Thirdly, Such as when they use right means, endeavour but by halves, and do not go thorow with it.

1. I fay, they who complain most of the impoffibility of doing their Duty, are fuch as never try and endeavour it, and take least Pains for it.

Nothing is fo common with men, as to pretend-they cannot do, what they have no mind to do. Thus it is in daily Instances of common Life; a fluggish Servant cannot go thro' with a painful work; a half Friend cannot perform a troublefome, and costly part of Friendship; and a man in Power or Bufinefs; cannot do fome Offices, or fhew fome Favours, which are desired of him: They cannot, i.e. they will not do them; they want not the power and opportunity if they would, but only the Will and readiness to make use of it. And thus it is in Religion allo. Men pretend the keeping God's Commands to be an impoffible Task, when they do not believe it; or believe it impoffible without making any attempt, and before they have had any tryal of it; paffing a Judgment not from what they feel, but only from what they fanfie in it. They have a mind

to

to fpare their own pains about it; or are affrighted with fome ill reports and mif-representations which are made thereof,and so presume they cannot do it,without ever trying whether they can or no.

But now when this is the Cafe, as it is with very many Perfons, the hindrance of Obedience does not lie in the Duties, but in the men themselves that are to perform them: For let the Laws of God be as poffible to be fulfilled, as they will; yet is it not poffible for a loitering and unworking perfon to fulfil them. It is impoffible to accomplish things of Pains without Pains, or to produce the effects of Industry by Idlenefs. And Obedience to God's Laws is one of those things, which requires our watchful Care and diligent Applica tion. For tho' God gives it, 'tis true, whence all Vertues are called the Fruits of the fpirit, Gal. 5. 22. and the renewal of the Holy Ghost, Tit. 3. 5. Yet is 3.5. that gift only by bleffing our own Pains and Endeavours after it. He gives us Vertue and Grace, as he gives us our daily food and maintenance by helping, and enabling us, thro' our own Care and Labour, to get them for our felves. So that they are to be the Fruit of our In

dustry,

duftry, as well as of his Bounty: Whence we are bid to turn our felves from all our tranfgreffions, Ezek. 18. 30, 32. as well as to pray to God, That he would turn us, Jer. 31. 18. and to work out our own Salvation, for this reafon, because God worketh in us, Phil. 2. 12, 13.

If men never endeavour then, but only complain, it is not poffible for them to obey and please God, more than to gain an Art, or get a Livelihood, or perform any other thing that requires their own Care and diligent Application; but if they will take the way of Induftry, and instead of complaining they cannot obey, endeavour to obey the best they can, which is in their own power, and very poffible to be done, They will fee all the Fanfied impoffibilities fly before their Pains, and go on fuccefsfully thro' God's Grace, ftrengthning them,and this Courfe would foon take the greateft part of these Complainers off our hands; there being none ordinarily fo forward to complain of the impoffibility of obeying, as they who are most negligent and careless, and least of all endeavour to obey.

But if any of those complain they cannot obey God's Laws, who do endeavour it: They are, 2. Gene

2. Generally such as endeavour wrong, without ufing those fit means, which fhould make them obedient. The means and inftruments of Duty, are the way that leads us to the performance of it; and in these it concerns us much to be careful, what Choice we make if we purfue any Vertue, without the use of any means at all; that is, as if we should fet our felves to the dispatch of any bufinefs with our hands behind us; and if we ufe improper and unfuitable ones, like men who labour with ill Inftruments in any Craft, we shall make but rugged work, and find that too to prove very toilfome and difficult; and after much time and Pains is spent, fee but a very little Fruit of all. The means of Vertue are, as I say, the way to it: And therefore, there is much depends upon the means we ufe, when we would be vertuous, as upon the way we take, when we would travel to any Town or Place; we may go the ftraight Road to it, and that brings us thither in a fhort time, and without being much wearied; but if either we take a contrary path, or go much about, we shall spend much more time, and be much more tyred in going; yea forced, perhaps, at laft to fit down fhort of our Journeys-end.; And

And this now is an ordinary fault of thofe Complainers, who endeavour to obey without Succefs, and cannot compass any Vertue, tho' they do take Pains for it. The reason why they fail, is because they are not well directed, and their Labour is not wifely manag'd, and laid out in the ufe of fuch means, and in the practice of fuch Rules, as are most proper and likely to gain the Point, and introduce the Vertue which they wanted.

To illuftrate this by fome Inftances; one man is of an irritable hafty Temper; and he complains that he has ftriven, but is not able to bridle and conquer his Paffion; he labours, and doth what he can; but fuch is the diftracting Variety of his business, the Crofsnefs or Carelef nefs of those he is concern'd with, or the number of his Provocations one way or other, that notwithstanding all his Care, his Paffion is ftill too strong for him.

But I would ask that Person, who fays his Labour is loft, whether he advised well upon what he did, and took the ready, and the right way to this Conqueft? Has he for inftance, befides his earnest Prayers to God for Grace to ma

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