CHA P. XXIII.

Of placing all our Hope and Happiness in GOD.

Disciple. REpofe in Goth,

all Occafions, and above all other Dependances; for he is the only fure Refuge, the Eternal Rest of the Saints. Grant me thy Grace, O fweeteft, kindest Saviour, to value, and love and trust in Thee, above all Things. Make me to prize thee far before Health and Beauty, to defire thee more than Honour and Advancement, more than Riches and Power, more than Wit and Learning; To rejoice in thee more than in Pleafure and Profperity, more than in Reputation and Praife, more than in the largest Promises, the highest Deferts, the most exalt ed Gifts, the most transporting Joys, which thou canft impart, or my Heart, when most enlarged, is able to receive. Let me admire thee above Angels, and Arch-Angels, and all the Hoft of Heaven; above all Things vifible and invifible, more than all that is, or can be, which is not thy own felf.

For Thou, my God, art the best and most excellent Being; In thee alone is Plenty and Fulness, fweet Refreshment, peaceful Comfort, and ravishing Delights; the Perfection of Beauty and Charming Graces; true Honour, and adorable Greatnefs: In Thee, as in its proper Center, all Good meets, and dwells, and hath and doth, and will, continue to abide, from, and to all Eternity. Give then thy felf, my deareft Jefus; for all thou giveft, and all thou promifeft to give befides, is poor and little, when com pared with the Sight and Fruition of Thee. And I have found, by long Experience, that all thy other Favours, nay, all Nature is too fhort and narrow to fatisfy my Soul; whofe unbounded Defires exalt and ftretch

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stretch themselves far beyond all prefent Enjoyments, and can be filled, and reft contented, with nothing lefs than Thee.

O my beloved Lord, King of the Universe, knit me to thee with the Bands of an entire and holy Affection. Set me at Liberty from this Clog of Earth, and give me Wings of ardent Zeal, and pure Devotion, that I may foar aloft, and take my flight higher than Heaven it felf; and find my Reft in thee. Oh! when will that happy Time come, when I fhall be fet at liberty from Sin and Corruption, from the Body and the World, and without Interruption, without Allay, taste and feaft upon the Sweetness of my God? When will the neceffary Cares of this Life cease to distract me, and leave me Power and Leisure to indulge thofe Longings and Pleafures, which refined and unbodied Spirits feel; when fwallowed up in the Contemplation of thy Divine Excellencies, and even raised above themselves, they know and love, and retire wholly into Thee? At prefent I am oppreffed with a Load of Infirmities and Corruptions, and often groan under the Senfe of my heavy Burthen. The inward Joys, with which thy Grace fupports me, are mingled and embafed with Pains and Tears; which cloud, and darken, and deject my Mind; diftract my Thoughts, obftruct my eagereft Wishes and Endeavours, and fasten me down to Earth and Mifery, when I would fly to thy Embraces. I cannot, in this Vale of Sorrow, enjoy my Lord, my Love; but wait with Hope, and long fore for that happy Change, which fhall tranflate me to the Spirits of Juft Men made perfect, and render me Partaker of their Blifs. But let not, Lord, my Sufferings, and Tears be loft; Remember and compaffionate my prefent Wretchedness, and grant my Sighs an eafy and effectual Access into thy bleffed Prefence.

Thou

ແ

Thou Lord, art the Brightness of thy Father's Glory; dart thy reviving Beams into my Soul; enlighten its dark Place, and scatter its Difcomforts. To thee the very Thoughts and inmoft Defires of every Heart are known; By Thee the most secret and filent Wishes are thoroughly understood. O hear me, when I fpeak in this Language, and pour out my Supplications in Sighs and Griefs, which Words cannot utter. Even when my Tongue lies ftill, my Thoughts are in motion; and my Heart within my Breaft burns with Inarticulate Ejaculations. "How long (fay I to my "felf) how long will my Lord, my Bridegroom deແ lay his coming? O! that he would vouchfafe to enter under the Roof of his unworthy and afflicted "Servant! O that he would stretch forth his Almigh

ty Hand, and deliver this Wretch, juft ready to "fink, out of all the Mifery and Trouble, which "furround, opprefs, and are ready to devour him! "Come, Lord Jefus, come quickly. For without Thee, cc no Day, no Hour, is eafy or comfortable; for thou art my Hope, my Joy, and all my Worldly Plenty; but without Thee is the very Extremity of "Poverty and Want.

