duced to follow vain and wretched Objects, or think any Advantage can deferve thy Praife or Admiration, thy Love and Pains; except fuch only as are fix'd and Eternal. Let Truth be thy chief Delight, for This is unchangeable; let thy own Unworthinefs be the chief Object of thy Hatred and Contempt, for this is the vileft, the jufteft Thing, upon which thy Difpleasure can difcharge it felf. Fear and decline no Calamity, comparably to Sin. For no Lofs, no worldly Difappointment or Difafter can have fo fatal Confequences, as the Lofs of a Good Confcience and God's Favour, by tranfgreffing his Righteous Commands.

Some Men are more concerned for Subtilty of Knowledge in Religion,than for an humble and fincere Obedience. They are acted by a Spirit of Pride and Curiofity, and affect to penetrate the Myfteries of Faith; and value themfelves much more for being able learnedly to difpute for Truth, than for adorning it by their Lives, and rendring that Knowledge effectual to Salvation. Thefe Men frequently fall into dangerous Snares. I fet my Face against their Arrogance, and fuffer them to perifh thro' the Vanity of their own Imaginations.

Rom. xi.

But do thou employ thy Mind upon other Sorts of Enquiries, and account it greater Wifdom to get a perfect Knowledge of thy own Works, than thofe of Almighty God. His Ways are unfearchable, and paft finding out; but thy own are neceffary to be nicely examined. And the Confideration of the Evil thou haft done, and the Good thou haft left undone, will turn to better Account, than thy Scholaftick Speculations, concerning the Divine Nature. and Counfels. Some place their Religion in Images, fome in Good Books, fome in an outward Shew and Pomp of Devotion, measuring their Piety by the Prayers they fay, the Sermons they hear, the Meals they abftain from: Others honour me with their Lips,

and

and talk familiarly of me, whofe Hearts I am as utter a Stranger to, as their allowing me no place in their Thoughts and Affections can make me. But fome again, without fuch formal Pretences, are Men of true Spiritual Wisdom, and inward Purity; their Defires and Converfation are in Heaven, and earthly Entertainments are no longer welcome to them; they even grudge thofe Hours, which the neceffary Cares for fupporting thefe Bodies cut off from the greater Concerns of their Souls. And these are the Men, that lend a willing Ear, and bring a Temper truly teachable to the Inftructions of my Spirit: In Them he reigns and triumphs. For, having vanquished the Corrupt Inclinations of Flesh, and infpired them with a true Chriftian Bravery of Soul, they defpife the treacherous Vanities of this World, and lay out all their Love and Labour upon the Joys of that better World, which, till God thinks fit to admit them into it, they ftrive to anticipate, by keeping their Minds Night and Day intent upon it.

CH A P. VI.

The Power of the Love of GOD.

Difciple.]

I

Laud and magnify thy glorious Name, O Father of Heaven, Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, for all the Goodness and Tender Compaffions, with which thou hast been pleafed to remember and relieve my Mifery. For unto thy Lovingkindness alone, O Father of Mercies, and God of all Comfort, are owing all the Supports, with which the Soul of thy unworthy Servant hath been at any time refreshed in the midft of my Trouble. And therefore to Thee alone be the Praife. To Thee, O Father, with

thy

the only Begotten Son, and the Bleffed Spirit the Comforter, will I render Honour and Thanksgiving for evermore. Defcend then, Bleffed God, into that Soul, for which thou haft expreffed fo great a Tendernefs, and let thy Prefence fill me with Gladness: For thou art my Health, my Joy and my Glory, my Hope and my Refuge in the Day of Distress.

I must confefs with Sorrow that my Love is weak, and my Virtue imperfect; nor can the one be fupported without thy Grace, or the other be cherished, unless thou fan thy Holy Fire, and feed it with thy Heavenly Comforts. O vifit me then with thy Salvation, and make me to improve under thy Holy Difcipline. Deliver and purify my Heart from all corrupt Affections, and irregular Paffions; heal my Spiritual Diseases, and take away that Drofs and Filth, which obftruct my purer Delights of Divine Love, difcompofe my Patience, and fhake my Intentions of Perfeverance.

