tjes and Powers originally infpired by my creating Spirit.

The High and Honourable, as well as Mean and Low, the Rich and Poor, all drink of this common Fountain, and the moft Powerful of the Sons of Men can do nothing, till furnished with Ability from hence. This Spring is inexhauftible, and They who receive moft, and are grateful in their Returns, I water with more liberal Meafures of Grace. Them that honour me, I never fail to honour and blefs in a visible and eminent manner; But, if Men glory in any Thing but the Lord, I blast their Devices, disappoint their Hopes, make them afhamed of their vain Boaftings. For fo have I ordered Matters by my Providence; that no true lafting Satisfaction fhall ever fill that Heart which fets its Affections upon private and paltry Advantages. Croffes from without, and Perplexities from within, are the certain Confequence of Worldly Defires, and Selfish Principles.

If therefore thou haft received or done any good Thing, take care of mifplacing the Honour and Thanks due for it, upon thy felf, or any other Perfon. For this is robbing God of his Due, from whom Men receive whatever they have, or are, and ftand in Duty and Equity bound, to pay him their Acknowledg ments. Since therefore the whole is my Gift, when I demand the whole Thanks and Praife, I demand but the Product of my Own; and this is what, as I injure no Man in requiring, fo I refolve never to depart from.

This is the true Principle of Juftice. Neceffary to be considered, and thoroughly submitted to; because it checks and utterly confounds that other moft pernicious Principle of Pride and Vain-glory, to which Mankind are fo exceeding prone. Nor is it lefs conducive to their Happinefs, than to their Duty. For, where this generous Love and Regard of Me takes

place,

place, it does not only engage my Favour, but fecures the Man from Envy and Discontent, Partiality and every other Paffion, that ufes to torment little and worldly minded People. For this refpectful Deference and fervent Love of God enlarges the Soul, and fills it with great and truly noble Thoughts. And therefore this is a certain Mark of true and heavenly Wifdom to make Me its only Joy, and Hope; For, how can He be wife, who does not fee, that God is the Perfection and Original of all Good, and that the neceffàry Confequence of his being fo, is that he is to be Praised, Honoured, Admired, in, and for, and above all: Since all the Good which Men pretend to esteem, is by Communication from him; an Emanation from his Fulnefs, an Effect of that Sole, that Univerfal Caufe?

Difciple.

CHA P. XI.

God's Service is perfect Freedom.

Will again take the Confidence to speak unto the Lord; Nor ought I indeed to hold my Peace, but addrefs my felf to Thee, my Lord and God, my heavenly King, that fitteft on thy Throne far above the Skies, and thus will I proclaim thy Mercies and my own Happiness. How pure, O Lord, how fweet, how exquifite are the Pleafures thou referveft for them that fear Thee, that delight them-. felves in thy Love, that are entirely devoted to thy Service. No Tongue can worthily exprefs the wondrous Joys, the Tranfports, and ravishing Extafies, which fill these pious Souls, inflamed with the Love, and employed in the Contemplation of Thee. For This is a Subject boundless as thy Goodness; That

4

Good

Goodness, which exerted it felf in commanding me out of Nothing. And, when that Being which thou gaveft was rendred liable to Eternal Mifery, a fresh, and yet more valuable Inftance of thy Mercy, was that of bestowing upon me a new and better Life, when I was worse than nothing. For thou hadft Compaffion on my Weakness and my Wandrings. Thou foughtest and with tender Care broughteft back thy loft Sheep, taughteft me the right Way, helpedst me to walk in it, and didst inftruct and guide me in thy Love.

O thou overflowing Spring of endless Love, how fhall I worthily magnify thee, how can I forget thee; Thee, who in my loweft Ebb of Mifery, didft condefcend fo gracioufly, fo effectually, to remember Me? Whose Kindness rescued me from Death, and far exceeded all my Hopes; restored me to that Favour, which my Sins had forfeited, and fhewed it felf a Friend to that Wretch who was become Thine, and his own Enemy. What shall I render to Pfal. cxvi. the Lord for all the Benefits be bath done unto me? If I refolve to ferve thee, yet how poor a Tribute is that, to Him whom all Created Nature is bound to ferve? This is fo far from a fufficient Return, that I ought rather to admire thy Mercy, and esteem it an Honour to my felf, when thou vouchfafeft to accept the Service of fo poor, fo worthless a Creature, and doft not difdain to reckon me amongst thofe, whom thou fuffereft to do thee Homage.

