adorned the theatre of the world, and history of man kind. Besides all this, it is plain, whatever troubles good men may suffer for the testimony of a good con science, they are but troubles that others suffer ofttimes without that testimony; and therefore these troubles are no just objection against holiness, unless we were certain to be secured from trouble by wickedness; but this is so false, that it is evident God keeps up such order in the world, that men suffer much oftener by sin, than by duty; and, what with the justice of magistrates, the special judgments of Providence, and the native effect of sin; it is certain, that all that some men have ever suffered for righteousness, is incomparably less than what others have suffered for wickedness. It may perhaps be objected, that be sides the case of persecution, even in the ordinary course of things, several duties of a holy life expose men to various injuries and affronts, as meekness, hu mility, forgiveness, and the like. In answer to this, we should reflect, That these duties are misunderstood, if they be imagined to hinder self-defence; when duty is practised, instead of being hinderances, they are helps to it; if sometimes they expose men to injuries, the contrary vices are no security against such injuries; the vain-glorious are oftentimes affronted as well as the humble; and proud oppressors have generally far more enemies than the meek and the just. The like may be said of many other sins and duties, when compared together and nothing is more certain, than, that as there is no pleasure peculiar to sin, so there is no trou. ble peculiar to duty; and that as the pleasures that may be sometimes had in sin, are pleasures which have not a necessary or direct tendency to excite to it, so the troubles that sometimes attend holiness, are troubles which holiness itself has no natural tendency to produce. From all which it appears, that as God is the author of eternal motives against sin, so he is the au thor of no temporal motives to it.

It is still a further confirmation of the doctrine, That God has proposed very rational temporal motives against sin. This will appear by reflecting, that there E

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are even in this life innumerable pleasures peculiar to holiness, and innumerable troubles peculiar to wickedness; both these have been hinted at already but it is proper here to consider them a little further, though it is scarce possible to enumerate and describe.them fully, the subject being in effect inexhaustible; it is sufficient to our purpose, to take a general view of it. The word of God tells us that the ways of wisdom are the ways of pleasantness and peace: That Christ's yoke is easy, and his burthen light: That gladness is sown for the upright in heart: That the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy and peace: That it is the privilege, and should be the practice of believers to rejoice even evermore: That the joy unto which they have access, is a joy unspeakable, and full of glory: That their peace is perfect peace, and a peace that passeth all understanding:" Both the prophets and apostles employ the most beautiful images in nature to paint to us the greatness of these joys; as when they speak of the oil of joy, garments of praise, everlasting joy on their heads; the budding and blossoming of the rose ; the time of the singing of birds; the joy of banquets and marriage-feasts: and they represent the lifeless part of the creation as joining in the triumph of God's people, the mountains and hills breaking forth before them into singing, and all the trees of the fields clapping their hands; besides many other bright images, whose scope is to shew, that a life of faith and holiness is the way to the greatest solid joy here, as well as hereafter.

If many sincere believers do not attain to all these joys, yet that cannot weaken the force of the argument in view; they must impute the imperfections of these joys to the weakness of their faith and love. It is sufficient to our purpose that God proposes such morives to holiness, as should excite men to higher and higher advancements in it. It is certain, all these joys have been attained by some good men, and are offered to all; and even those who never felt any of them, may yet reasonably be persuaded of the reality of them, by considering the nature of faith, and all the

duties of the covenant of grace on the one hand, and the promises of it on the other.

If we consider the nature and design of holiness ; it is not merely a preparation for happiness, but also an ingredient of it. And it is a very just as well as common observation, That grace is glory in the end; it is an imitation of the disposition and employment of these who are already happy, and consequently has the nearest resemblance to their state. Nothing can be more evident in the nature of the thing, than that the true happiness of the soul must increase in proportion to its union to the infinite source of all happiness and joy.

