ought heaven to be visited with such sighs and longings sent up thither, "O that my ways were directed, to keep thy righteous judgments:" "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." And it should be sought with expectation of good speed and without despair, remembering we are told, if we ask we shall receive; if we seek, we shall find; if we knock, it shall be opened unto us; and that our heavenly Father will much more readily give his Holy Spirit to them that ask, than you would give bread, to your child that calls for it, rather than a stone.

3. When once you find your spirit is become in any measure well inclined, and begins to favour that which is truly good, know yet, that it needs your continual inspection and care, to cherish good principles, and repress evil ones. Your work is not done, as soon as you begin to live; as care about an infant ceases not, as soon as it is born. Let it be therefore your constant business to tend your inward man; otherwise all things will soon be out of course. God hath

coupled delight with the labour of a Christian, not with sloth and neglect of himself. The heart must then be kept with all diligence, or above all keeping, inasmuch as out of it are the issues of life. All vital principles are lodged there; and only the genuine issues, of such as are good and holy, will yield you pleasure. The exercises of religion will be pleasant, when they

are natural and flow easily from their own fountain; but great care must be taken, that the fountain be kept pure. There are other springs besides, which will be apt to intermingle therewith their bitter waters or a root of bitterness, whose fruit is deadly, even that evil thing, the bitter forsaking of the Lord. I wonder not, that they taste little of the delights of religion, who take no heed to their spirits. Such a curse is upon the nature of man, as is upon the ground which was cursed for his sake,-(till the blessing through Jesus Christ take place, even the promise of the Spirit,) that it brings forth naturally thorns and thistles, ad mingles sorrows with his bread. But that promised blessing that will enable a man to eat with pleasure, comes not all at once; nor do the increases of it come on, or the pleasant fruits of righteousness spring up, but in them that give all diligence to add to their faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherlykindness; and to brotherly-kindness, charity:which would make, that we are not barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Otherwise, look in upon thy soul when thou wilt, and thou wilt have no other than the dismal prospect of miserable wastes and desolation. Consider it seriously, wretched man! who tillest thy field but not thy soul, and lovest to

see thy garden neat and flourishing, but lettest thy spirit lie as a neglected thing, and as if it were not thine.

We are directed, for the moderating of our care in our earthly concerns, to consider the lilies, how they grow without their own toil, and are beautifully arrayed without their spinning; but we are taught by no such instances, to divert or remit our care of our inward man. To these concerns let us then apply and bend ourselves; that is, carefully observe the first stirrings of our thoughts and desires; animadvert upon our inclinations as soon as they can come in view, upon our designs in their very formation; and enquire concerning each, whence is it, from a good principle or a bad? whether tends it, to good or hurt? will not this design, if prosecuted, prove an unjustifiable self-indulgence? Does it not tend to an unlawful gratifying of the flesh, and fulfilling some lusts thereof? If so, let it be lopped out of hand, and the axe be laid even to the root; strike at it, favour it not; think with thyself, this, if spared, will breed me sorrow; so much as I give to it, I take away from the comfort of my life, and spend of the stock of my spiritual delight in God: shall I let sin, the tormentor of my soul, live and be maintained at so costly a rate?-If any good inclination discover itself, cherish it, confirm and strengthen it. Look up, and pray down a further quickening influence; say with thyself, now that the heavenly Spirit of Life and Grace begins to breath,—more of this pleasant vital breath, thou blessed and Holy

Spirit! account this a seed time, where light and gladness are to be sown in thy soul,-which are wont to be for the righteous and upright in heart, and promise ere long a joyful harvest.

4. Be frequent and impartial in the actual exercise of gracious principles, or in practising and doing as they direct. Your actual delight arises from, and accompanies your holy actions themselves, and is to be perceived and tasted in them; not in the mere inclination to them, which is not strong enough to go forth into act. As these principles are more frequently exercised, they grow more lively and vigorous, and will thence act more strongly and pleasantly; so that your delight in doing good will grow with the principles it proceeds from.

a

But then you must be impartial and evenhanded herein, as well as frequent; and run the whole compass of that duty which belongs to you as a Christian. Exercise yourself (as we find the direction is) unto godliness, and in such acts and parts of godliness chiefly, as may be the exercise of the mind and spirit, in opposition to the bodily exercise (whether severities imposed upon, or performances that require the ministry of that grosser part) to which this nobler kind of exercise is justly preferred. Turn the powers of your soul upon God. Act seasonably the several graces of the Spirit, that terminate directly upon him; let none grow out of use; at some times repentance, at others faith, now

a 1 Tim. iv. 7.

your love, then your fear; none of these are placed in you or sanctified in vain. Retire much with God; learn and habituate yourselves to secret converse with him; contemplate his nature, attributes and works for your excitation to holy adoration, reverence and praise. Be much exercised in the open solemnities of his worship; there endeavouring, that though your inward man bear not the only part, it may bear the principal part. How delightful a thing is it, to be paying actual avowed homage to the great Lord of heaven and earth before angels and men!

Never think your religious and devotional exercises can acquit you, or supply the want and excuse the absence of sobriety and righteousness. Exercise a just authority over yourselves. Keep your imagination, passions and sensitive appetite under due restraint, so as to be moderate in your desires and enjoyments, patient as to your wants and sufferings: do to others as you would be done unto: study common good: endeavour, so far as your capacity can extend, that all about you may be the better for you; forbear and forgive the injurious, relieve the necessitous, delight in good men, pity the bad, be grateful towards friends, mild and unrevengeful towards enemies, just towards all abhor to do not only a dishonest but even a mean or unworthy act, for any self-advantage and all this out of an awful and dutiful respect to God, by which the ordinary actions of your life may become as so many acts of religion, or be directed and influenced thereby, tinctured as it were with the savour of godliness. Pass