is inconfiftent; they cannot abide peaceably together, they cannot both rule in our narrow breasts ; we shall love and hold to the one; 1 John 2. 15. hate and despise the other. If any man love the World, the love of the Father is not in him; the love of the World, as the prefent guest, so occupies and fills the room; that it will not admit, cannot hold the love of God. But when the heart is discharged and emptied of these things; when we begin to despise them as base and vain; to distast them as infipid and unfavoury; then naturally will fucceed a defire after other things promifing a more folid content; and defire will breed endeavour; and endeavour (furthered by God's affiftence always ready to back it) will yeild fuch a glimps and taste of those things, as will fo comfort and satisfie our minds, that thereby they will be drawn and engaged into a more earneft profecution of them. When (I fay) driving on ambitious Projects, heap

ing up Wealth, providing for the flesh (by our reflecting on the fhortnefs and frailty of our life) become fo infipid to us, that we find little appetite to them, or relifh in them; our restless minds will begin to hunger and thirst after righteousness, defiring fome fatisfaction thence: Difcerning these fecular and carnal fruitions to be mere husks (the Luke 22. §. proper food of fwine) we fhall bethink our felves of that better nourifhment of rational or fpiritual comfort) which our Fathers houfe doth afford to his children and fervants. Being fomewhat difentangled from the care of our farms and our trafficks; from yoaking our oxen and being married to our prefent delights; we may be at leifure, and in difpofition to comply with divine invitations to entertainments fpiritual. Experiencing, that our Matth. 22. 5. trade about thefe petty commodities turns to fmall accompt, and that in the end we fhall be nothing richer thereby; reafon will induce us with

F 2

1 Pet. 2. II.

with the Merchant in the Gospel to

Matth. 13. 46. fell all that we have (to forego our present interests and defigns) for the purchafing that rich Pearl of God's Kingdom, which will yeild fo exceeding profit; the gain of prefent comfort to our confcience, and eternal happiness to our fouls. In fine, when we confider seriously, Heb. 13. 14. that we have here no abiding City, but are onely fojourners and pilgrims upon Earth; that all our care and pain here do regard onely an uncertain and tranfitory ftate; and will therefore fuddenly as to all fruit and benefit be loft unto us; this will fuggeft unto us, with the good Patriarchs, xgétionéZEDY TATED, Heb. 11. 16. to long after to long after a better Countrey; a more affured, and lasting state of life; where we may enjoy fome certain and durable repofe; to tend homeward, in our defires and hopes, toward those eternal Manfions of joy and rest prepared for God's faithfull Servants in Heaven. Thus will this confideration help toward the bring

ing us to inquire after and regard the things concerning our future ftate; and in the refult will engage us to compare them with these prefent things, as to our concernment in them and the confequence of them to our advantage or damage, whence a right judgment, and a congruous practice will naturally follow. There be four ways of comparing the things relating to this prefent life with those which refpect our future ftate: Comparing the goods of this with the goods of that; the evils of this with the evils of that; the goods of this with the evils of that; the evils of this with the goods of that. All these comparisons we may find often made in Scripture; in order to the informing our judgment about the refpective value of both forts; the present confideration intervening, as a ftandard to measure and try them by.

First then; comparing the prefent goods with thofe which concern our future ftate, fince the trans

F 3

fitori

fitoriness and uncertainty of temporal goods detract from their worth, and render them in great degree contemptible; but the durability and certainty of fpiritual goods doth encrease their rate, and make them exceedingly valuable; 'tis evident hence, that fpiritual goods are infinitely to be preferred in our opinion, to be more willingly embraced, to be more zealously pursued than temporal goods, that in cafe of competition, when both cannot be enjoyed, we are in reafon obliged readily to part with all thefe, rather than to forfeit our title unto, or hazard our hope of those. Thus in the Scripture it is often difcourfed : 1 John 2.17. The world (faith St. John) passeth away, and the defire thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever: The World, and all that is defirable therein is tranfient; but obedience to God's commandments is of an everlasting confequence; whence he infers, that we fhould not love the world; that is, not en

T

tertain