And were the thing worth all this, it were à wife course. For what one principally defigns,. like the mark he shoots at, fhould be always in his Eye. He that thinks but little on his main Business, followeth it but coldly, and for the most part ineffectually. And this is the too common fault of the Children of Light, too little to think and Meditate upon their main end, the Salvation of their Souls. They fhould herein more imitate the Children of this VVorld, and have their Minds almost continually fix'd upon the Bleffedness of Eternity; and whatever other Bufinefs they are intent upon, as they neceffarily must be very often; yet, fhould God and Heaven, and the happiness they hope to enjoy with God and Heaven, have some of their thoughts, else whilst thefe are not thought the moft profitable works, of their honeft calling, may occafion their going out of their way to Bleffedness. Whatever we do, we are to see that all be done to the Glory of God; and fo it will not be done if God be feldom in our thoughts.

2. Neither do the Children of this World think only much of their worldly Ends, but they think of them very concernedly and Affectionately. They please themselves mightily in the thoughts of them, even at a distance, and amplify the delights and fatisfactions which they imagine they fhall have in the full poffeffion of the things they aim at, whether they be Wealth, Honours, or fenfual Pleasures. They think of them as of the things, wherein alone they can hope to be happy, and whilft they are but feeking them, they make the greatest difficulties in

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their way more eafy to them, by thinking how well they fhall be paid for all their pains in the Enjoyment when it comes; and in the mean time they feed upon them, and as much as is poffible, enjoy them in Contemplation. And, here again did the thing deferve it, they do wifely for to think of a thing but coldly, as they who are very indifferent about it, doth very little good. And this is a common fault of the Children of Light, that they meditate not on those excellent things they aim at fo much, that they may win their best Affections, and for the love of them, and the unexpreffible Joy and Happiness which they may promife themselves in the Enjoyments of them, make every hardfhip and troublefome piece of way they must go through, more easy, if not pleasant to them. They fhould have, with Mofes, refpect unto the Recompence of Reward, and think of it as a thing of that Concernment to them, that all feems nothing without it, as our bleffed JESUS, who, for the joy that was fet before him, endured the Crofs, defpifing the fhame. It is the want of this confideration, that the things we feek for are of fo great Concernment to us, that if we attain not to them, we must be miferable for ever, that most of our miscarriages come from. We think of them too flightly, not endeavouring to Affect our Hearts throughly with a Sense of their worth.

3. The Children of this World refolve firmly on their Ends, and are fo faithful and true to their purposes, that nothing can prevail with them to make a new choice; refolutely they go on through all dangers, and venture on every

thing

thing in the way, and nothing can divert them. No reafons that are urg'd will be hearkned to, or diffuade from, carrying on the defign they are Engag'd in. They will fight with Winds and Waves to get Wealth, go upon the Cannons Mouth to get Honour, venture on Rottenness and Pains, on Death in any fhape, on the Gallows and Halter, to enjoy the pleasant things they love, and wade to their own Death and Damnation through the Blood of a Husband, or a Rival. Now on the fame fuppofition ftill, that the thing they aim at were worth all this, and would well pay them for it; we must confefs that they take a wife Course; for he that is not firmly refolv'd, whatever fall in the way, to go on as well as 'tis poffible for him towards his end, will hardly ever compass it, because he cannot but meet with many Rubs and Difcouragements, which would divert him from it, did not the ftrength of Refolution Mafter all. And here again the Children of Light fall fhort, they are not refolutely bent upon the end they aim at, and therefore every Temptation turns them out of their way, and they are fet back again, and at a greater diftance from it than before. Whereas a firm refolution to go through with their defign, would make them difregard all Temptations to the contrary; and every Conqueft they have got over any Temptation by a refolute Refiftance, would make it more eafy for them, and greatly encourage them to do the fame again. Hereby they would feel their own, which God hath strength given them, and would be afham'd to be baffled by what they have already found to be too weak to encounter a ftrong Refolution. But whilft,

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for want of Refolution, and whilft we coldly and indiferently, and fo feebly pursue what we defire, we are almost every day overcome by one Temptation or other, we begin to faint, and our Courage fails us, and we go heartlefly about our main concerns, beginning fometimes to doubt whether we fhall ever get quite through all the rubs in our way, and fometimes fitting down in defpair.

In these three things relating to the end, the Children of this World fhew themselves wifer in their generation than the Children of Light.

Secondly, They are wifer too in their use of the means whereby their Ends are to be obtain’d. Indeed, as the Children of Light have the advantage of them in a right choice of the end; fo have they also in the means, at least thus far, that they have all Inftructions needful both for the right choice, and the right ufe of the best and most certain means; for when worldly Men have done their best, as they are left barely to the Directions of their own very fallible Judgments, or of others as fallible as themselves; fo the means, how promifing foever, and how wifely foever ufed, may never bring them to Fruition of their End; the Children of Light are directed to the moft certain means of obtaining their End by the infallible Spirit of God in his Word, and these Means can never fail them in bringing them to a full Enjoyment of their End, but by their own Neglect of them, or of not ufing them according to the Directions which are given them by God.

Yet

Yet in the use of these Means they do not ordinarily, nay, it may be, the very beft of them do never fhew fo much Wisdom, as the Men of this World do in the ufe of their's. I fhall now endeavour to manifeft this only in a few Things which are most obvious.

1. In the care taken to understand these imeans, and the true use of them. Worldly People make it their great Care, and ftudy fo to educate their Children, as to make them expert and ready in all fuch things, as may beft fit and qualifie them for the main thing which they would make their End. They pare no coft to give them fuch kind of Breeding as feems moft proper, and they are always infufing into them fach Principles, and labouring to bring them into fo high an Opinion of the Calling for which they defign them, as may bring them in Love with it, and move them. to use all diligence imaginable. And then as they grow up, and begin to choofe for themselves, they ufe all diligence to learn all the Mysteries of their Profeffion, confort themfelves with thofe who are beft feen in them, and from whom they may best learn them, and are not willing to come behind any one in their own way, but are afham'd and angry to be out-done by any Body. But now where fhall we fee all this Care amongst the Children of Light? Tho' they dedicate their Children to God fo foon as they are born, as if they defign'd Religion to be their main Bulinefs, and the Inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven, the chief End they aim'd at, and nake them renounce the Service of the Devil, the World and the Flesh, that they may ferve God only, yet A a 3

how