this, this is the Difficulty. Reader, Heaven is above thee, and doft thou think to travel this fleep Afcent without Labour and Refolution? Canft thou get that earthly Heart to Heaven, and bring that backward Mind to God, while thou lieft ftill, and takeft thine Eafe? If lying down at the Foot of the Hill, and looking toward the Top, and wifhing we were there, would ferve, the Turn, then we fhould have daily Travellers for Heaven. But the Kingdom of Heaven fuffereth Violence, and the Violent take it by Force (r). There must be Violence ufed to get thefe firft Fruits, as well as to get the full Poffeffion. Doft thou not feel it fo, though I fhould not tell thee? Will thy Heart get upwards, except thou drive it? Thou knowelt that Heaven is all thy Hopes, that nothing below can yield thee Reft, that a Heart, feldom thinking of Heaven, can fetch but little Comfort thence; and yet doft thou not lofe thy Opportunities, and lie below, when thou fhouldft walk above, and live with God? Doft thou not commend the Sweetness of a heavenly Life, and judge thofe the beft Chriftians that use it, and yet never try it thyfelf? As the Sluggard that ftretches himself on his Bed, and cries, O that this were working! So dost thou talk, and trifle, and live at thy Eafe, and fay, O that I could get my Heart to Heaven! How many read Books, and hear Sermons, 'expecting to hear of fome eafier Way, or to meet with a fhorter Course to Comfort, than they are ever like to find in Scripture? Or they afk for Directions for a heavenly Life, and if the hearing them will ferve, they will be heavenly Chriftians; but if we fhew them their Work, and tell them, they cannot have thefe Delights on easier Terms, then they leave us, as the young Man left Chrift, forrowful. If thou art convinced, Reader,

(r) Matt, xi, 12,

that

.

that this Work is neceffary to thy Comfort, fet upon it refolutely: If thy Heart draw back, force it on with the Command of Reason: If thy Reafon begin to difpure, produce the Command of God, and urge thy own Neceffity, with the other Confiderations fuggeted in the former Chapter. Let not fuch an incomparable Treafure lie before thee, with thy Hand in thy Bofom; nor thy Life be a continual Vexation, when it might be a continual Feaft, only because thou wilt not exert thyfelf. Sit not still with a difconfolate Spirit, while Comforts grow before thine Eyes, like a Man in the Midft of a Garden of Flowers, that will not rife to get them, and partake of their Sweetnefs. This I know, Chrift is the Fountain: But the Well is deep, and thou must get forth this Water before thou canst be refreshed with it. I know, fo far as you are fpiritual, you need not all this Striving and Violence; but in Part you are carnal, and as long as it is fo, there is need of Labour. It was a Cuftom of the Parthians, not to give their Children any Meat in the Morning, before they faw the Sweat on their Faces with fome Labour. And you fhall find this to be God's ufual Course, not to give his Children the Tate of his Delights, till they begin to fweat in seeking after them. Judge, therefore, whether a heavenly Life, or thy carnal Eafe, be better; and, as a wife Man, make thy Choice accordingly. Yet let me add for thy Encouragement, Thou needeft not employ thy Thoughts more than thou now doft; it is only to fix them upon better and more pleafant Objects. Employ but as many ferious Thoughts every Day upon the excellent Glory of the Life to come, as thou now doft on worldly Affairs, yea, on Vanities and Impertinencies, and thy Heart will foon be at Heaven. On the whole, it is the Field of the Slothful, that is all grown over with Thorns and Nettles:

*

Nettles; and the Defire of the Slothful killeth his Joys, for his Hands refufe to labour; and it is the flothful Man faith, there is a Lion in the Way, a Lion is in the Streets. As the Door turneth upon his Hinges, fo doth the Slothful upon his Bed. The Slothful bideth his Hand in his Bofom, it grieveth him to bring it again to his Mouth(s), though it be to feed himself with the Food of Life. What is this but throwing away our own Confolations, and confequently the precious Blood that bought them? For he that is othful in his Work, is Brother to him that is a great Wafter (t). Apply this to thy fpiritual Work, and study well the Meaning

of it.

