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futurity, when there was prefent enjoyment? what need of borrowing contents from the expectation of what was to come, when he had abundance of contents at prefent?-It is diftrefs that drives us unto God: It is weaknefs, that makes us lay hold on ftrength; and sense of poverty that gives us the defire of being rich; according to that of the prophet, In their afflictions they will feek me early.

It is feldom that men feck the Lord, unlefs they need fome good, or fear fome evil. It is hunger makes us cry for bread, and nakedness makes us provide for cloathing, or danger forceth us unto God. Therefore faith the prophet, Wo unto them that rife up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink, that continue until night, till the wine inflame them. And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and the pipe, and wine are in their feafts; but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither confider the operations of his hands. When there was fuch plenty of wine and musick, and ftrong drink, where flourishing profperity was watered with rivers of pleasure; then they were so far from regarding the words of God's mouth, that

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is, living by promise of better things to come, that they regarded not the work of his hands.

Charge them (fays the apoftle) that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us all things richly to enjoy. It is an hard thing, it should seem, to have riches, and not to fruft in them; to have wealth, and not to be high-minded: And therefore it often comes to pass, that they that have riches, and power, and content, and satisfaction enough, or think there may be enough of these without God, never look further than these things; for we never feek unto God, till neceffity leads us unto him.

A FOURTH thing which hinders our attending to the eternal concerns of the other world, is this; namely, Because the life of religion puts us upon continual exercife of mind, and fets all our powers upon the stretch, and often carries much of conteft and anxiety in it: And therefore seeing we are so much inclined to floth and ease and carnal fecurity, we are loth to live in fo continual a labour,

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and to give our felves the trouble of a continual watch or battle against the world.

The holy fcripture in many places reprefents the chriftian life as a warfare, and therefore a state of ftrict and righteous discipline. We wrestle not against flesh and blood (fays the apoftle), but against principalities and powers; and therefore we must put on the whole armour of God.

The exercise of the life of a chriftian fometimes makes us weary in the day, and watch in the night. It fometimes makes our fleep fhort, and the nights long; our dreams troublesome, and our waking painful. It makes a pale face, and a thin vifage, and a thoughtful heart; not of it self, but by reason of the conflicts against our vices that it puts us upon; nor do thofe conflicts laft long, but lead unto triumphs and victories, yea unto joys and pleasures.

In the mean time the vigorous exercise of religion causes deep thoughts, strong affections, vehement longings: it wakens every eye, it strengthens every nerve, it exercises every power, it tries every grace, it actuates all the vigours of the foul; and because this is a life of labour and ftrife, of pains

and difficulties, tho' but for a time, there fore we are loth to live a truly religious life.

In the last place, we are hindred from attending to the eternal concerns of the other world, by the guife and humour of this world.

And this is the reafon why the apoftle exhorts us, Be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds.

Now there are three things wherein we are deceived by the guife of the world; We fee men labouring for other ends than the ends of religion:

We fee them fucceed fometimes in those labours:

And we fee them valued for that fuccefs.

It is in the guife of the world a strangè thing, to feek for any thing but worldly things. Solomon's defign runs in moft mens minds: I made (fays he) great works; I builded me hofes, I planted me vineyards, Imadė me gardens and orchards, I planted trees in them of all kinds, I made me pools of water, I got me fervants and maidens, great poffeffions of great and fmall cattle; I gathered me filver and gold, and the peculiar treasures of kings: I got mẻ

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men fingers and women fingers, and the de-· lights of the fons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all forts, and whatsoever mine eyes defired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy. Thus did Solomon, thus doth every man's neighbour almoft, in several measures and degrees. He feeks an estate, he ftudies riches, he catches at honours, he labours at the preferments of this world:And this is one of the firft things we observe in it.

Again, We fee one or other of our neighbours by these means growing rich, and acquiring wealth; he builds houses, he buys land, he raifes his family, he lives high, and maintains all in a fplendid pomp.

And, laftly, We fee him by fecular cares and labours growing rich, and valued, efteemed, courted, and fued unto, because of those riches; and this presently inflames our fpirits, this fets all on fire to be as rich, as noble, as great, as much efteemed as he is. And hence we begin to lay our plots and defigns, and contrive the means of growing great, and rich, and popular; and these defigns thus laid, they employ our heads, our hearts, our hands, in the getting of riches

VOL. III.

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