Did not fee the Pride and Blindness of his own Mind, and the Impenitency of his Heart. And fo, after all the high Thoughts that he had, and fignify'd of Himself, The man that ftood in the Lower Room, fo Defpifed by him, was preferred before him; and went home Juftified rather than Him. Whoever then, will but apply his Endeavour to get into the good Underftanding of Himself, fhall by fuch means, here break thro' the Straits, and find the Gate open to his Entrance.

Add to all this, That the Gate of the Lord's House which feems fo Strait, and even Impaffable, to them that are for Entring Loaded, and Corpulent, thatch'd with many Garments, and ftanding bolt-upright, Yet is very Easy to be Pafs'd, by them that bring no cumbersome Burden, but come Lean and Spare, Naked and Stooping even down to the ground. In our felves then lies the main Obstruction, That we cannot pafs; where many Saints, without much Trouble, have gone before. Begin therefore, Chriftian, to throw off the Burden of Riches. Know that God did not put 'em into thy hand Proprietor; but a Steward: Not to keep all to Thy felf; But to deal out among his Poor. And fo freed from the Love of thy Pelf, thou'lt be rid of a Clog, that was thy main Impediment. Thou must al

fo

fo take down the Fatnefs of thy pampered Flesh; and let out the noxious humours of divers Lufts and Pleasures; that puff up the Body, and breed a perilous Dropfy: And Laft of all, Thou muft Lay down the high Conceit of thy own Excellence ; and put on the Humility of Jefus : Stoop and bow down thy Neck in a humble Submiffion to the Obedience of his Word. And then, Complain, If thou canst not readily Enter the Gate of Life.

CHAP. XIV.

The Gate, tho' Strait, must be Enter'd, by all that will be Saved.

B

E it Wide or Strait, There must be Striving to get in at this Gate. Becaufe after the prefent Life, which is gone in a trice, There's no other Place in all the World, where we can ever do Well, and be Easy and Happy, but only within this Gate. Therefore our Lord, Luk. 13. 24. bids us Strive to Enter. Seeing all that are Shut out muft Lye where's Weeeping and Wailing, and Gnashing of Teeth: i. e. In the faddeft Agony and Mifery without any Hope of Remedy.

:

Whence

Whence arifes that defperate Madness, To Endure what they would never Endure at all; and Yet will be Forced to Endure for ever..

O how much better is it to Strive for this Entrance, thro' a narrow Gate, where, after thou haft born a little Trouble and Labour, thou'lt find the sweetest Reft, and everlafting Pleafure! Could men Escape the Straits of the Gate, and the Pains of Hell both together, There might be fome Apology for their Neglect, from their Frailty, who durft never Adventure here to force an Entrance; But when there's the abfolute Neceffity, either with violent Efforts to put forth our felves for a while, or elfe fall into Labours and Dolours that will eternally endure. O where, where's the Judgment, and the Senfe, If to Avoid fome Leffer and fhorter Straits, we'll throw our felves under fuch as are the moft Heavy and Intolerable, out of which there will be no Escaping?

But did no other Straits follow after this Life, Yet only the Lofs of God's Houfe, Where are all the highest Joys for ever, Even this fhould be moft Prevalent with us, cheerfully to Pafs, not only. the Straits of the Gate, but thro' Bryars and Thorns, thro' Swords and Fire, if there's no other way to Enter. For tho' now we know not, or will not confider, What

4

What it is to be deprived of Eternal Bliss; Yet as foon as ever the Soul is Separated from the Body, The eyes of the Mind will be Opened, clearly to difcern what's the Lofs, and how deplorable the Mifery, Never to attain the bleffed End for which we were Made: And how it will gall and Torment the Loft Souls, we may learn aforehand, from that vehement bitter Outcry, Mat. 25. 11. Lord, Lord, Open to 6 us: And. And more, from the Intimation of that Remorse, which is fet forth, Mar. 9. 46. by the Worm that dyes not; in the C Fire that is not Quenched. We cannot C now Imagine, with what Heart-breaking Paffion the Cry will be made, Lord, Lord, Open to us. As if they fhould fay, Without this Entrance, we cannot Live; And yet we shall not be Suffer'd to Dye. So that we Live, Not that we may indeed Live; but that ftill we may be Miferable. Therefore Open to us, Lord, And whatever be the Straits and Hardships, to be pass'd through we'll shrink at none; But moft gladly fo Suffer, if we may but Enter. But what's the Anfwer? I know I cannot own you for any of you not. my faithful Servants, who Loyter'd away your Time, when you should have been doing my Work: And now, the Year of Jubilee is at an end: When you might Enter, You would not; And

now,

now, when you would, You cannot. Thus Excluded, beyond all Poffibility of Admiffion, Yet Nature ftill fpurs on to Cry, Lord, Lord, Open to us. But they that here were Deaf to the Lord's Call Strive to enter in at the Strait Gate, will hereafter find him Deaf to their Cry, Lord, Lord, Open to us. O then, If ever we'll be Wife, Let us Confult our true Intereft, while Time ferves. Let us do that now, when we may; which doubtless, we would with all our Hearts defire that we had done, when we cannot do it.

The