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naturally. procure. Great peace have they (fays David) that love thy law, and nothing shall offend them. The work of righteousness, fays the prophet, fhall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietnefs, and affurance for ever. The fear of God, and the keeping of his commandments, is the best prefervative against the troubles of a guilty confcience, and the terrifying apprehenfions of a future judgment. And this is the great wifdom of religion, that whofoever liveth according to the rules and precepts of it, prevents the chief caufes of difcontent, and lays the fureft foundation of a perpetual fatisfaction of mind, a jewel of ineftimable price, which none knows but he that has it, and he that hath it, knows the value of it too well to part with it for the pleasures of fin, which are but for a feafon, and which always prove bitterness in the end, and for the little fweetnefs which they yielded, leave a terrible fting behind them.

Thus have I briefly reprefented the reasonablenefs and wifdom of religion. It is of infinite perfection, and of a vast influence and extent, it reacheth to the whole man, the happiness of foul and body; and to our whole duration, the happiness of this world and the next; for godliness (that is, true religion and piety) hath the promife of this life, and of that which is to

come.

But now where are the effects of true religion, in the full compafs and extent of it, to be found? fuch real effects as do in any measure bear a proportion to the power and perfection of their caufe? for nothing certainly is more excellent and amiable in its definition than true religion is; but alas! how imperfect is it in the subject? I mean in us, who ought to fhew forth the power and perfection of it, in the practice and actions of our lives, the best demonitration of the excellent frame and temper of our minds.

What a conflict and struggling do the best men find between their inclination and their duty? how hard to reconcile our practice and our knowledge, and to make our lives to agree with the reafon of our

minds, and the clear conviction of our confciences? how difficult for a man in this dangerous and imperfect ftate, to be in any measure either fo wife or good as he ought? how rare is it for man to be good natured, gentle, and eafy to be intreated, without being often betrayed into fome weakness and finful compliances, efpecially in the bad company of our betters? how next to impoffible is it to be ftrict and fevere in our lives, without being four? to govern our lives with that perpetual caution, and to maintain that evennefs of temper, as not to be fometimes peevish and paffionate and when we are fo, not to be apt to say with Jonah, we do well to be angry.

There are two precepts in the New Testament, that feem to me to be the niceft of all other, and hardeft to be put in practice. One is that of our bleffed Saviour, be wife as ferpents, and innocent as doves. How hard is it to hit upon the just temper of wisdom and innocency; to be wife, and hurt no body; to be innocent, without being filly? The other is that of the Apostle, be angry and fin not. How difficult is this, never to be angry but upon juft cause and when the cause of our anger is juft, not to be tranfported beyond due bounds, either as to the degree of our anger, or as to the duration and continuance of it? this is fo very nice a matter, that one would be almoft tempted to think that this were in effect a prohibition of anger in any cafe; be ye angry, and fin not; be ye fo, if ye can without fin. I believe, whofoever obferves it, will find that it is as eafy to fupprefs this paffion at at any time, as to give way to it, without offending in one kind, or other. But to proceed,

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How hard a matter is it, to be much in company, and free in converfation, and not to be infected by it? to live in the midft of a wicked world, and yet to keep ourselves free from the vices of it? to be temperate in the ufe of things pleafing, fo as neither to injure our health, nor to lofe the ufe of our reason, nor to offend against confcience? to faft often, with out being conceited of it, and bargaining as it were

with God for fome greater liberties in another kind; and without cenfuring those who do not tie up themfelves to our strict rules either of piety or abftinence? when perhaps they have neither the fame opportunities of doing it, nor the fame reason to do it that we have; nay, perhaps have a much better reason for not doing juft as we do: for no man is to prefcribe to others his own private method, either of fafting, or of devotion, as if he were the rule, and his example a kind of proclamation, enjoining all his neighbours the fame days of fafting and prayer which he himself, for reafons best known to himself, thinks fit to obferve.

And then how hard is it to be chearful without being vain and grave and ferious without being morofe to be useful and inftructive to others in our converfation and difcourfe, without affuming too much authority to ourfelves? which is not the best and most effectual way of doing good to others; there being fomething in the nature of man, which had rather take a hint and intimation from another, to advise himself, and would rather chufe to imitate the filent good example which they fee in another, than to have either his advice or his example impofed upon them.

