the chiefest good; so that all the inclinations of their souls rest in God as in their proper centre, in whom by consequence they enjoy as much as they can desire, yea, as much as they can be made capable of desiring. For all those infinite perfections that are concentered in God himself, are now in their possession, to solace and delight themselves in the full and perfect enjoyment of them; by which means they are as happy as God himself can make them, insomuch that at this very moment methinks we may all behold them so ravished, so transported with their celestial joys, that it may justly strike us into admiration, how creatures, which once were sinful, could ever be made so pure, so perfect, and altogether so happy as they are. And could we but leave our bodies for a while below, and go up to take a turn in the New Jerusalem that is above, we could not but be ravished and transported at the very sight both of the place and inhabitants, every one being far more glorious than the greatest emperors of this world, with nothing less than crowns of glory on their heads, and sceptres of righteousness in their hands, where they think of nothing but praising him, do nothing but adore and worship him; in a word, whatsoever is agreeable to our natures, whatsoever is desirable to our souls, whatsoever can any way conduce to make men happy, is fully, perfectly, eternally enjoyed, by all and every person that is in heaven. Whereas on the other side, if we bring down our thoughts from heaven, and send them as low as hell, to consider the most deplorable estate and condition of those who inhabit the regions of darkness, them we shall find as miserable as the other are happy; not only in that they are deprived of the vision and fruition of the chiefest good, but likewise in that they are in continual pain and torment, as great as infinite justice can adjudge them to, and infinite power inflict upon them; insomuch, that could we lay our ear to the entrance of that bottomless pit, what howlings and shriekings should we hear, what weeping and wailing

and gnashing of teeth in the midst of those infernal flames, where, as our Saviour himself tells us, the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, Mark ix. 44. that is, where their consciences are always gnawed and tormented with the remembrance of their former sins, and the fire of God's wrath is continually burning in them, never to be quenched or abated. For certainly, as the smiles and favour of the eternal God constitute the joys of heaven, so do his frowns and anger make up the flames of hell. To see him that made us displeased with us, to see mercy itself to frown upon us, to see the great and all-glorious Creator of the world, the chiefest good, to look angrily upon us, and to mean himself offended at us, and incensed against us! Methinks the very thoughts of it are sufficient to make the stoutest heart amongst us tremble: but then what shall we think of those poor souls that see and feel it? what shall we think of them? Questionless they are more miserable than we are able to think them to be. For we cannot possibly conceive either the greatness of heaven's glory, or the sharpness of hell torments; only this we know, and may be certain of, that whatsoever is ungrateful to their minds, whatsoever is troublesome to their thoughts, whatsoever is contrary to their desires, whatsoever is painful to their bodies, or whatsoever is or can be destructive and tormenting to their souls, that all they who are once in hell, shall fear and feel, and that for ever.

But this is too sad and doleful a subject to insist on long, neither should I have mentioned it, but for our own good, and to prepare us the better, both for the understanding and improving the advice of our Saviour, Matt. vii. 13, 14. Enter ye in at the strait gate, &c. The meaning of which words, in brief, may be reduced to these three heads.

First, That it is an easy matter to go to hell, that place of torments we have now been describing, and by con

sequence that many go thither; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leadeth thereto.

Secondly, That it is a hard and difficult thing to get to heaven, that place of joys we before spake of, and by consequence that but few get thither; For strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to it.

Lastly, Howsoever difficult it is, our Saviour would have us strive to get to heaven, so as to press through that strait gate, and walk in that narrow way that leadeth into life.

