consist; and therefore he most laboureth to be strong in these. 1. To ground his judgment well; 2. And to resolve to fix his will; 3. And to order his conversation aright. Yet highly valuing sensible affections and gifts of utterance, but in subserviency to those which are the vital acts.

2. But the weak Christian usually placeth most of his religion in the more affectionate and expressive part. He striveth more with his heart for passionate apprehensions, than for complacency and fixed resolutions. He is often in doubt of his sincerity, when he wanteth the feeling affectionate workings which he desireth, and thinketh he hath no more grace than that he hath sensibility of expressive gifts. And so as he buildeth his comfort upon these inconstant signs, his comforts are accordingly inconstant sometime he thinketh he hath grace, when his body or other advantages do help the excitation of his lively affections. And when the dulness of his body, or other impediments, hinder this, he questioneth his grace again, because he understandeth not aright the nature and chiefest acts of grace.

3. The hypocrite hath neither the rational, nor the passionate part in sincerity; but he may go much further in the latter than in the former. A quick and passionate nature, though unsanctified, may be brought to shed more tears, and express more fervour, than many a holy person can. Especially upon the excitation of some quickening sermon, or some sharp affliction, or great conviction, or at the approach of death. Few of the most holy

persons can constantly retain so lively, fervent, passionate repentings, and desires and resolutions to amend, as some carnal persons have in sickness. The power of fear alone doth make them more earnest, than love maketh many a gracious soul. But when the fear is over, they are the same again. How oft have I heard a sick man most vehemently profess his resolutions for a holy life, which all have come to nothing afterwards? How oft have I heard a common drunkard with tears cry out against himself for his sin, and yet go on in it? And how many gracious persons have I known, whose judgments and wills have been groundedly resolved for God and holiness, and their lives have been holy, fruitful, and obedient, who yet could not shed a tear for sin, nor feel any very great sorrows or joys? If you judge of a man by his earnestness in some good moods, and not by the constant tenor of his life, you will think many a hypocrite to be better than most saints. Who would have thought that had seen him only in that fit, but that Saul had been a penitent man, when he lift up his voice and wept, and said to David, Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.' A smaller matter will raise some sudden passions, than will renew the soul, and give the pre-eminence to God, and holiness, and heaven, in the judgment, will, and conversation.

LX. 1. A Christian indeed confirmed in grace, is one that maketh it the business of his life to prepare for death; and delayeth not his serious

rence.

thoughts of it, and preparations for it till it surprise him; and therefore when it cometh it findeth him prepared, and he gladly entertaineth it as the messenger of his Father, to call him to his everlasting home. It is not a strange unexpected thing to him, to hear he must die: he died daily in his daily sufferings, and mortified contempt of worldly things, and in his daily expectation of his change. He wondereth to see men at a dying time, surprised with astonishment and terror, who jovially or carelessly neglected it before; as if they had never known till then that they must die? or as if a few years' time were reason enough for so great a diffeFor that, which he certainly knoweth will be, he looketh at, as if it were even at hand; and his preparation for it is more serious in his health, than other men's is on their death-bed. He useth more carefully to bethink himself what graces he shall need at a dying time, and in what case he shall then wish his soul to be; and accordingly he laboureth in his provisions now; even as if it were to be to-morrow. He verily believeth that it is incomparably better for him to be with Christ, than to abide on earth, and therefore (though death of itself be an enemy, and terrible to nature) yet being the only passage into happiness, he gladly entertaineth it. Though he have not himself any clear and satisfactory apprehensions of the place and state of the happiness of departed souls, yet it quieteth him to know that they shall be with Christ, and that Christ knoweth all, and prepareth and secureth for him that promised rest. Though he is not free

from all the natural fears of death, yet his belief and hope of endless happiness doth abate those fears by the joyful expectation of the gain which followeth. (See my book called the Last Enemy, and the Last Work of a Believer, and that of Selfdenial against the Fears of Death.)

But especially he loveth and longeth for the coming of Christ to judgment: as knowing that then the marriage-day of the Lamb is come, and then the desires and hopes of all believers shall be satisfied:

Then shall the righteous shine as stars in the kingdom of their Father;' and the hand of violence shall not reach them. Every enemy then is overcome, and all the Redeemer's work is consummated, and the kingdom delivered up unto the Father. Then shall the ungodly and the unmerciful be confounded, and the righteous filled with everlasting joy, when their Lord shall throughly plead their cause, and justify them against the accusations of Satan, and all the lies of his malicious instruments. O blessed, glorious, joyful day, when Christ shall come with thousands of his angels to execute vengeance on the ungodly world, and to be 'glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that now believe!' When the patient followers of the Lamb shall behold him in glory, whom they have believed in, and shall see, that they did not pray, or hope, or wait in vain! When Christ himself and his sacred truth shall be justified and glorified in the presence of the world, and his enemies' mouths for ever stopped: When he shall convince all that are ungodly of all their ungodly deeds, which they have

ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have 'spoken against him!' Where then is the mouth that pleaded the cause of infidelity and impiety? and reproached the serious holiness of believers? and made a jest of the judgments of the Lord? Then what terrors and confusion, and shame, what fruitless repentings will seize upon that man, that set himself against the holy ones of the Lord, and knew not the day of his visitation, and embraced the image and form of godliness, while he abhorred the power. The joys which will then possess the hearts of the justified, will be such as now no heart can comprehend. When love shall come to be glorified in the highest expression, to those that lately were so low; when all their doubts, and fears, and sorrows, shall be turned into full contenting sight, and all tears shall be wiped away, and all reproaches turned into glory, and every enemy overcome, and sin destroyed, and holiness perfected, and our 'vile bodies changed, and made like the glorious body' of Christ; then will the love and work of our redemption be fully understood; and then a saint will be a saint indeed; when with Christ they shall 'judge the angels and the world,' and shall hear from Christ, 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,' 'enter ye into the joy of your Lord.' Then every knee shall bow to Christ, and every tongue shall confess that he is Lord, to the glory of God the Father;' then sin will fully appear in its malignity, and holiness in its lustre unto all: the proud