and show no other spirit of a gentleman, but such as they might have gotten by living with the holy apostles. They must learn to love God with all their hearts, with all their souls, and with all their strength, and their neighbour as themselves; and then they have all the greatness and distinction, which they can have here, and are fit for an eternal happiness in heaven hereafter.

Thus in all orders and conditions, either of men or women, this is the one common holiness, which is to be the common life of all christians.

CHAP. X.

Devotion affords us the greatest enjoyments of the present life.

SOME people will perhaps object, that all these rules of holy living unto God,in all which we do, are too great a restraint upon human life; that it will be made too anxious a state, by thus introducing a regard to God in all our actions; and that by depriving ourselves of so many seemingly innocent pleasures, we shall render our lives dull, uneasy, and melancholy.

To which it may be answered;

First. That these rules are prescribed for, and will certainly procure, a quite contrary end. That instead of making our lives dull and melancholy, they will render them full of content and strong satisfactions. That by these rules we only change the childish satisfactions of our vain and sickly passions, for the solid enjoyments and real happiness of a sound mind.

Secondly. That as there is no foundation for comfort in the enjoyments of this life, but in the assurance, that a wise and good God governs the world; so the more we find out God in every thing, the more we apply to him in every place, the more we look up to him in all our actions, the more we conform to his will, the more we act according to his wisdom, and imitate his goodness, by so much the more do we enjoy God, partake of the divine nature, and heighten and increase all, which is happy and comfortable in human life.

Thirdly. He, who is endeavouring to subdue and root out of his mind all those passions of pride, envy and ambition, which religion opposes, is doing more to make himself happy, even in this life, than he, who is contriving means to indulge them.

If religion. forbid all instances of revenge without any exception, it is, because all revenge is of the nature of poison; and, though we do not take so much, as to put an end to life; yet, if we take any at all, it corrupts the whole mass of blood, and makes it difficult to be restored to our former health.

If religion command an universal charity, to love our neighbour as ourselves, to forgive and pray for all our enemies without any reserve; it is, because all degrees of love are degrees of happiness, which strengthen and support the divine life of the soul, and are as necessary to its health and happiness, as proper food is necessary to the health and happiness of the body.

If religion have laws against laying up treas ures upon earth,' and command us to be content with food and raiment, it is, because every other use of the world is abusing it to our own vexation, and turning all its conveniences into snares and traps to destroy us. It is, because this plainness and simplicity of life secure us from the cares and pains of restless pride and envy, and make it easier to keep that strait road, which will carry us to eternal life.

If religion say, sell that thou hast, and give to the poor; it is, because there is no other

natural nor reasonable use of our riches, no other way of making ourselves happier for them; it is, because it is as strictly right to give others that, which we do not want ourselves, as it is right to use so much as our own wants require. For, if a man have more food, than his own nature requires, how base and unreasonable is it to invent foolish ways of wasting it, rather than let his fellow creatures have the same comfort from food, which he has had? It is so far therefore from being a hard law of religion, to make this use of our riches, that a reasonable man would -rejoice in that religion, which teaches him to be happier in that, which he gives away, than in that, which he keeps for himself; which teaches him to make spare food and raiment be greater blessings to him, than that, which feeds and clothes his own body.

If religion require us sometimes to fast and deny our natural appetites, it is to lessen that struggle and war, which is in our nature; it is. to render our bodies fitter instruments of purity, and more obedient to the good motions of divine grace; it is to dry up the springs of our passions, which war against the soul, to cool the flame of our blood, and render the mind more capable of divine meditations; so that although these ab

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stinences give some pain to the body, yet they so lessen the power of bodily appetites and pas sions, and so increase our taste of spiritual joys, that even these severities of religion, when prac tised with discretion, add much to the comfortable enjoyment of our lives.

If religion call us to a life of watching and prayer, it is because we live amongst a croud of enemies, and are always in need of the assistance of God. If we are to confess and bewail our sins, it is, because such confessions relieve the mind, and restore it to ease; as burdens and weights taken off from the shoulders, relieve the body and make it easier to itself. If we are to be frequent and fervent in holy petitions, it is to keep us steady in the sight of our true good, and that we may never want the happiness of a lively faith, a joyful hope and well grounded trust in God. If we are to pray often, it is that we may be often happy in such secret joys, as only prayers can give; in such communications of the divine presence, as will fill our minds with all the happiness, that beings not in heaven are capable of.

Were there any thing in the world more worth. our care; were there any exercise of the mind, or any conversation with man, which turned