For Love is great and powerful, an excellent Virtue, and mighty Advantage in Well-doing. It lightens the heaviest Burthens, makes Difficulties eafy, and fmooths the rugged Ways of Duty; takes out the Bitterness of Sufferings, and gives them a delightful Relish. This is the Principle, which fires us with a vigorous and active Zeal, infpires brave and noble Attempts, and fpurs us on with an impatient Defire of ftill higher Degrees of Perfection. For Love ever labours to be uppermoft, and difdains to take up with low and vulgar Attainments. It hates Confinement, and would fain get loofe from all Worldly Affections; that fo its inward and fpiritual Profpects may not be intercepted, by any Temporal Good or Evil, which darken and block it up. In Love is the Perfection of Pleasure and Strength; it is higher than Heaven; broader than the Sea; it fills the fpacious Univerfe, for it is born of God; The firft and beft of all his Crea

K

1

Creatures And as it came from Him, fo it never refts till it have got above all Finite Beings, and center again in that Only, that Infinite Good, from whence it originally fprung.

The Perfon acted by it flies with eager Hafte, does every thing with Chearfulness and Pleasure, and fuffers no Impediments to ftop him in his Course He gives all Things liberally, and yet poffeffes All, because his Soul is united to that Supreme Good, in and from whom is all Perfection. He looks not fo much at the Gift as the Giver; and be the Quality of that what it will, it only serves to render him more grateful to its Author. Love knows no Bounds, no Meafure; but thinks it can never do enough; and attempts Things even above its Strength, not confidering so much what it is able, as what it is defirous and difpofed to effect; The Vehemence of Defire takes off all Senfe of Difficulty, and thinks nothing fo great but that it may and ought to aim at it. And hence proceed those mighty and astonishing Atchievements, which Love does daily bring to pafs, where the Fire continues ftrong, and is not damped by Sloth and Faint-heartedness.

Love is eternally awake, never tired with Labour, nor oppreffed with Affliction, nor difcouraged by Fear; But, like a clear and ftrong Flame, is ever mounting upwards, and makes its way thro' all Oppofition. It cries continually in the Ears, (for fervent Love is that Cry which pierces the Ears) of the most Higheft; and all the Language of Devout Souls inflamed with it, is to this Effect: My God, My Love, thou art my All; and I am entirely Thine. Enlarge my Heart, and make me capable of yet more Love; that I may feel and feaft upon the Sweetnefs of the delightful Affections, and even melt away and lofe my felf in the Extafies and Charms of this heavenly Difpofition. Increase and blow up this divine Flame, that, not content

to

to excel others, I may daily excel my felf.

Teach

me the Song of Love, and receive me up on high; to Him in whom my Soul delighteth; and fill me with fuch Raptures of Joy and Praife, that even Sense and Life may be fwallowed up in Blifs. Let me love thee much more than my felf; nay, love my felf and all good Men, to whom thou art dear, only in and for Thee; For fo haft thou commanded in that Law of Love, which is but as it were a Beam and Efflux of thy own Glorious and Divine Excellence.

The Love of God is nimble in its Motions, fincere in its Intentions, ardent and zealous in Devotion, fweet to the Soul, brave in Attempting, patient in Enduring, faithful in Executing, prudent in Action, flow in Refentment, generous and manly, and feeks not to please the Perfon's felf, but the Perfon beloved. For, where a Man feeks his own Advantage only, there Intereft, not Love, is the Principle upon which he moves. Love is cautious and circumfpect, upright and humble; not foft and effeminate, not fickle and fanciful; not fond of Vanities; but fober and grave, chafte and refined, conftant and fedate, fevere and referved. This difpofes us to Submiffion and Refpect towards our Superiors; to a mean and modeft Opinion of our felves; to Gratitude and Devotion towards God; it infpires Hope and holy Truft, even in Times of Calamity and Difcomfort. And neceffary it is that it should do fo, fince no Man is fo happy as to love without Pain, or always to live under the Light of God's Countenance, fo as that no Clouds fhould ever intercept the cheering Warmth of his Favour, and create fome dark Intervals.

That Man therefore does not deferve the Character of One that loves God, who is not difpofed and content to fuffer any Afflictions, which the Divine Providence fees fit to inflict; or thinks much to do whatever his Will declares fit to be performed. In a word,