sounding after them. And thus by imitating God's perfections, we shall imitate his happiness too, and shall for ever take after him, not only in respect of the rectitude of our natures, but also in the most blessed and comfortable enjoyment of ourselves: besides that, our resemblance of God will everlastingly dispose us to love, and our love to contemplate and adore him for all these blessed acts do reciprocally further and promote each other; just like contiguous bodies that are placed in a circle, the first of which being moved, thrusts on the second, the second the third, the third the last, if there be no more between; and then the last thrusts on the first, and so round again in the same order. So that if we carry with us into eternity a frame and disposition of nature like God's, we shall always so imitate as still to love him, so love as still to contemplate him, so contemplate as still to adore him, so adore as still to imitate, and love, and contemplate him anew; and in this blessed circle we shall move round for ever, with unspeakable vigour and alacrity.

V. As we are reasonable creatures related to God, we are bound to resign up, and submit ourselves to his blessed will and disposal: for God hath a just dominion over all, founded in his own infinite power, that doth not, like other dominions, result to him from any external acts or achievements, but is the eternal prerogative of his own nature. For he, as well as all other beings, hath a freedom to exercise his own abilities, so far as it is just and lawful; but being infinitely paramount to all other powers whatsoever, he can be subject to no superior authority, nor consequently be obliged by any other law, but

that of his own nature: so that whatsoever he can do, he can justly do, if it be not contrary to the infinite perfections of his nature: for his power being infinite and unconfined, as well as his wisdom, justice, and goodness, doth sufficiently warrant him to do whatsoever is consistent with them; otherwise he would be infinitely powerful in vain: and therefore since he can exercise a dominion over all, he must needs have an eternal right to do it, so far as his own wisdom, goodness, and justice will permit, which are the only laws by which he can be bounded in the exercise of his infinite power and ability: so that while he governs us by such rules and laws as are convenient to his own nature, his own greatness and power, which exalts him above all other law or authority, sufficiently warrants him so to do. And being thus rightfully enthroned by the infinite preeminence of his own power and majesty, all other beings, so far as they are capable, stand immutably obliged to submit and resign themselves up to his government..

But besides that we are obliged to him as he is God, we are also bound to him as he is our Creator: for there is always a power acquired by benefits, where there is none antecedently; especially where the benefit conferred is no less than that of our being, which is the case between us and God. And this is such a benefit as is sufficient to entitle him to us, by an absolute and unalienable propriety, though he had no antecedent right of dominion over us, by virtue of his own infinite greatness: so that though before he created us, or any other being, he had free power to act any thing that lay within the compass of just and lawful, which just and lawful was not de

finable by any other law but that of his own nature; and though, since his creation, his power is no more, (so that he hath not acquired to himself any new power by creating us, but only made new subjects whereon to exercise that ancient power and dominion, which was eternally inherent in him,) yet doubtless, by giving us our beings, he hath laid new obligations upon us to obey him: for now deriving ourselves, as we do, from him, we are bound by all the ties of equity and justice to render back ourselves to him, and to submit those powers to his dominion, which are the effects and offspring of his bounty. For what can be more just and equal, than that that will which is the cause of our beings should be the law and rule of our actions; than that we should serve him with those powers we derived from him, and render him back the fruits of his own plantation? For now we are not our own, but God's, and he alone hath power to dispose of us; and whensoever we dispose of ourselves contrary to his will and pleasure, we do not only invade his property, but employ the spoils of it against him. And whilst we continue thus doing, is it possible we should ever be happy? For besides that, while we continue in rebellion against him, we are in an actual confederacy with hell; for so when we are told, that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, that is, rebellion against God, the meaning is, that, like witches, we are in league with the Devil, and are listed volunteers under those infernal powers, who, for blowing the trumpet of rebellion in heaven, were banished thence six thousand years ago, and have ever since been raising forces in this lower world against God; so that whilst we continue with them

in defiance to God, we are in the Devil's muster-roll, who is captain-general of all the revolted legions, and so are of the quite opposite party to the loyal people of heaven, and consequently can never hope, while we continue such, to be admitted to their society and happiness; besides all this, I say, rebellion against God doth naturally draw a hell of miseries after it for it cannot be supposed that the wise Sovereign of the world should be so unconcerned for his own authority, as to suffer his creatures to spurn at and affront it, without ever manifesting his displeasure against them in some dire and sensible effects. And therefore though in this life, which is the time of our trial and probation, he mercifully forbears to lead us to repentance; yet if we leave this life with our wills unsubdued and unresigned to him, we must not expect to be thus gently dealt with in the other. For it is as easy for him who is the father of our spirits to correct our spirits, as it is for the parents of our flesh to correct our flesh. And though our souls are no more impressible with material stripes, than sunbeams are with the blows of a hammer; yet are they liable to have horrid and dismal thoughts impressed upon them, and to be as much aggrieved by them, as sensible bodies are with the most exquisite torments. So that if God be displeased with us, there is no doubt but he can imprint his wrath upon our minds, in black and ghastly thoughts, and cause it perpetually to drop like burning sulphur on our souls. And it being in his power thus to lash our spirits; to be sure, when once he is implacably incensed against us, (as he will be in the other world, if we go rebels thither,) he will more or less let loose his power upon us, and make us feel

his wrathful resentments, by infusing supernatural horrors into our souls, and scourging our guilty and defenceless spirits with inspirations of dire and frightful thoughts. Now though this be not a natural and necessary effect of our rebellion against God, because it depends upon his will, who is a free agent; yet considering that he is a wise agent, and that as such it is necessary he should one way or other manifest his displeasure against such as are unreclaimable rebels to his authority, it is next to a natural one; and at least the fearful expectation of it in such rebellious spirits (which is a misery next to the enduring it) is necessary and unavoidable. For God hath imprinted a dread of his own power and majesty so deeply on our natures, that we are not able, with all our arts of self-deceit, wholly to obliterate and deface it: and though in this life we may sometimes suppress and stupify our sense of God; yet even here, in spite of ourselves, it will ever and anon return upon us. And if when we have done what we know is offensive to that invisible majesty we stand in awe of, we do not suffer ourselves seriously to reflect upon it, there presently arises in our minds a swarm of horrid thoughts and dismal expectations; and if in this present state in which we have so many salvos for our wounded spirits, so many pleasures and self-delusions to charm our natural dread of God, our overcharged consciences do notwithstanding so often recoil upon us, and alarm us with such dismal abodings; what will they do hereafter, when all those pleasures are removed, and all those self-delusions baffled, with which we were wont to soothe and divert them? Then doubtless we shall be continually stung with