Abfurd and Impertinent? But when I fay, (Yea God himfelf fays it,) Defpife a poor, little, vile, perifhing Kingdom; and Lay out for the Greatest, the Richeft, the Beft, that's moft Glorious and Everlasting; which if thou wilt, thou may'ft, (by the Grace of God,) Afcertain to thy felf; Why then doft thou not Rouze and apply thy felf with all thy Might to Seek it, and Win it? What thou wilt anfwer here, I cannot imagine; Unless it be, That the Glory of an Earthly Kingdom is before thy Eyes, and may be Felt even with thy Hands: But as for the Kingdom of Heaven, it cannot be Seen, nor Touch'd, nor fcarce fo much as Conceiv'd, even by Faith it self.

Let this be granted; Yet if thou wilt but well ponder the Matter, What Weight has the Holy Scripture Verity, fo Ancient, Genuine, and Awful, and (in this Matter,) fo very Plain and Exprefs; And what a Cloud of Witneffes (for many Ages,) we have to Confirm it ; not only by Miracles, but with their Blood: Canft thou forbear then to cry, with God's Favourite, Pfal. 93.

Thy Teftimonies, O Lord, are very fure. Hath the Lord past his Word to his Followers, Luke 12. 32. Fear not little Flock, It is your Father's good Pleasure to give you the Kingdom? If God then hath spoken, I 'will not only Believe, but Rejoice: Rejoice in Hope of the Glory of God, Rom. 5.2.

'To

To make any doubt of it, were, indeed, 'to fink even beneath the Heathen; Who by Nature's Light alone, could fee a bet'ter World beyond this. And no Man of Senfe, but may easily infer it, even from 'the deductions of common Reason: Yea, 'from the very Contemplation of his own Frame, which fpeaks his now Imperfect State, and tells him, that he is here but a Viator and Sojourner, who cannot, in this Life, ever reach the bleffed End, for which he was Made: The Defires, and Hopes and comfortable Expectations of which, do fpring and flourish in all the Wifeft and Best of Men. And we may be fure, That the moft Righteous and Gra'cious God would never fuffer them that'moft Admire and Love him, to be (in fo great a matter) Deluded and Abu'fed.

Here then, The Obfcurity is not the only cause, why Men are no more Enflam'd to Afpire after the Kingdom of Heaven: But because they are fo Taken up with Outward things, and pull'd down with the Preffure of common Custom ; that they will not allow themselves the Leisure, fo much as to Think and Meditate of that which is certainly the Beft for 'em, and moft highly of all Concerns'em. They will not (as our Lord connfels and commands, Enter into the Closet of their Heart, C 3

and

and fhutting the door, to keep out pernicious Intruders, Earneftly beg of God to be with 'em, in fuch a. moft Important bufinefs.

Would we but be Refolute here, To throw out, and lay afide the Trifling Thoughts, and Leffer cares; and seriously bethink our felves, What is the Kingdom of Heaven, and how eafily and certainly it may be Obtained; And what an infinite Difparity there is between things Temporal and Eternal; between the Lighteft and the Weightieft matters; between the fmalleft and the greateft Goods in the World; i.e. between Earthly Kingdoms and the Kingdom of Heaven: For certain, we could not chufe but think so mearly of worldly Thrones and Crowns and Sceptres; and feel fuch an ardent Defire after. the Heavenly; That fo far fhould we be from counting it a Trouble, as to chufe it for the sweetest Pleasure of our Lives, To. bestow our felves in Purfuing and fecuring the Kingdom of God; who has been fo abundantly Kind and Good to us, as to Prepare it for us, and Make us for it, as our true, our Ultimate, and most Bleffed End.

CHAP.

CHAP. VII.

The First Path to the Kingdom of God.

BUT let us now fee what's to be done,

that we may furely attain to the most defirable and Happieft End. Where we need not to be much at a Lofs, When the King of Heaven himself was pleased to come down from thence, to Open and fhew us the Way thither. And this our great Mafter and Leader has pointed us out Four feveral Ways, the best and surest, to bring us to his Kingdom.

The Firft is, Mat. 6. 33. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness, &C. Thus Moral Philofophy begins at the End. And our End is the Kingdom of God: Which Kingdom will be ours, if we'll take the Ways which our bleffed Guide fets before us. But the Righteousness of the Kingdom is that, at which we must Aim ; If the Bleffedness of it be that which we would Attain. For the End is one thing, and the Mark another. The Mark is a Sign or Spot, at which the Arrow is directed: But the End is the Prize to be won by him that hits it. The Mark of our Actions which God has propos'd is Righteousness: The Reward for hitting it, his heavenly Kingdom.

C4

But

But the Righteoufnefs of this Kingdom is not that of the Scribes and Pharifees; which lies in the obfervation of Rites and Ceremonies; Nor that of Philofophers, which reaches no higher than the Light of hu mane Reason, deprav'd by Sin, will direct us; Nor yet only that of Chrift Imputed, by which we are Juftified in the Sight of "God; But alfo, (what Refults from this,) 'fuch a Righteoufnefs Inherent, whereby we are indeed Renewed in our felves; and Taught and brought alfo to Love the Lord our God with all our Heart, and Soul, and Mind, and Might: And our Neighbour (tho' our Enemy,) as our felves. Of which Mark and End speaks the Apostle, Rom. 6. 22. Te bave your Fruit unto Holiness, and the End everlasting Life.

Thus then does our Heavenly Teacher mind us, First of all to feek the Kingdim of God and its Righteoufnefs. So that our primary Thought and main Defire should not run out upon any Temporary Good; But to obtain the Kingdom of Heaven; and to yield the beft Obedience we are able to that firft and greatest Command: Which becaufe the bigger part of men do not; therefore many are faid to be Called, and Few chofen. The moft fo Living and carrying, that it feems to be their Laft Thought, How they fhall reach to the Kingdom of Heaven. Neither do they feek any thing, in

deed,