Thirdly, A prejudice against religion is a very unpleafant thing, Matth. xxv. 24. "Then he which had received the one talent, came and faid, Lord I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou haft not fown, and gathering where thou haft not ftrawed." Mal. i. 13. "Ye faid alfo, Behold what a weariness is it, and ye have fnuffed at it, faith the Lord of hofts." This is an impediment that ftands in the way of many; they think that if they should come out from among the world lying in wickedness, they may for ever after bid farewell to all pleafure, to taste it no more; they muft fpend their days in forrow, and never see a joyful hour more. This is what they can by no means do; and therefore come after what will, they must abide among them. But,

1. Suppose that were true of religion, whether is it easier to spend a life-time in a conftant cloud of forrow till death, or to spend an eternity fo after death? If men had no view at all beyond death, it would be more tolerable for them to make the moft pleasurable they could of a prefent life; but fince there is a life of pleasure or torment in another world, it is most abfurd for eviting of momentary forrows and hardships, to throw themselves into endless mifery.

2. But it is abfolutely falfe, a rafh, ill grounded prejudice, wherewith men are poffeffed against religion; and it is foftered by Satan, and the deluded world. It is contrary to the plain teftimony of God and Chrift, Prov.iii. 17. "Her ways are ways of pleafantnefs, and all her paths are peace." Matth. xi. 28, 29, 30. "Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you reft. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find reft unto your fouls. For my yoke is eafy, and my burden is light." It is contrary to the experience of the faints in all ages, John viii. 56. "Your father Abraham rejoiced to fee my day; and he faw it, and was glad." Pfal. iv. 7. "Thou haft

put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased." 1 John v. 3. "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous." And it is contrary to the nature of things, which of themselves lead quite otherwise, Ifa.lvii. 20, 21. “But the wicked are like the troubled fea, when it cannot reft, whose waters caft up mire and dirt. There is no peace, faith my God, to the wicked." Compared with 2 Cor. i. 12. "Our rejoicing is this, the teftimony of our confcience, that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our converfation in the world, and more abundantly to you wards." But here lies your mistake.

(1.) You know and can conceive of no other pleafures, but those of the world, fenfe, and fin; but there is another kind of pleafure, that is fpiritual, which religion affords, that none know but those who have tafted it, Prov. xiv. 10. There are rivers of pleasure in heaven, but your worldly pleasures are not there; and there are in religion pleasures of that kind, in the Lord's lifting up the light of his countenance upon his people, and putting gladnefs in their hearts, Pfal. iv. 6, 7.; in seeing one's name written in heaven, Luke x. 20.; and in the approbation of confcience, 2 Cor. i. 12. It is your want of a new nature, that ye cannot relish these new, refined, undreggy pleasures.

(2.) You think all pleasures are noify, like thofe of the revellers and jovial ones of the earth; but it is not fo, Rev. ii. 17. "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white ftone, and in the ftone a new name written, which no man knoweth, faving he that receiveth it." The deepeft waters run moft ftill, and fo do the deepest joys; hence even in worldly concerns, deep joy is not expreffed by laughter, which is used only on trifling occafions,

cafions. And of all joys and pleasures, those of religion lie most inward.

(3.) You form your notion of religion, by the outward appearance of fome that profess it, who are of a heavy difpofition. But you ought to form it by the fcripture, and not by the appearance of fome of its profeffors, from whence you may draw the most frightful notion of it; but the art of hell is in this, leading you from the view of cheerful Chriftians, to fettle on thofe that are not fo. But after all, ye may be deceived in them, for the countenance is not always an exact reprefenter of what is within; witness the mirth and jollity of many, whofe heart feels ftings, and lafhes in the time. But what notion would you have formed of religion, from the appearance of the man Chrift, who was a man of forrows, of whose weeping you read sometimes, of his rejoicing once, but of his laughing never?

