every motion, improve every defire and paffion that it works in us; we must shun every appearance of evil; we must prefs on towards perfection; we must watch unto prayer; we muft fpend the time of our fojourning here in fear; we must rejoyce and glory in the Lord; and we muft wait for the blessed hope, and the glorious appearance of the great God, and our Saviour Chrift Jefus. And now I have finished what I had to fay on this fubject, of the perfect man's liberty as it relates to mortal or wilful fin: I have fhewed what this fin is; and how far man may be freed from it, referring the reader to chap. 4. for the fruit of this freedom. I have here, laftly, given that advice which I thought moft ferviceable to the attainment of it. And through this whole chapter, I have had regard, not only to perfection, but fincerity; it being indeed improper to do otherwife, fince we cannot arrive at the one, but through the other. For fincerity is Perfection in its infancy or non-age; and Perfection is nothing elfe but fincerity cultivated by meditation and difcipline, and cherished by the the influence of heaven. And now let no man's heart fail him, while he contemplates the difficulties which block up the way to his liberty. The way indeed is fteep, and the top is high; but ferenity

and

and happiness, fecurity and glory dwell there. Many indeed are the temptations which would forbid our afcent, and thrust us down; but we are armed all over; they cannot hurt us; the Spirit fupports and encourages us; and nothing but our cowardife and inconftancy can prevent our fuccefs: Watch ye, ftand fat, quit ye like men, be ftrong; and then you fhall be fure to conquer and enter into reft.

CHAP. VII.

Of unfruitfulness, as it confifts in idleness. Idlenefs, either habitual or accidental. Confiderations to deter men from the fin of idleness.

Nfruitfulness is a fit fubject to conclude a difcourfe of liberty with, or begin one of zeal; for lying, like a tract of ground, between two bordering kingdoms, it may indifferently be laid to either. As it implies a direct oppofition to spiritual life and fincerity, it naturally falls in under the confideration of zeal: as it implies a fervile fubjection to fome vile luft or other, it naturally falls in under the confideration of liberty fo that by allotting it this place, I fhall at once compleat my reflections on the argument of liberty,

Barrennefs, or unfruitfulness, may in general beft be understood by comparing it with a state of wickedness: from which, as it is ufually distinguished in the notion of the vulgar, fo does it really differ on many accounts. The one has in it an air of defiance, the other of unconcernment for religion; the one forgets God, the other contemns him; the one has no relish nor favour of that which is good, the other finds too much guft and pleasure in that which is evil; the one makes us by degrees enemies, the other strangers to God. In fhort, there is little doubt to be made, but that the omiffion of a duty, and the commiffion of a crime; lukewarmness in that which is good, and eagerness and confidence in that which is evil, may, and generally do, differ very widely in the degrees of guilt: from hence it is (the finner being always a partial and indulgent judge of himself) that it is not unufual for many, who seem to have fome abhorrence of wickedness, to be far enough from apprehending much evil, or much danger in unfruitfulness. This is a fatal error; it fruftrates the great defign of religion, and robs it of its trueft honour, good works. For what can religion effect by that man, who retains nothing of it but the bare form and profeffion, and dares promise himself not only impunity, but a A a heaven,

heaven, in an ufelefs and uprofitable life?

Unfruitfulness, if more particularly enquired into, confifts in two things; a neglect of duty; or a lifeless and unprofitable performance of it. The former I will call idleness; the latter lukewarmness, coldnefs, formality; and treat of each in order; of the former in this, and of the latter in the following chapter. And becaufe each of them are encumbered with miftakes and errors, which arife not only from felf-love and partiality, but alfo from fhallowness of judgment, joined with tendernefs of confcience; I fhall endeavour fo to manage this fubject, as neither to difcourage the weak, nor embolden the carelefs.

1. Of idlenefs. The omiffion of a duty may be either habitual, or occafional and accidental: and accordingly the cafe of omiffion may be very different.

1. An habitual omiffion of duty cannot confift with fincerity: a general neglect of duty defeats the main end of religion, which is to honour God, adorn our holy profeffion, and promote the good of human fociety; all which can never be attained but by following after righteousness, and abounding in the fruits of it. By

this rule, an idle, though innocent, life, muft neceffarily be accounted irreligious and vicious, being a flat contradiction to our excellent profeffion. He, who does not pray, nor meditate, nor pursue any end of charity, though he be otherwife civil and regular in his life; yet because he does not work righteoufnefs, because he is fo far from imitating the zeal and charity of the bleffed Jefus, that he acts directly repugnant to both; therefore must he not be looked upon as a difciple of Jefus, but as an alien and a ftranger. He, whose life is spent in vanity or drudgery, in pleasure or bufinefs, though his pleasure be not impure, nor his bufinefs unjust; yet is he, before God, a criminal, becaufe unprofitable; he has received the grace of God in vain; the light of the gospel has rifen upon him in vain ; and he has ferved no intereft of virtue or religion in his generation; and therefore he will be excluded heaven, with the flothful fervant, who hid his Mafter's talent in a napkin, Luke xix. 20.

2. The case of an accidental or occafional omiffion of duty, is very different from that of habitual neglect of it; an occa fional omiflion may be, not only lawful, but neceffary; but the neglect of duty never can be either. The circumstances of pofitive

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