own Concerns, and keep your Eyes and Obfervation át home. Your own Soul is the thing you ought to look after: This requires your nicest Inspection and utmoft Diligence; and the Cenfuring and Correcting your felf, is a Duty which fhould take place above the Advising or Reproving the dearest Friend you have. It may be, this Reserve may be interpreted Sullennefs, and lofe you the Favour and good Efteem of Men; but let not that Lofs afflict you; There can be no fo juft Ground of Diffatisfaction and Remorfe, as the not behaving your felf with all the strict Virtue and Circumfpection, which becomes a Perfon who hath renounced the World, and devoted himself to the Service of God. 'Tis true, an honourable Opinion of Us is a Comfort: But it is fometimes better to want Variety of Comforts, than to have them. This is often the Cafe with Advantages merely Human, the External, and the Worldly; and, as for thofe which are Spiritual and derived from God, if we be either deprived of these, or not fenfible of their fweet Refreshment, the Fault is our own, who neglect to put our felves into a fit Difpofition for them, by godly Sorrow for our Sins, and abandoning those vain and outward Comforts, which fhould make room for the fubftantial and heavenly.

ap

Get therefore a true and perfect Knowledge of your felf; fee and confefs you deferve not any Divine Confolation, nay, that you do really deferve Defertion andSorrow, and much Mifery. When a Man's Mind is inflamed with a truly religious Zeal, this World pears not only flat and infipid,but very bitter and loathfom to him. A good Man can never fail of discovering juft Matter of Grief, and many Occafions that provoke his Tears. For, whether he confider his own. Circumftances,or thofe of other Men, he will find that no Man here is exempted from Calamities. And the more clofely he confiders his own Condition, the great

er

er ftill will be his Concern. But the Misfortunes from without might be born with better Temper,were there not much more grievous from within. For, of all the Miferies that humble our Souls with Sadness, none are fo juftly lamented as our Sins and Infirmities; the wretched Load and Incumbrance these are to our Confcience, and the, Indifpofition, the Difability they bring us under, of attending without Diftraction to holy Duties and heavenly Contemplations.

By thefe we are engaged upon trifling and unprofitable Thoughts, and diverted from weighty and useful Subjects. For would we but turn the Current of our Thoughts another way, the Effect would be visible and very happy. If we did but seriously reflect, how certainly we muft die, as often as we think how long it is likely we may live, we should be more zealous and diligent to amend our Lives, and provide for that important Change. And would we but fet before our Minds a lively Representation of thofe dreadful Torments which await the Damned in Hell; it were not poffible fure to fhrink back as we do, from the Aufterities and Mortifications of a Religious Life; or to fuppofe any Labour and Pain which we can undergo in the mean while, a Hardfhip not moft willingly to be chofen, for the preventing fo dreadful a Condemnation. But now, because these things are but feldemand very flightly thought upon, and we intenderness to our own Eafe, much rather fubmit to the foothing Impreffions of present deceitful Pleasures, than to thofe harth and cutting ones of future Mifery and Anguish; we ftill go on in the fame Coldnefs and Indifference,and indulge our Sloath at the expence of our Virtue.

I grant indeed, that fome religious Severities are tedious and painful to the Body. But the Fault does not always lie there; for the Body fometimes complains and droops, not fo much from its own Sufferings, as for the Meannefs and Cowardice of the Soul,

which ought to encourage and fupport it. Beg therefore of God moft earnestly, that he would kindle in your Heart a true Christian Courage and fervent Zeal: Dare to entertain your felf upon the moft ungrateful, when they are profitable and neceffary, Subjects; prefer the Mournings of a Pious Penitent before all the vain Jollity of a wicked and unthinking World; and pray that God would do to thee, what the Pfalmift fays he does to his own People, even feed thee with the Bread of Tears, and give thee plenteousness of Tears Pfal. Ixxx. 5. to drink.

CHAP. XXII.

The Miferable Condition of Man Confidered.