Faith in Christ has for its object the gladest tidings we can conceive, and the greatest gift we can desire. The love of God contemplates infinitely amiable excellency and beauty, and lays hold on all sufficiency. The sincere and gracious love of our neighbour is so delightful a duty, that all the pleasures of society, which even wicked men enjoy, are founded on some resemblances of it. Meekness, humility and disengagement of mind from the world, give such serenity and tranquillity of spirit, as is inestimable. Contemplation is one of the most valuable enjoyments in the world; a great part of holiness consists in the noblest kind of it all we can know, is either something concerning God or his creatures; and surely the noblest view of the latter is in the contemplating of their rela tion to the former; all of them manifest his glory: and therefore if we were accustomed to consider them in that light, whatever way we turned our view, every sensible object might be matter of spiritual joy.To all which we may add, that the well-grounded hope of eternal happiness, if duly improved, is a greater present pleasure than any earthly enjoyment what

soever.

If we consider, on the other hand, the promises of the covenant of grace, it is plain that God promises to his people, not only future happiness, but also present peace, pardon of sin, strength to perform duty, acceptance of it, communion with himself, comfort un

der affliction, returns of prayer; and which compre hends numberless blessings, that he will make all things work together for their good, and let nothing separate them from his love. These are the present encouragements God proposeth to duty; and surely, they are incomparably more important than any other motives which the devil or wicked men can offer against it.

Let us take a short 'view, in the next place, of the present troubles that natively flow from wickedness, many of which are peculiar to it; this will serve to vindicate God's holiness, and to shew his goodness in the frame of our nature in contriving it so, that these things that are contrary to our greatest interest should be at the same time inconsistent with our present ease; which is surely a very rational motive to avoid them: perhaps indeed many of these uneasinesses that attend sin may be the absolutely necessary consequences of it. Thus it is necessary in the nature of the thing, that desires and passions that cannot be fully satisfied, should be exceedingly tormenting; but it is no less certain, that many of the troubles that are inseparable from sin, are not so properly owing to the necessity of the thing, as to a good and wise contrivance for making it more hateful to us.

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The two great sources of our sinful actions, are, unruly desires and bitter passions; and they are the great sources of our troubles as well as our sins. to the former, it was observed already, how they entangle men's mind, almost in a constant train of perplexities and disquiet, painful impatience, superfluous toil, anxiety, loathing, grief and vexation. Bitter and malicious passions are no better, but rather worse; they tend to make us enemies to our fellow-creatures, and make them so to us; and are the greatest enemies of all themselves. When they exert themselves with vigour, they are like furious storms and tempests, filling the soul with disorder and confusion, and mak ing it like troubled waters, when they cannot rest when they cannot be satisfied, they frequently rack and harass men's breasts with pains that cannot be des

cribed, and that sometimes with such violence, as unhinges the frame of their nature, and ruins soul and body at once. When they are gratified, and obtain their end, if it gives any joy, it is but the joy of devils, and such pleasure as is in hell, that is to say, pleasure in the misery of others: Instead of that, oftentimes they have been observed to turn to a thousand melancholy wishes that they had been restrained: sometimes one passionate word or action proves the beginning of a long chain of confusion, strife, contention, and all the other wormwood that embitters human life; which would be vastly more tolerable and pleasant than it is, notwithstanding all its other disas ters, , were it not for those furies in men's own breasts, which not only lead them to misery, but anticipate it,. and torment them before the time.

It would be too long to enumerate even all the remarkable present disadvantages that attend wicked-ness; such as comfortless affliction, and unsatisfying. prosperity, dismal fears of death, and confounding forethoughts of judgment and eternity, (which will be sometimes so importunate as to force their way through all the amusements and diversions that are made use of to keep them out) remorse of conscience, which is a refined sort of pain, when the blood of sprinkling is not applied for curing it. Every vice seems to have some way of punishing itself: Pride makes every af front almost a torment; Envy hinders a man from relishing his own enjoyment till he see his neighbour's. misery Impiety makes those thoughts and discourses of God (which otherwise would be ravishing) to be uneasy and perplexing. While men entertain such plagues in their souls, it is of little importance to their peace and happiness, that all is right without, when all is wrong within: In the midst of magnificent buildings, sumptuous feasts, gay clothing, and all the other fantastie pageantry he can desire, the slave of sin is still but a painted sepulchre, outwardly bright and beautiful, inwardly full of filth and rottenness. From all which it is evident, that God is so far from being the author even of any temporal motives to sin, that