nually; Do I believe an Enemy, that threatens to break my head when he meets me, and fhall not I believe that God that feeds me, and protects me, and knows all things, and can do all things, and never intended me any harm, but hath given me fuch evidences of his kind inclinations to me, that I must deny my own Being, if I question his willingness to have me come to the knowledge of the truth? I chufe a prefent agony to keep off an after-evil, and am content to prolong torment, fo I may but prolong this Mortal Life; and fhall not I, to avoid those endless tortures, mortifie a filly Luft, fubdue my extravagant Defires, and inflict fo much Penance on my self, as to cashier all darling and bofome Iniquities? What means my Conscience ? it's not quiet under all the pleasures of Sin; It's ready to accuse me; when it gets me alone, it twitches me, I find it is a hard matter to rock it afleep; and when I think it's faft, like a Giant it awakes again, and frights me with flashes of the next World's flames; and shall I break through all thofe Funeral Torches to invade Damnation? Do what I can, it wounds me, lashes me, tears me, and like fome Blood-hound follows me, and I condemn my felf before any Creature accufes me; it's not to be bribed with Money, not to be hush'd with threatnings, not to be tyed with Cords, not to be bound with Ropes, and. Lord, fhall not I fuffer my felf to be taken Captive by the King of Saints! Such Expoftulations, if the heart be not all Rock

and

and Adamant, cannot but startle the Sinner in his Licentioufnefs, make him ftamp with his feet, and force him into other refolutions; which is the third Ingredient of this great Art, Confideration.

III. Strong Refolution. This is the neceflary confequent of the preceding Expoftulations, if they be ferious, and not used only out of Formality; and the Soul, that is by this time stung into a fenfe of its danger, and cries out, Lord, what have I done? will foon fall from thence into fuch refolutions as thefe: Does the Cafe ftand thus, and muft my finful life expire into the Worm that dies not? muft my Frolicks die into endless howlings? and muft my sport of fin be crusht into never-dying anguish? and my wilful contempt and neglect of God's will, be turned into Chains of darkness for ever? Is it fo as God hath told me ? (and why should he tell me fo, if it were not fo? why should he fright me with painted fire? and how could it confift with his Wisdom and Integrity to deceive me with Bugbears and Chimera's?) If this be the fate of a finful life, then tell me no more of Dalila's, tell me no more of Impediments, or Excufes, or Delays. If this be the fearful Exit of Senfuality and Irreligioufnefs, there is no dallying with fin, I'll get rid of it, what ever it coft me; I'll hearken to its foft Airs no longer; I'll be charm'd no more with the lovely looks of that Harlot its curious Dreffes, its treacherous

Glances

.

Glances fhall commit a Rape upon my Affections no longer. I will not for a few jolly hours neglect my eternal fafety; Eternity is not a thing to be made light of; I believe there is fuch a thing, and why fhould I be fuch a Changeling as not to provide for it with all imaginable care and industry? I am gone. Farewel Applaufe and Greatness of the World. Farewel ye little shooting flames of fenfual pleasures, which serve only to delude, not to revive or enlighten an Immortal Soul. Farewel Cards and Dice, and all thofe Trinkets of the Devil, whereby befotted Men lose their time, and peace; Time, what can be more coftly? Peace, what can be of greater value? Farewel Fine Cloaths, and richer Habits, which ferved only to feed Pride and Luxury. Pride, what can be liker the Devil? Luxury, what can be more unmanly? Farewel Oftentation and Vain-glory, for which I have so often facrificed not only my Wealth, but my Reft and Quiet too. Farewel Applaufe, and Acclamations of the giddy Crowd, which have fwell'd, and blown up my heart so often, and made me enamour'd with my finful felf. Farewel my old Acquaintance, that cocker'd and help'd to please those Lufts I now abhor. Farewel ye dangerous Friends, that would have dragg'd me into Hell, and would have had me kind to you even into eternal Fire. Farewel unhappy Men, who would have had me venture on that burthen of God's anger, which Devils cannot bear, and tempted me to be mi

ferable

ferable for companies fake; I must either have no peace with God, or none with you. The friendship of God and the World are incompatible, and would you have me leave my God, my Happiness, my Joy, my Comfort, my Refuge, my hiding Place, my Riches, my Treafure, to follow you to a place of endless Torments? I fee through all these Cobwebs ; I see, I see what all your Follies will come to; I am convinc'd, that if there be a Happiness hereafter, as I am perfwaded there is, the course ye take, cannot be the way to that Paradife. Moleft me no more, it is in vain. I'll be chous'd no more; feek out Arguments, find out flatteries, make your motives as ftrong as you please, as cogent as you can, but with me they hall not prevail. Here they fhall find no harbour. I'll have nothing to do with thefe Pyrates. They have been ready to fink my Veffel. They had fwallowed me up quick, if God had not been on my fide. They had devour'd me, if God had not watch'd over me. I thank thee, O God, that thou haft not taken away my life with Sinners: I will climb Mount Sion, I'll afcend God's Holy Hill; I'll be kept in Mefech, in the Tents of Kedar, no longer. Lift up your heads, O ye Gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting Doors! I'll enter; I will force my way through all the Impediments of this flattering World. What should hinder me? Shall tribulation, or diftrefs, or perfecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or Sword? Thefe can but kill the Body, E

but

but I have an immortal Soul to fave! if I fecure that, I fecure all; and I will fecure it whatever it coft me. I will not act contrary to my own perfuafions any more: I am perfuaded that all my worldly glories will have a period, and that they contribute nothing to my real happiness. 'Tis a practical fervent love of God that muft make me happy; this is it must entitle me to God's everlasting Mercies; this I believe, this I am confident of, according to this faith I'll act. God holds out a Crown to me, and shall I be dull and lazy under that glorious profpect? I fee the Royal Diadem afar off, leap out, O my Soul, to reach it, it's worth labouring, it's worth wrestling, it's worth fweating and toiling day and night. See, fee, how to get Bread, the poor Miner digs in a dark and lonely Vault, while the works over his head threaten him with falling in every hour, and crushing him to death: And fhall I fear dangers, in ftriving to be abundantly fatisfied for ever with the fatness of God's Houfe? I fee a City which hath Foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God; I behold afar off a Houfe made without Hands, eternal in the Heavens. Farewel temptations, farewel corrupt deceitful heart, I'll believe thy falfe fuggestions no longer, I have a furer word of Prophecy to lay hold of. How often haft thou taught me to cover my fins with plausible names, that I might not be forc'd to leave them? What? Will the Almighty be blinded with foft Titles? Is he afleep like Baal, or

gone