day. He that understands his work and business as a christian, that is, to give up himself to prayer, and to a serious watching over his own heart, to the endeavour of preserving a good temper of spirit, or preventing a bad; he that knows, what it is to be intent upon the mortifying of corruption, and the quickening and exercising of one and another grace seasonably, and as occasions do invite and call it forth into exercise; such a one we may truly reckon to be very well composed in his own spirit, in reference to what God does or is doing in his time.

7. Familiarity with death is another thing in the temper of a good soul, that will very much compose to a quiet peaceful frame, during the delay of such things as we wish to see in this world, in reference to the prosperous state of the church of God and the interest of religion. Certainly a man is to be reckoned so much the better christian, by how much the more he is acquainted with the thoughts of dying, and hath made death familiar to himself. Now he that lives conversant about the very brink of the grave, that reckons upon living but a little while here, but is continually expecting his dismission and call into eternity; cannot surely be concerned to any great anxiety of mind, about what shall or shall not come in this world within his time. For such a one would reckon with himself; "Suppose I had never so great assurance, that such and such desirable things shall fall out next year, yet I may die this." No serious person will put death far from him, look upon it as a very distant thing; and therefore such will not be very apt to disquiet themselves with the solicitous expec tation of good things on this side, because they will still reckon, death may come between me and that expectation, if it were

ever so near.

8 A heavenly frame of spirit will do more than all in this matter. To have the heart much taken up with the thoughts of heaven, and the rest which remains for the people of God, will deliver one from the danger of hurtful impressions by having the prospect of such good things before us in this world, which it may be we shall not live to see. You read of those worthies in Heb. 11. several of whom had been named in the verses before this which I am about to mention, ver. 13. It is said of them, they all died in faith, not having received the promises; but they saw them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. And doing so, they that say such things, ver. 14. declare plainly that they seek a country; that it is the affairs of some other country that their hearts and minds are more upon, and therefore that they are

not so greatly concerned about the good and evil that they may enjoy or suffer in this country: no, they are seeking a country, knowing that their great concerns did not lie much here. And therefore they confidently died in faith, not having received the promise of such and such things that they had the prospect of; merely through the impression and power that a heavenly spirit had with them, to carry them to follow and mind heaven and the great concernments of the eternal world, that everlasting state of things. And (as was hinted before) it is certainly a most intolerable distemper of spirit, and wherein we are by no means to suffer or indulge ourselves, that there should be a disposition in us to be more pleased and take more complacency in the forethoughts of the best state of things imaginable in this world, than in the forethoughts of heaven, that every way perfect state, unexceptionably perfect. He that can be contented to sin on still, that he may have his imagination gratified here in this world, is certainly under a great distemper, to speak the most gently of it. And how unreasonably preposterous is it, that any should prefer that which is but intermediate, before that which is most ultimately final? Still always that which is best is at last; that state of things is the only unexceptionable state, which is unalterable; that state, which is never to give place to another, is the only state that is entirely and completely good; it is fit, that that only should be so. There is no pretence for a desire of change, in reference to a state perfectly good; and whatsoever state is not perfectly good, it is still always reasonable to expect and desire a better.

Now all these things, I doubt not, you must confess at the very first view do belong to a well-tempered spirit. And if so, it must argue a very ill frame, if there should be any such sickly hankerings after the best things that we can imagine in this world, as that we cannot satisfy ourselves, while we have no hope, or no great reason to hope, that we shall see them to fall out within the compass of our time.

SERMON IV.*

I shall add one or two more principles of a Christian spirit to those already mentioned, which cannot but keep our spirits composed in the prospect of a better state of things on earth. though we have little prospect that we shall live to see it.

9. A sincere devotedness to God and to his interest. This will compose, and upon the matter make us indifferent, in what time or state of things we live, so it may serve his interest. We have that notion most clear in our minds, that we were not made for ourselves, nor sent into this world upon our own errand; and it can never be well with us, till the temper of our spirits doth correspond and answer to the true light that shines in us, to our light in this particular thing; so as that we hereupon become sincerely devoted and given up to God, as knowing, that this is our errand in this world, to be to him, and to be used by him for his own purposes and services as he pleases. We well know, it is very reasonable and fit, he should have some or other that should own him even in the worst of times; and why not we? What reason can we assign, why we should be the exempted persons? Why we, rather than others, should not serve him in difficulties and exercises, and endure hard things for him, if he will have it so?

