have great reason to be most afraid of that which is most pleasing to your flesh, and to the mind as it is corrupt and carnal: escape the delusions of fleshly pleasure, and you escape damnation you have far more cause to be afraid of prosperity than of adversity; of riches than of poverty; of honour than of obscurity and contempt; of men's praises and applause than of their dispraises, slanders, and reproach; of preferment and greatness than of a low and mean condition; of a delicious than of less tempting meats and drinks; of curious, costly, than of mean, and cheap, and plain attire. Let those that have hired out their reason to the service of their fleshly lusts, and have delivered the crown and sceptre to their appetites, think otherwise. No wonder if they that have sold the birthright of their intellects to their senses, for a mess of pottage, for a whore, or a high place, or a domineering power over others, or a belly-full of pleasant meats or liquors, do deride all this, and think it but a melancholy conceit, more suitable to a hermit or anchorite than to men of society and business in the world. As heaven is the portion of serious believers and mortified saints alone, so it shall be proper to them alone, to understand the doctrine and example of their Saviour, and practically to know what it is to deny themselves, and forsake all they have, and take up their cross and follow Christ, and by the Spirit to mortify the deeds of the body. Such know that millions part with God for pleasures, but none for griefs; and that hell will be stored with those that preferred wealth, and honour, and sports, and gluttony, drink, and filthy lusts, before the holiness and happiness of believers; but none will be damned for preferring poverty, and disgrace, and abstinence, hunger, and thirst, and chastity, before them. It must be something that seemeth good, that must entice men from the chiefest good: apparent evil is no fit bait for the devil's hook. Men will not displease God, to be displeased themselves; nor choose present sorrow instead of everlasting joys: but for the "pleasures of sin for a season" many will despise the endless pleasures.

Direct. x. 'Meet every motion to disobedience with an army of holy graces, with wisdom, and fear, and hatred, and resolution, with love to God, with zeal and courage:

i Luke xiv. 26-29. 33. Rom. viii. 5—7. 13. Col. iii. 1—4.

and quench every spark that falls upon your hearts before it breaks out into a flame.'-When sin is little, and in its infancy, it is weak and easily resisted: it hath not then turned away the mind from God, nor quenched grace, and disabled it to do its office. But when it is grown strong, then grace grows weak and we want its help, and want the sense of the presence, and attributes, and truths of God, to rebuke it. O stay not till your hearts are gone out of hearing, and straggled from God beyond the observance of his calls. The habit of obedience will be dangerously abated, if you resist not quickly the acts of sin.

Direct. x1. Labour for the clearest understanding of the will of God, that doubtfulness about your duty do not make you flag in your obedience, and doubtfulness about sin, do not weaken your detestation and resistance, and draw you to venture on it.'-When a man is sure what is his duty, it is a great help against all temptations that would take him off; and when he is sure that a thing is sinful, it makes it easier to resist. And therefore it is the devil's method to delude the understanding, and make men believe that duty is no duty, and sin is no sin; and then no wonder if duty be neglected, and sin committed: and therefore he raised up one false prophet or other to say to Ahab, ‘Go, and prosper;' or to say, 'There is no hurt in this to dispute for sin, and to dispute against duty. And it is almost incredible, how much the devil hath got when he hath once made it a matter of controversy. Then every hypocrite hath a cloak for his sin, and a dose of opium for his conscience, when he can but say, 'It is a controversy; some are of one mind, and some of another you are of that opinion, and I am of this.' Especially if there be wise and learned on both sides; and yet more, if there be religious men on both sides; and more yet, if he have an equal number on his side; and most of all, if he have the major vote (as error and sin have commonly in the world). If Ahab have but four hundred lying, flattering prophets to one Micaiah, he will think he may hate him, reproach him, and persecute him, without any scruple of conscience. If it be made a controversy, whether bread be bread, and wine be wine, when we see and taste it; some will think they may venture to subscribe or swear that they hold the negative, if their credit, or livings, or lives lie upon it; much more if they can say, It is the

