afhamed of, if ever they are faved; and must renounce and deteft, when they have done them, if ever they arrive to inward Peace and Satisfaction. This would fet before thee the Euge's, the Applause, the Honour God befłows on those who are fo wife as to take their leave of Sin, before Sin leaves them, and exercise themselves unto Godliness that they may attain unto eternal Life.

But what will not prejudice do? It was that which made the Jews call Chrifta Samaritan, a Devil, a Wine-bibber, a Friend to Publicans and Sinners. It was that made them hale the Apoftles to their Governors, and cry out, Away with them, it's not fit they should live upon Earth. It was this made Ababhate the upright Micaiah, and the Athenian condemn the juft Ariftides, tho' he had never seen him. It was this made the poor Man, who knew not what John Hufs's Doctrine was, fo bufie and induftrious to carry Wood for his Funeral Pile, and as zealous to kindle it; infomuch that the Martyr could not but cry out, O Holy Simplicity! It's this fets Men against Confideration of their Ways, and makes them give out, that it will crack their Brains, and diforder their Understandings. Indeed it will caufe a tumult in the Soul, a conflict between the Spirit and the Flesh, between Chrift and Belial, but fuch a ftrife, as will end in a Glorious Calm. When Confideration enters, Madness vanifhes; as wild Beasts do creep into their Dens at the approach of Day light. The World may make Men go befides themfelves. Confideration reduces the whole Man

to fobriety. Confideration indeed may put Men upon A&tions, which, in the World's apprehenfion, may be Madness; Thus it made St. Anthony part with all his fubftance to the Poor, that he might have Treasure in Heaven; and made others live upon Herbs and Bread and Water only, that thereby they might subdue their Lufts the better; but of this, none can judge fo well, as he that is the Fountain of Wifdom, even that God, who is Wisdom it self; and if he fet the mark of Wisdom on them, the verdict of the World is to be regarded no more, than the Judgment a Blind Man gives of Colours. I know he that will deny himself in fenfual Pleasures, and trembles at a Sin, which others laugh at, and is afraid of offending God even in smaller matters, and prays with all Prayer and Supplication, watching thereunto with all perfeverance, paffes for a Mad-man with Men whose Confciences are defiled; but fuch Mens Tongues are no Slanders: And Confideration would fhew, that nothing is more agreeable to the rules of Wisdom and Prudence,than to live in conformity to the Will and Pleasure of him, who is the great Sovereign of the World, and hath given us Souls capable of being govern'd by Moral Laws and Precepts, and is refolved to fcourge him with Scorpions, that knows his Master's will, and doth it not.

It was Sin made the Prodigal distracted, it was this puffed him up, and tempted him to fay with Pharaoh, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice? It was this made him ill-natur'd, and turbulent, difcompofed his Understanding, and robb'd

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robb'd him of the Notions which Nature and good Education had planted in him; and in this he difcover'd his Folly, that he left his Father's House, travell'd into a far Country, as far from Heaven and Holinefs as he could, and there wafted his Substance with riotous living; whence it came to pafs, that a Famine arifing in the Land, he would fain have filled his Belly with the Husks the Swine did eat, and no Man would vouchsafe them to him: Confideration brought him to himself, and to his Happiness again; and his pondering, How many fervants of my Father have bread enough, and to spare, and I perifh with hunger? I will arife, and go to my Father, and will fay unto him, Father, I have finned against Heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son: Make me as one of thy hired Servants, Luke 15. 17, 18, 19. This, I fay, brought his Reafon into order again, and confequently prepared for his Quiet and Happiness. And indeed, the confeflion of Men who put off the Old, and put on the New Man created after God in Righteoufness and true Holinefs, fhews what we are to think of Confideration. When they come in good earnest to reflect on their former finful Life, they are ready to call themselves a thoufand Fools, and Beafts, and Sots, and wonder how it was poffible for them to live fo long direaly contrary to Reason, and to all the Principles of Gratitude and Humility. Confideration fets all to rights again; and they would not for any thing, but that they had ruminated on their Folly, and compared it with the Interest of

their Souls, and the Will of God, in order to ą juft aggravation of their Madness: For now they are fenfible, that before they understood nothing to any purpose, and acted but like Changelings, contrary to all the Dictates of the Law of Nature, and their own Confciences. Thus Confi

deration, as Ananias did to Saul, comes in, and immediately there fall from the Sinners eyes, as it were fcales, and he receives fight forthwith, and arifes, and is ftrengthened, Acts. 19. 9. and Wisdom enters into his Heart, fuch Wifdom as before he was a stranger to: The merchandife of it is better than the merchandife of Silver, and the gain thereof than fine Gold: She is more precious than Rubies; and all the things thou canst defire, are not to be compared unto her. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and happy is every one that retains her, Prov. 3. 14, 15, 18.

Confideration enlightens him, and makes him wifer than Socrates, more learned than the Druids, more fagacious than the Brachmans, more quick than the Gymnofophifts, more apprehenfive than the Perfian Magi: Epicurus, tho', called The Sun of the World; Anaxagoras, tho' ftiled The Mind of Mankind; Ariftotle, tho' firnamed The Sea of Wisdom, the Miracle of Learning, and the last Attempt of Nature; yet are nothing compared with a Man whom Confideration hath reduced to that Wisdom which is from above, firft pure, then peaceable, gentle, eafie to be intreated, without partiality, and without hypocrifie, full of good works.

VIII. Impediment.

VIII. An Opinion, that Conversion, or turning to God as Divines do reprefent it, is not neceffary to Salvation. We may charitably believe, that most Men who are averse from Confideration, come to Sermons; and we may suppose, that, as careless as they are in hearing the Word of the Living God, fometimes before they are aware fomething ftrikes their Hearts, and sticks with them; which, when they are any way fober, or free from bufinefs, will goad and fting them into confideration of their ways; and not seldom, with Agrippa, they are almoft perfwaded to take their finful Lives into serious Confideration, and feel good purposes, and wishes, and intentions, and defires in their Souls, to fet time apart for pondering how they may be converted, and dedicate themselves fincerely to God's fervice, in order to their everlasting Bliss. But in fuch cafes, either the Devil, or their corrupt Hearts are ready to whisper in their ears,that Converfion is not fo operofe, fo laborious, fo dreadful a thing, as is defcribed in publick Difcourfes; and that the Men that preach, ftretch it farther than needs; and confequently, Confideration how to get into the State that's recommended to them, is altogether needlefs; for if that ftrictnefs and clofe walking with God be not neceffary, why should any Man break his Brains with Confideration how to attain to that humble, felf-denying circumfpect Life, as is faid to be the effential Ingredient of Conversion.