when to this is added, that all this is principally, nay folely defign'd for our advantage, that God takes from us all these emty delufory contentments, merely that he may inftate us in folid and durable joies; we betray as much ignorance of our intereft, as infenfiblenefs of our obligation, if we repine that God makes us fo much his care. 'Tis true indeed, the things to which we have fo inordinatly adhered,do stick fo clofe,that they cannot be pull'd away without fome pain: yet for our corporal fecurity we can endure the fundring of parts that do not only cleave, but grow to us. He that has a gangrend

member, fuffers it to be cut off to fave his whole body, and do's not revile, but thank and reward the Chirurgion, Yet where our fouls are concern'd, and where the things have no native union with us, but are only cemented by our paffions, we are impatient of the method, and think God deals very hardly with us, not to let us perish with what we love. The fum of all is this, God, tho he be abundantly condefcending, yet he will never ftoop fo low as to fhare his interest in us with the world: if we will devote our felves to it, 'tis not all our emty forms of fervice will fatisfy

us.

him; if we cannot divorce our hearts from it, he will divorce himself eternally from And the cafe being thus, we are fure very ill advised if we do not contentedly refign our felves to his methods, & cheerfully endure them how fharp foever. The only expedient we have for our own case, is to fhorten the cure by giving our affistance, and not by ftruglings to render it more difficult and painful. Let us entirely furrender our wills to him, and when we have don that, we may without much pain let him take any thing elfe. But the more difficult we find it to be difentangled from the World, the greater fhould our caution be against all future engagements to it. If our escape hath bin as the Apoftle faies, so as by fire, Jude 23. with much fmart and hazard, let us at least have fo much wit, as the common Proverb allows children, and not again expofe our felves: let us never glue our hearts to any external thing, but let all the concerns of the World hang loofe about us by that means we shall be able to put them off infenfibly when ever God calls for them, or perhaps we shall prevent his calling for them at all, it being for the most part our too close adhefion to them which promts him to it.

8. A third advantage of afflictions is, that it is a mark and fignature of our adoption, a witnefs of our legitimation. What fon is he (faith the Apostle) whom the Father chaftifeth not? but if ye be without chaftifement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not fons,Heb.12.7. 8. Jacob clad his darling Jofeph in a party-coloured Coat, and Gods favorites do here wear a Livery inter-woven with a mixture of dark and gloomy colours; their long white robes are laid up for them against they come to the marriage of the Lamb, Rev. 19.7. Indeed we much mistake the defign of Christianity, if we think it calls us to a condition of eafe and fecurity. It might fuit well enough with the Votaries of the Golden Calf, to fit down to eat and drink, and rife up to play, Exod. 32. 6. but the Difciples of the crucified Savior are trained to another difcipline, our profeffion enters us into a state of warfare, and accordingly our very Baptifmal engagement runs all in military terms, and we are not only Servants of Christs Family, but Soldiers of his Camp. Now we know in a War men must not expect to pass their time in ease and softnefs, but befides all the dangers and difficulties

ficulties of the combat, have many other hardships to endure; hunger and thirst, heat and cold, hard lodgings and weary marches: and he that is too nice for those, will not long stick to his colours. And it is the fame in our spiritual warfare: many preffures and fufferings are annexed to it, and our paffive valor is no less tried then our active. In refpect of this it is that our Savior admonishes his Profelytes to compute first the difficulties incident to their profeffion, and that he may not enfnare us by propofing too easy terms, he bids us reckon up the worst, and tells us, that he that for fakes not all that he bath, fhall not be his difciple, Luke 14. 26. and that we must thro much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God, Acts 14. 22. Indeed, 'twere very abfurd for us to expect eafier conditions, when thefe are the fame to which our Leader has fubmitted. The Captain of our Salvation was perfected by fufferings, Heb. 2. 10. and if it behooved Christ to fuffer before he enter'd into his glory, Luke 24. 46. it were infolent madness for us to look to be carried thither upon our beds of Ivory, or from the noife of our Harps and Viols, be immediatly rapt into the Choir of Angels.

8. THIS has bin so much confider'd by pious men, that they have lookt upon their fecular profperities with fear and jealoufy, and many have folemnly petition'd for croffes, as thinking them the neceffary atteftation of their fon-fhip, and means of affimulation to their elder brother. Why then should that which was fo defirable to them, appear fo formidable to us? or why should we fo vehemently deprecate, what they fo earnestly invited? If we indeed think it a privilege to be the fons of God, and fellow-heirs with Christ, why do we grudg at the condition? The Roman Captain tells St. Paul, that he obtained the immunities of a Roman with a great fum, Acts 22. 28. and shall we expect fo much a nobler and more advantageous adoption perfectly gratis? look that God fhould change his whole Oeconomy for our ease, give us an Eternal Inheritance, discharged of thofe Temporal Incumbrances himself has annexed to it? This were fure as unjust a hope, as it would be a vain one. When David had that enfnared propofal made him, of being the Kings fon in Law, 1 Sam. 18. 21. he fet fuch a value upon the dignity, that he despised the difficulty of the condition: and

fure