$ 8. (7) Contentment with the mere Preparatives to this heavenly Life, while we are utter Strangers to the Life itself, is also a dangerous and fecret Hinderance. When we take up with the mere Study of heavenly Things, and the Notions of them, or the Talking with one another about them; as if this were enough to make us heavenly. None are in more Danger of this Snare, than thofe that are employed in leading the Devotions of others, especially Preachers of the Gofpel. O how eafily may fuch be deceived! While they do nothing fo much as read, and ftudy of Hea ven; preach, and pray, and talk of Heaven; is not this the heavenly Life? Alas! all this is but mere Preparation: This is but collecting the Materials, not erecting the Building itfelf: It is but gathering the Manna for others, and not eating and digefting ourfelves. As he that fits at home may draw exact Maps of Countries, and yet never fee them, nor travel toward them; fo may you describe to others the Joys of Heaven, and yet never come near it in your own Hearts. A blind Man, by Learning, may difpute of Light and Colours; fo may you fet forth

(s) Prov. xxiv. 30, 31. xxi. 25. xxvi, 13--15. (t) Prov, xviii, 9.

to

to others that heavenly Light, which never enlightened your own Souls, and bring that Fire for the Hearts of your People, which never warmed your own Hearts. What heavenly Paffages had Balaam in his Prophecies, yet how little of it in his Spirit? Nay, we are under a more fubtle Temptation, than any other Men, to draw us from this heavenly Life. Studying and preaching of Heaven more resembles a heavenly Life, than thinking and talking of the World does; and the Refemblance is apt to deceive us. This is to die the most miferable Death, even to famifh ourselves, because we have Bread on our Tables; and to die for Thirft, while we draw Water for others, thinking it enough that we have daily to do with it, though we never drink for the Refreshment of our own Souls.

$9. (II) HAVING thus fhewed thee what Hin derances will refift thee in the Work, I expect that thou refolve against them, confider them seriously, and avoid them faithfully, or elfe thy Labour will be in vain. I must alfo tell thee, that I here expect thy Promife, as thou valuest the Delights of thefe Fore taftes of Heaven, to make Gonfcience of performing the following Duties; the reading of which, without their conftant Practice, will not bring Heaven into thy Heart. Particularly,be convinced that Heaven is the only Treafure and Happiness;labour to know that it is thy own; and how near it is;-fre quently and feriously talk of it;itendeavour to raise thy Affections nearer to it in every Duty;to the fame Purpofe improve every Object and Event; be much in the angelical Work of Praife;- poffefs thy Soul with believing Thoughts of the infinite Love of God; carefully obferve and cherish the Mations of the Spirit of God;

-nor even neglect the due Care of thy bodily Health.

$10.

Ch. 12. $10. (1) Be convinced that Heaven is the only Treafure and Happiness, and labour to know what a Treasure and Happiness it is. If thou do not believe it to be the chief Good, thou wilt never fet thy Heart upon it; and this Conviction must fink into thy Affections; for if it be only a Notion, it will have little Efficacy. If Eve once fuppofes fhe fees more Worth in the forbidden Fruit, than in the Love and Enjoyment of God, no Wonder if it have more of her Heart than God. If your Judgment once prefers the Delights of the Flefh, before the Delights in the Prefence of God, it is impoffible your Heart fhould be in Heaven. As it is Ignorance of the Emptiness of Things below, that makes Men fo over value them; fo it is Ignorance of the high Delights above, which is the Caufe that Men fo little mind them. If you fee a Purse of Gold, and believe it to be but Counters, it will not entice your Affections to it. It is not the real Excellence of a Thing itself, but its known Excellence, that excites Defire. If an ignorant Man fee a Book containing the Secrets of Arts or Sciences, he values it no more than a common Piece, becaufe he knows not what is in it; but he that knows it, highly values it, and can even forbear his Meat, Drink, and Sleep to read it. As the Jews killed the Meffiah, while they waited for him, because they did not know him; fo the World cries out for Reft, and bufily feeks for -Delight and Happiness, because they know it not; for did they thoroughly know what it is, they could not fo flight the everlafting Treasure.

§ 11. (2) Labour alfo to know that Heaven is thy own Happiness. We may confefs Heaven to be the beft Condition, though we defpair of enjoying it; and we may defire and feek it, if we fee the Attain ment but probable; but we can never delightfully rejoice in it, till we are in fome measure perfuaded of

Our