Comforts are breaking in upon thee, like a glorious Sun from an aftonishing Eclipfe. "Tis Rafhnefs therefore to conclude Affairs in a loft Condition, because fome Croffes have baulked your Expectations: Nor can either thy own Refentment of Misfortunes within, or the Violence of any Calamity without, give thee fufficient Grounds, from the terrible Face thy prefent Circumstances wear, to pronounce, That all Hope of Escape and better Days are past. Nay, which is the moft fenfible and most deplorable Cafe of any, if at the fame time that I fcourge thee with outward Calamities, thou feel the inward Supports of my Grace withdrawn, which should enable thee to bear the Rod; Yet even fo, think not thy felf forsaken, or that I have utterly caft thee from my Prefence. TheWay to Heaven is fet with Briars and Thorns; and they, who arrive at that Kingdom, travel over cragged Rocks and comfortless Defarts: And more it is for their Advantage to have their Virtue awakened, and brightned, and brought to the Teft, by the Smart of Adverfity; than that all Things fhould go fmoothly on, without any manner of Let or Moleftation.

The Heart of Man is deceitful, who can know it? Thy very felf art often under very dangerous Mistakes about thy own Condition. Thou art ignorant what thou art, and much more ignorant what is fit for thee. But I, who have a perfect Understanding of both, fee plainly, that it is proper and beneficial fometimes to be left to thy felf; that thus, ftruggling to fo little purpose with the Calamities that bear thee down, thou may'st be brought to a juft and humble Senfe of thy Infirmities; that this Senfe may check thy Vanity, and fhew, that all thy Attempts which prave fuccessful, are owing entirely to another Hand; and thou in truth nothing lefs than that mighty Man thou art apt to take thy felf for. This makes my depriving thee of thy ufual Comforts convenient, but ftill 'tis in my Power

to restore and augment them to thee, when I fee that convenient too.

Nor think me hard and unjuft in thefe Difpenfations; for who fhall forbid me to do what I will with my own? I gave thee what thou could'ft not claim; and I take away what thou haft no right to keep. For every good and perfect Gift is mine, and

Fames i. 17. not a Debt but a Favour. If then Affiction comes, remember 'tis of my sending; and I, who laid the Crofs, can both remove and recompence it: I kill and make alive, I bring down to the Sam. ii, Grave, and raise up from it: And, in the inftant that I lay my Thunder by, and fmile again, thy Heaviness shall be changed into Joy unspeakable.

In all my Dealings I am just, in all am wife, and gcod; and deferve not only thy Admiration, but even thy Thanks and Praife. Could'ft thou but rightly comprehend my Methods, and the fecret Reafons of them, thou would'ft drink up the bitter Potion with Joy; with Joy, upon this very Confideration, that I do not fpare thee to thy Hurt, but fend Afflictions in pure Kindness to thee, when I forefee they will be for thy Advantage. Obferve the Tenure of my gracious Promife to my best beloved Difciples: As my Father loved me, even fo have I loved you. But both John xvi. my Father's Love to Me, and Mine to Them, was exprefs'd, not by falfe and tranfitory Joys, but by sharp and long Conflicts; by being called, not to Honours, but to Contumelies and Difgrace; not by indulging them in Eafe and Sloth, but by inuring them to Trials and Difficulties; by calling them, not to Reft and Peace, but to bring forth noble and generous Fruit with Patience. Remember well these Words, my Son, and then thou canst not think much to drink of the Cup that I drank of fo deeply, and to be baptized with the Baptifm that I was baptized with. Thou canst not then defpair, or think, that

God,

God, in afflicting thee, hath abandoned all Care and
Concern for thy Benefit; fince even that tender, that
unparallel'd, that unconceivable Affection, with which
he loved his own dear Son, hindred not his making
that very Captain of thy Salvation perfect
tbro Sufferings. And what art Thou?

Heb. ii.

What is the best of Men in comparison of Him? What are thy Agonies and Tryals, the very worst of thine, in comparison of His?"

Difciple.]

CHA P. XXXVI.

Of Seeking God alone.

