our care in oppofition to both, to keep our felves in that moderate, equal temper, which belongs to healthy Souls: and fince that is the vitallest heat which is gotten by exercise, set to our bufinefs, employ our felves diligently in all thofe duties the Gofpel exacts, and then we shall not want fuch an hope as may warm our hearts, keep us in a cheerful expectation, till we come to the glorious fruition of that Eternal Salvation which God has promifed to all them, and only them that obey him. And till we do thus, till we confider as well what we are to do,as what we are to receive: there will be no hope of reftoring Christianity to its native vigour; we fhall make it evaporate all its ftrength in unsignificant hopes, convert it into Air, to bear up our Bubbles, instead of that firm ground, whereon we fhould build virtue here, and glory hereafter.

CHAP. V.

A furvey of the Mischiefs arising from Carnal Gonfideration.

A

FTER the difadvantages of partial Confideration, may fairly be fubjoyn'd the ills of that advertency, which is impregnated by fenfuality and floth, and makes pretence unto right reafon, but tends indeed as much as any thing to the fruftrating the defign, and enfeebling

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feebling the force of our Religion: fuch close referves of deceit and malice have men to their own Souls, that when they quit one strong hold of Satans, 'tis only to retreat to another. When they are not fo brisk and Aerial, as lightly to skip over those precepts, that lye in their way: they are fo groß and unwary as to fall at them; if they may not pass for Straws and Chaffe, fuch as every blast of vain confidence may blow away, they fhall then be improved into Heaps and Mountains, become stones of ftumbling and rocks of offence; and when they are call'd upon to Confider them, they do it in fo perverfe a manner, as if they meant to revenge themselves on that unwelcome importunity: their confideration is worse than neglect. They look into them infiduously, not as Difciples, but as Spies, not to weigh the obligeingness, but to quarrel the unreafonableness or difficulty of the injunctions, not to direct their practice, but excuse their prevarications.

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FROM this unfincere kind of infpection it is, that the Precepts have got fo formidable appearance with many, that they have fallen under fuch heavy prejudices, as to refolve them intole rable yokes, infuperable tasks: that this Canaan is a land that eats up its inhabitants, wherein there is fo little of enjoyment that it fcarce affords a being. Men count a life under fuch restraints, fo joylefs and uneafie, that it differs from death only, by being more paffive. They think Zeal like a Hectick Feaver, in a flow but certainly fatal Fire exhausts and confumes the Spirits. Morti

fication

fication and self-denial macerate and decay the body; and liberality diffipates and wastes the eftate and with these Apparitions which themfelves have conjur❜d up; men run frighted from duty, refolve the burden is unfupportable, or at leaft grievous to be born, and therefore, as our Saviour fays of the Pharifees, will not touch it, no not fo much as with one of their fingers, Mat. 23. 4. never make any attempt to try what indeed they are; but take their measures from their own, or perhaps other mens prejudicate opinions, and thence take out an Authentick Record and Patent for floth, fancy the journey too long for them, and therefore fit ftill; first call Christs commandments grievous, and then improve that flander into a manumiffion; abfolve themselves from obeying them. And unless they may have the Gate to life cut wider, made capacious enough to receive them with all their lufts about them, will never effay to enter it.

BUT if the Prince of darkneß have enacted it a Law, that difficulty fhall pafs for excufe, yet if real uneafiness may be admitted to be as deterring as imaginary ones, his own decree will retort the most ruinoufly on himself, and men may plead it as their discharge, from all those base drudgeries, thofe tyrannous impofitions wherewith he loads them. The Drunkard may experimentally tell him, the pain of an aking head, of an overcharged ftomack, the ruine of a wafted Eftate, and claim a difpenfation from pursuing that uneafie and coftly fin. The Wanton may

bring his macerated body like the Levites Concubine Jud, and urge it as an evidence how cruel a Mafter he serves; and from thence emancipate and free himself: and indeed every fin carries in it fo much of vifible toil, or fecret fmart, as would by force of this rule fupplant and undermine its felf; and fure Satan would never have arm'd men with fo dangerous a weapon, had he not difcern'd them fo in love with flavery, as fecures him it should never be us'd against him; for if it should, nothing could give him a more mortal wound, more irrecoverably fhake his Kingdom. Nor would only that infernal Region feel the force of that deftructive principle; it would make as ftrange confufions in fecular Regiments.

FOR if fuch pleas as thefe may be admitted, they will eafily cancel all Humane, as well as Divine Laws, and every malefactor will transfer his guilt on the feverity of the Legislator: the Thief may fay it is too great a difficulty for him to refift the temptation of an apt opportunity; a rich prize that his fingers are too flippery even for himself, and he cannot reftrain them, and then quarrel the ftrictness of the Law, which has rais'd fo high a fence about mens properties, that he who climbs it must endanger his neck. The Rebel may complain that the bands of Allegiance are too ftrait, the yoke fits too clofe, galls and frets his tender Hefh, exclaim loudly at the Tyranny of those that laid it on, and in that out-cry drown the noife of his own Treafon. And do eve ry other tranfgreffor may accufe the rule, as ac

ceffary

ceffary to his fwervings, till at last the Laws be made the only Criminals.

I leave every man to judge both of the equity and confequencies of fuch difcourfings in Civil matters, and fhall only defire he will apply them to Spiritual alfo, where certainly they are neither more juft, nor lefs ruinous; and whileft fuch abfurd pretences as these pass currant, no wonder if Christianity languish and grow impotent, want ftrength to imprefs its felf on the lives of its profeffors. The most infallible receipt can work no cure on him, who upon the fufpicion of its bitternefs, refuses to taste it. The moft excellent Laws must look their regulating power, where the execution of them is obftructed; and we may as reasonably look for the efficacy of Christianity among those who never heard the name, as among thofe, who owning the name, do yet disclaim its precepts; and fo all thofe interpretatively do,. who by accufing them of too great rigour, avert both themselves and others from their Obedi

ence.

THAT the Charge is fcandaloufly unjust will appear to any, who fhall allow themselves the juft means of information; but alas the way of Proceẞ men take in this affair is fo inequitable, as certainly prefages the partiality of the sentence, what Perfon ever was there fo innocent, fo excellent, who if arraign'd at the Tribunal of his mortal enemy could be acquitted, Chrift himself shall be pronounc'd a Blafphemer, when a Gaiphas is to examine him and no wonder if his precepts find

propor