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Trifling, Gaming, Toying; Little Reading, Lefs Praying, No meditating; No: Tears for Sins, No Fruits meet for Repen tance? Here, he must be more Abftemious, that means to be Victorious. Take heed to your felves, is our Lord's own Caution,) Left at any time your Hearts be Overcharged. Luk. 21. 34.

But the Diet of the Soul, which will give it Strength for the Battel, is Abftinence and Fafting; its Recreation, Prayer, and Devotion: Its Purge, Confeffion of Sin: Its Joy, Tears for great Tranfgreffions; and its Triumph, Crucifixion of flefhly Lufts. Thus faith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 9. laft V. I keep under my Body, and bring it in Subjection. With Watching and Self-denying, I weaken the Fort, where the Enemies plant themfelves. I difable the Flesh, for Rebelling against the Spirit. That I who would Preach others into Heaven, may not fall short of it my felf. Who does not Tremble at thofe Words of the great Apoftle, Leaft that by any means, when I have Preached to ethers, I my felf Should be a Caftaway? If the chofen Velje, one that was caught up into Heaven, and had fuch a Prepoffeffion, was under any fuch Apprehenfion; O which of us may not be fill'd with Dread of Rejection, If we are too Nice and Delicate, to Ufe any fuch Methods of Prevention? Surely, we have fma:l

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fmall reafon to be Confident of Victory and the Crown, If we will no better beftir us, to get over the known Obftacles that Lye in our way. And how amazing is their Stupidity and Blindness of Heart, who are for doing none of this self-denying Work? Who are fo far from Abridging themselves of Lawful things, that they make as bold as they please with the Forbidden Fruits: And yet Live Secure and Jolly; As if they made no doubt of Salvation, and the Crown of Glory? But ftill does this add to the fad Proof, That the Flock of Chrift is a Little Flock: And of the many Called, that Few are Chosen.

To thee therefore, Good God! I thy Servant, and Son of thy Handmaid, do betake my felf; Defiring with all my Soul, the Heavenly Prize, and Glorious Crown, which thou haft Prepared for them that Love thee. I know the Length of the Courfe, and the Difficulty of the Contest. I confefs before thee, who Searcheft the Hearts and Reins; How fmall, and even none is my Virtue. Nor am I ignorant of the mighty Forces and cruel Rage of my Invisible Enemies; who can never Digeft it, That we little Worms fhould ever be Call'd up to that Supreme Glory,whence Pride threw them down. Enlighten my Mind; that I fleep not in Death. Increafe

my

my Faith, that I Faint not by the Way. Let thy Grace Fight for me; Leaft the Enemy ever come to fay, I have prevail'd against him. And what I Beg for my felf, I pray alfo for all my Brethren; Thofe efpecially in Higher Stations; Where their Danger is fo much greater, as their Poft is Nobler. And as much Brighter as will be their Crown, if they Acquit themfelves as thy Trufty Agents; So much heavier will be their Damnation, If, through their Default, the Souls perifh, for which thou didft fhed thy precious Blood.

HA

CHA P. IX.

The Clofe of the whole Work.

'Aving open'd these Twelve Confiderations of the Saints Eternal Felicity, The Conclufion is very apparent; That this Felicity is the Greatest and Highest Attainment in the World: moft Worthy and moft Needful, in the First place, by all Men, to be Sought and Purfu'd. Buc the Way to Find and Secure it, so Straiz and Difficult, That unless a Man, (Piftponing every thing else,) do firmly Refolve, in earneft to Endeavour and Strive hard for it; He'll never get through the

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Incumbrances of the Way, To Gain that moft Wish'd and Bleffed End.

But to fet the Whole, in fhort, before your Eyes, at one View, Let me Recapitulate all the Confiderations, with their Difficulties, for an Epilogue.

I. We have confider'd the Eternal Felicity, under the Title of a Kingdom. Such it is, in the higheft and beft Sense: But here's the Difficulty we have feen annexed; That the Kingdom of Heaven fuffers Violence, and the Violent take it by Force.

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II. We have confider'd it, under the Name of the City of God, the Heavenly Ferufalem, of which moft Glorious things are fpoken: But there also we found no fmall Bar and Impediment; That the Citizens of this World cannot be Fellow Citizens with the Saints. And 'tis hard to Live in the World, and not to be of the World.

III. We have Confider'd it, under the Name of the House of God; In which are many happy Manfions and Fruitions: But have found the Gate of it fo Strait, That it cannot, without much ado and hard Striving, be Enter'd.:

IV. We have Confider'd it, under the Name of Paradife; as a Place of all the fweet

sweetest Delights; But have found withal, At how great a Price, not of Gold or Silver, but of Tears and Blood, our Lord Bought it. And all that will Enter it, muft take up their Crofs and Follow him.

V. We have Confider'd it, as the Treafure bid in a Field; truly Ineftimable: But not to be Gain'd by him that Found it, without Selling all that he had for it.

VI. We have Confider'd it, as the most Precious Pearl. For which alfo The Purchafer muft Let go all his Goods, to Buy it.

VII. We have Confider'd it, as the Diurnal Penny; A Reward infinitely beyond the found of the Word. But not to be Given to any, but fuch as have beftirr'd and well Acquitted themselves in the Vineyard.

VIII. We have Confider'd it, under the Notion of a great Supper: The moft Rich and Splendid Entertainment. And have found all thofe to be Debarr'd of it, who have more mind to the Trafh of this World.

IX. We have Confider'd it, as the Joy of our Lord, unspeakable and full of Glo

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