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glew us to thofe low and inferior things like birdlime; they hamper and intangle our fouls, and hinder their flight upwards; they indifpofe and unfit our minds for the most noble and intellectual confiderations. So likewife, the exorbitant paffions of wrath and malice, envy and revenge, do darken and diftort the understandings of men, do tincture the mind with falfe colours, and fill it with prejudice and undue apprehenfions of things.

There is no man that is intemperate, or luftful, or paffionate, but befides the guilt he contracts, which is continually fretting and difquieting his mind; befides the inconveniencies he brings upon himself as to his health, he does likewife ftain and obfcure the brightness of his foul, and the clearness of his difcerning faculty. Such perfons have not that free ufe of their reason that they might have; their understandings are not bright enough, nor their spirits pure and fine enough, for the exercife of the highest and nobleft acts of reafon. What clearness is to the eye, that purity is to our mind and understanding; and as the clearness of the bodily eye doth difpofe it for a quicker fight of material objects, fo doth the purity of our minds, that is, freedom from luft and paffion, difpofe us for the clearest and most perfect acts of reafon and understanding.

Now, religion doth purify our minds, and refine our fpirits, by quenching the fire of luft, and fuppreffing the fumes and vapours of it, and by fcattering the clouds and mifts of paffion. And the more any man's foul is cleanfed from the filth and dregs of fenfual lufts, the more nimble and expedite it will be in its operations. The more any man conquers his paffions, the more calm and fedate his fpirit is; and the greater equality he maintains in his temper, his apprehenfions of things will be the more clear and unprejudiced, and his judgement more firm and fteady. And this is the meaning of that faying of Solomon, He that is flow to wrath, is of great understanding; but he that is hafty of fpirit, exalteth fol ly. Ira furor brevis eft: Anger is a fhort fit of mad

nefs;" and he that is paffionate and furious, deprives himself of his reafon, fpoils his understanding, and helps to make himself a fool whereas he that conquers his paffions, and keeps them under, doth thereby preferve

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and improve his understanding. Freedom from irregular paffions doth not only fignify that a man is wife, but really contributes to the making of him fuch.

2dly, Religion tends to the eafe and pleasure, the peace and tranquillity of our minds; wherein happiness chiefly confifts, and which all the wisdom and philofophy in the world did always aim at, as the utmost felicity of this life. And that this is the natural fruit of a religious and virtuous courfe of life, the fcripture declares to us in thefe texts. Light is fown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart, Pfal. xcvii. II. Great peace have all they that love thy law, and nothing fhall offend them, Pfal. cxix. 165. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace, Prov. iii. 17. The fruit of righteoufnefs is peace, and the effect of righteoufnefs, quietness and affurance for ever, If. xxxii. 17. The plain fenfe of which texts is, that pleasure and peace do naturally refult from a holy and good life. When a man hath once engaged himself in a religious course, and is habituated to piety and holinefs, all the exercises of religion and devotion, all the acts of goodness and virtue, are delightful to him. To honour and worship God, to pray to him, and to praise him, to ftudy his will, to meditate upon him, and to love him; all these bring great pleafure and peace along with them. What greater contentment and fatisfaction can there be to the mind of man, when it is once purified and refined from the dregs of fenfual pleafures and delights, and raised to its true height and pitch, than to contemplate and admire the infinite excellencies and perfections of God; to adore his greatnefs, and to love his goodness? How can the thoughts of God be troublefome to any one who lives foberly, and righteously, and godly, in the world? No man that loves goodness and righteoufnefs, hath any reason to be afraid of God, or to be difquieted with the thoughts of him. There is nothing in God that is terrible to a good man, but all the apprehenfions which we naturally have of him speak comfort, and promise happiness to fuch a one. The confideration of his attributes is fo fart om being a trou ble to him, that it is his recreation and delight. It is for wicked men to dread God, and to endeavour to banish the thoughts of him out of their minds; but a holy

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and virtuous man may have quiet and undisturbed thoughts even of the justice of God, because the terror of it doth not concern him.

