs and Glory ? Will you fuffer your felves
to be ftript of all you have, without the leaft Op
pofition ? Is it poffible for you to believe, That
the Son of God came down from Heaven to en
courage

CONSIDERATION. 257
courage you in offending God; and made him
felf of no Reputation for you, that you might
render your felves contemptible in the fight of
the Almighty ; and died for you, to give Life to
your Sins and Follies ? How abfurd, how im
pertinent, how contradidory is this Belief?
How ! God, and encourage fin ? Holinefs itfelf,
and find out a Way to promote Iniquity ? Can
there be any Thing in Nature more filly or ri
diculous ? This is abufing the Crofs of Chrifi,
not trufting to it ; and you that make it an Oe
cafion of Sin, take heed it do not prove a Hum
bling block unto you, and inftead of crucifying
Sin in you, do not harden you in it ! It is a Thing
not unufual with God, to punifh Sin with Sin;
and if Men will be filthy, in defpight of all En
deavours to purifie them from their filthinefs, to
doom them to continue filthy ftill, and to make
that their Judgment, which at firft was only their
Tranfgreflion ; Becaufe there is no Truth, nor
Mercy, nor Knowledge of God in the Land, but
Stealing, and committing Adultery, therefore
your Daughters jhall commit Whoredom, and
your Spoufes fliall commit Adultery, faith God,
Hof. 4. 1, 2, 13. i. e. I will utterly withdraw my
Grace, and my holy Spirit from you ; whence
it muft neceffarily come to pafs, That you will
fink deeper and deeper in your Sins, till you
fink into the nethermoft Hell ; and that which
was your delight, fliall prove your burthen, and
your Joy fhall be your Plague ; and when after
wards you fhall fee what you have brought your
felves to, and would fain ftep back, you fhall not
' be able, but die in your Sins. A Judgment e-

nough

238 The Great Law of
nough to make a Man's Hair ftartd on end, and
yet it is but reafonable, efpecially in this point, of
making light of the Death of Chrifi J ejus ; fo
great a Love, and written in fuch legible Chara
cters too, flighted and abufed, and made a Help
to Sin, improved into Licentioufnefs, may juftly
be fuppofed to draw down that Judgment we
read of, Ij'a. 6. 9. 10. Go and tell this People,
Hear ye indeed, but underftand not ; and fiee ye
indeed, but perceive not. Make the Heart of this
People fat, and make their Ears heavy, and Jhut
their Eyes ; left they fee with their Eyes, and heat
with their Ears, and underftand with their Heart,
and convert and be healed.
But what is worfe than all this, the Death of
the Son of God, which thus, inftead of mortify
ing, makes Sin reign in your mortal Bodies, will
be the greateft Witnefs againft you in the laft
Day. The ft one Jhall cry out of the Wall, and the
Beam of the Timber Jhall anfwer againft the Op-
preftbr, faith the Prophet, Hab. 2. 11. And
then fure Blood hath a louder Voice, Heb. 12.
14. and the Blood of a Crucified Saviour will
be one day the greateft Evidence againft you.
This, like Oil, will encreafe your Flames, and
prove the Brimftone, that fhall make the Fire
blaze the more. That Jefus, whofe Crofs thou
defpifeft now, will be thy Accufer then ; and
woe to that Man that hath the Judge himfelf
for his Enemy. That dreadful Spedacle, the
Crucifixion of the Lord of Life, which can
not engage thy Soul to confider the Indignati
on, Abhorrency, and Hatred God bears to
Sin, will be the great Argument then, that fhall
cover

CONSIDERATION. 239
cover thy Face with everlafting Confufion. As
lovely, as charming, as amiable as this Mercy
looks now, it will look as difmal then ; and that
which is now thy Anchor, will be thy Terror
then ; and thou wilt run away from Mercy as
much then as thou doft from God's Thunder
now ; for thou wilt not be able to look upon this
Mercy without blufhing, and to think how thou
haft undervalued it, will make thee ready to hide
thy felf from its Brightnefs. Every Beam will
dart horror into thy Soul, and every Ray will be
an arrow in thy Heart. When thou flialt fee in
that day the Spirits of Men made perfeB ; the
Men in White, who have waftied their Robes, and
made them white in the Blood of the Lamb ; when
thou fhalt refled on their Happinefs, a Happi
nefs which thou mighteft have had as well as
they, ( if that Blood could have perfwaded thee
to cleanfe thy felf from all filthinefs both of flefh
and fpirit ) how will thine Eyes flow with Tears,
to think what ftrong Delufions thou haft lain un
der, in thinking that this Blood was only fpilt that
thou mighteft wallow more freely in the Mire.
The Lamb which was flain from the Foundation
of the World, and came to take away thy fins as
well as thy Neighbours, only thou wouldft not
be clean ; that Lamb, I fay, as harmlefs as its
Looks are now, will then change his Afped; and
thou, that now thinkeft a Lamb can be nothing
but kind, wilt then find by woeful Experience
that there is fuch a Thing as the Indignation and
Wrath of the Lamb, Rev. 6. 16.
Cil A P.

240 I he iireat Law oJ

CHAP. V.
Of the various ' Mifchief s arifimg from negleB of
Confideration. The want of it proved to be
the Caufe of mofi Sins. Some Inftances are gi
ven in Atheij'm, Unbelief, Swearing, Pride,
Carelefneji -in' God's Service, Luckwarmnejs,
Covetoufnefi, &c.
FRom what has been faid, we may fafely draw
this Conclufion, That want of Confiderati
on is the unhappy Spring, from which moft of
the Miferies and Calamities of Mankind flow.
There may be inferior and fubordinate Caufes, as
the Barrenriefs of a Field may proceed from the
Thorns which overfpread it, from the Stones
which lie fcattered upon it, from want of Dung
ing, from the Rufhes that grow in it, &c. but
the principal Caufe is the Sluggard's Idlenefs
and Lazinefs ; fo here the Miferies of Mankind
may owe their Exiftence to various Accidents
and Occurrences, but the Mafter-caufe is want
of Confideration. Indeed, God, Ifa. 5. 12, 13.
makes this the great Reafon why his People were
gone into Captivity ; why their honourable Men
were ftamiftjed, and their Multitude dried up
with thirfl ; why Hell had enlarged her felf,
and opened her Mouth without meafure, and their
glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, de
scended into it. 'Tis the want of it which in all -
Ages hath procured God's Judgments, wliich by
Confi-

CONSIDERATION. 241
Confideration might have been ftopt and pre
vented. Had Adam improved his Solitarinefs in
the Garden of Eden, into ferious Confideration of
the Nature of the Precept his Mafter gave him,
and refleded on the Wifdom of the Supreme
Law-giver that made it; on the immenfe Bounty
his great Benefador had crowned him with
al; on the abominable Ingratitude he would
make himfelf guilty of by breaking fo reafona
ble an Injundion; had he1 but recolleded him
felf, ( when tempted to eat of the dangerous
Fruit, under a pretence that it would open his
Eyes, and make him as wife as God) and thought
that the Creator of Heaven and Earth knew bed
what Degree of wifdom and knowledge became
a Creature of his Quality and Condition ; and
he that was all Love, and Beauty, and Kir.d-
nefs, would riot have interdided him that Fruit
if the Food might have any Way advanced his
Happinefs, and that therefore there muft be
fome Cheat in the Temptation; That the Angels,
which were lately thrown down from their
Glory, could not but envy the Felicity he en
joyed, and for that Reafon would appear in all
Manner of fhapes, and try a thoufand Ways to
Weaken the Favour of God towards him ; and
that it was, without all peradventure, the fafeft
Way to prefer an exprefs CPmmand before an
uncertain Suggeftion: That it was below the
Almighty to fay and unfay ; to forbid, and yet
permit ; to caution, and yet to connive ; to de
clare his Will to Day, and countermand it to
MorroW ; and that fuch Weakneffes are fcarce
Reconcilable to the Temper of a wife Man on
R Earth)

242 The Great Lazv of
Earth, much lefs to the Rules of Infinite Wif
dom: Had his Mind taken a View of fuch Ar
guments as thefe, and of the uninterrupted Pro
fperity and Immortality he was promifed upon
his Obedience ; 'tis not the Charms, or Rheto-
rick, or foft Language of a Wife, nor the Sub-
tilty of a Serpent, nor the pretended Omnifci
ence the Devil flatter 'd him withal, would have
made him leave that happy flate which the Infi
nite Goodnefs of Heaven had placed him in.
But while he fuffers the Pleafure of a Garden to
tranfport his Soul, and to blind it, fears no 111,
no Mifchief, no Danger among the Rofes and
Flowers of Paradife, embraces the deceitful Sug
geftion, without examining the Caufe, the Man
ner, or the end of it; fwallows the fatal Bait
without chewing ; believes a Wife, and a Beaft,
without confidering the Confequence of the
Fad, and inquires not. how God may refent his
Curiofity; he falls into Death and Mifery, and
drags all his Pofterity after him.
Had the Inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah re-
fieded like rational Men, on the Reproofs and
Admonitions of Righteous Lot, ruminated on
his paffionate Expreffions, taken notice of the
Motives he ufed, of the Incouragements he al
ledged, of the Commiffion he produced, of the
Authority by which he aded, confidered the
kindnefs of the Almighty in fending them fuch
a Preacher, and thought with themfelves, That
fure it could not be the Preacher's Intereft to fee
himfelf againft their Vices : That except Confci
ence and a Divine Commiffion had prompted
him to attempt their Reformation, it was not
pro-

CONSIDERATION. 245
probable he would enrage a debauched City a-
gainft himfelf, and make himfelf obnoxious to
the Fury of the People ; That the Righteous Man
fpake nothing but Reafon, and fought nothing
but their Good; That God's Patience would
certainly be tired e'er long, and his Long-fuf-
fering turn into Vengeance ; That the Fire of
their Luft would fhortly pull down other Fire,
and the heat of their unclean Defires break into
more ccnfuming Flames: That fins againft N a*
ture made Men worfe than Beafts ; and for God
not to revenge fuch Crimes, would certainly give
the World Oecafion to believe there was no Go
vernor that took care of Sublunary Objeds, or
be a Means to deftroy Human Society : That
God would not always put up Affronts, nor fuf
fer his Methods to reclaim them, to be baffled
everlaflingly : That they could not hope to e-
feape God's Indignation, no more than tlie Men
of the firft World, and when their Sins were e- '
qual, God's judgments would overtake them, as
well as they did their Brethren : That God could
intend them no Harm, by calling them to Repen
tance, and being the great Preferver of Men,
could not but defign their Well-being and Feli
city: Had they fuffered their Thoughts to dwell
on fuch Truths as thefe, made fuch Confiderati
ons familiar to their Souls, they would have mel
ted and humbled themfelves, and kept back that
Fire and Brimftone, which afterwards confumed
them. Want of Confideration made them fecure
in Sin, and that Security prepared them for their
Devaftation. R 2 Indeed,

244 The Great Law of
Indeed, there is no fin almoft but is committed
for want of Confideration. Men confider not
what fin is, nor how loathfom it is to that God,
who carries them on his Wings as the Eagle doth,
her Young, nor what Injury they do to their own
Soul, nor what the dreadful Effeds and Confe-
quences of it are, and that makes them fupine
and negligent of their Duty.
To give a few inftances : Did the Athieft but
look up to Heaven ; did his fwinifh and brutifh
Appetite but give him leave to contemplate that
glorious Fabrick, the orderly Pofition of the
Stars, the regular Motion of thofe Celeftial
Lamps, and the Mathematical Contrivance of
that curious Globe ; how it is poffible he could
dream of a cafual Concurrence of Atoms, or for
bear to acknowledge a moft wife, moft perfedt,
and moft powerful Archited, even that God
who commanded them into Being, and ftill pre-
ferves them from Decay and Ruin ?
Would he but confider, how things that have" a
beginning could not make themfelves, unlefs they
were before they were ( which implies a contradi
dion) and therefore muft certainly be made, and
produced at firft by fome fupreme Caufe that is
Eternal and Omnipotent. Would he but reflect
on the univerfal Confent of Mankind, how not
only the civilized but the moft barbarous Nati
ons in all Ages have had a Senfe of a Deity ; and
how this Senfe never changes, altho' Kingdoms
•and Republicks, their Government, Laws, Con
ftitutions, Inhabitants, and Cufloms change;
and how improbable it is that all Mankind
fhould confpire into fuch a Cheat, if there were no

CONSIDERATION. 245
no fupream Power; how rational it is, that
when Men of different Conftitutions, Com
plexions, Principles, Defires, Interefts, Opini
ons, do all or moft of them agree in one Thing,
there muft neceffarily be fomething more than
ordinary in it, and the Notion muft be fuppofed
either imprinted by God on the Hearts of all
Men, or carefully delivered to Pofterity by the
firft Planters of the World, which in all Proba
bility they would not have done, except they
had very good Ground and Reafon for it ; and
tho' here and there fome Few have been found,
who either out of Ambition of being thought
Wits, or in a Humour, or through fome ftrange
Corruption of their Minds, have denied the
Being of a Deity, or have believed none, yet that
thofe Few are inconfiderable, compared with
the greateft Part of Mankind, and guided ra
ther by their Lufts and Vices, whofe Intereft it is
there fhould be no God to take Notice of them,
and not by the true Light of Reafon : Would the
Fool, I fay, but think ferioufly on thefe familiar
Arguments, how could he fay in his Heart There
is no God ?
How could the Wretch deny a Providence, if
, , he did but take notice, how all Things are pre
ferved in thofe ftations, fpheres, and tendencies,
they were at firft, created in. How Things con
trary to one another, are kept from deftroying
one another. Plow every Thing profecutes the
End for which it was produced. How the Sea
that's higher than the Earth, is kept from over
running and drowning it. How Kingdoms,
Empires, and Comm on- wealths, are continued
R 3 and

1/^6 The Great ^Law of
and conferved in the World. How one Country
i/; made a Scourge to the other for their Sin; and
how the fober Nation many Timesconquers the
more debauched and vicious, till the former fo
briety dying proves a prefage of the Funeral of
their Happinefs. How Men are fuffered to ty
rannize, and to rage, that their Fall afterward
may be more grievous and terrible. How Sin is
punifhed with Sin ; and with what Meafure we
meet, with the fame other Men meet to us a-
gain. How ftrangely Murder is found out, and
fecret Villanies difcovered, arraigned,
Snelcn. in Ca- , . i t t /-> i • .- i_
/.,_ and condemned, flow Caligula, that
bids Defiance to Heaven, and threat
ens Jupiter to chaftife him, if he fent Rain diat
Day his Players were to ad ; how the poor mi
ferable Creature hides his Head in a Feather
bed when it Thunders ; and how the ftoutefl
Sinners tremble, even then when no Man pur
fues them. How Tiberius is tortured in his
Confcience with a Senfe of his Monftrous Pra
dices; and he that had defpifed all Heaven
ly Powers, before his Death, dreads what be
fore he laughed at. How Light is frequently
produced out of Darknefs ; the greateft Felici
ty from the greateft Mifery ; and even fin it
felf fo ordered, that it proves an Oecafion of
the greateft Good. How miraculoufly Men
are preferved, and how prodigioufly tefeued
from Dangers that, hang over their Heads,
and threaten their Deftrudion. How one Man
is punifhed by Profperity, another preferved
by the want of it. How one Man's Bleffings
arc turned into Curies, and another Man's
Curfes

CONSIDERATION

j

^47

Curfes into Bleffings. How Men perifli, that
they may not perifh ; and are fuffered to grow
poor, that they may be rich ; and are deprived
of all, that they may arrive to far greater
Plenty. How ftrangely many Times are Men
preferv'd from fin, and fomething comes in and
croffes their finful Attempts and Intentions,
that they are not able to put their Purpofes in
Execution. How Men are fitted for feveral
Employments; and no Office, or Bufinefs fo
mean and fordid, but fome Men have a Genius
or Inclination to it. How Beafts, which are
ftronger than Men, are yet kept from hurting
Men ; and Men themfelves that intend Mifchief
to their Neighbours, are prevented in their De-
figns, and in the Net they fpread for others their
Foot is taken. How by very inconfiderable
Means, very great Things are efieded ; and
fometimes without Means, very fignal Changes
and Alterations are produced. How the greateft
Preparations are blown upon, and diffolved, and
a handful of Men chafe vaft and potent Armies.
How Tyrants, when they are juft bringing their
Triumphs to perfedion, are blaftedon a fudden ;
and when they fancy nothing can refift or hin
der their mighty Defigns, the Wind turns, and
all their Bravery dies into contempt, and fhame,
and diffatisfadion. How the greateft Enemy
fometimes becomes the greateft Friend ; and
he that hateth another unto Death, is on a fud
den convinced of his Folly, and loves him as his
own Soul. How kindly the Heavens difpenfe
their former and latter Rain ; and how upon
folemn Prayers and Supplications, fome great
R 4 JudS"

248 The Great Law of
Judgment is averted, and Men reftored to their
former Peace and Tranquility. How, even in
Things fortuitous, Juftice is executed ; and the
Arrow which fuch a Man fhot at random, is
yet guided, as to hit the Perfon guilty of fome
heinous Crime. How fuch a Man's Ruine
proves another's Inflrudion; and he, whom
Education could not engage to Prudence, learns
to be wife by another's Fall. How Men ignorant-*
ly contrive their Neighbour's Good, and while
they leaft intend the Happinefs of others, take
the readieft Courfe to make their Labour fuccefs-
ful and profperous. How a Flea fhall awaken an
Ahaftouerus, that he may look into his Chroni
cles, and read the good Offices of Mordecai, and
recompence him, and prevent the Mifchief in
tended againft God's People. How a Word, that'
drops fometimes from the Preacher's Mouth in a
Sermon, fhall make that Impreffion on the
Hearer's Heart as to change it, and work him in
to another Man.
He that would take fuch Paffages as thefe into
ferious Confideration, how were it poffible for
him to queftion a Providence, that orders, and
rules, and governs all, and extends its care even to
the leaft, moft minute, and moft abjed and con
temptible Creature? How could he forbear toad-
mire God, as the moft wife, moft knowing, moft
lovely, moft perfed, moft holy, and moft bounti-*
ful Being, whofe Eyes run to andjro to fhew him*
fif ftrong in the Behalf of thofe, whofe Heart is
upright towards him, II. Chron. 1 6. 9.
The Unbeliever, that doth not believe the
Scripture to be the Word of God, and fancies there

CONSIDERATION. 249
there is no other World, no Judgment after
Death; and thinks it irrational, that Temporal
Sin fhould be punifhed with an Eternity of Tor
ments; 'Tis want of Confideration makes him
continue Infidel.
For ifi, As for the Scripture which contains the
Sum and Subftance of the Chriftian Religion,
would he but take a Walk in the Field, or in his
Garden, or in his Chamber, and weigh the Argu
ments which make for the Divinity of this Book,
and confider what he can objed againft it, whe
ther his Objedions be equal inftrength and weight
with the Reafons that fetch its Pedigree from
Heaven, he would foon be of another Mind, and
pity the weaknefs and faucinefs of thofe Young-
fters, that play with the Oracles of God in Ale-
Houfes, or Taverns, or Theatres. He need only
difcourfe with himfelf in this Manner.
I fee the whole Chriftian World, for fo many
Centuries together, hath embraced thefe Sacred
Volumes, as the Treafury of God's Will and
Ordinances, as a Diredory dropt down from
Heaven, to teach them how God will be wor-
fhipped, what Notions they are to entertain of
God, and what they are to do to fave their
Souls for ever; how they are to order their
Lives, how they are to Pray, how they are to
behave themfelves towards God and Man, and
what Rules they are to obferve in their Thinking,
Speaking, Doing, and Dealing in the World,
"Tis very probable, that God, who is all Good
nefs, aft Mercy, and of infinite Pity, and hath
piade this World to ferve Man, and endowed him

250 The Great Law of
him with a Capacity of knowing and adoring
God, would not leave him deftitute of fuch helps
and means, as might beft promote his knowledge
of him ; but find out a Way to manifeft himfelf to
him, efpecially when 'tis evident, That without
fome better Diredions than Nature gives, Men
are fo very apt to fall into Errors and Mifappre-
henfion of his Glory and Majefty. Whether this •
Book contains therefore the true Revelations
which God hath been pleafed to make to Man
kind, is the Queftion.
Upon examination I find, that there is nothing
in this Book, either promifed, or threatned, or
commanded, but what is Deo dignum, fit for a
God to promife, and threaten, and command.
Whatever is delivered here, feems to be very
agreeable to his Majefty, and Sovereignty, and
Divine Nature. The Rewards as well as punifli-
ments are God-like; and the Duties preffed
here, are but the neceffary Confequence of his
Goodnefs, and Juftice, and Government, and Su
premacy; which Confequences, becaufe Man, by
reafon of his Corruption, was not able to deduce
from the Notion of God, God thought fit to re
veal and manifeft to him, by various Paffages,
Hiftories, Prophecies, Parables, Precepts, and
Conclufions. Upon enquiry I perceive, that the Defigns of
this Book are at leaft very harmlefs, its great Aim
being to make Men good, and juft, and honeft,
and live like Men of Reafon ; fo that if Men quar
rel with it, they muft quarrel with their own
Make, and Conftitution, which is not only capable
of fuch perfedions, but, were the groifer fenfual
Ob-

CONSIDERATION. 251
Objeds removed, or feparated from it. would na
turally defire and breathe after them. Whatever
Verity or Truth, the light of Nature, or Reafon
didates, is here to be found; and this Book is fo
far from contradiding, or abolifhing, any Thing
of that Nature, that it improves and refines it.
If I fearch all the Volumes of the ancient Hea
then Philofophers, Men who ranfack'd Nature,
and tried what Nature would difcover of God,
and anatomized the Law written upon Mens
Heart : If I perufe all the Leffons and Rules of
Morality they gave and prefcribed to Mankind, I
find them all delivered in this Book, much purer,
and much clearer, than thofe Philofophers were
able to propofe them ; and what lies fcattered up
and down in their vafter Volumes, is concenter'd
here, infomuch that not only Scholars, but very
ordinary Capacities, may be Philofophers, and
fpeak more Senfe and Reafon than the ancient
Wits, whom the World, when barbarous and
rude, looked upon as Oracles.
The Sacred Writers, whoever they were, for
ought I fee, were Men of very noble and generous
Spirits, for their great Endeavour is, to inftrud
and edifie Mankind, and to teach them fuch De
lights, as are fit for a rational Soul to embrace.
I fee, they exhort Men to live like themfelves,
like Perfons capable of converting with God. I
fee they are all for Prefervation of Human Soci
eties, and to this end, they fpeak againft all
that's Evil, and incotirage Juftice, and Peace, and
Unity, and Charity, and Obedience to Gover-
nours, and all that's Good and Hody; and con
demn all Hypocrifie, commend upright Dealing, and

2 5 2 The Great Law of
and fincerity of Heart, and prefcribe even thofe
Sins which the World can take no Notice of,
Sins of Thoughts, Sins of the Heart, and Sins of
Secrecy, and urge a hearty unfeigned Love to
our Neighbour. Their great care and folicitude
is, that Men may not be kept unacquainted with
themfelves ; and tho' they lived in different A-
ges, at different Times, and were of different E-
ducations, yet they all agree in their great En
deavour and Defign to purifie Men's Hearts, and
to keep their Confciences void of Offence towards
God and towards Men. They would have God
worfhipped and honoured like a God, in Spirit
and in Truth, and require the Cream and Mar
row of our Endeavours, our deareft and tender-
eft Love to be given to him, which indeed is a
Worfhip fit for him that is our Supream Ruler
and Governour, in whom we live, and have our
Being. They condemn all Senfuality, which makes
Men live like Beafts ; and all Impatience, and
Difcontent, which makes their Lives miferable ;
and all Pride and Haughtinefs, which makes
their near Neighbours hate and defpife them ;
and all bafe Selfifhnefs, which makes them un-
compaffionate. They prefcribe the greateft Cor
dials againft Croffes and Afflidions, for they
promife a better Life after this, a Life of ever
lafting Joy and Blifs ; and tho' Mofes and the
Prophets fay but little of another Life in exprefs
Terms, yet they do it in Types and Shadows,
and myfterious Phrafes and Adions, which the
Prophets among the Jews in all Probability
explained to the. People ; and fuppofe there were

CONSIDERATION. 255
were no fuch Life, yet would the Fancy of it be
mighty pleating in Diftreffes and Calamities, and
ferve to bear us up under the greateft Burthens ;
and fhould we find nothing of that Nature when
we come to die, to be fure there would be no
Body to laugh at us.
They reprefent God as infinitely merciful to
wretched Men, and willing to accept of thofe
that repent and turn, and fincerely fear him, and
to make them everlaflingly happy ; and yet that
Men may not prefume, and turn the Grace of
God into Wantonnefs, they reprefent him Juft
withal, that will take Vengeance on thofe who
provoke his Patience, and mock his Compaffi
on, and abufe his Mercy into Contempt of his
Laws. They reprefent him as a very reafonable
Mafter that lays upon his Servants no more than
they are able to bear, and expeds Returns an-
fwerable to the Favours he bellows on them ;
and fuch Services as are, in fome meafure, pro
portionable to the means he hath afforded them,
which is no more but what we exped from our
Servants. All which is highly rational; and I
muft needs imagine, fince no Men that ever lived
in the World could give the World fuch exad
Rules for the Improvement and Advancement of
a rational Soul as thefe Writers do, that they muft
have had fome Divine Spirit to guide them, efpe
cially fince the Education, Breeding and Conver
fion of fome or moft of them, gave them no
Advantages of Learning or Philofophy, nor any
Opportunity of improving their Inteleduals, by
reading fuch Writings as acute and quick- fighted
Men had difperfed thro' the World. To exalt the

254 The Great Law of
the Soul, and to elevate it above Senfe, and Earth,
and Drofs, and Dung, and to be admitted to fami
liarity with its Maker, feems to be the very Drift
and Defign of this Book; and if it were not Di
vine, or Infpired, it might however deferve the
Reputation of maintaining the greateft and moft
generous Defigns that ever were carried on by
Mankind. But fure its Original is more than Human ; and
the Perfons who delivered thefe Things had cer
tainly a Divine Commiffion. When I look ei
ther upon Mofes and the Prophets in the 0/</,
or upon Jefus and his Apoftles in the New Te*-
fiament, Men, who were the chief Promulgers
of the Truths delivered in thefe Books, me
thinks there appears fomething extraordinary
in them, and I cannot but fee the Finger of God
that did dired and help them : If I believe any
Thing that I never heard or faw my felf, I have
the greateft Reafon in the World to believe that
that Mofes, whom both Jews and Heathens call
the great Leader and Captain-General of the
Jews, was infpired from above when he gave
his Law to the whole Nation of the Jews. That
he wrought thofe ftupendious Miracles which
are recorded in Scripture, the Jewiftj Nation
hath firmly and conftantly believed ever fince
they were wrought; and how 600000 Men, be
fore whom they were wrought, and who did
feed upon many of thofe Wonders, and who
have delivered the real Performance of thofe
Miracles down to their Pofterity, and fo ini'
printed the Belief of it on the Hearts of their
Progeny, that neither Sword, nor Fire, could ever

CONSIDERATION. 255
ever make them deny it, even by the Teftimony
of their greateft Enemies; How, I fay, this vaft
Multitude of Men could be miftaken in thofe
Miracles, and give Credit to this Law, obferve
every Pundilio of it, undergo all that tedious
Service he injoined them, endure the Pain of
Circumcifion, negled their fecular and neceffary
Affairs to attend that laborious Worfhip, and all
upon the Account of thofe Miracles, if they had
not been confident of the Truth and Reality of
them, is altogether unaccountable to a Rational
Man. Thefe miracles he could never haye wrought
without a fupernatural Power; nor can I imagine
any other Reafon, why God fhould honour him
with that fupernatural Power, but only to con
firm the Law and Statutes he gave to the Jews,
and to teftifie unto them, and to affure them, that
they canie from God, and that the Punifhments
threatned would certainly attend the wilful Ne-
gleders of that Lav/.
That the Prophets foretold Things, fome 200,
fome 300, fome 500 Years before they came to
pafs, is fo evident from the Hiftory of Jofias, Cy
rus, and the Mefiias, who was to come, that he
muft profefs himfelf a ftranger to all Hiftory, that
denies it ; for I find the Jews had thofe Prophe
cies by them many Years before they were fulfil
led, and therefore cannot be fuppofed to have
forged thofe Prophecies, after the Things pre
tended to be foretold by them, were come. to pafs.
But had v/e no other Teftimony, that the
Writings of the Old Tejlament are infpired, and
of Divine Original, but that of Jefus, and his
Apoftles (provided we can prove, That thefe
came

256 The Great Law of
came with Divine Authority ) there would be &
nough to fatisfic any Perfon that doth not delight
in difputing againft Light and Reafon.
That we owe the Dodrine of the New Te-
fiament to this J ejus and his Apoftles, the whole
Chriftian World hath unanimoufly believed for
1600 Years together; and I muft needs fuppofe
there could not have been fuch a ftir in the
World, for fo many Centuries, about the Religi
on of Jefus, if there had not been fuch a Perfon
in the World. But in this I find the whole World
agree; That there was fuch a Perfon, not only
Chrifiians, but their greateft Enemies, both Jews
and Heathen, do confefs. This the prophaneft
Men alive will believe, as firmly at leaft as they
do, that there were fuch Perfons as William the
Conqueror, or Richard the Firft, Second, Third,
&c. This J ejus, as he doth aver and maintain,
That God fpake by Mofes and the Prophets of
old, fo he could not but be himfelf a Perfon fent
from God to reform the World, and to let them
know the Will and Pleafure of the Almighty
concerning their everlafting Happinefs.
For I find, he wrought fuch Miracles, Works
fo exceeding Art and Nature, that they were
the Wonder and Confufion of the World; Nor
do I, upon Examination, perceive that the
Jews deny it ; only they give out, That being
well fkilled in the Art of Magick, and dealing
with the Devil, he made all that ftir and noife in
the World, and drew fo many Followers after
him, which to any Man in his Wits feems the fil-
lieft Plea imaginable ; for his Dodrine, Life,-
Miracles, all tended to the Deftrudion of the
Devil's-

CONSIDERATION. 257
Devil's Kingdom. His firft Work was to forbid
Idolatry, and to pull down the Worfhip of Devils,
and to encourage real Goodnefs, and Piety, and
Abhorrency, not only of all Evil, but of all Ap
pearance of Evil ; and, if Satan caft out Satan,
be is divided againft himfelf, and how then Jhall
his Kingdom fiand ? Matth. 12. 26.
I find, that the Art of Magick, in thofe Days,
Was in great requeft with all the Grandees of the
Jews, and they arrived to great Perfedion in it.
And if this Jefus wrought his Miracles by that
Art, Why could not thefe great Mafters of Ma
gick imitate thofe wonderful Works ? Not to
mention, that at his Crucifixion, when they al
ledged all that Malice or Hell could fuggeft a-
gainfl him, none of his Adverfaries, whatever
fome of them had done before, durft be fo abo*
minabiy impudent, as to charge him with that
black and difmal Crime. Indeed his Defign,
Words, Adions, Behaviour, and Deportment,
Were all fo directly contrary to this black and
hellifli Art, that a Man feems to be given up to the
Devil that can have but the leaft Inclination to
believe it. Nero certainly had the greateft Ad-
Vantages of any Man that ever lived, to know the
Utnfiofl reach of Magick ; for as his extream Vici-
oufnefs and Debauchery made him the Devil's
Darling, fo he had all the Magicians in the World
to teach, and to inftrud him; yet with all the
Tricks and Jugsdes that either Men or Devils
eotild furnifh him withal, I do not find that he
was able to cure a cut Finger.
;As great an Enemy as Julian the Apoftate was
to the Chriftian Religion, as much as he hated
S and

258 The Great Law of
and perfecuted it; yet, by what is recorded by ve
ry faithful Men, I fee he could not deny but that
Jefus did open the Eyes of fome blind Men, and
cured others that were lame, and difpoffeffed not
few that were molefted with evil Spirits ; and tho'
he makes light of .thefe Wonders, yet to a Man
that is not poffeffed with Prejudice, thofe Works
will feem Divine and Supernatural ; not but that
Catarads, and accidental Dimnefs of the Eyes,
may be redreffed by natural Means ; but where
Men, that are born blind, are reftored to their fight
with a Word, it cannot but argue a Commiffion
from Fleaven. Indeed, all that faw it, profeffed,
they never faw it on this Fafhion. There were
Philofophers and Learned Men, as well as
Tradefmen and Mechanicks, in the Crowd of his
Hearers, who, could they have found but the leaft
hole for evafion, would certainly have made ufe of
it againft him ; but with the exadeft Obfervati-
ons they could make, they could not make, the
leaft fliadow of an Impofture, but were forced to
confefs that a mighty Prophet was rifen up a-
mongft them.
I cannot readily comprehend, why Tiberius
fhould have been fo fond, to have this jefus aferi-
bed into the number of the Roman gods; or why
Severus fhould worfhip him in his Clofet, among
his other Deities; or why Adrian fhould have pur-
pofed to ered Temples, without Images, to his
Honour, if they had not looked upon him as fome
extraordinary Perfon, and had not been fuffi-
ciently afllrred of the many wonderful Works he
had done. I find, the Chriftians appeal to the pub
lick Ads and Records among the very Fleatliens, where

Consideration. 259
where. many of the wonderful Things that Jefui
did were defcribed, which they durft not have
done, had they not been fure, that there were
fuch publick Monuments, and thofe Things in
them. f .
The Evangelifts ( whofe Writings I have no
more feafon to qUeftiort, than I do the Writings
of Tacitus, or Seneca, or Cicero, or Livy, they ha
ving been Univerfally acknowledged to be theirs,
dnd no Man having ever been able to confute
their Relation, or to give" any fatisfadory Argu
ment why they fhould not be believed, ) thefe E-
Vangelifts, fome of them being Eye- witnefles, I
perceive, make mention of feveral Miracles that
were wrought before great multitudes of People,
and certainly, fome judicious Men then living
Would have fo'qnd is out, if there had been a
cheat or juggle in't : Nay is it rational, that the
Apoftles of this Jefus would, or durft, with that
freedom, boldnefs1 and confidence, have affirmed,
aflerted, and abetted, both his, Refurredion, and
his Miracles, in the very Metropolis of Judaea, in
the City of JcruJ'alem, where it had been An eafie
matter to difcover the fraud, if there had been no
fuch. thing ? From all which I muft neceffarily
conclude, a.s Nicodemus, John 3. 2. Mafter, we
know that thdu art a Teacher come from God; for
no Man can do thefe Miracles that thdu dofi, ex~
cept God be with him.
Indeed, If I will not put a Veil over my Face,
and wilfully blind my felfi muft needs conclude,
That this Dodrine muft be Divine, whofe Mi
racles Were fo ; nor can I fuppofe it poffible,
that God would fuffer that Perfon, whom he in-
S 2 trufted

260 The Great Lazv of .
trufted with his own Power of doing Miracles,
to obtrude upon the World falfe and idle Tales,
or unneceffary and impertinent Dodrines, and
Injundions. I cannot conceive, why God fhould
communicate to him the Power of doing Mira
cles, except it be to confirm the Divinity, and
indifpenfible Neceffity of his Dodrine and Pre
cepts ; fo that if the Works he did had a Divine
Original, his Dodrine and Commands muft be
derived from Heaven too; elfe it would follow,
that God had been very unwife in his Choice,
and had exerted his Omnipotent Power to little
or no Purpofe, only to make a fhew in the
World, or to increafe the Kingdom of Darknefs i
than which, there can nothing be imagined
more abfurd, or incongruous. And tho'. 'tis true,
that moft Religions boaft of Miracles ; and many
Things which are cried up for Miracles are no
thing lefs ; yet thefe are fo attefted, that a Man
muft go againft the flrongeft Evidence, that goes
to contradid them.
If I confider the progrefs of this Gofpel, I find
'tis altogether Miraculous, not only becaufe the
Apoftles who propagated this Dodrine had the
Power of Miracles conferred on them by this
Jefus, which proves him to have been in the form
of God; but becaufe in lefs than 200 Years, with
out Force or Arms, in defpite of Sword and- Fire,
and the direft Torments, it fpread over all the
known World. That the Mahometan Religion
made a flupendious progrefs, after its Rife, is not
denied ; but he that fhall refled on the Means
whereby it enlarged its Power, viz. by Sword
and Violence, by depopulating Countries, by kil
ling

CONSIDERATION. 261
ling and murdering all that refifted, will judge it
rofe from Hell, rather than it came down from
Heaven. But I find the Gofpel fpread to a Pro
digy, only by innocence and patience ; by doing
Good, and fuffering Evil, the proper Arms of
Heaven. No force was put upon Men, but what
Came from dcmonftration of the Spirit ; and that
9000 Men, in 2 or 3 days time, fliould be captivat
ed by it, is to me as great a Wonder, as St. Peter's
bidding the lame Man take up his Bed and walk.
I fee, how in difpute of all the Arms and Stra
tagems the Devil could invent to flop its Pro
grefs, in difpute of all the Endeavours of Nero,'
Domitian, Trajan, Decius, Dioclejian, to root it
out, it mock'd their Rage and Fury. I find how
the Blood of Martyrs, that was fpilt this Day,
brought forth a greater number of Confeffors the
next; and Multitudes of Chriftians, that were
facrificed this Week, were feconded by a greater
Army in a few Days after, and Men feemed to
glory in being ' defigned for Death, and ferving
as Apprentices of Martyrdom ; and tho' here
and there a Mahometan may die for his Religi
on, yet fuch a Number of Martyrs no Religion
can ffiew : And what can I think of fo many
Myriads Pf Men, that being offered Eafe, Plen
ty, Riches, Honours, Preferments, defpifed
them all, and would fuffer the moft exquifite
Tortures, which the Executioners themfelves
trembled at, and which made the very Heathen
Bnifh, (fo great was the Inhumanity,) rather
man deny 'that Dodrine, which they had upon
indubitable Teftimonies received as Divine ?
What can I think, I fay, of thefe Men, but that
S 3 they

161 The Great Law of
they had fufficiently fearched into the Truth of
this Gofpel ; and were moft certainly afiured, that
it was the Word and Will of God ; and that this
Jefus would moft certainly fulfil his Promifes to
them, and give them eternal Life, if they could
be content to lofe their Lives on Earth for his
Sake; That fo many Hundred thoufand Men,
many of them Learned, and Wife, and of Noble
Blood, and ingenious Education, fhould throw
away. their Lives in a Humour, without very,
good Ground that what they believed was really
Divine, and could not be fo, is a Thing fo in
credible, that thofe who can think fo, difcover
themfelves to be the moft credulous Dunces in
the World-
I read, how in and about Chrift's Time, either
juft before his Coming, or fhortly after his De
parting out of this World, by Confeffion of the
Heathens themfelves ( for Porphyrias, as bitter
an Enemy as ever Chriftianity had among Phi
lofophers, acknowledges fo much ) the Hea
then Oracles, and the Voices of Devils, ceafed,
And can I think, the Devil would have left de
luding the World, by his - ambiguous Oracles,
gone off of the ftage voluntarily and quietly, ex
cept he had been forced and compelled to it by
this prodigious Perfon, whom God fent into the .
World to reveal his Glory ? Certainly it could
not be one that was mere Man, whom thefe Evil
Spirits would have veiled and bowed to; with
out he had been more than Man, they woulc
have difputed their Power, and maintained the; ¦
PofTefiion, and defended their Univerfal Empire, and

