thyfelf. When have you largeft Comforts? Is it not, when thou haft converfed with God, and talked with the Inhabitants of the higher World, and viewed their Manfions, and filled thy Soul with the Fore-Thoughts of Glory? If thou knoweft by Experience what this Practice is, I dare fay thou knoweft what fpiritual Joy is. If, as David profeffes, the Light of God's Countenance more gladdens the Heart than Corn, and Wine; then furely they that draw neareft, and most behold it, must be fulleft of thefe Joys. Whom fhould we blame then, that we are fo void of Confolation, but our own negligent Hearts? God hath provided us a Crown of Glory, and promifed to fet it fhortly on our Heads, and we will not fo much as think of it; He bids us behold and rejoice, and we will not fo much as look at it; and yet we complain for Want of Comfort. It is by believing that we are filled with fey and Peace, and no longer than we continue our Believing. It is in Hope the Saints rejoice, and no longer than they continue hoping. God's Spirit worketh our Comforts, by fetting our own Spirits on work upon the Promifes, and railing our Thoughts to the Place of our Comforts. As you would delight a covetous Man by fhewing him Gold; fo God delights his People by leading them, as it were, into Heaven, and fewing them Himfelf, and their Reft with Him. He does not caft in our Joys while we are idle, or taken up with other Things. He gives the Fruits of the Earth while we plow, and fow, and weed, and water, and dung, and drefs, and with Patience expect his Bleffing, fo doth He give the Joys of the Soul.

intreat thee, Reader, in the Name of the Lord, and as thou valueft the Life of conftant Joy, and that good Confcience, which is a continual Feaft, to fet upon this Work seriously, and learn the Art of Heavenlymindednefs, and thou fhalt find the Increase an Hun

dred

dred-fold, and the Benefit abundantly exceed thy Labour. But this is the Mifery of Man's Nature; though every Man naturally hates Sorrow, and loves the moft merry and joyful Life, yet few love the Way to Joy, or will endure the Pains by which it is obtained; they will take the next that comes to Hand, and content themselves with earthly Pleasures, rather than they will afcend to Heaven to feek it; and yet when all is done, they must have it there, or be without it.

§6. (4) A Heart in Heaven will be a most excellent Prefervative against Temptations to Sin.—It will keep the Heart well employed. When we are idle, we tempt the Devil to tempt us; as careless Perfons make Thieves. A Heart in Heaven can reply to the Tempter, as Nehemiah did, I am doing a great Work, fo that I cannot come. It hath no Leifure to be luftful or wanton, ambitious or worldly. If you were but bufy in your lawful Callings, you would not be fo ready to hearken to Temptations; much lefs if you were alfo bufy above with God. Would a Judge be perfuaded to rife from the Bench, when he is fitting upon Life and Death, to go and play with Children in the Streets? No more will a Chriftian, when he is taking a Survey of his Eternal Reft, give Ear to the alluring Charms of Satan. The Children of that Kingdom fhould never have Time for Trifles, efpecially when they are employed in the Affairs of the Kingdom; and this Employment is one of the Saint's chief Prefervatives from Temptations.

$7. -A heavenly Mind is the freeft from Sin, because it hath truer and livelier Apprehenfions of fpiritual Things. He hath fo deep an Infight into the Evil of Sin, the Vanity of the Creature, the Brutifhnels of fleshly fenfual Delights, that Temptations have little Power over him. In vain the Net is spread, fays Solo

