Serin. LXX. Chrifiian Life confider'd. . z. In our Chriflian Courfe, we mud likewife expe& to meet with greatQp- pofition from without. Bleffed be God, Chriftianity hath generally been for ma- ny Ages free from this Difficulty, which attended the firfi Profeffion of it ; it was then indeed a very fleep and craggy way, very rough and thorny, not to be travelled in without Sweat and Blood ; then the Dangers and Hazards"of that Profeffion were fuch, as were not to be encountered by a mere moral Refolution, and the natural Strength of Flefh and Blood ; the Perfecution that attended it was fo hot, and the Torments which threatned it fo terrible, that the fenfuai and inconfiderate part of Mankind would rather venture Hell at a diflance, than run themfelves upon fo prefent and evident a Danger. But fnce thefe Ages of Perfecution, this Difficulty hath been in a great'mea- fure removed. Not but that the true Religion bathHill its Enemies in theWorld ; but they are not let lode, as they were in thofe Times ; It is dill Perfecuted and expofed to the Malice and Reproach, but not to the Rage and Fury of Unrea- fonable Men. In the calmed Times there is hardly any Man can be a drift and fincere Chridian, without being liable toHatred and Contempt, without deny- ing himfelf many of thofe worldly Advantages, which thofe who make no Con- fciènce of the dri& Laws of Chrtdianity may make to; themfelves ; fo that at all times it requires a good degree of Condancy and Refolution to perfevere a Holy Courfe, and to bear up againd the Oppofition of the World, and to with- Rand its Temptations, to be harnilefsand blamelefs in the midit ofa crookedand per- verfe Nation ; not to be infe&ed with the eminent and frequentExamples ofVice, and carryed down with the dream of ,a corrupt anddegenerate Age. So that tho' our Difficulties be not always the fame, and euqal to thole which the Pri- mitive Chridians encountered, yet there is enough to exercife our bed Refoluti,- on and Care ; tho the main Body of the Enemies of Chridianity be broken, and the Sons ofAnak be deftroyedout of the Land ; yet fome of the old Inha titans areHill left, to be Thorns in our Sides, and Pricks in our Eyes, that true Religion mayal- ways have fomething to exercife its Force and Vigor upon. I have done with the firft Point, the Difficulties ofa Chridian Courfe. I proceed to the Second, The earned endeavour that is to be.ufed on our Part, for the conquer, ing of thefe Difficulties. And to the bufinefs of Religion, ifwe will Pet upon it in good earned, thefe three things are required. tft. A mighty Refolution to engage us in a Holy and Chridian,Go!arfe zdly. Great diligence and induttry to carry us on in it. idly. An invincible Condancy to carry us through it, and make us perfevere in it to the end: rft. A mightyRefolution to engage us in a Holy and Good Courfe. Forwant of this, mod Men mifcarry and (tumble at the very Threfhold, and never get through theftrate Gait, never mailer the Difficulties of the firft Entrance. Many ate well difpofed towardsReligion, and have fits of good Inclination that way,. (efpecially in their young and tender Years) but they want firmnefs of Refoluti- on to conquer the Difficulties of the fird entrance upon a religious and virtuous, Life ;, like the Young Man that came to our Saviour, Well inclined to do Tome goodthing, that hemight inherit Eternal Life; but when it came to the Point, he gave back, he was divided betwixt Chrift and the World, and had not Refolution enough topart with allfor him. Many Men ( I doubt not) have frequeet Thoughts and Dgliberations about a better Courfe of Life, and are in a -good Mind to take up, and break offthat lewd and .riotous Courfe they are in ; but they cannot bring themfelves to a fixt Purpofe and Refolution : and yet without this nothing is to be done, the double mindedMan is unftable in all his ways. There mud be no IndiWerency and Irre- folutenefs in our Minds, if we will be Chriftians; we mud not flop at the Gate, but refolve to press in. We fee that Men can take up peremptory Refolutions in other matters, to be rich and great in the World, and they can be true and fled- fait to thefe Refolutions; and why fhould not Men refolve to be Wife andHappy, and land to thefe Refolutions and make them good ? God is more ready to allift and drengthen thefe kind ofRefolutions than anyother; and I am flare !- Man hath. X x x z fo 523
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