at never fo great diftance, would help to alleviate their misery? but alas! their pains will never wear away, but will be kept alike fharp and quick to all eternity. They fhall feel more in one moment, than they endured on earth all the time of their lives, and this infinitely great pain and torture fhall laft for ever and ever. Their fire fhall be fo far from being ever quenched, that it fhall never abate, and their bodies shall be always preyed upon by the flames, and yet fhall never be confumed. In vain hall they figh and groan, and weep and wail; they are miserable beyond all relief, and beyond all expreffion. They shall feek death, but fhall not find it; they fhall defire to die, but death fhall fly from them. Eternal life fhall be a curfe to 'them, fince they fhall only live in unspeakable misery, only live to wifh in vain for death. God's wrath is upon them, his vengeance has overtaken them, and will continue heavy upon them, to all eternity.

MEDITATION III.

Wouldst thou know, my foul, how to avoid this place of torment? There is but M 2

one

one way. Learn truly to fear him who can destroy both body and foul in hell; yea, I fay unto you, fear him, and then thou needest not fear hell itself. 'Tis true indeed, the way which leads to hell is broad and fpacious, and at firft fight seems to be a pleasant road; and therefore it is neceffary that thou shouldst always remember that the end thereof is bitterness. Many there are, alas! too many, that walk in it, and will perfuade thee to bear them company; they will ufe enticing words, and flatter thee with their double tongues; but believe them not, for destruction is in their paths, and the way of peace have they not known. The only certain way to escape God's wrath, is to avoid those fins for which it comes upon the children of difobedience. Whenever therefore thou art tempted to any thing that is finful, be fure to avoid it, for it will lead thee down directly to hell. Only be careful to keep thy innocency, and then thou may'st fafely triumph over hell itself. But if thou committeft fin, and obey'ft the devil, then art thou the fervant of the devil, and shalt be partner with him in his mifery. Every particular breach of our duty carrieth us

nearer

ye

nearer and nearer to this dreadful place of torment, and every fin unrepented of, cafts us down towards it. Confider this, all that forget God, left he snatch ye away, and there be none to deliver ye. Confider this, I fay, and fhew your felves men; men, whose reafon teaches them to fly from danger, and to feek for peace. Remember that the pleasures of fin are not to be purchased, without the loss of thy heavenly happiness; nay more, that those fhort and fading pleasures will end in an eternity of mifery; think feriously and frequently of hell, of the greatness of its torments, and the perpetuity of them; think as often on the pleasures of fin, their emptiness and vanity, and the shortness of their continuance; and then I can fafely leave thee to chuse for thy felf, either obe dience and heaven, or fin and hell.

T

CHAP. VIII.

Of Private Humiliation.

HERE is one duty ftill behind, which I have too much reafon to fear is but little thought of,

even among the better fort of christians; and this is Private Humiliation, or the fetting apart fome time to bewail in fecret both our own particular fins, and the general finfulness of the whole world. This, I confefs, is but a melancholy employment; bút yet fo necessary an one, that without it we can never hope to enjoy any true peace or chearfulness. For this is that godly forrow which bringeth forth joy, and unless we can thus mourn, we shall never poffefs any folid or lafting comfort.

Our holy mother the church has taken peculiar care to provide for the performance of this duty in publick, having or

dered

dered feveral days in the year to be set apart for this purpofe. Such are all her days of fafting and abstinence, both ordinary and extraordinary, which were all defigned by her to be fo many days.of mourning and humiliation, mortification and repentance.

And certainly it will well become us her children, in imitation of her holy example, to set apart some time for the discharge of this duty in private; that fo there may be an uniformity and agreement in our publick and private behaviour, and we may act like chriftians, not only when we appear in the great congregation, but alfo when we withdraw into our closeft and feverest retirements. We must not think it enough to comply with the commands of the church, in observing her publick days of humiliation; but we must be the fame in our closets that we are in our churches, poffeffed with the fame fenfe of our own and other mens fins, and humbled under the fame weighty load of forrow; or else it is very much to be feared our religion is all dissembled. Nay, indeed the closet seems to be the most proper place for the performance of this duty, because