3dly, An invincible conftancy to carry us through it, and make us perfevere in it to the end.

ft, A mighty refolution to engage us in a holy and good course. For want of this molt men mif carry and ftumble at the very threshold, and never get through the ftrait gate, never mafter the difficulties of the first entrance. Many are well difpofed towards religion, and have fits of good inclination that way, (especially in their young and tender years) but they want firmnefs of refolution to conquer the difficulties of the first entrance upon a religious and virtu ous life like the young man that came to our Saviour, well inclined to do fome good thing, that he might 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 to part with all for him.

Many men (I doubt not) have frequent thoughts and deliberations about a better courfe of life, and are in a good mind to take up, and break off that lewd and riotous courfe they are in; but they cannot bring themselves to a fixt purpose and refolution: and yet without this nothing is to be done, the double minded man is unftable in all his ways. There must be no indifferency and irrefolutenefs in our minds, if we will be Chriftians; we must not stop at the gate, but refolve to prefs 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 ftedfaft to these resolutions; and why should not men refolve to be wife and happy, and stand to these refolutions, and make them good? God is more ready to affift and ftrengthen these kind of refolutions than any other; and I am fure no man hath fo much reafon to refolve upon any thing, as to live a holy and virtuous life; no other refolution can do a man that good, and bring him that comfort and happiness that this will.

2dly, The bufinefs of religion, as it requires a mighty refolution to engage us in a holy and good courfe, fo likewife a great diligence to carry us on in it. When we are got through the ftrait gate, we

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must account to meet with many difficulties in our way; there are in the courfe of a Chriftian life many duties to be performed, which require great pains and care; many temptations to be refifted, which will keep us continually upon our guard; a great part of the way is up hill, and not to be climbed without labour; and the fcripture frequently calls upon us, to work out our falvation with fear and trembling; that is, with great care and induftry; to give all diligence to make our calling and election fure; to follow holiness; diner, to purfue it with great earneftness. Nothing in this world that is of value, is to be had on other terms ; and we have low thoughts of heaven, if we think any pains too much to get thither.

3dly, The bufinefs of religion requires an invincible conftancy to carry us through it, and to make us perfevere in it to the end. Refolution may make a good entrance; but it requires great conftancy and firmness of mind to hold out in a good courfe. A good refolution may be taken up upon a prefent heat, and may cool again; but nothing but a conftant and fteady temper of mind will make a man perfevere ; and yet without this, no man fhall ever reach hea ven. He that continueth to the end fhall be faved; but if any man draw back, God's foul will have no pleas fure in him. God puts this cafe by the Prophet, and determines it, Ezek. xviii. 24. When the righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, shall be live ? all his righteousness that he hath done, fhall not be mentioned in his trespass that he hath trefpaffed, and in his fin that he hath finned, in them he shall dy; nay, fo far will his righteoufnefs be from availing him, if he do not perfevere in it, that it will render his condition much worse, to have gone fo far towards heaven, and at laft to turn his back upon it. So St. Peter tells us, 2 Pet. ii. 20, 21. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, they are again intangled therein, and overcome; latter end is worfe with them than the beginning; for it had been better for them not to have known the way

the

way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. I proceed to the

Third point, namely, That the difficulties of a holy and Chriftian life are not fo great and infuperable, as to be a juft ground of difcouragement to our endeavours. All that I have faid concerning the difficulties of religion, was with no defign to damp, but rather to quicken our induftry; for, upon the whole matter, when all things are duly confidered, it will appear, that Chrift's yoke is easy, and his bur den light; that the commandments of God are not grievous; no, not this commandment of friving to enter in at the ftrait gate; which I fhall endeavour to make manifeft by taking these four things into confideration :

1. The affiftance which the gospel offers to us. God hath there promifed to give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him; and by the affiftance of God's Holy Spirit, we may be able to conquer all thofe difficulties. Indeed if we were left to ourfelves, to the impotency and weakness of our own nature, we fhould never be able to cope with thefe difficulties: every temptation would be too hard for us; every little oppofition would difcourage us; but God is with us, and there is nothing too hard for him. If the prin ciples of a holy life were only the birth of our own refolution, they would easily be born down ; but they are from God, of a heavenly birth and origi nal; and whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the world. John i. 12, 13. As many as received him, to them gave he power (xoiar the privilege) to become the fons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

