For to be

be impossible, unless we will have it so. sure there is nothing in it that can be too hard for God's grace cooperating with the powers of our nature; and therefore there can be nothing in it too hard for us, whilst it is in our power to secure ourselves of that his gracious cooperation.

Wherefore let us stand boggling no longer at the difficulty of our progress in religion, since, God be praised! there is nothing required of us beyond what we are able. Do but your part, which is only what you can, and then doubt not but God will do his put forth but your honest hearty endeavour, and earnestly implore his aid and assistance, and if then you miscarry, let heaven answer for it. But if, upon a pretence that your work is too difficult, and your enemies too mighty for you, you lay down your arms, and resolve to contend with them no longer, let heaven and earth judge between God and you which is to be charged with your ruin; God, that so graciously offered you his help, that stretched out his hand to raise ye up, tendered you his Spirit to guard and conduct ye through all oppositions to eternal happiness; or you, that would not be persuaded to do any thing for yourselves, but rather chose to perish with ease, than take any pains to be saved.

V. Consider that the practice of these duties is not so difficult, but that it is fairly consistent with all your other necessary occasions. When men are told how many duties are necessary to their successful progress in religion, what patience and constancy, what frequent examinations and trials of themselves, what lively thoughts and expectations of heaven, &c. they are apt to conclude, that if they should en

gage to do all this, they must resolve to do nothing else, but even shake hands with all their secular business and diversions, and cloister up themselves from all other affairs: which is a very great mistake, proceeding either from their not considering or not understanding the nature of these religious exercises, the greatest part of which are such as are to be wholly transacted in the mind, whose motions and operations are much more nimble and expedite than those of the body, and so may be very well intermixed with our secular employments, without any let or hinderance to them. For what great time is there required for a man now and then to revolve a few wise and useful thoughts in his mind; to consider the nature of an action when it occurs; and reflect upon an error when it is past, and hath escaped him? I can consider a temptation when it is approaching me, and with a thought or two of heaven or hell arm my resolution against it in the twinkling of an eye; I can look up to heaven with an eye of earnest expectance, and send my soul thither in a short ejaculation, without interrupting my business : and yet these, and such as these, do make up a great part of those religious exercises wherein the proper duty of our Christian warfare consists. And though to the due performance of these duties, it will be sometimes necessary that our minds should dwell longer upon them, yet it is to be considered, that when once we are entered upon the practice of them, our mind will be much more at leisure to attend to them for then it will be in a great measure taken off from its wild and unreasonable vagaries, from its sinful designs and lewd contrivances, from its fantastic complacencies in the pleasures of sin,

and anxious reflections on the guilt and danger of it and when all this rubbish is thrown out of the mind there will be room enough for good thoughts to dwell in it, without interfering with any of our necessary cares and diversions. For would we but give these our religious exercises as much room in our minds as we did heretofore freely allow to our sins, they would ask no more, but leave us as much at leisure for our other affairs as ever.

I confess there are some of these duties that exact of us their fixed and stated portions of time, such as our morning consideration and prayer, our evening examination and prayer, our religious observation of the Lord's day, and our preparing for and receiving the holy sacrament; but all this may be very well spared without any prejudice to any of our lawful occasions. For what great matter of time doth it ask for a man to think over a few good thoughts in the morning, and forearm his mind with them against the temptations of the day; to recommend himself to God in a short, pithy, and affectionate prayer, and repeat his purpose and resolution of obedience? What an easy matter were it for you to borrow so many moments as would suffice for this purpose from your bed, and your comb and looking-glass. And as for the evening, when your business is over, it is a very hard case, if you cannot spare so much time either from your company or refreshments, as to make a short review of the actions of the day; to confess and beg pardon for the evils you have fallen into, or to bless God for the good you have done, and the evils you have avoided; and then to recommend yourselves to his grace and protection for the future. And as for your religious observation of the Lord's

day, it is only the seventh part of your time; and can you think much to devote that, or at least the greatest part of that, to him who gives you your being and duration? And lastly, as for your receiving the Lord's supper, it is at most but once a month that you are invited to it; and it is a hard case, if out of so great a proportion of time you cannot afford a few hours to examine your defects, and to quicken your graces, and to dress and prepare yourselves for that blessed commemoration. Alas! how easy were all this to a willing mind! And if we had but half that concern for our souls and everlasting interest that we have for our bodies, we should count such things as these not worth our mentioning. How disingenuous therefore is it for men to make such tragical outcries as they do of the hardship and difficulty of this spiritual warfare, when there is nothing at all in it that intrenches either on their secular callings or necessary diversions; when they may be going onward to heaven, while they are doing their business, and mortifying their lusts, even in the enjoyment of their recreations, and so take their pleasure both here and hereafter.

VI. Consider that the difficulty of these duties is such, as will certainly abate and wear off by degrees, if we constantly practise them: for in all undertakings whatsoever, it is use that makes perfectness, and that which is exceeding hard to us at first, either through want of skill to manage, or inclination to practise it, will by degrees grow easier and easier, as we are more and more accustomed and familiarized to it. And this we shall find by experience, if we constantly exercise ourselves in these progressive duties of our religion, which, to a mind that hath

been altogether unacquainted with them, will at first be very difficult. It will go against the grain of a wild and ungoverned nature, to be confined from its extravagant ranges by the strict ties of a religious discipline and to reduce a roving mind to severe consideration, or a fickle one to constancy and resolution, or an unreflecting one to self-examination ; to raise up an earthly mind to heavenly thoughts and expectations, and confine a listless and regardless one to strict watchfulness and circumspection; to confine a carnal mind to frequent sacraments, or an indevout and careless one to its daily and weekly periods of devotion, will at the first, no doubt, be very painful and tedious; but after we have persisted in, and for a while accustomed ourselves to it, we shall find it quickly grow more natural and easy to us, and from being grievous it will become tolerable, from being tolerable, easy, and from being easy, delightful. For when once we come to feel the good effects of those duties in our natures, how fast our lusts do decline, our dispositions mend, and all our graces improve in the use of them, the sense of this will mightily endear and ingratiate them to us. Just as it is with a scholar: when he first enters upon the methods of learning, they are very tedious and irksome to him; the pains of reading, observing, and recollecting, the confinement to a study, and the racking his brains with severe reasoning and discourse, are things that he cannot easily away with, till he hath been inured and accustomed to them a while; and then they grow more natural and easy to him. But when he comes to be sensible of the great advantages he reaps by his labour, how it raises and improves his understanding, enlarges its