3. Confider, whether the way of religion, or the way of the world, affords the moft ground for joy and pleafure? This will be no hard question to an impartial inquirer. The one is the way to a ftate of favour with God, peace, &c. here; the other keeps one under his wrath; the one is the way to be eternally happy, the other to be eternally miferable. Wherefore bring ye no forrow with you into religion, nor fpring of it; and ye will find none in religion. But it teaches men to be forrowful in time for what is just ground of forrow, and will produce it fooner or latter in all.

4. Laftly, The very forrows that religion puts men to, are better than the world's joys and pleasures. These last are a spring of forrow, and will end in it, Luke vi. 25. "Wo unto you that laugh now; for ye shall mourn and weep." They may end in it here, either in the way of bitter repentance, or in the way of bitter affliction, which will render all the former pleasures of fin tasteless, leaving nothing of them but the fting; or furely in the life to come. Whereas

the forrows of religion, be they never so deep, make way for joy here, and hereafter too, ver. 21. "Bleffed are ye that weep now; for ye fhall laugh."

Fourthly, The cares of the world, Luke viii. 14. These are a thicket whereby men are entangled in the world lying in wickedness, that they cannot get away. The clay idol bewitches them, that they have neither heart nor hand for coming out from among them. These cares are a net, wherein the feet of poor and rich are held faft; for the frowning and fmiling world are each of them apt to crave inordinate care. They hinder in fo far as they enhance the whole man: and fo,

1. They fix the heart to the world as the main thing, and fo keep it back from God, Matth. vi. 24. "No man can ferve two mafters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or elfe he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot ferve God and mammon." Hence covetoufness is called idolatry, inafmuch as thereby the world and its good things are put in God's room, loved, defired, and followed after more than he.

2. They leave no room for a due concern about fpiritual things, Luke x. 41, 42. "Martha, Martha, thou art careful, and troubled about many things; but one thing is needful." This and the other worldly thing, one on the back of another, challenges their care and concern, keeps their hearts and hands ever full, that due care for their fouls cannot get entered. Hence the lives of many are spent in a continual hurry, never getting leave to think feriously; and it fares with them as with the man in the parable, 1 Kings XX. 39, 40. "As the king paffed by, he cried unto the king; and he said, Thy fervant went out into the midst of the battle, and behold, a man turned afide, and brought a man unto me, and faid, Keep this man; if by any means he be miffing, then fhall thy life be for his life, or elfe thou fhalt pay a talent of

filver.

filver. And as thy fervant was bufy here and there, he was gone."

3. They leave them no guft nor relifh for spiritual things; they make them tastelefs to them, fo that nothing relifhes with them, but carnal worldly things. The fmiling world has this effect, Job xxi. 13, 14. "They fpend their days in wealth Therefore they fay unto God, Depart from us; for we defire not the knowledge of thy ways." And the frowning world has it too, as in the cafe of the Ifraelites under their oppreffion in Egypt, Exod. vi. 9. "They hearkened not unto Mofes, for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage."

To remove this hindrance, confider,

1. The fhortnefs of your time, and how in a little ye will be beyond all the things of the prefent evil world, to have no more use for them for ever, 1 Cor. vil 29, 30, 31. "But this Ffay, brethren, the time is short. It remaineth, that both they that have wives, be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as tho they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they poffeffed not; and they that ufe this world; as not abufing it; for the fashion of this world paffeth away." Death approaches, and the frowns of the world can annoy you no more, and its fmiles be in no more ftead, to you. Why do ye take so great care about what is to laft fo fhort while? Why is not your short time better filled up?

2. Confider what will be the iffue of the cares of the world hindering you to come out from among the world lying in wickednefs. Ye will lofe your fouls in that throng of care for the prefent life, and no advantage in the world will quit the coft of that, Mat.xvi. 26. "For what is a man profited, if he fhall gain the whole world, and lose his own fotil? or what fhall a man give in exchange for his foul?" Ye have eterni