never been mentioned. And farther, it confifts in not being difcouraged by an Advantage the Enemy may get over us; and notwithstanding the Faults we may fometimes commit, never to let go our Hopes of amending them. It is one of the great Artifices of the Devil, to perfuade the Sinner that it is loft Labour to attempt to mend his Life; and his Recovery is impoffible; and that his evil Habits are too deeply rooted to be conquered. Never give Heed to this lying Spirit, but raise your Courage to do your Duty better for the Time to come.

I fhall conclude thefe Reflections, by laying before you thofe Methods the Devil makes Ufe of, in order to your Deftruction. He firft attacks you by bad Thoughts, and then endeavours to make you pleased with them. After this first Attack, his next Point is to folicit your Confent to those bad Thoughts; and from thence he ftirs you up to put them in Execution. From Actions frequently repeated, he forms our evil Habits, and our evil Habits bring upon us as it were a Neceffity of Sinning, and this Neceffity brings forth Death, the eternal Death of the Sinner. Your Bufinefs therefore must be to countermine his Projects; 1. By refifting all evil Thoughts, and throwing them out of your Minds. 2. By not only denying your Confent, but by making an Act contrary to the Thought, protesting to God that you will ra

ther

ther die than offend Him. 3. By never proceeding to commit the finful Action, but by courageously oppofing the Temptation, that you may obtain the Crown of Victory referved for all the faithful Servants of God.

CHAP. XII.

To be fervent in Spirit, and to be conftantly refolved to serve God with the best of our Powers, is an admirable Inftrument of Chrif tian Perfection.

I SHALL at prefent fet before you two Sorts of Perfons, of a different Character. The firft are fuch as make it their chief Business to feek after God, who defire nothing more than to please Him; whofe Difcourfe is chiefly of Him, and whofe Minds are filled with the Ideas of his infinite Excellency and Perfections. If any Opportunity offers itself of practifing any Virtue, they presently embrace it with Eagernefs; and nothing adminifters to them greater Joy and Satisfaction, than many fuch Occafions of ferving God. If any Temptation attacks them, they refift it with great Vigour, and make it a Foundation for the Exercife of many noble Acts of

Virtue.

Virtue. They perform all their Actions with fo much Exactnefs, and with such a certain agreeable Fervour, as plainly demonftrates that they are animated by the Holy Spirit of God. What do you think is the Reason that thefe Perfons govern themselves with so much Perfection? the only Account that can be given of it is, that they are fervent in Spirit, and fully bent in their Mind to ferve God to the utmost of their Power.

The Character of the other Sort of Perfons confifts in a certain Slothfulness, which appears in all their Actions: If they pray, it is with continual Distractions of Mind, and without being affected with what they are about. God is very rarely in their Thought, and heavenly Things are feldom the Subject of their Converfation. If they are tempted, they give Way to the Temptation. If any Opportunity of doing Good presents itself, they either never reflect upon it, or if they take it into their Thoughts, they have not Courage to practise it. If they are under any Obligation of exercifing any Acts of Devotion, one plainly fees by their negligent and careless Manner of performing them, that they are out of their Element, and that fuch Employments are a Sort of Force upon their Natures. Now all this proceeds from the Want of that Fervour of Spirit which I have mentioned; their minds are not fixed upon God. From whence you muft needs judge

of

of the Importance of this Temper of Soul, and cannot but defire to know how it may be acquired, and how thofe who are so happy as to enjoy it, may ftill preferve it.

In order to this Purpose, I fhall offer to you fome Confiderations which I beg you to make Trial of, as neceffary Means to keep this holy Fire bright in your Minds.

1. The Exercife of God's Prefence. When a Soldier engages the Enemy in the Prefence of his Prince, he fights with greater Courage and Bravery. When a Chriftian prays, converfes, or follows his Calling, with an actual Senfe that God fees him, and is privy to all his Thoughts, it is impoffible he should be negligent or unconcerned. No; the Senfe of God's all-feeing Eye animates him with Care and Diligence, and with this Prospect he endeavours to do every Thing that may please Him beft. If you would be fecure of a general and effectual Means to pray with Devotion, to converse with Referve, to follow Profeffion with Diligence, and to govern your Paffions, and to refift the Temptations that affault you; remember always, that God is prefent with you; endeavour to preferve the Sense of it upon your Mind, and accuftom yourself to the Exercife of it. And if, when you have any Occafion offered of practising any Virtue, or mortifying any Paffion, you have not a Senfe of God's Prefence, upon your Mind, immediately reflect upon it, and

your

place

you will quickly

place God before you, and experience that. Fervour of Spirit, and that Readiness of Mind, to ferve God upon all Occafions, which is fo important in our spiritual Life.

II. In the ordinary Actions of your Life, and in the Occafions of practising any Virtue, or avoiding any Sin; 1. Confider what God requires from you. 2. Promise to perform it. 3. Put your Refolution in Execution without Delay. Now all this may be done almoft in a Moment of Time, and you must immediately, without putting off, fet about this Practice. First then, I recommend to you to confider in all your Actions, and in thofe Occafions I have mentioned, what it is God requires from you, and what is moft pleafing in his Sight. Alas! how much are you to blame when you act with Rafhnefs and Precipitation; when you pass Hours and whole Days in different Actions, which fucceed one another, without confidering what it is God requires from you, without confulting his Will and Pleasure, in order that the Action and the Manner of it, may be fuch as He fhall approve of? Let the Example of holy David prevail upon you, for the future, to fet the Lord always before you. From Time to Time lift up your Heart to him, whofe Eyes run to and fro throughout all the Earth; and fay to Him, Lord what wouldst thou have me to do? Speak, Lord, for thy Servant

heareth