judgment of the Church! If it be once made a controversy, whether perjury be a sin, or whether a vow materially lawful bind, or whether it be lawful to equivocate, or lie with a mental reservation for the truth, or to do the greatest evil, or speak the falsest thing with a true and good intent and meaning, almost all the hypocrites in the country will be for the sinful part, if their fleshly interest require it; and will think themselves wronged, if they are accounted hypocrites, liars, or perjured, as long as it is but a point of controversy among learned men. If it be once made a controversy, whether an excommunicated king become a private man and it be lawful to kill him, and whether the pope may absolve the subjects of temporal lords from their allegiance (notwithstanding all their oaths); and if such learned men as Suarez, Bellarmine, Perron, &c., are for it (to say nothing of Santarellus, Mariana, &c.), you shall have a Clement, a Ravilliac, a Faux, yea, too great choice of instruments, that will be satisfied to strike the blow. If many hold it may, or must be done, some will be found too ready to do it, especially if an approved General Council (Lateran. sub Innoc. III. can. 3.) be for such Papal absolution. We have seen at home, how many will be emboldened to pull down Government, to sit in judgment on their King, and condemn him, and to destroy their brethren, if they can but say that such men think it lawful. If it were but a controversy once, whether drunkenness, whoredom, swearing, stealing, or any villany be a sin or not, it would be committed more commonly, and with much less regret of conscience. Yea, good men will be ready to think that modesty requireth them to be less censorious of those that commit it, because in controverted cases they must suspect their own understandings, and allow something to the judgment of dissenters and so all the rules of love, and peace, and moderation, which are requisite in controversies that are about small and difficult points, the devil will make use of and apply them all to the patronage of the most odious sins, if he can but get them once to have some learned, wise, or religious defenders. And from our tenderness of the persons, we easily slide to an indulgent tenderness in censuring the sin itself: and good men themselves, by these means, are dangerously disabled to resist it, and prepared to commit it.

Direct. XII. Take heed lest the devil do either cast you

into the sleep of carnal security, or into such doubts, and fears, and perplexing scruples, as shall make holy obedience seem to you an impossible or a tiresome thing.'— When you are asleep in carelessness, he can use you as he list and if obedience be made grievous and ungrateful to you," your heart will go against it, and you will go but like a tired horse, no longer than you feel the spur: you are half conquered already, because you have lost the love and pleasure of obedience; and you are still in danger lest difficulties should quite tire you, and weariness make you yield at last. The means by which the tempter effecteth this must afterward be spoken of, and therefore I shall omit it here.

By the faithful practice of these Directions, obedience may become, as it were, your nature; a familiar, easy, and delightful thing: and may be like a cheerful servant or child, that waiteth for your commands, and is glad to be employed by you. Your full subjection of your wills to God will be as the health, the ease, and quietness of your wills: you will feel that it is never well or easy with you, but when you are obedient and pleasing to your Creator's will. Your "delight will be in the law of the Lord," It will be sweeter than honey to you, and better than thousands of gold and silver: and this not for any by respect, but as it is the "law of God;" a "light unto your feet," and an infallible guide in all your duty. You will say with David, "I will delight myself in thy statutes; I will not forget thy word. Thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments, for therein do I delight'." And, "I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart"." And, "Blessed is the man - that feareth the Lord; that delighteth greatly in his commandments "."

Grand Direct. VII. Continue as the covenanted scholars of Christ, the Prophet and Teacher of his church, to learn of him, by his Spirit, word, and ministers, the farther knowledge of God, and the things that tend to your salvation; and this with an honest, willing mind; in faith, humility, and diligence; in obedience, patience, and peace.'

* Psal. i. 2.

Psal. xl. 8.

1 Psal. cxix. 16. 24. 35. 47. 70. 77. 174.
n Psal. cxii. 1.

Though I spake before, of our coming to God by Jesus Christ, as he is the way to the Father; it is meet that we distinctly speak of our relation and duty to him, as he is our teacher, our captain, and our master; as well as of our improving him, as Mediator immediately unto God. The necessity of believers, and the office and work of Christ himself, doth tell us, how much of our religion doth consist in learning of him, as his disciples. "A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me, him shall you hear." This was the voice that came out of the cloud in the holy mount, "This is This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him "." Therefore is the title of disciples commonly given to believers. And there is a twofold teaching, which Christ hath sent his ministers to perform; both mentioned in their commission, Matt. xxviii. 19, 20. The one is, to "teach the nations;" so as to make disciples of them, by persuading them into the school of Christ, which containeth the teaching of faith and repentance, and whatever is necessary to their first admission, and to their subjecting themselves to Christ himself, as their stated and infallible Guide. The other is, the teaching them further to know more of God," and to observe all things whatsoever he commanded them." And this last is it we are now to speak of, and I shall add some sub-directions for your help.

Directions for Learning of Christ, as our Teacher.

Direct. 1. Remember who it is that is your teacher: that he is the Son of God, that knoweth his Father's will, and is the most faithful, infallible Pastor of the church.'There is neither ignorance, nor negligence, nor ambition, nor deceit in him, to cause him to conceal the mind of God. There is nothing which we need to know, which he is not both able and willing to acquaint us with.

Direct. 11. Remember what it is that he teacheth you, and to what end.'-That it is not how to sin, and be damned, as the devil, the world, and the flesh would teach you; nor how to satisfy your lusts, or to know, or do, or attain - the trifles of the world: but it is how to be renewed to the • Acts vii. 37. P Matt. xvii. 5.