to come. And in Revel. xxi. Blessed and holy is he who hath part in the first Resurrection, the second Death shall bave no Power over him.

5. Confider that the whole World trembles at the Denunciation of the Judgments, with which God threatens to punish all impenitent Sinners, as in Exod. xx. Lam the Lord thy God, strong, jealous, visiting the Iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children, unto the third and fourth Generation of them that hate me. And in 1 Sam. Chap. ii. I will bonour them that honour me, and will despise them that despise me. And St. Mat. Chap. xii. Of every idle Word that Man shall speak, they shall give an Account at the Day of Judgment. And St. John, Chap. iii. Except a Man be born of Water and the Spirit, that is, of a Spirit purifying like Water, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. And in Rom. viii. They who are in the Flesh cannot please God. And in 1 Cor. Chap. vi. Be not deceived, neither Fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor Adulterers. nor Effeminate, nor Abusers of themselves with Mankind, nor Thieves, nor Covetous, nor Drunkards, nor Revilers, nor Extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God. And the Apostle to the Hebrews is not content to tell us, That without Holiness no Man shall fee God; But he faith something more, That if we fin wilfully, after we have received the Knowledge of the Truth, there remains no more Sacrifice for Sin, but a terrible Expectation of Judgment, and fiery Indignation, shall devour the Adversaries for our God is a consuming Fire, Chap. x. And in the Revelations, 'tis not only faid, that in the holy Jerusalem there shall no unclean thing enter, or that committeth Abomination, or a Lye, and that God will shut out the Dogs, the Witches, the Fornicators, the Murderers, the Idolaters, and whosoever doth Love, or doa Lye, Chap. ii. 22. But the Spirit of God afsures us, that the timorous, that is, such as are more afraid of Man than of God, the Unbelieving, the Execrable, and Murderers, the Fornicators and Witches, the Idolaters and Liars shall have their Portion in the Lake that burns with Fire and Brimstone, which is the second Death.

6. When we should speak in the Language of An- 26gels, when we should give all our Goods to nourish 1-16 the Poor, and when we should give our Body to be burn'd, if we have no Charity, we are but like the 4-2 founding Brass, and like the tinkling Cymbal. When 1-1 we should be able to perform Signs and Wonders, if 3.1 we be not cloathed with Innocency and Holiness, if we be not adorn'd with Meekness and Love, Chrift will at last treat us as the foolish Virgins, with a Depart from me, I know ye not. When we should be able to cast the Devil out of other Men, it will avail us nothing, unless we can cast him out of our own Hearts, with all the wicked Lufts that he cherishes there. To that purpose shall such cry out at the great Day, Lord, Lord, have not we prophefied in thy Name? Have not we caft out Devils in thy Name? Have not we done many Miracles in thy Name? Jesus will return them this fad Answer, Depart from me, ye Workers of Iniquity.

7. Confider, that whatsoever be your Portion of the Advantages of this Life, when you shall come to die, you shall carry away neither your Riches, your Honours, nor your Pleasures. But if you be rich in Faith and good Works, if you be cloathed with Holiness, and crowned with Righteousness: If Piety and the Service of God be your Delight, you shall carry away out of the World this spiritual Treasure, the celestial Glory, and his angelical Satisfaction. 'Tis what the holy Spirit teacheth when it tells us, Blessed are the Dead that die in the Lord, for they reft from their Labours, and their Works follow them.

8. Let us always have before our Eyes the blessed Examples of so many Saints, who have trac'd us the way to Heaven, by their Piety and good Works; they are entred into the Paradise of God, and the Glory of his Kingdom: "Tis reported of a Painter, that when he had a Design to represent an accomplish'd Beauty, he borrowed from divers Objects, the Excellencies and Perfections with which he was to adorn his Picture. From the Lillies he took their Whiteness, from the Rofes their

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their red Tincture, from another Object the Wonder of the Eye, from another the Coral of the Lips, and fo of the other Parts. Likewife to restore in our Souls the Image of God defac'd by Sin, we must borrow the Virtues and Excellencies of primitive Men. For Example, represent always to your selves Abel's Innocency, Enoch's holy Life, Noah's Justice, Abraham's Faith, Lot's Hospitality, Ifaac's Obedience, the Faithfulness of Jacob, the Chastity of Jofeph, the Patience of Job, the Meekness of Mofes, the Zeal of Phineas, the Constancy of David, the Wisdom of Solomon, the Piety of Jofias, the Prayers of Daniel, the Tears of Jeremiah, the Fafting of Hefter, the holy Earneftness of the Woman of Canaan, the Devotion of Cornelius, the Charity of the Samaritan, the Alms of Dorcas, and of the poor Widow, the Publican's Humility, the good Thief's Repentance, the Tears of Mary Magdalen, the Weepings of Peter, the undaunted Courage of St. Paul, and his indefatigable Spirit, and the glorious Martyrdom of St. Stephen, and of so many noble Souls, of all Ages and Sexes, who have gone to the Torments with as much Joy as to Feasts, and to Triumphs; and who have sealed with their Blood the Truth of the Gospel, with an undaunted Resolution. Seeing therefore that we are encompassed with so great a Cloud of Witnesses, let us pursue with Constancy the Race that is set before us.