See how I lie in this Prifon of the Flesh, Fettered and Bound up with the Chain of my Sin, till the Pitifulness of thy great Mercy loofe me, and the Light of thy Countenance, breaking into this darkfome Dungeon, affure me of thy Favour and Friendship. "Let

Others covet and fet their Affections upon fuch "wretched Objects, as deluded Senfe thinks valuable; "but, as for Me, I will love and long for Nothing, "but Thee, my God, alone; for Thou, my God, "alone, art my Hope and Happinefs; the only Stay "of my prefent, and the only Blifs of my future "and Eternal State." Such is, and fuch fhall ever be my Address and fervent Prayer. Nor will I let thee go, until thou blefs me; till thou infpire new Life

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with thy Favour; and dwell in, and converfe familiarly with my Soul, by thy Spirit and gracious Prefence.

Chrift.] Behold me here, my Son, always attentive to thy Prayers, always ready to extend the Comfort and Relief thou fo zealously imploreft. Thy Tears and fervent Defires, the Sorrows of thy perplex. ed Heart, and the strong Cries of a wounded Conscience, have pierced the Skies, and brought me down to thy speedy Succour and Comfort; for I am ever nigh to fuch as be of an humble and contrite Spirit, and my Ears are always open to the Prayers of my Suffering Servants.

Difciple.] I did indeed prefume, in the Anguish of my Soul, to beg what I am fenfible I cannot deserve, and flee to thee, my God, for Help. And lo! I am fincerely difpofed to forfake all and follow thee. Nor will I afcribe to my felf the Glory of fo zealous, fo refign'd a Temper: For Thou, Lord, didft work this good Thing in me, and, by thy own preventing Grace, kindle and excite my very firft Defires. I prayed, but thou preparedst my Heart. I fought thee, but it was by thy Impulfe and Direction. And for this firft Difpofition, I return thee my most humble and unfeigned Thanks; acknowledging it thy beft, thy fole Gift, that I have been able fo much as to think or intend any good Thing. Since then the whole of what I do or defire well is Thine, my part fhall be to cherish every holy Motion, to improve the early and happy Affiftances of thy Grace, to fubmit my felf without any Referve to thy Holy Guidance, and, in the midft of the very best Performances thou qualifieft me for, conftantly and humbly to remember my own Vilenefs and Impotence. For who, O Lord, is ke unto thee? Or what in Heaven or Earth, which hath, or boafts of, any Excellence, can be compared unto my God and Saviour? Thy Works are juft and

true,

true,Thy Precepts right and equitable,Thy Providence great and glorious, And all things are governed by it, after a moft wife, and holy, and good, and wonderful Manner. All Honour, and Glory, and Praife, be therefore afcribed to Thee, Eternal Wisdom of thy Eternal Father: May Heaven, and Earth, and all the Creatures, fet forth thy Excellencies, and in this general Confort I will join; My Mouth fhall fing thy aftonishing Works, thy great Glories; and I will never cease to praife and adore my God, while I have any Being.

CHA P. XXIV.

A Thanksgiving for God's Mercies.

Difciple.]

Pfal. cxix.

Pen thou the Eyes of my Understanding, O Lord, that I may fee and obey the wondrous Things of thy Law: Give me the perfect Knowledge of thy Will, and poffefs me with a reverent and thankful Sense of all thy Goodnefs and Loving-Kindness to Me and to all Men; that I may fhew forth thy Praise, and publish thy Mercies. I know these are so numerous and great, that I can never magnify them worthily: The leaft of them exceeds my Power to exprefs; and when I confider them, I am fo far from any vain Pretence of Merit, that all my Thoughts are over-pow'er'd and loft in Wonder. For all our Advantages of Mind and Body, of Perfon and Fortune, thofe which are Endowments and Ornaments of Nature, and those which exalt and fupply the Defects of Nature, are all the Effects of thy Bounty and Beneficence; from whom every good and perfect Gift cometh.

Fam. i. 17.

Thou art the Common Source, the Univerfal Re pofitory, from whence our Benefits are drawn down. Not to All in equal Proportions, 'tis true; but, be

the