m, the root of the matter in him; this
carries him upward in the ways of obedience, after the motions and
directions of God's Spirit. At the beginning, indeed, it is strait and
uneasy to his flesh, but the difficulty is overcome if once you begin
well, the beginning (as you used to say) is the half of the whole. Truly
to be well entered is half progress; afterward the bulksome and burdensome
lusts of the flesh are stript off, at least in a greater measure, and then
the spirit moves easily and willingly; this walk becomes a recreation,
that at first was a labour. Now delight and desire are as wings to mount
the soul aloft. Now it is the good pleasure of the soul to walk to all
well pleasing. Indeed the way of this world is dirty and filthy, and
therefore a Christian had need to watch continually, and to gird up his
loins, that his thoughts and affections hang not down to the earth, else
they will take up much filth, and cannot but clog and burden the spirit,
and make it drive heavily and slowly, as Pharaoh did his chariots when the
wheels were off. We had need to fly aloft above the ground, and not to
come down too low near it, thinking withal to double out our journey, for
we shall find, that because of the remnants of flesh within us, that this
world hath a magnetical attractive virtue to draw us down to it, if we be
within the sphere of its activity. It is not good coming near fire with
flax, we should endeavour to keep our hearts at much distance, and
disengage them from our lower consolations. This world is like the
pestiferous lake of Sodom, that kills all that fly over it, and makes them
fall down into it.(181) If we fly low upon the surface of it, we cannot
think but that the spiritual life will be much extinguished. But to
prevent this we should take our flight straight upward after the Spirit,
(for that is the proper motion of the more pure and spiritual part of this
world), and give no rest till we be out of the reach of that infection,
till we be fully escaped the pollutions of the world.

But if you cannot be persuaded to come off this way, that seems so
pleasant to your flesh, that way which is the very course of the world,
(for these are joined, Eph. ii. 2), then, I beseech you, stand still, and
consider whither it will lead, do but stop a little, and bethink
yourselves sadly and seriously whither this will take you, where it shall
end. And truly that is dreadful, the end of it is death, a never ending
deat