9. Chiefly, Let us look to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith. For he hath left us an Example that we might follow his Foot-Steps. All the Virtues that we admire in those faithful Souls, are but like many little Beams of the Son of Righteousness, and a weak Image of his Glory. There is no Fire so perfect, but yields a Smoak; nor Rightcousness so accomplish'd, but hath its Imperfections, whilft we are cloathed with this weak Flesh. The Behaviour of the most Holy and Perfect, is spotted with many Infirmities; but our Lord and Saviour is the Lamb without Spot or Blemish, in whose Mouth there was no Guile. For 'twas neceffary that they should have such an High Priest, who is holy, blameless, separated from Sinners. The perfect Image of all Virtues was never found on any mortal Man on Earth; but Jesus Christ is the fairest amongst the Sons of Men, his Lips are full of Grace; in him alone we have a perfect Model of Virtues, and of all imaginable Perfection. Therefore when the Apostle had perfuaded the Romans to renounce the Lufts of the Flesh, Drunkenness, Anger, Envy, and such like Sins, instead of making an Enumeration of the Virtues opposite to these Vices, he thinks it fufficient to propose Christ's holy Example, Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, saith he, to teach us, that all the Virtues and Graces center and meet in the facred Person of our Saviour Jesus Christ, in the highest Degrees of Perfection.

10. We are so much the more oblig'd to imitate Jesus Christ, and to imprint in our Hearts his holy Image, because that he is not only our Father, our Lord, our King, but he is also the Blessed Head of that Body, whereof we are Members. 'Tis not proper to unite defil'd and prophane Members to an Head fo glorious and so holy. Whosoever gives himself over to his Lufts and Delights, in the Corruption of Sin, maims, as much as in him lies, that facred Body of the Son of God. This Confideration drew from St. Paul this Expreffion, Shall I take the Members of Christ for to make them the Members of an Whore?

11. The divine Spirit dwelling in our Hearts, is a great Obligation to holiness of Life. Know you not that you are the Temple of God, and the holy Ghoft dwelleth in you? I Cor. iii. Shall we be so base as to uncover our filthy and dirty Thoughts before so holy and divine a Guest? Shall we be so bold as to erect upon his Altar, Idols that may provoke him to Jealoufie? His Eyes are so clean and pure, that they cannot suffer the Sight of Iniquity and Sin. 'Tis that which most afflicts and grieves him; therefore when St. Paul had advised the Ephesians, That no corrupt Communication should proceed out of their Mouth, but that which is good, to the use of edifying, that it may minister Grace unto the Hearers, he adds immediately after, Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the Day of Redemption. And if there be any that are not moved with the Prefence of fuch a glorious Person, let him tremble at this fearful Threatning, If any destroy the Temple of God, God will destroy him, 2 Cor. iii.

12. There were two Tables of Stone in the Ark of God's Covenant, where God himself had written his Law, which he gave to his People by the Ministry of Mofes, I Kin. vi. Seeing that the God of all Mercy hath chosen thy Soul to be his Sanctuary, and the Pavilion of his Glory, his facred Commandments must be there engraven upon the Table of thy Heart, thou must be mov'd with an earnest Defire for the Service of God, and for an exact Conformity to his holy Will, that we may be able to say to you, what St. Paul faid to the Christians of his Days, Ye are manifestly declar'd to be the Epistle of Christ, written not with Ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in the Tables of Stone, but in the fleshly Tables of the Heart, 2 Cor. iii. And that thou mayest say with the Royal Prophet, My God, my Delight bath been to do thy Will; thy Law is within me.

13. Let us represent to our selves continually, the great and many Obligations that we have to fear God, to love him, to serve him. He is the most perfect of all Beings, he is Perfection it self, infinitely lovely; fo that if there were neither Hell to punish us, nor Heaven to reward us, he ought to be serv'd and reverenc'd, because of himself, and his divine Perfections. This Confideration causeth Jeremiah to break forth into these lofty Expreffions, Who could not fear thee, O King of Nations; for to thee doth it appertain, forafmuch as among all the wife Men of the Nations, and in all their Kingdoms, there is none like unto thee? Jer. x.

14. Whilft we are travelling here below, we are not capable of an high and celestial Meditation. It belongs only to the Angels, whom God hath invested with Light and Glory; and to the heavenly Spirits