W Ret

Retched thou art, O Man, wherefoever thou art; Wretched thou must be, which way foever thou turneft thy felf: Beset on all fides with Miferies without Remedy, without any poffibility of Escape by Human Helps; and only to be avoided by taking Sanctuary in God. Why then art thou difquieted at Croffes and Difappointments; when thefe are the Portion of all Mankind; It is not yours and mine alone, but the greateft, the best Men drink of the bitter Cup; and no Man ever lived in uninterrupted Happinefs: None ever fucceeded in all his Wishes and Attempts; None ever was above Calamities, or free from Vexation of Spirit. Since therefore fo ordained it is, that all muft fuffer and be miferable, are all equally fo? No, there are different Conditions and Degrees of Suffering; and his is certainly the beft and most comfortable, who is called and difpofed to fuffer for the fake of God and a good Conscience.

Luke xii. 15.

It is ufual for Men, who know no better, to envy and admire the Rich, the Great, the Honourable; to imagine, that Princes and Perfons of plentiful Fortunes are completely happy. But this is the effect of great Weakness and Inconfideration. If therefore we would rectify fuch mistaken Apprehenfions, let us get a right Notion of spiritual and heavenly Advantages. These will convince us of what poor Account all worldly Enjoyments fhould be in our Efteem: How very little, how mere a Nothing they are; how hard and hazardous to be attained; how uncertain the Prefervation of them, and how full of Trouble and anxious Care, even while we have them. And who would be fond of that, which can neither be got, nor loft, no, nor kept neither, without Fear, and Sorrow, and perpetual Solicitude? Surely then the Happiness of Man does not confift in the Abundance of the Things which he poffeffeth. 'Tis fenflefs and abfurd to think it can. And if no Proportion of worldly Goods, tho' never fo large can exempt us from Mifery; then a competent Measure of them ought to fatisfy us. For Miferable we must be with lefs or more. The very living here upon Earth, without any additional Calamity, would make us inevitably fo. The more a Man defires and labours to be like God, the lefs agreeable Relifh he hath of Life; because he is fo much more fenfible, more throughly convinced of the Frailty and Corruption of Human Nature. For what is this Viciffitude, this daily Round of Eating and Drinking, Sleeping and Waking, Wearinefs and Reft, and the many other Neceffities which the Condition of Mortality enflaves us to? Doubtless it is a mighty Burthen and Affliction, to Men whofe Minds are wholly fixed upon higher things, and whofe only Ambition it is to get above Sin and Infirmity.

For the Diftreffes and Wants of the outward Man are a fore Hindrance and great Oppreffion to the inE ward;

ward; and we fhall not perhaps injure David's Sense, by fuppofing even these included in that Petition, where he begs of God to deliver him out Pfal. XXV. 17. of bis Troubles. But wretched are They indeed, who are not fenfible of their Wretched nefs And yet more fo ftill are thofe vain People, who are even in love with it; Who dote upon this Mortal Life, which expofes them to it; and cannot think of parting with it at any rate, even when in fuch uncomfor-. table Circumstances, that all their Time and Care is fcarce fufficient to furnish them with Provifions neceffary for the fupport of it: And yet thefe infatuated Creatures are content to lay themfelves out upon Toil and Trouble; and, might they but be fuffered to continue here for ever,could difpenfe with any Concern for God and Goodnefs, and willingly forego the Hopes and Everlasting Happiness of a Heavenly Kingdom.

O foolish and flow of Heart, to understand and believe your true Intereft; How deep are you immerfed in Flesh and Senfe? How fottifhly deluded with Drofs, and fond of Vanities which cannot profit? Have you no Notion left of any thing but Body? No Regard for a future enduring Subftance? Raife your Affections up to Nobler Enjoyments, and difengage them from thofe grofs, thofe empty Objects, which, if you ftill perfift in the Love and Purfuit of, you will one day be taught, by fad Experience, how poor and defpicable they really are, and how unworthy all that eager Concern you have thrown away upon them. perfuaded then by Reafon and Religion, and do not provoke God to convince you by Torments and too late Remorfe, of how fatal Confequence the Love of this World is to all that are immoderately fond of it. View well thofe Illuftrious Patterns of Mortification and Heavenly-mindednefs, which the Primitive Saints and Favourites of Chrift have fet you. These

Be

great