54 Virct/. I3· I>ireUions for you1~ Chrijtillns. Djrect. 13: K Now th.rt true Godlinefi iJ the Btft Life upon Ea~th, and the on/;1 JPay to perfta _ Hajpinrfr: Still apprebmd it therefore, andV[e it a1 the hejl: and rritb great d;Jj,,tnce rcfift tlJo[t 1~mptatiom wbicb -aoultl. makf it Jcem to you a confou;zdjng gricvozu or u»plr~f.znt tbing. · Godlinefi ~- r. There are all things coocurrent in a Holy life, to make it the moll delectable life on what. eanh, t? a ration~l purified mind, rhar is not captiyated to the fldh, and liveth nor on Airor Dung. The ObJeCt of it IS the E.urnal God himfelf; che lnfaUible 1ruth, the only {utilf•{/ory Good; and all thefe condefcending and appearing to us, in the myfierious, but fuitable gla!s of a Medi:zter Re.. deeming, Reconciling, reaching, gove~ning, fanClifyjng, juftif)'ing and glqrifying all that are his'own. The Endofit is che pleafing and glorifying of our Maker,Redecmcr and Sandilier; and che everlalling happinefs of our fclves and others; The Rule of it is the infallible Revelation of God, delivered to the Church by hi• Prophets, and his Son, and his Apofiles, and comprhed in the Holy Scriptures and fealed by the Miracles and operations of the Holy Gholl chat did indite them. The "'"~(_ ofGodli– nefs is. a li_vin~ unto God , and .preparin? for cverlafiing life,. by fore[eeing, for.etafiing, feeking and re)Oycmg 111 that endlefs Happmefs wh!Ch we fhall have wuh God; and by walking afier the Spirit, and avoiding the filthim:fs, delufions and vexations of the world and the tkt11. Thf nature of man is not Clpable of a more noble, profitable and delectable life, than this which God hach called us to by his Son. And if we did but rightly know it, we fho~ld follow it wi~h continual alacrity and del1ght. Be fure thucforc to concetve ofGodlmefs asH 1s, and not as 1t ts mif-rcprefenred by the Devil and che ungodly. Read what I have wriltCn of this in my [ .4S•im or aBrNte. J 9· 2. As long as a man conceivech ofReligion as ~t is, even the mol! fweet and delectable life fi> Ion~ he will follow it willingly and with his heart, and defpife the temptations and avocation; of fldhly gain and pleafure: He will befincere, as not being only drawn by other men, or outward ad... vantages, nor frightned Into it by a paffion of fearfulneCs , b~t loving Religion for it felf, and for its excellent ends : And then he will be chearful in all the duties , and under all the fulferiugs and ditlicultits of it.: And he will be moll likely tdferfevere unto the end. We cannot expect that che Heart or Will fl10uld be any more for God and GodlineCs, than che llnderfianding pradica,lly appre- ' hendeth them ~ Good. Nay, we muft alwayes perceive in them a tranfcendent GoodneJr, above all that is to be found in a worldly life : Or elfe the 1ppearing Goodnefs of the Creature,will divert us and carry away our minds: We may fee in the very Brutes, what a power apprcbenfion harh upon their a{ii.nJ. If your Horfe be but going to his home or pafiure, how freely will he go through thid< and thin? but if he go ultrviUingly, his travell is trolfhlcfome and flow, and yo" have rnuch ado to get him . on. It will be fo with you in your way to Heaven. 9· 2· It is therefore the principal delign of rhe Devil, to hide the Goodneft and Pleafantnefs ofRe– ligion from you ; and to make it appear to you as a terrible or tedious life. By this meam it is that he ~erps men from it : and by this means he is Jlill endeavouri~g to draw you back again, and frufirate your good beginningsan~ your hopes.. If he can thus Ini~·reprefeut Religion ro your un– dedhndings ; he will fuddenly alienate your WJlls and corrupt your hv~s, and make you turn to the world again, and feekfor pieafurc focttcwhereelfe, and only take- up wllh fome heartlefslip-fervice to keep up fame deceitful hope of being faved. And the means which Satan ufeth to theft ends, ar~ fuch as chefe. How Sa"n 9· 3• I· He will do his worll tooverwhelm you with appearing douhlf and difficultiu, and bring wou!~ make you to a loft, and to make Religion feern to you a confounding, and not a fotHfying thing. This is Religtonfeem one of his mofi dangerousaffaults upon the weak and young beginners. DiffimJties and Paf!ionJ are }~G~~i::~~= the.things which he makes ufe o~ to confound ~ou, .and put you out of a regula~ chec.rful_ feeking offal~ pleafan: vatton. When you read the Scrtpturu he wtll rnmd yqu of abundance of ~;jiculuu mall you read thing. . or hear. He will Jhew you feerning contradillions: and tell you that you wt!J never be able to un· ': By dillicul- derlland thefe things. He will call in thoughts of Unbelief and Blafphemy, and caufe you, ifhe can, tl~s. to'"owl them in your mind : If you call: them not out with abhorrence, bur difpute with the Devil> he hopes to prove too hard at leall for fuch children and unprovided Souldim as you: And if rou do reject chem and refufe to difpute it with him, he will fometime tell you that your caufe is naught, or e!fe you need not be afraid to think of all that can be hid again{\ it; and this way he gets ad– vantage of you todraw you to unbelief: And if you fcape better than fo, at leait he will moleft and terrifie you with the hideoufnefs o! his temptacions; and make you to chink ·that you are forfoi{en of G,d, becaufe fuch b!afphemous thoughts have been fo often in your minds: And thus he will one while tempt you to blajphemy, and another while affright and torment you with the thoxghtJ of fuch temptations. 9· 4• So alfo in the lludy of other g"dBoo Jr.!, he will tempt you to fi>< upon all that feems diffi– cUlt to you, and there to confound and perplex your felves; And in your Mcditatioll.r, he will feek to make all to tend, but to confound and overwhelm you l keeping I\ill either lmd or fearful things, be– fore your eyes; or breaking and fcatteringyqur thoughts in pieces, that )'OU cannot reduce them ro any order, nor fet them together, nor make any thing of them , nor drive them ro any ddirl~le end. So in your prayers he would fain confuund you, either with fears, or with doubtful anO ·di· firacting thoughts about God, or your fins, or the matter or manner of your duty, or quefiioning whether your prayers will be heard. And fo in your fflJ.examination, he will Hill feek to pxzzle you, and leave you more in darknefs than you began, and make you afraid of looking homeward, or
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