left any of us be hardened through the deceitfulness of fin.

The great promife which Chrift hath given us, is that of eternal happiness with himself; and to quicken our endeavours after it, these two things require our ferious and daily confideration; viz.

What is neceffary on our part, in order to eternal happiness; and

How conftant our care fhould be to do that daily, which is fo indifpenfably required of us.

That which is neceffary on our part is, in fhort, a godlike temper and difpofition of mind. Though our Saviour hath pur chafed for us a liberty to enter into that holy and blissful place above; yet to prepare us for it, fuch a frame of heart is requifite, as will make it, to us a place of happiness indeed. Now that must needs be a divine frame; or a temper fuitable to the nature of God. For we must not think, that the mere poffeffion of heaven makes the spirits of men happy; nor that a quiet grieflefs condition is that wherein VOL. IV. 2

all

all happiness doth confift. Happiness, which is compleat and perfect, muft anfwer all the faculties of the foul; and God must be the glorious object for us to enjoy that is, to admire, and love, and delight in, to all eternity. There must be therefore a likeness of temper, and a likeness of mind because unlikeness naturally carries with it disagreeableness and averfion, which is no more reconcilable with happiness, than love is with hatred.

To live happily with God and Chrift, we must be of the fame difpofitions: And it was for this great reason, that when Chrift lived with us upon earth, he gave us fo many spiritual and divine laws. They were not purely arbitrary commands, proceeding from God's abfolute and uncontroulable pleasure, merely to try and exercise our obedience; but they were intended as wife and gracious methods, to polish our minds, to perfect our nature, and to raise it by degrees to fuch an high and noble pitch, that it might come near to the most perfect and bleffed nature of his Fa

ther,

ther, for the enjoyment of whom he came to fit us.

And thus therefore it appears, that the thing which is neceffary on our parts in order to eternal happinefs, is a godlike temper and difpofition of mind. Which being thoroughly confidered, it will manifeftly appear, that to obtain this requires our daily and conftant care. For it is a thing of no fudden dispatch; but that which requires all the time a man can find in his whole life to do it well. Those virtues which ferve to perfect us, and to make us like unto God, are not poured out all in an inftant; much lefs can they become prefently habitual. There is required a conftant courfe of repeated actions to acquire and fix them, and this requires conftancy of practice. Day by day, fome part or other of this neceffary work muft be dispatched: otherwife, the difficulties of it will increafe-in this refpect like fecular bufinefs, which when it comes in upon us in abundance, grows under our hands by being neglected, though but for a day.

IN the profecution of this matter, let us confider, what labour the very beginnings call for. The first task we are to go about is, to rectify our corrupt nature; which is a thing that obligeth us to continual attendance and care over it, because it is like a fort of foil, which is apt of itfelf to run to weeds. We brought with us from the womb, the feeds and principles of evil. And as thefe appear betimes, fo they rife quickly to a great height. Here then the work should be early, for the faving of time; to cultivate our nature from our youth; with a quick hand to check those vices, which are like poisonous weeds in us; and to make them die daily, as the man grows.

Pride, anger, fpitefulness, envy, fenfuality, inordinate felf-love, roughness, and intractability of spirit, and whatever comes under the notion of ill-nature,-these are very noxious things, that fpring out of us, and that ftain and vitiate the whole man more and more daily; and therefore require conftant diligence to root them out

what

what we can, while the mind is yet foft, tender, and pliable: because when once the devil cultivates, and cuftom confirms them, they will be the harder and harder to be rooted out. Many a foul is fpoiled and ruined, for want of good education in time. The practice of fin brings delight with it; pleasure makes it customary; cuftom renders it habitual; and when that which was a fault, comes to be wickednefs, ftudied, acted, repeated vice, and deeply rooted, the labour in clearing the foul of it, will be as different in proportion, as it is between weeding out a little fhrub, and plucking up a large tree.

This confirms the matter that I am now upon, namely, that in new moulding our hearts to fit ourfelves for eternal happiness, we should do fomething every day that is confiderable. For the time we lofe or neglect, vice gains; and thereby becomes more difficult to be fubdued and mortified. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard bis fpots? Then (fays the prophet) may ye alfo do good, that are accuf tomed to do evil. To break an habit, espe