V. Live in the belief and hopes of heaven, and seek it as your part and end; and daily delight your souls in the forethoughts of the endless sight and love of God. As God is seen on earth but as in a glass, so he is proportionably enjoyed. But when mourning, seeking love hath done, and sin and enemies are overcome, and we behold the glory of God in heaven, the delights of love will then be perfect. You may desire more on earth than you may hope for. Look not for a kingdom of this world, nor for Mount Zion in the wilderness. Christ reigneth on earth, as Moses in the camp, to guide us to the land of promise: our perfect blessedness will be, where the kingdom is delivered up to the Father, and God is all in all. A doubt, or a strange heartless thought of heaven, is water cast on the sacred fire, to quench your holiness and your joy. Can you travel one whole day to such an end, and never think of the place that you are going to? Which must be intended in every righteous act, either notedly, or by the ready, unobserved act of a potent habit. When earth is at the best, it will not be heaven. You live no further by faith like Christians, than you either live for heaven in seeking it, or else upon heaven, in hope and joy.

VI. Labour to make religion your pleasure and¶ delight. Look often to God, to heaven, to Christ, to the Spirit, to the promises, to all your mercies. Call over your experiences, and think what matter of high delight is still before you, and how unseemly it is, and how injurious to your profession, for one, that saith he hopes for heaven, to live as sadly as those that have no higher hopes than earth. How should that man be filled with joy, who must live in the joys of heaven for ever? Especially rejoice when the messengers of death do tell you that your endless joy is near. If God and heaven, with all our mercies in the way, be not reason enough for a joyful life, there can be none at all. Abhor all suggestions which would make religion seem a tedious, irksome life. And take heed that you represent it not so to others: for you will never make them in love with that which you make them not perceive to be delectable and lovely. Not as the hypocrite, by forcing and framing his reli

P Col. iii. 1, 2, 4; Matt. vi. 19-21, 33; xii. 20; Heb. vi. 20; 1 Cor. xv. 28; Eph. Psalm 1xxiii. 25, 26; John xviii. 36.

Cor. iv. 17, 18, and v. 7; Luke iv. 6, and i. 23; Phil. iii. 18, 20;

Psalm i. 2, 3; lxxxiv. 2, 10; lxiii. 3, 5; xxxvii. 4; ix. 19; cxix. 48, 70, exii. 1, and xxxii. 11; Isa. lviii. 14; Rom. xiv. 17, and v. 1, 3, 5; 1 Pet. i. 8; Matt. v. 11, 12.

gion to his carnal mind and pleasure; but bringing up the heart to a holy suitableness, to the pleasure of religion.

VII. Watch, as for your souls, against this flattering, tempting world; especially when it is represented as more sweet and delectable than God, and holiness, and heaven. This world, with its pleasure, wealth, and honours, is it that is put in the balance by Satan, against God, and holiness, and heaven; and no man shall have better than he chooseth and preferreth. The bait taketh advantage of the brutish part, when reason is asleep; and if, by the help of sense it get the throne, the beast will ride and rule the man, and reason become a slave to sensuality. When you hear the serpent, see his sting, and see death attending the forbidden fruit. When you are rising, look down and see how far you have to fall. His reason, as well as faith, is weak, who for such fool gauds as the pomp and vanities of this world, can forget God, and his soul, and death, and judgment, heaven and hell, yea, and deliberately command them to stand by. What knowledge or experience can do good on that man who will venture so much for such a world, which all that have tried it call vanity at the last? How deplorable, then, is a worldling's case! O fear the world, when it smileth, or seems sweet and amiable. Love it not, if you love your God, and your salvation.

