5. If you would obtain the kingdom of heaven, make religion your business. What a man looks upon as a parergon, — a thing by the by, — he doth not much mind. If ever we would have heaven, we must look upon it as our main concern ; other things do but concern our livelihood, this concerns our salvation ; then we make religion our busi- ness, when we wholly devote ourselves to God's service, Ps. cxxxix. 18. We count those the best hours which are spent vvitli God ; we give God the cream of our affec- tions, the flower of our time and strength ; we traffic in heaven every day, we are mer- chants for the " pearl of price." He will not get an estate who doth not mind hia trade ; he will never get heaven, who doth not make religion his main business.
6. If you would obtain the kingdom of heaven, bind your hearts to God by sacred vows. Vow to the Lord, (that by his grace) you will be more intent upon heaven than ever, Ps. Ivi. 12., " Thy vows are upon me, O God !" A vow binds the votary to duty; he looks upon himself as obliged by his vow to cleave to God. Bees, when they fly in a great wind, ballast themselves with little stones, that they may not be carried away with the wind ; so we must fortify ourselves with strong vows, that we may not be carried away from God with the violent wind of temptation. No question, a Christian may make such a vow, because the ground of it is morally good ; he vows nothing but what he is bound to do by vir- tue of his baptismal vow, namely to walk with God more closely, and to pursue hea- ven more vigorously.
7. If you would obtain the kingdom, embrace all seasons and opportunities for your souls, Eph. v. IG., " Redeeming the time." Opportunity is the cream of time ; the improving seasons of grace is as much as our salvation is worth. The mariner, by taking the present season, while the wind blows, gets to the haven ; by taking the season, while we have the means of grace, and the wind of the Spirit blows, we may arrive at the kingdom of heaven. We know not how long we shall enjoy the gospel ; the seasons of grace, like Noah's dove, come with an olive-branch in their mouth, but they soon tako wings and fly.
OF THE SECOND PETITION IN THE LORD'S PRAYER.
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Thougli they are sweet, yet swift. God may remove tlie golden candlestick from us as he did from the cluirches of Asia. We have many sad symptoms, " Grey hairs are here and there" upon us, IIos. vii. 9. Therefore let us lay hold upon the present seasons ; they that sleep in seed-time, will beg in harvest.
8. If you would go to the kingdom of heaven, you must txcubias ogere, keep a daily watch, Mark xiii. 37., " I say unto all, watch." Many have lost heaven for want of watchfulness. Our hearts are ready to decoy us into sin, and the devil lies in ambush by his temptations ; we must every day set a spy, and keep sentinel in our souls, Hab. ii. 1., "I will stand upon my watch."
(1.) We must watch our eyes, Job xxxi. 1., "I made a covenant with my eyes." Much sin comes in by the eye. When Eve saw the tree was good for food, and plea- sant to the eyes, then she took. Gen. iii. 6. First slie looked, and then she lusted ; the eye by beholding an impure object, sets the heart on fire ; the devil oft creeps in at the window of the eye. Watch your eyes.
(2.) Watch your ear. Much poison is coveyed through the ear. Let your ear be open to God, and shut to sin.
(3.) Watch your hearts : we watch sus- picious persons, " The heart is deceitful," Jer. xvii. 9. Watch your heart, 1. When you are about holy things, it will be steal- ing out to vanity. When I am at prayer, saith St. Ilierom, aut per porticum deainbu- lOy aut de fcenore computo ; either I am walking through galleries, or casting up accounts. — 2. Watch your hearts when you are in company. The basilisk poisons the herbs he breathes on ; the breath of the wicked is infectious. Nay, watch your hearts when you are in good company ; such as have some good in them, yet may be some grains too light ; they may have much levity of discourse, and, if no scum boils up, yet too much froth. The devil is subtle, and lie can as well creep into the dove as he did once into the serpent. Sa- tan tempted Christ by an apostle. — 3. Watch your hearts in piosperity; now you are in danger of pride Th hio-her the water of
the Thames risetli, the Iiigher the boat is lifted up ; the liiglier that men's estates rise, tlie higher their hearts are lifted up in pride. In prosperity, you are in danger not only to forget (iod, but to lift up the heel Hgainst him, Deut. xxxii. 15., " Je- shurun waxed fat, and kicked." It is nard to carry a full cuj» without spilling, and to carry a full prosperous estate without sin- ning. Turpi fregerunt ? secula luxn dm- ticB moUes, Sen. Samson fell asleep in De- lilah's lap : many have fallen so fast asleep in the lap of prosperity, that they have ne- ver awaked till they have been in hell.