How difficult is it to have a mind equal to every condition, and to be content with mean and moderate things to be patient in adverfity, and humble in profperity, and meek upon fudden and violent provocations? to keep our paffions free from getting head of our reafon, and our zeal from out-running our knowledge? to have a will perfectly fubmitted and refigned to the will of God, even when it lies crofs and thwart to ours, fo that whatever pleases God should pleafe us to be refolute, when our duty happens to be difficult and dangerous; or even to believe that to be our duty (though it certainly be fo) which is very inconvenient for us to do? to hold out and be unwearied in well-doing? to be careful to preferve our lives, and yet upon a great occasion, and whenever God calls for them, to be content to lay them down.

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To be wife and innocent; men in understanding, and yet in malice children?" to have many great virtues, and not to want that which gives the great luftre to them all, I mean real, and unaffected modesty and humility? In fhort,

How difficult is it, to have regard to all God's commandments, and to hate every evil and falfe way? to have our duty continually in our eye, and ready to be put into practice upon every proper occafion? to have God, and the confideration of another world always before us, prefent to our minds, and operative upon our practice? to live as thofe that know they must dy, and to have our thoughts perpetually awake, and intent upon the great and everlasting concernments of our immortal fouls?

Thefe are great things indeed, eafy to be talked of, but hard to be done; nay, not to be done at all, without frequent and fervent prayer to God, and the continual aids and fupplies of his grace; not without an earnest endeavour on our parts, a vigorous resistance of temptations, and many a fore conflict with our own perverfe wills and fenfual inclinations; not without a perpetual guard and watchfulness over our lives, and our unruly appetites and paffions.

Little do unexperienced men, and thofe who have taken no great pains with themselves, imagine what thought and confideration, what care and attention, what refolution and firmnefs of mind, what diligence and patient continuance in well-doing, are requifite to make a truly good man; fuch a one as St. Paul defcribes, that is, perfect and entire, and wanting nothing, that follows God fully, and fulfils every part of his duty, having a confcience void of offence towards God and towards man. Who is there among us, that is either wife enough for his own direction, or good enough for the peace and fatisfaction of his own mind; that is fo happy as to know his duty, and to do it; as to have both the understanding and the will to do in all things as he ought?

After our best care, and all our pains and endea vours, the most of us will still find a great many defects in our lives, and cannot but difcern great and

manifold

manifold imperfections in our very beft duties and fervices; infomuch that we shall be forced to make the fame acknowledgment concerning them, which Solomon does concerning the imperfection of all things under the fun; that which is crooked cannot be made Straight, and that which is wanting cannot be numbred. And when all is done, we have all of us reafon to fay, not only that we are unprofitable fervants, having done nothing but what was our duty to do; but have caufe likewife, with great fhame and confufion of face, to acknowledge that we have been in many refpects wicked and othful fervants, and fo very far from having done what was our duty to do, that the greatest part of the good which the most of us have done, is the leaft part of the good which we might and ought to have done.

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The practice of religion, in all the parts and inftances of our duty, is work more than enough for the best and greatest mind, for the longest and best ordered life, the commandment of God is exceeding broad; and an obedience in any good meafure equal to the extent of it, extremely difficult. And after all, as the man in the gofpel faid with tears to our Saviour, concerning the weakness of his own faith, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief, Mark ix. 24. So the best of men may fay, and fay it with tears too, concerning every grace and virtue wherein they excel moft, "Lord, I afpire, I endeavour after it, "be thou pleafed to affift my weakness, and to help me by thy grace continually to do better."

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The fum of all is this, If we be careful to do our beft, and make it the constant and fincere endeavour of our lives to please God, and to keep his commandments, we fhall be accepted of him; for God values this more than whole burnt offerings and facrifices, more than thousands of rams, and ten thousands of rivers of oil; because this is an effential part of ligion, To love God with all our hearts and minds, and ftrength, and to love our neighbours as ourselves. The duties comprehended in thefe two great commandments, fincerely practifed by us (though with a great deal of imperfection) will certainly be acceptable VOL. V.

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