so, that all these, and all others, must allow God's service and holy thoughts, their due place in the beginning, and middle, and end of all their actions. As magistrates must read and meditate day and night in the Word of God. So the Eunuch, Cornelius, &c. 4. Some persons in the same calling, whose callings are not so urgent on them, by any necessities of themselves or others, and who may have more vacant time, must gladly take it for the good of their souls, in the use of contemplation and other holy duties. And others that are under greater necessities, urgencies, obligations, or cannot be spared from the service of others, (as physicians, lawyers, &c.) must be less in contemplation, and prefer the greatest good. 5. Public necessities or service, may with some be so great as to dispense with all secret duty, both of prayer and contemplation, (except short, mental ejaculations,) for some days together. So in wars it oft falls out that necessity forbiddeth all set, or solemn, holy service for many days together, (even on the Lord's day.) So a physician may sometimes be so tied to close attendance on his patients, as will not allow him time for a set prayer. So sometimes a preacher may be so taken up in preaching, and exhorting, and resolving people's weighty doubts, that they shall scarce have time for secret duties, for some days together: (though such happy impediments are rare.) In these cases to do the lesser is a sin, when the greater is neglected.. 6. Servants, who are not masters of their time, must be faithful in employing it to their master's service, and take none for holy duty from that part, which they should work in; but rather from their rest so far as they are able; intermixing meditations with their labours when they can: but redeeming such time as is allowed them the more diligently, because their opportunities are so rare and short. 7. The Lord's day, (excepting works of necessity) and such other vacancies as hinder not other work, (as when they travel on the way, or work, or wake in the night, &c.) are every man's own time, which he is not to alienate to another's service, but to reserve and use for the service of God, and for his soul, in holy duties. 8. Some persons cannot bear much contemplation, especially melancholy and weak-headed people. And such must serve God so much the more in other duties which they are able for; and must not tire out and distract themselves, with striving to do that which they are not able to undergo. But others feel no inconvenience by it at all, as I can speak by my own experience: my weakness and decay of spirits inclining me most to a dulness of mind, I find that the most exciting, serious studies and contemplations, in the greatest solitude, are so far from hurting me, by any abatement of health, or hilarity, or serenity of mind, that they seem rather a help to all. Those that can thus bear long solitude and contemplation, ought to be the more exercised in it, except when greater duties must take place. But to melancholy persons it is to be avoided as a hurt. 9. To the same persons, sometimes their own necessities require contemplation most, and sometimes action; and so that which is at one time a duty, may at another time be none. 10. A mere sinful backwardness is not to be indulged. A diseased disability (such as comes from melancholy, weakheadedness, or decay of memory) must be endured, and not too much accused; when Christ excused worse in his disciples, saying, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." But a sinful backwardness in cases of absolute necessity, is not at all to be endured, but striven against with all your power, whatever it cost you: as to bring yourself to so much serious consideration, as is necessary to your repentance and unfeigned faith, and godly conversation, this must be done, whatever follow; though the devil persuade you that it will make you melancholy or mad: for without it, you are far worse than mad. 11. The most desirable life, to those that have their choice, is that which joineth together contemplation and action; so as there shall be convenient leisure for the most high and serious contemplation, and this improved to fit us for the most great and profitable action. And such is the life of a faithful minister of Christ: and therefore no sort of men on earth are more obliged to thankfulness than they. 12. Servants, and poor men, and diseased men, and others, that are called off from much contemplation, and employed in a life of obedient action, yea, or suffering, by the providence of God, and not by their own sinful choice, must understand, that their labour and patience is the way of their acceptable attendance upon God, in the expense of most part of their time. And though it is madness in those that hope God will accept of their labours instead of true faith, and repentance, and a godly life; (for these must go together, and hinder not each other ;) yet, instead of such further contemplations as are not necessary to the being of a godly life, a true Christian may believe that his obedient labours and sufferings shall be accepted. If you set one servant to cast up an account, and another to sweep your chimney or channels, you will not accept the former, and reject the latter, for the difference of their works: but you will rather think that he hath most merited your acceptance, who yielded without grudging to the basest service. And doubtless it is an aggravation of acceptable obedience, when we readily and willingly serve God in the lowest, meanest work. He is too fine to serve him, who saith, 'I will serve thee in the magistracy or ministry, but not at plough or cart, or any such drudgery.' And if thou be but in God's way, he can make thy very obedience a state of