Service to us, to paint forth these Joys in the most lively Description, were we still left at a Lofs how to arrive at them. Did we know whither our Lord went and knew not the Way, how should we follow him? But in this Sense also his Words are the Words of eternal Life, not only pointing out the End, but directing us to the ready Means, by the ufe of which we shall infallibly obtain it. And these are the being made like unto God, or which is the fame thing, the being conform'd to the Likeness of Chrift, who is the express Image of his Person, in our Defires and Difpofitions: To become holy as he is holy, pure as he is pure, and merciful as he is merciful. The Words of Christ are continually exciting us to labour after this Change and Renewal of our Nature, to walk in this newness of Life, and to mortify all those Appetites and Inclinations, which are contrary to the

divine Nature, and irreconcileable with the Life of God. For the Foundation and Capacity of Happiness is lodg'd in our Appetites and Difpofitions; fuch as our Defires are, such must our Happiness be; Happiness being nothing else but the Gratification of our Defires, and acting suitably to our Inclinations. If our Difpofitions differ from those of God, it is impoffible in Nature our Life fhould be like his; for it is our Difpofitions that are the Directors of our Life; to find Objects agreeable to them is our utmost Happiness. We know very well, that according to the different Caft and Temperament of our Minds, Men feek after different Gratifications, and place their Happiness in different Pursuits; hence proceeds the Difference of their Life; what is a Pleasure to one, is either indifferent or perhaps painful to another; so that 'tis abfolutely impossible in Nature, H 3

that

that our Life or Happiness should be the fame with another's, unless our intimate Defires, Appetites, and Inclinations are really the fame, these directing us to the fame Objects, and giving our Souls the fame Kelish and Delight in them; without thefe we are carried away to things of another Kind, yielding another Sort of Pleafure, and producing a Life of a contrary Nature. Hence we fee the Reafonableness of those Commands of our Lord's, of procuring the fame Mind in us which he had, of becoming new Creatures, and many others to the fame purpose; nay, we fee the abfolute Neceffity of obeying them, and fubmitting to them; I mean, of using them as Means to obtain the End proposed. He that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his, neither is he in his Nature capable of the Happiness of Christ : Let his Profeffion and outward Appearance be what it will. And he that

has

has the Spirit of Chrift, that is, has invested himself with the fame Temper of Mind, the fame Difpofitions and Defires, he has the Power of an endless Life. For this it felf is Life eternal to know thee the true God, and Jefus Chrift, whom thou haft fent. This Knowledge of God and of Christ is nothing else but a Conformity to their Natures: For if we fay, that we have Fellowship with him, and walk in Darkness, we lye, and do not say the Truth. To be thus fpiritually minded is Life eternal, beginning in Time, and never to have End. He that hath the Son hath Life, and he that hath not the Son hath not Life. An eternal Duration he has, but this is fo far from Life, that throughout the Scriptures it is termed Death. For whilst they who are conformed to the Likenefs of God, find both within and without themselves, the fame Happiness which God enjoys; they who have

H 4

have no other Difpofitions and Defires but what they contracted here in carthly Enjoyments, they being removed from thofe Enjoyments, and ftill retaining the fame Defires after them, their Life is Death, being of Difpofitions contrary to God, they must be alienated from the Life of God. Their Eternity is fpent in defiring, and despairing ever to procure what they defire: The deferring of Hope maketh the Heart fick, what then must the total Absence of it do? The little Disappointments we meet with here, where nevertheless we have many things still remaining to gratify our Appetites, pierce our Hearts through with many Sorrows, what then must an univerfal, eternal Difappointment do, which leaves us no one fcantling of Enjoyment, not the leaft degree of any kind of Gratification for any one Appetite? Where nothing can remain but eternal unavail