think it. 'Tis a fpecial policy of Satan's to do Sunday as the fpies did, Numb. xxiii. 28. bring up an XVII. ill report upon this good land, this ftate of Chriftian life, thereby to difcourage us from entring into it, to fright us with I know not what giants we fhall meet with; but let us not thus be cheated, let us but take the courage to try, and we fhall indeed find it a Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. God is not in this refpect to his people a wilderness, a land of darkness, Jer. ii. 31. His fervice does not bereave men of any true joy, but helps them to a great deal: Chrift's yoke is an eafy, nay, a pleasant yoke, his burden a light, yea, a gracious burden. There is in the practice of Chriftian Duties a great deal of prefent pleafure, and if we feel it not, it is becaufe of the refiftance our vicious and finful customs make, which, by the contention, raises an uneafiness. But then, firft, that is to be charged only on our felves, for having got thofe ill customs, and thereby made that hard to us, which, in it felf is most pleasam; the Duties are not to be accufed for it. And then, fecondly, even there, the pleasure of fubduing those ill habits, overcoming thofe corrupt customs, is such, as hugely outweigheth all the trouble of the combat. 21. But it will perhaps be faid, that fome Even when they parts of piety are of fuch a nature, as will be expofe us very apt to expofe us to Perfecutions and Suf. to out ferings in the world; and that thofe are not ferings. joyous, but grievous. I answer, ward Suf Sunday I answer, That even in those there is matter: XVII. of joy. We fee the Apostles thought it fo;; They rejoyced that they were counted worthy to Suffer for Chrift's name, Acts v. 41. And St.Peter tells us, That if any man fuffer as a Chriftian, he is to glorify God for it, 1 Pet. iv. 16. There is fuch a force and virtue in the teftimony of a good confcience, as is able to change the greateft fuffering into the greatest triumph, and that testimony we can never have more clear and lively, than when we fuffer for righteousness fake; fo that you fee Chriftianity is very amiable, even in its faddeft drefs, the inward comforts of it do far furpafs all the outward tribulations that attend it, and that even in the inftant, while we are in the state of warfare. upon earth. But then, if we look forward to the crown of our victories, those eternal rewards in Heaven, we can never think thofe tasks fad, though we had nothing at present to fweeten them, that have fuch recompenfes. await them at the end: Were our labours never fo heavy, we could have no caufe to faint under them. Let us therefore, whenever we meet with any difcouragements in our course, fix our eye on this rich prize, and then run with patience the race which is fet before us, Heb. xii. 2. follow the Captain of our falvation through the greatest Sufferings, yea, even through the fame red fea of blood which he hath waded, whenever our obedience to him fhall require it; for tho our fidelity to him fhould fhould bring us to death it felf, we are fure to Sunday beno lofers by it; for to fuch he hath promifed XVII. a crown of life, the very expectation whereof is able to keep a Chriftian more chearful in his fetters and dungeon, than a worlding can be in the midst of his greatest profperities. God. 22. All that remains for me farther to add, The Dan is earnestly to intreat and befeech the reader, d laying our that without delay, he put himself into this fourning to pleafant and gainful a course, by fetting fincerely to the practice of all thofe things, which, either by this Book, or by any other means, he difcerns to be his duty: And the farther he hath formerly gone out of his way, the more hafte it concerns him to make to get into it, and to use the more diligence in walking in it. He that hath a long journey to go, and finds he has loft a great part of his day in a wrong way, will not need much intreaty, either to turn into the right, or to quicken his pace in it. And this is the cafe of all those that have lived in any course of fin, they are in a wrong road, which will never bring them to the place they aim at: Nay, which will certainly bring them to the place they most fear and abhor much of their day is spent, how much will be left to finish their journey in, none knows, perhaps the next hour, the next minute, the night of death may overtake them; what a madness is it then for them to defer one moment to turn out of that path, which leads to certain deftruction, and to put themselves in that, ; Bunday which will bring them to blifs and glory? Yet XVII. fo are men bewitched and inchanted with the deceitfulness of fin, that no intreaty, no perfuafion can prevail with them, to make this fo reasonable, fo neceffary a change; not but that they acknowledge it needful to be done, but they are unwilling to do it yet; they would enjoy all the pleafures of fin as long as they live, and then they hope at their death, or fome little time before it, to do all the bufinefs of their fouls. But, alas! Heaven is too high to be thus jumped into, the way to it is a long and leafurely afcent, which requires time to walk. The hazards of fuch deferring are more largely fpoken of in the Difcourfe of Repentance. Ifhall not here repeat them, but defire the reader feriously to lay them to heart, and then furely he will think it feasonable counfel that is given by the Wife man, Ecclus. v. 7. Make no tarrying to turn to the Lord, and put not off from day to day. PRIVATE |