Now, religion doth contribute to the peace and quiet of our minds these two ways. I. 1. By allaying those paffions which are apt to ruffle and difcompose our spirits. Malice and hatred, wrath and revenge, are very fretting and vexatious, and apt to make our minds fore and uneafy; but he that can moderate thefe affections, will find a strange eafe and pleasure in his own fpirit. 2. By freeing us from the anxieties of guilt, and the fears of divine wrath and displeasure; than which nothing is more ftinging and tormenting, and renders the life of man more miferable and unquiet. And what a fpring of peace and joy muft it needs be, to apprehend, upon good grounds, that God is reconciled to us, and become our friend; that all our fins are perfectly forgiven, and shall never more be remembered against us! What inexpreffible comfort does overflow the pious and devout foul, from the remembrance of a holy and wellfpent life, and a confcience of its own innocency and integrity! And nothing but the practice of religion and virtue can give this ease and fatisfaction to the mind of For there is a certain kind of temper and difpofition which is neceffary to the pleafure and quiet of our minds, and confequently to our happiness; and that is, holinefs and goodnefs; which, as it is the perfection, fo it is likewife the happiness, of the divine nature. And, on the contrary, the chief part of the mifery of wicked men, and of those accurfed fpirits the devils, is this, that they are of a difpofition contrary to God; they are envious and malicious, and cruel, and of fuch a temper as is naturally a torment and difquiet to itself. And here the foundation of hell is laid, in the evil difpofition of mens minds; and till this be cured, which can only be done by religion, it is as impoffible for a man to be hapPY, that is, pleafed and contented within himself, as it is for a fick man to be at eafe; becaufe fuch a man hath that within him which torments him, and he cannot be at eafe till that be removed. The man's fpirit is out of order, and off the hinges; and till that be put into its right frame, he will be perpetually difquieted, and VOL.I.

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can find no reft within himself. The prophet very fitly defcribes to us the unquiet condition of wicked men : The wicked is like the troubled fea, when it cannot rest, whofe waters caft up mire and dirt. There is no peace, faith my God, to the wicked, If. lvii. 20. 21. So long as fin and corruption abound in our hearts, they will be reftlessly working, like wine, which will be in a perpetual motion and agitation, till it have purged itself of its dregs and foulness.

II. Religion does likewife tend to the happiness of the outward man. Now, the bleffings of this kind are fuch as either respect our health, or eftate, or reputation, or relations; and in refpect of all thefe, religion is highly advantageous to us.

ift, As to our health. A religious and virtuous life doth eminently conduce to that, and to long life as a confequent of it, And in this fenfe I understand these following texts. My fon, forget not my law; but let thy heart keep my commandments: for length of days, and long life, fhall they add to thee, Prov. iii. 1. 2.; and ver. 7. and 8. Fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It fhall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. And ver. 16. among the temporal advantages of wifdom or religion, this is mentioned as the firft and principal, Length of days is in her right hand; and ver. 18. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her. And again, Whofo findeth me findeth life. But he that finneth against me, wrongeth his own foul; that is, is injurious to his own life: all they that hate me, love death, Prov. viii. 35. 36. All which is undoubtedly true in a fpiritual fenfe; but is certainly meant by Solomon in the natural fenfe. And these promises of the bleffings of health and long life to good men, are not only declaratory of the good pleasure and intention of God towards them, but likewife of the natural tendency of the thing, For religion doth oblige men to the practice of thofe virtues which do in their own nature conduce to the preservation of our health, and the lengthening of our days; fuch as, temperance, and chastity, and moderation of our paffions. And the contrary vices to thefe do apparently tend to the impairing of mens health, and the hortening of their days. How many have wafted and

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confumed their bodies by luft, and brought pains and mortal diseases upon themselves! See how the wife man defcribes the fad confequences of this fin, He goes as an ox to the laughter, till a dart frike through his liver, as a bird hafteth to the fnare, and knoweth not that it is for his life, Prov. vii. 22. 23.; and ver. 25. 26. 27. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not aStray in her paths. For he hath caft down many wounded: yea, many ftrong men have been flain by her. Her boufe is the way to hell, (that is, to the grave), going down to the chambers of death. How many have been ruined by intemperance and excefs, and moft unnaturally have perverted thofe bleffings which God hath given for the fupport of nature, to the overthrow and deftruction of it? How often hath mens malice, and envy, and difcontent against others, terminated in a cruel revenge upon themselves? How many, by the wild fury and extravagancy of their own paffions, have put their bodies into a combustion, and fired their spirits; and, by stirring up their rage and choler against others, have armed that fierce humour against themfelves?

adly, As to our eftates. Religion is likewife a mighty advantage to men in that refpect: not only in regard of God's more efpecial providence and peculiar bleffing, which ufually attends good men in their undertakings, and crowns them with good fuccefs; but also from the nature of the thing. And this, I doubt not, is the meaning of thofe expreffions of the wife man concerning the temporal benefits and advantages of wisdom or religion. In her left hand are riches and honour, Prov. iii. 16. They that love me, fhall inherit fubftance; and I will fill their treasures, Prov. viii. 21. And this religion principally does, by charging men with truth, and fidelity, and juftice in their dealings; which are a fure way of thriving, and will hold out when all fraudulent arts and devices will fail. And this alfo Solomon obferves to us: He that walketh uprightly, walketh furely but he that perverteth his way, fhall be known, Prov. x. 9.; his indirect dealing will be difcovered one time or other, and then he lofes his reputation, and his intereft finks. Falfehood and deceit only ferve a prefent turn, and the confequence of them is pernicious;

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