greater holiness and greater safety, than if thou hadst spent all that time in the study of holy things, as you see many ungodly ministers do all their lifetime, and are never the better for it. It is not the quality of the work, but God's blessing, that makes it do you good. Nor is he most beloved of God, who hath rolled over the greatest number of good thoughts in his mind, or of good words in his mouth, no, nor he that hath stirred up the strongest passions hereabouts; but he that loveth God and heaven best, and hateth sin most, and whose will is most confirmed for holiness of life. He that goeth about his labour in obedience to God, may have as much comfort as another that is meditating or praying. But neither labour nor prayer are matter of comfort to an ungodly, carnal heart. Yea, if decay of memory or natural ability take you off * Petrarch, speaking of his intimacy and esteem with kings and princes, addeth, Multos tamen eorum quos valde amabam effugi: tantus mihi fuit insitus amor libertatis; ut cujus vel nomen ipsum libertati, vel illi esse contrarium videretur, omni studio declinarem. In vita sua. both action and contemplation, you may have as much acceptance and solid comfort, in a patient bearing of the cross, and an obedient, cheerful submission to the holy will of God. Tit. 5. Directions to the Melancholy about their Thoughts. It is so easy and ordinary a thing for some weak-headed persons, to cast themselves into melancholy, by overstraining either their thoughts and affections, and the case of such is so exceeding lamentable, that I think it requisite to give such some particular Directions by themselves. And the rather because I see some persons that are unacquainted with the nature of this, and other diseases, exceedingly abuse the name of God, and bring the profession of religion into scorn, by imputing all the effects and speeches of such melancholy persons to some great and notable operations of the Spirit of God, and thence draw observations of the methods and workings of God upon the soul, and of the nature of the legal workings of the spirit of bondage. (As some other such have divulged the prophecies, the possessions and dispossessing of hysterical women, as I have read especially in the writings of the Friars.) I do not call those melancholy, who are rationally sorrowful for sin, and sensible of their misery, and solicitous about their recovery and salvation, though it be with as great seriousness as the faculties can bear; as long as they have sound reason, and the imagination, fantasy, or thinking faculty is not crazed or diseased: but by melancholy I mean this diseased craziness, hurt, or error of the imagination, and consequently of the understanding, which is known by these following signs, (which yet are not all in every melancholy person".) 1. They are commonly exceeding fearful, causelessly or beyond what there is cause for every thing which they hear or see is ready to increase their fears, especially if fear was the first cause, as ordinarily it is. 2. Their fantasy f Read more after, Part 3. against Despair. 8 Stoici dicunt sapientem nunquam sanitate mentis excidere. Incidere tamen aliquando in imaginationes absurdas propter atræ bilis redundantiam, sive ob delirationem non quidem deviatione rationis, verum ex imbecillitate naturæ. Diog. Laert. in Zenone. most erreth in aggravating their sin, or dangers, or unhappiness: every ordinary infirmity they are ready to speak of with amazement, as a heinous sin: and every possible danger they take for probable, and every probable one for certain; and every little danger for a great one, and every calamity for an utter undoing. 3. They are still addicted to excess of sadness, some weeping they know not why, and some thinking it ought to be so: and if they should smile or speak merrily, their hearts smite them for it as if they had done amiss. 4. They place most of their religion in sorrowing and austerities to the flesh. 5. They are continual selfaccusers, turning all into matter of accusation against themselves, which they hear, or read, or see, or think of: quarrelling with themselves for every thing they do, as a contentious person doth with others. 6. They are still apprehending themselves forsaken of God, and are prone to despair: they are just like a man in a wilderness, forsaken of all his friends and comforts, forlorn and desolate; their continual thought is, I am undone, undone, undone!' 7. They are still thinking that the day of grace is past, and that it is now too late to repent or to find mercy. If you tell them of the tenor of the Gospel, and offers of free pardon to every penitent believer, they cry out still, Too late, too late, my day is past!' not considering that every soul that truly repenteth in this life, is certainly forgiven. 8. They are oft tempted to gather despairing thoughts from the doctrine of predestination, and to think that if God have reprobated them, or have not elected them, all that they can do, or that all the world can do, cannot save them; and next they strongly conceit that they are not elected, and so that they are past help or hope: not knowing that God electeth not any man separately or simply to be saved, but conjunctly to believe, repent, and to be saved; and so to the end and means together; and that all that will repent and choose Christ and a holy life, are elected to salvation, because they are elected to the means and condition of salvation, which if they persevere they shall enjoy. To repent is the best way to prove that I am elected to repent. 9. They never read or hear of any miserable instance, but they are thinking that this is their case. If they hear of Cain, or Pharaoh given up to hardness of heart, or do but read that some are vessels of |