that care whether they live in heaven or hell, and use but as much diligence for their salvation, as they use themselves for that which Paul accounted dung.

Many a time I have wondered how the devil can thus abuse a man of reason, and such as think themselves no fools! and how such inexpressible dotage can stand with either learning, ingenuity, or common understanding; and what shift the devil and these men make to keep them from seeing, that have eyes, or from seeing the heavens, that can see the smallest dust or atom. But my admiration is abated, when I consider that the wit that serveth to move a puppet is not enough to rule a kingdom; and that sleeping reason is as none; and that it is the very art and business of the devil to charm sinners to sleep and wake at once.

Dormire Deo, at mundo vigilare;' to be asleep to God, and awake to the world. And that present things engage the senses, and call off reason from its work; and that the seeming distance of the life to come, occasioneth the neglect of stupid, half-believing souls, till they find it is indeed at hand; even as death, though certain, affecteth few in youth and health, as it doth when they perceive that they must presently be gone. And withal, that a man is not a man in act till he be considerate; and that it is as good to be without eyes, as still to wink. We know what detained ourselves so long in sleep and folly, and we know what makes us yet so slow, and therefore we may know what it is that thus unmaneth others.

Reader, if thou be one of these unhappy souls; Whether thy brain be so sick as really to think that there is no life to come for man, or that there needs no such care and diligence to prepare for it; or whether thy heart be so corrupt and bad as to be against the things which thou confessest to be good and necessary; or whether thy reason be cast so fast asleep, as never soberly to consider of the only thing of everlasting consequence and concernment to thyself; or whether thy heart be grown so dead and stupid, as to be past feeling, and never moved or affected with the things which thou hearest and knowest, and considerest to be so great and necessary; which ever of these be thy sad condition, I have now this one request to thee, as a friend that truly desireth thy salvation; and I tender it to thee with as earnest a desire, as if thou sawest me upon my knees en

treating thee for the Lord's sake, and for thy soul's sake, and as ever thou hopest for the comfort of a dying man, and as ever thou carest what becomes of thy soul for ever, and as ever thou wilt answer it to Christ and thy own conscience with peace at last, that thou neither deny me, nor put me off with a careless reading, nor with contempt or disregard. My request to thee is but this reasonable thing, That thou wilt so long make a stand in thy way, and grant me so much of thy time, as once to read throughout this treatise, and SERIOUSLY to CONSIDER of what thou readest, and heartily to beg of God upon thy knees, to teach thee and lead thee into the truth, and then to be true to God and to thy conscience, and resolvedly to do that which thou art convinced is right, and best, and necessary. This is all my request to thee at the present. Put me not off with a denial or neglect, as thou wilt answer it to God, and as thou wilt not be a wilful self-condemner. Hast thou spent so many hours and days in vain, and cannot I beg a few hours of thee, to read and think of thy everlasting state? If thou darest not read and think of what can be said about such things as these, it is a sign thy case is indeed so bad, that thou hast more need than others to read and think of them. I know the devil dare not give thee leave to do it, if he can hinder thee; for fear lest thy eyes should be opened to see, and thy heart awakened to feel the things which he so laboureth to keep away from thy sight and feeling, till it be too late. And wilt thou grant him his desire to thy damnation, or Christ and his servants their desire to thy salvation? Think of it well before thou answer it by word or deed.

Being in hope that thou hast granted my request, (to read, consider, pray for help, and faithfully do what God shall teach thee,) I shall now begin to open thee the way to the matter of this treatise. The sum of my business is to teach thee, (1 Tim. iv. 8.) that " bodily exercise (in religion) profiteth little, but godliness is profitable to all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." "" I think it meet therefore to tell thee here in the beginning, what Godliness is, which the apostle distinguisheth from bodily exercise,' in matters of religion, and which I have proved so necessary and excellent in this treatise. And this I must do; 1. Lest thou deceive thy soul by

taking something else for Godliness. 2. And lest thou lose thy labour in the reading of this book, and hearing what Scripture and preachers say for Godliness. And 3. Lest thou wrong me and thyself, (according to the custom of this malicious age,) by imagining that by Godliness, I mean either superstition, or hypocrisy, or schism, or that I am persuading thee to sedition, humour, or needless singularity, under the name of Godliness and religion. I shall therefore tell you distinctly here, What Godliness is indeed; and what it is not.

In general, GODLINESS is our DEVOTEDNESS to God. And all these things following are essential to it, and of indispensable necessity to salvation.

I. That materially it contains these three things.

1. The true internal principle, soul, and life of Godliness; which is the Spirit of God; Rom. viii. 9. The Divine nature; 2 Pet. i. 4. The new, and soft, and single heart; Jer. xxxii. 39. Ezek. xi. 19. The seed of God abid

ing in us; 1 John iii. 9.

