then wears not a wrinkle nor frown upon its face: as sin ruffles it, so duty smooths it out again; and this causeth such peace and quietness in the inward man, as yields more satisfaction than all the noise and ruffling gallantry and jollity in the world.. Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that, in simplicity and godly sincerity....we have had our conversation in the world: 2 Cor. i. 12. So that, if men care not for the enjoyment of God, yet if they love the enjoyment of themselves, if they would avoid discords and civil wars in their own breasts, this were enough to excite them to this pacifying work, that atones and reconciles conscience unto themselves.

[3] In this working for salvation, God gives in many evident testimonies of his special Favour and Acceptation, unto the souls of his servants.

Thou meetest him, says the Prophet, that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness. Thou meetest him: how? not to contend with him, as with Jacob; not to slay him, as thou didst Balaam : but to embrace him; to reveal and manifest thyself unto him, If you have any comfortable evidences that God is yours, in a strict bond of an everlasting and unalterable covenant, and that you are accepted of him in the Well-Beloved, examine how you attained to this evidence: was it not through obedience and working? This is the way, whereby God manifests himself unto the souls of his: and, should your comfortable persuasions not come in thus by obedience and working, they are but enthusiastical and groundless presumptions, and not true and divine assurance. The Apostle, in 2 Pet. i. 10. exhorts us, to make our calling and election sure: but how is that to be done? it is by giving diligence. What is it men desire and wish for, next to heaven? is it not assurance of it? would you not have the terrors and torments of conscience, apprehending and preoccupating your own condemnation, eased and removed? would you not have the unquiet tossings and fluctuations of your minds, because of the uncertainty of your future-state and condition, settled and confirmed? Then be persuaded to work: believe it, this evidence is never received in any other than in a way of duty: God will not hold his light of assurance to them, who will not work the works of obedience.

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[4] Those, that are diligent in working for salvation, many times have high Spring-Tides of Joy: joy, that is unspeakable and glorious, that rusheth in upon the soul and ravisheth it with a sweet and potent delight, while it is in ways of obedience.

Now this, though it be not ordinary with every Christian, yet God sometimes vouchsafes, it, especially to the most laborious working Christians; as a cordial to revive and quicken them, that they should not faint and grow weary in their work. He gives them, many times, such prelibations of future glory, such bright glimpses of himself passing before them, that they scarce know wherein their state differs from the state of the glorified; unless it be that it is shorter in the duration, lasting not so long as theirs.

Should you, then, be asked, as they were in the parable, Why stand ye here all the day long idle? you could not return the same answer as they did, because no man hath hired us: for God hath hired you; and that, at no less a rate than all these great and glorious things that have been propounded to you dọ amount unto a glorious heaven; a blessed work, that is accompanied with communion with God, peace of conscience, assurance of divine favour and joy in the Holy Ghost. And, if all this will not persuade you, certainly you set a mighty price upon your own sloth. Only let me say this, beware that these souls of yours, that you will not part with to God for salvation, beware you do not sell them to the Devil for nothing.

- (3) Consider your encouragements after your work is done: there is an Eternal Rest that waits you:

I have already considered heaven, as a reward for working : let us now consider it, as a Rest after working. And so the Apostle tells us, there remaineth a rest for the people of God: Heb. iv. 9: and, in Rev. xiv. 13. we read, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, for they rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. They rest from their labours.

[1] They rest from their labour, in working under Affliction. Sometimes, afflictions are spurs and incentives; and, sometimes, they are burdens and discouragements, to obedience. But, when we arrive at heaven, we shall no longer need the spur to quicken us: nor shall we any longer bear that burden to oppress us; but shall cast it down at heaven's gate, where never sorrow nor suffering durst yet appear. And,

[2] In heaven you shall rest from your labour, in working under Desertion.

Now, though you do work; yet, it may be, you apprehend God frowning upon you, and finding fault with all that you do. Now, it may be, though God doth cause the clear light of his

precepts and Spirit to shine before you, to direct you what your work is that you should do; yet he makes it dismal darkness behind you, and shuts up the light of his comfort that you cannot see what work you have done. And this is your great trouble: you work and labour, and yet you know not whether you shall be accepted: "Obedience were easy and pleasant work," says the soul, " if I knew that God did regard me: but, alas! I pray, and he shuts out my prayer from him: I lay hold upon him, but he shakes me off in displeasure: I obey, but he rejects all my services: and this is the anguish and torture of my life." This, indeed, is matter of great grief and trouble. But, know, O Soul, thou shalt not long work thus in the dark: shortly, thou shalt be above these clouds; and then thou shalt see, that those prayers, which thou thoughtest were vainly scattered and lost in the air, are become a cloud of sweet incense hovering before the throne of God; and that those tears, which thou thoughtest were dropped in vain upon the earth, are all gathered up and preserved in God's bottle: and that those poor duties of thine, which, for their own meanness and vileness, thou thoughtest God would scorn, yet, through that worth that is put upon them by the intercession of Christ, are ranked in the same degree of acceptation as the most perfect services of the angels themselves. Have but patience a while, and continue working, and thou shalt see a happy issue; when the clouds of darkness and desertion, that now lie upon thy spirit, shall be all scattered and blown away.

