ing thy state of life: because all uncertainties of mind, and vagabond resolutions, leave a man in the tyranny of all his follies and infirmities: every thing can transport him, and he can be forced by every temptation; and every fancy, or new accident, can ruin him. He that is not resolved and constant, is yet in a state of deliberation; and that supposes contrary appetites to be yet in the balance, and sin to be as strong as grace. But besides this, there are, in every state of life, many little things to be overcome, and objections to be mastered, and proper infirmities adherent, which are to be cured in the progression and growth of a man, and after experiment had of that state of life in which we are engaged; but therefore it is necessary that we begin speedily, lest we have no time to begin that work, which ought, in some measure, to be finished before we die.

Dum, quid sis, dubitas, jam potes esse nihil b.

He that is uncertain what to do, shall never do any thing well; and there is no infirmity greater, than that a man shall not be able to determine himself what he ought to do.

69. IV. In contentions against sin and infirmities, let your force and your care be applied to that part of the wall that is weakest, and where it is most likely the enemy will assault thee, and if he does, that he will prevail. If a lustful person should bend all his prayers and his observations against envy, he hath cured nothing of his nature and infirmity. Some lusts our temper or our interest will part withal; but our infirmities are in those desires, which are hardest to be mastered that is, when after a long dispute, and perpetual contention, still there will abide some pertinacious string of an evil root; when the lust will be apt upon all occasions to revert, when every thing can give fire to it, and every heat can make it stir; that is the scene of our danger, and ought to be of greatest warfare and observation.

70. V. He that fights against that lust, which is the evil spring of his proper infirmities, must not do it by single instances, but by a constant and universal, mortal fight. He that does single spites to a lust; as he that opposes now and then a fasting day against carnality, or some few alms against oppression or covetousness, will find that these sin

b Martial. 2. 64.

gle acts, if nothing else be done, can do nothing but cosen him they are apt to persuade easy people, that they have done what is in them to cure their infirmity, and that their condition is good; but it will not do any thing of that work, whither they are designed. We must remember that infirmities are but the relics and remains of an old lust, and are not cured but at the end of a lasting war. They abide even after the conquest, after their main body is broken, and therefore cannot at all be cured by those light velitations and pickerings of single actions of hostility.

71. VI. When a violent temptation assaults thee, remember that this violence is not without, but within. Thou art weak, and that makes the burden great. Therefore whatever advices thou art pleased to follow in opposition to the temp tation without, be sure that thou place the strongest guards within, and take care of thyself. And if thou dost die, or fall foully, seek not an excuse from the greatness of the temptation; for that accuses thee most of all: the bigger the temptation is, it is true that oftentimes thou art the more to blame; but at the best, it is a reproof of thy imperfect piety. He whose religion is greater than the temptation of a hundred pounds, and yet falls in the temptation of a thousand, sets a price upon God and upon heaven; and though he will not sell heaven for a hundred pounds, yet a thousand, he thinks, is a worthy purchase.

72. VII. Never think that a temptation is too strong for thee, if thou givest over fighting against it: for as long as thou didst continue thy contention, so long it prevailed not but when thou yieldedst basely, or threwest away thy arms, then it foraged, and did mischief, and slew thee, or wounded thee dangerously. No man knows, but if he had stood one assault more, the temptation would have left him. Be not therefore pusillanimous in a great trial: it is certain thou canst do all that which God requires of thee, if thou wilt but do all that thou canst do.

73. VIII. Contend every day against that, which troubles thee every day. For there is no peace in this war; and there are not many infirmities, or principles of failing, greater than weariness of well-doing; for besides that it proclaims the weakness of thy resolution, and the infancy of thy piety, and thy undervaluing religion, and thy want of love, it is

also a direct yielding to the enemy: for since the greatest scene of infirmities lies in the manner of our piety, he that is religious only by uncertain periods, and is weary of his duty, is not arrived so far as to plead the infirmities of willing people; for he is in the state of death and enmity.

74. IX. He that would master his infirmities, must do it at God's rate, and not at his own: he must not start back when the burden pinches him; not refuse his repentances because they smart, nor omit his alms because they are expensive for it is vain to propound to ourselves any end, and yet to decline the use of those means, and instruments, without which it is not to be obtained. He that will buy, must take it at the seller's price; and if God will not give thee safety or immunity, but upon the exchange of labour, and contradictions, fierce contentions, and mortification of our appetites; we must go to the cost, or quit the purchase.

75. X. He that will be strong in grace, and triumph in good measures over his infirmities, must attempt his remedy by an active prayer. For prayer without labour is like faith without charity, dead and ineffective. A working faith, and a working prayer, are the great instruments, and the great exercise, and the great demonstration, of holiness and Christian perfection. Children can sit down in a storm, or in a danger, and weep and die: but men can labour against it, and struggle with the danger, and labour for that blessing which they beg. Thou dost not desire it, unless thou wilt labour for it. He that sits still and wishes, had rather have that thing than be without it; but if he will not use the means, he had rather lose his desire than lose his ease. That is scarce worth having, that is not worth labouring.