* Preached May 29th, 1678.

Unto

a frame and state of sincere devotedness to God such a thought will be very familiar, "I am not my own;" and how strange a power would such a thought, seasonably admitted and well placed, have upon our souls, to have them contempered to this apprehension, "I am none of my own?" Sincere devotedness to God is, first, absolute and entire, so as to leave us no right in ourselves apart from him; secondly, upon conviction, that it is the highest excellency created nature is capable of, to be in pure subserviency to him; thirdly, upon a thorough apprehension, that he is the most competent judge how every one of us may serve him to the best purpose, and to the most advantage to his interest; and thereupon, fourthly, it cannot but be accompanied with the highest complacency and pleasure that we are serving him, though we are wasting ourselves in serving him. It cannot but be a matter of high complacen cy, to be sacrifices consuming in the very flames, on purpose for his glory and pleasure. While we apprehend he is pleased, it is most agreeable to such a temper of spirit to be highly ourselves pleased too. For what, should his pleasure and ours be divers? And must there be two wills and interests between him and us?

10. A religious prudent fear of misapplying prophecies, or astricting and determining them to this or that point of time, which may not be intended by the Spirit of God. It is certain, there ought to be a religious fear of this, because they are sacred things, and therefore not to be trified with, or made use of to other purposes than they were meant for; much less to serve mean purposes, to gratify our own curiosity, to please our fancy and imagination. And there ought to be a prudent fear of this, and will be in a well-tempered soul, because of the great hurt and danger that may attend such misapplications,

There are two extremes, that persons are apt to run into in this matter; either to set such foretold events too far off, or to make them too near and we are prone to run into one or the other of them, according as the cases vary and are opposite. For suppose it to be either a bad state of things that is foretold, or suppose it a time for doing some duty unto which we are disinclined, then we make the time very remote; put far off the evil day, think the time is not come yet of building the house of God, of being intent upon the duty that is incumbent upon us. But if they be halcyon days, and it be a grateful prospect of things that we have before us; then we are as apt to set it too near, and to catch at these good things prematurely, before they be ripe and ready for us, or we for them. And here lies our danger.

I cannot but recommend to you that remarkable piece of

Scripture, in 2 Thes. 2. 1, 2. Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, (or by pretended inspirations, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. You shall hardly meet with a more solemn, earnest obtestation in all the Bible, than this is: that is the thing I reckon it so very remarkable for. "I beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ;" by what he knew was most dear to them, and the mention whereof would be most taking to their hearts; if you have any kindness for the thoughts of that day, any love for the appearance and coming of our Lord; if ever any such thoughts have been grateful to your hearts: we beseech you by that coming of his, and by your gathering together unto him, that you be not soon shaken in mind, that you do not suffer yourselves to be discomposed by an apprehension, as if the day of Christ were at hand. It may perhaps be thought very strange, why the apostle should lay so mighty a stress upon this matter, to obtest in it so very earnestly. And really I could not but think it exceeding strange, if I could be of the mind, that the coming of Christ here spoken of were only the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, and that the man of sin afterwards spoken of were only meant of Simon Magus and his impostures, the feats that he was at that time supposed and believed to do; which certainly could be things of no such extraordinary concernment unto them, that lived so far off as Thessalonica at that time, and much less to the whole Christian church. But if we consider the thing itself, according to the ordinary notion that is wont to obtain concerning this day of our Lord, and the gathering together of all his saints unto him; certainly it was a matter of most extraordinary importance, that it should not be apprehended as at hand. For do but think, what dismal consequences would have ensued, if it should have been so apprehended, as if that blessed state of things were presently to take place, were even at the door. We know what a dreadful apostasy hath come since, hath intervened, and of how long continuance. If this had obtained as a part of the religion of christians, that the day of the Lord was then at hand; why then,

First. How strangely had the christians of that time been diverted from the proper work and business of their present day? all held at a gaze, and in an amused expectation of the present coming of our Lord!

Secondly. What a strange surprize had the afflictions been to them, that did ensue! When they were in a present expec