CONSIDERATION. 263
and made Men know, that the Arm of flefh was
a very inconfiderable Weapon to controul, or de
throne the Rulers of the Darknefs of this World,
and fcorned to give fuch a cowardly Oracle, as he
did to Augufius Caj'ar ; Me Pucr Hebraus, &c.
" The Hebrew Boy doth drive me out, and
" commands me Silence.
I find, where-ever this Gofpel came, the Devil
fled away ; this deftroyed his Service, Priefts, and
Altars, and the Gates of Hell could not withftand
it ; nor can I fee which Way the Gofpel could
have effeded all this, without its Power and Ef
ficacy had been Divine.
I read, what ftrange Alterations it made upon
all Peoples Tempers, Difpofitions, and Affedi
ons, who embraced it ; what fhould make fo ma
ny great Men, fo many fubtil Philofophers, fo
many learned Men, fo many Sages, Men of the
greateft Wit, and Judgment, and Apprehenfion,
both in the Eaftern and Weftern Empire, yield
and fubmit to it, and throw away their vain
Philofophical Learning, and humble themfelves
to the Crofs of Chrifi, except they had feen the
Stamp of God upon it ? I find, that the greateft
Orators, and Logicians, and the ableft Difpu-
tants, that came with an intent to deride it,
were captivated, and conquered by it, and fub-
mitted to its Laws and Dodrines; and as un
learned, and unfkilful, as the Men were that de
fended it againft their Subtilty, yet they were
forced to yield to them; and to cry out, That
they were overcome, and baffled. The Change
it wrought upon Peoples Spirits, was won
drous ftrange; the Cholerick, the EnviPus, the
S 4 Drunk-

264 The Great Law of .
Drunkard, the Fornicator, the Adulterer, the
Worldling, the Oppreffor, the Timorous, the
Pufilanimous, were in a fudden transformed into
Love, Meeknefs, Sobriety, Chaftity, Tempe
rance, Charity, Liberality, Fortitude, and Mag
nanimity ; and they that before trembled at the
Thoughts of Fire and wild Beafts, offered them
felves to Flames, and took it ill, if they were put
by, and deprived of the Honour of Riding in
fuch Fiery Cha/ let: to Heaven.
Nay, I fee at this Day, how wonderfully it
works on the Souls of Men, makes them ad a-
gainft their natural Inclinations, without any. pro
fped of temporal Intereft, go againft the Bids of
their Corruptions, and flop in their Career to
Hell ; which they were running tq with moft ea
ger appetite. I fee how it makes them hate that
evil Company they formerly delighted in, and
how infipid it renders all the Jefts of their old
Affociates; how it makes them love their Ene
mies, do good to them that hate them, pray for
them that perfecute them, and defpitefully ufe
them ; how it makes them live above Senfe, and
feek their greateft Satisfadion in the Ways and
Ordinances of God. In a Word, how from Beafts
it changes them into Men ; and from Men into
more than Men. And what can I aferibe all this
to, but to a Divine Spirit, that by his Gofpel fub-*
dues the Hearts, and brings the Lufts and Affe
dions of Men into Obedience to Chrift Jefus :
And tho' there be Religious Men among other
Seds, as Jews, Heathens and Mahometans, yet
is their Piety rather outward than inward ; and
whatever fhew they may make . of Self denials and

CONSIDERATION. 265
and Mortifications, their Flearts are not changed
all the While by force of their Dodrines, which
yet we fee daily pradifed in our Chriftian Con
gregations, whereof none can give fo good an
Account as Divines that difcourfe People about
their Spiritual Concerns.
He that fhall take fuch Arguments as thefe into
ferious Confideration, may eafily fatisfie himfelf,
that in thefe Volumes is contained the true Will
of God; at leaft, that this, of all Things extant, is
moft likely to be the Will of God, nothing in
Nature having thofe Circumfiances, and Cha-
raders, and Teftimonies of a Divine Original,
as the Rules contained in thefe Books we call
the Bible have; and whatever feeming Contradi-
dions and Tautologies may be found there, to
a confiderate Man it would appear, that as long
as the main Thing, the true Way to Happinefs, is
fecured, fuch accidental Things, as Frequency
of the fame Expreffions, and Chronological Mi-
flakes, committed by the various Tranfcribers,
maybe paffed by without Offence: That many
Things which have feem'4 Contradidions, upon
examination of the Cuftoms and Circumfiances
of the Age thefe Books were written in, have
been found no Contradidions; and that thus it
may be in all the reft, if we knew all thofe Ways
of fpeaking and reckoning, and naming Things,
and all the proverbial Expreffions then in ufe ;
That in the fubftantial Things of thefe Books
there hath been no Alteration or Corruption,
for fo many Ages together; and that the
plain Way of writing ufed here, and repeating
the feme Things often, doth but argue honeft Sim-^

266 The Great Law of
Simplicity, and want of Guile, and Unwillingnefs,
to impofe upon the World in thofe that have
written thofe Books ; and that though fome Paf-
fages recorded in them feem to us fuperfluous,
and needlefs, as that of Jacob, and Rachel, and
Leah, yet the facred Writer might have peculiar
and very Weighty Reafons for it, and defign it as
an Allegory, to reprefent fome other Myflery, as
we fee St. Paul affirms of Abraham, and Sarah,
and Hagar, Gal. 4. 24.
And as Confideration would chafe away Infi
delity of this Nature, fo the want of it, we find,
makes Men Sots and Beafts, and talk againft
Things they underftand not, and cavil at Things
moft Sacred, and full of Reafon, and Majefty.
This is it makes them break Jefts on that which
they ought to bow to, and fpeak lightly of thofe
Myfteries which require and challenge their
greateft Veneration.
This, 2dly, is the Reafon which makes the
fenfual Man queftion another World. He confi-
ders not what a Divine Angelical Spirit is with
in him, nor how improbable it is that the Ratio
nal Part of himfelf ( a Thing certainly diftind
from his Body, and which confifts not of Matter
capable of Corruption, and can voluntarily
move itfelf, and think, which Matter cannot
do) fhould perifh as the Beafts of the Field,
would he but confider how this Notion of an
After-retribution is fpread all the foberer World
over; and tho' all do not agree in the Manner
of the Souls furviving, fome being for Ti'anf-
migration, as Pythagoras, and the Brachmanes iD

CONSIDERATION. 267
in the Indies ; others, for its ading in an airy
Vehicle during the ftate of Separation; yet
moft agree in this, whatever doubtful Expref
fions might drop from Socrates, Seneca, and o-
thers, That 'tis fenfible either of God's Love, or
heavy Difpleafure, and its Nature immortal :
And certainly this Notion muft have a Begin
ning; fomething or other did oecafion it in
Mens Minds; The ufual Plea, that Politicians
did invent it to reftrain Men from fecret Vil-
lanies which they faw prefent Punifhments
would not do, feems to be ftrangely imperti
nent; for, not to mention that there was never
any Hiftory in the World that we could hear
of, that gave us an account of fuch a Thing, or
of the Beginning of it, we cannot fuppofe that
thefe Politicians, if they were wife Men, and
expeded to fee the Fruit of their Labours,
would ever have adventured to plant this No
tion of a future Judgment in Mens Under
ftandings, had not they either believed, and
bgen perfwaded that there was a poffibility of
fuch an After-retribution, and that the Notion
was very fuitable and agreeable to Man's Rea
fon ; or obferved, that there was in moft Men
a very great Inclination to believe it, elfe they
might as well have perfwaded the World that
Black is White, or that 'tis, better to be blind
than to fee ; Maxims, which would have ex-
pofed them to Scorn and Contempt. And
whence fhould this Suitablenefs of the Notion
to Man's Reafon, or that eafie clofing of the
Soul with the Notion, or Mens Readinefs to em
brace the Notion upon the firft Hearing of it,
come?

268 TJjc Great Law of
come ? Whence can all this be, . but from the
ftamp and impreffion the great Creator hath
made on the Hearts of Men, when firft he
gave them a Being in the World ? Nor can we
think fo mean of this firft Caufe, as to fuppofe
that he made this Notion fo fuitable to the ra
tional Soul of Man, or endued the Souls of
Men with a Pronenefs to entertain it, without
there had been really fuch a Thing as a future
Retribution; elfe it would follow, That this Su
preme Being had given us a Pronenefs to be
lieve a Lye, or a Thing which is not, and con
fequently impofed and put a Cheat upon his
Creatures, which is equally abfurd and blafphe-
mous. Nor could melancholy Men be the firft Broach-
ers of it, as is pretended by fome; for we do
not find that melancholy Fancies do ordinarily
fpread fo much. Should a melancholick Man
fancy a Country where Men go upon their
Heads, and write a very large Book concerning
the Situation, Nature, Temperature, Manners,
andCuftoms of it, who would give Credit to his
Defcription ? He that fancies he fees fuch and
fuch Things in the Air, or in his Houfe, or en
tertains Notions that are out of the common
Road, gets but very few to imitate or to follow
him, or to think as he doth. But this Belief
of an After-retribution takes Poffeffion of the
greateft and learnedeft Men, nay, the moft airy
Conftitutions embrace it, Men of all Com
plexions and Tempers imbibe and cherifli it,
and they cannot ftand out againft the Notion,
it appears fo reafonable ; fo that ftill we muft have

CONSIDERATION. 269
have Recourfe to him that firft made Man, and
made this Notion fo agreeable to his Reafon;
and this he would not, could not have done, if
fuch a Thing had never been intended ; tho' Ap
paritions, Ghofls, and Spedres, are laugh'd at by
fome as Dreams and Gulleries, yet that doth not
controul the Experience of judicious and unbiaf-
fed Men in all Ages, who have both feen and
fpoken with thofe Inhabitants of the other World, .
and received from thence very dreadful accounts
of its Retributions.
Would the fenfual Wretch but ruminate upon
thefe Circumfiances, the Confideration would
confound his foolifh Principles, and childifh
Conclufions ; would he . but take Time to con
fider how hard a Matter it is to eradicate this
Notion out of the Mind after it has once taken
Root there, what pains fome daring Men are
forced to ufe to lift or ejed this Principle out of
their Souls ; how they are forced to drink and
fwear to be rid of it ; how they muft turn Beafts
to unman themfelves ; turn Day into Night, and
Night into Day; carefs all forts of Temptations.,;
make themfelves flaves to their Lufts ; court
the vileft of Mankind ; feek out jovial Society ;
run thro' a perfed Difcipline of Vice; are afraid
to be alone ; are ever in a hurry ; dare not
make ufe of their Reafon ; are forced to banifh
all ferious Thoughts; are conftrained to enter
tain all that's light and frothy ; encourage them-.
felves in nothing but Senfuality ; avoid all fo
ber and grave Difcourfes; be always in the
Noife of Drums and Trumpets, I mean in the
Noife of idle Tales and Divertifements ; damp all

270 The Great Lazv of
all the Checks of their own Confciences ; read
Plays and Romances ; and bufie themfelves about"
nothing but Trifles, Things that School-Boys
would be afhamed of, and all this to root out
this one poor Notion of an After-judgment; and
yet when they have dpne all this, debauched their
Virtuous Principles, ruined Nature, dethroned
their Reafon, made themfelves greater Slaves to
the Devil, poifibly, than the Devil would have
them to be; they cannot totally banifh it, it will
come again and fright them ; and the Notion
fticks fo clofe, is fo rivetted into the Soul, that
neither the Blood of the Grapes, nor all the Fro-
licks and Merriments they can think of, nOr all
the Miftreffes arid Strumpets in the World can
totally blot out and deface it.
Would he but confider all this, an eafie Mat
ter would make him conclude, if there be no
fuch Thing, and nothing but Education pro
duces and caufes thofe needlefs Apprehenfions
of an After- Judgment, then why is it fo hard a
Matter to eradicate this Nothing ? 'Tis true,
Superftition is as hard to get out of the Bones
as this Notion ; but fince it is for this' Notions
fake that Men embrace Superftition, the
Queftion may lawfully be aflced. One would
think, if it ftands for a Cypher only, it fhould
be no hard Matter to unravel Education ; for
a Vice, I fee, tho* it become a fecond Nature,
may be unlearn't by Degrees ; but this Notion
of an After-Judgment, tho' the Sinner may
fupprefs and fmother it for fome Time, yet
that it fliould break out again, and when
the Wretch thinks -he hath conquered it,
fhould

CONSIDERATION. 271
fhould return with greater Violence, nay, beat
fo much ftronger upon the Mind, by how much
more a Man ftrives to put it out, as if it would
not be denied, and would have Admittance in
defpight of all Oppofition, and mocked all the
Weapons that Nature, and the Wit of Man, can
ufe againft it : This fure makes it more than
probable, that it is a Plant which God himfelf
hath planted in the Soul.
Richard the Third cared for Religion as lit
tle as any Man in the. World could do ; nay, his
Murders, Bloodflieds, Wrongs, Injuries he did,
and which were fo familiar to him, fhew he nei
ther believed another World, nor dreaded it ;
yet. the Night before Bofwortb Field Fight,
he dream'd that all the Devils in Hell were
gnawing and tearing of him ; which did not
a little difcompofe him when he awaked.
Indeed, faith the Hiftorian, This was not
fo much a Dream, as an evil Confcience,
which foreboded an All-revenging Arm, affoon
as his Soul fhould enter into the Region of Spi
rits. Would the Sinner confider with himfelf, I be
lieve there is a God, and I cannot but allow that
God impartial Juftice : To deny him this, is to
deny him Perfedion, and confequently to deny
his Being; for the Notion of God implies abfo
lute Perfedion: If this God be Juft, how fliall I
judge of his Juftice ? I have no .other Rule, to
go by, but that Juftice, which all Mankind be
lieves to be Juftice. If God be our Governor, ( as
certainly none hath a greater Right to it, becaufe
in him we live, and breathe, and have our Being )
he

if i The Great Law of
he cannot but be a righteous Governor; and
how can he be a righteous Governor, without;
diftributive Juftice, without making a juft diffe
rence by Rewards and Punifliments between
the Obedient and Difobedient ? And when I
fee God makes no juft difference in this Life by
Rewards and Punifliments, between thofe that
ferve him, and thofe that defpife and contemn
his Will ; What can I conclude, but that he
intends to make it in the Life to come, or af
ter this Life is ended ? Which Way he intends
to do it, though it is not material for me to
know, yet finding my Soul capable of Joy and
Mifery here, of Peace and Anguifh, I can eafi-
ly conceive that this Soul I carry with rae, will
be the principal Subjedt of the Joys or Miferies
hereafter. He is moft certainly able to pre
ferve that Soul, which he hath made capable
of being governed by Moral Laws and Pre
cepts, and to be wrought upon by Moral Per-
fwafions into Obedience to his Laws : He is
moft certainly able, I fay, to keep our Souls
in Being, even when they leave the Earthly
Tabernacle of their Bodies, and to punifh or re
ward them according to their Worfe j thefe
Souls being the principal Ageiits in Good" or E-
vil. And he that was able to create the Body,
is certainly able to raife it again and unite it to
the Soul, that fo both may participate of the fame
Fate. Nay, the neceffity of thefe After-rewards
and Punifliments enforce a Neceffity, at leaft,
of God's preferving the Soul for thefe Rewards
and Punifliments ; and what Way foever God
hath to preferve our Intelledual Part after
Death,

CONSIDERATION. 273
Death, 'tis enough to me, or to any rational Man,
that according to the Notion and Apprehenfion
We have of Juftice, he cannot be Juft, without
he doth preferve it, either for Reward, or Pu-
nifhment. For, that God doth riot fufficiently reward and
punifli Men in this Life, daily Experience gives
fuflkient Teftinionies. The Wickedeft of Men,
are, very often, the greatPfl in the World ; and
thofe that opprefs fuch as truly fear God, fwim
in -all Manner of Plenty and Eafe, and Riches
and Honour, And tho' it is true, that fuch Men
have Sicknefs, and die, yet thofe are Things
common tP Good and Bad, and can be thought
tto juft differencing Retributions. Thofe that
make it their Bufinefs to obferve God's Laws*
labour to approve themfelves his moft obedi
ent Subjeds, and his moft faithful Servants,
ordinarily fuffer great Injuries, are unjuftly
arraigned, Condemned, executed; undergo tor
tures of cruel Moekings, of Scourgings, of
flonds, of Iniprifonments ; witnefs die Saints of
the Three firft Centuries j Who with all their
ftridnefs and circumfped Walking with God,
got nothing vifibly, but Gibbits, and Gallows,
and.Racks, and Wheels, and Flames, and Tor
tures, and Dungeons : And their Accufers, or
Judges, may be, have all that Heart can wifh ;
their Eyes ftand out with Fatnefs, neither are
they plagued like Other Men ; or if they be
fometimes afilided, the Afflidion is not at all
anfwerable to the Horridiiefs of the Crimes they
«ommit<
t tloW

274 lfje ^veax juaw oj
How gently do many of thefe Monfters die
upon their Beds, no Lamp expires more leifurely
than their Breath; while the other, that meditates
in God's Law Day and Night, dies with DifgmcL-
and Shame, or is moft barbaroufly murdered, and
butchered. Can I look upon all thefe Paffages and
Occurrences, and not conclude another World ?
I muft either conclude, there is no Governor of
the World, or if there be one, that Governor
will certainly find a Time, if not here, yet here
after, to manifeft his Juftice, to reward the In
nocent, and to punifh thofe that bid defiance to
Heaven. It was therefore rationally faid of Fre
derick the Emperor, hearing that a Nobleman in
one of his Provinces, a Man who had denied
himfelf nothing that his fenfual Appetite did
crave, lived all his time, fo far as his Nature was
able to bear it, in Gluttony, Drunkennefs, Forni
cation, Adultery, Oppreffion, Injuftice, and had
committed feveral Murders too, and had never
been fick, and died at laft, after 95 Years Abode
in the World, of mere old Age, quietly, foftly,
without any Pain, or Difturbance, That either
there muft be no God, or there muft be another
World, where this licentious Wretch muft be
punifhed. Either Man is a nobler Creature than a Beaft,
or he is not ; if he be not, what means his Rea
fon, his Speech, his Power, to exprefs his Mind,
and to examine '#he Nature, Manner, Ends, Caufi-
es, and Defigns of all Things, his Dominion over
all the Beafts of the Earth, &c. If he be, we
muft not affirm that of him, which will certainly
declare him more miferable than the Beafts, whofe

CONSIDERATION. 275
whofe Spirits go downwards. If there be no o-
ther World, 'no Judgment to cofne, no after-re
tribution, why is Man pofleffed With the fear of it?
This Fear is a thing of that confequence, and hath
fo great an Influence upon Mens lives, that from
that fear, according as Creatures are either pof-
ifeffed with it, or want it, they may juftly be called
either happy or miferable, Beafts, I fee, are not
capable of thefe Fears, aAd confequent-ly-cannot
be difliirbed With the Apprehenfion of fome
Things, and therefore muft neceffarily -be mOre
happy and nobler Creatures than Men-- who are
not only capable of fuch Apprehenfions", but, by
a 'natural Inftind, feed and cnerifh,fuch Thoughts
as- thefe;And cari there be any Thing more abfurd, thari
to call an Ox, or Lion, or Elephant, a nobler
Creature than Man? 'And yet this muft ne
ceffarily follow, if there be no other World;
Man would be the moft miferable Creature in
the World, beirig fo apt tO: be tormented with
thofe Fears, 'if he did did into Annihilation : And
he might' juftly wifh1 himfelf a Beaft, and lariiefit
that God had' put fuch a Clog to all his Delights
f arid Merriments, and accufe his Maker of Inju
ftice, or Cruelty, for frighting, or poffe-ffing him
'With Tears of' that which never -was, nor is, «or
will be.
Such Conftdferations, ctnd paufing upon thj|_
point iii cool/Blood, wptild moft certaihly fatisfidH
aiiy rational, impartial Man,- and deliver hihi-h
from , halting between two Opinions, and' con
vince him, that he doth not ceafe to be when he
<fe; that there is a juft Judge; that he will" iri a
•; T 2 fhort

276 The Great Law of
fhort time find it by woeful Experience, if a feri
ous return to God prevent it not, and that when
the jolly Sinner banifhes all Thoughts and Con
templations of this Nature from his Mind, he
turns Monfter, challenging Devils, yea worfe
than Devils, for the Devils believe a World to
come, and tremble ; and it is merely want of
Confideration makes him fo.
3. The fame Defed makes him wonder at the
Malapertnefs and Impertinence of Divines, that,
in every Sermon almoft, pronounce Eternal
Flames to be a due and juft punifliment for Tem
poral Sins.
Let the vain Man but call his Thoughts toge
ther, and fummon his Underftanding, to take a
View of fuch Topicks as thefe. Why fhould I
think it incongruous to God's Juftice, to punifh
Sins committed here, with an Eternity of Pain
and Anguifh? Hath not he Power to do with '
his own what he pleafeth? May not he af- ?
•fright ftubborn Sinners with what Punifliment 1
he hath a mind to ? It is not every Infirmity, t
every accidental Error, every Ignorance, every :
little Fault that this Eternity of Anguifh is:
threatned to, but a wilful Ignorance, cuftoma- *
ry Sinning, ftubborn Difohedience, habitual r;
Rebellion. Had a Servant to whom I were as ;t
kind as to my own Child, whom I had raifed j
out of the Duft, and heaped innumerable Fa-sn
vours upon, and promifed.all my Eftate to, af-:
ter fome few Years Service";^ and fliould that Ser-Sj
vant, inftead of Honouring of me, Defpife me:;;
wherever he, conies ; inftead of Obeying me,,-(
Laugh at my reafonable Commands ; inftead of;,
Work- 1,

CONSIDERATION. 277
Working, play his Time away; inftead of going
to the Place I fend him to, run to Brothel-houfes
or Taverns ; inftead of Loving me, Hate me, and
Affront me, flight both my adual Kindneffes,
and my future Smiles; and notwithftanding my
continual Exhortations to another Courfe of
Life, continue wilfully in the Way he hath begun,
merely to gratifie his foolifh Lufts ; and when
he is convinced too of the Unreafonablenefs of
his Doings, knows it is Ingratitude in the higheft
Degree, and yet will be guilty of it; and when
he might do other wife, only out of Malice, and
to vindicate his own Humour, refolves againft
it; What Punifliment can there be too great
for fuch a Wretch ?
Were this mine, or my Neighbour's Cafe, we
fhould certainly doom fuch a Monfter to all the
¦ Tortures that Severity can invent, or inflid ;
and why fliould I have any hard Thoughts of
God, for punifhing the Sinners ingratitude with
Eternal pain or lofs, an ingratitude fo great, all
Things confidered, that the worft Returns one
Man can make -to another, cannot fufficiently
exprefs the horror and vilenefs of it; and tho'
God ought to be looked upon as a Being of in
finite Love and Benignity to his Creatures, yet,
what a Monfter doth he make himfelf, that
throws Dirt upon infinite Beauty and Excellen
cy? God, for. ought I fee, in condemning wilful
Sinners to eternal Mifery, gives them but their
own Choice ; and if that old Saying be true, Fo-
lenti non fit injuria ; To him that's willing, can
be done no Injury ; God certainly cannot be ac-
T 3 cufed

278 The Great Law of
cufed of Cruelty, for he gives the ftubborn Sin
ner but that, which he did deliberately pitch up-=
on, and affeded; and tho' no Man doth ordina
rily chufe Punifliment, much lefs everlafting Ca
lamity, for its own felf, yet as long as they do
with vehement Affedion long after that, which
hath this Calamity infeparably annexed, we juft
ly fuppofe, that they agree to fuffer that Cala
mity, as well as to enjoy the Thing, which is the
others infeparable Companion. He that is cer
tain, that the fined of fuch an Herb, or Flower,
is poifonous, and will kill him ; if notwithftan
ding this Convidion, he will fmell to it ; 'tis ap
parent that he makes Choice of his Death and
Ruin ; and tho' it may be replied, That while the
Sinner doth fo he is no better than diftraded ;
and who will punifh a Mad-man for affronting
him ? Yet it is fuch a Madnefs, as he may eafily
cure himfelf of, if he be not unwilling; and the
Madnefs is the more inexcufable, becaufe Rea
fon is wilfully turned out of Doors, and he ra
ther feigns himfelf mad, than is fo.
There is not a Sinner, that lives under the
Gofpel, but he muft know, that he who doth
not pradically believe the Gofpel, or, which is
all one, lives in wilful contempt of the Laws of
the Gofpel, fliall certainly he- damned; for the
Gofpel is fo full of thefe Threatnings, that he that
doth but come to any Place, where this Word
of Life is preached, if he be not deaf, muft ne
ceffarily hear it; nay, if he will btit make the
leaft enquiry, and fet himfelf to confider feri-
oufly, whether that Gofpel be of God or no,
he cannot but find, that it is the Son of God, even

CONSIDERATION. 279
even he, who can affoon lofe his Being, as tell a
Lye, that hath, with all the Proteftations imagi
nable, threatned this everlafting Condemnation,
to Men, that are refolved to prefer Satisfadion of
their Lufts, before all his wifeft and wholefome
Precepts. This being known by all that have any Reafon
or Underftanding, as much as that Felony, or Bur
glary, is Death by the Law, if in defpight of this
Knowledge, and Perfwafion, and the hard-heart
ed Wretch will venture upon a Life of Difobedi-
dience and Contempt, to which Damnation is in-
feparably annexed; and rather than leave off, will
make God contradid himfelf, ad contrary to his
Threatnings, falfifie his Word, as if he intended
not to do what he faith: What can I think, but
that the vain Man is in love with his own Eter
nal Deftrudion ?
In love with it? So one would think, that fees
him drive to everlafting Death, as furioufly as
Jehu did to Jezreel, and make more hafte to
invade the Gates of Hell, than Elijah, for all
his fiery Chariot, did, to get to Heaven. The
Man that runs through Swords and Daggers,
breaks down Walls and Fences, poifons the
Principles of Sobriety Providence hath lodged
in his Breaft, ftrailgles the kind Suggeftions of
his own Confcience, cracks the Bolts and Bars
of a virtuous Education, feeks out Dangers, and
precipitates himfelf into them, and with the
noife of his Riot, ftrives to overcome the Calls
of the Holy G.hdft within; defies all prefent
Convidions ; difregards the Groans, and Cries,
alid Tears, and Wounds of a crucified Saviour,
T 4 that

280 The Great Law of
that would keep him from being undone ; van^
quifhes God's Methods to catch him into Re
pentance ; breaks through all the Prohibitions
of the Gofpel, through Vows, and Promifes,
and Sacraments, and moft folemn Engagements :
Charges all the Threatnings of a jealous God,
and fights his Way through Rocks of Oppofiri-
ons, and ali to get to Hell and Damnation, fure
makes that his Choice; and if fo, God doth
him no Injury in giving him his own Hearts
Defire, A fheep, or a horfe, certainly can never coun-^
terballance the Life of a Man ; how fhould it,
when Man is worth more than a World, and all
things are put under his Feet, all Sheep and Oxen,
and the Beafts of the Field, the Fowls of the Air,
and the Fifh of the Sea, and whatfoever pafles
through the Paths of the Sea ? Yet he that
knows he fhall be hanged if he ileal either, and
will, in defpight of the Penalty, venture merely
to gratifie his fickly Fancy, juftly fuffers the Pu
nifliment, which feems to bear no Proportion
with the Things, he flole ; the Juftice of the Pu-.
nifliment is founded in the Malefador's Choice,
and fo we find it in the cafe before us ; the Blef
fing and the Curfe is laid before the fenfual
Man, Life and Death are propofed to him, he's.
put to his Choice, which of thefe he'll have:
He freely and wilfully chiifes Death and the
Curfes, maugre all that God, or his Angels,
or his Minifters, can fay to the contrary; and it
is but juft, fince he thus fights againft God,
and feems refolved to crofs all God's Endea-
yours to purifie and turn him, and will have his,

CONSIDERATION. 281
his Wrath and Indignation, andfcornshis Mercy;
God fhould let him have that Fire and Brimftone,
which is the Portion of the Sinner's Cup, and
which he is fo very greedy after, as if he were a-
fraid he fhould never be fo happy, as to obtain or
be Mafter of it.
Indeed, the more I think of it, the more I
find, that it is not God fo much that condemns
fiim to Eternal Mifery, as the Sinner himfelf.
'Tis he that's thus barbarous to his own Soul,
and adjudges himfelf to that Worm which dies
not. He kiffes that confuming Fire, as if it were
the Light of Gods Countenance, and feems to en
vy the Devils their Happinefs, he doth fo long to
be a fharer of it. He fnatches Damnation out of
the Hands of God's Juftice, and while God offers
to keep it from him, makes a long Arm to reach
it. God, alas ! doth do what he can to fave him, his
Bowels yearn over him, and nothing would
pleafe him more than to fee his penetential Tears.
He is ready, with the good Father, fuke 15. 20. to
run, and to have compaffion on him, affoon as
he doth but refolve to leave the Kingdom of
Darknefs ; even, that God, who would have all
Men to be faved, and come to the Knowledge of
the Truth : He waits to be gracious, and juftly
expeds that the Vineyard, on which he hath be
ftowed great coft and pains, fhould bring forth
Grapes. He doth not afflid the Children of Men
willingly, he delights not in their Tortures. He
dehorts and difcourages them from being accef-
fary to their own Ruin. He profeffes, that in all
their Affiidion he is afffided ; and that when he
doth

2 82 The Great Law of
doth afflid them, it is becaufe there is no likely
way befides to bring them to a fenfe of their Duty.
He gives them time and fpace to repent; he caref
fes them with his Heaven ; he can do no lefs in
Juftice, than prepare a Hell for the ftubborn Of
fender ; this is the only way to vindicate the Ho
nour of his Law : But then he would have him
fhun that Tophet, and walk in the way that leads
to Life, and promifes him to rejoice over his Re
pentance, and to crown Jiis ferious Endeavours
with all that's rich and glorious. All the Mercies,
Afflidions, Judgments, Providences he fends up
on him, are to diffwade him from walking in the
Way to Deftrudion; he wooes the proud Crea
ture to his dying Day, and ftands between him and
eternal Anguifh, while the Wretch faucily thrufts
the eternal God away, and will ftorm the fatal
Gate; God would hold him, but he breaks loofe
from him, and flings himfelf into the Devil's
Arms; and then, fure it is not God fo much that
condemns him to everlafting Horrour and An
guifh, as himfelf.
But if it were riot fo, that there is fuch a Punifli
ment threatned in the Gofpel, is beyond difpute.
All the Evangelifts, all the Apoftles of our Lord,
and what is more, our Lord himfelf fpake of it,
and knowing the Terrors of the Lord, they warn
every Man. And his Threatning, to be fure, is
not like the Ceremonial Law, which was but a
fhadow of Things to come, and fo fell of itfelf,
when the fubftance appear'd. In this Threatning
there are no Types, and therefore we can look
for no Abolition; this is God's peremptory deter
mination,, this Way he is unalterably refolv'd to
pro-

' CONSIDERATION. 283
proceed ; and moft certainly God is not a Man
that he fhould lie, or the Son of Man that he
fhould repent ; His Word is engaged, and the
Honour of his Veracity concerned, to fee this
Threatning executed; fhould God difpenfe with
it, it would follow, that God either did not
know what he did when he made this Sandion,
or that he repents of it as unjuft, or that he did
not forefee the Inconveniences which were like
to enfue upon the Execution of this Threatning ;
all which Confequences are monftroufly abfurd
and uryeafonable.
The Terms and Conditions upon which eter
nal Salvation is fo offered, are fo reafonable, and
fo juft, and, I may fay, fo eafie, that the wil
ful Negled of them deferves no lefs, than Lofs
of the great Salvation God offers ; eafie they
are, moft certainly, compared with the labori
ous Service of the Devil ; eafie to him that is
experimentally acquainted with the Love of
God, and hath tafted the Sweetnefs of Com
munion with God; eafie to him that through
long Pradice hath made them natural to him
felf, made them part of his Temper, and rivet
ted them into his very Inclinations : Were the
Conditions God requires, in order to everlaft
ing Blifs, attended with unconquerable Diffi
culties; did God require a thoufand Rivers of
Oil, or the Sacrifice of our Firft-born, or drag
ging the Cattle upon a Thoufand Hills to his
Altar ; did he require us to wade thro' flinking
Ditches full of Leeches and venemous Crea
tures, as the Enemy of Mankind is faid to ad
vife fome of the Indians; did he enjoin us to
fuffer

284 The Great Law of
fuffer our felves to be crufhed to Death under
Chariot Wheels, as fome of the Heathens of In-
dofian do, out of Refped to their Idol Jagan-
nath ; indeed then, to negled this promifed Fe
licity would admit of fome Excufe, the Diffi
culty of the Enterprize would qualifie the
Crime, and the Omiffion be capable of fome
flight Apology.
But when God requires no more than a pra-
dical Belief and Submiflion to thofe Rules, his
Son came down from Heaven to teach us, the
Obfervance whereof advances our Temporal In
tereft, as well as our Spiritual ; keeps us in health,
and in good temper; makes us live quietly, and
contentedly, even in this prefent World, where
the Duty is Profit, and Obedience brings its pre
fent Reward with it, there to flight an incorrup
tible Crown of Glory, common Reafon will tell
us that we juftly lofe it. He that will not ac
cept of the greateft Treafure imaginable, if he
may have it but for afking, we our felves confefs
'tis Pity he fhould ever enjoy it ; and then when
nothing but good Manners are required, no Death
but that of our Extravagancies ; no flaying of
Beafts, except it be our Lufts ; no Offering, but
the Calves of our Lips ; no Sacrifice but that of
Prayer and Thankfgiving, and Self-refignation is
all the Trouble God defires us to be at in order to
endlefs Felicity: The Condition being fo facile,
fo equitable, we cannot, if we our felves were
to be the Judges, but acknowledge that we de-
ferve never to poffefs it,- if we defpife or negled
fo reafonable a Condition. The

CONSIDERATION. 285
The high quality of the Perfon offended, cer
tainly makes a Fault the greater ; he that kills a
King commits a greater Crime than he that kills
a Peafant; and if the Dignity of the Perfon inju
red aggravates the Sin, it may juftly aggravate
the Guilt and Punifliment too. And therefore he
that hath affronted his Prince and Sovereign de
ferves to live in Goal longer than he that hath
wronged his Equal or Inferior; and confequent
ly he that offends, and wilfully without need, and
nialicioufly, and for many Years, and in defpight
of all the Courtfhip of God's Minifters to leave
off, offends an Infinite, Eternal, Incomprehen-
fible God : Why fhould not the Offence amount
to a demerit of Infinite and Eternal Punifliments ?
Certain it is, that the obftinate Sinner flights an
Eternal Redemption ; and had he lived for c-
ver, he would, with all perad venture, have fin
ned for ever ; and fince the Man that would
have committed Treafon is defervedly execut
ed for Treafon, why fliould not he fuffer E-
ternally, who, if he had lived here to all Eter
nity, would have affronted God, and abufed him
to all Eternity ? The more I refled on the Na
ture of Sin, the more dreadful it appears to me.
Behold with a carelefs Eye it appears to be only
an Infirmity of Nature, a flight Wound of the
Soul, a fmall Crack in that tranfparent Glafs:
But taking a view of its Boldnefs, Sawcinefs and
Infolence, I find how it threatens Heaven : If I
think of God's Wifdom, I fee how Sin controuls
that, as if God had made very foolifh Laws to
govern Mankind by : If I ruminate on God's
Power, I fee how Sin mocks that as if all his.
Threat-

286 The Great Law of
Threatnings were but Bugbears, and God did
threaten more than he could perform : If I caft
my Eye upon God's truth and veracity, I fee how-
Sin would make him a Liar, changeable, unfaith
ful, inconftant to himfelf: If I take a View of his
Juftice, I fee how Sin would dafh and abolifh it;
for in that it makes the Sinner hope for impunity,
when he hath affronted his Maker as much as he
can, what doth it but enervate God's Righteouf
nefs, fhake off God's Government, and prompt
the Sinner to refift, and fight with him whofe Eyes
•are like flames of Fire, and whofe Feet are as Brafs
glowing in a Furnace; and that fuch a continual
Contempt of the Almighty fhould juftly and de-
fervedly pull down perpetual torments, is a thing
not at all contrary to reafon : Nay, for ought I fee,
the Sinner makes nothing of eternal Damnation
while he lives here ; the Lofs of 50 or 100 /: fhall
fright him more than everlafting Banifhment
from the gracious Prefence of Almighty God,
whereby he tacitely Gonfeffes, that the Punifli
ment is very flight and inconfiderable; and what
wrong doth God do him, in infliding a Punifli
ment upon him, which, by his own Acknowledg
ment, is fo trivial, and fo flight, that he'll fooner
endure it than the Lofs of a Friend or Relation ;
nay, riiany times wifhes for it in his common Dif
courfe, as if it were fome Pleafure to fee eternal
Flames about his Ears ; and tho' this may be called
Inadvertancy, yet it is fuch an Inadvertancy as
will make the Sinner blufli one Day, and clear
the Almightv, who inflids no more upon him
than a Flea-bite, for it feems he makes no more
of it, either in his Thought or Expreffions.
How

CONSIDERATION. 287
How foon would Confideration of fuch Argu
ments as thefe undeceive the worldly Wretch,
that talks he knows not what, when he finds
fault with God's dooming carelefs, wilful, ob-
ftinate Sinners to unquenchable Fire? But 'tis
want of Confideration makes his Difcourfe fo
loofe and wanton. 'Tis this makes him em
brace every little Conjedure about the fhort-
nefs of Flell Torments, before the folid Ar
guments, that evince an Eternity of God's
Difpleafure againft ftubborn Sinners : 'Tis this
makes him prefer a May-be before a Real
known Truth ; and the Man that makes Sport
with Eternal Mifery fhall be more acceptable
Company to him than the graveft and moft
judicious Divine, whofe Reafons he cannot an
fwer. Alas! Did the Drunkard, when he comes
to himfelf again, finite upon his Thigh, and
fay, What have I done ? How odious is this
Vice I indulge my felf in ? How like a Beaft
do I live ? How unworthy of that Reafon
which the wife Creator hath beftowed upon
me ? How unworthy of thofe Mercies I daily
enjoy ? How would many of the fober Hea
thens have fcorned a Temptation to fuch a
Sin? What a ftrange Creature would fuch a
Man as Zeno, the Heathen Philofopher, have ta
ken me to be, had he feen me fo difordered,
who reproved Antigonus fo fharply for this
Excefs ? What Follies and Extravagancies doth
it involve me in ? How do I proftitute and
expofe my felf to the Contempt and Scorn of
Men that know me ? How can I hear the A-
poftle

288 The iireat L*aw of
poftle proteft, that no Drunkard fhall enter in
to the Kingdom of God, and go on ! Will not
God take an Account one Day, and examine
how I have fpent my Time ; and can I fpend it
worfe than by exceeding irrational Creatures in
fenfuality? What Brute but a Swine would dis
order itfelf, as I do in my Body ? What can
I plead in excufe of fo foul a Crime ? Shall I
plead Natural Inclination, when nothing is a
greater Difgrace to my Nature than this Sin ?
Shall I fay, I am tempted to it, when my
yielding to the Temptation argues the greater
Weaknefs and Pufillanimity ? Shall I pretend
Cuftom, when I cannot look upon the Pidure
of a drunken Man without Deteftation ? And
can I ad that Folly which I cannot but abhor in
Portraidure ? How ridiculous does even my
drunken Companion feem to me, if either fick-
nefs, or fome other Accident, hath for a certain
Time kept me fober? To fee a Creature endow
ed with a Soul, which Devils envy, transfor
med into a ftrange Spedacle, a Mad-man, ra
ther than a Chriftian ; his Face pale, his
Eyes fvVelled, his Body reeling, his Mouth rail
ing, flandring and abufing both God and his
Neighbour ; his Refolutions defperate, his Inten
tions evil, his fenfual Appetite lawlefs and ungo-_
vernable, his Defires lafcivious and unclean,
his Adions diforderly, &c. To fee fo dif
mal a Sight, makes me admire, when my Rea
fon is clear, how 'tis .poffible for Men to be fo
wicked and foolifh, and yet do I wilfully fall in
to that, the Odioufnefs whereof moves my An
ger, and my Wonder ? How far greater is the
Glory

CONSIDERATION. 289
Glory of the Rechabites than of the Sodomites? And
had not I better be commended with the abfte-
mious Demofihenes, Diodes, Poleman^ and the Car
thaginians of old, than reproached with the loofe
and intemperate Anacreon, MelanBhon, Heracii-
des, Tiberius, and fuch Monfters of Mankind,
who valued themfelves upon their exceffive
Draughts, and rejoiced in Drink more than in
the moft virtuous Qualifications ? Is this renoun
cing the Devil and all his Works, as I vowed to
do in Baptifm ? Is this adorning the Gofpel of
my Saviour, as my Profeffion requires ? If I fear
not Hell-fire, Why do not I fear impoverifhing
of my felf and Family? How do I difpofe my felf
for all Manner of Sin, by this Enormity ? What
Crime is there that I am not fit for, when my
¦Reafon is overwhelmed with Drink ? How do I
knbezzel the Gifts of God, when I abufe his
Creatures thus? How do I pervert the end of
God's Bounty, when I make that to ruin and de
ftroy my Nature, which was intended to pre
ferve it? What Difficulty is there in leaving fo
grofs a Vice, which threatens fo much Mifchief
and Mifery? Need People be exhorted to pro
vide for their own Safety ? Need they Advice or
Council to do good to themfelves ? Is it fuch a
Pleafure to make a Pond of my Body ? Is it fuch
a pleafure, to be laughed at by all Men that main
tain Sobriety ? What hurt hath God ever done
me, that I fliould thus wilfully affront him ? How
foon might I vanquifh this fin, if I would in good
earneft refolve to be allured by my old Compani
ons no more ? And why fhould they be dearer
to me, than my God, my Soul, and a good Con-
U fcience ?

