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and a vigorous Mortification of their fenfual Appetites and Paffions; they difdain the Shadow, and lay hold on the Substance; pafs from Falfhood to Truth, and from Body to Spirit. These are the Men, who love and delight in God, and find no fatisfaction in the Creatures, farther than as they promote the Honour, and ferve the Purposes of the great Creator. The Joys they minifter are fubordinate and limited : Not inherent and natural, but by reflection only; and every thing is esteemed in proportion, as it tends to its Maker's Use and Praife. So very unlike, fo infinitely different is the Pleasure we feel from the Creator and the Creature, from the boundless Ocean of Eternity, and the narrow Tract of Time; from the original Self-existent Light, and those faint Beams fhot down on things here below.

Shine then, O Light everlasting! in comparison whereof, all created Lights are but a lefs degree of Darkness: Convey thy felf into my benighted Soul, purge and difpel the Clouds of Error there, purify my polluted Affections, cheer my Sadness, enliven my ftupid Mind and all its Faculties; that I may rejoyce and triumph, and bask in thy bright Beams. O! when will that happy, that long-wifh'd-for Hour approach, when I fhall be filled with thy Luftre and fatisfied with thy Prefence, and my God be my All in All! For, fure I am, till that blefs'd Time, my Joys must be imperfect. I feel, alas! I feel and lament in my felf fome Remains of the Old Man ftill. Scourged he is, but not entirely Crucified; Wounded and Bruised, but not quite Dead. My Flefh, in defpight of all my painful Labours, continues to luft against the Spirit; and a domeftick War diftracts and breaks the Peace and good Government of my Mind: This cannot exercise its juft Dominion without perpetual Broils and tumultuous Infurrections. But, O thou who RuPfal. Ixvi. left the Raging of the Sea, and ftilleft the

Waves thereof, when they arife, come speedily to my af fiftance, and quell this Storm. Scatter my Enemies that delight in Blood, and beat them down, O Lord, my Defence; Exert thy mighty Power, and get thee Honour by this Conqueft; for thou, O Lord, my God, art my only Hope and Helper, O fave, or I perish.

CHA P. XL.

This Life a State of Continual Temptation.

Christ.] Do

O not fuppofe, my Son, that in this World thou ever canft be in a Condition of ab folute Safety; Dangers and Enemies await thee every where; Violence and Stratagems are perpetually employed for thy Ruin; and therefore the Weapons of thy Spiritual Warfare muft not be laid afide; for ufeful they are, and always neceffary, during this State of Mortality. Cover thy felf then with the Shield of Wisdom and Faith; for if thou expofe thy Perfon without this Defence, the fiery Darts of the Wicked will quickly gall and wound thee. And if Dexterity and Diligence in the Ufe of thy Arms be not animated by a Mind fixed entirely upon Me, and a vigorous Refolution of enduring the worst that can happen for my fake; the Engagement will be found too hot, and that Crown of the Bleffed, which. is the Reward of Perfeverance, can never belong to thee. Call thy Courage then, and exert thy utmost Strength, as occafions of Combat fhall offer. For to him that overcometh will I give the bid

den Manna; but Mifery and Destruction Rev. ii. is the Portion of faint-hearted and feeble, frothful and fleepy Soldiers.

if

If then these are the Conditions of thy Obedience and Reward, think how abfurd it is for them, who indulge their Eafe here, to expect Peace and Happiness hereafter. In one of the two States Enduring muft be thy Lot; and therefore tough Patience, and not foft Repofe, is what thou fhould't labour for at prefent: For Reft and undisturbed Content have now no place on Earth, nor can the greatest Affluence of Worldly Good procure them; but their Dwelling is in Heaven only, and they are peculiar to the Love and Fruition of God alone. In obedience to his Will, you fhould contentedly undergo Labour and Toil, Tryals and Troubles, Distress and Anguish of Heart, Poverty and Want, Infirmities and Diseases, Injuries and Affronts, Scandal and Reproach, Difparagement and Difgrace, Punishment and Torture. Thefe whet and brighten a Chriftian's Virtue, exercife and diftinguish him. Thefe Thorns are woven into Wreaths of Glory; and to fuch faithful Servants I repay for their fhort Hardfhip an endlefs Recompence; and for the Shame, which is prefently forgotten, Lawrels that never fade, Crowns always bright, and Honours firm and immortal as my own.

