Moses his choice with his eye fixed upon Heaven, discovering the happy condition of…

Some there are that perform these duties to satisfy natural conscience, and so they may be unsound, and ¹their consciences not accuse them; but these hypocrites are the basest that can be, their consciences cannot but accuse them, that they undertake the ways of Religion, to employ them for no more then for the attaining such low ends. Yea, many that are now in Heaven, and have this glorious reward, did not find so much difficulty in the ways of Religion as many Hypocrites do. There are three Reasons for it.

Some there are that perform these duties to satisfie natural conscience, and so they may be unsound, and ¹their consciences not accuse them; but these hypocrites are the basest that can be, their consciences cannot but accuse them, that they undertake the ways of Religion, to employ them for no more then for the attaining such low ends. Yea, many that are now in Heaven, and have this glorious reward, did not finde so much difficulty in the ways of Religion as many Hypocrites do. There are three Reasons for it.

1. 1Natural conscience a spur to duty.

First, that they do is by their own strength, and ¹when one comes to perform the duties of Religion by his own strength, they are hard to him; a gracious heart hath strength from Heaven, and from Christ; now when a man hath received strength, he can do that with ease that was difficult before: A man that hath a base unclean heart, the ways of Religion must be tedious to such a one; as a mans body being corrupted, whatsoever he does is tedious to him, if he were sound it would not be so tedious; and so the ways of Religion are tedious to an hypocrite, because he does all in his own strength, and his soul is corrupted.