was a mercy to me. O my soul, hadst thou a right end in view in making choice of the subject? Was it not to display thy own spirit rather than the truth of God? Lay thy hand upon thy heart and make a strict enquiry. Didst thou not study to make it fine with history, and rhetorical flourishes? Consider, souls are precious and the work is weighty, requiring thy best and utmost provision for every sermon. Seek not credit from men, but study to deliver the wholesome truths of God, in homely, plain, though well becoming language. Seek not to set off the glorious gospel with any device of thy own. How often hast thou found by sad experience that when thou hast most sought thyself thou hast most lost thyself? Thou art bound to search out for acceptable words, and avoid a barbarous phraseology; yet take heed thou dost not please Satan by gratifying thy own and others' luxuriant fancies, in the things of God. Learn of Paul to preach not with enticing words, but in demonstration of the Spirit. Get thy proud thoughts humbled before thou goest to preach, and tremble to think of preaching thyself when thou shouldst preach Christ; pray more over thy heart and labours. Particularly examine this discourse, and mourn over what might have been offensive to others or dangerous to thyself.

XXVIII.

After twenty-two years and upwards, wherein I have been studying, preaching, praying, and waiting on God, since I first began to write my soul-soliloquies, I am now pressed in spirit again to return to my own soul and enquire, what progress I have made in sanctification, communion with God, and preparation for heaven? Come then, O my soul, how are things with thee? Deal faithfully with God and thyself; do not dissemble; dodge not about spiritual matters, for the heart-searching God knows how things are; self-flattery would be thy soul's ruin. True it is my soul hath contracted a heavy burden of guilt during this time. I have had many temptations, corruptions, fears, doubts, and discouragements, which have put my soul on perplexing exercises. But yet, for all that, to the praise of the glory of God's grace, I hope I can say, I have made some progress in the ways of God. I will not conceal but reckon up what testimonies I can find thereof, partly to raise my spirits in praise to God, and partly to evidence my sincerity. I hope I do not lie therein but say the truth in Christ, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost. 1. My soul hath been drawn out more frequently to renew my covenant with the Lord my God than formerly, and that too in a more solemn manner, writing it down and subscribing it as in the presence of God. Such days have

been days of heart-breaking and heart-quickening; blessed be my God. 2. God hath helped me more constantly to maintain the duty of secret prayer, and he doth more melt my heart by his blessed Spirit. There are but few days, when I am at home, but God and my soul meet in secret. 3. The Lord helps me to spend my time better than formerly. Through grace I cannot say that I am idle any one day, but can give some tolerable account of the expenditure of time for earth or heaven, in my general or particular calling. 4. As my employment has been increased, so I feel a renewing of strength in my heart. In my studies I have fresh and more profitable matter suggested to my thoughts; so that, comparing my notes now and formerly, I find that the Lord doth assist me. 5. I find my heart more zealously carried out for the good of souls, both in preaching and praying, in public, private, and secret; I could lay myself under the feet of sinners to do them good. The yearnings of my bowels for sinners my God knoweth. 6. My heart is more endeared to saints as saints, without a factious respect to parties, so that I can take delight in the poorest, and most cross-natured and conceited child of God, wherein I can see any thing of Christ and goodness. 7. I find more power in regulating my passions, though I feel them oft working; yet upon pleading with God in prayer they are calmed; through grace I can say, anger rests not in my bosom. find, by the grace of God, I can put up with injuries and affronts better than formerly, and not study revenge; yea, my heart is more enabled not only to forgive, but to pray to God for the repentance and forgiveness of those who have done me the greatest wrongs; they cost me many a tear. 9. My heart is grieved if God be dishonoured, his Spirit offended, and his gospel reproached by the sins of the wicked, or professors, or myself; and my heart is carried out many times in renewing my repentance on more pure and evangelical principles. 10. If I know I have offended any person, especially believers, it is a burden to my spirit, and I cannot be satisfied till I have humbled myself before them, with self-abasing testimonies of sincere grief, and solicited forgiveness from them. 11. When I have seen professors at a distance from each other it hath been the grief of my soul, and I have often interposed to make up breaches. Sometimes God hath granted me the desired success, and when it hath been otherwise God hath continued my pity and prayers for them. 12. The great concerns of the church and nation have been more upon my heart than formerly. O what pleadings hath God helped me to urge for kings, nobles, ministers, and the interests of Christ. 13. I can rejoice more

8. I

in the gifts, graces, and success of God's servants that are more useful than I am; and can say, through grace, that if God will make use of others more than of me, I am not only satisfied but thankful. 14. God hath helped my soul to obtain the victory over the corruptions of my heart. Some lusts, that God knows have cost me many groans, tears, and conflicts, he hath either mortified or removed the occasions from me, so that sin hath not broken out so much as formerly. 15. My heart hath been more helped to undervalue the world and the things thereof, and to account its profits, pleasures, and honours poor and pitiable things of vanity; so that I can say, through grace, the world dwindles and shrinks in comparison with divine things, and is more under my feet than it hath been. 16. My soul is more mercifully assisted in the heavenly life of faith to commit all my concerns to the Lord, and to trust him for provision. Though my occasions of expence have increased, especially in training up my two sons, hitherto God hath given supplies, though I could not tell whence they would proceed. 17. My affections are sometimes more weaned from, yet endeared to, my relations by being more spiritualized; so that I can now say, through grace, I love God in them, and them for God's sake, and enjoy more of God in conversing with them. 18. My soul, I hope, enjoys more fellowship with God, since my heart more closely adheres to him in duties and worship than formerly, and I find larger seasonable supplies, and more meltings of heart in public, private and secret, God giving me more frequent visits, and dealing more familiarly with my soul: blessed be his name. 19. My heart is more taken up with God's mercies, and more exalted in his praises, so that my soul is more melted and expanded in the duties of thanksgiving, both in ordinary duties and on special occasions. Methinks, it is a little emblem of heaven to be employed in God's praises. 20. The Lord hath graciously sealed my soul unto the day of redemption, by giving me assurance of his love in Christ, and in vouchsafing to seal the remission of my sins, so that sometimes I call God my Father, rejoice in him as my portion, and delight my soul in the Lord, and in believing anticipations of the beatific vision.