For even in this I pay thee but thy own, fince I and all I have are thine. But why do I fpeak of ferving thee, when by a most astonishing Condefcenfion, even Thou, the mighty God, art pleased to serve Me. For this is the Effect of that excellently good Providence, which hath contrived and ordered Heaven and Earth, and all the Creatures in fuch a manner, that they should be ufeful and beneficial to Mankind; which hath appointed Bleffed Spirits above for Guards and

Minifters to the Heirs of Salvation; And, which is moft furprizing, when Thou thy felf, for my Sake, hadft taken upon thee the Form of a Servant, and wert made a frail, an afflicted Man! When Thou didft give thy Life for undone Sinners, and still doft give thy felf in Grace, and haft engaged to give thy felf, even the full and eternal Fruition of thy glorious Godhead, to every fincere Believer.

O! that it were in my Power to make a suitable Return, for Love which paffes, not my Thanks only, but eve my Knowledge! O! that my Ways were made fo direct, that my whole Life might be one continued Act of Gratitude and Obedience! Nay, fuch is my Infirmity, that I must be content to wifh, that any one Day of that Life might be employed as it ought in thy Service. I know, O Lord, that Thou art wor thy to receive all Duty, and Honour, and Praife for ever. I am fenfible that Thou art my rightful Lord, and I thy poor Servant; That the utmost I can do is thy juft Due, and that I ought to take unfpeakable Delight in Thanking and Obeying Thee; That nothing elfe but this fhould give me any Satisfaction, and that, when I have laid my felf out entirely upon it, I ftill have done too little. This is the real Perfuafion, this is the earnest Defire of my Soul; and where my Pow er falls fhort of my Inclination, there do Thou, I befeech thee, ftrengthen and fupply what is wanting, by thy Grace, that my Deeds and Deportment may bear Teftimony and Proportion to my Pious Difpofition.

To be the meaneft of thy Servants is the higheft Advancement; To defpife and forfake all for Thee, is true Riches and Honour. They who thus enter themfelves into thy Family, and chearfully undertake this Task, fhall have a glorious Reward; they will feel the Pleafures of this World, infinitely paid, infinitely outdone, by the better and larger Amends of Grace and L

Divine

Divine Comforts in exchange. They who thus bind themselves to thee, that abandon worldly Cares, and attend to the One Thing neceffary, attain to true and generous Freedom of Soul. For the ftrait Way of thy Commandments is the only perfect Law of Liberty. O happy Confinement! which fets Men at large from the Slavery of Sin, from Worldly Cares and Incumbrances, from the infupportable Tyranny of unruly Appetites and domineering Paffions! O bleffed De pendance! which makes us of the most High God's Retinue, raifes us up to a Level with the Angels, renders us dear to the Almighty, a Terror to evil Spirits, Conquerors over our greatest and fierceft Enemy, and recommends us to the Love, the Praife, the Imitation, of all good Men. Who would not greedily embrace fuch a Service, where the very Work is pleafant, the Encouragements paid down in hand noble and great, and the Wages promifed in Recompence for our Labours, Happinefs exquifite, unfpeakable, and everlasting?

CHA P. XII.

Of regulating our Defires.

Christ. VET still, my Son, there are many Things, in which thou art not fuffici

YE

ently inftructed.

Difciple.] Lord be thou pleased to let me know, and enable me to receive, and do them.

Chrift.] Thy Defires must be reduced into Subjection, and my Will take Place in every Thing; Nor must thy own Private Intereft, but the Zeal and Regard for my Honour, and the Obedience due to my Commands, be the governing Principle of all thy