makes it their unweary'd employment to praise him, who hath thus loved them, and Rev. i. washed them from their fins; and made them 5, 6. Kings and Priests to God.

But the difpofition of men to do God's Will is as different from this alacrity, as Earth is from Heaven. They are made up of two contrary parts; by which conftitution, as the wife Man obferves, the corruptible body pref- wifd. is. feth down the foul, and the earthly taber. 15. nacle weigheth down the mind, that mufeth on many things. The Gofpel which is the rule and measure of duty, is against every thing that is fenfual and delightful in us; requiring us, as the Apoftle obferves, not to be Rom. xii. conform'd to this world, but to be transform'd". in the renewing of our minds. He who will make God's Will the rule of his own, muft prefer the things that are not feen to the things that are; and in doing fo, must meet with the reluctance of his hafty affections, and the uncertainty and irrefolution of his judgment. This ftruggle between Flesh and Spirit is a just reason why the station of men upon Earth is call'd a warfare, fince every

inftance of true obedience is a conflict of the one part of the man with the other. The good that I would, that I do not; and the evil that I would not, that I do, was the complaint

complaint of St. Paul; and as it was his cafe before his converfion, is undoubtedly that of most of mankind. There is fome rebellion of Will more or lefs remaining even in the best of men; and the ftrife between the fpiritual and the carnal part is feldom fo perfectly decided, as not to leave fome uncafinefs in denying a craving affection. The perfection of this life may be compar'd to the Harvest in the Gospel, where fome good corn was mix'd with many tares; and there are few that may not from a better knowledge of themselves justly complain, in the words of Fxix.12. the Pfalmift, who can tell how oft he offendeth? O cleanfe thou me from my fecret faults. The joy and chearfulness which should be found in God's fervice, are diverted by worldly and inferior cares; and our lives, when view'd in their best light, represent a few intervals of religious joy loft in many wide fpaces of fin and mifery.

The different obedience which is paid toGod's Will on Earth and in Heaven, fhews in part the different enjoyments of each place. One great circumftance of happiness above is, that they have but one predominant defire, which is undisturb'd in the conduct, and comfortable in the end of it; and that is, to obey and please their Maker.

But as for men,

tho'

they

they cannot poffibly be happy without doing God's Will, yet neither during these struggles of Nature can they be eafy in doing it. The opposition of their fleshly lufts to the spiritual part of them, neceffarily breeds in them grief and anxiety; they are under the perpetual neceffity, either of grieving the good Spirit of God, or of quarrelling with their most familiar and favourite defires; and the peace of Confcience is ever to be maintain'd, by an open war with their dearest affections.

The commands of God are fo many certain guides to eternal Happiness, but their own corrupt Wills throw briars and thorns in the way; and either wholly obstruct their pasfage, or make it narrow and troublesom. While they are disturb'd by their affections in the profecution of duty, and are distracted in their choice, between God's Will and their own: while they can neither be finners without remorse, nor Chriftians without unpleafing severity and self-denial, they cannot have that peace and joy, which are the portion of compos'd and undisturb'd minds. From hence it is obvious to obferve, that as all the improvements in Religion do in proportion remove this reluctance to goodness and difficulty of choice, fo do they at the fame time root out all the feeds of trouble and anxiety.

We

We grow by the fame steps to perfection, both in our performances and condition, and the obedience and the joys of Heaven must neceffarily come together.

·

These then are the feveral ways in which they above exceed thofe on Earth in their obedience; they do God's Will more fincerely, perfectly and chearfully; and we in this petition defire to be enabled with power and inclination to do the fame. When we thus pray, we ask not for fome one fingle bleffing to be added to the heap of many more, but for fomething that is the foundation of all other bleffings: we herein fue for the trueft comfort of this life, and the fureft pledge of the next; we ask for the power of Goodness from God's Grace, and the reward of it from his Bounty, and with a holy ambition, aim at the merit and station of just men made perfect.

The third propofition is to fhew, what we particularly ask of God for our felves in defiring, that his Will may be done on Earth as it is done in Heaven.

We here defire God to give us that strength, which we have not by Nature, to perform what he hath commanded. The corrupt condition of human Nature, fhews both the extent and neceffity of this petition; I know,

my

Rom. vii.

18.

faith the Apostle, that in me, that is in flesh, dwelleth no good thing; for to will is prefent with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not. The matter of God's Will is too contrary to the ftubborn and fenfual inclinations of men, to receive an eafy and chearful compliance without af fiftance from above. The power of pleafing God is from himfelf, and it is he who gives us to will and to do after his good pleasure. To deny our felves in the most unpleafing inftances to mortify those affections, for which Nature pleads fo ftrongly: to be regardless of our prefent eafe, for the fake of fomething distant and not yet feen: to have, whilst on Earth, our converfation in Heaven, are not the fingle work of human power, but the effect of being ftrengthen'd with might by Ephef. the Spirit in the inncr man.

The rewards of Religion are fufficient to outbid all the World can offer at prefent; but thefe rewards lofe their influence, for want either of memory, or attention. Our minds, when left to themfelves, would, by worldly cares or pleasures, be diverted either from thinking at all upon the one thing needful, or from pursuing it uniformly and constantly. There is wanting a remembrancer, that by importunate and feafonable whilpers may keep

them

16.