VIII. Fly from temptations, and crucify the flesh, and keep a constant government over your appetite and senses. Many who had no designed stated vice, or worldly interest, have shamefully fallen by the sudden surprise of appetite or lust. When custom hath taught these to be greedy, and violent, like a hungry dog, or a lusting boar, it is not a sluggish wish or purpose that will mortify or rule them. How dangerous a case is that man in, who hath so greedy a beast continually to restrain, that if he do but neglect his watch one hour, is ready to run him headlong into hell! Who can be safe, that standeth long on so terrible a precipice? The tears and sorrows of many years may, perhaps, not repair the loss which one hour or act may bring. The case of David, and many another, are dreadful warnings. Know what it is that you are most in danger of; whether lust and idleness, or excess in meat, or drink, or play; and there set the strongest watch for your preservation. Make

* Gal. vi. 14, and i. 4; 1 John ii. 15, 16, and v. 4, 5; Jam. i. 27; iv. 4, 5; i. 11, and v. 1, 2, 4; Rom. xii. 2; Tit. ii. 12; Matt. xix. 24; Luke xii. 16, xvi. 25, and viii. 14; Heb. xi. 26.

21;

Rom. viii. 1, 13, and xiii. 14; Gal. v. 17, 24; Jude viii. 23; 2 Pet. ii. 10; Eph. ii. 3; 1 Pet. ii. 11; Matt. vi. 13, and xxvi. 41; Luke viii. 13.

it your daily business to mortify that lust; and scorn that your brutish sense or appetite should conquer reason. Yet trust not purposes alone, but away from the temptation; touch not, yea look not on, the tempting bait; keep far enough off, if you desire to be safe. What miseries come from small beginnings : temptation leads to sin, and small sins to greater, and those to hell. And sin and hell are not to be played with. Open your sin or temptation to some friend, that shame may save you from danger.

u

IX. Keep up a constant, skilful government over your1 passions and your tongues. To this end, keep a tender conscience, which will smart when in any of these you sin; let holy passions be well ordered, and selfish, carnal passions be restrained; let your tongues know their duties to God and man, and labour to be skilful and resolute in performing them; know all the sins of the tongue, that you may avoid them, for your innocency and peace do much depend on the prudent government of your tongues.

X

X. Govern your thoughts with constant, skilful diligence. In this, right habits and affections will do most by inclining them unto good; it is easy to think on that which we love. Be not unfurnished of matter for your thoughts to work upon; and often retire yourselves for serious meditation. Be not so solitary and deep in musings as to overstretch your thoughts, and confound your minds, or take you off from necessary converse with others; but be sure that you be considerate, and dwell much at home, and converse most with your consciences and your God, with whom you have the greatest business. Leave not your thoughts unemployed or ungoverned; scatter them not abroad upon impertinent vanities: O that you knew what daily business you have for them. Most men are wicked, deceived, and undone, because they are inconsiderate, and dare not, or will not, retiredly and soberly use their reason; or use it but as a slave in chains, in the service of their passion, lust, and interests. He was never wise, or good, or happy, who was not soberly and impartially considerate. How to be good, to do good, and finally enjoy good, must be the sum of all your thoughts. Keep them first holy, then charitable, clean, and chaste; and quickly check them when they look towards sin.

* Jam. i. 19, and iii. 13, 17; 1 Pet. iii. 4; Matt. v. 5; Eph. iv. 2, 3; Col. iii.12. " Jam. i. 26, and iii. 5, 6; Psalm xxxiv. 13; Prov. xviii. 21.

* Deut. xv. 9, and xxxii. 29; 2 Cor. x. 5; Gen. vi. 5; Psalm x. 4; xciv. 19, and cxix. 59, 113; Prov. xii. 5, and xv. 26, xxx, 32; Jer. iv. 14.

XI. Let time be exceeding precious in your eyes, and carefully and diligently redeem it. What haste doth it make, and how quickly will it be gone; and then how highly will it be valued, when a minute of it can never be recalled! O what important business have we for every moment of our time, if we should live a thousand years! Take not that man to be well in his wits, or to know his God, his end, his work, or his danger, who hath time to spare. Redeem it, not only from needless sports, and plays, and idleness, and curiosity, and compliment, and excess of sleep, and chat, and worldliness, but also from the entanglement of lesser good, which would hinder you from greater. Spend time as men that are ready to pass into another world, where every minute must be accounted for; and it must go with us for ever as we lived here. Let not health deceive you into the expectation of living long, and so into a senseless negligence; see your glass running, and keep a reckoning of the expense of time; and spend it just as you would review it when it is gone.