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mon, in the Sight of any Bird. And ufually in vain doth Satan lay his Snares to entrap the Soul that plainly fees them. Earth is the Place for his Temptations, and Earth the ordinary Bait; and how fhall thefe enfnare the Chriftian, who hath left the Earth, and walks with God? Is Converfe with wife and learned Men, the Way to make one wife? much more is Converfe with God. If Travellers return home with Wifdom and Experience, how much more he that travels to Heaven? If our Bodies are fuited to the Air and Climate we moft live in; his Understanding must be fuller of Light, who lives with the Father of Lights, The Men of the World, that dwell below, and know no other Converfation but earthly, no Wonder if their Understanding he darkened, and Satan takes them captive at his Will. How can Worms and Moles fee, whofe Dwelling is always in the Earth? While this Duft is in their Eyes, no Wonder they mistake Gain for Godlinefs, Sin for Grace, the World for God, their own Wills for the Law of Chrift, and in the Iffue Hell for Heaven. But when a Chriftian withdraws himself from his worldly Thoughts, and begins to converfe with God in Heaven, methinks he is, as Nebuchadnezzar, taken from the Beafts of the Field to the Throne, and his Reafon returneth unto him. When he hath had a Glimpse of Eternity, and looks down on the World again, how doth he charge with Folly his Neglects of Chrift, his Refhly Pleafures, his earthly Cares? How doth he fay to his Laughter, it is mad; and to his vain Mirth, what doth it? How doth he verily think there is no Man in Bedlam fo truly mad, as wilful Sinners, and unworthy Slighters of Christ and Glory? This makes a dying Man ufually wifer than others, because he looks on Eternity as near, and hath more Heartpiercing Thoughts of it, than he ever had in Health

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and Profperity. Then many of the moft bitter Enemies of the Saints have their Eyes opened, and, like Balaam, cry out, O that I might die the Death of the Righteous, and that my last End might be like his! Yet let the fame Men recover, and lofe their Apprehenfions of the Life to come, and how quickly do they lose their Understandings with it? Tell a dying Sinner of the Riches, Honours, or Pleasures of the World, and would he not answer, What's all this "to me, who must presently appear before God, and "give Account of all my Life?" Chriftian, if the apprehended Nearnefs of Eternity will work fuch ftrange Effects upon the Ungodly, and make them much wifer than before; what rare Effects would it produce in thee, if thou couldst always dwell in the Views of God, and in lively Thoughts of thy everlasting State! Surely a Believer, if he improve his Faith, may ordinarily have more quickening Apprehenfions of the Life to come, in the Time of his Health, than an Unbeliever hath at the Hour of his Death.

§ 8. A heavenly Mind is alfo fortified against Temptations, because the Affections are thoroughly prePoffeffed with the high Delights of another World. He that loves moft, and not he that only knows moft, will moft eafily refift the Motions of Sin. The Will doth as fweetly relifh Goodness, as the Understanding doth Truth; and here lies much of a Chriftian's Strength. When thou haft had a fresh delightful Taste of Heaven, thou wilt not be so easily perfuaded from it. You cannot perfuade a Child to part with his Sweet-meats, while he hath the Tafte in his Mouth. O that you would be much in feeding on the bidden Manna, and be frequently tafting the Delights of Heaven! How would this confirm thy Refolutions, and make thee despise the Fooleries of 5 La45

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the World, and fcorn to be cheated with fuch childish Toys? If the Devil had fet-upon Peter in the Mount of Transfiguration, when he faw Mofes and Elias talking with Chrift, would he fo eafily have been drawn to deny his Lord? What, with all that Glory in his Eye? No. So if he fhould fet upon a believing Soul, when he is taken up in the Mount with Chrift, what would fuch a Soul fay? Get thee "behind me, Satan; wouldft thou perfuade me hence "with trifling Pleafures, and fteal my Heart from "this my Reft? Wouldst thou have me fell these "Joys for nothing? Is there any Honour or Delight "like this? or can that be Profit, for which I muft

lofe this?" But Satan ftays till we are come down, and the Tafte of Heaven is out of our Mouths, and the Glory we faw is even forgotten, and then he eafily deceives our Hearts. Though the Ifraelites below eat, and drink, and rife up to play before their Idol, Mafes in the Mount will not do fo. O if we could keep the Tafte of our Souls continually delighted with the Sweetnefs above, with what Difdain fhould we fpit out the Baits of Sin?

$9.Befides, whilft the Heart is fet on Heaven, a Man is under God's Protection. If Satan then affault us, God is more engaged for our Defence, and will doubtless ftand by us, and fay, My Grace is fufficient for thee. When a Man is in the Way of God's Bleffing, he is in the lefs Danger of Sin's enticing. Amidit thy Temptations, Chriftian Reader, ufe much this powerful Remedy; keep clofe with God by a heavenly Mind; follow your Bufinefs above with Chrift, and you will find this a furer Help than any other. The Way of Life is above to the Wife, that he may depart from Hell beneath (b). Remember that Noah was a juft Man, and perfect in his Generations;

(1) Prov. XV, 244

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