sequence, that many go thither; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth thereto;

Secondly; that it is a hard and difficult thing to get to heaven, that place of joys we before spake of, and, by consequence, that but few get thither; for strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to it;

Lastly; howsoever difficult it is, our Saviour would have us strive to get to heaven, so as to press through that strait gate and walk in that narrow way that leadeth into life.

As for the first, that the gate is wide and the way broad that leads to hell, or that it is an easy matter to go thither, I need not use many words to prove it; for though there be but few that mind it, I dare say there is scarce any one but believes it, yea, and hath oftentimes found it to be true by experience, even that it is an easy matter to sin, and that, we know, is the broad way that leads to hell, so broad, that they that walk in it can find no bounds or limits in it, wherewithin to contain themselves; neither are they ever out of their way, but go which way they will, they are still in the ready way to ruin and destruction. And usually it is as plain as broad, so that men rarely meet with any roughness or trouble in it, but rather with all the pleasures and delights which they desire, who look no higher than to please the flesh; yea, whatsoever it is that they naturally desire, they still meet with it in the road to hell, and whatsoever is ungrateful and irksome to them, they are never troubled with it in the ways of sin. There are no crosses to be taken up, no self to be denied, but rather indulged and gratified; there are no such tedious and troublesome things as examining our hearts, and mortifying our lusts, as praying or hearing, as fasting or watching: these are only to be found in the narrow. path that leads to heaven; the broad way to hell is altogether unacquainted with them, being strewed all along with carnal pleasures and sensual delights, with popular applause, and earthly riches, and such fine things as silly mortals use to be taken with.

And hence it is, that, as our Saviour tells us, many there be which find this way, and go in at this wide

gate that leads to ruin, because they see not whither it leads, but they see the baits and allurements which are in it, which they cannot but crowd about as fishes about a hook, or as flies about a candle, till they be de stroyed. Yea, this way to destruction is so broad, that almost all the world is continually walking in it; the gate so wide, that thousands at a time pass through it. And therefore we may well conclude, it is an easy thing to go to that place of torments which even now we spake of, or rather that it is a hard, a difficult matter to keep out of it; the way being so narrow that carries from it, that it is a difficult thing to find it, and the way so broad that leads unto it, that none can miss of it that hath but a mind to walk in it.

But I hope none of my readers have, God forbid they should have, a mind to get to hell! Their taking religious books into their hands is rather an argument that they have a mind to go to heaven, and read on purpose to learn the way thither. And we do well to take all opportunities of finding out the way to bliss, for we may assure ourselves it is a very narrow one. It is hard to find it out, but much more hard to walk in it; for it is a way very rarely trodden, so that there is scarce any path to be seen, most people going either on one side or else on the other side of it; some running into the byepaths of error, heresy, or schism, others into the broad way of profaneness or security; insomuch that there are but very few that hit upon the right path that leads directly to the New Jerusalem, the place of rest. I speak not this of myself; no, Christ himself, that came from heaven to earth on purpose to shew us the way from earth to heaven, saith, that strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

And let not any think that Christ spake these words in vain, or that it is no great matter whether we believe what he said or no; for questionless one great reason why so few ever come to heaven is, because most think it so easy to get thither that they need not take any care or pains about it; for even amongst ourselves, to whom the gospel is so clearly revealed, men generally think

if they do but read the scriptures, and hear sermons, and live honestly with their neighbours, so as to harm nobody but pay every one their own, then they shall as surely come to heaven, as if they were there already; nay, many are so simple as to think that their separation from the church militant on earth is the way to bring them to the church triumphant in heaven; and others so ridiculous as to believe that a death-bed repentance is sufficient to entitle them to eternal life. But stay a while. It is not so easy a matter to get to heaven. Indeed to me it seems one of the greatest mysteries in the world, that ever any man or woman should come thither; that such sinful worms as we are, who are born in sin and live so long in sin and rebellion against the great Creator of the world, should ever be received so far into his grace and favor, as to enjoy life and eternal happiness in him. And did we look no farther than ourselves, we might justly despair of ever obtaining so transcendant glory, which we are so altogether unworthy of. But the goodness of God both is and hath been so great to mankind, that there is none of us but, in and through the merits of Christ Jesus, is in à capacity of it. But we must not think that it is so easy a thing to come to heaven, as the devil, the world, and our own base hearts, would persuade us it is: if we do, we are never likely to come thither. No; we may assure ourselves, as heaven is the greatest good that we can attain, so doth it require our greatest care and study imaginable to attain it.

