and convincing evidence imaginable; by his miffion from heaven on purpose to tell us it; by his miracles; by atteftations from heaven; by the laying down his own life in witness of it; by his refurrection and afcenfion; by the miraculous miffion of his holy spirit visibly and audibly. Again, 3. He hath confirmed it to us, by the doctrine and miracles of his apostles, by their death and martyrdom, as a witness of the truth they taught; by the numerous converts and primitive chriftians, and godly martyrs, who all lived and died in this faith, and for it; who made it their choice rather to fuffer afflictions with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of fin for a seafon, declaring plainly that they fought a better city and country, that is, a heavenly; and this country, and this city they had in their eye, even while they lived in this troublesome world: And this profpect, this hope and expectation, rendered this lower world of no great value to them; the pleasures thereof they esteemed but low and little, and the troubles and uneafinefs thereof they did undergo patiently, cheerfully, and contentedly; for they looked beyond them, and placed their hopes, their treasure, their comfort, above them. And even whilst they were in this life, yet they did by their faith and hope anticipate their own happinefs, and enjoyed by faith, even before they actually poffeffed it by fruition; for Faith is the fubftance of things hoped for2,' and makes those things prefent, by the firmness of a found perfuafion, which are in themfelves future and to come.

And this is that which will have the fame effect with us, if we live and believe as they did, and be but firmly and foundly perfuaded of the truth of the gofpel, thus admirably confirmed unto us: This is the victory

' that overcometh the world, even our faith 3.' The juft fhall live by faith4.' We live by faith, and not by fight; and excellent is that paffage to this purpose: For which caufe we faint not, but though

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'Heb. xi. 15, 25. ? Heb. xi.

Heb. x. 38. 4 g Cor. v. 7.
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our outward man perish, yet our inward man is re-, 'newed day by day. For our light affliction, which is 'but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things which are feen, but at the things ' which are not feen; for the things which are feen are temporal, but the things which are not seen, are 'eternal ','

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And therefore, if we do but seriously believe the truth of the Gofpel, the truth of the life to come, the best external things of this world will feem but of fmall moment to take up the choiceft of our defires or hopes, and the worst things this world can inflict will appear too light to provoke us to impatience or difcontent. He that hath but heaven and everlasting glory in profpect, and a firm expectation, will have a mind full of Contentation in the midft of the loweft and darkest condition here on earth. Impatience and difcontent never can stay long with us, if we awake our minds, and fummon up our faith and hope in that life and happiness to come. Sudden paffions of impatience and discontent, may, like clouds, arise and trouble us for a while, but this faith, and this hope rooted in the heart, if stirred up, will, like the fun, fcatter and dif-pel them, and cause the light of patience, Contentation, and comfort, to fhine through them.

And as we have this hope of immortality and bleffednefs fet before us, fo the means and way to attain it is eafy and open to all; no person is excluded from it, that wilfully excludes not himself. 'Ho every one 'that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath 'no money, come ye, buy and eat without money and 'without price?.' Whofoever will, let him take of 'the waters of life freely3.' Come unto me all ye • that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you 'reft.' The way to everlasting happiness, and confequently to Contentation here, is laid open to all. It was the great reason why God made mankind, to comRev. xxii. 17. Matth. xi. 28. municate

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1 2 Cor.i v. 16, 17, 18. Isa. li. 1.
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municate everlafling happiness to them; and when they wilfully threw away that happinefs, it was the end why he fent his Son into the world to restore mankind unto it. And as the way is open to all, fo it is eafy to all; his yoke is cafy and his burden light. The terms of attaining happinefs, if fincerely endeavoured, are easy to be performed, by virtue of that grace that Almighty God affords to all men, that do not wilfully reject it : namely, to believe the truth of the Gofpel, fo admirably confirmed; and fincerely to endeavour to obey the precepts thereof, which are both just and reasonable, highly conducing to our Contentation in this life, and confummating our happiness in the life to come: and forour encouragement in this obedience, we are sure to have, if we defire it, the fpecial grace of the bleffed Spirit to affift us, and a merciful Father to accept of our fincerity, and a gracious Saviour to pardon our failings and deficiencies. So that the way to attain Contentation in this life, and happiness in the life to come, as it is plain and certain, fo it is open and free, none is excluded from it, but it is free and open to all that are but willing to use these means to attain it.

