as children are, (of whom it is said, "Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward,") not without sore travail and labour of the mother, not without grievous difficulty and pangs in the birth. In our conversion to embrace virtue God doth guide; but to what? to sit still? No, to walk, to run in his ways: Grace doth move us, but whereto? to do nothing? No, but to stir, and act vigorously: “The holy Spirit doth help our infirmities:" but how could it help them, if we did not conjoin our best, though weak, endeavours with its operations? To what doth it co-help us, but to strive against sin, to work righteousness, to perform duty with earnest intention of mind, and laborious activity? "God," saith St. Chrysostom," hath parted virtue with us, and neither hath left all to be in us, lest we should be elated to pride, nor himself hath taken all, lest we should decline to sloth."

Indeed the very nature and essence of virtue doth consist in the most difficult and painful efforts of soul; in the extirpating rooted prejudices and notions from our understanding; in bending a stiff will, and rectifying crooked inclinations; in overruling a rebellious temper; in curbing eager and importunate appetites; in taming wild passions; in withstanding violent temptations; in surmounting many difficulties, and sustaining many troubles; in struggling with various unruly lusts within, and encountering many stout enemies abroad, which assault our reason, and "war against our soul" in such exercises its very being lieth; its birth, its growth, its subsistence dependeth on them; so that from any discontinuance or remission of them it would soon decay, languish away, and perish.

What attention, what circumspection, and vigilancy of mind, what intention of spirit, what force of resolution, what com

mand and care over ourselves doth it require, to keep our hearts from vain thoughts and evil desires; to guard our tongue from wanton, unjust, uncharitable discourse; to order our steps uprightly and steadily in all the paths of duty! "And what,” as St. Chrysostom asketh," of all things belonging to virtue is not laborious?" It is no small task to know it, wherein it consisteth, and what is demanded of us; it is a far more painful thing to conform our practice unto its rules and dictates.

If travelling in a rough way; if climbing up a steep hill; if combating stern. foes, and fighting sharp battles; if crossing the grain of our nature and desires; if continually holding a strict rein over all our parts and powers, be things of labour and trouble, then greatly such is the practice of virtue.

Indeed each virtue hath its peculiar difficulty, needing much labour to master it: Faith is called "the work of faith;"

and it is no such easy work, as may be imagined, to bring our hearts into a thorough persuasion about truths crossing our sensual conceits, and controuling our peevish humours; unto a perfect submission of our understanding, and resignation of our will to whatever God teacheth or prescribeth; to a firm resolution of adhering to that profession, which exacteth of us so much pains, and exposeth us to so many troubles.

Charity is also a laborious exercise of many good works; and he that will practise it must in divers ways labour hardly; he must labour in voiding from his soul many dispositions deeply radicated therein by nature, opinion, and custom; envy, frowardness, stubbornness, perverse and vain selfishness; from whence wrath, revenge, spite, and malice do spring forth. He must labour in effectual performance of all good offices, and in catching all occasions of doing good; he must exert that "labour of love," whereof St.

Paul doth speak; he must (as that holy Apostle directeth, not only in precept, but by his own practice) work with his own hands, that he may supply the wants of his neighbour.

Hope itself (which one would think, when grounded well, should be a no less easy than pleasant duty) doth need much labour to preserve it safe, straight, and stable, among the many waves and billows of temptation assaying to shake and subvert it; whence a "patience of hope" is recommended to us; and we so often are exhorted to hold it fast, to keep it sure, firm, and unshaken to the end.

Temperance also surely demandeth no small pains; it being no slight business to check our greedy appetites, to shun the enticements of pleasure, to escape the snares of company and example, to support the ill will and reproaches of those zealots and bigots for vice, who cannot tolerate any nonconformity to their extravagancies; but, as St. Peter doth