are apt to imagine great difficulties in the attaining of it, and to magnify them in their fancies beyond reafon. As the people of Ifrael, when they were to enter into Canaan (which was the type of the kingdom of heaven) represented the inhabitants of the land, whom they were to conquer, more terrible than in truth they were; reporting to one another, that the land was full of giants, and fons of Anak, men of prodigious ftature, and cities walled up to heaven. And this the wife man obferves to be the perpetual excufe of the flothful; when they have no mind to a thing, they fay, there is a lion in the way; that is, they fancy to themfelves dangers and terrors which are not. Thus men who are averfe from religion, and have no mind to be at the trouble and pains to get to heaven, are apt to complain of the monftrous and infuperable difficulties of religion, and how hard it is for a man to mortify his lufts, and fubdue his appetites, and govern his paffions, and to do all those things, which are neceffary to bring him to heaven. Well! it is acknowledged to be difficult and is it not fo to get an eftate, and to rife to any thing in this world? The true pains which men take about these things, fhew that they are difficult; only when men have a mind to a thing, and their heart is fet upon it, they do not ftand to complain of the difficulty, but buckle to it, and grapple with it.

Is religion difficult? And what is not fo, that is good for any thing? Is not the law a difficult and crabbed ftudy? Does it not require great labour, and perpetual drudging to excel in any kind of knowJedge, to be mafter of any art or profeffion? In a word, is there any thing in the world worthy the ha ving, that is to be gotten without pains? And is eternal life and glory the only flight and inconfider able thing, that is not worth our care and industry? Is it fit that fo great a good fhould be expofed to the faint and idle wishes, to the cheap and lazy endeavours of flothful men? For what reafon Nay, with what confcience can we bid lefs for heaven and eternal life, than men are contented to give for the things of this world things of no value in compa

rifon, not worthy the toiling for, not fure to be attained by all our endeavours; things which perish in the ufing, and which, when we have them, we are liable to be deprived of by a thou and accidents ? One fit of a fever may fhatter our understandings, and confound all our knowledge, and turn us into fools and idiots ; an inundation or a fire may sweep away and devour our estates a fucceffion of calamities may in a few hours make the richest and greatest man as poor as Job, and fet him upon a dunghill.

But be the difficulty what it will of attaining the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, they are to be fought at any rate; because they are abfolutely neceffary, and we miferable and undone if we have them not.

And therefore, not to diffemble in the matter, the difficulties of religion are confiderable but then they are much greater at first, and will eve ry day abate and grow lefs, and the work by degrees will become eafy, and turn into pleafure and delight; a pleasure fo great, as none knows but he that hath it and he that hath it, would not exchange it for all the fenfual pleafures and enjoyments of this world.

Secondly, Others pretend want of time for the minding of fo great a work. And it is very true, that all perfons have not equal leifure for this purpofe; fome are much more ftraitened than others, and more taken up with the neceffary cares of this life But God hath put no man upon this hard neceffity, that for want of time he fhall be forced to neglect his body and his health, his family and estate, to fave his foul. And yet if any man were brought to this distress, it were well worth his while to fe cure his eternal falvation, though it were with the neglect and lofs of all other things. But thofe who are moft ftraitened for time, have fo much as is ab folutely neceffary: for there is a confiderable part of religion which does not require time, but refolution and care: Not to commit fin, not to break the laws of God, not to be intemperate, to make no provi, fon for the flesh, to fulfill the lufts thereof, does not Spend

fpend time, but faves it for better purposes; fo that every man hath time not to do that which he ought not to do: And for the pofitive part of religion, whether it confifts in the exercife of our minds, or in the external acts of religion: no man is fo diftreffed but he hath time to think of heaven, and eternity; time to love God, to efteem him, and delight in him above all things. And this a man may do very frequently, and very acceptably, while he is Jabouring and travelling about his worldly affairs, while his hand is upon the plough, his heart may be with God; and while he converfeth here upon earth, his thoughts and affections may be in heaven. Every man hath time to pray to God every day, for his mercy and forgiveness, for his grace and affiftance, for his prefervation and fupport, and to thank him heartily for all his bleffings and benefits. And a little time seriously employed in this kind, would have the fame acceptance with God, as the more folemn and longer devotions of those who have more leisure and opportunities for them. To be fure, we have all of us time to ferve God upon his own day, and to employ it wholly in the exercises of piety, and in the care and confideration of our fouls.