And I fhall wind up all this long difcourfe touching Contentation with this plain and ordinary inftance. I have before faid that our home, our country, is heaven and everlafting happiness, where there are no forrows, nor fears, nor troubles; that this world is the place of our travel, and pilgrimage, and at the beft our inn. Now when I am in my journey, I meet with feveral inconveniencies; it may be the way is bad and foul, the weather tempeftuous and ftormy; it may be I meet with fome rough companions, that either turn me out of my way, or all dash and dirt me in it, yet I content myfelf, for all will be mended when I come home: But if I chance to lodge at my inn, there it may be I meet with bad entertainment, the inn is full of guests, and I am thruft into an inconvenient lodging, or ill diet; yet I content myfelf, and confider it is no other than what I have reafon to expect; it is but according

cording to the common condition of things in that place; neither am I folicitous to furnifh my lodgings with better accommodations, for I must not expect to make long stay there, it is but my inn, my place of repofe for a night, and not my home; and therefore I content myself with it as I find it, all will be amended when I come home. In the fame manner it is with this world; perchance I meet with an ill and uncom→ fortable paffage through it; I have a fickly body, a narrow eftate, meet with affronts and difgraces, lofe my friends, companions and relations; my beft entertainment in it is but troublesome and uneafy; but yet I do content myself; I confider it is but my pilgrimage, my paffage, my inn; it is not my country, nor the place of my reft: This kind of ufage or condition is but according to the law and cuftom of the place, it will be amended when I come home, for in my Father's house there are manfions, many manfions inftead of my inn, and my Saviour himself hath not difdained to be my harbinger; he is gone thither before me, and gone to prepare a place for me, I will therefore quiet and content myfelf with the inconveniencies of my fhort journey, for my accommodations will be admirable when I come to my home, that heavenly Jerufalem, which is the place of my reft and happinefs.

But yet we must withal remember, that though heaven is our home, the place of our reft and happiness, yet this world is a place for our duty and employment, and we muft ufe all honeft and lawful means to preferve our lives and our comforts by our honeft care and diligence. As it is our duty to wait the time till our Lord and Mafter calls, fo it is part of our task in this world given us by the great Mafter of the family of heaven and earth, to be employed for the temporal good of ourselves and others. It is indeed our principal business to fit ourselves for our everlasting home, and to think of it; but it is a part of our duty and act of obedience, while we are here, to employ ourselves

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with honefty and diligence in our temporal employments: Though we are not to fet our hearts upon the conveniencies of this life, yet we are not to reject them, but to use them thankfully and foberly; for they are bleffings that deferve ourgratitude, though they ought not entirely to take up our hearts. Again, though croffes and afflictions must be the exercife of our patience, we must not wilfully choose them, nor run into them. Let God be ftill the Master of his own difpenfation, for he is wife, and knows what is fit for us, when we know not what is fo fit for ourselves. When he fends them, or permits them, our duty is patience and Contentation, but commonly our own choice is headstrong and foolish.

It was the error of many new converts to christianity, that they thought, that when heaven and heavenlymindedefs was preffed, that presently they must cast off all care of the world, defert their callings, and bufily and unneceffarily thruft themselves into dangers, that fo they might be quit of all worldly care and bufinefs, and of life itfelf. This the Apostles frequently remove, and fhew the error of it, and that juftly; for the truth of it is, our continuance in this life, and in our honeft employments and callings, our thankful use of external bleffings here, and our honeft endeavours for them, the endeavour to do good in our places, so long as we continue in them; our prudent prevention of external evils, are part of that obedience we owe to our Maker, and part of that exercise or talk that is given us by him to perform in this life'; and our cheerful, faithful, diligent, converfation herein, is fo far from being incompatible to Christianity, that it is part of our Christian duty, and of that fervice we owe to our Maker; and it is indeed the exercise of our patience, and the evidence of a contented mind: For whosoever grows fo weary of the world, that presently, with froward Jonab he wifheth to die, or throws off all, it is a fign of want of that Contentation that is here commended; because true Contentation confifts in a cheer

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