To these things I hope my heart echoes; and though I dare not boast that I love Christ more than others, yet I can, through grace, appeal to my God that my soul doth love him in sincerity. I know not how soon my God may possibly leave me to temptation, darkness, deadness, or the commission of some scandalous and conscience-wasting sin; for when I am highest in my own conceit, I am nearest a fall. I have found by experience that God loves to shake my carnal confidence, yet for

this I will not deny nor underrate the grace of God, nor obstruct his praises; for by the grace of God I am what I am. Though I am vile yet my dear Lord hath been an indulgent God to me, and hath made good his covenant and promises to my soul; and if the Lord should henceforth leave me to myself, and at last cast me into hell, I will justify him. O my soul, who, what art thou, that ever free grace should display itself before thee! What hast thou but what thou hast received? Grace was at the foundation, grace has been in the progress, and grace will be celebrated when the top-stone is brought forth. All this goodness that God hath manifested, O my soul, makes thy sins the more aggravated. Thou art still the greatest of sinners and the least of saints. Give God all the glory, and take thou all the shame to thyself. As God hath dealt bountifully with thee, be more dutiful to him; the more he hath given to thee, the more let thy expenditure be for him, and be prepared for his laying on thee a heavier hand than ever.

EPISTLE

TO THE READER OF
"ADVICE TO AN ONLY CHILD."

CHRISTIAN READER,

THIS precious pearl of seasonable advice* providentially put first into my hand, and now into thine, is of great worth, and the rate thereof is enhanced not only by the worthiness of the Author, but by the importance of the subject matter, the manner of handling it, and its great end and design. The Author was a master in Israel, a star of the first magnitude, first placed in

This Address was prefixed to a posthumous publication, entitled, "Advice to an only Child," composed by the Rev. James Creswick, a Nonconformist minister ejected from FRESHWATER, in Hampshire. Mr. C. was a native of Sheffield and, we are told, a man of great abilities, well skilled in the learned languages, and an accurate preacher. He was distinguished for his piety and exemplary patience under a tormenting affliction. He used frequently to say: 66 Lord, I am thine, and thou canst do me no wrong; I would rather have health of soul in a body full of pain, than health and ease of body in a distempered soul." He died Feb. 1692, aged 75, at Beal, in Yorkshire. The Treatise above mentioned was published by Mr. Heywood.-Noncon. Mem. vol. ii. p. 266.

a high elevation, to influence candidates for the ministry and the academical sphere, thence translated by the ministerial function into an ecclesiastical station, where he was a burning and a shining light, till eclipsed with the rest of his ejected brethren, but moved very regularly and profitably in a narrower and obscurer orbit, till at last he disappeared to us, but shines bright in the firmament of glory. A description of his exquisitely painful disorder, (gravel) together with his invincible patience and magnanimity, would make a volume; his personal excellencies as a scholar, as a minister, as a Christian, were beyond the vulgar rate; and it is a pity the world is not blessed with more of his learned labours, polished with his own hand, and squared by this master builder for adorning the house of God. But his modesty concealed something of what our zeal for public good hath here presented to the reader, in its naked dress, as written by his own hand.

As for the matter, it is the doctrine according to godliness, the weighty things of law and gospel-covenanting with God, the life of faith, of holiness as in God's presence, actings of love to God and Christ, universal obedience, circumspect walking, dying daily, repentance, delighting in God and his ways, thankfulness, prayer, &c. You may find in this treatise an excellent Encyclopædia or universal scheme of practical divinity: couched in a few words, in a plain method laid before the eyes of the intelligent reader.

The manner of handling this useful tractate is pleasant and alluring, and adds a peculiar accent and emphasis to it; such a smooth style, such fit and proper similitudes, and delightful allusions, that it will chain the reader's eye to proceed in reading, and may perhaps charm his affections to embrace the contents thereof: "It is as apples of gold in pictures of silver," Prov. xxv. 11; that is, golden apples appearing through network of silver, or pourtrayed on silver tables, very delightful and grateful to the eye; so may these words fitly spoken be to youth: and, as an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold," so may this wise reprover be upon an obedient ear: happy is the teacher who mixeth what is pleasant and useful.

66

The design, I am sure, is high and noble, to plant grace in young persons, and to produce and feed a nursery of plants of renown, to stock the church and world with a springing-up generation, in the room of old trees transplanted into a better soil; that may fill up vacancies and do God service in after times: amongst the rest of Solomon's sumptuous preparations of costly ornaments for his pleasures, that which he mentions, was not the least: "I made me pools of water, to water where