may find a noble pleasure and fatisfaction in the doing. Though ftrait is the gate, and hard getting to heaven; because the incumbrance of natural corruption, and that croffness to the holy work, which is our guilt, often makes the thing feem tedious to us, which is joyful in itself: and ill men find much ado, and a heavy work to alter vicious courses, and eradicate ungodly habits, and overcome their strong inclinations to things forbidden: and O how feldom do they prevail with themselves, but to make the experiment, what a thing the yoke of Chrift is! nay, even the good man, when he has done his very best, cannot so keep all the commands of God, but that he will ftill be wanting in many particulars; yet, O how happy is the recruit (which the gofpel thews us) made by our faith, that unites us to the Lord our ftrength and our Redeemer; and cafts our burden upon him, who has fulfilled all righteoufnefs for us; and alfo brings us to delight in that law of God, which before we abhorred! now all things are poffible to him that believes; that is, poffible fo to do, as God in Chrift, will graciously accept. And then how are we hearted on, to do as well as we can: when this favour our bleffed Saviour has procured for us, that all fhall be well taken from us, which proceeds from faith in him, and a defire to please our God; who makes a merciful allowance for our frailties, and promifes to accept us in the Beloved, according to what we have, though we cannot attain to fatisfy the law of works? and, O how fweet is the encouragement and comfort here, to wait upon fo indulgent a Father; that will fo compaffionate our failings; and fpare us even as a man fpares his own fon that ferves him! yea, what are all thofe injunctions, that found moft fevere and terrible in our ears, to repent, and watch, and faft, and deny ourselves, and pluck out eyes, and cut off hands, and mortify our

members

members on earth; what, but the means to retrench our troublesome exorbitances; and to pare away fuch ugly painful excrefcences, that are grown even all of a piece with us? fo to reduce us to our true felves, and to the only happiness for us, which is to be found in our God.

Now here, my foul, be wife for thyfelf; and never hearken to incompetent judges, that cry out, what a wearinefs is in all the ways of holiness! for as long as they dote upon the world, and are bewitched with the love of their fins, and ravening after the meat for their lufts? alas, they are too full of somewhat else, to receive any better things, or to taste the hidden manna. But my Lord is pleased to fhew me his fervice in another afpect; as the moft excellent way in the world. And, O how infinitely does he outbid all that ever Satan, Mammon, or luft, can offer thee, my foul! fo that if thou confult but even thy own eafe; here wilt thou fix, and look no further; but go cheerfully away with what he lays upon thee; and let the world fee, that I do not count myfelf uneafy in his fervice: and that I am not, as a flave, forced to it; but do make it my choice, to engage in it, even for the love of it; and am never better pleased, than when fo concerned. Be there fome prefent trouble of godlinefs; yet how quickly will that be over? yea, with what heavenly hopes and comforts is it mingled even in the mean time! and O how much is this to be preferred, before all the pleasures of fin; that have many imbittering ingredients now, confufion of face, oppreffion of guilt, ftings of conscience here; and do lead down to everlasting forrows hereafter? O never let me then trudge to hell, through the most filthy odious ways; when the ways which my Lord calls me to take, are fo full of peace, and honour, and hope, and joy; and VOL. I. Hh

will

will give me heart's-eafe, even while I am upón them; and the moft glorious falvation, when I reach to the end of them.

66

THE PRAYER.

LORD! thou haft pleasure in the profperity of thy fervants; and thou doft "not fet us on work to make us uneafy; but to "do us the greatest kindness. Though thy fervice "is irkfome and repugnant to the carnal nature, "and the mind diftempered; yet nothing more

agreeable and grateful to reafon, and the foul "that is brought into any good frame. And "though without thee I can do nothing, yet through Chrift ftrengthening me, I can do all, "and find a heavenly delight in the doing: for, in "the course of my duty, I have not only the most "glorious eternal rewards before me, but a fweet "fatisfaction, and ftrong confolation, at prefent "within me. And never am I better pleafed with "myself, than when moft pleafing to my God. O "thou great Phyfician of fouls, heal the diseases yet hanging upon my foul; which make me, at any time, fick of thy fervice, and to difrelish the "beft of entertainments. Yea, give me fuch power "from on high, to enable me for the bufinefs to "which thou calleft me, that I may rejoice in it as "a ftrong man to run a race; and count it all my "life and my joy, to be taken up in the work, "acceptable to my God; through Jefus Chrift. "Amen."

66

„ME DI

PL

MEDITATION LI.

Of carnal pleafure.

LEASURE is every one's darling; and who is not fond of it? who is not defirous to be pleafed? God, that made us to be happy, has planted in our nature, an earneft inclination after the happiness, whereof he has given us a capacity. So that we cannot chufe but be pleased with it, and take fatisfaction in it. Yea, it is the pleasure of it, that invites us on, to feek after it. And he that has created fo many pleasurable things for us, does not envy our pleasure in them; but allows us to ufe them and knows, that we cannot but find pleasure in the ufe. Yet there is, my foul, a wicked feeking and loving of pleasure: when it is fuch flefhly pleasure, taken in the creatures, to affect the bodily fenfe, and gratify the carnal mind, as is either vicious in itself, or fuch as becomes criminal by the excess and abufe. When men are all upon it, to please their throats, and bellies, and fancies; and make it the main design of their life, to honour the fiefhly part, and indulge to the fenfual appetite. When this pleasure is fo made their end: that their hearts and fouls are in it. And the ultimate scope, which they propose to themselves, is to enjoy fuch a pleasant time upon earth, and all their good things now in hand. Nor do they use the pleasures, to encourage themfelves in the chearful fervice of God: but rather to flush themselves into wantonpefs and rebellion against him and for the fake of

very

hima

彪

him, despise them; fetting them, not only in competition with him, but above him; as if there were nothing in him, worthy to be admired and loved, comparable to what they find among his creatures to be enjoyed. This is the way of unregenerate, graceless finners; who rife no higher, than to lick the duft; and pick up fuch a happiness, as they can find in the world out of God. But this their way, O how apparently is it their folly? for while they are so keen and eager in the queft of finful pleasure; little do they find but difappointment and vexation; and a great deal more to burden their minds, and fadden their lives; than if they had never made the wild adventures of fuch, as are counted the mafters of pleafure. And O how degrading is this pleasure (fo pursued) to the heavenly foul of inan! how much beneath the dignity of our nature! and how much more below the gravity of our holy calling! to make us, not only like, but inferior, to the beafts that perish; a difgrace to our kind: and a reproach to that bleffed image of God, after which we were made. And when men will fo flight their God, and their fouls; for their bellies and their bodies: what wickedness then are they not ready for; to compafs the fweet baits, for which they are fo fet upon? and yet after those baits are fwallowed; what fhall they find, but the hooks of guilt fticking behind? when this taking up with the creatures, leaves them fhort of heaven and the ftolen pleasures of a carnal life, will draw on the bitter pains of eternal death.

O then, my foul, how fhy and cautious fhould I be, of turning myfelf loofe to fuch pleasures, as irritate the lufts of the flesh, and damp me to the love of God? inftead of fervency in the chafe, and tranfport in the fruition of them; how indifferent fhould I be to them; and fet myfelf to live above them? left when cafe and pleature, is all my aim

and