God taxes heaven not only at a low rate, but even gives it for nothing. For what proportion is there between an eternal enjoyment and a temporal felf-denial? Of the whole day what does he exact as his right? An oblation of it to his honour, and part of it to acknowledge our dependance on his benefits. He refigns the reft to our neceffities, to our affairs, nay, and to our recreations too: he permits us to enjoy those pleasures that are lawful, and only forbids us to turn beafts: He neither damps our industry nor cramps our vigilance. We may improve those eftates we have received, or build a fortune on our perfonal merits and industry, provided we step not over the bounds of justice and honefty. And whofoever complains of this reftraint, must fancy cheating to be a very honourable employment, and a diftinguishing quality.

But in fine, virtue is not impoffible, and therefore we must not defpair; it is difficult, and therefore we must pursue it with eagerness and resolution: For, in a word, we cannot change our destiny. God has joined immortality to our nature. There is no

ftepping back into our original nothing: we must always be, nay, and either fwim in inexplicable pleasures, or fink in everlasting torments. Virtue raises us to the firft ftate, vice plunges us into the fecond. Seeing therefore the exercise of piety is neceffary to infure your happiness, fret not at the difficulty, but come to the practice. To believe a thing impoffible, is an infallible way to make it so. A thousand feasible projects have mifcarry'd by defpondency, and been ftrangled by a cowardly imagination.

Seeing therefore, by God's appointment, we are placed in this world, as runners in the lift to contend for a prize, So run that ye may obtain it: Exert your force, and implore his affiftance; ufe diligence, and ftop not in the career. Perfeverance

alone

alone compleats the race, and carries off the prize together with the victory. Tho' we begin well, if we founder before the end; if childish amusements interrupt our course, or despair withdraws us from continuing it, we lofe the fruit of our paft labours, and forfeit all right to a future reward. Let us reach therefore the goal; it is in our power. God's grace will accompany our endeavours, and infpirit us with breath and vigour.

And that we may pufh forward not only with speed, but alacrity, we muft imitate the apoftle, who went on with a kind of affurance of victory. I fo run, not as uncertainly; I fo go on in the career of this mortal life, without ftopping to take breath; and the firm hope, that I fhall once reap the fruit of my labours, buoys up my courage, and fweetens all my afflictions: And certainly hope is a most vigorous agent; it furnishes us with light to advise, and with heat to execute. It cuts out work

for our head and heart, and perfuades a man to ftretch his endeavours to the utmoft; and thus it quickens our defire and fwells our refolution, notonly to confidence, but an affurance that furmounts all difficulties, and forces almoft impoffibilities to give

way.

But then we must not hope to conquer without applying convenient means: fuch a confidence is not hope, but a foolish prefumption; and therefore St. Paul tells us, So fight I, not as one that beateth the air. He spent not his time in airy resolutions and vain purposes, that vanifh'd into smoke and vapour. But I keep under my body, and bring it into fubjection. He declared war against his paffions, that mutiny against reason, to draw us into rebellion against God: He denied them even lawful fatisfactions, to stop their longing after thofe that are unlawful he abated their fury by abftinence, and watch'd and prayed them into fubmiffion and obedience. For

:

this

this great man knew that neither the world nor the devil could prevail against him, but by a fecret intelligence with the fenfes, that give paffage to those fafcinating objects, which fire the blood, and caft all the paffions into a ferment. He therefore fet a guard on his fenfes, to fence against dangerous fuggestions, and kept his flesh low by labour, difcipline, and aufterities. For without this caution, he rather feared damnation than expected a reward. Left by any means when I have preached to others, I myself fhould be a caft-away.

He has left us this fhort draught of his life, not only as a bare inftruction, but as a model to fquare ours by. I know indeed, few Chriftians in the world perfuade themselves mortification concerns them; they fence against plain texts of scripture with the arguments of cuftom and practice: and because most people follow the current of nature, they conclude no body is obliged to strive against it. As if practice were the measure of obligation, and fact the ftandard of right. But it is certain, the doctrine of Jefus Chrift obliges all men indifpenfably to mortify their flesh, to guard their fenfes, and to check the irregular fallies of their paffions. The gofpel, I am fure, is very pofitive and full upon this fubject: Jefus Chrift tells us, there is no admittance into heaven, but by felf-denial and mortification; that we must walk in the ftrait way, take up our cross, hate, nay, and lofe our fouls in this world, to love and find both them and him in the other. This is ftrong and plain, nay, and it is a precept, not a bare counfel.

For are we not obliged, under pain of eternal damnation, to follow Chrift, to be his difciples, that is, to be Chriftians? And can we be either, without a total feparation, not only from the love of the world, but also from an effeminate indulgence of ourselves? Chrift fays, No. Whosoever

will be my difciple, let him deny himself, and take up his cross. Nay, and he threatens eternal damnation to those who leave the ftrait, to walk in the broad way; who carefs their flesh, and live in peace with their paffions. Unless therefore mortification be commanded, why are the negligent and tranfgref. fors tormented with eternal fire? Where there is no fin, there is no punishment; and all fin is the breach of a precept.

Secular perfons would fain lie out of the reach of this command; and therefore they pretend, it only takes in the clergy. But the Evangelift confutes this pretenfion; What I fay unto you, I fay unto all, Mark xiii. 37. This doctrine not only concerns the apostles, but all Chriftians. The prince therefore on his throne can no more plead exemption from this obligation, than the hermit in the defart, nor the princess than the chamber-maid; neither state, condition, employment, age, nor fex, exempt more from the obfervance of this law, than from the obligation of following Chrift. Self-denial therefore takes in those ladies, who are fo far from practifing this doctrine, that they even mortify themselves by a continual study to avoid mortification, and rack their brains to avoid constraint; who, unaccustomed to command their paffions, obey fervilely all their defires, and give themselves up to the flavish government of flesh and blood,

It takes in thofe debauchees, who give full line to all the fallies of a pampered body, and of impetuous luft, fired with wine, and inflamed with high feeding. Nay, those who glitter with title and equipage; who, like the rich man in the gospel, fhine in filk and filver, and feaft away their days at full tables, are more obliged to mortification than others for in fine, high fed bodies are more wanton than those that are kept low by labour, watching,

and

and abftinence; and by confequence their paf fions are more keen, more boisterous, and ftronger winged: befides, they live continually in the face of temptation; every fenfe lets in poisoned ideas that boil up the blood, corrupt the heart, and heat the paffions into a tumult; and when they are thus attack'd within, and ftormed from abroad, what can be expected but a defeat, unless they keep a strong hand over their flavish paffions, by weakning their bodies, that give life, vigour, nay, and fury to thofe domeftick rebels?

O my God! thou haft placed me in this world as in a field of battle; my life is a continual warfare. The price of the victory is heaven, and hell will be the punishment of my defeat. Thou haft put the conqueft in my power; and the overthrow cannot be the effect of my enemies ftrength, but of my cowardife: they may perfuade me to furrender, but cannot force me. Seeing therefore my gain will be fo great on the one fide, and my lofs fo exorbitant on the other; I purpose, with thy affistance, to war, till my last breath, upon mine and thy enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil; I will withdraw all affection from the firft, I will punish the fecond with abftinence and watching, and then with eafe I fhall difcover the wiles of the other, and defpife his malice.

GOSPEL of St. Matthew, Chap. xx. Verfe

1. For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an houfholder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

2. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, be fent them into his vineyard. 3. And he went out about the third hour, and faw others ftanding idle in the market-place.