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tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of heaO when did idle drones bring any great and worthy things to pafs? and if riches and honours upon earth, much more the fulness and glories of heaven, will not be attained, but by the induftrious and diligent. There must be climbing up God's holy hill, before we can reach to the eafe, and pleafure, and fecurity, and glory at the top. It is the moft easy, to do wickedly: it is but to fwim with the ftream of flesh and blood; to follow the fwing of corrupt nature, and do just as we are tempted and pushed on by the impetus of our own vicious inclinations. It is a way that has latitude and elbow-room enough, for whole armies even of the worft of God's enemies to expatiate in; and wide enough, for all the fcum of a country to run down, They that are good for nothing elfe, yet can roll and tumble here. Any fool or fot, or the most infamous creature, can fwill and fwear, and talk filthi ly, and fcoff at piety, and act diforderly, and ungodly! it cofts a man nothing, to go that way, but juft to follow the dictates of his own beaftly or devilifh humour. Therefore is it a way, fo mightily thronged, by all that love their eafe, more than their fouls; and are more for pleafing themselves, than to please the Lord. 'Tis a way that takes with all the voluptuous and lafcivious, the revengeful and malicious, the fecure and lazy, that would be at no pains to feek after God, but count themfelves happy folks to shake off the fetters of religion, to break the Lord's bands asunder, and caft away all his cords from them. It is according to the wishes of their hearts, to run on fmooth, without any manner of interruption, after the bent of their lufts. They would have all, and do nothing. Would heaven but drop into their laps at laft, fa they might receive it; but they are not for putting forth themselves, by violence to take it. No, they would

would not be at any manner of trouble, not fo much as of their prayers, to afk God's pardon and bleffing, his grace and help. But will this ever do, to bring them to the bleffed end? O how idle to imagine any fuch thing, my foul? when not a great deal more than fo, not knowing, or wifhing and woulding; no, nor doing of many things, will effect fuch a mighty purpose: not fome flight touches of forrow, or fome faint purposes of amendment, or a few formal prayers, or fome niggardly, grumbling alms; or hearing now and then a fermon; (more for cuftom and wantonnefs, than for any devotion or edification.) The crown of glory is not to be won, without more difficulty. There must be refifting of the devil, and ourselves too; ftriving against the ftream of this world, and of our own flesh and blood: fuch care and contrivance, endeavour and application, brokenness of heart, humiliation, mortification, converfion, as not one in a great many, can ever find in his heart to go through. To go by the rules of God's Holy Word, and tread exact in virtue's line, which lies between two broad and dangerous extremes on both fides; like the fharp ridge of a long high hill, on the top of which it is hard to keep, and whence it is so easy to decline, and run down, to one fide or the other! O how few will fo narrowly look to their steps, and fo circumfpectly watch over their ways! it is rallied at, as pedantry; and cried out of, as impoftible. But, my foul, it may be done, by the help of God's grace, in a manner acceptable in his fight; yea it must be done; and along the holy path thou must pass, or be eternally loft. If thou think of a thoufand ways befide, never a one of them will carry thee fafe to the heavenly kingdom. How then can I count it an eafy matter, to fecure the everlafting falvation of my foul? when my Lord has fignified the difficulty, and bid me work out

my

my falvation with fear and trembling: fhall I take his Word, or hearken to a filly finner, who devises new terms of his own head; crying, This is enough, and that will do the bufinefs; and making even as nothing, of the weightieft work in the world? after all the confidence, O how much fufpicion still do these fhort cuts, and thefe eafy ways carry, to be none of the right? for what is foft and delicate, and alluring to my carnal nature, I have the greatest cause to be afraid of. And no trouble will I stick at to escape everlasting misery? nor complain of any difficulty, that will bring me fafe to the heavenly glory: if I may but be one of the happy few, that enter the gate, fo hard to find; and hold on in the way, fo hard to follow: till they are past all the danger, and come to rejoice for

ever.

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LESSED GOD! thou knoweft, how far fhort I come of deferving but the lowest room in "thy kingdom, even after 1 have done my best. "And yet, thou commandeft me to ftrive for it, "that there I may enter. And O what fhould I "think much to do, or to endure, for fuch a glo"rious prize; which will infinitely recompenfe for "all the trouble, that ever I can be at, in the fer"vice of my God; and will leave me no room to "complain, whatever it cofts me to work out my “falvation. O give me, Lord, the zeal and for

titude, to grapple with all difficulties, and to fur"mount all dangers, in my way to that bleffed "end. And help me fo to run, that I may obtain: "and fo to wrestle, and war, and conquer; that "after the brunt and fpurt is over, I may find reft "and eafe and tranfport, and triumph for evermore. Amen."

MEDITATION L.

Of the feasiblenefs and eafinefs of Christianity.

MY

Y Soul, when thou heareft of the yoke and burden of Chrift, yet be not startled, nor run away affrighted, as if there were no enduring of either. For though 'tis true, he did not come to turn us loose, to live as we lift; but has his laws for us, and commands to lay upon us: yet, O how great is the bleffing and comfort, to have a place under him; and to be entertained among his retinue, and employed about his bufinefs, who is a Lord that delights in his fervants welfare; and his very precepts carry part of their reward in hand, as well as the affurance of eternal glory to come? fo far is his holy religion from being auftere and grievous, that when I do but faithfully apply myfelf, to live after its rules, I find it full fraught with the sweetest content and delight. And therefore is it easy, because con-natural: for there's nothing fo fuited to my rational nature; and no inclination does it crofs in me, but only thofe base vicious ones, that fo abufe, and even brutify me. The more ftill I act as a man, the better ftill does it like me; and no peace or joy in the world, comparable to that which is found in the way of my duty. The very burden, indeed, is but like the ballaft of a ship; that helps it to cut the waves more fure and fteady; and keeps it ftill in the greater fafety. So does this yoke, inftead of galling, but make me regular; and by preventing my extravagance,

extravagance, faves me from the worst of all griev ance. It rids me of the tumults of luft, and the jarrings of paffion; to make all quiet within doors: and alfo brings me under thofe laws of love, which make me all for doing good; and by that means, invites every one's kindness to me. Though many things my Lord does require of me; yet, O how many helps, to perform his pleasure, does he give me? by his Word and ordinances of worship; by the converfation and example of his fervants; by the fears of hell, and the hopes of heaven; by the principles of love, and the guardianship of angels; by the fweet incidents of kind providences; and above all, the aids of his Spirit of grace, to quicken my endeavours, and to proportion my abilities to his demands. O how much eafier is the yoke of Chrift, than the rituality of Mofes, the tyranny of antichrift, and the flavery of hell's cruel tafkmafter; who makes even the broad way more troublesome to loofe finners, than the narrow is to our Lord's ferious followers; yea, makes them take more pains to damn themfelves, than might have ferved the turn, to fave their fouls! and where they feek nothing but ease and rest; alas, what do they find, but smart, and ftill fear of worfe? when as the gracious God, by the reftraints of his laws, and the checks of confcience, and the fenfe of honour, and the dread of ruin, does hedge up the ways of fin; to fill them with briers and thorns, and uneafinefs: and wicked men themfelves are often the maddeft upon thofe finful things, that are hardeft to be compaffed: and fo does the devil blind his vaffals, as to make them grind in his mill, and love fo to have it; taking it ill at any, that fhall offer to rescue them out of his clutches. all this while, the works of our Lord's religion are labours of love, and matters of heavenly delight: and the Christian has nothing to do, but what he

But

may

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