Sern.. LXX. ChrifhianLife confider'd. he commands us to work out our own Salvation, he tells us for our Encouragement that he himfelf works in as both towill and to do,; he does not bid us to be firong in our own firength, for he knows we have no firength of our own, but to be flrong in the Lord, and in the power of his might ; and what may not even a weak Creature do, that,is fo powerfullyaffifted ? Ifwe will but makeufe ofthis ftrength, nothing can be too hard for us. All that God expeás from us is, That we fhould comply with the motions of his Spirit, and be as fincere in the Ufe òf our own endeavours, as he is in the offers of his Grace and Afl.ïfiance. z. Let us confider, That the greateft Difficulties are at firft ; 'tis but making one manful Onfet, and fuftaining the firft Brunt, and the Difficulties will abate and grow lets, and our ftrength will every day increafe and grow more. Thé Gate is /trait : but when we have once got through it ourfeet willbe fet in an open place. After force ftruggling to get through, we fhall every day find our (elves at more Eafe and Liberty. It will be very hard at firft, to malter our vicious Inclinations, to change the habit of our Minds, and the courfeof our Lives, and to ad contrary to what we have been long accuftomed: but this Trouble lafts but for a little while ; thefe Pangs of the New -Birth, tho' they be fhàrp, yet they are not ufually oflong continuance. It does indeed require great Refolution and firmnefs of Mind, to Encounter the firft Difficulties óf Religion : but if we can but Rand it out for one brunt, our Enemy will give Way, and the pleafure of Viáorywill tempt us on. It is trou- blefom to confliEt with great. Difficulties, and Men are loth to be brought to it: but when we are engaged, it is one of the greateft pleafures in the world to pre- vail and Conquer. Many Men ire loth tcrgo to Wàr ; but after a littleSìiccefs, they are as loth to give over; that which was a terror to them at firft, turns in- to a pleafure. 3. Confider that Cullom will make any courfe of life tolerable, and molt things eafie. Religion, and the pra0ticeof a Holy Life is difficult at firft : but af- ter we are once habituated to it, the trouble will wear offby degrees, andthat which was grievous will become eafie ; nay by degrees, much more pleafane than ever the contrarypradicewas. We fee the dailyExperience of this, in the moft difficult and laborious Employments of this world ; a little Pains tires a Man at firft, but when he is once feafoned and inured to 'Labour, Idlenefs be- comes more tedious and troublefom to him than the hatdeft Work. Cuftom will make any thing eafie tho' it be a little unnatural. Nothing is more unnatu- ral thanSin ; 'tis not according to our Original Nature and Frame, but it is the Corruption and Depravation of it, a fecond Native fuperinducéd upon usby Cu- flora : whereas the pra6tice of Holinefs and Virtue is agreeable to our Original and Primitive State , and Sin and Vice are the perverting of Nature, contrary toour Reafon, and the dfign ofour Beings, and to all Obligations ofDuty and Intereft: But by returning to God andourDuty, we return to our Primitive State, we adNaturally, and according to the intention of our Beings ; and when the force of a contrary Cuftom is taken off, andthe fiiafs clapton the other fide, wé fhall run the ways ofGod's Commandment's withmore delight and fatisfaétion, than e- ver we found inthe Ways ofSin. For Sin is a violence upon our Natures, and that is always uneafie, yet it is made mere tolerable by Cuftom: but Religion reflores Men to their riatúral State, and then we are at eafe and refl. Religion is at firft ayoke acidburthen :but unlefs we take thisupon us, we (hall neverfind reis' tò our Souls. 4thly and la/tly, Confider the Rewardthat Religion propounds, and this tnuft needs fweeten and mitigate all the Troubles And difficulties that are occafioneci by it. This firait gatethrough which we mitt enter ; and this erággyAnii which wd are to climb up, lëads tò Life , and he is a lazy than indeed, that will not ftrivé and ftruggle for Life. All that a Mancan do, he will do for his Life, for this mi- ferable Life which is fo fhort and uncertain, and born to trouble as the f arksfly ri¡i- wards; a Life not worth the having, notworth the keeping with any great care and trouble, if it were not in order to ä better and happier life. But 'tis nòt this lifewhich our Saviour meads; that indeed were not worth all this ftriving for: 'TÌ 525
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