290 The Great Law of
fcience ? Will thefe Companions fave me, when
I come to die ? Will it not be far more comfort
able to have none of this Load to burthen and
opprefs my Soul ? What if God fhould ftrike
me dead in a drunken fit ? Doth not Dives his
calling for a Drop of Water to cool his burning
Tongue affright me ? How do I prepare for Dif-
eafes by this Vice ? And if there were no Hell,
no Judgment to come, how fhould the Difafters,
which attend this Sin, difcourage me ? What
if I fhould drop down in fuch a Pofture, and a-
wake in Hell ? Lord ! if neither the Plagues
which wait upon the Offence in this World, nor
the Terror of that which is to come, can dif-
fuade me ; how juftly may God pour out all the
Vials of his Wrath upon me ? How juftly may
he plunge me into the Red Sea of his Indigna
tion, and leave me to the Rage and Malice of
the Devil, whofe Voice and Suggeftions I do
now obey ?
Did the Sot but blow thofe Sparks of Reafon
he hath left, into fuch Confiderations as thefe,
how horrid, how naufeous, would the Sin ap
pear? But want of Confideration makes him
transform the Image of God, into the Image
of a Beaft, and makes him drink away the
Poor's Relief, and his own Eftate : This makes
him a Thief, for he robs the Poor, and fome
times his own Family, of that Suftenance and
Support he owes them, as he is a Man, and pre
tends to be a Chriftian : This is it makes
him laugh, when he fhould wifh for Rivers
of Tears, and for a Fountain of Water, to
deplore the Sadnefs of his Condition here, and

CONSIDERATION. 291
and the more dreadful State of his Soul hereaf=
ter. Did the Swearer but ferioufly confider, what a
foolifh, weak, fordid, and impertinent Thing it is,
to mingle Profanations of God's Name with his
Speeches, he would foon take Pains to avoid it,
and fet a muld upon himfelf for running upon the
fame Rock again. Would he but think, Good
God ! how irrationally do I ad ! If I believe there
is a God, what can I fancy that God to be ? Sure I
muft fancy him to be fuch a Deity as the Hea
thens Worfhipped, One deaf, and dumb, and blind j
a Deity of Brafs, or Stone, that I can fecurely play
withal ; a Deity that's not at all jealous of his Ho
nour and Glory, and can fit down under every
Affront that's put upon him; fhould the meaneft
of my Servants make ufe of my Name in every
trifling Difcourfe, in every foolifh Story, arid
whenever he is pettifh or peevifli, I fhould take it
very ill at his Hands ; arid why fliould I think God
will endure that from me, which I would not al
low in my Foot-boy, or Falet de Chambre ? I
muft confefs there is no Bait, no Temptatiori to
this Sin : He that robs upon the High- Way, is-
tempted by an apparent Profit : The Pirate hath
a rich Prize in his Eye, the fhip that comes laden
with Spices from the Eafi, with Silks from the
Levant, with precious Drugs from the Indies,
whets his Appetite; that the Covetous hugs his
Gold, and pays Adoration to his Money, as to
his Saint, That he beholds the Sun when il Jkines,
and the Moon walking in Brightnefis, no Marvel,
for he fees it hath a Kind of Almighty Power,
can make Foes Friends, unlock Gates, break
U - tho

n9i The Great Law of
the ftrongeft Bars, give them admiffion into com
pany of the higheft Quality, &c. The Diffembler
hopes he may fave his Credit, and Reputation,
and Fortune, by not fpeaking what he thinks ;
but in Swearing, I can have no profped of Ad
vantage, and I muft only ad the Devil, love fin
for fin's fake ; Fornication and Adultery do yet
pretend fome Pleafure, but this I cannot do in
Swearing; the greateft Mafters of Pleafure ne
ver reckon'd this Sin as an Ingredient of Carnal
Satisfadion ; and tho' there is no real Neceffity
for any Sin, yet for this I can pretend no Necef
fity at all ; Let them be afhamed, faith the Pro
phet, which tranfgrefs without Caufe, Pfal. 25. 3.
Not that any Man, who fins, hath a juft Caufe for
finning, but fome fins, even in the Devil's Judg
ment, Men have no apparent Caufe for them,
for they fin without Temptation, and fuch a fin
is Swearing : Were a Knife fet to my Throat,
were my Life in danger, were I to die prefently
upon the Spot, if I did not fwear, I might have
fome Colour of Argument for it; but when
there is nothing compels me to it, but my own
wilfulnefs, I deferve no pity, no compaffion, if
God lafhes me with the fevereft Thunders.
There is no fin that's more in my Power to avoid,
than this ; the moft barbarous Heathen can fliun
it, and fhall I pretend Impoflibility ? I fee it
engages me to very great Uncivility, I cannot
but offend all fober Company by it, they muft
needs be uneafie in my Society, and to hear God
abus'd, and how ill I do with to my own Soul,
cannot but grate upon a Heart, that hath any
Senfe of Religion or Honefly; nor do I fee, that
People

CONSIDERATION. 293
People believe me any Whit the more for fwear-
ing, but I render my felf ridiculous, and make
People think me difhoneft, perfidious, and
treacherous, who make fo little Confcience of
what I fay : How can any Man truft me, that
hears me abufe the beft and deareft Friend I have?
Or, what Credit can any Man give to me, that
fees me fo treacherous to God, to whom I owe
all I have ? How fhall any Man be fure, that I am
honeft, that fees me deal fo difingenuoufly with
him, who gives me Meat in due feafon ? How
can any Man believe, that I will be faithful to him,
that cannot be faithful to him who hath laid the
greateft Obligations upon me ? Have I no other
way to prove my felf a Gentldnan, but by this for
did courfe? Is this it, that will bring reputation to
my Family ? Is this it, that muft give me Credit
among Perfons of my own Rank ? Cannot I be a
Cavalier, except I am uncivil to my God ? Muft I
buy the favour of Men at fo dear a rate ? Is it worth
no lefs than the difpleafure of him, who fills Hea
ven and Earth with his Prefence? Can there be
greater ingratitude in the World, than I am guil
ty of by this fin ? The Air I breathe in, the Earth I
tread upon, the Ground which nourifhes me, the
Fire that warms me, are all the Gift of God ; and
is this the return I make, to take his Name in vain,
that fupports and maintains me ? Do I make no
thing of God's threatnings ? How often doth he
manifeft his Difpleafure againft this Sin in his
Word! And can I think, I am not concerned in
the Commi nation ? What Hope can I have that
Chrift's Blood will five me, when I fwear it a-
way,and thruft it from me with both Arms ? How
u 3 juftly

294 The Great Law of
juftly may God damn me, that do fo often wifh
for it ! and is there any thing in nature fo barba
rous to itfelf, as I am in praying to God, as it
were, to deliver me up into the clutches of the
Devil ? No Devil would wifh himfelf fo ill, as I
do my own Soul ; and is there nothing in the In
humanity and Horror of the Sin, to difcourage
and terrifie me from it ? Nay, I do hereby teach
Others to Sin, inftrud thofe that hear me, to
follow my Example; I do fo fin, and fpread the
Contagion, infed my Neighbour, give an ill
Example to others ; and is this agreeable to the
Charader of a Chriftian, that is to walk in Wif
dom toward them that are without, and to
give no Oecafion to the Adverfary to fpeak re
proachfully ?
Did the Swearer but ruminate of thefe diffua-
five Arguments, how would it cool his courage !
But negleding that, he negleds his Reftorative,
and fpeaks, as if he would be revenged on his
Maker for giving him a Tongue.
How foon would the Bladder of Pride break,
did the proud Man but confider that he is Duft,
and what a wretched finful Creature he is* and
how much worfe than other Men, and how much
he forgets the Humiliation of the Son of God,
who, being in the Form of God, thought it no
Robbery to be equal with God, but made him
felf of no Reputation, becoming obedient to the
Death of the Crofs; how odious this lofty Spirit
is in the fight of God ; how amiable Humility ;
how God detefts the one, and embraces the other ;
how Pride keeps out the Operations and Influen
ces of God's Spirit, and how the Floly Ghoft re-

CONSIDERATION. 295
refufes to come and lodge in that Soul, which
fwells with vain conceits of its own Worth ; how
Pride keeps him a ftranger to himfelf; how it
makes his Neighbour hate him, raifes him Ene
mies, and makes him an Objed of Contempt
and Scorn; how all the Gifts, and Bleffings, and
Privileges he enjoys, are but the Effeds of
God's Charity; how the ftately Fabrick, wliich
his Soul doth animate, muft fhortly return to
the Earth from which it was taken ; What Con-
defcenfion God ufes towards him ; How God,
who commands Heaven and Earth, becomes
an humble Suitor to his Creatures, and inftead
of confuming, courts them to yield to his Re-
quefts and Injundions; how noble and gene
rous it is to imitate him, who is Eternally hap
py in himfelf. O my God! Can I look upon
the great. Example of thy Condefcenfion, and
fwell into Contempt of others ! Can I fee Hea
ven bow to Duft and Afhes, and fupercilioufly
fcorn him that ftands on even Ground with me !
What have I that I have not received ? Why
then fhould I boaft, as if I had not received it ? O
God ! I fee thee content to be born in a flable, to
lie in a Manger, to be cloathed with Rags, and
to fubmit to the hardeft ufage : Am I thy Servant,
and do J refufe to tranferibe thy Lowlinefs in my
Mind and Behaviour ? Hell is the Kingdom
of Pride, and fhall I become a Subjed of that
Empire? Shall I make Lucifer my Teacher ? Or
fhall thofe Spirits who watch my Ruin, be my
Tutors ? Can I fee my God approach my Soul
in an humble Pofture, and look high ? Can I
fee the beft of Beings lay by his Grandeur, ,.to
U 4 con-

296 The Great Law of
converfe with Creatures infinitely below him, and
be loth to make my Fellow Chriftians, that are of
a lower rank, my Companions ? Alas! what is it
that I boaft of? What is it that puffs up my mind?
Shall a Cloud, a Vapour, a drop of the Bucket, a
Grafliopper, a Worm, grow into lofty Conceits pf
his own Dignity ; a wretched Sinner, who hath
deferved to be eternally miferable, and muft own
it as a Angular Charader of God's Compaffion,
that he hath not long ago affigned me my Porti
on in the Region of Torments ? Can a few rich
Cloaths make me a better Man than my Neigh
bour ? Let Providence firip us both naked ; and
will it hot appear that we have the fame Flefh
and Blood about us ? Becaufe I have more Bags of
Money in my Coffer than another ; am I there
fore a wifer Man than he ? What pitiful, childifh
conceits are thefe ? I do but beg my daily Bread
of God, and fhall a Beggar exalt and forget him
felf? And when I carry about me a Body fubjed
to a Thoufand Difeafes and Difafters without
number, a Fabrick, which the leaft Diforder can
break and fhatter ; fliall fo weak, fo poor, fo in-
confiderable a thing, the Mocking -flock of every
Wind and Weather, diftend its Plumes, and fall
in love with its own Beauty ?
Were this but ferioufly confidered, and how
in the Grave all Diftindions die; how unfit
that Perfon is to be a Chriftian, that is a ftran
ger to Meeknefs and Humility ; how thofe that
have domineer'd in this World, and trampled.
upon Men, and have thought it their Intereft
and Glory to defpife their Equals and Inferiors,
are now roaring in the burning Lake ; how they that

CONSIDERATION. 197
that were Servants heretofore, do now reign
like Kings in Heaven, and thofe that domineer'd
over others heretofore, do wifh now, that they
were in their Servants condition, and how they
would now be contented to be the pooreft,
meaneft, and moft contemptible Creatures in
the World, provided that they might but
be freed from that never-dying Worm that
gnaws their Souls ; and how fliortly this Pride
and Haughtinefs, if not ferioufly and timely re
pented of, will end in weeping, and gnafhing of
Teeth. Were but thefe Things rightly and ferioufly
pondered, it would caufe a very ftrange alteration
in the lofty cenforious Man's defign and refoluti
ons ; but while thefe Obfervables are paffed by
as Things out of his Element, no Marvel if he
Idolizes himfelf, and like a Hedge-hog, wraps
himfelf up in his own foft Down, and turns his
Prickles to all the World befides.
Let the Soul that's carelefs of God's Service,
and lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, but try
it, and refled; Lord! and is this a Service fit for
him, that is of purer Eyes than to behold Ini
quity ! Is this flovenly Devotion a fit Prefent for
him, who fearches the Hearts and the Reins I
Should my Seryants ferve me, as I do God, how
ill fhould I refent it ! And dare I offer the Blind
and the Lame to God, which I would fcorn to
accept of from my Slaves and Vaffals ! I would
have my Prayers heard, and anfwered, but how
can I hope they'll pafs for acceptable Sacrifices in
Heaven, when they want the Fire of the San
ctuary to give them Flame ! Will God mind a
Sup-

298 The Great Law of
Supplication, in which I do not mind his Great
nefs, Majefty, and Holinefs ? Or, can I think,
God is fo fond of anfwering my Requeft, that he
matters not with what Frame of Heart I ap
proach his Throne ? When the Primitive Chri
ftians, that certainly knew beft what was to be
done in order to Salvation, as having converfed
with the Difciples and Apoftles of our Lord,
when they confecrated that Time, when their
Spirits were moft lively to pious Exercifes, and
looked upon that Religion as dead, that had not
Fervency for its Ingredient; Shall I hope to
come off at a cheaper Rate ? Is the King Immor
tal, Invifible, Bleffed for evermore to be put
off with the Chips and Shavings of Devotion?
Should not I give him the Cream and Marrow
of my Endeavour, that hath greater Power 0-
ver me than my Mafter, my Father, or my
Prince ? So great a God, and fo mean a Sa
crifice ? So infinite a Majefty, and fo pitiful a
Prefent ? Can I refled with what Zeal and
Fervour he is adored in the Manfions above,
and can I put him off with Ice and Froft be
low ? He makes his Angels Spirits, and his
Minifters flames of Fire; Flames indeed; their
Love, their Delight, their Obedience, burns
bright and fleady for ever ; and fliall I not
learn of thofe Minifters above, to Worfhip him
on Earth ? Can I have better Tutors ? Who
fo fit to be my School-mafters, as they that Wait
upon the Almighty day and night ? How deli
berate, how circumfpedt am I in myAddreffes to
iny King, and is not God a greater Prince than
Be ? What is my carelefs Devotion, but mocking ¦ oi

CONSIDERATION. 299
of God; and my drowfy Prayer, what is it, but
playing with him at whofe prefence the Moun
tains tremble ? Am not I afraid of Vengeance ;
or can I think, God will fuffer a Wretch that
lives upon his Mercy, and makes no better Re
turn, go unpunifhed ? How juftly may he deny
me his Grace and Affiftance, who do not feek
it more earneftly ? How juftly may he fay, De
part from me, I know thee not, who am fo in
different whether I enjoy the Light of his Coun
tenance, or no ? How juftly may he refufe to
be found by him, who feeks him as if his Fa
vour deferved no pains or trouble ? Strive, as it
were for your Lives, to enter in at the flrait Gate,
faith the great Redeemer of Man ; and is this
taking the Kingdom of Heaven by force, when I
look upon it as a Thing that may be had at any
Time, upon a. Lord have Mercy upon me? Is this
wreftjing and ftriving, when I fuffer any outward
worldly Concern, tho' never fo flight and tri
vial, to take me off from minding the Great
Concern of my Soul? Is this giving all Diligence
to make my Calling and Eledion fure, when I
am infinitely more concerned how to fecure a
fmall Sum of Money, than I am to fecure thofe
Treafures which fade not away ? My God is
not weary of doing Good to my Soul and
Body, and fliall I be weary of Obedience ?
My Saviour was not weary of fuffering for me,
and fhall I be weary of adoring him? The
holy Angels are not weary of attending me,
and fhall I be weary of Love and Self-denial I
Will God give a Reward to Men that ftand
yawning and ftretching thgmfelves in his Vine yard,

300 The Great Law of
yard, unrefolved whether they fhall work or no ?
A Reward indeed they fhall have, but fuch a
Reward as Hypocrites receive, a Reward from
which Good Lord deliver us. And am I fo flupi-
fied that nothing of all this, can move me, nei
ther the Glory of God, nor the Intereft of my
Soul, nor all that can be faid againft my want of
Zeal and Fervency of Spirit ?
Ah ! I am to run for my Life, and fhall I make
flops by the way, or look about, or think that by
flow fleps I am like to fave my felf from the
wrath to come ? Death haftens, the Devil ha
ftens to make a Prey of me, and fhall not I
make hafte to efcape their Talons ?
Were thefe Reafons laid home by ferious Con
fideration, they would rouze the Soul from her
Slumber, and make her fee how dangerous her
Reft is, and how dear that fleep will coft her
fhe is for the prefent lull'd in, if it be not fud-
denly difpelled and fcatter ed ; but want of
Confideration makes the carelefs Sinner fancy
God a Being without Gall, one that hath no
Senfe of Honour, and that is pleafed with his
Indifferency in Religion, as well as himfelf:
This is it makes him entertain very grofs, ab-
furd and unreafonable Conceits concerning that
All- wife, moft excellent, and moft loving Being,
defpife a Treafure of infinite Value, trample
on the Pearl of Price, and forget what the
Hope of God's Calling is, and what the Riches
of the Glory of his Inheritance is in the
Saints. He that miftrufts God's Providence limits the
Holy One of I frael; yet have I known fuch a Sin
blown

CONSIDERATION. ^©i
blown away, and turned into heroick Confidence
in God, by fuch ferious Ratiocinations as thefe ;
And am I indeed afraid of Want, and being de
ftitute of Neceffaries and Conveniences which o-
ther Men enjoy ! Am I God's Creature, and can
I think God will take no Care of his Creature !
He that fed the young Ravens, will he deny me
my daily Bread ! He that gives all Creatures then-
Meat in due Seafon, will he forget me when he
unlocks his univerfal Store-houfe ! He that o-
pens his Hand, and fatisfies the Defire of every
living Thing, will he fhut me out of the Num
ber of the Living; ? He that cloathed the Lilies
of the Field, will not he much more cloath
me ? Is God concerned for the meaneft of his
Creatures, and will not he be concerned for the
nobleft Work of the Creation ? Do I fee, how
the Birds of the Air do all depend upon him, and
the Sparrow that hath dined, and knows not
where to get his Supper, yet cheerfully waits
upon God's Providence ; and fhall not I ? He
that provides for Beafts and Fowls of the Air,
and Filh in the Sea, will he fhake off his Care
and Thoughts of me ? How impoflible is all
this, if I believe God to be the great Preferver
of Men ? Nay, he that hath provided for me hi
therto, why fliould I miftruft he will not pro
vide for me for the Future ? Is his Hand fhortned,
or his Strength abated ? Is not he the fame God
O
now he was fome Years ago ? Is his Plenty decay
ed, or is God at a Lofs how to fupply me for
the Time to come ? My Unbelief, indeed, may
make him hold his Hand, and hinder him from
doing anv mighty work for me, but what can I
fear,

go2 The Great Law of
fear, if in the ufe of lawful Means I throw my
felf upon him ? May be I get not what I would
have ; but if I get what he thinks fit for me, is
it not much better? How often have I been
in ftraits and exigencies, and God hath found out
fome Way or other to deliver me, and fhall I,
by my Unbelief, hinder him from doing fuch a-
nother mighty Work for me? If I truft him, I
honour him, and fhew forth his Glory ; and to
fuch God cannot but fhew his Salvation. I do
not want for the prefent, why fhould I believe I
t fhall want hereafter, when I know not whe
ther I fhall live a Day to an end ? How careful
is God of mine Eafe, when he would not have
me trouble mine Head with anxious Cares ?
What do I get by my immoderate carkings but
Torment of Mind ? Is it not much fweeter to
reft upon God's Goodnefs, and enjoy Content ? I
am never the nearer a Supply, when I have af-
flided and vexed my Mind, and why fliould I
put my Spirits into an Agony for nothing ? Is
this miftruftful Caring and Carking a Charader
of Heathens, and fhall I apoftatize from Chrifti
anity, and turn Infidel? Is this the Temper of
Men that know not the true God, and fliall I difi-
grace my Religion, and imitate their Unbelief?
Had not I better rely on God's Word, who
hath faid, / will not leave thee, nor forfake
thee, than make my life a Hell upon Earth ? With
all my folicitous Thoughts I cannot add one
Cubit to my Stature, and fhall I fpend fo much
Labour and Induftryin vain? What muft the Spi
rits above think to fee me torment my felf about
that I cannot help, and to fee me roll Sifiphus his

CONSIDERATION. 303
his Stone, which when I have brought to fuch
a pitch, rolls down again, and renews my Pains,
with my Grief and Sorrow ! How muft thofe in
corporeal Beings above pity fuch fruitlefs La
bours! Of how many Men have I read, and heard,
that have trufted God in defpight of all Impro
babilities, and God hath fuccoured and affifted
them beyond Expedation: Elijah, I.Kings 17.9.
goes to Sarepta, meets with a Widow-woman
gathering Sticks, in order to kindle a Fire, and to
drefs the laft handful of Meal that was in the
Barrel, and the few Drops of Oil that remained
in the Bottle, all that the Wretch had left to
fupport the Life of herfelf and Son, for it was
a Time of Famine, and it was in a manner a Fu
neral Dinner too, for fhe intended to make this
her laft Meal, and fo to expire and give up the
Ghoft. Here was little to fpare, one would
think, for a Traveller, efpecially if that had
been her Maxim, which is fo ufual with us, that
Charity begins at Home ; fhe knew not the Pro
phet, whether he would do Miracles, or no. In
this great exigency and flrait, the Man of God
bid her drefs the Flower and Oil fhe had left, for
him, and afterwards take care for herfelf and
Son. A ftrange Requeft ! 'Tis true, he tells her
that the God of IJfael had faid, That the Barrel
of Meal fliall not wafle : But thefe were Words,
and what are they to a hungry Stomach, and
croaking Bowels, to give that little All away to
a ftranger, and flarve herfelf and Son, upon
cold Prophefie ?
Yet, behold her Faith throws open all the
Flood-gates of Impoffibiiity ; fhe believes, and

trulls

5 04 The Great Law of
trufts againft Senfe, even to a Contradidion,
goes and gives that little fhe hath left to a ftran
ger, and, by that Faith, forces, as it were, Hea
ven into a Miracle; for fhe had no fooner dref-
fed the Remainder for the Prophet, but the Bar
rel is filled again by Angels, and fo it continued
till the Lord fent Rain upon the Earth. Why
fhould not I do as they have done, and put it
to the Trial ? Sure I am, I can lofe nothing by
it. I will therefore be induftrious in my lawful
Calling, and leave the Succefs to God : I will
ufe thofe honeft means to live which the Scrip
ture warrants, and commit my felf to him,
whofe Eyes are over all his Works. If he pleafe
to blefs me, I'll praife him ; if not, I'll admire
his Sovereignty and Greatnefs, who is not
bound to give me any Thing : And left my fins
fhould feparate between his Kindnefs and my
Neceffities, and turn away his Face from me,
becaufe I anfwer not the end he made me for,
as all other Creatures do, that fhare in his Pro-
tedion, and Providential Care, I will watch a-
gainft thofe Corruptions which do fo eafily
befet me, and ftrive to glorifie God in my
Soul and Body ; and then, the kindeft Dif-
penfations of his Providence will be mine,
and all Things will work together for my
Good. Such Thoughts will drive out the Evil
Spirit of Miftruftfulnefs. But while the Ene
my meets with no Oppofition, no Wonder if
he fecurely revels in the Soul, makes Man a
Burthen to himfelf, prompts him fometime e-
ven to unlav.ful Courfes, and doth not let him reft

CONSIDERATION. 305
reft, till he defperately refolves with him in the
Poet, FleBere fi nequeo juperos, Acheronta movebo.
If Heaven be deaf, andwill.no Pity fhew,
I'll try what Hell and the black Hoft can dot
Had the Covetous but a Heart to think With
himfelf, Vain, Foolifh Man, how loth am I to
confefs my felf guilty of this Vice! how do I de
ceive my felf with the fair Names of good Huf-
bandry'and Frugality! But will thefe Deluflons
ftand the Fire ? Will thefe Paper Walls be Proof
againft everlafting Burnings ? If there be fuch a
Sin as Covetoufnefs, and that Sin fo odious to
God and his Holy Angels, as Chrift and his A-
poftles make it, and fo great an impediment to
everlafting Happinefs as the Scripture reprefents,
it muft needs be worth knowing, Whether I
am infeded with this Plague, efpecially fince
my Behaviour and Adions look as if I were*
Why fhould the Apoftle call this Sin idolatry,
but becaufe it makes Men fet their Affedions
on this World, more than upon that which is
to come; and more on their Riches, Eftates,
or Incomes, than upon God, and everlafting
Glory, whereby God is robbed of his Honour,
and that high Efteem and Love, which is God's
due as he is God, is given to the Creature, which
in God's fight is lighter than Nothing and Vani
ty? And is not this my Cafei HowismySoul
fixed upon this World ? How clofe doth my
Heart flick to the Profits and Advantages k
X affords ?

506 The Great Law of ,
affords ? How is my Soul bound up with my
Corn, and Wine, and Oil ? How do I fancy
that all my Happinefs is gone, when thefe out
ward Comforts are gone ! Did ever fin grieve -me
a quarter fo much as a Temporal Lofs ? Did of
fending a Gracious God ever coft me the Tenth
Part of the Tears I fhed, for being deprived of a
little fhining Clay ? How hearty is my Joy under
the Bleffings of God's left Hand? How little am
I affeded with the Bleffings of his Right ? How
far greater Satisfadion doth my thriving in the
World give me, than my thriving in Grace and
in the Knowledge of the Lord Jefus Chrifi ?
How loth am I to* honour God with my Sub-
fiance ; How unwillingly, how grudgingly, do I
part with any thing confiderable for charitable
Ufes ? I find fault with this fin in another, and
fhall not I reprehend it in my felf ? I complain
of my Neighbour of being hard-hearted, and
unkind to People in diftrefs r And is that a Vir
tue in me, which is a Vice in another ? Dionyjius
the Tyrant wondered at his Son, that with all
the Gold and Silver he had in his Houfe, he had
made no Man his Friend; And may not I juftly
wonder at my felf, who, as long as I have lived,
have not made my felf Friend of the Mammon
ofiUnrighteoufnefis, that at my Death I may be
received into everlafting Habitations ? How
loth am I to part with any of this World's Goods
for God's Service ? How happy do I count my
felf, when Religion doth coft me nothing ? How
loth am I to be at the leaft charges for Heaven ?
How doth it grieve me, when I fpend any thing
-upon Religion ? How do I doat upon thefe fub-
luna-

CONSIDERATION. ^0f
kinary Vanities ? How far greater Pains do I
take to be rich, than to be happy for ever ! How
can I difpenie with a Sin for Profit's fake ! How
.little of my Defires and Breathings hath God,
and a bleeding Saviour! How dull am I under
the moft lively Defcriptions of the joys of Hea
ven ! How dull under the ilupendious Offers of
Grace and Mercy ! How dead under the joy
ful Meffage of Pardon ! How dull, when tempt
ed by all the ravifhing Arguments of God's
Love, to love him above all ! What means my
Unwiilingnefs to take God for my greateft Por
tion? What means that Quicknefs, Sagacity,
and Wifdom, when my Riches, Plenty, or world
ly' Profperity is concerned, and that ftrange
jDumpiflinefs, . when God courts, and befeeches
my Soul to lay hold on Eternal Life? Are not
thefe evident Signs, that the World draws and
attrads my Heart moft powerfully ? God fees,
my Heart is not upright with him ; he fees, I
am afraid to take Up with him alone ; he fees,
how Covetoufhefs hath pofleffed my Soul ; and
can I cherifli this Root of all Evil in my Breaft,
and not tremble at the Danger my Soul is in ?
Am I by the Apoftles Verdid an Idolater, and
do I make light of fo great a Guilt ? If no Ido
later muft exped a Crown of Glory, Alas !
What can I look for,, but Eternal Darknefs ?
Could Ariftippus throw his Gold into the Sea,
and fay, 'Tis better I fliould drown thee, than
that thou fhouldft undo me ; And fhall I bi a
Slave to my Wealth ? When I read that 'tis ea-
fier for a Camel to enter thorow the Eye of a
Needle, than for a rich Man who fets his Heart
X 2 on

308 The Great Law of
on his Riches, to enter into Heaven, am not
I frighted with the Expreffion ? I find how this
Sin deprives me of a Holy Communion with
God, and fhall I lofe my greateft Comfort and
Support and Satisfadion for it ? How doth the
Gold become dim ! How is the moft fine Gold
changed through this peftilential Breath ! The
Life and Senfe I once had of Spiritual Objeds,
decays and dwindles away in me, and an Infipid-
nefs in Holy things fucceeds ; my Relifh of them
perifhes, and they become to me as a curious
Difh to a Perfon of a corrupted Stomach, I nau-
feate the very Dainties of my Heavenly Father :
This fin is enough to damp and kill all the good
Seed God fows in me. If any Man love the
World, the Love of the Father is not in him ;
and can I be contented without the Love of God?
If God be not my Friend, what doth the
Friendfhip of the whole World fignifie, when
my Soul muft leave this Tabernacle, and appear
before God's Bar ? O God, I fhall have fo many
Witneffes againft me, that I fhall not know what
to fay, or whither to betake my felf for Refuge;
the Poor will accufe me, becaufe I have not o-
pened my Hand and Heart to them ; my own
Confcience will accufe me, becaufe I have not
been a good Steward of the Means God gave
me ; the Minifters of God will accufe me, be
caufe whatever was laid out upon my Pride
and Luft, was thought too little ; and the leaft
Kindnefs I fhewed to thofe that wait at God's
Altar, too much : The Devils will accufe me,
becaufe having a Soul fo Great, fo Noble, fo
Precious, I did employ it chiefly in fcraping a
little

CONSIDERATION. 509
little drofs and dung together ; nay, the Lord Je
fus will accufe me, becaufe his Example of Con-
tentednefs, and Heavenly-mindednefs, would not
allure me into Imitation ; God will accufe nic,
becaufe having furnifhed me with all the Mo
tives and Encouragements imaginable, to mind
Heaven more than Earth; I preferred this Earth
before all the Joys of Heaven; and how fhall I
bear up under all this Weight ?
Would the poor deluded Worldling but let
fuch Thoughts fink into his Heart, what a Damp
would it ftrike on his ftrong Defires after the
World; and how Would it make his immoderate
Love to thefe fublunary Riches, break into Long
ings after a nobler Inheritance? But negleding
this, he, Serpent-like, feeds on Duft, and pre
pares for Anxiety, Difcontent, and Vexation of
Spirit, and for a miferable death : Like a Hog, lies
rooting in the Earth, and buries his Soul in a
Ch«ft of Money ; defpifes all Admonitions to Cha
rity, and, like the Smith's Dog, can hear the
hammering and beating of his Mafter, and en
dure the Sparks flying about his Ears, without
being flirr'd or concern'd at it.
Hypocrifieis a Sin, which the painted Chri
ftian does not eafily part withal, yet would he
refled, like a Perfon that hates to few Pillows
under his own Elbows : Can I read Chrift's Dif
courfes againft the Pharifees and not afk my
own Heart, Whether the Pharifees Temper be an
Emblem of my Complexion ? Can I remember
that odious Name in the Gofpel, and not refled
on the Plagues that are threatned them ? And
do I know thefe Plagues, and do they dart ho
X ¦; Fear.

5 i o Tke Great Law of
fear, no Terror into my Soul ? I am loth to be
lieve I am fo bad a Man; but what if God, and
the Great Day, fhould find me fo ? Have I no
Self-end in my Religious Duty ? What is it puts
me many times upon doing good, Applaufe from
Men, or the Love of God ? Do not I pretend
God's Glory fometimes, when I aim at nothing
but mine own ? Do not I draw nigh to God with
my Lips, when in my Heart and Converfation I
deny him ? Do not I, by pretending to pleafe
God, negled my Duty to my Neighbour ? And
while I am hot for Devotion, hate my Brother in
my Heart ? I am loth to negled my Prayer, but
am I as loth to negled relieving fuch a Believer
that groans in Prifon, or Poverty ? Am not I
more fevere in preffing the leffer Concerns of
Religion, than I am in urging the greater ? Do
not I commend that in a rich' or great Man,
which I can reprehend in my Inferiors, or mean
er Perfons ; Do not I require thofe Duties of o-
ther Men, which my felf am loth to pradife ?
Do not I applaud my felf for my own Sandi-
ty, while I defpife others, whom I fancy npt
fo holy as I am ? Am not I more curious to
know other Mens Conditions, than mine own ?
Am not I more zealous in publick, than I am
in private ? Am not I religious for filthy Lu
cre's Sake ? Do not I make a Gain of Godli-
nefs, and ufe Religion as a Cloak to cover my fe
cret Sins ? Do not I make Devotion a Scaffold to
ered my own Credit and Profit by ? What is
Hypocrifie, if this be not ? Tho' I can hide it
from the fight of Men, can I conceal it from him,
who knows my down-fitting, and my up-rifing, and

CONSIDERATION. 5n
and underftands my thoughts afar off? Can I re
member the Fate of Judas, and not think of a
ferious Repentance ? Can I hear the Son of God
call fo often, Woe, woe to the Hypocrites, and hug
the Sin in my Bofom ? Shall I harbour a Snake
there, which will fling me into endlefs gnawings
of Confcience ? How fhortly will all thefe Delu
flons be difcovered ? Before I am a few Days older,
God may fummon me, and lay open all my deceits
and juggles in Religion. Thus others have been
ferved; Why fhould I think to efcape? And
tho' the Day of Judgment is not come, yet there
are Angels, there are Righteous Souls, before
whom the Impoftures may be laid open, and
difcovered to my fliame, and forrow, and afto-
nifliment, affoon as my Soul leaves my Body
fenfelefs. Do I think to blind the Eyes of him,
in whofe Book all my Members are fet down ? Is
the Portion of Hypocrites no Difcouragment ?
What Promife in the Gofpel can I lay hold of,
during this Condition ? They all run to the up
right in Heart, and muft I go without thefe Cor
dials ? Muft I fee others run away with thefe
Treafures, while my felf can exped nothing but
God's Curfe and Anger? Muft I fee others
go to poffefs the promifed Land, while I muft
flay behind in a Wildernefs ? Muft I fee others
gather Manna, and feed upon the rich Clufters
of Canaan, while my own Soul muft perifli for
want of that Bread of Life ? Lord, who ftjall a-
bide in thy Tabernacle ? Who Jhall dwell in thy
holy Hill? He that walks uprightly, and works
Righteoufnefs, and fpeaks the truth in his Heart.
And muft I have no Seat in yonder Manfions?
X 4 No

5 1 2 The Great Law of
No houfe in that Jerufalem, which is above ? No
habitation in this City, whither the Tribes go
up, the Tribes of the Lord, unto the Teftimony
of Ifirael, to give Thanks unto the Name of the
Lord? O my Soul, behold thy Salvation comes,
his reward is with him, and his work before him.
Arife, fhine, for thy light is come, and the glory
of the Lord is rifen upon thee. Away, and hate
this garment fpotted by the flefh; thefe are not
the Spots of God's Children ; thefe are not the
Charaders of God's Favourites : Spots they
are, but of Leopards, Marks of Wolves that
come in Sheeps cloathing, Signs of Sepulchres,
which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are
within full of Dead Men's bones, and all Un
cleannefs. Such ferious thoughts would check Hypocri-
fie ; but the vain Man hardens his heart againft
them, locks them out, will give them no Enter
tainment, and that makes him ferve God to pleafe
the Devil, and turn Religion into a mere fhew
and formality, burn in Words, and freeze hi
Deeds; and like that Son in the Gofpel, fay, I go
Sir, but he goes not.
From the Premiffes, we may eafily guefs what
to think of other fins, viz. That the great Caufe
of them, is want of Confideration; and therefore
the Holy Ghoft likens Men that live in any Sin,
or indulge themfelves in any Tranfgreflion, t° a
Horfe that rufhes into the Battle, and confiders
not what he doth ; ventures among Swords and
Arrows, and the greateft Dangers, without recol-
leding what will be the Iffue of it. Jer. 8. 6.
Confideration is the Bridle that muft govern our
Senfe

CONSIDERATION. 313
Senfe and Appetite ; take that away, and the
Beaft runs away with the Rider, and haftens him
into a Thoufand Inconveniencies.