Thefe are the Difficulties of the prefent State, which Men are to be upon their Guard againft from without. But alas! they muft not hope always to enjoy Peace and Satisfaction within. No, even the Saints of old, whofe purer Innocence and eminent Virtues might better entitle them to this Tranquility, yet often found occafion to complain, That their Pfal.lv. cxliii. Heart was difquieted, their Spirit defolate, and an horrible Dread overwhelmed them. Doubts and Scruples, Temptations and Fears, and cutting Perplexities of Heart are frequently the Lot of the most excellent Perfons. But in all thefe Streights, the Good behave themselves with Meeknefs and Patience; repofing their Confidence in God, and humbly diftrufting themfelves,

felves, but fupported with the Hopes of Divine Grace and Favour, to comfort and affift them; and with the Confideration, that the Sufferings of this prefent time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory that shall be revealed in them. This was the Cafe of thofe glorified Saints who are thy Patterns; and what pretence canft thou have, to hope for that Joy in prefent, which they waited long for, and purchased at the Expence of fore Pains and many Tears, and great Difficulties and thought themfelves well paid even thus? Waic then thy Master's leifure, quit thy felf manfully, banish Impatience and Diftruft, perfevere in Faith and good Works; grudge not to lay out Perfon, Life, All, for the Service and Glory of God; and doubt not but I will one Day abundantly reward, and in the mean time will stand by thee, to fuftain and deliver thee in every Danger and Calamity.

CHA P. XLI.

Of defpifing the Vain Cenfures of Men.

Y

Christ. all thy Care there, and let it be thy 'M2

Son, repofe thy Soul upon God, caft

great, thy only Concern, to approve thy felf to Him. When this is done, a Man fhould not much regard what the World thinks of him, nor fear the Cenfures of others, while his own Confcience bears Teftimony to his Piety and Innocence. To be ill thought of is fometimes for thy good; it conforms thee to the Image of thy Saviour, and if thy Soul like his be meek and humble, if thou feek not thy own Glory, but his that fent thee, the Affliction will not be very grievous to be born. The Opinions of Men are as many and as different as their Perfons ; P 2

The

I Cor. ix.

The greatest Diligence, and most prudent Conduct can never please them all. And therefore even St. Paul himself, than whom none ever laboured more to recommend his Actions to the good Acceptance of the World: He who became all things to all Men, yet found it neceffary to appeal to a higher Court, and declared it a small thing with I Cor. iv. him to be judged of Man's Judgment. He did his utmost to promote the Intereft and Salvation of Others, but even the utmoft he could do was not fufficient to skreen him from the wrongful Cenfures, and perverfe Mifconftructions of Men. And therefore he removed his Caufe, and referred the whole Matter to that God who knew his Integrity; and defended himself against the Calumnies and Reproaches of licentious Tongues, with great Humility and Invincible Patience. Sometimes he heard and paffed their Slanders by in Silence: At other times he vindicated his own Innocence, and reproved the unreafonable Malice of his Accufers; not fo much in tendernefs to his own Honour, as to prevent any Offence which might be taken from his forbearing to do fo; and leaft the Weak and Ignorant fhould conclude, that too obftinate a Silence was an Argument of his Guilt.

But what is there fo terrible in the Condemnation of Man For what indeed is Man? He lives and flourishes to Day, but to Morrow he is gone, and his Place fhall know him no more. Fear God then, and his Judgment; for this is Omnifcient and Everlasting; and the more thou fearest him, the less thou wilt be afraid of any but him. Confider well what hurt can come to thee, by injurious and reproachful Treatment. Alas! they who accuse and blacken thee wrongfully, are much the greater Sufferers by their own Malice and Injustice; their Slander and Detraction can have no Influence, can make no Impreffion,

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