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them all and inftead of being folicitous how to fecure himself, as one minding nothing lefs, he was, with utmost hazard of himself, most careful how to preferve the honour of God, by his fidelity to his will. And though at the firft it exposed him to ruin, yet, as an instance of great encouragement to all, that like him will choose to keep a good confcience in an evil time, at last it advanced him greatly in the world; and the God of Daniel was made famous and terrible through his perfeverance, even in the eyes of heathen kings.

XX. What fhall I fay of all the reft, who counted nothing dear, that they might do the will of God, abandoned their worldly comforts, and expofed their eafe and fafety, as often as the heavenly vifion called them,* to the wrath and malice of degenerate princes, and an apoftate church? More efpecially Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Micah, that after they had denied themselves, in obedience to the divine voice, fealed their teftimony with their blood.

Thus was felf-denial the practice and glory of the ancients, that were predeceffors to the coming of Chrift in the flesh and fhall we hope to go to heaven without it now, when our Saviour himself is become the most excellent example of it? and that not as fome would fain have it, viz. For us, that we need not; but for us, that we might deny ourselves,

* Dorotheus in his Lives of the Prophets.

91 Peter ii. 21.

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and fo be the true followers of his bleffed example.

§. XXI. Whoever therefore thou art, that wouldft do the will of God, but fainteft in thy defires, from the oppofition of worldly confiderations; remember I tell thee, in the name of Chrift, that he that prefers father or mother, fifter or brother, wife or child, houfe or land, reputation, honour, office, liberty, or life, before the teftimony of the light of Jefus, in his own confcience, fhall be rejected of him in the folemn and general inqueft upon the world, when all fhall be judged, and receive according to the deeds done, not the profeffion made, in this life. It was the doctrine of Jefus, that if thy right hand offend thee thou muft cut it off; and if thy right eye offend thee, thou must pluck it out: that is, if the most dear, the most useful and tender comforts thou enjoyest, stand in thy foul's way, and interrupt thy obedience to the voice of God, and thy conformity to his holy will revealed in thy foul, thou art engaged, under the penalty of damnation, to part with them.

6. XXII. The way of God is a way of faith, as dark to fenfe, as mortal to felf. It is the children of obedience, who count, with holy Paul, all things drofs and dung, that they may win Chrift, and know and walk in this narrow way. Speculation will not do, nor can refined notions enter; the obedient only eat the good of this land. They that do

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his will, fays the bleffed Jefus, fhall know of my doctrine; them he will inftruct. There is no room for inftruction, where lawful felf is lord, and not fervant. For felf cannot receive it; that which fhould, is oppreffed by felf, fearful, and dare not. O what will my father or mother fay? How will my husband use me? or finally, what will the magistrate do with me? For though I have a most powerful perfuafion, and clear conviction upon my foul, of this or that thing, yet confidering how unmodifh it is, what enemies it has, and how strange and fingular I fhall feem to them, I hope God will pity my weakness: if I fink, I am but flesh and blood; it may be hereafter he may better enable me; and there is time enough. Thus felfish, fearful man.

But deliberating is ever worst; for the foul lofes in parley: the manifeftation brings power with it. Never did God convince people, but, upon fubmiffion, he empowered them. He requires nothing without ability to perform it: that were mocking, not faving of men. It is enough for thee to do thy duty, that God fhews thee thy duty; provided thou closest with that light and fpirit, by which he gives thee that knowledge. They that want power, are fuch as do not receive Chrift in his convictions upon the foul, and fuch will always want it; but fuch as do, they receive. power, like thofe of old, to become the children of God, through the pure obedience of faith.

§. XXIII. Wherefore, let me beseech you,

'John vii. 17.

by the love and mercy of God, by the life and death of Chrift, by the power of his fpirit, and the hope of immortality, that you, whose hearts are established in your temporal comforts, and fo lovers of felf, more than of these heavenly things, would let the time paft fuffice that you would not think it enough to be clear of fuch impieties, as too many are found in, whilft. your inordinate love of lawful things has defiled your enjoyment of them, and drawn your hearts from the fear, love, obedience, and felf-denial of a true disciple of Jefus. Tack about then, and hearken to the ftill voice in thy confcience; it tells thee thy fins, and of mifery in them; it gives a lively discovery of the very vanity of the world, and opens to thy foul fome profpect of eternity, and the comforts of the juft that are at reft. If thou adhereft to this, it will divorce thee from fin and felf: thou wilt foon find, that the power of its charms exceed that of the wealth, honour, and beauty of the world, and finally will give thee that tranquillity, which the ftorms of time can never fhipwreck, nor dif order. Here all thy enjoyments are bleft, though small, yet great by that presence that is within them.

Even in this world the righteous have the better of it, for they ufe the world without rebuke, because they do not abuse it. They fee and blefs the hand that feeds, and clothes, and preferves them. And as by beholding Him in all his gifts, they do not adore them, but Him; fo the fweetnefs of his bleffings that

gives them, is an advantage fuch have upon thofe that fee him not. Befides, in their increase they are not lifted up, nor in their adverfities are they caft down: and why? Because they are moderated in the one, and comforted in the other, by his divine prefence.

In fhort, heaven is the throne, and the earth but the footstool, of that man that hath felf under foot. And thofe that know that station will not easily be moved; fuch learn to number their days, that they may not be furprised with their diffolution; and to redeem their time, because the days are evil; " remembering that they are stewards, and must deliver up their accounts to an impartial judge. Therefore not to felf, but to him they live, and in him die, and are bleffed with them that die in the Lord. And thus I conclude my discourse of the right use of lawful felf.

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§. 1. Of unlawful felf; it is two-fold: 1. in religion. 2. in morality. §. 2. Of those that are most formal, fuperftitious, and pompous in worship. §. 3. God's rebuke of car. nal apprehenfions. §. 4. Chrift drew off his difciples from the Jewish exterior worship, and inftituted a more spiritual one. §. 5. Stephen is plain and full in this mat

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