Heaven upon earth in the serene tranquillity and calm composure, in the sweet peace…

There is hardly any thing excellent, and very singularly profitable to men▪ but it hath some more then ordinary difficulty in the way of coming at it, notwithstanding whereof they are not deterred, nor detained from pursuing after it; the consideration of its excellency with the expectation of the great incomes of advantage and profit by it, makes them the more easily comport with the difficulty of it, and to think all their labour well bestowed, in overcoming that difficulty: So we may truly say of the serious exercise of godliness, that it is so transcendently excellent (as being that which beautifully conforms the rational▪ to the image of God, and capacitates the same to enjoy fellowship with him, wherein its true glory, and excellency incontrovertibly consists) and so very profitable, even profitable to all things (as nothing else in the world is) having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come, That the greatest difficulties should not fright […] […], nor faint us in the vigorous, constant and close pursuit of it: We shall not deny, but that this ⟨p. 235⟩piece of godliness in particular, that lies in the conscientiously tender ordering, and disposal of all our actions in order to wining at the joyful Testimony of our Conscience concerning them, hath much difficulty in it, as being contrary to the natural levity, wavering and instability of our hearts, and mightily opposed by Satan, as greedy prejudicial to his interest in the Soul, yet it is so very excellent, and so exceeding useful, and profitable to the Christian (as we made appear from our last discourse on these words) that all the difficulty of it may be the more easily digested; It hath (as the other duties of Religion have, when rightly gone about) its reward in the bosom thereof; O! what sweet peace, what strong consolation, and what unspeakable joy hath the Apostle here, from the Testimony of his Conscience after discovering his actions, to be so ordered, by this serious Self-reflection, and examination? whereof special notice would be taken; We shall therefore now proceed to Observe some things more particularly from the Text, to this purpose.

THere is hardly any thing excellent, and very singularly profitable to men▪ but it hath some more then ordinary difficulty in the way of coming at it, notwithstanding whereof they are not deterred, nor detained from pursuing after it; the consideration of its excellency with the expectation of the great incomes of advantage and profit by it, makes them the more easily comport with the difficulty of it, and to think all their labour well bestowed, in overcoming that difficulty: So we may truly say of the serious exercise of godlinesse, that it is so transcendently excellent (as being that which beautifully conforms the rational to the image of God, and capacitats the same to enjoy fellowship with him, wherein its true glory, and excellency incontrovertibly consists) and so very profitable, even profitable to all things (as nothing else in the world is) having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come, That the greatest difficulties should not fright , nor faint us in the vigorous, constant and closse pursuit of it: We shall not deny, but that this