Of the various Advantages of ferious Confidera-
' tion ; 'tis that, which makes a Man Mafter of
all Chriftian Duties; it helps a Man to im
prove Sublunary ObjeBs into Heavenly Contem
plations. 'Tis the greateft Support under Af
JliBions ; difpoj'es a Man to be a Worthy Re
ceiver of the Lord's Supper ; prepares him for
an Angelical Life on Earth ; makes him pru
dent and dijcreet in Secular Affairs, and Bu-
finefis.
THo' in the preceeding Chaptets we have al
ready in a great meafure difcovered, what
Man may hope for from Confideration, and of
what ufe it is to a truly ferious and Chriftian life;
yet we muft not leave fo rich a Subjed thus, with
out giving an account of fome other pofitive Ad
vantages, which do render it very defirable to a
rational Man. And,
I. It hath moft certainly a very great influence
upon all Chriftian Duties ; the Celeftial Lumina
ries' have not a greater influence upon the Bodies
of Men, and Beafts, and Plants, than Confidera
tion hath upon thefe Spiritual Endowments ;
whatever Qualification Chrift or his Apoftles require

314 The Great Law of
require or recommend, 'tis by Confideration of
the Excellency and Dignity of that Duty, that
Men muft exped to arrive to it.
The Firft and Great Commandment is, Thou
Jhalt love thy God with all thy Heart, and with
all thy Soul, and with all thy mind. But he fhall
never be Mafter of this Duty, that doth not fre
quently and ferioufly confider the immenfe and
Ilupendious Love of God to him; and indeed,
then I may hope to be acquainted with a fincere
and cordial Love to God, when I give Leave to
fuch Confiderations as thefe, to impregnate my
Underftanding. O my God ! Can I think of fo
great, fo holy, fo infinite, fo merciful, fo mu
nificent a Being, and forbear to be enamoured
with thee ? Thy Greatnefs over-awes, thy Ho
linefs direds, thy Infinity fupports, thy Mercy
Charms, thy Munificence invites thy poor un
worthy Creatures : Whence are all my Mer
cies, but from thee ? Thou art the Spring,
the Fountain of them all. Whatever Bleffings
are conveyed to me by the Hands of Second
Caufes, they come originally from thee, and
thou moveft and ordereft thofe fecond Caufes,
to come in to my Affiftance. By thee have I
been upheld ever fince I was born ; when I lay
in the Shades of Nothing, thou didft awake me
into a Being, gaveft me a rational Soul, a Soul
capable of admiring, adoring, and worfhipping
Thee ; and ever fince thy Mercies have followed
me; and thou haft been a Pillar of a Cloud
unto me by Day, and a Pillar of Fire by Night ;
what Parts, Gifts or Abilities I have, they are
thy Gifts, and Charaders of thy Compaffion :
' Thou

CONSIDERATION. 3 1 5
Thou ordereft my Steps, thou art about my
Bed, and about my Paths, and doft preferve me
in all my Ways ; many a Time fhould I have
ftumbied, and fallen, and perifhed irrecovera
bly, but that thou haft fupported me, and gi
ven Charge to thy holy Angels to be my Guar
dians. I had been a barren Wildernefs, if
thou hadft not rained Showers of Grace upon
me, and made me fruitful. I had brought forth
nothing but Death, if thou hadft not fhined upon
me. I had continued lying in the Mire, if thou
hadft not pulled me out ; and muft have remain
ed in the horrible Pit for ever, if thou hadft not
fet my Feet upon a Rock. I had continued blind,
if thou hadft not opened mine Eyes ; deaf to
thy Admonitions, if thou hadft not unlocked
mine Ears. I could never have rifen, if thou
hadft not lent me thy helping Hand. I muft
have funk, if thou hadft not fupported me; and
perifhed, if thou hadft not guided and direded
me. I had committed greater Sins, if thy re-
ftraining Power had not kept me; and what
could have hindred me from running with or
thers into excefs of Riot, if thou hadft not re
moved the Snares which were laid for me to
catch me in Ruin ? It is thy Doing that I have
not done fo ; that I have abftained from thefe
Evils, thy Affiftance is the Caufe ; and that I
have believed thee, I am beholden to thy Mercy.
0 my God! how often have I deferved thine
Anger ? And yet in the midft of thy Wrath
thou thinkeft upon Mercy. What Judgments
might 'ft not thou have inflided on me for
my wilful Sins ? But thou haft fent none as
yet?

3 1 6 The Great Law of
yet, and all to magnifie thy Mercy. Every
Morning thy Mercies are renewed upon me,
and with the Natural there rifes upon me the
Sun of Righteoufnefs, with Healing under his
Wings. Thou profpereft my Endeavours, gi-
veft Succefs to all my lawful Undertakings, thou
preferveft me from thofe Difafters which befal
other Men. How wifely doft thou order my
Affairs ? How often doft thou bring Light out of
Darknefs, and turneft my Affiidion into the
greateft Joy ? How wonderful are thy Providen
ces to me and mine ? How often have I feared
fuch an Accident would be my Ruine, and God
ha-th turned it into the greateft Good ? How
wifely haft thou many times denied me temporal
Mercies, becaufe thou hadft a mind to enrich
me with Spiritual Bleffings in heavenly Places ?
What Friends, what Benefadors haft thou rai-
fedme? How miraculoufly haft thou turned
the Hearts of Men fometimes into Mercy and
Compaffion for my Good ? How often haft thou
heard my Prayer, and granted me the Requeft of
my Lips ? When I have been in the greateft
Straits, how haft thou fhewn me a Way to e-
fcape ? How ftrangely haft thou wheeled Things
about for my deliverance ? How haft thou al
lured me by the various Tokens of thy Love to
love thee better than the World ? How great
hath been thy care of my temporal Concerns,
but how far greater thy Care of the Concerns
of my Soul ? How ftrong have been the Convi
dions thou haft vouchfafed me ? How great
the Light thou haft imparted to me ? How
bright that Knowledge thou haft 'revealed to

me?

CONSIDERATION. 317
me? How numerous the Checks of my own
Confcience which thou haft fent me? How fre
quent the Motions of thy Spirit thou haft fhed
into my Soul ? How often haft thou reafoned
the Cafe, and expoftulated with me, and, as the
Angel did to Balaam, ftood in a narrow Way,,
where there was no turning neither to the Right
nor to the Left ; and all, becaufe thou would'ft
not have me ftand out any longer againft thy
moft gracious offers of Salvation ? How haft thou
adjured me by the Bowels of Jefus, by the
Wounds and Agonies of the Son of God, to
die unto Sin, and to live unto Righteoufnefs?
How ftrange hath been thy condefcenfion ! and
doth not all this deferve my Love ? Is not here
enough to warm my Affedions towards thee !
Falfe, ftubborn Heart! What canft thou plead
for thy Averfenefs from God, after fuch a Pro
fped of his Favours ? Notwithftanding my long
Contempt of thefe Loving-kindneffes of the
Lord, I am yet alive, and on this fide Hell !
How may I ftand amazed at this prodigious
Long-fuffering of my God! Had any Man
fhewn me but the Ten thoufandth part of that
Love which God hath manifefted to me, how
fhould I love him ! How fhould I adore his Name!
How fhould I ftudy to pleafe him ! What Pains
fhould I take to manifeft my Gratitude ! How
fhould I revere his Memory ! How fhould I
fpeak of his Favours ! How fhould I praife his
Munificence ! How fhould I employ my Rhe-
torick, and ranfack my Poetry, ftudy Elo
quence, fpeak by my Eyes, my Pofture, my
Geftures, to make him underftand my Affedi-

on !

3 1 8 The Great Law of
on ! Can Man's Kindnefs be fo prevalent, and
fhall not the Goodnefs of God fire my Soul into
a pradical Love to his Name ? Can I do lefs
than love him to whom I owe all I have ? To
love him is my Happinefs, my Intereft, my
greateft Felicity: O my God! Shall I love a lit-'
tie fliining Clay, a little Duft, a little Earth, and
not love thee, who art worth more than Ten
thoufand Worlds? Shall I love Father and Mo
ther, and not love thee, who haft been better
to me than my Parents, and when my Father
and Mother have forfaken me haft taken me up,
and with everlafting Kindnefs vifited me? Shall
I love my Friend, and fhall I not love thee, my
Joy, my Treafure, my Hiding-place ? But how
can I love thee, except I keep thy Command
ments? How can I be thy Friend, except I do
whatfoever thou commandeft me ? Shall I love
thee in Words only, who haft loved me in
Deeds? Shall I flatter thee with my Lips, and
hate thee in my Heart? Shall I f Judas-like)
kifs thee, and betray thee? Love thee, and
love my Sins, which are thy greateft Enemies ?
Did I but love thee as I do a dear Friend, how
eafie would all thy Precepts feem ? How little
Reafon fhould I have to complain of the tedi-
oufnefs of thy Yoak ? What great, what noble,
what generous Adions would thy Love put me
upon ? Should I pretend to love my Prince,
and affront his Law, how foon would niyLove
be accufed of a Lye ? How can I be faid to love
thee, while I hate to conform my felf to thy
Will and Pleafure ? How vain will my Love
appear in the laft Day,, if it hath been a Stranger to

CONSIDERATION. 319
to Obedience here ? The Angels love thee, and
they have no other Way to demonftrate their
Love but by running at thy Commands. Thy
Holy Fire burns in their Breaft, and makes
them fly to execute thy Orders. Do I hope
to be like unto the Angels of God hereafter,,
and fliall not I take Pattern by their obediential
Love while I fojourn here? O my God! thou
art the proper Objed of my Love ; I rob thee
of thy Honour, and commit Sacrilege, if I
love any Thing here below better than thee. I
am married to thee, and I muft love nothing
above thee. When no Eye pitied me to have com
paffion upon me, when I was caft into the open
field to the loathing of my Perfon ; thou didft paft
by me, and fiawefi me polluted with my Bloody
and jaidfi unto me when I was in my Blood,
Live; Thou didft caufe me to multiply as the
bud of the Field, and when it was the time of
Love, thou didft fpread thy Skirt over me, and co-
veredft my Nakednefs, and Jwareft unto me, and
enter edft into a Covenant with me, and I became
thine, Ezek. 16. 5, 6, 7, 8. And, fliall my
Soul be married to fo great a Prince, and play
the Harlot? O my Lord! haft thou united me
fo clofe unto thee, and fhall I defile my felf,
by fetting my Love on Trifles ? It hath gone a-
ftray too long, it hath wandred up and down,
and found no Reft; and fhall it lofe itfelf for
ever, and, like a Mole, run blindly from' one
Bury to another ? What Man, what Devil can
hurt me, while I love thee, without whofe Com
mand no Creature dares ftir or move ? What
fliould difcourage rae from loving thee, when

1

320 The Great Law of
I have all the Promifes of the Bible to prompt
me to it ? If I lofe any Thing in this World
by loving thee, haft not thou Treafures enough
to recompence my Loffes ? If Men defpife me
for loving thee, haft not thou Honour and
Glory enough to crown me withal ? If I do not
thrive in outward Riches, by loving thee, haft
not thou who art rich in Mercy, a Pearl of price
to beftow upon me when this Life is ended ? I'll
truft thee, O my God, and when my Lufts invite
me to ad like a Beaft, I'll obey thee, and ftrive to
be perfed, as thou art perfed : When Men en
tice me to fin, I'll hearken to thee, and venture
the difgrace or injury they can inflid upon me;
when the World tempts me to be carelefs of my
Salvation, I'll follow thee, and work out my
Salvation with fear and with trembling. Thus
I'll manifeft to the World that thou art dearer
to me than all that's great, or rich, or glorious
in the World. O that I were drunk with Love !
O that all my Faculties were filled with Love ! O
that I could love thee till I fainted away for Love !
O that my mind were fo intent upon thee that I
could relifli nothing but thy Love ! O that my
Soul did overflow with Love ! O dint this ftream
might rife above its Banks ! O that it might
know no Bounds ! O that I were 1b fwallowed
up of Divine Love, that I could not tell whe
ther I were in the Body, or out of the Body !
O that the Contemplation of God's Love were
fo fweet to me, that all other Objeds might be
Gall and Bitternefs to me! O that 1 Mere able
to go out of mv felf in do the vail \ ryfx of the
Love of God! O that I had more oi this rich
Wine !

CONSIDERATION. 321
Wine? O that the King would lead me into his
Wine Cellar ! O that my Soul did thirft more af
ter him ! O that this Dew of Heaven might fall
on my Fleece Day and Night! O that the Love
of God might totally conquer me! O that every
thought or mine might breath nothing but Love !
O that it were my Meat and Drink to love thee!
This is perfed Angels Food. Meats for the Belly,
and the Belly for Meats, God fhall dfiroy both it
and them, but tins Food lafts for ever.
Delight in God is a Duty as neceffary as the
former, but how is it poffible I ever fhould ar
rive to it, without I fummon my Soul, by Con
fideration, to take a View of the Glory and
Beauty which f parities in that amiable Being ? I
fliall quickly feel my heart in another temper than
ordinarily I do, if I befpeak it in fuch Language
as this, Delight In God ! O my Soul, jcanft thou
name that charming Name of God, and feel no
Joy, no Gladnefs in thy Affedions ? Is God fo
dull an Objed that it cannot ftir, or rouze thee
from thy Lethargv? Where doft thou fee a
more lovely Being ? Survey the World, Where
is there fo ravifhing an Objed ? Can there be a
lovelier Being, than he, from whom whatever
is beautiful in Men or Angels flows? How
beautiful muft he be, to whom all thefe Inferi
or Beauties owe their Being. If the Streams be
fo lovely, What muft the Water in the Foun
tain be? Alas! What is the Sun, but a dark
Lanthorn in comparifon of God ? What is all
the Light our Eyes behold, but a Ruth-Candle
to him that is the Father of Lights ? Truly
the Light is five:-, and a t>h\:f<nt Thing it is
Y for

322 The Great Law of
for the Eyes to behold the Sun, Eccl. 1 1. 7. Indeed,
whatever is rich, and to be admired in Objeds,
would fignifie nothing to us without Light ; and,
if created Light be fo delightful, O God, How
amiable muft thou be, who dwelleft in a Light
inacceffible ! If the Sun, and Moon, and Stars,
defer ve my Delight, how more juftly may the
Great Creator of all thefe challenge it, whofe
Glory doth infinitely tranfeend all the little
Twinklings and Radiations which fhine in fub
lunary Objeds ! O my God, were thy Beauty
viewed, as it fhines in the Works of Creation,
as it fparkles in the wife ordering and Manage
ment of the World, as it blazes in the Redemp
tion of Mankind, as it glifters in Regeneration
of the Soul, as it dazles the Eye in the Glorifi
cation of a Sinner, how lovely wouldft thou
appear! And fince neither thy Being, nor thy
Works are in vain, fince what thou art, and
what thou doft, muft needs be for fome certain
End ; What can I conclude, but that thou difco-
vereft fo much Beauty, and Splendor, and Glory
to poor Mortals, becaufe we fhould rejoice and
delight in thee, and be ravifh'd with thee ? O
my Soul, without this Delight in God, thou canft
never be happy ; God is the adequate Objed,
and thy Center, and he alone can give thee reft ;
and except he fills and fatisfies thy Powers,
they'll be forced, like Noah's Dove, to flutter
and fly up and down, wander in a Defart, and
lofe themfelves in a barren Wildernefs. Thou
rejoiceft in a Father, in a Mother, in a Friend,
but God is more than a Father, more than
a Mother, more than a Friend to thee. He
doth

CONSIDERATION. 325
doth more for thee. He loves thee better than
any of thefe can do. Thou rejoiceft in a curious
Landflcip, in the delicate Situation of a Houfe,
in a lovely Arbour, in a fweet and gentle River,
but haft not thou greater Reafon to rejoice in
him, who hath made all thefe ? When thou de-
lighteft in God, thou art at reft, and thy Reft de
clares thy Happinefs. How canft thou hope thy
Religious Exercifes will be accepted in Heaven,
while thou knoweft not what this holy Delight
doth mean? The Heathens guefs'dat the Accep
tance of their Sacrifices, by the cheerful burning
of the Fire upon the Altar ; The greater thy De
light is in God, the flronger Argument thou haft,
that thy Devotion meets with Applaufe and Ap
probation in Heaven. Variety is ftrangely de
lightful to thee here on Earth, and Why then
hath God fo little of thy Delight? Tho' God be
but One, yet in that One God are fo many Plea
fant Objeds, that wert thou to live here a thou
fand Years, in this One God thou migbt'ft every
Day meet with frefh Objeds of Delight ; with this
God thou art to be ravifhed to all Eternity, and
then fure there is Variety enough in him to re
vive and recreate thee for a few Years in this
prefent World. Survey all his bleffed Attributes,
his Holinefs, his Omniprefence, his Omnifcience,
his Immutability, hislmmenfity, his Wifdom and
Eternity; Survey his Goodnefs to Mankind, his
Perfedion, his AH-fufficiency, his Willingnefs to
advance Man to the Enjoyment of that Glory
which the bleffed Angels do poffefs ; Survey his
Revelations, his Mani&ftations of himfelf, t6
this dark ignorant World ; his Statutes and
Y z Judg-

324 The Great Law of
Judgments, and Laws, and the Reafonablenefs
and Equity of them all ; furvey his various Dif-
penfations under the Old and New Teftaments,
his Methods of converting Men, and the various
Degrees whereby he hath proceeded in the Re
formation of the wretched Progeny of Adam ;
furvey his wonderful Love in Chrifi Jefius, and
his Pity and Compaffion to Rebels, to Traitors, to
his greateft Enemies ; furvey the Benefits and
Advantages, which arife from Chrift's Paffion,
Refurredion, Afcenfion, Interceffion; furvey
his Promifes, and Threatnings, his Mercy to
the Penitent, his Juftice to the unbelieving Sin
ner ; furvey his Mercies, both publick and pri
vate, both Spiritual and Temporal, and his va
rious Favours to all Mankind, to thy Fellow
Chriftians, to thy Relations, and thy felf; fur
vey the Privileges he allows to thofe that fear
him, Privileges which are the Torments of De
vils, to fee what Men may come to, and them
felves muft remain for ever deprived of ; fur
vey the Prerogatives of thefe Men, how he
gives them Leave to call upon him, anfwers them
when they call, permits them to call themfelves
his Children, his Darlings, his Favourites, his
Jewels, his Friends, and the Apple of his Eye ;
furvey the Glory which God receives from all
his Creatures, in that all confpire to fulfil his
Will ; furvey the Joy, the Glory, the Happi
nefs, the Triumphs, the Songs, the Hallelujahs,
which he has defigned for his Servants, where
of they have a Tafte here, and which e'er long
they fhall enter upon, to their eternal Content
and Satisfadion. O my Soul, Who can exprefs all

CONSIDERATION. 325
all the pleafing Objeds, which are in this Glori
ous God thou doft adore.
Vaft Ocean of Delight ! How can my Soul be
weary of delighting in thee ? Where every Objed
is of a multiplying Nature, and the farther I go,
the more Charms I meet withal ; every Beam, e-
very Ray, that darts from thy Throne, every
Work of thy Power ( and Oh how infinite is the
Number of them 4) adminifters Delight. And
fure he deferves to be ftarved, that may come
to thofe Waters of Life, and is invited to parti
cipate of this Milk and Honey, and to delight
his Soul in Fatnefs, and prefers the ftolen Wa
ters of Sin, before thefe living Waters, which,
like thofe in the EJ'culapian Well, are not capable
of Putrefadion.
Look, O my Soul, look with pity on the poor
diftraded World, that delights in Things hellifh
and finful, worldly, mean and trivial. Who would
envy the fottifh Pleafures of Strato, Anthony, Ti
berius, Calligula, Commodus, Cotis, Demetrius ?
pleafures fitter for Bulls, and Bears, and Goats,
than for Men of Reafon ? they dream they eat and
drink, and are at a great Feaft, but in the Mor
ning when they wake, they find themfelves emp
ty. A rational complacency in God, is Bread in
corruptible, this is the Meat thou muft live upon
for ever ; thou delighteft in a curious Pidure,
Why not in him that's altogether lovely ? Thou
delighteft in a delicate Shape, Why not in him
that's fairer than the Children of Men ? Thou
delighteft in a pleafant Garden, in well-ordered
Walks, in flowery Meadows; Why not in him,
whofe gracious Prefence can make a Dungeon a
Y -z Para-

^2t> The Great Law of
Paradife ? Hoife up thy Sails, O my Soul, let
thy Defire Crave all that's rich, good and magni
ficent; Why, in God thou haft it all, in a moft
eminent manner ; while others delight in their
Plenty, thou canft delight in him, who is plen
teous in Mercy unto all them that call upon
him ; while others delight in Knowledge, thou
canft delight in him, in whom are all the Trea-
fures of Wifdom ; While others delight in the
Protedion of their Friends, thou canft delight
in him, who is a prefent help in the time of trou
ble ; while others delight in a ftately Seat, thou
canft delight in the fecret place, and in the fha-
doW of the Almighty. O my God, thou fatisfieft
the Hungry Soul, and filleft the thirfty Soul
with Goodnefs. The Soul cannot crave beyond
what thou canft give, nor afk more than thou
art able to afford ; the Defires of the Soul are
not fo infinite, but thy Store and Plenty is un
speakably more infinite than our Defires. They
that cannot delight in thee, have ftrange brutifh
Souls! They fee not how thou goefl, hpw thou
itny God, goefl in the Sanduary; they never
felt thy holy Influences ; they know not what
Peace thou fpeakeft unto thy People ; they are
hot fenfible how thou doft encourage thofe that
ferve thee ; they are not fenfible how great the
Rewards are, thou haft laid up for Men that
forget what is behind them, and feek fivft thy
Kingdom, and its Righteoufnefs. O Goodnefs
immehfe, and infinite ! If every fingle Good
is Pleafant and Delightful, how Delightful
muft thou be, Who art that wide and ample
Sea, into Whiph ^11 thefe Rivers, and Emana7 tions

CONSIDERATION. 327
tions of Goodnefs run ! If created Life be plea
fant, how pleafant muft thou be, which giveft
that Life ! If created Wifdom be amiable, how
amiable muft thou be, from whom that Wifdom
flows ! O my God, I fee, how all the pleafant
'Things of the World perifh, but thou art the
fame, and thy Years do not fail, and thou endu-
reft from one Generation to another ; here there
fore I'll fix my Delight ; on this Rock I'll build
my Joy; while others delight in numbering their
Bags, I'll delight in numbering the loving Kind-
neffes of my God; while others delight in their
Preferment, I'll delight in being adopted into the
glorious Liberty of God's Children ; while others
delight in the greatnefs of their Relations, I'll de
light in having the Saviour of the World for my
elder Brother; while others delight in their
Farms and Oxen, I'll delight in my Title to the
Tree of Life ; while others delight in Kingdoms
and Principalities, I'll delight in him who hath
made me a King and Prieft unto God, and to his
Father ; / will delight my J'elf in the Lord,
and be fhall give the Defires of my Heart, Pfal.
Did the Man who is almoft perfwaded into
Charity, but ferioufly confider, what a Strefs
the Gofpel lays upon this pious Liberality ;
how Chriji in the laft Day is refolved to infift
more upon this Duty, than upon any other ;
how he is but a Steward of thofe Bleffings he
enjoys ; and how God gave him that Eftate
he hath with this very Intent, that he fhould
be beneficial to thofe, whom Providence hath
made Objects of his Bounty; how great an Im-
Y 4. pedi-

328 The Great Law of
pediment his extreme Fondnefs of this World's
Goods, is to his future Happinefs ; How it
darkens his Graces, clouds his Comforts, har
dens his Heart, fears his Confcience, enflaves
him to the Devil ; How his Charity is no more
than Juftice, a due Debt he owes to his poor
Neighbour, for which Reafon, the Holy Ghoft
calls Mens Alms, Righteoufnefs ; fo that with
holding our Hand from giving to People in
Neceffity, or from affifting them in Time of
Need, is robbing them of that which is their
Due; how difficult, nay, how impoffible it is
for a Man, that dotes on thefe outward Com
forts, to become a true Difciple of Chrift ;
with that Earneftnefs all the Prophets and Apo
ftles of old, have recommended this Honour
ing, of God with our Subftance, and with the
Firft Fruits of our Increafe ; How kind God's
Afped is to this Duty ; How great God's Con-
defcenfion is, in being willing to accept of that,
as done to himfelf, which is done to his Ser
vants, or Chrift's diftreffed Members; How
fignally he bleffes this Virtue, how all Faith is
dead without it, how vainly that Man hopes
for Heaven, that hath no Bowels of Compaffi
on ; I fay, would the Man, that is unrefolved,
whether he fliall deny himfelf, and give away
confiderably to pious Ufes, but ponder all
thefe Arguments, by the Affiftance of God,
it would make him refolve to lay by fuch a
Proportion of all his Gain and Incomes for
God's Service, and keep to it, and ftop his Ears a-
gainft all the Suggeftions of the Devil to the
contrary, and refign himfelf entirely to God's Pro-

CONSIDERATION. 329
Providence, and leave it to God, how, and when,
and where to make him amends for it, and be
lieve, that it will moft certainly be recompenfed
him in the Refurredion of the Juft.
Meeknefs is fo great a Duty of the Gofpel,
that Chrifi makes it the diftinguifhing Charader
of his Difciples, and indeed, none is more like
ly tq arrive to it, than he that makes it his Bu
finefs to confider, how famous fome of the
Heathens were for this Virtue ; How Pericles
bid his Servant light him home, who had rail
ed againft him all Day; How Socrates put by
the Calumnies that were caft upon him with
this, That the Slanderer had fiaid nothing of
him, that he found himfelf to be guilty of;
How Dion of Alexandria was filent under all
the Reproaches that were thrown upon him ;
how unworthy of a Chriftian it is to do lefs,
with all the Helps of Grace, than the other,
by the Affiftance of Nature only ; how this is to
have the fame Mind which was alfo in Chrifi
Jej'us; What Mifchief fudden Anger hurries
Men into, how feverely the Great Redeemer
of the World checks his Difciples, that call
for Fire from Heaven to confume the Men
who had denied their Mafter Lodging ; how
great the Conqueft is, to fubdue thofe Paffions,
which would engage us to Wrath and Fury ;
how difcreetly that Man can ad, that curbs
thofe unruly Affedions; how this excellent
Quality adorns the Gofpel of our Saviour ;
how it difpofes Men for a fatisfadory Difcharge
of their Duty towards God ; How great Evils
and Inconveniences it prevents ; How many times

330 The Great Law of
Times it melts the Offender if there be any Inge
nuity in him, and wins more upon him, than all
the fierce proceedings we can ufe ; How great a
preparative it is for a good name, and how Men,
who underftand what felf-conqueft means, can
not but commend and celebrate it ; How in Hi
ftory, Men famous for this Grace are extolled a-
bove the greateft Conquerors ; How Heaven can
not but applaud it, to fee Men ftrive to be per
fed, as their Father in Heaven is perfed ; How
great Wifdom it argues, to be zealous in God's
Caufe when his Glory is affronted, and meek in
our own Concerns and Injuries ; What Peace,
what Satisfadion it caufes in the Soul, what Blef
fings are intailed upon it; How comfortably
thofe, who have endeavour'd to be Mafters of this
Temper, may leave this World, and die, as the
Jews faid of Mofies, the meekeft of Men, at the
Kifs of God into eternal Glory.
SanBification of the Lord's Day, or, which
is all one, confecrating that Day to God's Ser
vice, and fpending it in publick and private
Religious Exercifes, in Meditating, nearing
the Word, praifing of God, good Works, and
Spiritual Conferences, is a Thing, which de
vout Chriftians have, in all Ages, thought
themfelves obliged to obferve ; and cei tainly
he will find great Reafon to follow them, that
fliall engage his Soul ferioufly to confider fome
fuch Circumfiances as thefe. How Holy is
this Day! How fliould my Soul rejoice at
the dawning of it! This is the Day which
the Lord hath made, and which is to put me
in mind of the greateft Mercy, that was ever
vouch-:

CONSIDERATION. 331
Vouchfafed to Mankind : Can there be any thing
more coftly than the Redemption of Man ? Or
can I fpend too much time in commemorating fo
glorious a Favour ? I that can fpend time in re
hearfing, what Jewels my Parents have left me,
what Houfes they have bequeathed me, what
Lands they have afiigned to mc, what Movea
bles they have given me, fhall I think much in
fpending one Day in feven, in rehearfing what
God hath done for nw Soul ? When God allow?
me fix Days in the Week, to follow the Bufi
nefs of my lawful Calling, cannot I allow one
Day entire for his Service ? Are the Concerns
of my Soul fo trivial that they do not deferye
one Day in the Week ? Or, is Salvation fo eafie
a Thing, that, to fpend much Time in the Con
trivance of it, is altogether needlefs ? I can al
low a whole Day, fometimes Two or Three, for
the Recreation of my Body, and muft my Soul
have none to feaft itfelf upon God, and end
lefs Glory ? Alas ! How little do thefe flafhes
of contemplating God in the Week-Days,
which are fo often interrupted by worldly Bu-r
finefs, warm the Soul? How little are Men's
Affedions wrought upon by thofe Fits of Devo
tion, except they take a whole Day to warm
their Souls at the Beams of the Sun ofRighte^
oufnefs ? Alas ! How little Serioufnefs do I
fee in thofe Families, where this Day is not
Religioufly fpent, where every Perfon is per-
' mitred to ufe their Liberty, and where the pub
lick Exercifes in the Church are not feconded
by private Difcourfes, and Prayers, and Cele
brations of the Gqodnefs pf Gpd! How loofe, how

332 The Great Laz<u of
how vain, how foolifh are they commonly !
How little do they mind the power of Religion !
How little are they acquainted with the Spiritual
Part of Godlinefs ! What Liberty do they give
themfelves in their Adions, fuch as a confcienti-
ous Man will be afraid of ! Where is my felf-
denial, if I cannot deny my felf in my Worldly
Difcourfes, or Thoughts, one Day ? How can I
hope my Spiritual Wants and Neceffities fhould
ever be difcovered to me, except I do in my
Clofet apply what I have heard in the Houfe of
God, and water the incorruptible Seed that is
fown in my Heart, by Self-examination, that it
may grow, and fprout and bear Fruit ? O the
Joy, the Comfort, the Satisfadion I might reap
from the fincere Satisfadion of this Day ! How
quietly might I lie down at Night, after fo fweet
a Converfe with God all Day ? How foft would
my Reft be, having work'd in God's Vineyard
fo many Hours ? How joyfully might I rife next
Morning, and comfort my felf with the happy
Remembrance of Bleffings, my Soul hath recei
ved the Day before ? Thus to obferve and im
prove this Day, would be a Prologue to my e-
verlafting Reft, a Preface to my eternal Repofe
in Abraham's Bofom ; a Prefage, that I fliould
e'er long reft from all Tears, and Sorrow, and
Pain, and Anguifh, and from all the Temptati
ons of the World, the Flefh, and the Devilj
and be admitted into the Choir of Angels, to
praife him Day and Night, who lives for ever
and ever.
In this manner all other Duties may be com
paffed ; the Beauty, Glory, Ufefulnefs of them thus

CONSIDERATION. 333-
thus fpread before the Underftanding, Will, and
Affedions, are apt to work upon thefe Faculties,
and they being prevailed ^ upon, the Eyes, the
Ears, the Hands, the Feet, Will quickly do then-
part, and fhew their readinefs to obey the Com
mand of their Superior Officers.
II. It helps Men to improve eternal Objeds,
into very comfortable Contemplations. When
I take a View of the Sun, and Moon, and Stars,
or refled on the Air, Fire, Earth, and Water,
Confideration may furnifh me with very excel
lent Truths, and the nobleft Leffons of Reli
gion. Confideration can Metamorphofe Ob
jeds, and Spiritualize them, and find out the
fecret Defigns of the Almighty, in thofe Crea
tures, which the fenfual Man looks upon, and
like a Beaft paffes by, without any Admirati
on ; This Eye can pierce through folid Bo
dies, and read the wholfom Leffons which lie
hid under thofe groffer Mantles. For after
this Manner it may argue, Take Wings, O my
Soul, fly up to yonder Heaven, where the Al
mighty hath fet a Tabernacle for the Sua,
which is as a Bridegroom coming out of his
Chamber; and rejoyces as a Giant to run his
Race; Behold, how this glorious Planet, the
great Almoner of Heaven, when he rifes, re
vives every living Thing with his kindly Beams,
and will not the increated Sun, from whom this
bright Star borrows his fhining Rays, when -he
fhall rife unto the Spirits of Men made perfed
in the laft Day, fill them all with unfpeakable
Joy and Gladnefs ? And as a difmal uncomforta
ble Darknefs fucceeds, when this created Sun
doth

334 The Great Law of
doth leave Our Hemilphere, fo think, how dread
ful, how full of horror and difconfolatenefs that
darknefs muft be, which muft unavoidably fall
on wretched impenitent Sinners, that would take
no Warning, when the increated Sun fhall with
draw from them his beatifical Prefence forever;
behold this created Sun, how many Thoufand
Kindneffes it beftows upon Mankind, and doth
not this put thee in mind of the Father of Lights,
from whom every good and perfed Gift defcends ?
How much bigger is this fliining Body than the
whole Earth; and doft not thou remember, how,
before thy God, all Mankind are as Grafhop-
pers, or rather, as the Duft of the Balance, nay,
lighter than nothing, and Vanity ? The Sun, that
he may enlighten the whole World, is forced to
go from one place to another; but thy God, at
one and the fame Time, without moving his
Station, can fill Heaven and Earth witn his,
Glory. »
Behold, O my Soul, the next great Light, the
Moon, which, the nearer it approaches the Sun,
the brighter it grows in that Part, which looks
towards Heaven, tho' it becomes darker in that
Part which looks towards the Earth, and when
it is oppofite to the Sun, lofes all that Brightnefs
it had in its conjundion with the Sun, and is on
ly bright in that Part which refpeds this lower
World ; and doft not thou fee a very lively Em
blem of a converted, and unconverted Sinner
in this Luminary ? Behold, the nearer thou ap-
proacheft the Sun of Righteoufnefs in Purity and
Holinefs, the greater luftre, and the greater Hap
pinefs thou rcceiveft; the Inhabitants of Heaven behold

CONSIDERATION. 335
behold thy Brightnefs and Innocence, and ap
plaud it, tho' fenfual Men, may be, think thee
all Darknefs, all Obfcurity, becaufe thou doft not
wallow in Works of Darknefs with them ; they,
may be, look upon thee as mad and diftraded,
becaufe thou art fo bufie, fo earneft, fo zealous,
to pleafe thy God, and fpendeft fo much Time
in praifing, and magnifying, and glorifying of
him ; but thofe that dwell in yonder Region of
Light and Blifs, know that then, and not till
then, thou art Mafter of thy Reafon, and doft
ad like a Perfon that's capable of being made
Partaker of the Divine Nature. In a Word,
thou art a Light to them above, and Night to
Men beneath. On the other fide, when thou
turneft thy Back upon God, walkeft oppofite,
and contrary to him, whatever Refped and Cre
dit thou mayft have from the World, God and
his holy Angels look upon thee as Darknefs ; thy
Underftanding, which is that Part which pro
perly looks towards Heaven, lofes all its Bright
nefs ; and no Marvel, for God alone can fatisfie
it ; and he being gone, that Part muft needs be
perfed Night; and no Wonder if, upon this
Darknefs, thy Love inclines vigoroufly to the
World, and thy Affedions are altogether carried
out after the Drofs and Dung of this tranfitory
Earth, if thy Thoughts are all engaged about
the World, all thy Speeches employed about the
World, and thou becomeft wife for the World,
and lofeft all thy Wifdom for God, and for Sal
vation, and thou art Night to the Spirits above,
and Day ;a> Men below. O

3^6 The Great Law of
O my Soul, Canft thou look upon the Sun and
Moon, and not remember how differently God
deals with triumphing Saints in Heaven, and
his Militant Church hereon Earth ? They en
joy a perpetual Sunfhine, we are allowed no
more but Moon-light; We fee, as it were,
thro' a Glafs, darkly ; they face to face : Their
Light, like that of the Sun, never leffens; ours,
like that of the Moon, is fometimes greater,
fometimes lefs, and fometimes we have none
at all. How often doth the afflided Believer
walk in Darknefs ? God hides the Light of his
Countenance from him, and. he is troubled :
Sometimes he is all Joy, by and by all Darknefs a-
gain ; fometimes he is like St. Paul wrapt up in
to the third Heaven ; fometimes like Men that
fee God's Wonders in the Deep, he goes down a-
gain to the Depths, and his Soul melts becaufe
of Trouble ; how clear are the Apprehenfions
fometimes he hath of the Love and Mercy of
God! and feems to be able to comprehend
with all Saints, what is the Depth and Breadth
of the Love of God. How often, on the o-
ther Side, is a Veil drawn over all' thefe bright
Conceptions, and he grovelling in the Duft ?
What Floods of Confolation doth God fome
times pour Upon his Soul ? Whereas at other
Times thofe Comforts come down in Drops,
which ufed to come in fhowers; How great
fometimes is his ftrength againft Temptations ?
How weak is his Courage at another ? How, like
the great Jefus, can he fometimes rebuke the
Winds and Waves, and make the Sea calm? and
at another Time how ready he is to faint with the

CONSIDERATION. 337
the Difciples, and to look upon himfelf as loft \
How chearfully fometimes can he cry out, / can
do all Things, through Chrift who ftrengthens me ?
How mournfully is he forced to exprefs him
felf at another, I fee a Law in my Members war
ring againft the Law of my Mind, and bringing
me into Captivity to the Law of Sin !
Behold, O my Soul, the vaft Number of the
Stars and Lamps of Heaven, how wife, how
powerful is that God who made them ? Who
can look upon thofe curious Lights, without
admiring their Creator ? Behold, they rife and
go down at his Command, and do not fail one
Minute of their appointed Time ; How fhould
this teach thee Obedience?- How chearfully
fhould'ft thou run at the Command of thy
God? Thefe glorious Stars, though their
Number be vaftly great, yet they never clafh or
difagree one with another; How fhould this
engage thee to unfeigned Charity, and Peace-
ablenefs ? How fhould this put thee upon pro
moting Peace, and Concord, and Agreement a-
mong thy Neighbours ? And do not thefe Stars
put thee in Mind, how e'er long thou fhalt
fhine as the Stars in the Firmament for ever ?
Happy Hour ! Bleffed Day 1 When thou fhalt
be cloathed with Splendor, and Immortality,
When thou fhalt fee Night no more, and Jhalt
need no Candle, neither Light of the Sun, but
the Lord Jhall give thee Light, and thou Jhalt
reign with him for ever.
Come down lower, O my Soul, I have not
done yet with God's wonderful Works ; re
fled upon the Air, in which all fenfitive Crea-
Z tures

338 The Great Law oj
tures breath ; without this Air, the whole Crea
tion would die ; 'Tis this that keeps Men, and
Beafts, and all Plants, and Herbs, alive; See how
all Creatures, when ready to be fmother'd, upon
letting in of Air, do all revive and live again; and
is not the holy Spirit of God, O my Soul, the ve
ry fame to thee that the Air is to all Creatures.?,
Without the Spirit of God to enlighten, to move,
and to dired thee, thou haft the Name that thou
liveft, but thou art dead; 'tis the Spirit muft
give thee Life, 'tis he that muft warm thee into
a pradical Love of God ; 'tis he that muft live
in thee, that thou may'ft not fulfil the Defires
of the Flefh ; 'tis he muft teach thee how to pray;
'tis he muft help thy Infirmities, and bear Wit
nefs with thy Spirit, that thou art a Child of God:
Beg this rich Gift at the Hands of God, and thou
fhalt have it; feek it, and thou fhalt find it ;
knock at Heaven Gate for it, and God will open,
and grant thee thy Heart's Defiire.
Behold, O my Soul, how vain and foolifh thofe
Men are, that will not believe the Being of An-
gels, or of Spirics, becaufe they never faw any ;
Can they fee the Air ? And why do not they
queftion, Whether there be fuch a Thing as Air
or no. This Air fupports all Creatures, fo doth
thy God much more. He fends the Springs into
the F alleys which run among the Hills : They
give drink to every Beaft of the Field, the wild
Afjes quench their Thirfi. He wateretb the
Hills from his Chambers, the Earth is fatisfi
ed with the Fruits of his Works. He caujes the
Grafs to grow for the Cattle, and Herbs for
the Service of Men, Pfal. 104. 10, 11, 13, J4.
When