As for the first, that the gate is wide, and the way broad, that leads to hell, or that it is an easy matter to go thither, I need not use many words to prove it. For though there be but few that mind it; I dare say there is scarce any one but believes it, yea and hath oftentimes found it to be true by experience, even that it is an easy matter to sin, and that, we know, is the broad way that leads to hell; so broad, that they that walk in it can find no bounds or limits in it, wherewithin to contain themselves; neither are they ever out of their way, but go which way they will, they are still in the ready way to ruin and destruction. And usually it is as plain as broad, so that men rarely meet with any roughness or trouble in it, but rather with all the pleasures and delights which they desire, who look no higher than to please the flesh; yea, whatsoever it is that they naturally desire, they still meet with it in the road to hell; and whatsoever is ungrateful and irksome to them, they are never troubled with it in the ways of sin. There are no crosses to be taken up, no self to be denied, but rather indulged and gratified; there are no such tedious and troublesome things as examining our hearts, and mortifying our lusts, as praying or hearing, as fasting or watching: these are only to be found in the narrow path that leads to heaven, the broad way to hell is altogether unacquainted with them, being strewed all along with carnal pleasures and sensual delights, with popular

applause, and earthly riches, and such fine thing's as silly mortals use to be taken with.

And hence it is, that, as our Saviour tells us, many there be which find this way, and go in at this wide gate that leads to ruin, because they see not whither it leads, but they see the baits and allurements which are in it, which they cannot but crowd about as fishes about a hook, or as flies about a candle, till they be destroyed. Yea, this way to destruction is so broad, that almost all the world is continually walking in it; the gate so wide that thousands at a time pass through it. And therefore we may well conclude, it is an easy thing to go to that place of torments which even now we spake of, or rather that it is an hard, a difficult matter to keep out of it; the way being so narrow that carries from it, that it is a difficult thing to find it; and the way so broad that leads unto it, that none can miss of it that hath but a mind to walk in it.

But I hope none of my readers have so, God forbid they should have a mind to go to hell; their taking religious books into their hands is rather an argument that they have a mind to go to heaven, and read on purpose to learn the way thither. And we do well to take all opportunities of finding out the way to bliss; for we may assure ourselves it is a very narrow one, it is hard to find it out, but much more hard to walk in it; for it is a way very rarely trodden, so that there is scarce any path to be seen, most people going either on one side, or else on the other side of it; some running into the bye-paths of error, heresy, or schism; others into the broad way of profaneness or security: insomuch that there are but very few that hit upon the right path that leads directly to the New Jerusalem, the place of rest. I speak not this of myself; no, Christ himself, that came from heaven to earth, on purpose to shew us the way from earth to heaven, saith, that strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there he that find it.

And let not any think that Christ spoke these words in vain, or that it is no great matter whether we believe what he said or no. For questionless, one great reason why so few ever come to heaven is, because most think it so easy to get thither that they need not take any care or pains about it. For even amongst ourselves, to whom the Gospel is so clearly revealed, men generally think if they do but read the Scriptures, and hear sermons, and live honestly with their neighbours, so as to harm nobody, but pay every one their own, then they shall as surely come to heaven, as if they were there already; nay, many are so simple as to think that their separation from the church militant on earth is the way to bring them to the church triumphant in heaven; and others so ridiculous as to believe that a death-bed repentance is sufficient to entitle them to eternal life. But stay a while it is not so easy a matter to get to heaven. Indeed to me it seems one of the greatest mysteries in the world, that ever any man or woman should come thither, that such sinful worms as we are, who are born in sin, and live so long in sin and rebellion against the great Creator of the world, should ever be received so far into his grace and favour, as to enjoy life and eternal happiness in him. And did we look no farther than ourselves, we might justly despair of ever obtaining so transcendent glory which we are so altogether unworthy of. But the goodness of God both is and hath been so great to mankind, that there is none of us but in and through the merits of Christ Jesus, is in a capacity of it. But we must not think that it is so easy a thing to come to heaven, as the devil, the world, and our own base hearts, would persuade us it is: if we do, we are never likely to come thither; no, we may assure ourselves, as heaven is the greatest good that we can attain, so doth it require our greatest care and study imaginable to attain it.

This therefore is that which I shall endeavour to convince men of, and account myself happy if I can do it. For, I dare say, there is none of us but desire to