2.26 A)enynon 2, feared at, becaufe of its difficulty :; for the mat excel.. lent duties, that have the greateft influence on the pra- &ice of godlinefs, that ftrike moll at the body of death, and are moil difcriminating chara&ers of the godly, when fuitably difcharged, are ordinarily moll difficult; and we would love them the better, and prefer them in Tome refpe& to others that are more eafy, and which hypocrites and mere formalifls may go about : And indeed fuch a one is this (as hath been fhewed) and therefore we have the greater reafon to preis towards the pra &ice of it. idly, We would fay, That, tho' it be difficult, yet ye would effay it ; and if ye do fo ferioufly, and in the flrength of Chrift, ye will find it go far bet- ter, and more eat ly with you, than poffibly ye expe&. And the truth is, that, as to thefe duties that are more inward and fpiritual, that which is called for from us, is our effaying of and putting hand to them, and feri- oufly neceffitating ourfelves to it; which, if we do, we have them, and this in particular laid before us, in the promife ; as, Ezek. 16. 63. That thou mayft remem- ber and be confounded, &c. and 36. 31. Then 'hall ye re- member your own evil ways, and doings that were not good, &c. And fo particularly we come to (peak, in the fecond place, of the diretlions and helps for making it eafy ; the if1 whereof is this, That we would effay it with an eye to the promo e ; for indeed this and all °other duties ly in promifes : And albeit we cannot pray a- right without the Spirit, yet we will effay it on this ac- count ; even fo should we do, as to this duty, how dif- ficult 'Dever it may be. adly, and yet fomewhat more particularly, We would endeavour to have a lober, fe- rious and fan&iiied frame, in the undertaking and pro - fecuting of this duty. When our fpirits are carnal and difcompofed, and when there is a noife and clamour of worldly lufis fwarming within us, it is no great wonder, though we effay it, that it go not with us, but mifcarry in our hand : We would therefore abfira&, and com- pote ourfelves, as in God's pretence, and fludy to have our hearts in a fan&ified frame; as the Church doth, Lament. 3. 28, 29. fitting alone, and keeping filence with a flopped mouthy We would table and flate our- felves'
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