CONSIDERATION. 339
When this Air yields to all grofs Bodies, and lets
them pafs without Oppofitioiij how doth it
read to thee Ledures of Patience and Humility ?
In that Flexibility, thou mayeft fee the finfulnefs
of thy inexorable Temper, the Odipufnefs of thy
revengeful Defires, and reviling again when thou
art reviled, and giving the Offender as good as
he brings; the Air reproves thee, when thou
art deaf to all Intreaties to be reconciled to him
chat hath injured thee, when thou wilt not yield
to the humble Supplication of diftreffed Crea
tures, and when thou oppofeft thy own Humour
to all the rational Perfwafions of wifer Men than
thy felf.
. Look upon the Fire, O my Soul, and behold
how differently it ads upon Bodies it meets
withal, how it confumes the Hay and Stubble,
and cleanfes and purifies Gold and Silver 1 Doft
thou not fee here, as in a Glafs, how thy God
deftroys the Workers of Iniquity ; and advances*
and increafes, and purifies the Defires and Af
fedions of a devout and religious Soul ! Thou
feeft how hard and black Iron is, when it is not
near the Fire, and how bright and tradable it
becomes in the Fire, and is not -this the true
Pidure of a Sinner ? While he is a Stranger
to the Law of God, he- hardens his Heart as
Flint and Adamant, no Threatnings pierce
him, no Promifes prevail with him, no Judg
ments fright him, no Providences move him,
no Mercies melt him, he defies the whole Ar
mour of God, and fighteth againft him; his
Sins ftand fliff, his Lufts remain unfhaken ; he
feeds upon God's Bleffings as Swine do upon
Z 2 Acorn?,

340 The Great Law of
without minding the Hand that throws them
down; He hears Sermons, but they awake
him not ; He is intreated, but flights the Invi
tation ; He is reproved, but laughs at the Re-
prchenfion ; but when that holy Fire, the Love
of God, enters into his Heart, how flexible,
how tradable, doth he grow ? How doth the
Love of God conftrain him to avoid fin, and to
bid Defiance to all the Works of Darknefs ? He
that before feorned to hear the glad Tidings of
the Gofpel, how doth he now fubmit to Chrift's
eafie Yoke? He that before thought fuch a Duty
unfit and improper for a Perfon of his Quality,
how chearfully doth he now bow and yield to
it ? He that before had a thoufand Excufes, why
he could not do what Chrift enjoins him, how
doth he now lay all thofe idle Apologies by ?
He that before was churlifli, becomes now af
fable and courteous : He that before was apt
to be very angry at the leaft Affront, now bears
it more quietly; He that before put off the
Eternal God with the meaneft of his Endea
vours, now is willing to give him the fat and
ftrength of his Affedions : He that before could
hear Minifters call to him, and call again with
out Effed, now cries out, Sirs, What mufi I do
to be J'aved ? He that before could not be per
fwaded to walk in the ftraight Way, now runs
in the Way of God's Commandments. Bleffed
Fire, which, like the hallowed flames of Hea
ven, confumes not, but illuminates ; Never
fuffers the Heart to be hardened, but purifies
it; doth not ftraighten the Soul, but elevates
it ; doth not clog, but refine it ; doth not con
found,

CONSIDERATION. 341
found, but fublime it; deftroys the Drofs, but
preferves the Gold; and burns away all unclean
and inordinate Paffions, and all immoderate Cares
of this World, but raifes the Soul above the
World, and engages it to fly above thofe Things,
which ferve only to fill Mens Hearts with An
guifh and Vexation.
Lay afide this Objed for a little While, O my
Soul, and look upon that Earth thou walkeft
on ; this is the Place, our Bodies muft neceffa
rily reft in. But when thou feeft the Centre of
all heavy Bodies, forget not to think who it is,
that is thy proper Centre and Refting-place ;
That's a Groaning, Bleeding, Dying Saviour.
Think, O my Soul, on the Senfual and Luxuri
ous Men of this World, what Pains they take
to find out Reft for their Souls ; like Spiders,
they run from one Herb to another, and yet
cannot purge their Poifon, i. e. their Difcontent,
away; they give themfelves to Wine, lay Hold
on Folly, make them great Works, build them
Houfes, plant them Vineyards, make them Gar
dens and Orchards, and plant Trees in them of
all Kind of Fruits ; get them Servants and Mai
dens, procure ample Poffeffions of great and
fmall Cattle ; gather Silver and Gold, get them
Men-fingers and Women-fingers, and all the
Delights of the Sons of Men ; and whatfoever
their Eyes defire, they keep it not from them,
Ecclef. 2. 3, 4, &c. But when, with the Syba
rites, they have rolled on Beds of Violets,
and toffed their Fancies from one Pleafure to a-
nother, and come to ftand on the Brink of a-
nother World, they find to their Sorrow, when
Z 3 'tis

34- The Great Law of
'tis too late, that here is not their Reft, and that
their Souls can reft no Where but where infinite
Satisfadion is to be had, even in God, bleffed for
evermore. God is thy Reft indeed, O my Soul ;
and when thou canft hide thy felf in the Wounds
of thy great Redeemer, then, then thou art fafe,
and the Gates of Hell are not able to prevail z-
gainft it.
Canft thou fee how plentifully the Earth pro
vides for Mankind, and forget what Provifi-
on God makes for thee that thou mayft not
mifs of the Crown of Righteoufnefs hereafter ?
And when thou feeft how all Things the Earth
produces, praife their Creator in their Way, and
fhew forth his Glory ; canft thou be filent, or
forbear to be perpetually extolling the Goodnefs
of that God, who hath given thee a Tongue on
purpofe to fpeak thofe Praifes, whereof other
Creatures make but a dumb fhew ? Thou feeft
how this Earth produces Gold and Silver; and
how beautiful the Carpets are, on which it in
vites her Inhabitants to walk: And if this Earth
be fo glorious, what will Heaven be ? If the
Houfe which God vouchfafed to his Enemies
be fo fplendid, what will his own Palace be,
where none but himfelf and his Servants fliall
dwell for ever? If the outward Court be fo
Magnificent, what muft the Prefence-Chamber
of the King of kings be ? If Gold and Silver
by their glittering dazzle the Eyes of Spedators
here, what will the beatifical Prefence of Al
mighty God do, which is beyond all the Shine
and Lyftre that Gold and precious Stones af
ford ? From

CONSIDERATION. 343
From the Earth, O my Soul, launch out into
the Waters ; how ufeful are the Leffons fuggefted
to thee by this Element? Canft thou look up
on Water, and not refled on the Grace of God,
which hath appeared to all Men ? How this
waflies the Souls of Believers from all Filthinefs
both of Flefh and Spirit ; how it quenches the
Fire of finful Lufts in Men ; how it takes away
Mens Thirft, and Greedinefs, after the fublunary
Comforts ; how it cools the Soul under the grea
teft Heat of Mifery ; how it makes many of one
Mind, as the innumerable Atomes of Flower go
together in Water, to make up one Loaf of
Bread, and unites Millions of Men, under one
Mead, the Lord Jefus Chrifi. Behold the Springs
and Fountains, which, like Pearls, adorn the
curious Fabrick of the Earth ; canft thou call
them Fountains, and doth not that Name put
thee in mind of the Fountain of Life, the Foun
tain of Wifdom, the Fountain of Living Waters,
and the Fountain opened for the Houfe of Ju
dah and Jerujdlem, for Sin and for Uncleannefs ?
Do but think what Riches flow from that ever
lafting Spring ! Thy God is the very Fountain of
all Beings : In him, and to him, and through him,
are all things; he depends on ne Caufes, he hath
need of no Affiftance, nothing can hurt him, but
all things depend upon him ; He is the Beginning
of all things without a Beginning, the End with
out End; the great Caufe without a Caufe; Infi
nite, Unlimited, Immenfe and Incomprehenfi-
ble ; Refrefh thy felf, O my Soul, in this never-
failing and inexhauftible Fountain ; Admire him,
Serve him, Love him, Defire him, defpife all
Z 4 other

344 The Great Law of
other Things in comparifon of him, for he alone
can fupply all thy Wants and Neceffities, con
tent thy Affedions here, and fill thee with ever
lafting Comfort hereafter.
III. It wonderfully fupports Men under Affii-
dions, for our Impatience lies in our Minds, and
where the Difeafe begins, there 'tis fit the Cure
fhould begin ; but, which Way fhould the Mind
be cur'd but by Confideration ? 'Tis this muft
anfwer all the Objedions that Flefh and Blood
fuggeft to the Mind ; 'Tis this muft filence all
the Arguments, which feem to juftifie our Mur
murs againft the difmal Providence we meet
withal, and the Thoughts which caufe our Dif-
content muft be expelled by Thoughts of our
Demerits, and God's Juftice ; and without all
Peradventure, that Man fliall be able to bear his
Tribulation better, that thus reafons the Cafe
with himfelf, Why art thou caft down O my
Soul, and why art thou fo difquieted within
me ? Hath thy God a Hand in this Afflidion, or
hath he not ? If he hath not, Where is his Pro
vidence ? If he hath, Why doft thou grumble ?
Doth not thy God know better, what is expedi
ent for thee, than thy felf ? Is he All-wife, and
doth not he know what Medicines are fitteft
for thee ? Thou art hie Creature, and may not
he do with his own what he pleafes ? Thou haft
finned againft him, and muft not he corred
thee ? Thou haft affronted him, and muft not
he ufe his Rod ? Thou haft forfaken him, and
muft not he fhew his Difpleafure againft thy In
gratitude? Doft not thou corred thy Child
when he is ftubborn ? And doft thou let thy
Ser-

CONSIDERATION. 345
Servant go without chiding, that doth negled
the Bufinefs thou haft recommended to, his Care?
May be, thou haft ferved thy God, and led a fo
ber Life ; but, was it a Life fo blamelefs, that it
had no Defeds ? And muft not thofe Defeds en
dure that fiery Trial, that they may be burnt a-
way ? Haft thou received the Good at the Hand
of the Lord, and fhalt not thou receive the Evil
alfo ? Flow long hath God fpared thee, who
might long ago have poured out the Vials of his
Wrath upon thee? Haft not thou Reafon to
thank him for chaftifing thee but now, who
might have done it much fooner ? Alas ! Why
fhouldft thou think he doth thee Wrong, by
fending this Crofs upon thee, who haft deferved
no lefs than Damnation ? Are not Rods gentler
than Scorpions ? And Drops of God's Anger
more tolerable than Floods of his Difpleafure ?
Thou art in pain ; but what is this to Hell-fire ?
Thou art in Torment ; but what is this to the
Agonies the unhappy Spirits in the burning Lake
endure ? How great a Mercy is it, that it is not
worfe with thee ? The Waters of Morah, which
are but to the Ankles now, How foon might
God increafe them to the Knees, and make them
a River that could not be faffed over ? And he
that doth but frown now, How eafily might he
Thunder? Confider, O my Soul, thou art not
called to Perfecution, to Gibbets, to Fire, to the
Sword, to Grid-irons, to wild Beafts, as the Mar
tyrs of old were : If thou complaineft now, What
wouldft thou do, if thou wert call'd to Martyr
dom ? Look upon Jefus, the Author, and Captain
of thy Salvation, who was made perfed thro' Suf
ferings :

346 The Great Law of
ferings : Art thou better than the Son of God ?
Look upon the Apoftles, look upon the Primi
tive Saints that were torn afunder, floned, flain
with the Sword, wandred about in Sheep-fkins,
and Goat-fkins, were deftitute, tormented, afBi-
ded ; and art thou a greater Saint than they ?
Why fhouldft thou exped better Dealing at
God's Hands, than they ? Thou art not alone in
Mifery ; thou haft whole Armies of Holy Men
to bear thee Company : Canft thou look upon
yonder Heaven, and repine ? Canft thou behold
that Glory, which God hath prepared for thee,
and think much of thefe fiery Trials? The Hopes
of a Kingdom makes a Captive Prince merry,
though he is in Prifon ; and fliall not the Hopes
of yonder Joys keep thy Heart from finking ?
When a Socrates can chearfully fubmit to the
unjuft Sentence of the Athenians, upon no o-
ther Account but this, becaufe ' it was God's
Will ! Shalt thou, who art a Chriftian, lie fret
ting at thy Trouble, as if thou meanedft to refift
and controul God's Will ? Wilt not thou give
God Leave to ufe that Privilege in this great
Houfe, the World, which every Peafant ufes
in his Cottage, and lay what Burthens he pleafes
on his Servants ? Shall he fay, fuffer thou this
Afflidion ; and wilt thou anfwer with that ill-
natured Son in the Gofpel, / will not ? Look,
O. my Soul, look upon the Benefit thou wilt
receive by this Providence; thou waft proud
before, ftay a While, and this Calamity will
make thee humble; Thou didft defpife thy
God before, have a little Patience, and this
Trouble will drive thee hence to thy Father's Houfe ;

CONSIDERATION. 347
Houfe ; Thou didft play with the Bread thy
Father gave thee, this Crofs will teach thee how
to prize it ; Thou didft truft too much to thine
own ftrength, this Calamity will make thee re
ly altogether upon him, who hath promifed to
be thy Refuge, thy Hiding-place, thy Fortrefs,
thy Deliverer, thy ftrong Tower, and the Horn
cf thy Salvation: God knows what thou want-
eft, and how thy Wants muft be fnpplied ; He
fees Profperity would undo thee ; He there
fore takes it away, and like a tender Father,
cries, Do thv felf no Harm : He fees fuch a
Bleffing would make thee forfeit, he therefore
wifely prevents ^.thy Difeafe, by depriving thee
of that Mercy : ? He fees fuch a Comfort would
be but a Knife, or Sword in thy Hand, and kill .
thee ; he therefore fnatches it away, becaufe he
would preferve thee from eternal Ruin : He
fees thou art too much in love with this World,
he therefore embitters thy fweet Morfels, to
make thee weary of this barren Wildernefs, and
in love with that Kingdom that fades not away.
Doft thou blame a Phyfician, becaufe he gives
his Patient a bitter Potion ? And, Wilt thou
blame thy God, for not pleafuring thy Palate
with Dainties which would increafe thy Di-
flemper? Wouldft thou follow thy Saviour in
Sun-fhine only, and not go with him into the
Garden of Gethfiemane ? Wouldft thou inherit his
Crown of Glory, without wearing his Crown
of Thorns here ? Wouldft thou be with him on
Mount Tabor only, and not accompany him to
Golgotha ? Wouldft thou be about him only,
when he Rides in triumph into Jerufialem, and

348 The Great Law of
and forfake him in the Defert ? Wouldft thou
follow him only while the Loaves do lafi, and
abandon him when he wants Bread for the Mul
titude ? Wouldft thou own him only when Men
cry HoJ'anna, and run away from him, when
they cry out Crucifie him ? Wilt thou eat of
the fame Bread he doth, and not drink of his
Cup too ? God would fave thee by that Bur
then which lies upon thee ; And doft thou
prefer a little Froth before an eternal Weight
of Bleffednefs? Hadft thou rather enjoy thy
good Things here, than lie with Lazarus \nA-
braham's Bofom ? God fees thou canft not be
happy without this Afflidion; and wilt thou
prefer living delicioufly for a few Days, be
fore the rich Banquet God hath prepared for
his Favourites in Paradife ? O my Soul, 'tis but
a little While yet, and thy Prifon will be chan
ged into a Palace, thy Poverty into Eternal
Riches, thy Bondage into perfed Liberty, thy
Perfecution into endlefs Joys, thy Mourning
Songs into Hallelujahs, thy Sorrow into Rivers
of Delight. Alas ! What is a Prifon ? God's
Prefence can make it a Heaven ? Walls cannot
keep out the Smiles and Glory of the Higheft.
What is Poverty ? It may confift with being
God's Jewel ; and he that hath nothing in this
World to boaft of, may have an incorruptible
Crown to lay hold of, and be really richer than
the wealthieft of Mankind. What are Slan
ders and Reproaches? They cannot hurt the
Soul, whatever Injury they may do the Body ;
they come fometimes from Man, whofe Tongue
is no Slander; and, while thou art innocent in
the

CONSIDERATION. 349
the fight of God, thou art a Crown of Glory in
the Hand of the Lord, and a Royal Diadem in
the Hand of thy God ; and if fo, how little need'ft
thou matter the good Opinion and Efteem of
Men, efpecially when thy innocence fhall be pro
claim'd one Day in the Ears of the whole World ?
What is Perfecution ? A Cloud which foon paffes
away, and he that chearfully endures it, great is
his Reward in Heaven. Defpair not, O my Soul,
thou haft to deal with a God, who will lay no
more upon thee than thou art able to bear, but
with the Temptation will make thee a Way to
efcape, that thou may'ft be able to bear it ; one
that doth not afflid the Children of Men wil
lingly; One that will certainly, if thou obftrud
not his Operation by thy Unbelief, fo order thy
Winter, that a moft glorious Spring and Summer
fhall follow it.
May be thy Troubles are altogether Spiritual,
and thou doft not complain fo much, becaufe
thou art deftitute of outward Conveniencies, as
becaufe thy God is departed from thee : A deep
Senfe of thy Sins afflids thee, thou feeft the
Wrath of God hovering over thee, and God
hides his Face from thee ; thou art afraid thou
doft not belong to him; thou feeft not thy
former Tokens, nor feeleft thofe gracious In
fluences, which formerly watered and enriched
all thy Faculties : But haft thou fuch low conceits
of the everlafting Kindnefs of thy God, O my
Soul ! Why fhouldft thou believe he hath for
faken thee, when he doth give thee daily Tefti-
monies of his Love ? What greater Affurance
canft thou have of God's Love to thee, and of
Chrift'*:

350 The Great Law of
ChrifKs kind Thoughts towards thee, than thy
Wearinefs of Sin ? Haft not thou heard thy Sa
viour call, Come to me, all ye that are weary
and heavy loaden, and I will give ye Reft ? Art
not thou weary of Iniquity ? Hadft not thou ra
ther be rid of that Burthen than keep it ? If
thou art not heartily refolved to part with it*
why doft thou complain ? What makes thee cry
out, O wretched Creature that I am, Who fhall
deliver me from the Body of this Death ? What
makes thee wifh, that what thou haft done againft
God, were undone ? What makes thee afraid
of offending God ? Why doft thou weep ?
Why doft thou watch againft thy Corruptions ?
What makes thee angry with thy felf for dif
pleafing God ? What makes thee breathe and
pant after Chrift, as the. wounded Heart pants
after the Water Brooks ? What makes Chrift
fo fweet, and Sin fo bitter to thee? What
makes thee afham'd of looking up to Heaven?
Whence is it, that all the Preferment and
Riches of this World cannot tempt thee to fin
wilfully ? Whence is it that thou delighteft
not in the Company of Sinners, but thy Delight
is chiefly in them that fear the Lord ? If thefe
be not figns of Grace, what Charader of Mer
cy wouldft thou have ? Hath not thy God faid,
that he'll love thofe that do love him ? If thou
lovefl him not, why art thou reftlefs till thou en-
joyeft him ? If thou lovefl him not, why doft
thou defire him ? Why. art thou willing to follow
him through- Mifery, and the greateft Troubles,
to be for ever with him ? Thou haft Infirmities
to wreftle withal, but hath not thy God pro
mifed

CONSIDERATION. 351
mifed thee, that he'll bruife Satan urtder thy Feet
fhortly? Thou canft not totally mafter fuch
a Corruption, but doft not thou fight againft
it ? Thou meeteft with Temptations, but doft
not "thou grapple with them ? Satan follows
thee, but doft not thou refift him ? Thy Con
fcience terrifies thee, but haft not thou the
Crofs of Chrift to flie to ? If God had a mind to
kill thee, would he have fhewn thee all thefe
Things ? If God were gone from thee, would
not his Spirit be gone too? If thou haft not the
Spirit of God, what mean thy Longings after
God ? What means thy Love to a Spiritual Life ?
Why doft- thou pray fo earneftly for the Fruit of
the Spirit ? Why art thou altogether for a
clean Heart, and for renewing of a right Spi
rit within thee ? Are they not the Signs of
God's Spirit, that, warms thy Affedions, and
makes Interceffion for thee with Groanings that
cannot be utter 'd ? God feems to go away, that
thou may'ft cry more earneftly after him, and
clouds his Comforts, that thou may'ft foe for
them with greater Importunity; He lets thee
fink a little, that thou may'ft cry with a louder
Voice, Lord J'ave me, or elfe I perifli ; And
falls afleep in the Ship, that thou may'ft take
the greater Pains to wake him. He fees thou
groweft weary of his Favour, he therefore dark
ens it, that thou may'ft be at fome Trouble to re
cover it, and having recovered it, fet a greater
Price upon it ; he withdraws himfelf for a While,
that at his Return thy Joy may be fuller ; and
bids his gracious Influences flop a While, that
when they flow in upon thee again, they may fill

3 5 1 'i 'he (Jreat jLaw oJ .
fill all thy Faculties with greater Gladnefsj
thou canft not perform thy Duties with that
Alacrity and Chearfulnefs thou defireft, but
haft not thou Reafon to blefs God, that thou
doft in good earneft defire to do better ? Was
Heaven purchafed in a Moment, Or fin conquer
ed in an Hour ? Is not the Way tp Life a Race,
where Men muft run On till they reach the Mark ?
Go on, O my Soul, go on ; the farther thou pro-
ceedeft in God's Ways, the fweeter thou wilt
find them ; The more thou flriveft, the more
thou'lt conquer ; and the oftner thou doft ad-
drefs thy felf to God, the more thy Dulnefs and
Wearinefs will vanifh; and the more thou lookeft
upon the everlafting Recompence, the greater
mind thou wilt have to go on from Strength to
Strength. O my Soul, hope in God, for I fhall
yet praife him, who is the health of my Counte
nance, and my God.
IV. 7/ dij'poj'es a Man to be a worthy Receiver of
the Lord's Supper. Indeed I do not fee, how,
without it, a Man can receive any Benefit by that
Bleffed Sacrament ; for it being an Ordinance de
figned chiefly to impregnate the Soul with very
ftrong longings and breathings after a Crucified
Saviour, with a deep Senfe of the incomprehen-
fible Love of God in Chrift Jefus, and with ear
neft Refolutions to Love and Obey him, before
all the Didates of Flefli and Blood, and of our
carnal Intereft, it is not to be conceived, which
Way the Soul fliall arrive to all this, without
eonfidering the End, Nature, • and Advantages of
this

CONSIDERATION. 353
this Sacrament ; and 'tis probable, a Man may
then be affeded with this fublime My ftery, when
he rouzes his Soul fome fuch Way as this, Doft
thou rightly underftand, O my Soul, what this
great and tremendous Ordinance means ? Be
hold, thou art going to feaft with that God, wko
fir -etches out the Heavens like a Curtaini Und lavs
the Beams of his Chambers in the Waters, and
makes the Clouds his Chariots, and rideth upon
. the Wings of the Wind. What, Feaft with fo
glorious a God, and come without a Wedding-
Garment? Sup with him, who dwelleth in the
Heavens, and not purifie thy felf, even as he is
pure ? Can Two walk together except they be
agreed? What Feilowfhip hath Righteoufnefs
with Unrighteoufnefs ? And what Communion
hath Lipht with Darknefs ? What Concord hath
Chrift with Belial? What Agreement hath the
Temple of God with Idols ? This is the great
Ordinance, O my Soul, which muft either pro
mote thy everlafting Happinefs^ or aggravate1
thy Everlafting Condemnation ; How happy
may'ft thou be, if this Sacrament charms thee"
into a fervent Love to thy dear Redeemer ?
But how wilt thou efcape, if thou negled fo
great Salvation ? Here are the greateft Engage
ments, the greateft motives to a Life, as becomes
the Gofpel of Chrift, here God adjures thee ( to
ufe the Words of the Church ) by Chrift S Agony
and Bloody Sweat, by his Crofs and ' Paffion^ by
his Death and Burial, to bury thy unclean De
fires, and inordinate Affedions, and to dedicate
thy felf, and all thou haft, to his Service. Here
is reprefented the greateft Love that ever was
A a vouch-

354 i-be Kir eat i^aw oj
vouchfafed to Men ; Here the Son of God ap
pears all bloody to fright thee from thy Sins ;
here Chrift is, as it were, Crucified before thine
Eyes, that remembring what it was that brought
him to his Crofs, thou may'ft mourn, as one that
mourns for his only Son. Here Chrift appears
laden with all the Bleffings of Heaven; here
the everlafting Trinity feems to ufe its utmoft
Endeavours to perfuade thee into a Heavenly
Converfation : Here the Defert of fin is difco
vered in the Wounds and Torments of an infi
nite God ; and hither thou comeft, O my Soul,
to renew thy Baptifmal Vow ; hither thou
comeft to enter into a folemn Covenant with
God, and faithfully to promife him to refign
thy felf entirely to him ; to fall out with him
no more, to defile thy Garments no more ; to
difhonour, to betray him no more ; to be faith
ful to him, to vindicate his Glory, to efteem
his Friends as thy Friends, and his Enemies as
thy Enemies, and to live up to thofe Laws
which he hath feal'd with his own Blood : To
this end thou eateft of his Bread, and drinkeft
of his Wine ; and thus thou fealeft the Cove
nant. Doft not thou remember, O my Soul,
how the World was loft by eating of the for
bidden Tree ? Behold, by eating of this Tree
of Life, thou fhalt be faved for ever : In the
breaking of the Conjecrated Bread, thou feeft,
how Chrift's Body was broken for thee ; in
pouring out of the Hallow' d Wine, thou feeft,
how Chrift's Blood was fpiit for thee : When
the Holy Bread is reach'd out to thee, thou
feeft Chrift reaching out his Crucified Body to
thee,

CONSIDERATION. 355
thee, that thou may'ft fee, in his Hands the print
vf the Nails, and put thy finger into the print
bf his Nails, and thruft thine hand into his Side,
and fhelter thy felf under that wounded and
mangled Body, againft the Wrath and Indignati-*
on of God. When the Sacred Wine is given
thee, thou feeft how Chrift offers thee his Blood
for the Remiffion of thy fins. Canft thou behold
fo great Love, and not lofe thy Reafon in the
Admiration of its greatnefs ? When thou feeft
fuch Condefcelifion, fuch Kindnefs, filch Com-
paffion, O canft thou forbear crying out, O my
Lord ! what do I fee ? What mean thefe Long
ings of Almighty God after my Happinefs? What
means this Induftry of that incomprehenfible
Being, to be at all this charge and pains to makf
trie bleffed ? God that might fport himfelf with
my everlafting Groans, what needed he have car
ed whether I Were faved Or no ? God, who cari
be happy without company, and needs no focie-
ty but his own; Whence is it, that this mighty
God humbles himfelf thus to Duft and Aflies,
lays afide his Robes of Glory, and Wooes me to
be content to lie for ever in his Arms and Bofom ?
Would no other remedy ferve Turn td recover
me, but the death of the Son of God ? God, oil
whofe LaWs I have trampled, whofe Authority I
haVe flighted, whofe promifes and threatnings I
have Undervalued, that he fhould be thus con
cern'd for my Welfare, and contrive how to ad-
Vance me1 unto Glory, and contrive it by fuch ftu--
pendious means too ! Will Gcd fuffer, that I may
hot ? Will the Eternal die, that I may hot fall a
prey tb the fecond death? Will God be crov/n'd,
A a 2 with

356 The Great Law ot
with Thorns, that I may wear an incorruptible
Crown of Glory? Will God be affronted, abufed
and feorned, that I may inherit Glory and Ho
nour, and immortality ? What manner of Love
is this ? Where is the Spring of it ? What's the im-
pulfive caufe of it ? How full of Miracles is eve
ry circumftance here ? How pleafant is this Con
templation ? What ! God love a little flime and
earth ? O my God ! how wonderful is thy Love ?
It is all Ocean ; here is no fhore to fet my feet on !
Be aftonifhed at it, O ye Heavens, and tremble, O
thou Earth : The eternal, the immenfe Creator
of Fleaven and Earth, floops to a miferable Crea
ture! The God, who fills Heaven and Earth with
his Prefence, bows down to a poor inconfiderable
Worm ! He that fits on the Circle of the Earth,
and before whom all the Inhabitants of the Earth
are as Grafhoppers, humbles himfelf to take
notice of a poor forlorn Wretch ! Flere is Love
indeed. Stay me with fiaggons, comfort me with
Apples ; my head grows giddy with the Preci
pice : Here is an Abyfs of Love, which I cannot
fathom ; my head fwims at the fight of it ; Senfe
can furnifh me with nothing like it, I am filenc'cU
here is a Love anfwers all Arguments that are
brought for going on in fin. Help me, O thou
bleffed Spirit; help me, O thou, who art fairer
than the Children of Men; help me, thou who
art all Love and Life, help me to admire thy
Love. In this Love are a thoufand Charms ; in
this Love are omnipotent Enforcives to love
God above all the World. Run, O my Soul,
run into this Banqueting-houfe, the Banner
whereof is Love. Is it fo, and muft thou have
peri flied,

CONSIDERATION. 357
perifhed, and been undone for ever, if the Son
of God had not come in the flefh, and expiated
thy Crimes, and doth not Almighty Love de-
ferve thy Love ? See how the Ambitious love
the Applaufe of Men, and wilt not thou love
him who is brighter than the Sun ? See how the
Rich Man is enamoured with his ftately Palace,
and canft not thou love him, who hath done that
for thee, which no Friend, no Money, no Gold,
no Silver could have purchafed, viz. Reconciling
thee to an offended God ? Wilt thou flight this
Love, and hope to be unpunifh'd ? Wilt thou
make this Love a Refuge for wilful Sins, and
hope for the Light of Chrift's Countenance ?
Will not he, who loved thee beyond all Prece
dents and Examples, double and treble his Indig
nation upon thee, if this Love cannot melt thee
into a truly Spiritual Life ? Could the Devils
have but fuch an offer, of being partakers of the
LoVe of Chrift, how would they rejoyce and tri
umph, and love, and honour, and obey their God
again, as once they did when they were Inhabi
tants of Heaven ! and wilt thou be worfe than a
Devil, and fpurn at that Love which Angels ftand
aftonifhed at ? Were it thine own Cafe, O my
{Soul; wouldft not thou revenge fuch Ingrati
tude with all the feverity imaginable, and doom
the Wretch that fhould affront fuch Condefcen-
fion, to the dired Flames ? Be wife, O my Soul,
and provoke not that God to fwear in his Wrath,
That thou fhalt never enter into his Reft, who
flees unto thee on the Wings of Mercy to em
brace thee ; Thou canft never have a more glori
ous fight of God's Love, on this fide Heaven,
A a 3 than

358 The Great Law of
than is difcovered to thee in this Sacrament ; and
if ever thou wouldft be perfwaded to refign thy
felf entirely to thy bleffed Redeemer, make his
Will thy Will, and defire what he defires,. and
hate what he hates, and love what he loves. O
pome hither to the Crofs, and fee the Son of God
weeping for thy fins; come hither, and fee him
fweat drops of Blood for thy Iniquities, and offer
ing thee Pardon and Reconciliation, and Peace
with God, and Accefs to the Throne of Grace,
and Union and Communion with him ; and if
this be not enough, a Title to eternal Happi
nefs, or a, Right to that Throne himfelf doth fit
on. But why fo backward, O my Soul, to come
to the Table of thy Lord, where thou mayeft
drink Wine and Milk without Money, and
without Price; where thou mayeft be fatisfied
as with Marrow and Fatnefs, and eat of the li
ving Bread, whereof whoever eats fliall live for
ever ? Haft thou forgot the peremptory Com
mand of Chrift, Do this in remembrance of me ?
Is this remembring thy deareft Friend, to think;
of him folemnly but once or twice a Year ?
Shouldft not thou remember him as often as
thou haft an Opportunity ? Should thy Saviour
remember thee no oftner than thou doft his
Death and Paffion, how fearful would thy Con
dition be? Canft thou reprefent his Love too
often to thy Mind 3nd Affedions ? Canft thou
remember thy Sins, that brought him to the
Crofs, too often ? Art thou afraid of thinking
too much of this Love, and confequently of
being too Religious? Art thou afraid of beeing too

CONSIDERATION. 3^9
too much enamoured with this Jefus ? Art thou
afraid, That the fight of his broken Body will
break thy Heart too much? Art thou afraid,
That the fight of his effufed Blood will make
thee pour out too many Tears, and Prayers, and
Praifes of his Love? Confidering how dull, how
dead thou art, thou hadft need come frequently
to the Crofs, to have thy Affedions fuppled and
foftned with this precious Blood : How frail is
thy memory, and is it not fit thou fhouldft refrefli
it often with the fight of Chrift's incomprehen-
fibleLove? Art thou afraid of renewing thy Re
pentance, thy Faith, thy Hope, thy Charity too
often ? The oftner thou doft refort to this blef
fed Communion, the greater will be thy Ac
quaintance with thy beft of Friends ; the greater
fenfe thou wilt get of the need and want of him,
the greater encouragement thou wilt find to imi
tate him in his Holinefs, Meeknefs, Patience, and
Humility ; and the greater affurance thou wilt get
of his Love, and Favour, and Pardon, and everlaft
ing Mercy: And are thefe Bleffings to be feorned
and undervalued ? Thou pretendeft want of pre
paration, but whofe Fault is it that thou art not
prepared ? What can hinder thee from preparati
on, but Love to fin ? And fhall Love to a fenfual
carelefs Life hinder thee from laying hold of the
greateft Treafure ? Will this plea hold, when thou
fhalt appear before the great Tribunal ? O my
Soul, this is to excufe fin by fin, and to defpife
God's Ordinance, becaufe thou defpifeft his
Commands; and how will this aggravate thy
folly one Day, and fill thee with fhame and
horror! O play not with everlafting Mercy,
A a 4 let

3 6 a The Great Law of
let not Bufinefs hinder thee from advancing thy
Spiritual and Eternal Intereft ; remember what
became of the Men that pretended they had
Farms to fee, and Oxen to try, and Wives to
marry, when they were invited to the Supper
of the Lamb; canft thou think of the Protefta-
tion of the Mafter of the Feaft againft thefe
ftubborn Wretches, and not conclude thy Fate,
by their being excluded from God's Favour for
ever? If it be a Senfe of thy own Vilenefs and
Unworthinefs that keeps thee away,, thou mifta-
keft and mifreprefenteft the Goodnefs of thy
Lord and Mafter. No Perfons more welcome
at his Table than the humble and broken-heart
ed ; none meet with a more favourable Recep-*
tion than the poor in Spirit ; Thefe the crucifi
ed Jefus prays for on his Crofs, Father forgive
them ; and the everlafting Father hears, and faith
to them, Be of good cheer, your fins are forgiven
you. V. 7/ prepares a Man for an Evangelical Life
here on Earth; for he that frequently confiders
and contemplates the Joys, the Triumphs, the
Scepters, the Crowns, the Diadems of yonder
Kingdom, the everlafting Love, and Peace and Sa-;
tisfadion, which Angels and glorified Saints en-
' joy, cannot but think himfelf, during that Confix
deration, in Heaven, and participating of that
content and happinefs, which is poffeffed by the
general Affembly of the Firft-born which are
written in Heaven. Indeed, this is to make Earth
a Ffeaven, and to change this Wildernefs into a
Paradife, a Clofet into the Seat of Glory, and a
Defart into thofe Regions of Blifs and Happinefs.
' How

CONSIDERATION. 361
How like an Angel may that Man live, that is
often engaged in fuch Confiderations as thefe.
Heaven ! what do I hear ? Heaven ! The Harbour
of all laden and wearied Souls! Heaven! The
end of all my forrow and miferies ! Heaven ! The
Port I have been failing to thefe many Years !
Heaven! The Inheritance of thofe that keep
themfelves unfpotted from the World! Fleaven!
the Reft of God's Servants, and the habitation of
the Mourners in Sion ! Heaven ! The great mark
of my Defires, the Anchor of my Hope, the
Foundation of my Confidence ! Heaven ! The
Univerfity, where we fhall know even as we
are known ! How undifturbed, how quiet, do
all the Inhabitants of thofe bleffed Manfions live !
There reft thofe Saints who were made as the
filth of the World, and as the off-feouring of
all Things. How different are the Thoughts of
God from thofe of the World ? Thefe Men the
World regarded not, behold God remembers
them, and when he makes up his Jewels, fpares
them, as a Man would fpare his own Son that
ferves him ! There refts that Mary Magdalen,
that ftood behind Chrift at his feet, weeping, and
wafhing his Feet with her Tears, and did wipe
them with the hair of her head, and kifs'd them,
and anointed his Head with Ointment. There
refts that Lazarus, who defired to be fed with
the Crumbs that fell from the Rich Man's Ta
ble. There refts that David, that made his
Bed to fwim, and watered his Couch with his
Tears. There refts all the Prophets of old,
who through Faith fiubdued Kingdoms, wroight
RighteouJ'neJ's, obtained PrqmiJ'es, flopped the
Mouths

362 The Great Law of
Mouths ofi Lions, quenched the Fiolence ofi the
Fire, efcaped the Edge of the Sword, out of
weaknefs were made firong, waxed valiant in
fight, turned to fiight the Armies of the Aliens.
The Refi of all thofe Souls that looked for that
bleffed Hope, and the glorious Appearance of
their Saviour Jefus Chrift. The Refi of thofe
Martyrs and Confeffors, that were ready, not
only to fuffer, but to die alfo, for the Name
of the Lord Jefius. There they reft, encircled
with an eternal Calm. There they reft, incom-
paffed with an innumerable Company of An
gels. There they reft, furrounded with the
Gracious Prefence of a merciful God. There
they reft from all the calumnies and flanders
of this poor envious World. There they
reft from all Darknefs, in eternal Light, and in
the Beams of the Sun of Righteoufnefs, for e-
ver. Awake, O my Soul, awake, advance into
yonder Regions of Glory, retire into yonder
Paradife, leave this World, and go higher; let
thy Thoughts tranfeend the Sun, and Moon, and
Stars ; get before the Throne of God ; take a
view of the ftill Waters, whereof the vaft Ar
mies of glorified Spirits drink; where they are,
there are no Wolves, no Tygers, no Bears, no
Lions, as in this barren Wildernefs ; in thofe hap
py fliades ' is no Noife but that of Hallelujahs ;
no Difcontent, no War, no Diffentions inhabit
there ; there all agree, there Ephraim is no more
againft Manafteh, nor Manaffeh againft Ephraim,
nor they both againft Judah, but all are delight
ed with the everlafting Glory and Love of God; there

CONSIDERATION. 363
there they hunger and thirft no more. Wonder
ful Change ! Here, O my Soul, tbou art ever
thirfting after God, as the dry Land thirfteth after
Water; there thou fhalt be fatisfied with him to
all Eternity ; here thou longeft after the hidden
yianna, there it will never be taken from thee ;
here, like Solomon's Bride, by night on thy Bed
thou feek'ft him, who is altogether lovely ; there
his Beauty and Prefence will ravifli thee for ever.
Here, though thy defires after the Bleffings of
God's left hand, be fubordinate tp thy defires af
ter fpiritual Mercies, and thy efteem of God pre
ponderates, and is higher than thy Efteem of any
outward felicities; yet, while fo nearly allied to
Senfe, thou canft not fo abandon Nature, as to
have no Longings at all after external Comforts
and Conveniences; but in Heaven, all perifhing
fublunary Objeds are forgotten ; there thofe
Friends and Relations, thofe Children, thofe Ho
nours, thofe Riches, which too often made too
great an encroachment on thy Love, will be no
Attradives ; there thou wilt be contented with
out Bread, fatisfied without Drink ; the Want of
Cloaths will not trouble thee ; thou wilt have no
bler Friends than Father, and Mother, and Bre
thren and Sifters to converfe withal ; nobler Food,
than the delicacies of this World ; nobler attire,
than Silk, or the fofteft Down can make ; there
Will be no Need of contriving how to get a
Livelihood : Palaces will not tempt thee, Gar
dens will not entice thee, Gold will not dazzle
thee, the greatnefs of the World will affed thee no
more than Pebbles ; the glittering Diamond will
niake no Impreffions on thee, and all thy Wants and