2. The intention of the true ends of Godliness; which is the reward in heaven; Matt. v. 11, 12. Luke xviii. 22. Matt. vi. 20, 21. Rom. viii. 17, 18. The pleasing of God and the beatifical vision and fruition of him with Christ and his triumphant church in the New Jerusalem for ever.

3. The reception and observation of the true rule of Godliness; which is the will of God revealed partly in nature, and fully in the Holy Scriptures. This must be in our very hearts; Psal. xxxvii. 31. Jer. xxxi. 33. and with delight we must meditate in it day and night; Psal. i. 2. To cast away and despise the law of God, is the brand of the rebellious; Isa. v. 24.

II. It is essential to Godliness that it formally contains these three relations.

1. It is a devotedness of ourselves, as HIS OWN, to GoD as our OWNER, or Proprietary, or Lord; quitting all pretence to any co-ordinate title to ourselves, and resigning ourselves, absolutely, (and all that we have) to him that by the right of creation and redemption is our Lord; Psal. c. 3. cxix. 94. John xvii. 6.

2. Godliness containeth a devotedness of ourselves as subjects, to God as our supreme and absolute Governor, to rule us by his laws, his officers, and his Spirit; to give up

ourselves to be ruled by him as our King; to learn of him as our Teacher; to work for him as our Master; to fight under him and follow him as our Captain and Commander; Isa. lxiii. 19. ix. 6. Luke xix. 27, &c.

3. Godliness containeth a devotedness of ourselves as beneficiaries to God in Christ as our great Benefactor in love and gratitude; or as children to our reconciled Father, to love him, and thankfully obey him, and depend on him, and be happy in his love.

III. It is essential to Godliness, and necessary to salvation, that this devotedness to God be with a true renunciation, resistance, and forsaking of three great contraries or enemies to God and us.

1. Of the devil; as the deceiver and principle of wickedness.

2. Of the world (its profits, honours, and pleasures), as the bait by which the devil would deceive us, and steal away our hearts from God, and take up our time, and turn our thoughts from the one thing necessary.

3. Of the flesh, as the rebelling faculty that would exalt itself above our reason, and be pleased before God, and so would take its pleasure as our felicity and end, instead of the true felicity and end.

IV. It is essential to Godliness subjectively, that God have the preeminence above all creatures; 1. In the habitual estimation of our judgments, preferring him as the Most Great, and Wise, and Good, before all others. 2. In the will's habitual consent and choice; refusing all in comparison of him, and choosing him as our Lord, our Ruler, and our Best, and consenting truly to the relations in which he is offered to us. 3. In the will's resolution to seek him and obey him, and endeavour to express these inward principles, so as to prefer no competitor before him.

V. The soul, or internal part of Godliness consisting essentially in the things already mentioned; the body of it, or Godliness expressive and visible consisteth in these three things.

1. In our covenant with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier; our Owner, Governor, and Father (or Benefactor). It is essential to visible, expressive Godliness, that there be such a covenant made; and regularly it is to be solemnized by baptism. And

those that are baptized in infancy, must necessarily renew, and perform it themselves when they come to age, and that understandingly, deliberately, freely, and seriously.

2. Godliness visible and expressive consisteth in our profession of that devotedness to God, and that forsaking of the devil, the world, and the flesh, which we have before described as the essence of internal godliness, and to which in the holy covenant we oblige ourselves. Christ will be confessed before men, and will be ashamed of them before God and angels, who are so far ashamed of him before men, as ordinarily to refuse to own him and confess him. The public worshipping of God in Christ, in prayer, thanksgiving, praises, and sacrament, is appointed as the professing acts, by which we openly own our Lord. And therefore ordinarily the assembling ourselves together for this public worship is not to be forsaken, through negligence or fear; but with Daniel we must pray though we are sure to be cast to the lion's den. For though no duty be at all times a duty, yet the disowning of our God, or denying him, or being ashamed of him, or inordinately afraid of man, is at all times a sin. And ordinarily and seasonably to profess true godliness, our subjection and devotedness to God, is essential to external godliness.

3. Visible, expressive Godliness doth essentially consist in the practice of our fore-described covenant and profession. That our faces be truly heavenwards, and that our walk be in the way of God, though we sometimes slip and stumble, and if we step aside, that we turn not back again, but return by repentance in our way. That the drift, and aim, and bent of our lives be for God and our salvation, and that there be in us no sin, which truly and habitually we had not rather leave than keep. And that our great business in the world be the pleasing of God, and the saving of our souls. And that neither honours, nor profits, nor pleasures of the flesh, have the preeminence, and be preferred. That Christ be not put under the great ones of the world, nor put after your commodity, nor put off with the leavings of the flesh, but that all be made to stoop to him, and take his leavings. All this is of necessity to salvation, and essential to expressive godliness.

By this time, reader, thou must easily see, 1. That Godliness is not an ineffectual opinion, or dead belief. If thou