Chap. XIV. Of H EAY EN. Temperance and Challity' as hurtful to the Body, _as Luxury and Lafcivioufr1efs, the cff<.:ntial pares of Carnid Felicity? Ho\V miferable IS Man when tl.JC Heart is nm{ with · numbcrlds Vanities, the Afft:'B:ions difiraCted Qetween varioUs O,bJeas! bow q_uiet ~nd eompoled, when the Heart is united to God as the fupreme Good , and the Aflet\ions JOY• fully confpire in his Service! Can it then be pretended that the Yoke of Chi'ill is heavy, and his Law hard? Or are his Promifes uncertam, and h1s Reward fma!J? No, /J1s Com· mimds are not grievous ; in the keeping them there is a great Reward, a prefent Paradife. Rcljgion will make us happy hereafter in the enjoyment of God, and happy here in obe· ( <liencc to his ljoly ,Will. Such,B !1is Goodnefs, that our Duty al)d Happincfs_ are the f.1me. But it will be fa id, That the Go.fpelrequires '" to pluck out the right Eye, and to wt off :~'J,J;:, ';':;l; p,;;p~ft~~:;:~;~; J.~t.;JH;;;:f,,; ~~~~tw:·:~ 'b::7frn~;'q";tJ:/•Jh, and To thrs I anfwer : 'Tis true, the human Nature in this depraved State, only relillies fuch Obje[\s as plea. fantly inlinuate with the Carn;i! Senfes, and 'tis bitter as Death to bind up the Affections from them. But Grace gives a new Divine Nature 10 'the So11l, and makes iteafy toab- !lain from flefhl y Lulls. To make this more clear by a fenfible Inllancc : Suppofe a difeafed Perfon, wbofe Stomach is opprelfed with corrupt Humours, and his Throat and Mouth fo heated with Choler and continual Thirll, that he thinks it .impoffible, tho for his Life, to ab/lain from immoderate Drinking. If a Phyfician by feme powerful Me. dicine cleanfes the 'Stomach, and tempers the internal Heat, he then can eafily reftrain himfclf from Exce(s. Thus a Carnal Man that is full of fa!fe Efiimations, and irregu. lar DeGres, wh.ile there are Pleafures without, and Paffions unfubducd within, tho his Salvation depends on it, thinks it impoffible to rellrain the exorbitant. Appetites of Flefh and Blood. The Gentt!es thought tt }/range, Chrij/tans did not run rvlth them to the fame excefs of I<iot. But Divine Grace fo clarifies and enlightens the Mind, fa purifies and elevates the Affections, that 'tis not only poffible, but ea lie to abllain from un)awful Pleafures. St.Atij/inbefore hisComierfion was allonifh'd, that many in the vigour of Youth, and in a frail World lived challly; and reflecting upon himfelf, was encouraged by this Thought, rhat which fueh and fuch obferve, why lha\1 it be impoffibleto me ro obferve? and upon ferious trial, by the profperous influence of Heaven, was a Conqueror over all carnal Temptations. Nay after his holy Change, the W.ithholding his Heart from vicious Q_u;tm fuav_e Delights, was in~xpreffibly more fwcet than his foriJ:er_ enjoying of them. And are ~~~f~~s ffii:~· there not many vrlible examples of holy heavenly Chn!l~ans, to whom grolfer fenfual Pleafures are unfavory andcontemptible? You may as well tell the number of the Stars, as of thofe who have practrfed Relrg1on rn rts !lnctnefs and punty, and by therrenlight· ned Converfations drrected us in the way to Heaven. And · are their Bodies tal/en from the Vein of a Rock, and not compofed of Flefh and Blood as well as others? Are their ~he~~~~r!11~ee~:~;;;~s ~r~~e~h;~~P~~ffi~~e~~~~~j~as~Ya;x\~~-~~:v~e:;w~;~~: i ~~~ they are alrve, and fenlible of thofe thrngs that ravrfh the AftCtbons of carnal Men, but by the power of Grace defpifcand overcome them. And this Grace is of!ered in the Gof. pel to all that lincerely defire it, fo that 'tis a vain wretched pretence that Religion binds· to hard Service. · To the other part of the Objection,that fometimes Religion expofes the Profclfors of it to heavy ~ufferin~s, I anfwcr; Ind~ed t~1e Gofpcl is plain and peremptory in this, if we will rrign wzth Chrijl, we mujl (ujfor wtth lum, when we are called forth tO g1ve a noble rcfiimony to his Truth. 'Tis no extraordinary Elevation, no point of Pcrfe£tion, but the duty of every Chrillian to be always ready in the difpofit ion and refolurion of his Mind, to facrifice his Life when the honour of Chri ll requires it. llut 'tis no hard condition to fufi%:~~n~fn~u~~~~~if~s ~;d~~~~~:a:J,i~~gwae%a!lbei~~~:;~~litK;it~o ~~~ ~~;.~.ma~~~o:.;~: ny Chrillians ellceme~ themfelves honoured in the Difgrace, add blclfed in the Injuries they fuffered for Chrill, and wirh an invincible Patience, and alloni01ing Joy, endured ~~eP~i~~ a~~~o~~~~~c?~':cs;~~~a~~~;?:v~~~~na~d~~~:~n~~~~ r~3luWe~·~~~c;~:s0~v~~~~~~~ by ~he determination of the rational Will, upon the account of their Duty, and the Reward attending it. They gave a moll convrncing fcnlible Tellimony how much more valuable Heaven is, than thrs prefent World, willingly cxpoling themlcl\'cS to all Evil here, •nd rejo;ci~g in hope of a glorious Ilfue. Zzz I a
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