364 The Great Law of
and neceffities- will be fully fupplied by an im
mortality of Joy, and Glory. Here the warm
Sun of Profperity makes thee fometimes forget,
and negled the great Work of thy Salvation,
makes thee apt to grow weary of Falling and
Prayer, and Mortification, and Self-denial, and
apt to yield unto Satan's Temptations; But
there the Tempter muft tempt thee no more, he
dares not fully thofe Chriftalline walks with his
fteps, he dares not come near that Holy place,
'tis paft his fkill, how to incommode, or moleft
a glorified Spirit. Here often, like Jonas, thou
fitteft rejoycing under thy Gourd and Vine, and
while thou art folacing thy felf, the Gourd wi
thers, and the Sun feorches thy Body, and thou
groweft faint; there this annoyance will have art
end, there thou wilt live above the Sun, and that
which is now thy Cieling, fhall be then thy
Footftool. On Earth, when Chrift is pleafed
to Communicate himfelf unto thee, 'tis here a
little, and there a little, and he gave thee but
Sprinklings of his Grace ; for while thou art in
this Tabernacle of Flefh, thou art not capacious
enough to receive or entertain that Ilupendious
Light in its full Virtue, and Power, and Maje
fty ; But when thy Veffel of Clay, thy Body,
fliall be fhattered in Duft and Atomes, and
thou fhalt be freed from thy Prifon, and live
like thy felf, all Underftanding, all Intelled, all
Spirit, the Sun that fliines in the higheft Hea
vens, and irradiates the Throne of God, even,
the Lord Jefus Chrift, will then reveal himfelf
io thee, in his full Splendor and Glory ; Thine
Eyes fliall then be ftrong enough to look upon that
glo,_

CONSIDERATION. 365
glorious and immenfe Globe of Light, and thou
fhalt be like unto the Angels of God; thy extra
vagant paffions will thenceafe for ever; thy grief,
thy forrows, will have no admittance into thofe
Seats of Blifs, thou'lt be refined then from all
thofe turbulent motions, which do now fo often
difcompofe thy reft. Here the Death of a near
Relation troubles thee, there thou wilt be above
all trouble and vexation ; here thine Anger, like
that of Moj'es, doth often wax hot, becaufe thou
feeft thy God difhonoured, and his Commands
trampled upon ? there thou wilt fee no fuch dif
mal fights ; here a fin thou falFft into againft thy
will, makes thee wifh for Rivers of Tears, there
thy grief will be buried in eternal Exultations,
there thy paffions will be all calm, and, like water
after a ftorm, look fmooth and quiet ; there will
be no diforder in thy Affedions, but like a Choir
of tuneable Voices, they'll meet in everlafting
Harmony ; there no Amidion muft come after
thee. Here, with Moj'es, thy Body may be
thrown into the Water, with Jofieph caft into
Prifon, with Shadrack, Meftjeck, and Abednego,
flung into a fiery Furnace, with Daniel hurried
into a Lion's Den, ftoned with the Prophets,
crucified with St. Peter, thrown down from a
Precipice with St. James, caft into a Kettle of
boiling Oil with St. John, thruft through with a
Launce as St. Thomas, bound to a Tree with. St.
Andrew, fley'd with St. Bartholomew, burnt wifh
Polycarps torn by wild Beafts with Ignatius, in
.all which Afflidions thou canft not but fympa-
thize with thy individual Companion, for it i.-
by thee that thy Body feels the Torments it en
dure? ;

%6& The Great Law of
dures; but, in that Heaven, that glorious Hea-*
ven, no Enemy can reach thee ; no Devil fright
thee, no florm furprize thee, no Monarch frown
on thee, no ficknefs break thee, no Diftemper
crufh thee, no Age Wafle thee, no Danger fhake
thee, no Tyrant threaten thee, no Lyons meet
thee, no Tyger tear thee, no Sword pierce thee,
no publick Commotions flartle thee; The Sun
fhall not light on thee, nor any Heat, for .thou
art fecure under the fhadow of the Almighty's
Wings for ever. The Lamb, which is in the
midft of the Throne, fhall feed thee by his ever
lafting Society. Here it is, A little while, and you
Jhall not J'ee me ; and again a little while, and you
jhall J'ee me ; but there, with open face, and with
out a Glafs, thou wilt look upon his Majefty.ibf
ever: Here Chrifi comes and departs; there he
will never remove out of thy fight ; There his
everlafting Love will fupport thee, There his
kindnefs will be fubjed to Clouds and Eclipfes
no more, There thou wilt not be able to turn
thy Eyes away from him. This is that Lamb,
that will give thee to drink of his everlafting
Springs, Springs which can never be drawn
dry; Springs, which can no more decay, than
the Son of God decays 3 He is the everlafting
Fountain of Delight, and in this Fotmtain thou
fhalt bathe and recreate thy felf for ever; his At
tributes, his Kingdom, his Beauty, fhall charm
and ravifll thee for ever; There thou fhalt be in
an everlafting Extafie of Joy, There thou wilt
not need to cry out with St. Bernard, Hold,
Lord, for my Heart is not able to contain thofe
Joys which thou doft fo liberally pour out up&jt mes

CONSIDERATION. 367
me; That eVerlafting Fouhtain of joy and content
and fatisfadion, fhall both fill and enable thee to
bear that fulnefs of joy and delight, which fhall
then appear unto thee; the Remembrance of
Chrifi 's Merits and Benefits, and what Chrifi had
done for thee, will then tranfport thee into ever
lafting Praifes and Celebrations of his Goodnefs;
Songs as endlefs as thy duration will be. The Ri
vers that water that Garden of God fhall be a
perpetuum mobile, running and flowing to all E-
ternity. In this Paradife are living, no Handing
Waters ; When Millions of Ages are paft, thy
Glory fhall be ftill green and lively, and after ma
ny Thoufands of Years, thy happinefs, like Aa
ron's Rod, fhall bud and bloffom, and bear Fruit.
0 my Soul, when that inexhauftible Fountain
fades, and not till then, needeft thou be afraid
that thy Delights will fade ; there God will put
an end to all thy Tears ; What Rhetorick can
reach the Favour ? The Tears thou didft fhed
for fin, the Tears which a deep Senfe of thy
Spiritual Poverty did force from thee, the
Tears which Tribulation and Anguifh did com
mand from thine Eyes, thefe will all then be
wafhed away.
How amiable are thy Tabernacles, Lord God
of Hofis ! My Soul longeth, yea even faint-
ethf for the Courts of tke Lord : My heart and
my fiejh cryeth out for the Living .God, When
ftjall I come to appear before thee ? When fhall
I fhake off this Clog of the flefh, and praife
thee dgj^and night in thy Temple? When fhall
I be ff^elf from this Earth and Drofs, and do thy
WilL-jCXmy God, without Let or Interruption ?

368 The (dreat Law oj
O my Soul ! Doft thou believe fuch a Hea*
ven, where no Good fhall be abfent, and canft
thoube hunting after the hufks and empty fliel Is
of fenfual Pleafure? How little do the Inhabi
tants of that New Jerufalem mind the Pomp
and Grandeur of this World ? They have no
bler Objeds to mind, and more delightful Em
ployments to take up their minds and thoughts :
Didft thou live more in this Heaven, O my
Soul, how wouldft thou look down upon this
Earth, as an inconfiderate Trifle ? How little
wouldft thou regard what Man can do unto
thee ? How contentedly mighteft thou part
with all that the World counts dear and preci
ous for Chrifi his Sake, as knowing that there
is laid up for thee the Crown of Righteoufnefs,
which the Righteous Judge will give to thee
one Day, and not only to thee, but to all thofe
that love his Appearance ? Look upon the
Primitive Martyrs, O my Soul, they broiled
in Flames, but looked upon that Heaven and
fmiled. St. Stephen had a Thoufand flones
flying about his Ears, but looks upon that
Heaven, and the Glory of God appears upon
his Face. Abraham fojourns in the Land of Pro
mife, as in a ftrange Country, dwelling in Ta
bernacles with Ifaac and Jacob, but looks for
a City which hath Foundations, and goes on
triumphing. Moj'es fuffers Afflidion with the
People of God, but hath Refped unto the Re
compence of Reward, andefteems the Reproach
of Chrifi greater Riches than all the Treafures of
Egypt. The Apoftles are fcourged and beaten
for the Teftimony of Jefius^ but looked upon this
Heaven^

CONSIDERATION. 369
Heaven, and depart from the Council rejoycing,
becaufe they were counted worthy to fuffer for
the Name of the Lord Jefus. St. Paul five times
of the Jews receives forty Stripes fave one, Thrice
is he beaten with Rods, once he is floned, Thrice
he fuffers Shipwrack, a Night and a Day he is in
the Deep, in Journeyings often, in cold and tta-
kednefs ; but, What ails the Man ? He fings, his
Heart dances for Joy under ail thefe Troubles.
0 my Soul, he faw, he faw, That his light AfHi-
dion, which Was but for a- Moment, would
Work for him a far more exceeding and eternal
Weight of Glory.
0 my God, give me but my Portion in this
Heaven, and I defire no more ; Come what will
cpttie, Sword, Fire, Imprifonment, Hunger,
Thirit, Nakednefs, Difgrace, Reproach, Perils
by Sea^ and Perils by Land* Enemies, Devils*
Fiends, Poverty, Sicknefs, Exile, &c. Here is
a Jewel will .counterballance alb O give me but
a Room, in that great Houfe, made without
Hands, Eternal in the Heavens, and then ctitj
burn, torture and afflid me, let Storms and
Tempefts come, I'll fight againft them with my
Title to that Inheritance, which fades not a-
way : This fhall quench all the fiery Darts of
the Devil, This fhall bear up my Head above
Water, This fhall hufh all my difcontented
Thoughts ; This fhall be my Refuge in a Storm.,
my Hiding-place in Flames, my Portion in Po
verty, my Pillow in great Anguifh, my Liberty
in Prifon, my Cordial in Temptations, my Elixir
in a Swoon, my Prop when I.ftumble, myLaU-
vel when it thunders, rhy Rock in Peffecution^
B b tny

370 The Great Law of
my Safeguard in Deftrudion, my Light in the
midft, of Darknefs, my Gojhen in this Egypt, my
Ship under the fiercefl Billows, my- Shield when
I am affaulted, my Helmet when I am in danger,
my E ncouragement when I do refift, my Crown
when I conquer, my Manna in the Wildernefs,
my Food in the Defart, my Rofe to fmell to in
a Dungeon, my Guide in my Journey, my Pole-
flar in my Voyage, my Staff in my Pilgrimage,
my Song in my Mifery, my All, when Death
and Hell confpire into my Ruin.
VI. It makes a Man prudent and dificreet in
fiecular Affairs and Bufinejs. Confideration, as
it is a very great Improvement of Man's Rea
fon, fo it can't but be very ufeful to him in go
verning his fecular Affairs with Difcretion. Con
fideration makes a Man Mafter of his Reafon,
and that Man muft needs ad more wifely, that
hath his Reafon at command, than he that makesr
it a flave tp every flattering Paffion ; and fince
it is confeffed, That the fear of God hath that In
fluence upon all human Affairs, that it difpofes a
Man to a wife and prudential Management of
them, Confideration muft of neceffity be of the
fame Virtue and Efficacy, for this fear of God is
the immediate produd of Confideration. I deny
not but Men wife in. Spiritual, are not always fo
in Temporal Concerns; for either their fcrupu-
lous Confciences, or fear of having their Hearts
carried out too much after the World, or their
giving .themfelves wholly to Heavenly Employ
ments, may make them carelefs and unmindful
of Things belonging to this World ; but ftill in
its

CONSIDERATION. 3^
its Nature and Tendency, this Circumfpedion
in Things, which concern a Chriftian's Soul, is
able to fhed Wifdom and Difcretion into his Car
riage and Behaviour, in things which appertain
to this prefent Life ; Hence, from a Man who
ferioufly confiders he hath a Soul to be faved,
you may exped great Order in his Family, a
prudent Forefight of Dangers, and a moderate
Care to fhun them, great Temper in Difcourfe,
and exad Juftice in his Dealings, and rendring
to all their Dues, Tribute to whom Tribute is
due ; Cufiom to whom Cufiom, Fear to whom Fear,
Honour to whom Honour; as the Apoftle's Phrafe
is, Rom, 13. 7.
In all Probability it was the attentive Confide
ration of his Spiritual Concerns, that made Da*
vid both valiant and prudent in Matters ; as he!
is called, I.Sam. 16. 18. and, to what can we afcribe
Jofepb's and Daniel's difcreet Government of
themfelves, and their fectllar Affairs, but to that
Piety and Goodnefs, which, by long and ferious
Confideration, they had fettled in their Breafts ?
When a Man's Ways pleaje the Lord, he makes'
even his very Enemies to be at Peace wifh kim,
i e. he doth not only by an extraordinary Pro-
videhce turn their Hearts towards him, but infii-
fes Wifdom and Difcretion into his Soul, fo to.
behave himfelf towards his Enemies, that they
cannot but bury their Hatred, and return to
their; former Friendfhip and Civility, Prov. id,
7. He that confiders his' Ways, with reference
to his Eternal State and Condition, his Ways
cannot but pleafe the Lord, and fuch Wifdom,,
if he ftand not in his own Light, will futely fall
B b 2 to

37- The Great Law oj
to his fhare, and hereof we need no other Proof,
hut common Experience.
The Man who truly minds his everlafting In
tereft, and fo confiders the account he muft give
to God , when this Life is ended, as to provide
for that great and dreadful Audit, thinks himfelf
obliged to ufe what cautioufnefs he can, that he
may not wrong his God, his Soul, and his Neigh
bour; and this Cautioufnefs cannot but make
him prudent in his fecular Vocation; hence fuch
a Man hath commonly his Wife, Children and
Servants, in better Order than other Men, and
mingles that Sweetnefs arid Kindnefs with his
Gravity or Severity, that they may have Encou
ragement to love him, and dread offending a far
greater Mafter in Heaven; There is not that
Difcontent, that Emulation, that ill Language,
that Backbiting, that Luxury, that Extravagance,
that Tumult in fuch a Man's Family, as is to be
obferved in Houfes, where little of God and
Eternity is regarded. Such a Perfon fpends in
his Houfe no more but what is decent and con
venient, and fo provides for thofe of his own
Houfhold, as not to forget doing Good to the
Levite, and to the Widow, and to the Fatherlefis,
Deut. 14. 28, 29. His fpeech is commonly with
Grace, feafoned with Salt, full of Meeknefs and
Gravity, and therefore lefs offenfive, and he
takes heed that it may not be laid to his Charge,
That he hath beftowed more to feed his Pride
and Luxury, than Chrift's diftreffed Members ;
and, in publick Affairs, or places of great Truft,
fuch a Man as minds, firft Heaven, and then
Earth, ufually difcovers far greater Wifdom in ;
Manage-

CONSIDERATION. 373
Management of State-affairs, than thofe who
firft mind Earth, and Heaven when they have
nothing elfe to do; for his Principles lead him
fo to carry himfelf to Man, as not to affront his
God, as to advife his King to nothing but what
is truly great and glorious, and beneficial for the
Realm he governs : And, as a Prince may confide
in fuch a Perfon more than in a fenfual Man, fo
he hath reafon to believe, That all Things will
profper better in his Hand, than in the others,
becaufe he firft feeks the Honour of God, and
then the Happinefs of his King, and the Ho
nour of that Nation he is a Member of ; which
is a Thing fo pleafing to God, that there is no
thing more frequent with him, than to blefs
fuch honeft Endeavours, and to crown them
with Succefs and Profperity.
- And certainly, he that can confider, how to
keep himfelf from the everlafting Evil, may with
greater Eafe prevent temporal Mifchief and
Danger, which depend upon the Imprudence of
his Adions ; he that can row againft the Stream,
may with great Felicity row with it; he that can
chearfully go up the Hill, wdl find no great Dif
ficulty in going down ; he that can do that which
his Naaire hath more than ordinary Averfion
from, may more eafily do that which his Nature
hath a ftrong Byafs and Inclination to : And he,
whofe Mind will ferve him to turn away the e-
ver burning Wrath of Almighty Gcd, cannot
want Judgment and Prudence to prevent the
¦ Wrath and Anger of thofe Men he converfes
withal : And he that can, by ferious Coafidera-
tion, make fure of a Seat in Heaven, cannot
B b 3 want

374 The Great Law of
want Power to confider, how to manage the
Eftate God hath given him in this World, to
God's Glory, and his Neighbour's Good : And
though Men, that are very confiderate in their
Soul-concerns, do not always ufe that Prudence
we have mentioned in the Concerns of this pre
fent World ; yet it is fufficient, that if they will
make ufe of that Light, and thofe Arguments,
which their Reafon, thus improved by Confide
ration, doth furnifh them withal, they may moft
certainly arrive to this Wifdom and Difcretion,
in fecular Concerns and Bufineffes, which we
have been fpeaking of. Indeed, 'tis very ratio
nal, that he that exercifes his Reafon much, and
examines the Nature, Ends, Caufes, Circum
fiances and Confequences of Things, as he muft
do, that ferioufly confiders the Things that be
long unto his everlafting Peace, would arrive to
more than ordinary Wifdom in other Things ;
and that he that's prudent in the greater, fhould
be able to proceed prudently in leffer Matters ;
that he who is faithful in muck, fljould be faiths
Jul in a little alfo ; and that he who is jufi in the
true Riches, jhould be very jufi in the Mammon
of Unrighteoufinejs too, as we read Luke 16. ip,

CHAP,

CONSIDERATION. 375

CHAP. VII.
A pathetical Exhortation lo Men, who are yet
Strangers to a ferious religious Life, to confi
der their Ways ; the Wilfulnefs ofi their NegleB,
how dangerous it is ; how inexcufiable they are,
how inhumane to God, and their own Souls; how
reafionable God's Requefis are, and how juftly
God may turn that Power of Confideration he
hath given them, into blindnej's and hardnej's of
Heart, fince they make fio ill a ufe ofi it, &c.
ANd now, Reader, who ever thou art, that doft
yet wallow, or allovy thy felf in any known
Sin, and art not fincerely refolved to clofe with the
Terms of Chrift's Eternal Gofpel, let me adjure
thee, by the Mercies of God, not to rejed, or fu-
percilioufly to defpife what here we have propo-
fed. As thou art a Man, and owefl Civility to all
Creatures that have the fignature of Man up
on them, be but fo kind and civil t© this Dif
courfe, as to allow it fome ferious Thoughts. Ei
ther thou haft a rational Soul, or thpu haft not ;
If thou haft, let me entreat thee, by the Bowels
of Jefius, to confider, Whether this prefent
World be all the Sphere that God intended it
fhould move in; If it be not, and if how to
fecure the happinefs of the World to come, be
the chief Thing this thy Soul is defigned for,
Why wilt thou fruftrateGod in hisExpedation ?
Why wilt thou go contrary to all Creatures,
B b 4 and

376 The Great Law of
and wilt not profecute the end for which thy
Soul was made, and fhed into thy Body ? ThAt
there is fuch a Thing as a Life, to come, and an
Eternity of Joy and Torment ; the one promifed
to a ftrid and heavenly Converfation, the other
threatned to a loofe and carelefs, or fenfual Life,
cannot be call'd into queftion by him, that fhall
impartially refled upon the Premifes : 'Tis cer
tain, the Things which concern that other Life,
are not difcovered by our Senfes, and therefore
thou canft not hope to be affeded with them
that Way. 'Tis thy Reafon only that can and muft
apprehend that future State, and fo apprehend it,
as to work upon thy Affedions. But which Way
is it poffible thy reafon fhould fo apprehend it, as
to fright thee from thy evil Courfes, except it be
improv'd by Confideration ? Sinner, I do here, in
the prefence of God, conjure thee by all that's
Good and Holy, by the intereft and welfare of
thine own Soul, by all the Laws of Self-intereft,
by the Revelations of the Son of God, by all that
God ever did for Mankind, by that Love which
tranfeends the Understandings of Men and An
gels, by the groans of thofe miferable Souls which
are now in hell, by all the Joys of Paradife, by the
Teftimony of thine own Confcience, by all the
motions of God's Spirit in thy Heart, by all the
Mercies thou doft receive from Heaven, by that
Allegiance thou oweft to God, by that Faithful-
nefs thou oweft to thine own Soul ; I do moft
ferioufly conjure thee to tell me, Whether thou
art not able to confider the evil of thy Courfes,
the beauty of God's Ways, and the fad confequen-
ces of Senfuality ; Thou denieft thy own Being, de-

CONSIDERATION. 377
denieft God's Favour to thy Soul, denieft the
Glory of thy Creation, denieft the moft vifible
and the moft apparent thing in the World, if thou
denieft thy Ability in this point; and if thou art
able to confider fo much, What Injuftice can it
be in God to demand an account of this Confide
ration ? Wherein doth he do thee an Injury, if
he demand what thou haft done with this Power?
Wert thou in God's ftead, wouldft not thou re
quire the fame account of thy Servant, on whom
thou hadft beftowed fuch a Talent? If thou art
able and wilt not take thy finfulnefs into ferious
Confideration, can there be any thing more juft
in the World than thy Damnation ? How eafie
were it for thee to lay home the danger thou art
in ; and feeing it is fo eafie, How juft is it with
God to let thee perifli in that danger, thou art
refolv'd, in defpight of all God's Endeavours to
the contrary, to fall and fink into ? O Chriftian,
how dreadful will it be for thee, when Chrift
fhall depart from thee, with this doleful Excla
mation, How often would I have gathered thee,
as a Hen doth gather her Chickens under her
Wings, and thou wouldeft not ? Wouldeft not ?
This is it that makes thy everlafting Torments
juft. O Sinner, that God fhould invite thee to
Heaven, and thou put him off with this Anfwer,
I will not! That God fhould carefs thee to be
come his Darling, and thou voluntarily and freely
lift thy felf in the Catalogue of the Devil's Fa
vourites and Votaries! That God fhould leave
no means untried, to melt thy ftubborn Heart,
and thou defperately fight againft his Heaven !
And when he would thruft thee into it, violently break

378 The Great Laiv of
break loofe from him, and lay force upon
Damnation ! How inexcufable will this make
thee ? What Man, what Angel, can or dare
plead for thee, after fuch horrid Wilfulnefs ?
By it thou fhutteft up all Mens Compaffion
againft thee. Were thy Error an Infirmity, or
had invincible Ignorance caufed thy Folly,
fome or other poffibly might be moved to
fpeak in favour of thy Concerns ; but that thou,
knowing the Will of God, and having power
to think what the End of thy Courfes will be,
and Power to avoid the Danger, and Power
to pray for Help, a gracious God to encourage
thee, a glorious Reward to entice thee, Eter
nity to fright thee, the everlafting Gulph to
ftartle thee, fhouldft in defpight of all thefe
Motives, wilfully^ and nialicioufly fhun thine
own cure! This is a Malady which no Crea
ture can juftly fhed a Tear, or frame an Apo
logy for. Be aftonifhed, O ye Heavens, and
tremble, O thou Earth ! Ye Angels, that re
joyce at a finners Converfion here on Earth j
O all ye that pafs by, behold and fee whether
there be a forrow as fuch a Sinner's forrow is?
We have read of Men that have eaten their
Enemies, or Monfters that have devoured
their own Children; but here is one devours
himfelf, inhuman to a Prodigy! One that con
trives how to fhut himfelf out of Heaven, plots
how to undermine his everlafting Salvation, and
fludies how to fink into the Dungeon of Defpe-
ration. Sirs, What is it that we are exhorting you un
to ? Is it to dig down Mountains ? Is it to exhauft the

CONSIDERATION. 379
the Sea ? Is it to pull down the Sun from his
Orb ? Is it to reverie the Courfe of Nature ? Is
it to work Miracles ? Is it to unhinge the
Earth, or to flop the Flux and Reflux of the
Ocean ? One would think, by the earneftnefs and
vehemency of Expreffions we are forced to ufe,
that it muft be fomething beyond the Power of
Man : But no, all that we keep this ftir for is
only, that you would confent to be happy, con
trive how to inherit an incorruptible Crown,
and think ferioufly how to efcape your own
Torment ; and needs there any Intreaty for this ?
One would think you fhould run to us, break
down the Doors of our Habitations, pull us out
of our Studies, interrupt us though we were
pever fo bufie, and importune us, as that Widow
did the Judge, and follow us Day and Night to
be fatisfied, the Thing is of that Importance.
And Oh ! did you but believe an Eternity, you
would do fo. Believe! Why, what fhould hin
der you from believing it ? What Arguments
can you defire that you have not ? Can there
be any Thing furer than the Word of God ? Can
there be a greater Witnefs than the Son of God ?
God cannot deceive you, he cannot impofe up
on you, he cannot delude you ; dare to believe
him : Though you have not look'd into Hell,
certainly there is one; though you have not
feen the Joys above, yet fuch Joys there are :
And, to confider, to ftudy, to ponder, how to
arrive to them, is the great Thing we prefs upon
you, as being fenfible of your Danger, fenfible
that Death will arreft you before you are aware
of it, fenfible that many Thoufands are fpr ever
miferable

380 The Great Law of
miferable for negleding fuch Exhortations. O
Sirs, we do not envy your worldly Happinefs ;
We dare affure you, That it is not any Grudge we
have againft your profperity, that makes us put
you in mind of thefe unwelcome Leffons ; We
have a God calling upon us, to flop you in your
Earneftnefs for the World : Woe to us, if we
give you no warning ! Woe to you, if ye take no
warning ! If making provifion for the flefh, to
fulfil the Lufts thereof, would make you happy ;
if Rioting and Drunkennefs, Chambering and
Wantonnefs, and rolling in all the Pleafures that
your flefh does promife, and your Fancy pay,
could contribute any thing to your Felicity ; if
folacing your felves in the wanton Streams of
fenfual Delights would lead you into Paradife,
we promife you we would not moleft or di-
fturb you in your Ways; Nay, if you had not
Souls to be faved, did your Spirits die with
your Bodies, we would not flint you in your
Jollities. But oh ! can we read, how the Wrath
of God is revealed from Heaven againft all
ungodlinefs and unrighteoufnefs of Men, and
fee you fall a Prey to that Indignation ? Can we
read how Tribulation and Anguifh fhall cer
tainly fall upon every Soul that doth evil, and
not fpeak to you to prevent it ? Can we read,
how the Lord Jefus will e'er long come from
Heaven in Flames of Fire, to take Vengeance of
thofe who have continued to difobey his Gofpel,
and to punifli them with everlafting Deftrudi
on from the Prefence of the Lord, and from
the Glory of his Power, and not call to you,
Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand? Can

CONSIDERATION. 38*
Can we read, how the unprofitable Servant, that
made not ufe of his Talent, but buried it under
Ground, and would not watch or make him
felf ready to meet his Mafter, fhall be thrown
into outer Darknefs, where there is howling
and gnafhing of Teeth, and not beg of you to
trim your Lamps, and arife from the Dead, that
Chrift may give you Light? Can we remember,
how many Millions lie now roaring under the
Fears and Terrors of their own Confciences in a-
nother World, that would not be perfuaded to.
part with their darling Bofom Sins, till Death
tore them away from them, and not teftifie un
to you, left you alfo come into that Place of
Torment? Can we fee you ftand upon the brink
of Deftrudion, and be fo cruel, as not to acquaint
you with the bottomlefs Gulph that's under
neath? Would you have us to be as tyrannical to
you, as you are to your own Souls ? Or would
you have us leap into everlafting Burnings with
you, for not reclaiming you from venturing into
that Fire ?
Sirs, what is it that doth difcourage you from a
fincere Confideration of your Spiritual Condition?
What are you afraid of ? Why do you loiter ?
Why do ye deliberate whether you fhall or no?
Why do you difpuce the Caufe ? Why do ye ftand
rtjufing ? What hinders you ? Is there any impe
diment that you may not remove, if : you
will ? Had you been but a Quarter of an- Flour
in Hell, would not you call all thofe Men.Sats.
and Fools, that now excufe their wilful Negled-
©f this Work? Would not you fee the Vanity of
their Pretences ? Would not you confefs, that all
thofe

382 The Great Law of
thofe pretended clogs are mere Cobwebs, which
may be broke through with the greateft Eafe ?
Would you be frighted from this Duty by any
temporal Loffes, as now you are ? Are yPu afraid
Men will laugh at you for being ferious ? Had
not you better be laughed at here, than be feorn
ed by God and his holy Angels to all Eternity ?
Had not you better be jeer'd here, than" have the
great King of Heaven laugh at your endlefs Ca
lamity, and mock when your everlafting Fears
do come upon you ? If a Fool laughs at you, do
you regard it ? And why fliould you regard fuch
Mens fcorn any more than the laughter of Fools?
Alas they are diftempered in their Brains, they
fee not the Things that belong to their Peace,
they know not what Religion means ! Will any
Man give over the Study of Divinity, or Law, or
Phyfick, becaufe the ignorant Peafant fneers at
him ? Will a Tradesman leave his Calling, be-'
caufe fuch a Man makes Songs artd Ballads
upon it ? If you are peffuaded, that Confidera
tion, and longing after your Spiritual Concerns,-
is the way to real Happinefs, will you be mifera
ble^ becaufe another Man will nOt have you to be
liappy? Will that Man that -laughs at you for
defpifing the World, fave you harmlefs at the
Day of Judgment ? Will die bail you out;
when God's Thunders fhall break out upon all
difobedient Sinners? Will he undertake for;
you, when God will be abufed and mocked
no longer, and the Day of his 'WraA doth
come? Will he be your Advocate,- when you
fhall have your Confciences- pleading againft
you ? Alas, poor forlorn Wretches ! He
will

CONSIDERATION. 383
will not be able to anfwer for himfelf, how then
fhould he plead your Caufe ? And if he can dP
you no fervice, cannot fecure you againft the an
ger of the Almighty, why will you be perfuaded
by the Anger or Difpleafure of a Man, though
never fo great and powerful, to omit that, ort
which your eternal Welfare doth depend ?
Sinrter, as light as thou makeft now of this feri
ous Refledion on thy Spiritual Concerns, thoit
muft confider them One Time or other: If thou
wilt not here, God will force thee to do it in
Hell, whether thou wilt of noi Here Confidera
tion may do good, but there it will but aggra
vate thy Torments ; here it may fnatch thee like
a Brand out of the Fire, there it will increafe thy
Flames ; here it may be a means to enlighten thee,
there it will be a means to confound thee for e-
ver. Proud, Self-conceited Man, who canft
find no Time for ferious Confideration here ! In
Hell .thou wilt have Time enough, and Oh!
how many fad Hours will it caufe to confider,
how thou haft mifpent thy Time, how thou
haft flung away fo many precious Hours upon
thy unlawful Pleafures, how thou haft derided
fuch a Sermon, hardened thy Heart upon fuch
a Difcourfe, flighted God's Motions to Re
pentance, fmothered the Checks of thine own
Confcience, preferred the World before Hea
ven, obeyed Man more than thy Creator, fiif-
fered every Trivial outward Refped to call
thee away from Devotion, miftrufted God's
Providence, taken his Name in vain, laugh
ed at the wholfom Counfels of thy Parents
and Teachers, defpifed thy Neighbours, cen-
furecf

384 The Great Law oj
fured their Adions more than thy oWn, taken
thy fill of Sin, been weary of following Chrift,
backward to any Thing that's Good, delighted
with nothing but Vanity and Folly, difhonoured
God, difgraced Religion ; Expofed it to Con
tempt and Scorn, drawn others into Vice, laugh'd
Men into Folly, dragged them into Hell, mur-
thered their Souls as well as thy own, neglected
thy Prayers, difregarded the Poor, oppreffed the
Needy, been greedy after the World, and under
valued the Pains and Coft God did beftow to en
tice thee to enter into his Reft ! At this Time
thou wilt be forced to confider, how great a
Bleffing thou haft refufed, what Comfort thou
haft deprived thy felf of, what a Wife Courfe
thofe took, that would riot be perfuaded by the
vain carelefs World, to caft God's Law be
hind them. But alas! Thefe Confiderations
Would then be too late; Time was, when thou
mighteft have confidered the Odioufnefs of Sin,
and turned from thy evil Ways ; Time was, when
thou mighteft have confidered the abfolute Ne
ceffity of defpifing the World, and dedicated
thy felf, thy Children, thy Life and Wealth to
God's Service ; Time was, when thou mighteft
have confidered, That God's Mercy and Pa
tience did lead thee to Repentance, and fo
have turned to God With all thy Heart, and this
had been to fecure God's Favour, and to enter
thy Name in the Book of Life ; but in Hell fuch
Thoughts do but gnaw and fling the more,
there they do but augment thy Sorrow and In
dignation againft thy felf; There they do but
make thee weary of thy Life, and the Worft of it

CONSIDERATION. 3S5
it is, That there thou canft not be rid of thefe
Confiderations, they'll come into thy mind a-
gainft thy Will ; Here thou didft take pains to
keep them out, there thou canft not hinder
them from burthening and oppreffing thy Soul ?
Here bufinefs and mirth diverted them, there
thou canft not fhake them off with all the In-
duftry and Labour thou canft ufe; Thou needeft
no accufer there, thefe Confiderations will be
fufficient Witneffes againft thee; There, there
thou'lt wifh, O that I had believed the Preachers
of the Word ! I find thofe Men were in the Right,
I find they faw more than I did, I find they were
notmiftaken; if I had followed their Advice, I
had built my Houfe upon a Rock ; I find they
fpoke no more but reafon, I find they exhorted
me to nothing but what was fafe and beneficial
to my Soul. Forgive me, ye Men of God, par
don my Contempt of your Zeal and Fervency,
O fend me fome Lazarus, that he may dip the
tip of his Finger in water, and cool my Tongues
If your Prayers, if your Tears, if your Intreafies,
if your Interceiiions can prevail with God, O
help, help, for I perifh in this Gulph ! Plead
with your God, folicite for me at the Throne
of Grace, double, treble your Cries and Suppli
cations ; Try whether God will have Mercy on
me, who have had no Mercy on my felf I am
frighted, I am troubled on every fide 5 I would
flab my felf, and cannot ; Die, and muft not ;
Efcape, and dare not : Pity, pity a poor mife
rable Worm ! Will none relieve me ? Do all
forfake me? Do Men and Angels leave mp?
Is there no Body to fpeak Comfort to me ? Is
C c. them"

386 The Great Law of
there no Door for Confolation open ? Are all
the Avenues to Mercy fhut ? Hear, hear ye In
habitants of Heaven ! Are you deaf to my Groans?
Are you grown ftrangers to Compaffion ? Where
is your wonted Clemency ? Will no Repen
tance touch the Heart of God ? Will no Sorrow
move him ? Will no Anguifh melt him ? Dull
Citizens of that celeftial Common-wealth ! Are
you fo bufie with Hallelujahs, as not to hear thefe
Cries ? Are you not frighted by thefe Sobs in
your chearful Melodies ? Are you fo taken up,
That none of you can look down into thefe dif
mal Vaults ?
Look ! yonder is the bright Moj'es, the Man
whofe Face did fhine, that with his Prayers* dif-
comfited Amaleck, and when the Almighty would
have deftroyed the Hoft of Ifirael, flood in the
Gap, and blunted the confuming Angel's Sword !
Is all his Power gone ? Is the Virtue of his Pray
er loft? Ah! will he not pray, That this Wretch
this Worm, this poor Malefador, who would
fain repent, may be fet free ? Where is that
Joftma that prayed for the Sun's Handing ftill,
and it ftood ftill in the midft of Heaven ? Hath
he no Prayer left to flop my Calamity, and to
give a Truce to my Torments ? Where is that
Elijah, that prayed that there might be no Rain,
and there came no Rain for Three Years and fix
Months? And cannot he pray that this Fire
may go out ?
A thoufand fuch Cries will then be in vain !
Confideration now would moft certainly prevent
thofe Cries; This would reprefent the Groans of
thofe Wretches, in that difmal Prifon, iii fuch
lively

CONSIDERATION. 387
lively Charaders to thy mind, that thou wouldft
be reftlefs till thou didft get into the ftraight
way that leads to life ; and art not thou ready to
embrace it ? What Friend, what Enemy, what
Devil, what Charm quenches the Fire of thy
Refolutions ? Doft thou own God for thy Crea
tor and Governor, One that hath greater Rea
fon to command thee, than thy Prince, or Ma
fter, or Parents, and doft thou refufe to obey
him ? Doft thou believe, That whatever is* .iri
Man, and can challenge Obedience, is more emi
nently in God; and doft thou feruple to comply
with his Will ? Wilt thou prove a Rebel td
thy Prince, a Prodigal Son to thy Father, art
Unfaithful Servant to the beft of Mafters ? Why
fhouldft not thou truft God with thy Soul ? Why
fhouldft not thou run at his Call ? What is it, Sin
ner, that would make thee take thy Ways into
ferious Confideration ? Would a Circle do it ?
Why, thou haft as great reafon to believe, That
thofe Miracles, which are recorded in the Gof
pel to have been wrought for Confirmation of
Chrift's Saying, were really wrought, and per-;
formed, as thou haft to believe the Reality of a
Miracle, if thou fhouldft fee one Wrought before
thine Eyes. Either thou believeft that thofe
Miracles wefe wrought by Chrift and his Apo
ftles, or thou doft not ; If thou doft not, Why
doft not thou examine the Circumfiances to bd
fatisfied ? If thou doft, What need there any
more Miracles ? If thofe Miracles will not per-
fuade thee, How fhould a new Miracle do it ?
Nay, How fliould we be fure that the fight of a
new Miracle would work upon thee ? Flow
C c a foon

3 88 The Great Law of
foon would Time wear out the Memory of it,
and leave thee as carelefs as it found thee ? Thou
feeft miraculous Providences every Day, and
yet they move thee not ; that God fpares fuch
a rebellious finful Wretch as thou art, fo long,
and after fo many Thoufand provocations, is a
Miracle ; Thou feeft Water turned into Wine e-
very Year, for the infipid Liquor of the Vine
is turned into another Tafte ; Thou feeft hoW
from a dry Acorn a mighty Tree doth grow,
which gives protedion to Men and Beafts, and
to the Fowls of the Air ; thou knoweft how from
that liquid Principle Job doth fpeak of, A Man
cloathed with skin and flejh, and fenced with
bones and Jinews, rifies. What mighty Miracles
would thefe be, if they were not common ? And
yet none of thefe ftir thy Soul to refled ferioufly,
what thou muft do to be faved. Would an au
dible Voice from Heaven do it ? Why, how
couldft thou be fure it came from Heaven ? And
fhould a Voice come to thee from the Regions
of Blifs, fhould God vouchfafe thee fuch a Mef
fage immediately from the Clouds as this, Re
turn, thou backfiiding Sinner, and I will not
caufe mine Anger to fall upon thee ; for I am
merciful, and will not keep Anger for ever. On
ly acknowledge thine Iniquity, that thou hafi
tranjgreft'ed againft the Lord thy God, and hafi
not obeyed my Foice : Why, it would not be
more. but what God hath faid already, it might
for the prefent furprize and flartle thee a little ;
but if that precept written cannot work upon
thy Soul, 'tis to be feared the Precept fpoke
from Heaven would make no very lafiing Im-
1 preflipn

CONSIDERATION. 389
preffion upon thee. Thou art fufficiently af-
fured, fo affured that a Man of Reafon cannot
juftly defire better Grounds, That God hath
fpoke thofe Words to thee already; and if God's
repeating this Duty fo often in his Word can do
no good, what hope is there, that repeated again,
it would draw thy heart away from Sin, and
from the World ? Would a Man's rifing from
the Dead, do it ? Why, Chrift is rifen from the
Dead, and is become the Firft-fruits of them
that flept ; and he doth, with all the proteftati-
ons that are fit for a God to make, affure thee,
That he that , believes not, that is, fhews not his
Faith by his Works, fhall be damned ; and would
engage thy mind to ruminate upon that Threat
ning, and to think which way thou mayft flee,
and be freed from that deftrudion he fpeaks of:
And why wilt thou not give credit to what he
faith ? Nay if thou fhouldft fee a Spirit, theGhoft
of one that had been thy Acquaintance formerly,
a Ghoft that fhould, by woeful Experience, in
form thee, That thofe things the Scripture fpeaks
of, are undoubtedly true, and that God will pro
ceed exadly, according to what he hath promi
fed, and threatned there, it would more fatisfie
thy curiofity, than advance thy piety : And the
Queftion ftill may be, Whether it would fatisfie
thy curiofity ? For 'tis poffible thou mayft ima
gine, that it might be a deception of fight, and
fo forget it, and flight it, and make little of that
Motive. Thou confeffeft Chrift's Refurredion,
and why he fhould not be believed before a Spi
rit, efpecially when a Spirit could fay no more
than he hath laid, I cannot well conceive.
C c 3 Sin-

39Q The Great. Law of
Sinner, who feeth not, That all thefe Pre
tences, are like the Wifhes of fickly Men, that
wifh for this or that fruit, or this or that Difh,
and when it is brought, it is fo far from curing
them, that often it makes them worfe, and in-
creafes their Diftemper ? Who fees not, that
thefe are but Inventions, to give fome Colour
of Reafon to thy Unwillingnefs, to fhake off
the Sins which do fo eafily befet thee ? Who
fees not, that thefe are only Arguments fuggeft
ed by the Devil, to keep thy Soul from her
true Food and Nourifhment ? And who is the
Lofer all this While ? Thou wouldft fain im-
pofe upon God, and make him believe, That 'tis
not want of Will, but want of Affurance, that
this ferious Confideration of thv Wavs is necef-
fary, that it makes thee ftand out againft it. And
alas ! the Cheat thou feekeft to put upon God,
thou puttefl upon thine own Soul; and is thy
Soul fo inconfiderable a Thing, that thou ma-
keft nothing of deluding, and circumventing
it? What thinkeft thou, Sinner ? Suppofe thou
didft fee a Senate, or Parliament, made up of
very grave, wife, fober, judicious Men, who
fhould unanimoufly give their verdid in a caufe,
and determine it ; and while thefe Men, after a
ferious deliberation, give their Judgment in the
Cafe propofed to them, in comes the Malefador
againft whom they have given Sentence, accufes
the Decree of the Senate of Injujlice, charges
their Vote with a Lye, and takes a great deal
of Pains to make the World believe a Tale of
bis own making; whom wouldeft thou believe, that

CONSIDERATION. 391
that grave, wife, judicious Senate, or the Malefa-
dor ? The Senate, fure ; and then, when God,
Angels and Men, the wifeft, the graveft, the
learnedeft of them, do all unanimoufly deter
mine, That without a ferious Confideration of thy
Spiritual Concerns, thou canft not arrive to a-
ny fiffcere Reformation of Life, canft never
know the Danger thou art in, or what thou
muft do to efcape unquenchable Fire ; and that
without it thou art truly a miferable Man, and
doft take the Way that leads to Deftrudion ;
haft thou the impudence to oppofe thy fickly
opinion, which arifes from a diftempered Head,
and a more diftempered Confcience, to the
grave, found and orthodox Judgment of Men,
' w infinitely wifer than thy felf? When all, with
one confent, affirm, That thou art fick to Death,
and nothing but Confideration can recover thee ;
Wilt thou cancel their Verdid, by prefcribing
to thy felf Medicines of thine own making ?
All cry out againft thy inconfiderate Courfe of
Life, God doth not juftifie it, Angels do con
demn it, The preachers of the Gofpel confute
it, Philofophers arraign it, Thy Reafon hath Ar
guments againft it, Thy Confcience chides thee
for it, Thy fober Neighbours reprove it ; And
wilt not thou fubfcribe to thejr Sentence ? What
Infolence is it to think thy felf more know
ing, than he that knows all Things ? Behold,
Sinner, here lies the Way to Heaven, God is
intreating thee to walk in it ; The Devil is bufie
to difcourage thee frorh it. God faith, here I will
be found ; The Devil fuggefts, That the Sons of
Anack dwell there. God wifh.es thou wouldft
C c 4 yield

392 The Great Law of
yield and live ; The Devil, that thou wouldft
ftand out, and die. God feeks to crown thee ;
the Devil to rob thee of thy Diadem. God af-
fures thee, That this is the Garden where thy
Graces muft grow; the Devil argues, That no
thing but Weeds and Thiftles grow there, All
the difpute is, who fhall have thy Soul, God or
the Devil ? Think, Sinner, for God's fake, think
who is the Rewarder, and who is the Tormen
tor ; who is the King that can fave thee,: and who
is {the Executioner that fludies only to ruin thee.
Shall not God prevail? Wilt not thou give him
thy Heart ? And fhall Satan go away with thy
Soul ? Shall he poffefs that Treafure, which An
gels are ambitious of? Fpr fhame, let not God go
away empty ; think what aCondefcention it is in
God, to be willing to accept of fo inconfidera-
ble a Prefent as thy Heart? What is thy Soul to
him ? What benefit doth he receive by offering
thee his Bofom ? If thou haft fuch a mind to be
the DeviFs Slave, what need God take pains to
refcue thee from than Bondage ? Doft thou think
he cannot live without thee ? Doft thou think
thy being in his Heaven, doth add any Thing to
his felicity ? Cannot he as well be glorified in
thy Torments, as he can in thy Salvation ? Can
not he make his Juftice triumph over fuch a
ftubborn Wretch as thou art? Wherein doth
his Advantage lie ? May not he be Good, and
Great, and Glorious ; and admired by Angels,
while thou frieft in Hell ? Thou haft very
highly obliged him indeed, that he need be at
all this Trouble to make thee in love with his
Ways ! Shouldft not thou ftand amazed at his
Favour ?