'T'

HY Mercy, Lord, is great, which hath thus far affifted me; but ftill, I feel I want a larger Portion of thy Grace, which may conduct me to fuch a State of Perfection, as may fecure and fet me at Liberty, from all the Obftructions which the Creatures lay in my way. For, so long as I retain an Affection or Concern for any Thing in this World, I find my Soul check'd and restrained in her Mountings to Thee and Heaven. How often do I make the Prophet's Wifh my own, O that I had Wings like Pfal.lv. a Dove, for then would I fly away and be at reft? Lo then would I get me away far off, and remain at a distance from the World. Now what is more at eafe, more abftracted from the World, than a true single-hearted Honesty? What can boaft of Freedom equal to his, who covets nothing upon Earth? All created Beings fhould indeed be paffed over, and left behind in this Flight; and a Man muft make aStretch even beyond himfelf, and abandon his own Natural Inclinations and Defects, in order to get a diftinct View of the Creator, and thofe Perfections in him, to which

no Creature bears any Refemblance. Now this is the very Reason, why fo few employ their Thoughts in Heavenly Contemplations with any fenfible Delight; because when they attempt it, they do it unskilfully. For they bring thofe worldly Affections along with them, that damp and difguft them in the Undertaking.

It is not, I confefs, an eafy Matter, nay, 'tis not poffible to Flesh and Blood, by its own Strength, thus to purge the Affections. Nothing lefs than a liberal and very powerful Infpiration of Divine Grace can thus exalt the Mind, and as it were carry the Man out of himself. But, till fuch Exaltation of the Soul have difengaged one from all Temporal Interests, and fix'd down his Defires to that One Object worthy of them, God himself; all his Knowledge and imagined Excellencies are very little worth. For, whatever falfe Notions of Honour and Greatnefs Men may delude themselves with, yet ftill all They have poor and little Souls, and dote upon that which ought to be difdained, who allow any Thing, befides the Infinite and Eternal God, a very honourable Place in their Affections and Efteem. For All which is not God, is Vanity and Nothing, and ought to be nothing regarded. How vaft a Difference is there between the Wisdom of a mortified pious Man, enlightned from above; and the pompous Learning of a profound and ftudious Divine? That Knowledge, which defcends from above, fpeaks its heavenly Original, by marvellous and noble Effects; and works a greater Change in the Man, a greater Improvement in profitable Knowledge, than all that Comprehenfion, which the best Capacities, and the moft indefatigable Industry, can ever attain to.

We often hear very glorious Characters of Divine Contemplation, and the wonderful Delights and Tranfports attending it; and Thefe a great many appear

very fond of. But then they have no regard to the neceffary Preparations for it; their Minds are full of fenfible Idea's, and poffefs'd with the things of this present World; and the Subduing and Mortifying their Defires and Paffions is a Matter they take no Care about. And, while their Affairs continue in this Pofture, they are in no degree qualified for those Exercifes of the Mind. Methinks it is a moft unaccount-able Folly, and argues, that Men forget what Spirit they are of, when they call themselves Chriftians, i. e. Spiritual Perfons, that have folemnly renounced the World with its Vanities, and the Flesh with its finful Lufts; who profess to believe and to feek Happiness in a future State, and to place that Happiness in the Perfection of their Souls; and yet, in Reproach and Contradiction to thofe Profeffions, fuffer Body and Senfe to run away with them; lay out themfelves entirely upon perishing and paltry Advantages, while the fubftantial and everlafting are wretchedly neglected, and their Souls fo perfectly forgotten, that they fcarce afford one serious Thought to their most important Concerns. Or, if at any time they fet themselves to think, fome Trifle prefently interrupts and draws them off from any profitable Recollections. Nay, they themfelves fly out, and are glad to be diverted from a fevere Examination into their own State; which is fure, if diligently pursued, to prefent them with Objects of Shame and Sorrow, fuch as will wound their Sight, and foon make them weary of this neceffary Work. Thus we never trouble our felves to obferve which way our Inclinations are difpofed, or whither they tend; nor do we seriously bewail the abominable Impurity of our Hearts, though there be nothing but Impurity there. The way of all Flesh is corrupt upon Gen. 6. the Earth; and that univerfal Corruption, fays the Scripture, brought a Flood to deftroy Mankind and every Creature. But whence, do we think,