fatisfaction, heart's ease and pleasure, in one hour that he has spent in this exercise, and in retirement from the world, than ever he found in any hour of jollity and intemperate mirth in all his life. And it must be fo. For, in one cafe, there is fatisfaction to the reafon of the mind, which is fundamental to inward peace: but in the other, the pleasure of the fin is foon over, and the memory of it is grievous, and remains. All that pleasure which worldly and ungoverned perfons take in fin, has no folidity in it: but, we may truly fay of ́it, as Solomon doth of laughter; it is madness, and of mirth, what doth it? Eccl. ii. 2. But in the motion of repentance, there is eafe to a man's heart. So that a man may say of this forrow, what the poet faith of grief; that it is carried out with the tears.

I have now spoken of religion in its use and exercise, in this ftate, whilft we are here; the advantages that we have by it at prefent. I am now to speak of it, in its iue; when it is victorious and triumphant ; what it fhall be in fouls, when they have made their efcape out of time, and finally conquered the world.

And here I fhall declare the effects of religion, partly as to mens bodies, but chiefly as to their minds: as to mens bodies, in this ftate, and the future.

In this flate, the greatest work is mortification. Col iii. 5. Mortify therefore your members, &c. And, r Cor. ix. 27. I beat down my body. And, I St. John ii. 16. The apoftle faith, All that is in the world the luft of the flesh, the luft of the eye, and the pride of life muft be fubdued. Then, hereafter, our bodies fhall be fpiritualized. Cor. xv. 44. Nay, Though

it be fown a natural body, it shall be raised a spiritual

body:

body which would pafs for nonfenfe, in the ears of a philofopher but he fpeaks emphatically. A body carried fo much higher, and to fo great a degree of perfection'; as much as a spirit is a far more excellent being than an earthly body. This that I now speak, we cannot now fully understand, because it is a ftate in reverflon. For, we must know, that states are not known by notion and defeription, but by fenfe and feeling, and by being in the very ftate itfelf. Beafts have no notion of the fate of men ; neither. have we any certain notion of the ftate of angels, because neither they, nor we are in that state. And as we do not know it, because we feel it not; fo can we do nothing towards this happy change of the body, otherwife than by the feveral virtues and graces, in these bodies (to wit, in the exercise of fobriety, chaftity, temperance, together with the moderate ufe of the conveniences and accommodations of nature) by which we may fit and prepare them for the State of glory.

But our main work, in this state, is about the inward man; to wit, that that be fo conformable to the law of God, that it be brought to take delight in it,' and to harmonize with it. We must take care that we do not make our highest faculties to cater for the flesh, Rom. xiii 14. The inferior faculties are capable of this employment, and good enough for it. Our great care must be, to fubdue all inordinate paffons and boisterous lufts, which are faid to fight against the foul. That gallant resolution which was taken up by the apostle, must be taken up by us: Iwill not, faith he, that any of these things have authori

ty

ty over me, I Cor. vi. 12. But I will have my mind free from, and above all thefe things. Let us take care that all inordinate appetites and exceffes be reftrained; fuch as that was in her, who faid, give me children elfe I die, Gen. xxx. 1. For will, without rea fon is a blind man's motion and will against reafon, I add, that our care

is a mad man's motion. muft be, that we be not only bodily-wife. Body indeed is a heavy weight; but, let us bear up, as well as we can against it. 'Tis true, that God hath linked our fouls and bodies together: but it was always intended that the governing part should be the mind. And, a man, by wisdom and virtue, may overcome bodily temper and inclination. We have had, thofe that have faid; by my bodily temper and conflitution I am fo and fo; fuch are my difficulties and temptations : yet, through the power of my mind, all these things are fubject to my reafon. This is the creator's law; that all things in man fhould be subject to the government of reafon (which is God's deputy ;) and this is our trial, in this state; whether by the weight of body, we will fuffer ourselves to be deprefs'd, and fink downward by minding earthly things, and so take our portion here, and fall fhort of God; or, whether by the reason of our minds, we will mount upwards, mind heavenly things, converfe with God by heavenly meditation, and make choice of the things that are most excellent, whereby we fhall naturalize ourselves to the employment of eternity. For, this we obferve, that we readily and eafily do thofe things that we have been long accustomed unto. Ufe makes men ready, apt, and prompt. So that it is no difficult,

matter

matter for men to foresee what they fhall approve hereafter, by what they favour, relish and delight in now; by what they take pleasure and fatisfaction in, at prefent. For, it will be, 'there, more of the fame Therefore, our bufinefs in time, is to get the victory o ver thofe unreasonable paffions which annoy us; that fo we may readily afcend into the ftate of intellectual being. Our bufinefs here, is to qualify our fouls, by holiness and virtue, for the happiness of heaven, and to feparate our minds from the dregs of matter, and bo dily fenfe; which will not be, till the mind get the victory, and the foul become God-like; and, in fome measure, partaker of the divine nature. But, here, I might lofe myself, and yet can fpeak but little of the happiness of that state. Let it be our care at prefent, to cleanfe ourselves from all pollutions of flesh and fpirit. For, can we be fo blind as to think that a contrary way will bring us to our intended end? We do observe that things are in men, according to their temper.' What is food, though never fo wholesome, if a perfon be fick ? Or mufick, to those that are melancholy? What is exercife, or recreation, to men that are weak and feeble? What are the things of the world to him that hath no power to enjoy them? So it is in this cafe. They that take no delight in the exercise of virtue, in this ftate; if, after this life, God fhould remove them into local heaven, they would take little fatisfaction in the place, because of an unfuitable frame of fpirit. For, men must be suitable to the object, in the enjoyment of which they receive fatisfaction. Therefore, fuppofe (though it is impoffible) that a man being unregene

2

rate,

rate, and not renewed in his spirit, nor refined in his temper; that God, by power should remove fuch a man into heaven; when he came thither he would not be fatisfied either in the perfons, or in the employment of that place, because all thefe would be contrary unto him. Tho' when we fpeak of heaven, we understand rather a state, than a place; a frame and temper within, rather than any thing without. Therefore, it is abfolutely neceffary that we fhould by goodness here, qualify and prepare ourfelves for happiness hereafter. For, there is no happiness in the meeting of things that are unlike.

Thus now I have given you an account of the State of religion, and its operation upon the body and the mind, in this ftate and the other. And this is enough to recommend religion, and to make us to look upon it, not as an arbitrary exaction, but as a thing highly pleafurable, and moft defirable: as that which is effectual to purify our natures, and to raise our minds; as that which is the health and strength and good temper of our minds: for, as a man knows that he is in health, when the offices of nature are well performed and difcharged; fo is he fure of his mind's health and strength, when all the several offices and duties of life are eafily and well performed.

They are very little acquainted with religion, that look upon it as a burden; as that which puts too great a restraint upon human nature, and upon liberty. And therefore, the poet wrote his book, to release the minds of men from the obligation of religion. I confefs, he might well do fo, as to that which he

*

called

* Lucretius.