CONSIDERATION. 393
Favour ? Shouldft not thou wonder, That this
immenfe and infinite Majefty will vouchfafe a
gracious Look to fo vile a Worm as thou art ? And
canft thou fee a God court thee, andgrow coy?
Doth God offer to kifs thee with the kiffes of his
Lips, and doft thou fcorn his Embraces? Canft
thou fee him carefs thee, and turn away thy
Face ? Wilt thou prefer the motions of a lying
Devil, before the Oracles of the great God of
Heaven ? Hadft thou rather go along with him
that will murther thee, than accompany him
that will encircle thy head with a Crown of
Glory? Shall God magnifiehisMercyupon thee,
and wilt thou fall in love with his Enemy? Doth
God intend, by making Love to thy Soul, to
give a Charader to the World of his infinite
Goodnefs and Compaffion, and dareft thou be
fo bold as to leffen that Charader, by thy con
tempt and ingratitude ?
Behold, Sinner, God is willing to lay afide his
flaming Sword; thou fhalt hear of him no more
in the Earthquake, or in the Storm, or in the.
mighty Wind, that breaks the Rocks in pieces,
but in the ftill fmall voice: The voice of Boanerges
fhall found no more in thy Ears, he'll blow his
Trumpet of War no more, all his frowns fhall be
done away, he'll fright thee no more with Hell-
fire; if his Grace, his Mercy, his Compaffion
can but allure thee to bethink thy felf, and clofe
with him, and fo to confider the Concerns of
thy Soul, as to refign thy felf altogether to
his guidance and diredion : His Afped fliall be
kind, his Countenance fhall be nothing but
Smiles, his Fac® fhall be a perpetual Sun-fhine, if
by

394 The Great Law of
by Confideration of thy Ways, thou wilt become
fenfible of thy former folly, and throw it away,
and take up with him alone : If his kindly beams
can thaw thy frozen Heart, if his Calm can win
thee, and make thee proftrate thy felf before the
Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Heaven and Earth
fhall be no longer in confpiration againft thee,
and thou fhalt not need to look any more for
Thunders and Lightnings from that Heaven !
Stand ftill, Sinner, and fee the Salvation of
God; behold, Grace and Mercy lies weeping
at thy Feet ; The free, the fovereign, the exten
sive, the attradive Grace of God comes woo
ing to thy Soul, and doth befpeak thee in this
manner ; Hold, hold, Thou poor befotted
Creature, whither doft thou run ? Hear, hear,
I bring thee the joyfulleft Tidings, that ever were
brought to the ears of Men ; God will be thy
Father, the Lord Jefus thy Saviour, the Holy
Ghoft thy Comforter, the Angels thy Compani
ons ; Thy Life fhall be a perpetual Holy-day ;
Thou fhalt be a Friend of God, an Heir of Hea
ven, and Co-heir with Chrift, thy fins fhall be all
done away, thy iniquities fliall be remembred no
more, all the Promifes of the Gofpel fliall be
thine, God will vouchfafe to live with thee, the
Holy Ghoft will make thy Soul his Temple, thou
fhalt have ftrength to overcome Hell and Devils,
Flames and Swords, and be more than a Con
queror, through him that loved thee, the Lord
Jefus Chrift: Afk a Heaven, and thou fhalt
have it ; a Crown, and it fliall be throWn into
thy bofom ; a Kingdom, and it fhall be thine ;
afk all the Treafores of Glory, and they fliall not

CONSIDERATION. 395
not to be denied thee : From this Time forward
thy Name fhall beinrolled among the Favourites
of Heaven, and in thy Soul, as in Jacob's Lad
der, The Angels fhall be continually afcending
and defcending, and thy Head, like Gideon's
Fleece, fhall be watered with the dew of Heaven,
while the unbelieving World fhall be dry; and
all this fliall be thine, if my Love, my Mercy, my
Kindnefs can prevail with thee, and engage thee
to think ferioufly, what thou muft do to pleafe
God, and to be happy for ever. O Sinner, had
thofe who now lie fweltering under the burning
Wrath of Almighty God fuch an Offer as this,
how would they leap, and triumph, and agree
to fo reafonable a* Condition, and thank God
upon their bended Knees, Day and Night, and
praife him without Intermiflion, that he would
vouchfafe to receive them, on no harder Terms
than thefe! O Sinner, is thy heart a Stone, that
it doth not diffolve at this gracious Meffage ?
Can the Rock hold out againft thefe Bowels of
Compaffion ? Poor ftubborn Wretch ! Were
not thy heart all fteal, were not thy Confcience
feared, how couldft thou forbear being prick'd
at the Heart ? Hadft thou but the leaft Spark
of good Nature left in thee, What might not
thefe golden Chains, thefe filken Strings,
thefe Cords of Love, do with thy immortal
Soul ? The only reafon that the Servants that
Benhadad had, to humble themfelves to the
King of Ifrael, was this, We have heard that
the Kings of Ifrael are merciful Kings. Sinner,
haft not thou both heard and feen, and feeft it
to this Day, That the true King of Ifrael is a
merciful

396 The Great Law of
merciful King ? And will not this prevail with
thee, to throw thy felf down at his feet, and kifs
his Scepter, and confider thy imprudence, in de
viating fo long from the end of thy Creation and
Redemption, and make thee contented to part
with all the ftrong holds of iniquity within thee,
and with all imaginations that exalt themfelves
againft the Obedience of Chrift Jefus.
O do not tell me, that thou wilt moft certainly
bethink thy felf fome time hereafter, when fick-
nefs and approaching Death fhall take thee off
from thy worldly bufinefs ; Vain foolifh Man !
How doth thou know thou fhalt live till to Mor
row ? For, What is thy life? even a vapour that
appears for a little time, and then vanijkes away.
How many thoufands are cut off as they are go
ing up the Hill, in the Noon of their Days, be
fore half their race be run ; and what Patent
haft thou from Heaven, that it fhall not be
thus with thee? God laughs at that Repen
tance, which Men begin, when they can keep
fin and the World no longer ; he fees it is for
ced, and fqueezed, and weak, and feeble ; and
will God accept of thy Devotion, when thou
haft exhaufted the Cream and Marrow of thy
Bones in the Devil's Service ? How, Sinner !
Confider thy Ways upon thy Death-bed ? Mad
Man ! Doft thou know what Confideration
means ? The Soul muft be in its full ftrength, that
confiders the finfulnefs, and fad Confequences
of her Life. Doft not thou fee, how in ficknefs
the Soul fyrnpathizes with the Body? How the
Mind languiflies with the Flefli ? How weak
how feeble the Thoughts are upon a Death bed?

CONSIDERATION. 397
bed ? How the mind is employed with thinking
of the pain, and anguilh, and uneafinefs of the
Body ? How Men's weaknefs fearce gives them
leave to repeat the Lord's Prayer intire, without
interruption ? How fettling their Eftates, and
difpofing of their worldly Affairs, and Sorrow
and Vexation that they have not managed
their fecular Concerns with greater Prudence,
takes up their Cogitations ? And how tranfitory
and fuperficial Men's Thoughts of Sin, and of
another World are, except they have gotten a
habit of Heavenly-mindednefs, by a long and
conftant Pradice of Holinefs, in the Time of
their Health and Liberty before? And doth
Salvation deferve no more, but a few flight
and fkin-deep Refledions, when thou lieft a
dying ? Canft thou have fuch low Thoughts of
everlafting Glory, as to let Confideration of it
come behind all the Satisfadions of the Flefh ?
Canft thou entertain fuch pitiful fneaking Con
ceits, concerning that mighty Heaven, God,
out of his fingular and unparalell'd Mercy,
hath condefcended to promife to his Saints,
as to delay thy Contemplations, and thy ta
king a view of it, till thy Heart-firings break,
and thy Throat begins to rattle, and the Houfe
is falling ? Go ye curfied into everlafting fire,
prepared for the Devil and his Angels. Alas !
when Men are dying, the Time of working is
paft, that's the Night wherein no Man can
work ; That's the Time indeed to reap the
Comfort of our former confcientious Pradi
ces, but not the Time to work out our Salvati
on in; That's the Time of rejoycing, becaufe our

398 T°e Great Law of
©ur Redemption draws nigh, not the Time of
fetting out from the gates of Hell ; that's the time
to finifh our Courfe with Joy, not the Time to
begin a holy Life. Alas ! The ftrength and vi
gour which muft be ufed in a Heavenly Conver
fation is then gone, and Men are juft upon the
point of reckoning with God ; Their Accounts
muft then be ready, not to make up : So that
if thou art not ready now to take thy Spiritual
Concerns into ferious Confideration, thy Heart
will be hardned every Day more and more, and
the longer thou liveft, the lefs mind thou wilt
have to fet about it ; and if thou doft not think
it worth thy Trouble, to fpare now and then an/
hour from thy Worldly bufineffes, to mind this
one thing neceffary, thou doeft as good as tell
God, That thou wilt have none of his Heaven,
and judgeft thy felf unworthy of eternal Life.
O finner, the prefent time is the day of fal-
vation, this is the acceptable time, now ftrike,
and thy fins will fall ; Now ftrive, and the
Crown will be thine ; Now fall to work, and
promife thy felf Eternal Reft : Thou canft call
no Time thine own but the prefent, that's only
in thine hands ; make ufe ©f that, and fave thy
felf from this untoward Generation. Extricate
thy felf from the deluflons of the Flefh, Take
courage, and be gone; ftay not in Sodom, now
accept of Mercy, now lay up thy Treafure, and
fecure thy Right to the Tree of Life ; now re
member thy Creator, and God will remember
thee when he makes up his Jewels, aud fpare
thee, as a Man would fpare. his own Son that
fervcs him. Hea*

CONSIDERATION. 399
Hear then this, Men, Fathers, and Brethren !
the God of your Fathers, the God of Abraham,
the God of IJ'aac, and the God of Jacob, hath
fent us to you, to tell you, That his Supper is
ready, and the Doors are open, and the Guefts
are come, and yet there is room ; and that you
may fill the Room which is left, is the Meffage
we come to acquaint you withal from him who
delights not in the Death of a flnner, but would
have him turn and live. Hear this, ye Great
Ones, ye Nobles, ye Mighty Men, and Confider
your Ways : Confider whether that voluptuous
Life you lead, is like that Life which that Saviour
in whom you pretend to believe, doth prefcribe
in his Gofpel ? Confider whether you are not
obliged to pradife all thofe Virtues and Duties
that the meaner Sort perform ? And whether
in framing to your felves a new Way to Heaven,
a Way different from what the Word of God
doth reprefent, you are like to be happy in thofe
Caftles of Air you build, and like to arrive to
that Glory which you wifh for, and hope to be
received into? Confider what your Pride and
Senfuality will at laft conclude in ? And whe
ther you will dare to brave it at the Great Tri
bunal, as now you do on Earth, where you
have no Body to controul you? Ye that are
Magiftrates, whom Providence hath placed o-
ver others to execute Juftice, and to fhew a
good Example, Confider your Ways. Confider
how heavy your Connivance at the moft no
torious fins, Sins that offer to pluck even
God out of his Throne, will lie upon your
Confciences one Day ! Confider what Hurt you do,

400 i be • Mr eat Law oj
do, how many Souls you mine, by your debauch
ed and luxurious Lives ! Confider whether you
can fatisfie God as eafily as you can do Man, and
whether that injuftice, that oppreffion, that co-
Vetoufnefs, that lewdnefs you make nothing of
now, are not fins weighty enough to bear you
down into the burning Lake ? Ye learned Men,
whether Minifters, or others, who fee and
know more than the Vulgar do, Confider your
Ways. Confider whether that great Knowledge
you have will not procure you double Stripes,
if you improve it not into a higher Degree of
ferioufnefs than common people ufe ; Confider
what a ridiculous Thing you make Religion, if,
being perfwaded and convinced of the rationa
lity of it, you do not exprefs the Power of it in
your Con verfa tions. Confider whether build
ing Heaven with your Voices, and Hell with
your Behaviour and Deportment, will not bring
down upon you the fevereft Plagues that are
written in the Book of God! Ye that are Hear
ers of the Word, and frequent the Temple
of the Lord, to be taught his ftatutes, and
his Ordinances, Confider your Ways. Confider
whether fo many Entreatings, Warnings, Re
proofs and Admonitions, in feafon and out of
feafon, which you take no notice of, will
not be brought in one day as evidences to ju-
ftifie your everlafting condemnation? Confider
how God is like to refent your barrennefs and
unfruitfulnefs under the richeft means of Grace,
under the droppings of his fatnefs ! Confider
how juftly God may punifh your not digefting
and applying his Commands and Precepts to
your

CONSIDERATION. 4oI
your felves; with hardnefs and blindnefs of Heart,
and whether this Judgment be not more frequent
than the World is aware of, and whether you do
not participate of .that Judgment ? Hear this, all
ye that carry rational, angelical Souls in your
Breafls, Confider your Ways. Confider what en-
flaving your Souls to vicious affedions will crime
to, and whether they will not thrive better, betnp-
irradiated with Heavenly Light, than warmed
by Hellifh Lufts ; and whether it will not b&
more for your Credit to advance them to their
primitive luftre and beauty, than lofe them; by
Sin and Vanity. .Sirs, you ftand upon th'e brink
of a bottomlefs Pit; Who but a Man, whofe
brains are crack'd, would not look about him
felf? The leaft pufh or thruft fends you thither*
Who would not take fome pains to get into a
Harbour ? The fhip is ready to be caft away,
the Mafts are fplit, 'tis leaking on every Side %
Who would not lay hold of a plank to fave
himfelf from drowning ? If you know not what
to • do with that power of Confideration God
hath given you, marvel not if God takes it a-
way; And fince you will not bethink your
felves how to be freed from . Sin and Mifery,
protefts in his Anger, That you fhall not be able
to make ufe of that power any more, in order
to obtain eternal Life; fince you will not take
up that Sword of the Spirit, to cut the Cord
of Sin and Difohedience, no wonder if God
blunts and dulls the Edge of it, that it fhall
be of no ufe to you, when you would emply it*
O Chriftians, there is no jefting with a merci
ful God ; where the greateft Mercy is feorned
D d and

402 The (ireat Law oj
and rejeded, What can ye exped but the feve-
reft Judgments ? Be wife therefore, before the
black Decree be irreverflbly Signed and Sealed
againft you ; you'll blefs the Hour and the Day
which bears the Date of your entire and fincere
Agreement to God's Will in this Particular;
and when you fhall find, by bleffed Experi
ence, That this ferious Confideration of your
Ways is the Gate to Paradife, you'll admire the
Bounty, Wifdom, and Goodnefs of God, that
moved your hearts to embrace the Motion, and
you will not be able to forbear breaking out in
to flinging the Song of Moj'es, and the Song of the
Lamb, Bleffing, Honour, and Glory be unto him
that fits upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb for
ever and ever'. -

CHAP. VIII.
Of Retirement and Prayer, tke two great Helps
to Confideration. Retirement proved to be ne
ceffary to make Confideration ofi our Spiritual
State more quick and lively. Prayer calls in
the Aftifiance of God's Spirit, and renders the
Work effeBual. A Form of Prayer to be ufed
upon this Occxifion.
I Will charitably fuppofe, That the preceeding
Exhortation may have made fome Impreffi
on upon my Reader, and made him in fome
Meafure, -willing to think more of his Soul,
and of the Danger it is in, and of his Eternal State,

CONSIDERATION. 403
State, than formerly he ufually did ; and there
fore to fhew him how this Confideration muft be
managed, that it may in truth conquer and fob-
due his inordinate Affedions, and make them fub-
jed to the beft of Mafters, I fliall lay down fome
neceffary helps to Confideration, and thefe are,
to mention no more, Retirement and Prayer.
I. Retirement. Though I readily grant, ( and
do commend it too ) that Men, as they are walk**
ing with others, or travelling, or going Abroad
about their neceffary Occafions, or Handing in
their Shops, or other Rooms, where Company
goes in and out, may think, that the courfe they
have taken hitherto is not fafe, and therefore 'tis
high Time to change and alter it : Yet feeing
thofe Thoughts are too much diverted by fenfual
Objeds, and apt to go no farther than the mind
or underftanding, and reach no deeper than fpe-»
culation ; it muft neceffarily follow, that Retire*
ment is requifite, to make it reach the Affedions,
and to fpread it as far as the Life and Converfa
tion. By Retirement, I do not mean abfeonding, or
hiding ones felf in a Corner in the Country, or
in a Wildernefs, but retiring in our own Houfes.
Let the place we live in be never fo populous,
to be fure we have Chambers to be private in j
and as the Rich may make their beft Room a
Defart for this Work, fo the pooreft may con-
Vert any corner in their Houfes into a place for
this Exercife; 'tis not the neatnefs of a Clofet
that cleanfeth the Soul from filthinefs, nor _ the
curiofity and convenience of a With-drawing-
D d 1 room,

404 The ixreat Law oj
room, that fits the heart for him that made it ;
but as Chrift made fometimes a Mountain, fome
times a Ship, fometimes a Crofs, his pulpit ; So
a Man may make a Meadow, a Field, a Wood, a
Garret, any Corner of his Houfe, a Place fit to
retire in, to confider ferioufly how the Cafe
ftands between God and his own Soul. I know
what Men do commonly objed, the very fame
thing they objed againft Confideration itfelf, and
whereof we have fufficiently fpoke in the fecond
Impediment, viz. That they have a great deal of
bufinefs, and that they can fpare no Time for this
. Retirement. Bufinefs, no doubt, muft be done.
But there is a time for every thing, and a feafon
for every purpofe under Heaven, and then fure
there muft be a time for this Spiritual retirement
too ; if there be not, we are obliged to find time
for it : He that cannot, or rather will not, had as
good fay, he hath no time to be faved ; and he
that cannot fometimes negled the Concerns of
his Body, or Eftate, for the Concerns of his better
part, derides Salvation, and does not believe
that there is fuch a Thing, or if there be, that
it is of fo much value, as the Dirt and Dung he
grovels in. 'Tis true, Manaffes's Retirement
was forced, much againft his Will, yet ftill it
was Privacy that contributed much to his A-
mendment; For while he was encompaffed
with his Courtiers and Flatterers and his fawn
ing Crew, he thought Religion a Thing below
him, and a New Creature but a canting Term ;
but being alone, none but God and his Calami
ty about him, having nothing to take off his
Thoughts from refleding on his Apoftacy, be
hold

CONSIDERATION. 405
hold how Confideration melts him, his Confci
ence fets upon him, makes him afliamed of his
Unfaithfulnefs to his God, makes die Tears
ftand in his Eyes; and fo great is his Change,
that he who had exceeded the Nations round a-
bout him in Idolatry, and Lewdnefs, immedi
ately takes away all the ftrange Gods, and tke
Idols out of the Houfe of the Lord, and all
the Altars that he had built on the Mount of
the Houfe of the Lord, and in Jerufalem,
and cafi them out of the City, and command
ed Judah to ferve the Lord, II. Chron. 33. 15,
16. So pleafing is this Retirement to God, that
he doth exprefly call himfelf, Our Father which
j'ees in fiecret, Matth.. 6. 4. When Chrift had a
mind his Difciples fhould fee his Glory, he
doth not carry them to Jerufalem, leads them
not into the Market-place, doth not mingle
them with the Multitude, bids them not attend
him at Herod's Court; For he knew, thefe
Places would rather diftrad, than help, their
Devotion: But he fummons them to go up
with him into a high Mountain apart, bids
them retire from fecular Bufinefs, leave their
fenfual Affedions at Home, feparate themfelves
from fuch worldly Employments, as were apt
to take up their Minds, that their Thoughts
might be more at Liberty to contemplate his
Glory, and the Transfiguration might affed
them more, and make the deeper Impreffions
upon them.
Come, my People, enter thou into thy Chamber,
and ftj ut thy Doors about thee, and hide thy J'elf,
D d 3 faid

40 6 The Great Law of
faid God to the finful Men of Ifrael, when he'
bid them turn and repent, If a. 26. 20. To fhew,
That a Chamber is a fitter place for their Work
than a Theatre, and a Clofet more proper than a
Hall or Dining-room, and locking our felves up,
a better preparative, than delighting in variety of
Company. It was, I confefs, too lavifh an Expreffion
which the Hermit in Sulpilius ufed, That he who
was vifit ed by Men could not be vifit ed by An
gels; yet in fome refped he faid true; and he that
doth rtot love to be alone fometimes, is not like
to receive the yifits of thefe miniftring Spirits.
It was in Retirement, that Elijah raifed the
dead Child, Reg. 17. 19. and by the River Chebar
it was in a lonely place, that God appeared to
Ezechiel; fo he revealed himfelf to Mofes in
the Bufh, when at a great diftance from Men,
and Crowds of People : And therefore it was
an excellent Advice St. Chryfiofiom gave to a Man,
who intended for Salvation, Depart from the
High-way, and tranfplant thy felf in fome in-
clofed Ground, for it is hard for a Tree that
ftands by the Way-fide to keep her Fruit till it
be ripe.
What St. Bafil faith of a folitary Life, may in
a great meafure be applied to fuch Retirement.
It is the School where Men are taught Celeftial
Dodrine, and Divine Arts and Sciences are in-
fufed by nothing fo foon, as by this Difcipline.
This is a Garden of Delights, where Virtues, like
glittering Flowers, fend forth their grateful 0-r
dours.' Here grows the red Rofe, fervent Cha-
ritys, Here rjfes the Milk-white Lilly, Chaftity. Here

CONSIDERATION. 407
Here the Myrtle of Mortification is feen, and
the Frankincenfe of Prayer is here to be found. O
Retirement! the Joy of fluidified Minds, and
the Seat of all Spiritual Guefts; Thy Virtue is
the fame with that of the Babylonian Furnace,
for by Faith thou keepeft off the burning Heats
of Luft. Thou art that Oven, where the Veffels
of Honour are prepared. Great Store-houfe of
Heavenly Wares, where all the rich Merchan-
dife of the Spirit is hoarded up. Vaft Shop of
fpiritual Exercifes, where the Soul comes to be
reftored to her Creator's Image, and returns to
the Purity of her Original.
Thou makeft indeed the Lips pale with Fail
ing, but makeft the Soul fat and flourifhing.
Thou makeft the Good Man ftand in the Caftle
of his own clarified Mind, and look down with
Contempt on this nether World !
Sacred Tent, where our holy War is carried
on, Camp of God, Tower of David, where
hang a Thoufand Shields, all fit to keep off
the fiery Darts of the Devil ! Field, where the
Lord's Battles are fought, where the Soul fights
againft the Flefh, and the Flefh againft the
Soul. O Retirement ! The happy place where Vices
die, and Virtues live, and where Men learn what
it is to arrive to Perfedion. Great Ladder of
Jacob; whereby Men climb to Heaven, and
Angels come down to Men. Sweet and golden
Way, whereby a Chriftian goes home to his Fa
ther's Houfe ! Bath of the Soul ! Death of Sin !
Purgatory of Filthinefs ! Thou deftroyeft the fe
cret 'Intrigues of Pride, wafheft away the Nafti-
D d 4 nefs

4081 'I' be Xireat 4Jaw of
pefs of Sin, and elevateft the Soul to the Bright-
nefs of Angels !
For indeed we find, that as a Man's Reafon is
more free in fuch Retirements, fo God is the
readier to meet him, as the Angels did Jacob, in
his privacy, and to difplay to him the Vanity of
that World he hath doated on, the Scarlet Dye
of thofe Sins he hath delighted in, and that mi
raculous Love he hath undervalued and tram
pled on, with the Vengeance he hath procured,
and been greedy of: For now it appears, that
the Man is in good earneft to be faved, and to
fuch God never denies his Favour, for moft Men
play with Religion, go about it as if it deferved
no pains, and therefore here God doth no migh
ty work, as being loath to caft his Pearls before
Swine. He that retires to confider what he
muft do to be faved, makes Religion his bufinefs ;
and, thofe that J'eek me thus, Jhall find me, faith
eternal Wifdom, Prov. 2. 17. Such Mens minds
he is willing to overfrtadow with the Power of
the Higheft, fuch Men prepare to meet their
God, and God certainly will not fail them. And,
Chriftians, fay you what you will, either the
Gofpel is no Gofpel, or you'll find by woeful Ex
perience, that without you are at fome Trouble
about your everlafting concerns, and deny your
felves in your Time, Profit, Eafe, Pleafure, and
Pundilio's of Greatnefs, to mind yo.nr Spiritual
Intereft; and without Heaven doth coft you
fomething more than ordinary, God hath no
Ileaven for you.
He that retires, and fets afide his Worldly
bufinefs, and makes bold with the Company he is

CONSIDERATION. 409
is in, and leaves them to take a View of his Duty
toGodandMan, that Man lays force upon the
Kingdom of Heaven, I am fure he offers violence
to his carnal Intereft, violence to Flefh and Blc»d.
' The Heathen could fay, That the Gods fell all
their Gifts and Riches for Diligence and Induftry.
And we find it to be true of the God and Father
of our Lord Jefus Chrifi, and that Perfon who
retires and takes pains, with Zacheus, to fee Chrift,
may exped the fame gracious Return, which
was made to that Publican, This Day Salvation
is come into thy Houfe.
The Truth is, fhould God difcourfe a Sinner,
that is in company with other Men, or going a-
bout his fecular Affairs, he would find him yawn
and gape, and ftretch himfelf, and gain as much
Attention, as he that tells a ftory to a Man, whofe
mind is employed about other Objeds ; he feems
to give him the hearing, but when a great part
of the Tale is told, he ftarts up, and afks, What
do you fay? But in private, where there is none
but God and his own Confcience, God can
beft anfwer the Sinner's Objedions againft a
ferious confcientious Life, and the Sinner is
moft likely to attend to God's Propofals ; for
here, if his Flefh and Blood doth plead, that
the Sin he is to leave is fweet, and pleaflng, and
profitable, God can prefently argue with him 5
Doft thou call that fweet, which is moft bitter
and grievous to thy God, and muft expire into.
the bittereft Groans? Is that fo pleaflng to
thee, which offends and grieves thy bleffed
Redeemer, who defcended into Hell to fnatch
thee out of it ? And, can any Profit here coun-
terpoife

41 o The Great Law of
terpoife the Eternal Lofs of thy Soul ? So if he
plead, That the Sin he harbours is but a little
one, his Confcience can immediately dafh the
Plea, and reply, How ! Can that be little which
offends an infinite Majefty ? Can that be little
which nailed Chrifi to the Crofs ? Since thou
knoweft, that this little Sin is injurious to God's
Holinefs, What Delight canft thou take in af
fronting him, in whofe Power it is, either to fave
thee, or to damn thee? The lefs it is, the great
er Shame it is, that thou fhouldft plead for
keeping it ; the lefs it is, the fooner it may be
parted withal : O flatter not thy felf! thy great
Love to this Sin makes the Sin itfelf great; and,
Canft thou be faid to love God, that canft hug
that, which thou knoweft runs counter to his
Honour and Glory?
In the fame Manner, all other Exceptions
may be anfwered, and the Sinner finding that
the Reafons he formerly thought invincible are
fo eafily daflied and blown away, is moft likly
to hearken to the far ftronger Arguments of
God, and his own Confcience : The rather,
becaufe he retired on purpofe, to have a clearer
Sight of his Ways than before he had ; And
fince God doth vouchfafe him fo diftind a Pro
fped of his Folly and propofterous Love,
he juftly thinks, That not to yield to God's
Reafonings, is to mock him, and favours of
fuch Ingratitude as admits of no Excufe. In
deed, without Retirement, our Thoughts and
Confiderations flow at large, v like Water in
the Sea, and we can make no great Obferva-
rions concerning them : But in Retirement, they

CONSIDERATION. 411
they are much like Water in a Weather-Glafs,
and by them we may guefs, what Temper our
Souls are in, whether hot or cold, more exadly
than Men do at the Warmth or Coldnefs of the
Weather, by the rifing or falling of the Liquor
in thofe Glaffes. In fuch Retirements, a holy
Awe and Reverence feizes on the Soul; and
when I fee Men can retire to drink, to play, to
fleep, and to debauch themfelves, I fee no Rea
fon but they may ( I am fure they have greater
Reafon to do it ) retire to confider the Good and
Welfare of their immortal Souls.
I have already proved, that Confideration
muft be frequent, and confequently this Retire
ment muft be fo too ; not that a Man muft ne
ver refled on his Adions, or mind whether
they be good or bad, but when he retires ;
No, Confideration is either occafional, or a fo
lemn and fet Duty ; either an habitual Guide,
or an extraordinary Remembrancer ; the former,
as it is umverfally ufeful, and a great Means
to prevent Sin in a true Believer, to check him
when he would commit it, to engage him to
Repentance when he is fallen, to dired him
what he muft do, and to encourage him to
thofe Duties, which are proclaimed in his Ears,
as neceffary to Salvation ; fo it is a neceffary
Companion, where-ever we are, or whatever
we are doing ; and thefe occafional Confidera-
rations need no Retirement; But then where
the ftream of Man's Life muft be turned, or
the Adions of the Day reviewed, how far
they have been agreeable to the Will of God,
how far they have been contrary to it, or
where

412 The Great Law of
where a ftrid Mortification of Sin muft be ufed,
or where a long negleded Duty muft be made a
familiar gueft in thy Soul ; in a Word, where the
Work to be done is of fome more than ordinary
difficulty, there thofe occafional Refledions will
not ferve turn, but more folemn Confiderations
muft be called in, and thefe folemn Confiderati
ons are properly the things which require retire
ment, and, as 'tis fit they fhould be ufed once
a day at leaft, fo he that truly minds the Intereft
of his Soul, that fome time every Day retires,
and confiders, how he hath behaved himfelf that
day toward God and Man, whether his Heart
hath not been too much carried out after the
Comforts of this World, what Incroachment
they have made upon his Love to God, and how
they will fill the garden of his Soul with Weeds,
if he do not flop their Progrefs betimes, and root
them up; what company he hath been in that
day, what he hath done in his Clofet, what his
Thoughts, Words, Defires, Adions, Affedions,
have been that day, whether he hath not been
more concerned for the Trafh and perifhable
Riches of this Life, than the Glory of God, and
the Salvation of his Soul ; and how neceffary it
is for him, having had a fall that day, to be more
careful, and cautious, and circumfped the next.
This Confideration is the Pulfe of the Soul,
which, while it is beating, it is a great Sign
that there is Life in the Soul, and a good Ar
gument that God will increafe and enlarge
that Life. And, as Edificarion, and Progrefs in
goodnefs, ought to be the real defigns of retiring
from the World, fo it doth neceffarily import, that

CONSIDERATION. 413
that Men ought to chufe the livelieft Hours, or
the hours when their Spirits are moft adive, and
freeft from Drowzinefs, for fo great a Work.
When Men are drowzy and fleepy, Confiderati
ons may often come in, but they are fo weak
and faint, that they leave the Soul as cold as they
found it, and put it into the Circumfiances of
that Man in the Gofpel, who took Men for walk
ing Trees, faw fomething, but knew not what to
make of it, or what Name to give it.
While I am difcourfing thus, methinks I fee
the fenfual Reader fmile; Retirement, thinks
he, this were to make my felf a Prifoner in the
foft Times of Peace, and to deprive my felf of
that Freedom, which God and Nature hath gi
ven me : This were to go into a.Monafiery, and
fubmit to the Severities of a Convent , This, at
the beft, can only befit a Prieft, but can be no
Qualification of a Gentleman : Indeed, if Gen
tlemen had no Heaven to gain, no Hell to avoid,
if God had made them Beafts, as too many dp
make themfelves-, we fhould not be difpleafed
at this rambling talk ; but 'tis an old Trick, where
•Men have averflon from a Duty, to reprefent it
in a difmal Drefs, and to take off the Burthen
from their own Shoulders, and to bind it upon
others. If they could fatisfie God with thefe
fhufflings, as eafily as they do their own Con
fciences, they were fafe, but that the great Day
muft decide ; And when the Archangel fhall
found his Trumpet, to gather the Dead from
all Parts of the World, and God, who prefcri
bed to all Men but one Way to Happinefs,
fhall make a ftrid Examination how every on©
hath

41,4 The iireat Law of
hath obferved the rules and flatutes of that Way;
it Will appear, That this Retirement, in order
to a ferious pondering of our Adions, was a
Duty incumbent on fome People elfe, befides
Minifters. He that retires upon this account,
doth indeed imprifon himfelf, but it is, that he
may attain to true and perfed Liberty, triumph
over the flavery of Sin, lead his Corruption
Captive, and free himfelf from the dregs artd
drofs which corrupted Nature hath brought up
on him : Little doth the fenfual Man think what
felicity he robs himfelf of, by feorning this Re
tirement. Flere Heaven would look more beau
tiful to him than in a crowd ; here he might in
a manner with St. Stephen, fee the Heavens o-
pen, and his Saviour Handing at the Right hand
of God; Here he might truly enjoy himfelf, and
look with pity on thofe Men, who, like Spi
rits, which are fometimes feen in Mines, with
great Labour, do nothing at all to any Purpofe ;
and when they have tried and wearied them
felves in the World, like Flies, burn themfelves
in that Candle about which they have been ho

vering.