This therefore is that which I shall endeavour to convince men of, and account myself happy if I can do it; for I dare say, there is none of us but desire to see Christ in glory, and to be happy with him and in him for ever; but that we can never be, unless we do whatsoever is required of us in order to it; and if we think it is so easy a matter to do whatsoever is required of us, I have just cause to suspect that we never yet made trial of it, nor set ourselves seriously upon the performance of those duties which are enjoined us here in reference to our being happy for ever; for if we have set upon it in good earnest, we cannot but have found it very hard

and difficult, by reason of our natural averseness from what is good, and inclinations unto evil. For we all know, that without holiness no man shall see the Lord; so that holiness is the way, the direct and only way, that leads to heaven; neither is there any way imaginable of being happy hereafter but by being holy here. And though it be an easy thing to profess holiness and to perform some external acts of it, yet to be truly pious and holy indeed, so as we must be if ever we would go to heaven, this is every whit as difficult as the other is easy.

For first, I suppose, all will grant that he is not truly holy that lives in any known sin, as the apostle also intimates, saying, He that is born of God doth not commit sin. And therefore he that still indulgeth himself in the commission of any known sin, he is not yet regenerate or born of God; he is not truly holy. So that to our being so holy here, as that we may be happy hereafter, it is absolutely and indispensably necessary that we forsake and avoid to the utmost of our power whatsoever is offensive unto God and contrary to his laws. But it is as difficult, as it is necessary, to forsake sin as we ought to do. It is an easy matter, I confess, to rail at sin, to back bite others, or blame ourselves for it; but that is not the business. But to loath our sins as much as ever we loved them, to abhor as much as ever we desired them, and to be as much averse from them as ever we were inclined to them; to forsake sin as sin, and by consequence all sin whatsoever, one as well as another, so as to deny ourselves all that pleasure we were wont to take in any sin, and all that seeming profit which we used to receive by it, and that too out of love to God and fear of his displeasure—this is to forsake sin indeed, but it is sooner spoken of than done, and it requires a great deal of time, and skill, and pains to get so great a conquest over ourselves as this is, to cut off our right hand, pluck out our right eye, and cast it from us; even to renounce and forsake those very beloved and darling sins, which the temper and constitution of our bodies, the corruption of our hearts, and constant custom and practice have made in a manner natural to us; so that

our very natures must be changed, before we can ever leave them. And therefore it must needs be a matter of as great difficulty, as it is of moment, to master and subdue those sins and lusts that have been long predominant in us, which I dare say many of us have found by their own sad and woeful experience, having struggled perhaps many years against some corruption, and yet to this day have not got it under, nor totally subdued it. And it is such, and such alone, who are competent judges in this case; for they that never strove against their sins, cannot know how strong they are, nor how hard it is to conquer them. And therefore it is to those who have made it their business to destroy and mortify their lusts that I appeal, whether it be not hard to do it. I am confident they cannot but have found it, and therefore must needs acknowledge it to be so; and, by consequence, that it is no easy matter to get to heaven, seeing it is so hard to keep out of hell, and to avoid those sins which otherwise will certainly bring us thither; every sin unrepented of having eternal punishment entailed upon it.

And if it be so hard to forsake sin, how difficult must it needs be to perform all those duties, and to exert all those graces, which are necessarily required in order to our attaining everlasting happiness! It is true, praying and hearing, which are the ordinary means for the obtaining true grace and holiness, are duties very common and customary amongst us, but they are never the easier because they are common, but rather far more difficult; for we, being accustomed to a careless and perfunctory performing of these duties, cannot but find it a hard and difficult matter to keep our hearts so close unto them, as to perform them as we ought to do, and so as that we may be really said to do them. For we must not think that sitting at church while the word of God is preached, is hearing the word of God, or that being present there whilst prayers are read, is real praying. No, no; there is a great deal more required than this to our praying to the great God aright; insomuch that for mine own part, I really think that prayer, as it is the highest, so is it the hardest duty that we can