it; fuch as, long Fafts, and Watchings, and being too much alone. But, to advise about thefe Things, belongs not to me, but to another Profeffion, and therefore I fay no more about them.

Secondly, It will concern them to keep them felves employed, as much as they can, and if it be poffible, to have always fome Work or Business upon their Hands, to exercife their Minds about. Idlenefs is the worst thing in the World, for this fort of Diftemper, and indeed thofe, that labour hard, are seldom troubled with it. And, therefore, if these Perfons have no Affairs to take care of, (which yet few in any Station are without,) they must make Business for themfelves. But then, there is one fort of Business, that they ought to be seriously cautioned against, and that is, the too long, or too intenfe, application of their Minds to their spiritual Exercife; fuch as reading, meditation, and the like. For, tho' thefe Employments, above all others, are to be recommended to Perfons, that have Health and Leafure, yet to fuch, as are in their Condition, they often do more hurt than good.

Thirdly, Another Thing, that would be of fingular ufe to thefe Perfons if they could be perfuaded to practise it, is this. Not to lay these disturbances of their Minds too much to Heart. Let them not be fo grievously concerned, when they cannot govern their own Thoughts, as they defire, but a thou

fand

fand filly or wicked Fancies do impofe themfelves upon them, whether they will or no On the contrary, let them neglect them, let them defpife them, and not think themselves the worse, upon account of them: It is their eagerness to prevent, or ftop, this fort of Fancies, and their immoderate Trouble for them afterwards, that is one of the most effectual means to excite and perpetuate them: Whereas, if they would make no great matter of them, but let them go out, as they came in, without being concerned about them, in all probability, with a little degree of Health, they would vanish and die. And they, that now complain fo much upon that Account, would have as much Peace in their own Minds, as other Men.

But, Fourthly and Laftly, there is one Thing more to be recommended to these Perfons, and then I have done, and that is this. Let them never omit any known Duty, either to God or their Neighbours, upon account of these Suggestions, how violent or how troublesome foever they be: Let them never leave off faying their Prayers, at the accustomed Times, or receiving the Holy Sacrament, or doing any other Duty, that the Law of Christ hath tyed upon them. And tho', upon these Occafions, above all others, they are moft diftracted by these ungovernable Fancies, yet, for all that, let them go on; and, how little foever they please themselves

in these Duties, or how unfit foever they take themselves to be to engage in them, yet, let them affure themselves, that God is as much pleased with them, when they do those Duties out of Conscience, and because they think they are bound fo to do, (tho' it be with much infirmity, and a very fhatter'd distracted Mind,) as if they had fatisfied themselves never fo much in the performance of them.

This I fay, and I conclude with it. So long, as we bear an honest Mind towards God, fo long, as we do not prevaricate with him, and wilfully depart from the known Rules of our Duty: But, endeavour fincerely in all our Actions to obey his Laws; he will accept us, nay, he will reward us, be the disadvantages we labour under never fo great. And, tho' we cannot please our felves, we fhall pleafe him; nay (as I had occafion to say in one of my former Difcourfes,) he will be better pleased with us, for doing our Duty under thefe difcouraging Circumftances, than if, being free from these Incumbrances, we had done it with more pleasure to our felves. And, if the Devil was really as bufie about us, as fome of us fancy him to be, nay, tho' all the Powers of Hell fhould fet themselves against us, yet, fo long as we thus walk, God will protect us. And, if fometimes he doth not fo foon, as we defire, remove our Af

flictions,

fictions, yet, he will give us Grace and Strength to bear them, and, after that, reward us for them, by encreafing our Glory in the next World, in proportion to the difficulty we had to ftruggle with, in his Service, in this.

And this is all I have to fay upon this Argument.

SER

SERMON VI

LUKE XIII. 23.

Then faid one unto him, Lord, are there few that shall be faved? And he faid unto them, ftrive to enter in at the frait Gate, for many I fay unto you will feek to enter in, and shall not be able.

N Pursuance of the Argument I have been lately difcourfing of, in another Place, and which, I told you, I would go on with, as I had Opportunity, I mean to treat now of two other Things (different from those I then spoke to) and which are often the Occafion of great Difturbances to the Minds of fome melancholly People among us; and, for that Purpose, I have now pitched upon the Words I have read unto you.

As for those, that, out of Curiofity defire to be fatisfied about the Point here propofed to our Saviour, concerning the fewness of the Saved, (which feems to have been the Temper of those that asked this Question in my Text,) they ought to have no other Anfwer, Vol. III.

I

than

113