Come, Sinner, prepare thy Pencil, mingle the
richeft Colours thou canft get, draw thy finful
carelefs Life, give it a beautiful Virgin's Face ;
draw all the Charms that thy Fancy can find out ;
here, draw the Adoration the World pays un
to 'her, there the bows and cringes, whereby
both great and fmall infinuate into her Favour.
On her head draw a Tree, whofe Fruit is Gold,
and the Dew thereof hardens into Pearls ; Let
her Right hand grafp a Crown, and her left drop
Gifts

CONSIDERATION. 415
Gifts on her Clients and Votaries. But then,
when this proud Peacock is drawn thus, in all her
dazling Circles, forget not to draw her ugly
Feet, I mean, an unquiet, roaring, difturbed,
diftraded, trembling Confcience; for into this
difmal fhape, doth that lovely Mermaid end.
On the other fide, I'll paint a Wildernefs, a
Grove, which wife Nature made, and in it I'll
reprefent a devout Soul kneeling, and, with the
Publican, fmiting upon her Breaft ; then will I
draw Heaven, and out of that Heaven, Grace
and Mercy in the fhape of an Angel, flying down
with this Meffage, Fear not, I have redeemed
thee, thou art mine; and holding a Bottle under
to catch her Tears : Immediately upon this, the
Holy Ghoft fhall be feen defcending, fpreading
his Beams, and warming that Soul, and invigo
rating it to refift the World, the Flefh, and
the Devil : By and by the Glory of God
fhall appear, and crown all with Peace, and
Joy, and infinite Content, and eternal Hallelu
jahs. And now, Sinner, which of thefe Pidures
wouldft thou chufe ? Do not the homely Feet of
the former fright thee ? Can all the beauty thou
feeft in that painted Harlot, countervail the mi
fery it dies into? Is an ever-gnawing Confcience
matter of fport and laughter ? When all thefe
painted Gaudes muft break into a difmal Dunge
on, wilt thou laugh a While, that thou may'ft
mourn and lament for ever ? But if thou art fo
fond of this dangerous Garden, that nothing can
reclaim thee from being delighted with it ;
take thy choice, give me the other Landfkip.

i \

4 1 6 'The (ireat Law oj
I know this World, Men are fofond of, e'er long
will have an end, and their Pleafures will have
an end, and their Sins will have an end, and their
Glory will have an end; but where thefe end,
God's Juftice and Indignation begins ;' Bleffed
is the Man that hath then the God of Jacob for
his Refuge, the Lord will deliver him in the
time of Trouble. What if I enjoy none of the
World's wanton Solaces ? I know where bet
ter and ftronger Confolations are to be had :
What if Thorns and Briars furround my Lillies
and Rofes ? I know they are but to preferve
them, and to hinder the Devil from tear
ing them to Pieces : Thefe Thorns are my fafe-
guard, which will, e'er long, be done away, and
when I am out of the Reach of all Enemies, my
Lillies will continue frefh, and flourifhing for e-
ver : What need I covet the V/orld, when I am
made to live above the World ? What fhould
I love this Earth for, when I have a God to love?
Why fhould I dote on Nature, when I am in
the ftate of Grace ? God hath made me many
glorious Promifes; How can I forbear rejoycing
under the Thoughts of them ? By Grace I
am made Partaker of the Divine Nature ;
Wonderful Dignity ! Being ad-
/WEufeb.Nierem. vance(J fo high, Why fhould I
deader . lib. I. c. 12. , , • 1 i- 1
fcf j-eim be enamoured with a little
Duft ? When God hath made
me a King, Why fliould I debafe my felf, or
ftoop to the mean Employment of a Peafant ?
I know God doth not fee as Man do fee, a
Soul that loves him above all, is more efteemed in

CONSIDERATION. 417
in his fight, than the proudeft Monarch ; nor
do Rags fright him from fixing his Habitation
there, where he meets with an humble, broken
Heart : Let others glory in their great Titles,
in this I'll glory, that I am a Child of God.
Who can exprefs the Honour God beftows on
thofe that give their Hearts to him ? To be a
Child of God is infinitely greater Honour than
to be of Kin to Princes, or to have the Blood
of Nobles running in my Veins. A Father ex-
preffes greater Endearments to him that parti
cipates of his Nature, and draws his Subftance
from him, than to him that's only like him in
the Face ; How far greater Love then may I
conceive in God to a Child, which by Grace is a
Partaker of Divine Nature, than to the bleffed'
Angels themfelves? The whole Creation in a
manner participates of the Divine Nature ; but
all other Creatures are but Pidures, painted I-
mages of that glorious Nature ; he that is a Child
of God, is a lively Image of his Father which k
in Heaven, and he hath Fellowfhip and Commu
nion with the Father, and his Son JeJ'us Chrift.
What Myfteries are thefe things to a poor World
ling ? But oh ! How comfortable to him that
feels the good Spirit bearing Witnefs with his
Spirit, that he is a Child of God 1 If God be my
Father, then all the Riches he hath are mine ; if
he be my Father, he cannot but take fpecial
Care of me; for, Can a Mother forget her fuck
ing Child, that jhe ftmdd not have Compaffion on
the Fruit of her Womb; yea, fhe may forget, yet
will I not forget - thee, behold I kave engraven
thee on the Palms of my Hand, Ifa. 49. 15, 16,
E e Fathers

41 8 The Great Law of
Fathers fometimes expofe their own Lives to fave
their Sons ; God hath done infinitely more for me,
for he affumed human Nature, and expofed his
Life for me, who was an Enemy, and a Traitor
to him, that I might become his Son.
By Grace I am the Friend of God; if God had
not taken me for his Child, yet how Excellent,
how Incomprehenfible would the Favour be,
that he Vouchfafes to take me into the Num
ber of his Friends ? What a ftir do Men keep,
to purchafe the Friendfhip of great Men ?
How little do they efteem the Friendfhip of the
Almighty ? They have not Souls clear enough
to admire the Mercy ; their Underftandings are
too earthy to adore fo great a Bounty ; * it re
quires too much Spirit and Mind, to be ra-
vifh'd with fuch Compaffion. A Friend is of
ten loved better than near Relations ; What
may not I promife my felf from this Love and
Friendfhip of God? What Calamity or Mifery
is there, in which this Love cannot hold my
Head, and keep it from aking ? To be loved
of God, is to be fed with the richeft Stream,
and to live upon Milk and Honey. If God laid
down his Life for his Enemies, What will he
not do for his Friends ? When I was his Ene
my, God feemed to love me more than he did
himfelf, and now that I am his Friend, fhall I
think he will love me lefs than an Enemy ?
How fhould I rejoyce to have fuch a Friend
as Jonathan was ? But alas ! What is this
Friendfhip to God's Love ? All human Friend
fhip is perfed perfidioufnefs, in comparifon of
God's Friendfhip. God fo loves his Friends, that he

CONSIDERATION. 4x9
he knows not how to be feparated from them ;
if God had no other Place to move in, but
Heaven, he would leave that Heaven, and come
down and join himfelf to thofe, whom by his
Spirit he hath adopted into the Number of his
Friends ;_ fo great, immenfe, is his Love to them.
He that is a Friend of God, becomes God's indi
vidual Companion. What a Favour would it
have been counted, if the Son of God, when he
Was on Earth, would have joined himfelf to
one particular Man, and would have never de-^
parted from him ? What a Privilege then muft
it be, for one who is God's Friend, to have the
Divinity always prefent with him, not only as a
Companion, but as an Inhabitant, for ke dwells
in us by his Spirit. Did ever any Father love
his Son fo as never to part Company! Did ever
'any Mother love her. Child fo as never to fuffer
it to go from her Arms ? But God is continu
ally embracing his Friends. Among Men, a
Father cannot be always there where his Son is,,
but God knows not how to be from him that
is his Friend ; and though God be in all Crea
tures by his Effence, Prefence, and Power, yet
that is, becaufe he is God ; with a gracious Soul
he is, becaufe that Soul is his Friend, and if God
were not immenfe and infinite, and could not
be with his other Creatures, yet he would be
with fuch a Soul with' whom he is one Spirit j
and if he. could forget Things, yet he could not
' forget fuch a Soul, or lay afide the Thoughts of
his Profperity and Welfare; and if he could
forfake his other Creatures, yet he could not
fur fake fuch a Soul, but would work always
E c z fome

42 o The Great Law oj
fome good or other in her : For God's Love be
ing ftrong 'tis always adive, and where God
bears a good Will to her, he cannot but com
municate Goodnefs to her.
And fhall I, after all this, repine, becaufe I
am not a favourite of Kings and Princes, when I
have God for my conftant Guide and Affociate ?
How fhall I ftand amazed at the ftrangenefs of
the Favour ? If God fhould charge all the Angels
of Heaven, all the ten thoufand times ten thou
fand Spirits which wait upon him, to go and
attend fuch a Man with all the Grandeur and
Majefty imaginable; yet what is all this but a
Defart to God's Society? In having him for my
Affociate, I enjoy more Dignity, more Majefty,
more Pomp and Glory, than if I had all the
Armies of Heaven waiting upon me ; and can I
think God is always with me, and will not pro
vide for me ? If I fliould negled all Things in
the World, and mind nothing but the Things of
God, and my Father's Bufinefs, I might be
confident that he would feed me, and fupport
me, becaufe fo Great, fo Good, fo Almighty, fo
Kind a Friend could not fee me perifli. The
Son of God hath not honoured any Angel with
the name of Brother, and yet if I am united to
him by Grace, and by his Spirit, I enjoy this
Privilege ; and as Mothers love thofe Children
moft, for which they have fuffered and endured
moft ; fo I may be confident that God loves me
moft fervently, becaufe he hath fuffered for me
on the Crofs, and endured moft bitter Torments
and Agonies for me. How may I exult ? How
may I triumph in this Love ? O

CONSIDEPvATION. 421
O my God! The Angels, for the leaft drop of
that Grace thou haft beftowed on them, are more
beholden to thee than all other Creatures, for
all their natural Gifts, and for the Creation of
the whole World : But for the leaft Decree of
Grace thou haft conferred on me, I am more be
holden to thee than all the Angels in Heaven ;
for that I might live by Grace, thou deliverd'ft
thine own Son, the Son of thy Bofom, the bright-
nefs of his Father's Glory, to be crucified and
to die for me, which is more than thou haft done
for all the Angels in Heaven ; and thus thou haft
obliged me more than thou haft done the hea
venly Cherubims and Seraphims.
Farewel, ungrateful treacherous World ! I
have feen enough of thy deceitful Prefents. I'll
follow thy weak Judgment no longer, I'll e-
fteem no Riches but what my Saviour hath
counted fo: In following him I cannot err ;
Self-denial and doing the Will of God, were the
Treafures he ftudied to be Mafter of; Why
fhould not I judge that to be the Riches which
God hath judged fo ? Why fhould not my Mind
agree with the Verdid of the moft High ? Nay,
when God doth love me fo entirely, Why fliould
not I, for love of him, conform my Underftand
ing to his Judgment ? I fee, thofe that love the
World, at the fame Time confefs, that they
ought to love the everlafting Riches more;
for, if the fading Things deferve their Love,
Things Permanent, and Solid, and Eternal
ought to be loved much more. I will not
think much of Afflidions now, for I find
that God, by them, would make me weary
E e 3 of

422 The Great Law of
of my fondnefs to perifhable Trafh, and elevate
and embrace my Soul, to embrace thofe Treafures
which neither Man nor Devils can fteal away.
Phyficians, I fee, when they would cure a fick
Man, make him flicker than he is, by enjoin
ing him Abftinence, by Aduftions, by Vomi
tives, by putting him to greater Torments. I
know my Soul is fick, God would make it per
fedly well; but fuch is my ficknefs, that God
muft put me to pain and anguifh, and great
Trouble, before I can be well ; my Heart is all
Flint, but y/hen this ftone is ftruck fufficient
ly, it will then fend forth Holy Fire ; when my
Flefli is weak, my ftrength will retire more to
my ¦ Mind and Underftandidg, and I fhall be
fitter for Heaven. The glorified Bodies of
Saints in the laft Day, will be the more fplendid
and illuftrious, the more they have been afflid-.
ed and tortured here, and fliine the more,
the more difmal the Dungeon was they were
kept in, during their Abode in this Valley of
Tears. Why fhould I weep, when God takes a-.
way from me the Caufe of weeping ? How
many Thoufands are now weeping in Hell, be-
icaufe they enjoyed fo much of the World's com
forts, and made them Occafions of affronting
their Creator ? Shall I count that Lofs which
is my Gain, and call my Want of Riches a Mifi-
. fortune, when it is the greateft Remedy to fit
my Soul for Pleaven ? What Imprudence is it
in me, to defire that of God, which I ought
to hate, at the moft, love but with fear and
trembling ? What Inhumanity to my felf is it,
to bee: Poifon of the Father of Lights, and to
mur-

CONSIDERATION. 423
murmur that he gives me not that Viper, which
will fting me into endlefs Tortures? My love of
the World is Adultery, and fhall I defire that
wherewith I have committed Adultery ? Is it
not all one, as if a Woman fliould entreat her
Hufband to let her enjoy the pleafure of an un
lawful Bed ? The Hufband doth fhew great
Mercy to her, in that, when he. might punifli
her more feverely, he only removes the Adul
terer ; and fhall I count that Mercy an Inju
ry ? In wifhing for the Riches and Greatnefles
of this World, I do as much defire God to give
me that, whereby I do offend him. Shall I be
angry with a Chirurgeon, who, to prevent
the fpreading of my Cancer, cuts off a Mem
ber, to preferve my Life? And fhall I take
it ill of God, for wounding my Flefh, to draw
out the Arrows that flick in my Fleart, and
would feller, and kill me, if not pull'd out be
times ?
How fliall I be crowned, if I ftrive not? How
fhall I ftrive, if I have no Temptation ? I cannot
ftrive without an Enemy, and without ftriving
there can be no Vidory . The Workman doth
not pull the Gold out of the Fire, till fufficient
ly refined ; and fhall I murmur, that God lets
the fiery Trials continue upon me, when it is
certain, that my Gold is not yet fit to be recei
ved into the Sanduary ? I am full of Dangers,
but my greateft Danger is Security. Men fear,
and quake, and tremble, if they are in the
midft of an hundred Enemies. I have all the
Devils in Hell againft me, and a whole Army
of Lufts bent to ruine me, and am not afraid;
E e 4 ' And

424 The Great Law of
And when there is nothing can rouze me from
my Security, but Afflidion, ought not I to kifs
the Rod ? In the greateft Troubles I may be
affured, that God loves me, and that it is not
his Anger, but his Love, that follows me with
Chaftifements ; and, Why fhould I fret under
the Yoke, efpecially when fretting and ftrug-
gling to fhake it off before God's Time, doth
but make my Neck more fore, and the Yoke
far more uneafie ? I brought the caufe of fuf
fering with me into the World, which is Sin ;
and how can I exped I fhall be freed from
fuffering, till I am freed from Sin ? God might
have placed me in Heaven, immediately upon
my coming into the World, without any of
thefe outward Troubles: He could as eafily
produce Bread out of the Earth, as he doth the
Ears of Corn ; but, that Man may fweat and la
bour, and relifh his Bread the better, he caufes
only the Ears of Corn to fpring, and of them
Bread muft be made ; fo, by labour and fuffer
ing, God leads me unto Glory, that I may the
better relifh his Bounty and Liberality, and my
Reft may be the fweeter after my Toil and Tem-
pefts here. Afflidion, I know, cannot hurt me,
for my Saviour hath been my Taller ; there can
be no Bitternefs in thefe Herbs, when my God
hath feafoned them. Why fhould I love God
lefs than Dogs do their Mafters? Thefe poor
Brutes are beaten, and ftruck, and chid, and;
pelted with ftones, and yet the more they are
beaten, the more they love their Owners, and
cringe, and bow, and humble themfelves be
fore them ; Shall I be worfe than a Beaft, and
fliall

CONSIDERATION. 425
fhall I carry a rational Soul in my Breaft, and
kick againft thofe pricks which God hath fet to
guard me from eternal Flames? All my forrows
and bitternefs will fhortly be poured out into an
Ocean of fweetnefs ; and, How little of it fhall
I perceive then ? It will then be all loft in a Sea
of Glory, and I fhall forget that I was poor, and
wretched, and naked, and miferable, when I
fhall be eternally enriched with God's Bounty,
enamour'd with his Perfedion, decked with his
Majeftick Robes, comforted with his Confola-
tion, delighted with his Love, enriched by his
Wifdom, and fatisfied with his Beauty, in whofe
Prefence there is fulnefs of Joy, and Pleafure at
his Right Hand for evermore.
Thefe are fome defcants upon the Pidure of
Retirement ; with fuch Confolations can he that
retires, refrefh himfelf, while the Man that wea
ries himfelf with the Vanities of this World
finds no folid Peace; and when he comes to die,
muft look upon his former Life with Horror and
Anxiety. But,
II. Another great Help to Confideration, is
Prayer; this is the Ambaflador that muft go
to Heaven, and fetch the Affiflance of God's
Spirit from thence. Confideration fhews me
my Danger, and my Happinefs, but it is the
Spirit of God muft blow up my Affedions,
that they may adually fhun the one, and reach
after the other ; and this Spirit muft be had by
Prayer, not by Lip labour, not by Prayer un
to which the Heart is a Stranger, and knows.
not what the Tongue means in making fuch a

426 The Great Law of
a Noife, but by Prayer, which expreffes the
real Defires of the Heart ; By Prayer, that
flows from a deep fenfe of the abfolute Neceffi
ty of the Grace of God, and hath Fire and
Flames enough to bear it up into Heaven. For
if you which are evil, can give good Gifts unto
your Children, how much more Jhall your Heaven
ly Father give his holy Spirit to them that ask
him? faith Chrift, Luke 11. 13. And what
kind of Afking this is, appears from the Para
ble immediately preceeding; For which of you,
faith Chrift, Verfe 5. Jhall have a Friend, and
Jhall go to him at Midnight, and fiay unto him,
Friend, lend me Three Loaves ; for a Friend of
mine in his Journey is come to me, and I have no
thing to fet before him. And he from within
Jhall anfwer and fiay, Trouble me not, for the door
is now flout, and my Children are with me in Bed,
I cannot rife and give thee: I fay unto thee, though
he will not rifie and give him, becaufe he is his
Friend, yet becaufie of his Importunity he will
rife, and give him as many as he needs. And then
it follows immediately, Ask, and it fliall be gi
ven you, i. e. Afk for God's Holy Spirit, with
the fame Importunity, with the fame Fervency
and Earneftnefs, that this Man did the Loaves ;
follow God with inceffant Cries, refolve not to
be denied, and it fhall moft certainly be given
you. The Truth is, importunate and fervent Prayer
fhews a Man is in good earneft, and that he doth
not come to God out of Formality, or mere
ly to fatisfie the Motions of a fearful Confci
ence, but that a great Senfe of the Goodnefs and

CONSIDERATION. 427
and Mercy of God, and of his Spiritual Wants
and Neceffities, puts him upon Prayer, and fuch
Prayers God cannot defpife, becaufe he hath
promifed to hear them ; and of this the Evan-
gelift gives us a very illuftrious Example in the
Woman of Canaan crying unto Chrift, Lord
help me. The Anfwer is rough, It is not meet
to take the Childrens Bread and give it unto
Dogs : Yet this doth not terrifie her, fhe dou
bles her Cries, and feems to catch our Saviour
in his own Words, Truth, Lord ; yet tke Dogs
eat ofi the Crumbs which Jail from their Mafters
Table. And now God can hold no longer, but
from his Mouth drops the joyful Word, O Wo
man, great is thy Faith, be it unto thee even as
thou wilt, Mat. 15. 25, 26, 27.
Prayer fandifies Confideration, and where
the Soul begs hard of God, That God would
fet Home the Refledions fhe hath had, and
work her into a Willingnefs to clofe with his
Will, that he would increafe that Light which
Confideration hath given her; give that Light
Fire too, to warm as well as clear her, and
drive and force thofe Convidions, Confidera
tion hath afforded her, into a ferious Converfi-
pn ; terrifie her fo with that fight of Sin, which
Confideration hath prefented to her, that fhe
may remain no longer in the Suburbs of Hell,
but come out of Sodom, and fo allure her with
that Beauty of Holinefs, which Confideration
hath let her have a View of, that fhe may not
be able to refift the Splendor, but fubmit to
the Power, and fend his Spirit fo to move up
on her Affedions, fo to adpate her Endeavours, "fo

428 The Great Law of
fo to encourage her with Promifes, that it may
not be in the Power of the Devil, nor in the
Power of her Lufts, to gain-fay, or contradid,
or dafh the Refolution fhe hath taken ; where
the Soul doth with ftrong Defires pour out
thefe her Requefts before God, appeals to his
Goodnefs, and folicites his Clemency, the good
Father opens the Gates of Heaven, lets in the
Meffenger, makes him welcome, fmiles upon
him, and fends him back laden with Mercy,
and puts Words into his Mouth, and bids him
tell the Soul boldly from that God who hear
eth Prayer, I have heard thee in an acceptable
Time, in the Day of Salvation have I fuccoured
thee, I will pour out my Spirit upon thee, I will
open Rivers in high Places and Fountains in the
midfi of Falleys ; I will make thy Wildernefs
a Pool of Water, and thy dry Land fprings of
Water : I will plant in the Wildernefs the Ce
dar, and the Myrtle, and the Oil-tree will I Jet
in the Defart, that thou mayft fee, and know,
and confider, and underftand together, that the
Hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy
One of Ifrael hath created it, II. Cor. 6. 2. Ifa.
41. 11, 12, 20.
Up then, Chriftian, who art refolved not to
let the Concerns of thy Soul lie at fix and fe-
vens, who art afraid to venter Eternity with
the carelefs befotted World : Like another La
zarus, beg Alms of the King of Heaven, Cry
aloud, and fpare not ; fhew him thy Wounds,
thy Ulcers, thy Poverty, thy Want, thy Neceffi
ty; let a greater Fervency attend thy Prayer
for Spiritual Bleffings, than others ufe in beg
ging

CONSIDERATION. 429
ging for temporal Mercies. Prayer is the Way
to be enriched with all the Treafures of Hea
ven; feek God's Affiftance with Tears in thine
Eyes ; remember thy Soul is infinitely more pre
cious than the Body : And if a Beggar in the
Street is fo earneft with thofe that pafs by, to
give him fomething for the Relief of his Cor
poral Wants, oughteft not thou to be all on fire,
to procure thofe Bleffings which will enrich
thy Soul for ever ? Behold, how others have
fped : Behold, how Theodofius the Emperor
prays, and the Winds fight for him : Behold,
how Annianus prays, and the Army of Attilas,
is defeated upon't. Behold, how the Chriftian,
Soldiers under Aurelius pray, and on a fudden
the Heavens drop down Rain to refrefh the fain
ting Warriors ! Behold, how Arc adius prays, and
the Earthquake ceafeth ! Behold, how Paul the
Novation Bifhop prays, and the Fire, which in
vaded the Church, is flopped ! Jofieph's Bre
thren were pinched with Famine, becaufe they
knew not that their Brother Reigned in Egypt :
Why fhouldft thou ftarve, Chriftian, when thy
Elder Brother Reigns in Heaven, who knows
what thou wantefl, and is a faithful High-prieft,
and is touched with the feeling of thy Infirmi
ties, and was in all Points tempted, even as
thou art ? Come boldly to the Throne of Grace,
that thou mayft obtain Mercy, and find Help
in the Time of Need. If God hath done Good
to others for his Servants Sake, who have plea
fed him ; What will not God do for thee,
for his Son's Sake, in whom alone he is well
pleafed? If God doth fo highly efteem the
Piety

436 The Great Law of
Piety of Men that he profeffes, for my Servant
Jacob's Sake, for my Servant David's Sake, I
will be kind to fuch a one ; Will he derogate,
doft thou think, from the Merits and Love of
his own Son? Will he harden his Heart, or
flop his Ears, or turn away his Eyes, when thou
calleft upon him for Chrift's fake to fend down
upon thee the Day-fipring from on high ? Chrift
is the very Objed of God's Delight, nothing is
fweet, nothing is pleaflng to him, but through
and in Chrift ; Whatever is amiable, and ac
ceptable in us, it is for Chrift's fake, that God
doth think it fo. Without Light, all Colours
are invifible, there is no Beauty in them, the
Light fhining upon them makes them look
lovely and amiable ; Without Chrift, nothing
would appear pure, or lovely, or great, or de
lightful. O J e ful How ought our Souls to
rejoyce in thy Name ! How dear, how preci
ous ought thy Death to be in our Eyes, feeing
by that we live, and thy Crofs is our Exaltati
on, thy Contempt makes us honourable, and
thy Tears give us a Title to Joys which laft for e-
ver. He that looks through a green Glafs, fan
cies all Things he looks upon to be Green; God
looking upon our Holy Endeavours in Chrift
Jefus, they all appear to him lovely and good,
becaufe all that Chrift did was good, and infi
nitely pleafing to him. The World had perifh
ed Ten thoufand Times, if God had not look
ed upon it through his Son, and fo fupported
it ; he that looks through a Glafs upon a flink-
ing Carcafs afar off, doth not fmell the ill fcent
of it ; fo God, through Chrift, looks upon our
Imper-

CONSIDERATION. 431
Imperfedions, and he fmells not the ill favour of
our Performances. Take Courage then, and lay
hold on the Horns of his Altar ; and if thou
knoweft not what to fay, when thou haft taken
a ferious View of thy Ways, make ufe of this, or
fome other Form.
OH thou, who art the Father of the Spirit of
all Flefh, the Father of Lights, with whom
there is no variablenefs nor ftjadow of turning ;
here lies a poor miferable finful Wretch before
thee, not worthy to lift up his Eyes and Hands to
Heaven ; I know not where to look for floame and
confufion. ofi Face, fio long have I gone afiray from
thee, fo often have I provoked thee, fo often have I
fighted thee, fio often have I turned thy Grace in
to WantonneJ's, J'o long have I traded in Sin, and
been bufie with Iniquity, j'o long have I play' d
with Mercy, and made a Laugking-fiock ofiPunijh-
ment, that thou mayft juftly abj'ent thy J'elf from me
for ever ; J'o difingenuoufiy have I dealt with thee,
J'o often have I endeavoured to bling thy All-fee
ing Eye, and to cheat my J'elf, that thou might
eft juftly caufie me to fall a Prey to Satan, look
ftem upon me, and charge me, never any more
to fee thy Face. O wretched Creature that I
am ! Who Jhall deliver me from the Body of this
Death? Oh my Lord 1 how often haft thou dart
ed Rays of Light into my Soul, and the impure
Fire of my Lufis hath prevailed againft them ? '
How often haft thou fuggefted to my Soul, the
Danger it lath been in, and yet I have not trem
bled? How often haft thou flung my Heart,
pricked

43 2 The Great Law oj
pricked it, and goad it into J'erious RefieBions ?
And how foon hath this vain World taken me off
again, and dull'd and dajh'd thcfie Confiderations?
How often hafi thou J'ent Marks of Grace into my
Soul, while I have done what I could to fimother
that Holy Fire ? How juftly mighteft thou Jay,
My Spirit fhall rto longer ftrive with thee ? O
my God, there is no Plague, no Punijhment, that's
threatned in thy Law, but I have deferved it;
I only ftand amazed at thy Patience, that I have
efcaped j'o long, without being conj'umed and ru
ined. Wilt thou receive fiuch a Prodigal into thy
Favour ? Wilt thou be reconciled to J'o great a
Rebel ? Wilt thou pafs by UnkindneJ's of fio deep
a Dye ? Are tke Gates of Mercy open yet J or Jo
vile a Wretch? Do not I come too late, O my
Lord, to the Throne of Grace ? Will God yet
be intreated for fuch a poor forlorn Creature ?
Is there yet Compaffion left for J'uch a poor Sin
ner? O my God, I quejlion not thy Power but
thy Will, to pity J'uch a Tray tor as I have
been : I know thy Mercy is infinite, it would
be a Difparagement to thy Glory and PerfeBion,
to deny the exceeding Riches oj thy Grace ; Thou
couldft not be God, if my Sins exceed thy Power
to forgive; but when I rcfieB on thy Threat
nings, how jufily thou denouncefi Wrath and
Indignation againft all thofe that obftinately
prefer their foolifh Defires before all the Di
Bates and Oracles of the Holy Spirit : O have
not I Reafon to fear that thou wilt fay to me,
Thou haft forfaken me, and ferved other Gods,
wherefore I will deliver thee no more. And yet

CONSIDERATION. 433
yet how free, how full, are thy Promifes to the
truly Penitent ? How full of Swcetnefs, and
Love, are all thy Gracious Engagements to thofe
that will have no inore to do with Idols, that will
cleave to thee alone, that will renounce themj'elves,
and follow thee? O my Lord, thefe thy Promifes
are my Refuge ; were it not for thej'e Dejperation
would be my Portion. I do in fome meafure fee
my Folly ; I fee wkat a Gracious, Tender, Pati
ent, Long-fiuffering God I have offended; I fee
how my Soul hath leaned on broken Reeds, what a
fandy Foundation I have trufied to, how the Wo'rld
hath beguiled me, how I have ftsunncd thy Com*
pany, been . glad when God hath been j'arthefi
from my Thoughts, rejoiced when I have been leaft
of all refieBing on thy GoodneJ's. I have nothing
to plead for my felf, I have no Apology to make,
the greateft Charity cannot excufie my Mifidemeah-
ours ; I have had Light, and darkned it ; Convi-
Bions, and fimother ed them ; Knowledge, and a-
bufiedit; Reafon, and perverted it; heard thy
Word, and ficorned it ; enjoyed the Means ofi
Grace, and continued blind and hard under them.
Thy Mercy is my SanBuary, I am weary of my
Burthen, I loath my Tranfgrefjions, lam willing
to be rid of them, I defire to abhor thern ; but
though I am thus willing, my Flefh is weak, my
Underftanding dark, my Will dull, my AffeBions
to Goodnefs faint, my Refolutions inconfiant. Comet
O my Lord, come down into my Soul, come quick
ly, O thou great Preferver of Men 1 Teach me
to anfiwer all the Reafons ofi Flefh and Blood, a-
gainfi a fierious Converfion ; Arm me with Ar
guments to beat down my. carnal Intereft ; furnijh
& F f me

434 The Great Law of
me with Motives to a truly Heavenly Life ; Mo
tives which may break thro' all the Devil's Sug
geftions ; Motives which may invalidate and wea
ken the prophane Motions ofi my Lufts. Come
down, thou Sun of Righteoufnefs, thou mighty Star
of Jacob, difpel the Clouds, and Mifis, which are
upon my Reafon ; clear the Eyes of my Underftand
ing, and enable me to J'ee the Arts of Sin, the
Wiles of the Devil, the Snares of the World, the
Stratagems of the Flefh, and all the Mifchief s
that is plotted againft my Soul, by my Spiritual
Enemies. Convince me throughly, that to follow
thee is my greatefi Interefi, that to refifi thefe E-
nemies is my greateft Safety, that to watch a-
gainfi thefe Charms is my greatefi Felicity. 0 let
me apprehend Sin, as it is the greatefi Evil, let it
appear very terrible to my Mind; reprefent unto
me Heaven, and thy Love, and all that thou hafi
done for me, in fuch lively Colours, that neither
Death, nor Life, neither good Report, nor evil
Report, may feparate me from thy Love. O let
thy Kindnefs, and the Benefits of thy Son's Death,
and Paffion, -and RefiurreBion, appear to me in
fuch CharaBers, that I may long to be filled with
all the Fulnej's of God. The Spirit is perfeB Light,
und there is no Darknefs with him : O let that
Glorious Light dijfipate that Gloominefs, thofe
Fogs, that Confufiednefs, that is in my intelleBual
Part; make me conceive clearly, and difiinBly
¦ what I mufi do to inherit Eternal Life, and how
I mufi earry my felf to God and Man. Give me
fuch a Sight ofi thy Glory, as may lift me up above
the World, and engage me to have my Converfa
tion in Heaven. Bow my Will, to conform in
tirely

CONSIDERATION. 435
1 1 rely to thy Will; I would not be mine J'o much
as thine. Come, Lord, and take the Government
of my Soul into thy Hand! I have too long fuft>-
red myfelf to be guided by mercilej's Tyrants : Art
thou not my Mafter, my Prince, my Father ? Thou
hafi the greateft Right to rule me. Incline my Will
unto thy Teftimonies, and not to CovetoufineJ's ;
when my Will 1. add wander from thy Precepts,
crofi it, and put a Stop to it, that it may not go
beyond the Limits of thy Law. O heal my Ajfe-
Bions, they hanker too much after this Earth ; O
make them in love with Heaven ; chide them for
deferting their highefi and their chief eft Good ; Let
my Hatred pitch upon no other ObjeB, but Sin ; Let
my Love be carried out after nothing fo much as
thee : And if I love any Thing befides, let me
love it only for thy Sake. Let my Hopes be fixed
upon Immortality, engrofs thou my Defires, let
me fear none but thee, let my chief Delight be in
thy Ways and Ordinances, firengthen my Refoluti
ons, O deliver me from that Guilt inefs I have fo
long been guilty oj ; Make my Purpofes firm, let
them be as the Mountains ofi God, which can ne
ver be moved, let nothing be able to weaken my -
good Intentions, give me Courage to fight the
good Fight : O Lord, in thy Strength I'll rejifi,
by thy Power I will conquer. My Heart hath
locked thee out; O knock again, and if it will
not yield, break open the Door, and let all my
Corruptions vanijh at thy Prefence. O Lord, I
beg no Riches, no Honours, no Preferments ; If I
have but Food and Raiment, I will learn there-
iriih to be ¦ contented ; 'tis thy Grace I want ; e-
fiabliftj me with the free Spirit; Give me Sfiri-
' F f a tual

43^ The Great Law of
tual Wifdom, even that Wij'dom which makes me
wife unto Salvation. Thou art nigh unto them
that call upon thee, yea, unto all fuch as call up
on thee faithfully : O cafi me not away from thy
Prefence, I am thine, 0 fave me, order my Steps
according lo thy Word ; when I read it, let me
read it with that Attention, as to obferve and
take Notice of wkat thou dofi Command; when I
hear it, let me hear it, as if it were the laft Time
tkat ever I jhould hear it : Let thy Oracles make
deeper Impreffions on me than ever ; dajh all thofe
Evafions and Excufies I ufed to alledge, when I
have had no mind to obey thee ; Let the good Mo
tions of thy Spirit prevail: O that there fhould
be fiuch Difficulty in conquering a poor Sinner !
O tkat God fhould be forced to carej's me to my
Happinefs 1 O tkat Heaven ftoould attraB me no
more ! O that God ftoould need to J'end out Mefi
j'engers, to intreat me to come to the Supper of tke
Lamb 1 Lord, take away this Dulnefs, make me
mount up with Wings as Eagles, let me not be able
to go out of thy Prefence, till I have fully and
unfeignedly refolved to give up my felf to thy Ser^
vice. 0 Jefu, tke Ligkt of the World, wko enligkt-
neft every Man that comes into the World, where
thou dwelleft, there Mercy dwells ; 0 dwell in my
Soul, and Mercy and Truth will kij's each other :
Teach me to hate my' j'elf not only for the Hurt I
have done to my j'elf, but for the Injuries and In
dignities I have offered thee ; I was a horrid
Monfter, thou, bv thy Death, made ft me a plea
fant SpeBacle in the Sight of Heaven ; I lay in the
Mire and Pit, thou didft advance me into thy Fa
ther's

CONSIDERATION. 437
ther's Bofiom ; I lay trembling under the Jaws of
the helliftj Dragon, thou gaveft me a Place in the
Heart of God; I was unworthy of thy gracious
AfipeB, and thou haft made me capable ofi being
embraced by the great and terrible God; I lay
in a Dungeon, thou didfi promote me to a Throne;
thou hafi done that for me, which I durft not have
hoped or wijhed for : It had been enough to have
delivered me from Hell, but that would not con
tent thee, except I were raified above the Heavens,
and above .Angels too : It had been Favour e-
nough, when my Condition was fio dej'perate, if
thou hadft purchafed for me a SuJ'penfion, or For
bearance of thy Father's Anger, but thou didfi go
further, and didfi purchaj'e me a Pardon too ; and
not fatisfied with that, thou didfi incline thy Fa
ther's Love to me ; and as if that had not been e-
nough, thou didfi procure me Gifts, and Bleffings
too, and not only Blefijings in general, but the
greatefi Bleffings imaginable, even thine own
Kingdom, and thine own Heritage. How un
worthy have I lived ofi this incomprehenfible Love ?
0 that I might not be able to refieB upon my Life
without Indignation ! Thou art the Way, the
Truth, and the Life ; direB me, and I'll ftrive
to enter in at the fir ait Gate, purifie my Spirit,
wajh my Soul with thy Blood, that's the Eye-Jalve
which will make me J'ee, that's the Medicine
which will cure my BlindneJ's : O cleanfe me, and
I Jhall be whiter than Jhow ; 0 thou inexhaufied
Fountain of Goodnefs, let me not go away dry
from thee, let the Light of thy Countenance always
firine about me, and by that Light let me difcover
not only my groffer jins, but my more J'ecret Cor-
rup-

438 The Great Law of
ruptions. Draw me after thee, and I Jhall run,
hide me in thy Wounds, be my Advocate, and
plead my Caufe ; thou fpreadefi open thy Arms to
all that defire Refi, behold I come, receive me
Gracioufiy, love me Freely, teach me to rely on
thee, my Joy, my Treafiure, my Sovereign Com
fort; caufe all the Fruits of thy Spirit to grow in
my Soul; O help me, or elfe I perijh ; O afiifi
me, or elfe I faint ; my Confcience terrifies me, O
do thou fpeak Peace unto it ; the roaring Lion
threatens to devour me, O jhew thy glittering
Sword, and drive him away. God's Anger burns
againft me, O throw fome Drops of thy Blood into
that Fire, and it will go out. Let me be content to
fell all for theejet me not fcruple to part even with
the beft Things I. have for thy Service ; fet me as
a Seal upon thy Heart, fir earn down tke Waters ofi
Life upon me ; I'll open my Mouth wide, O do thou
fill it : I will live to my J'elf no more, poffefs
all my Faculties, and unite them to thee; Make
me truly acquainted with my felf, let thofe Joys
thou hafi promified to thy Saints, fupport me in
all my Tribulations. Come, Lord Jefius, come
'quickly.

0

CONSIDERATION. 439
/^ Thou Bleffed and Eternal Spirit, vouchfafe to
breathe upon me ; blow upon my Garden, that
the Spices may fiow ; move powerfully upon my
Soul, that it may bring forth Fruits meet for Re
pentance. Let me be truly afraid -to refift thy Sag-,
geftions. SanBifte and give fuccefs to all my At
tempts to make my Calling and EleBion fiure;
when my fiubborn Heart would baffle thy Defigns
to fiave me, let thy Grace overcome and conquer
me ; reprefent the Love of God to me in that Glo
ry, th.at I may infiantly throw down all I have at
the Feet of Chrifi : O let my Soul be Jo dazled with
its Beams, that I may defire and breathe after no
thing J'o much, as after a glorious Enjoyment of
God. ' Break the Chains of my Sins, command the
Fetters I have been bound in tofiy afiunder ; what
ever good Thoughts I have of God, increafe them ;
inlarge my Soul, that I may truly delight of think
ing of thee; let me feel the fweetnefs of Holinefs,
let me tafie thofe Joys which thou dofi vouchfafe
to thofe that improve thy Motions ; tempt me by a
' fore tafie ofi Heaven's Glory, to lay force upon it.
Give me a glimpfe of yonder ParadiJ'e, that I
may not faint in my Journey; give me Arguments
againjl my j'elf, that I may be deliver'd from my
j'elf Fill all the Channels of my Soul with
thy Gifts, while I Jbjourn here on Earth, let
my Heart be in Heaven : Let ?iot felf -love in rae
hinder me firom loving thee. Take my Heart a-
way, and give me thy J'elf; be thou my Heart, and
all my Delight -, wherever I am, be thou my Dire
ctor, let thy Word be my R.tie, and enable me
to live according to that Rule, . O Holy., Bleffed,

am

4

4 5 o The Great Law of
and Glorious Trinity, one God, thou immenfie Sea
ofi Happinefs, make me to know what it is to be one
with thee. 0 thou everlafting Goodnefs, 0 thou e-
verlafihig Wifidom, O thou everlafiing Sweetnefs,
Grant \ I may J'ee thee ; Jeeing, may Love thee ;
Loving, may admire thee ; admiring, may imitate
thee ; and imitating thee, may enjoy thee ; enjoy
ing thee, may never be Jeparated from thee, but
live in thy Light i and Love, and Glory, to all E->
ternity.

FINIS.

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

3 9002 08561 4486