XII. Let the love of all, in their several capacities, become, as it were, your very nature, and doing them all the good you can be very much of the business of your lives. God must be loved in all his creatures: his natural image on all men, and his spiritual image on his saints. Our neighbour must be loved as our natural selves; that is, our natural neighbour as our natural self, with a love of benevolence; and our spiritual neighbour as our spiritual self, with a love of complacence. In opposition to complacence, we may hate our sinful neighbour as we must ourselves; (much more ;) but, in opposition to benevolence, we must neither hate ourselves, our neighbour, or our enemy. O that men knew how much of Christianity doth consist in love and doing good! With what eyes do they read the Gospel, who see not this in every page. Abhor all that selfishness, pride, and passion, which are the enemies of love; and those opinions, and factions, and censurings, and backbitings, which would destroy it. Take him that speaketh evil of another to you, without a just cause or call, to be Satan's messenger, entreating you to hate your brother, or to abate your love; for to persuade you

Eph. v. 16; John xiv. 1, 2, and ix. 4; Acts xvii. 21; 1 Cor. vii. 29; 2 Cor. vi. 2; Luke xix. 42, 44; Psalm xxxix. 4; Matt. xxv. 10, 12.

2 1 Tim. i. 5, 6; Matt. xix. 19, and v. 44, 45; Rom. xiii. 10, and xv. 1,3; 1 John i. 16; Eph. iv 2, 15, 16; Col. ii. 2, and i. 4; 1 Tim. 6, 11; Jam. iii. 17, and iv. 11; Phil. ii. 1, 2, and ii. 20, 21; 1 Thess. iv. 9; John xiii. 35; 1 Cor. xiii.; Gal. vi. 10; Tit. ii. 14.

that a man is bad, is directly to persuade you so far to hate him. Not that the good and bad must be confounded; but love will call none bad without constraining evidence. Rebuke backbiters; hurt no man, and speak evil of no man, unless it be not only just, but necessary to some greater good. Love is lovely; they that love shall be beloved. Hating and hurting makes men hateful. "Love thy neighbour as thyself," and " Do as thou wouldest be done by," are the golden rules of our duty to men, which must be deeply written on your hearts. For want of this, there is nothing so false, so bad, so cruel, which you may not be drawn to think, or say, or do, against your brethren. Selfishness, and want of love, do as naturally tend to ambition and covetousness, and thence to cruelty, against all that stand in the way of their desires, as the nature of a wolf to kill the lambs. All factions, and contentions, and persecutions, in the world, proceed from selfishness, and want of charity. Devouring malice is the devilish nature. Be as zealous in doing good to all as Satan's servants are in hurting: take it as the use of all your talents, and use them as you would hear of it at last. Let it be your business, and not a matter on the by, especially for public good and men's salvation; and what you cannot do yourselves, persuade others to. Give them good books, and draw them to the means which are most like to profit them.

XIII. Understand the right terms of church communion; especially the unity of the universal church, and the universal communion which you must hold with all the parts; and the difference between the church as visible and invisible. For want of these, how woful are our divisions! Read oft 1 Cor. xii., and Eph. iv. 1-17; John xvii. 21-23; Acts iv. 32, and ii. 42; 1 Cor. i. 10, 11, 13, and iii. 3; Rom. xvi. 17; Phil. ii. 1-4; 1 Thess. v. 12, 13, Acts xx. 30; 1 Cor. xi. 19; Tit. iii. 10; Jam. iii.; Col. i. 4; Heb. x. 25; Acts viii. 37, and xii. 13; Study these well.

1 Cor. i. 2, 12, 13 ; iii. 3, 4, and xi. 18, 21. You must have union and communion, in faith and love, with all the Christians in the world; and refuse not local communion when you have a just call, so far as they put you not on sinning. Let your usual meeting be with the purest church, if you lawfully may, and still respect the public good; but sometimes occasionally communicate even with defective, faulty churches, so be it they are true Christians, and put you not on sin; that so you may show that you own them as Christians, though you disown their corruptions. Think not your presence maketh all the faults