76. XI. In all contentions against sin and infirmity, remember that what was done yesterday, may be done to-day; and by the same instruments by which then you were conqueror, you may also be so in every day of temptation. The Italian general that quitted his vanity and his employment, upon the sight of one that died suddenly, might, upon the same consideration, actually applied and fitted to the fancy, at any time resist his lust. And therefore Epictetus gives it in rule; Θάνατος πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔστω σοι καθ ̓ ἡμέραν καὶ οὐ δὲν οὐδέποτε ταπεινὸν ἐνθυμηθήσῃ, οὔτε ἄγαν ἐπιθυμήσεις τινός.

"Let death be always before thy eyes, and then thou shalt never desire any base or low thing, nor desire any thing too much :"—that is, the perpetual application of so great a consideration as is death, is certainly the greatest endearment of holiness and severity. And certain it is, that at some time or other, the greatest part of Christians have had some horrible apprehensions of hell, of death, and consequent damnation; and it hath put into them holy thoughts, and resolutions of piety: and if ever they were in a severe sickness, and did really fear death, they may remember with how great a regret they did then look upon their sins; and then they thought heaven a considerable interest, and hell a formidable state, and would not then have committed a sin for the purchase of the world. Now every man hath always the same arguments and endearments of piety and religion: heaven and hell are always the same considerable things; and the truth is the same still: but then they are considered most, and therefore they prevail most; and this is a demonstration that the arguments themselves are sufficient, and would always do the work of grace for us, if we were not wanting to ourselves. It is impossible that any man can be moved by any argument in the world, or any interest, any hope or any fear, who cannot be moved by the consideration of heaven and hell. But that which I observe is this; that the argument that wisely and reasonably prevailed yesterday, can prevail to-day, unless thou thyself beest foolish and unreasonable.

77. XII. If a wicked man sins, it is never by a pitiable or pardonable infirmity, but from a state of death that it proceeds, or will be so imputed, and it is all one as if it did. But if a good man sins, he hath the least reason to pretend infirmity for his excuse, because he hath the strengths of the Spirit, and did master sin in its strengths, and in despite of all its vigorousness and habit; and therefore certainly can do so much rather, when sin is weak and grace is strong. The result of which consideration is this, that no man should please himself in his sin, because it is a sin of infirmity. He that is pleased with it, because he thinks it is indulged to him, sins with pleasure, and therefore not of infirmity; for that is ever against our will, and besides our observation. No

c Enchir. c. 21. Heyne. p. 60.

sin is a sin of infirmity, unless we hate it, and strive against it. He that hath gotten some strength, may pretend some infirmity: but he that hath none, is dead.

78. XIII. Let no man think, that the proper evil of his age or state, or of his nation, is, in the latitude and nature of it, a sin of a pardonable infirmity. The lusts of youth, and the covetousness or pride of old age, and the peevishness of the afflicted, are states of evil, not sins of infirmity: for it is highly considerable, that sins of infirmity are but single ones. There is no such thing as a state of a pardonable infirmity. If by distemper of the body, or the vanity of years, or the evil customs of a nation, a vice does creep upon, and seize on, the man, it is that against which the man ought to watch, and pray, and labour; it is a state of danger and temptation. But that must not be called infirmity, which corrupts nations and states of life; but that only, which, in single instances, surprises even a watchful person, when his guards are most remiss.

79. XIV. Whatsoever sin comes regularly, or by observ ation, is not to be excused upon the pretence of infirmity; but is the indication of an evil habit. Therefore, never admit a sin upon hopes of excuse; for, it is certain, no evil that a man chooses, is excusable. No man sins with a pardon about his neck. But if the sin comes at a certain time, it comes from a certain cause; and then it cannot be infirmity: for all sins of infirmity, are sins of chance, irregular and accidental.

80. XV. Be curious to avoid all proverbs and propositions, or odd sayings, by which evil life is encouraged, and the hands of the spirit weakened. It is strange to consider what a prejudice to a man's understanding of things is a contrary proverb. "Can any good thing come out of Galilee?" And "when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is." -Two or three proverbs did, in despite of all the miracles, and holy doctrines, and rare examples, of Christ, hinder many of the Jews from believing in him. The words of St. Paul, misunderstood and worse applied, have been so often abused to evil purposes, that they have almost passed into a proverbial excuse; "The evil that I would not, that I do." Such sayings as these, are to be tried by the severest measures; and all such senses of them, which are enemies to holiness

VOL. IX.