God confiders the impotency of human nature, in this depraved and degenerate ffate into which we are funk, and therefore he hath not left us to ourselves; but when he commands us to work out our own falvation, he tells us for our encouragement, that he himself works in us both to will and to do he does not bid us to be strong in our own ftrength, for he

knows

knows we have no ftrength of our own, but to be ftrong in the Lord, and in the power of his might ; and what may not even a weak creature do, that is fo powerfully affifted if we will but make ufe of this ftrength, nothing can be too hard for us. All that God expects from us is, that we should comply with the motions of his Spirit, and be as fincere in the ufe of our own endeavours, as he is in the offers of his grace and assistance.

2. Let us confider, that the greatest difficulties are at firft; it is but making one manful onfet, and fuftaining the first brunt, and the difficulties will a bate and grow lefs, and our ftrength will every day increase and grow more. The gate is ftrait: but when we have once got through it, our feet will be fet in an open place. After fome ftruggling to get through, we fhall every day find ourselves at more eafe and liberty. It will be very hard at firft, to mafter our vicious inclinations, to change the habit of our minds, and the course of our lives, and to act contrary to what we have been long accustomed: But this trouble lafts but for a little while of the newthefe pangs ; birth, though they be fharp, yet they are not ufually. of long continuance.

It does indeed require great refolution and firmnefs of mind, to encounter the firft difficulties of religion: but if we can but ftand it out for one brunt, our enemy will give way, and the pleasure of victory will tempt us on. It is troublesome to conflict with great difficulties, and men are loth to be brought to it : but when we are engaged, it is one of the greateft pleasures in the world to prevail and conquer. Ma ny men are loth to go to war; but after a little fuccefs, they are as loth to give over; that which was a terror to them at firft, turns into a pleafure.

3. Confider that cuftom will make any course of life tolerable, and moft things eafy. Religion, and the practice of a holy life is difficult at first; but after

are once habituated to it, the trouble will wear off by degrees, and that which was grievous will be come eafy; nay, by degrees, much more pleafant than ever the contrary practice was. We fee the daily ex

perience

perience of this, in the most difficult and laborious employments of this world; a little pains tires a man at first, but when he is once feafoned and inured to labour, idleness becomes more tedious and trouble. fome to him than the hardest work. Custom will make any thing eafy, though it be a little unnatural. Nothing is more unnatural than fin; it is not according to our original nature and frame, but it is the corruption and depravation of it, a fecond nature fuperinduced upon us by cuftom: whereas the practice of holiness and virtue is agreeable to our original and primitive state; and fin and vice are the perverting of nature contrary to our reason, and the defign of our beings, and to all obligations of duty and intereft but by returning to God and our duty, we return to our primitive ftate ; we act naturally, and according to the intention of our beings; and when: the force of a contrary cuftom is taken off, and the bias clapt on the other fide, we shall run the ways of God's commandments with more delight and fa tisfaction, than ever we found in the ways of fin.

For fin is a violence upon our natures, and that is always uneafy, yet it is made more tolerable by custom but religion reftores men to their natural: ftate, and then we are at eafe and reft. Religion is at first a yoke and burden: but unless we take this upon us, we fhall never find reft to our fouls.

4thly, and laftly, Confider the reward that religion: propounds, and this muft needs fweeten and mitigate all the troubles and difficulties that are occafioned by it. This ftrait gate through which we must enter,. and this craggy way which we are to climb up, leads to life; and he is a lazy man indeed, that will not ftrive and struggle for life. All that a man can do, he will do for his life, for this miferable life which is fo fhort and uncertain, and born to trouble as the fparks fly upwards; a life not worth the having, nor worth the keeping with any great care and trouble, if it were not in order to a better and happier life. But it is not this life which our Saviour means; that indeed were not worth all this ftriving for: It is e ternal life; a state of perfect and endless happiness;

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