by the one, nor overborn by the too violent Gufts of the other; and in a word, to direct them to the proper Methods of mortifying their bad Inclinations, and conducting their Religion fo, as to render it more eafie and delightful to them. The fe and a great many other good Offices a wife and well-experienced Guide would be able to do men, if they would but take him along with them in their Journey to Heaven, and modeftly fubmit themfelves to his Conduct and Direction. And in thus doing, they would act not only with greater Security to their Innocence, but with greater fatisfaction to their Confciences; because then their Actions would be warranted,not only by their own private Sentiments, which in many Cafes they will have juft caufe to fufpect, but alfo by the better and more impartial Judgment of an authorised Guide. For if under his Conduct they should happen in any doubtful Inftance to erre from the way of Truth or Righteoufnefs, they will have this Satisfaction, that they have ufed the best Means to prevent it, the Means to which God himself hath remitted them, to whom alone they are accountable for their Actions, and who, as they may well imagine, will very much compaffionate fuch Mifcarriages as may follow upon their Submiffion to his own Appointments. But if notwithstanding the great Care that he hath taken of their Souls, in appointing them Pilots to steer then fafely to Heaven, they will embark without them, and prefume fo far upon their own Skill as to venture to their eternal Port through all thofe Rocks and Quickfands that lie in their way; they muft needs be in great Danger of mifcarrying,

which if they do, they may thank themselves for it and can expect no Pity from God, whofe carcful provifion for their eternal Safety they have fo ungratefully contemned and neglected.

IV. To our profperous Course and Progreß in the Christian Warfare it is alfo neceffary that, as often as we can, we should actually intend and aim at God in the Courfe of our Lives and Actions. For it is of mighty Advantage to the Conduct of a mans Life to have his Intentions united, and continually to act with one steady Drift and Aim. Because while he intends but one thing, he unites the whole Vigour of his Nature in the purfuit of it, and is continually driving at it with all the Force and Activity of his Faculties. 'Tis an Italian Proverb, From the man of one Busineß good Lord deliver me, becaufe minding that only, he must needs be fuppofed to be the more expert and fagacious in it, and confequently the more able to exceed and over-reach another man who hath only minded it by the bye; but when a man acts with a multifarious Intention, he must needs be distracted in his Operations, and the force of his Faculties being divided by the multiplicity of his Aims muft needs be fo weakned that 'twill be impoffible for him to purfue any one of them with Vigour and Activity. 'Tis one of Pythagoras his Maxims, Δῶ καὶ ἢ ἄνθρωπον ἕνα γίνεσθαι, a man ought to be one, i. e. fo far as he is able, to fix all his Aims upon one End, and unite them in one Center, and not to fuffer himself to be toffed hither and thither by independent Defigns and Intentions; becaufe this will unavoidably distract him in his profecutions, and fo divide and weaken his Principles of

Action, that he will be able to do nothing to any Purpose. God therefore being the great Object of Religion, it is neceffary in order to our progrefs therein, that we fhould, as much as in us lies, refpect and aim at him in the whole Course of our Actions; that we fhould continually look up to him as to the directing Star by which we are to fteer our Motions, and conduct our whole Lives under a fixt Intention to obey his Will, and imitate his Nature.

And indeed unless we do this, we are not good Men in the Senfe and Judgment of Religion, For Religion, as fuch, is a Rule of divine WorShip; and under this Notion the Chriftian Religion in particular enjoyns all its Duties, viz. of Homage and Worship, to God. For it requires us to do all as unto God, Col. iii. 23. and to do all to the glory of God, 1 Cor. x. 31. that is to do all in Obedience to him, and Imitation of him, from a fincere Acknowledgment of the Perfections of his Nature, of his foveraign Authority over us, and immutable Right to Rule and command us. Not that an actual, explicite Intention of obeying or imitating God is neceffary to every good Action; for our occafions of doing good, being fo infinite, and fo often occurring in our fecular Affairs, and our Minds being fo incapable as they are,of attending many things at once; it is impoffible for us actually to intend Obedience to God in every good thing we perform, but that in the general we fhould heartily intend it is indifpenfably neceffary to the confecrating our beft Actions, and adopting them into the Family of Religion. For that we muft obey God, is the fundamental Law of Religion,

Religion, from whence all the particular Commands and Prohibitions of it do receive their Force and Obligation. So that unless we do what he commands with a general Intention of Mind to obey him, we do not act upon a religious Obligation; and confequently though our Actions fhould be materially good, yet are they not formally religious.

Now to the fixing and fetling fuch a general Intention in our Minds, it is neceffary that in the particular Exercifes of our Religion we should, fo far as we are able, actually intend and aim at God; that we should throw by all other Ends, fo far as we are able, and refer our Actions directly and immediately to him; in a word, that we should formally devote and dedicate them to his blessed Will and Pleasure, so as to be able to fay, this and this I do purely to please God, with a fingle Intention of Soul to resemble and pleafe him, to tranfcribe his Nature, and comply with his Will. For which end we must take care, as oft as we can, to perform our religious Actions in fuch a manner, as that no fecular Ends may interpofe between God and our Intentions; to be as private and as modeft as we can in our Religion, and not expose it any more than needs muft to the eye of the World, left Applause and Reputation fhould intrude themselves upon us, and carry away our Intention from God. For thus our Saviour advises in the Cafe of Charity and Prayer, Matt. vi. 1, 7. that we should not do our Alms before men, to be feen of them, nor found a trumpet before them, to make the Streets ring of our Charity; nay, if poffible, that we should not let our left hand know what our

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right hand doth ; but that our Alms fhould be fecret, and known only to God and our felves; and that when we pray, we should not affect to make a pompous fhew of it, in the Synagogues and corners of the Streets, but that we should enter into our Clofets and fhut our door, and in the most private manner unbofom our Souls to God; the fenfe of all which is that we should endeavour, as far as in us lies, fo to circumftantiate our Charity and Devotion as not to give any Opportunity to fecular Ends and Aims to obtrude themfelves upon us, to mingle with our pious Intentions, and deflower the Purity

of them.

Not that I think it unlawful for a man to intend any thing but God in the discharge of his Duty, or that our Intention is bad when it immediately refpects any worldly End, fuch as Pleafure, or Profit, or Honour, which are proposed by God himfelf as Arguments to perfuade men to their Duty; and what hurt can it be for men to aim at that in the discharge of their Duty, which God hath propofed to them as an Encouragement to it? 'Tis true if worldly Advantage be the only or chief End we aim at, our Intention is naught, and fo are all the Actions thence proceeding; but if together with that we do fo heartily intend and aim to please God and conform our felves to his bleffed Will and Nature, as to continue on in the path of our Duty to him, not only when we have no profpect of outward Advantage to induce us to it, but when outward Evils and inconveniences lie in our way, we need not doubt but our Intention is truly good and fincere, notwithstanding those immediate Refpects which it many times hath to

fecular