I

But this, when all is faid, is the cafe but of very few; most of us have no colour for this complaints non inopes temporis, fed prodigi fumus, (as Seneca fays)

we are not poor, but prodigal of our time, and lavifh it away profufely upon folly and vanity." Our vices and lufts, our pleasures and diverfions, confume and divert thofe precious hours, which should be employed to thefe better purpofes; nay, many times time oppreffeth us, and is a burden to us, and lies upon our hands, and we know not how to get rid of it; and yet we chufe rather to let it run wafte, than to beftow it upon religion, and the care of our fouls; infomuch that I fear this will be the condition of many, that when they were at a lofs what to do with their time, and knew not how to fpend it, they would not lay it out upon that which was beft and most neceffary; for this furely is the

very

very beft ufe that can be made of time, to prepare and provide for eternity.

Thirdly, Others pretend it will be time enough to mind these things hereafter. But this (as bad excufes feldom hang together, and agree with one another) directly contradicts the former pretence, which fuppofeth fo much time neceffary, and more than many have to fpare; and yet now they would make us believe that a very little time will fuffice for this work, and that it may be done at any time, even juft when we are going out of this world. But this, of all other is the ftrangeft interpretation of feeking the kingdom of God, and his righteousness firft, to put it off to the very laft. This furely is a greater error on the other hand, to think that the bufinefs of religion is fo quickly to be dispatched, and that the great work of our lives can be crowded into fo narrow a corner of it, that the time of fickness and old age, nay, the hour of death, well employed to this purpofe, will be fufficient. Alas! what can we then do that is good for any thing? that can in reafon be thought either acceptable to God, or available for ourfelves? When we have not fenfe and understanding enough to difpofe of our temporal concernments, and to make our wills, do we think we shall be fit to repent of the fins and mifcarriages of our whole lives, and to make our peace with God? Every man must not expect to have Saul's fortune, who when he was wearied with feeking his father's affes, met with a kingdom. We must not think when we are tired with purfuing the follies and vanities of this world, to retire into heaven, and to fit down with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God.

Our Saviour hath taken care to caution us against this defperate folly, by a parable to this very purpose, of the foolish virgins, who having trifled away their time till the bridegroom was coming, and neglected to get oil into their lamps, (by which we are to understand all thofe good preparations and difpofitions which are neceffary to qualify us for the kingdom of God) I fay, having neglected their opportu

nity of getting this oil, while they were looking after it too late, the door was fhut against them; they thought to have repaired all at laft, by borrowing of others, and fupplying themselves that way.

And thus many deceive themfelves, hoping to be fupplied out of another ftore, when they have no grace and goodness of their own; out of the treasure of the church, from the redundant merit of the faints, and the works of fupererogation; of which fome believe (I know not for what reafon) that there is a great ftock which the Pope may difpofe of, to fupply those who have taken no care to get oil into their lamps. But I know not for what reafon works of fupererogation are fuppofed; the wife virgins knew not of any merit they had to fpare, it was the foolifh virgins only that entertained this fenfelefs conceit. I am fure the parable infinuates the quite contrary, that the best and holiest perfons (which are reprefented by the wife virgins) have nothing to fpare for the fupply of others, who have been carelefs of their fouls; the foolish faid unto the wife, give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out; but the wife answered, faying, not fo, left there be not enough for us and you, but go ye rather to them that fell, and buy for yourfelves. It feems they had no works of fupererogation that they knew of, but they do ironically fend them to a market that was fet up fomewhere, and where these things were pretended to be fold but how they fped, the conclufion of the parable tells us, that whilft they were running about in great hafte to make this purchase of the merits and good works of others, the bridegroom came, and the wife virgins that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the rest were fhut out.

And there are thofe likewife among ourfelves, who having been carelefs to qualify themfelves for the kingdom of God, hope to be fupplied out of the infinite treasure of Chrift's merits: But this alfo is a vain hope. For though there be merit enough in the death and füfferings of Chrift to fave all mankind, yet no man can lay claim thereto, who does not per form the conditions of the gofpel.

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