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the inveterate devilifhnefs of their Natures, that they will by no means hearken to a Submiffion, but in defpight of their own Dread and Horrour, do ftill perfilt in an open Defiance to their Almighty Enemy, and fo tremble and fin, and fin and tremble for ever. And fo fhall we, if we go into the other World habitual Rebels to God; our deep and inveterate malice against him will still hurry us on to incenfe and provoke him, and then our natural Dread of his Power and Majefty will break into frightful and horrible Thoughts, and fo be continually revenging upon us thofe our continual provocations of him. For then our Soul will be nakedly expofed to the lafh of its own furious thoughts, and have no fhield to defend it felf against the terrors of its guilty Confcience, which being rouzed up and kept awake by the unintermitting Sense of our mifery, will be always clamouring upon us, and continually torturing us with black and horrid Reflections. So that whilst we are wandring among wretched Ghofts, through thofe difmal fhades below, we fhall be perpetually meditating Horrours, and never leave lafhing our felves with our own fharp and terrible thoughts, till we have chafed our felves into Furies, and boiled up our felf-condemning Rage into an everlafting Madness. Thus as our fenfe of our unlikeneß to God will ever fill us with Shame and Confufion, fo will the fenfe of our Rebellion against him continually ftrike us into Fear and Amazement.

To prevent which, our holy Religion, which doth fo induftriously confult our Happiness, requires us now to fubmit our felves to God, Jam.iv.7.

to

to live to God, Gal.ii. 19. to prefent our felves living facrifices, holy and acceptable to God, Rom. xii. 1. to yield our felves unto God, and our members as inftruments of righteousneß unto God, Rom. vi. 13. the fenfe of all which is, that we fhould endeavour, fo to affect our Minds with the fenfe of Gods Authority over us, and with the manifold Reafons of our obedience to him, as to be firmly and constantly refolved within our felves, neither to chufe any thing that he forbids, nor to refuse any thing that he commands; that we fhould fet him up a Throne in our Hearts, a fixt and prevailing Refolution of Obedience, that therein he may fit and reign, and have the abfolute Empire and Command of all our inward Motions, and outward Actions; in a word, that we should acquire fuch an habitual Refpect to, and Reverence of his Soveraign Authority, that no temptation from within or without us, may be able to countermand it, or to feduce us from our duty into any wilful courfe of Rebellion against him. And when once we have framed our minds into this obediential Temper, we are in a forward preparation for Heaven. And though by reason of thofe Remains and Reliques of corrupt Nature that are in us, which are here continually excited by the many Temptations among which we live, we may find reluctant and counter-ftriving Principles within us; a stubborn Appetite contending against an obedient Will, and fometimes upon Surprize or Inadvertence over-powering it; yet if we heartily bewail this as our Unhappiness, and if when we thus fall we weep and rife again, and take more care of our fteps for the future, we fhall

carry with us when we go from hence into the other World a Will that is habitually refigned to. God; and fo being there removed from all the Temptations that were wont to excite in us thofe contrary Appetites and Inclinations, we fhall immediately become all Duty and Obedience, and freely give up our felves to God without the leaft fhadow of Contest, or Reluctancy. And in this bleffed State we fhall continue for ever, fo intirely devoted to God, that between him and us there ihall ever be one common Will, and End, and Intereft, and our Hearts which before were in a great measure fet and tuned to the Heart of God, will be inftantly fuch perfect Unifons with it, that whenfoever, or whatfoever he speaks, we fhall ftill refound and eccho to him, from our inmolt bowels, with unfpeakable Chearfulnefs and Alacrity.

And being thus reduced to a perfect Submiffion to the Will of God, we fhall therein find our felyes incomparably happy. For now our Wills being always determined by the Will of God, we shall be perfectly eafed of all the Trouble and Diffraction of chufing. Now our Minds will no longer hover in Sufpence, nor be divided between contrary Reafons, but all its thoughts will glide gently on in a calm and even Current, without ever being tofled and bandied to and fro by croß and oppofite Deliberations. For now it no fooner knows the Will of God, but it refts in it immediately with a free Affent, and uncontrolled Approbation; fo that upon new Occafions it's free from the trouble of forming new Choices and Refolutions, being already fixt under all Events to one

Steady

fready Courfe of Motion, and immovably refolved whatever befals, ever to do what God would have it. And its will thus perfectly acquiefcing in God as in its proper Place and Element, it will no longer difpute as it was wont to do, no longer waver between two. Loadftones, but always obey upon the firft Motion, and follow him for ever without Deliberation. In which happy ftate we shall be no longer ground between those countermoving Militones, the law in our Minds, and the law in our Members, but being intirely refigned to God we fhall ever obey him fecundo flumine, with

full Current of Inclination, and Nature. And what a mighty Eafe muft this be to the Soul; efpecially confidering that by being thus entirely fubject to God, it will not only be releafed from the Trouble of chufing and deliberating, but also throughly warranted of the Goodneß and Rectitude of its own Choice. For fo far as we are fubject unto God, our Wills are his, and fo are our Actions too; and whilft they are fo, we can have no reason to mistrust,either that they are bad in themfelves, or that he is angry and difpleafed at them. For his Will we know is governed by his Nature, which is the Standard of Good and Evil, the Law and Measure of Right or Wrong; fo that while we will and act as he would have us, we have a fufficient warrant for what we do; a warrant that will for ever bear us out, and justifie us to our own Minds, and always render us abundantly fatisfied with our felves; fo that we shall not only always acquit,but always reverence our felves, and our Confcience will not only ceafe to fhame us, but be continually applauding and smiling upon

us; and instead of thofe importunate Clamours with which it was wont to entertain us, its conftant eccho to all our actions will be, Well done good and profitable fervant. So that being entirely determined by the Will of God, which never varies from the Law of his Nature, we fhall be perfectly fatisfied with our felves and for ever chufe and at without the leaft Mistrust or Hefitance. And then our Wills being perfectly fubject to his, and all our powers of action entirely at his Devotion, we shall never have the leaft ground to fear or fufpect his Displeafure, but be always fully fatisfied that he loves us, that we are dear and precious in his Eyes, and that to Eternity he will respect and look upon us with the fmiles of an unchangeable Complacency. The fenfe of which will ravifh our Hearts, and for ever fill us with joy unspeakable and full of glory. So that whereas rebellious Souls are perpetually haunted with two reftJefs Furies, viz. the shame of their guilt and the fear of their danger, which even here do give them more disturbance than all their fins can pleasure,and delights; when once we are perfectly fubjected to God, we fhall be for ever difcharged of them both, and then will our happy minds be always as cOMragions as Truth, and as confident as Innocence it felf.

And as by our perfect Submiffion to God, we fhall be wholly releafed from the trouble of chufing, and fufficiently warranted in our own Choires, fo we fhall be abundantly fatisfied both of the Wisdom and Succefs of them. For then we thall be affured, even by a fweet and happy Experience, that whatfoever God commands us to

do