[3] You shall also rest from your labour, in working against the continual workings of your own Corruptions; which shall then, at once, both cease to act and cease to be.

And this, indeed, is the great thing, that makes it such a blessed rest' to the people of God. Indeed, God cuts you out your work, in his commands; but it is the Old Man within you, that makes it to be tedious, irksome, and difficult unto you. God makes it not so, but your corruption.

And this it doth, Two ways:

By deadening your heart to it: and,

By turning your heart against it.

Deadness and dulness to and averseness from the ways of holy obedience, are the greatest cause of all that toil and pains, that most take in the work and service of God, if ever they will bring it to a good issue.

Now both these shall shortly cease and be removed, if you but wait and continue striving against them.

1st. You shall rest from all that labour, that you take with a dead and heavy heart in the ways of God.

Now, you are continually calling upon it, Awake, awake, my glory: now, you are continually tugging it, to get it a little more forward; lifting it up, to get it a little higher towards God and heaven: now, you`stand in need of continual quickeninggrace, to actuate and excite those lumps of lead, that lie heavy within your breasts: and it is the greatest disquietment of your lives, that you find your hearts so heartless and listless to what is holy and spiritual: it is with them, as with some great bells, that you must pull long at the rope before you can make them sound: is not this the daily complaint of God's children, that their hearts are dull and heavy, and they cannot raise them? and this makes the ways of obedience, yea this makes their very lives, become burdensome. Well, have but patience for a while, and continue still to struggle against this sad indisposition, and it will not be long before you shall rest from this labour also. Though now you are as birds, whose bodies are too heavy for their wings; when you stretch them forth, and would fain be soaring up to heaven, you can only run up and down and flutter upon the earth: yet, shortly, these heavy and cloggy bodies shall fall off, and you shall be all wing; free from all deadness and straitness, distraction and weariness, in the ways of God, that now afflict you. Then shall your affections be always intent, and not languish; always burning, and yet shall never waste nor consume. Every motion of your soul shall then shoot itself to God as quick as the lightning, and yet constant as the sun-beams. And those, who are now outstripped by weak and underling Christians, shall then be able to keep pace in their obedience, even with the Holy Angels themselves.

And, then,

2dly. In heaven, there shall be a resting from all that labour, that the people of God now take in the ways of holy obedience; through the averseness of their hearts from them, and the opposition of their hearts against them.

There is that contradiction in the carnal part against what is holy and spiritual, that the godly cannot bring themselves to the performance of it without much strife and contention: the flesh lusteth against the Spirit: and, when the spiritual part calleth

for holy thoughts and heavenly affections, the corrupt and fleshy part sends forth noisome and stinking vapours; obstructing the good that we would do, and infecting that little good that we do perform so that, as if working were not a,sufficient employment, a Christian must fight that he may work: and this is it, that makes working for salvation so laborious, because we must fight and work at once. But, it shall not be long, before that, which hinders, shall be removed: and, then, as you are not under a sad necessity of offending God, so also you shall be under a most blessed necessity of serving God; and shall find no more trouble in that service, than in those actions which you now cannot but do. And thus shall you have a happy rest from all that labour and pains, that your corruptions here made you take. And, therefore, be encouraged to persevere in welldoing perfect the work which you have undertaken, in spite of all opposition from your own corrupt hearts; for, assure yourselves, this troublesome inmate shall not long disquiet you. I might also add,

[4] You shall then rest from your labour, in working against Satan's Temptations; who is now buffeting you, while you are here upon earth: but, in heaven, the Evil One shall not approach near to touch you.

There, you shall no more trouble yourselves, to know how to distinguish between the injections of Satan and the ebullitions of your own corruptions; for you shall know neither, there. You shall then stand no more upon your own guard, and keep centinel to your own soul; nor conflict with any of Satan's temptations: but shall for ever triumph in victories and conquests over them.

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This is that Blessed Rest, that you shall shortly possess, if you will but now work. And what is it, that comforts the painful labourer, but this, that, though his work be hard and difficult, yet the evening will soon shut in, and he shall then betake himself to quiet rest and repose? What is it, that comforts the wearisome traveller, but this: every step of his long way brings him nearer to his home, where he shall enjoy a longer rest? And shall not the same encourage and support you, in your way and work? What though the work be painful and laborious: yet, it will not be long, before you shall lie down in the bed of the grave; and sweetly`sleep away a short night of oblivion, that is between this and the resurrection; and your tired weary souls