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XXXIX.

CHAP.

The Happiness of them who love God.

Dijciple.]

I

N having God, I have all things. For whom can I bave in Heaven but

Thee, and what is there upon Earth that 1 Pfal.lxxiii. can defire in comparison of thee? Oh sweet and comfortable Words! But this is a Sweetnefs, which none can tafte, but they who love the Word of God, and not the World, neither the Things that be in the 1 World. My God to me is All; I need add John ii. 15: no more. The Men of purified Understandings find this enough, and they of purified and heavenly Affections cannot repeat it too often. When thou art prefent, Affliction and Death are pleasant; for in thy Favour is Life and Joy. When thou art absent, Life it felf is a Burthen; for thy Difpleasure is worfe than Death. Thou makeft a merry Heart, a chearful Countenance, in Thee is abundance of Peace, and a continual Feaft. Thou giveft me right Notions of all Events, and rendreft every Accident a Matter of Joy and Praife to me. Without thee Profperity itself is naufeous, and I loath my very Mercies. For nothing here below can please our Palate, unless thy Favour and Wisdom give it a grateful Relifh. To him that feeds delightfully on thee, every bitter Morfel is fweet; but they who want or flight that heavenly Entertainment, find the moft delicious Dainties harsh and bitter.

They, who are wife for the World and the Flesh, are most defective in the true and heavenly Wisdom. The Carnal Wifdom ends in Guilt and Death, and the worldly Wildom purfues Vanity and empty Pomp. But they, who are wife indeed, conform themselves to thy Example, by a Contempt of all earthly Greatness,

and

and a vigorous Mortification of their fenfual Appetites and Paffions; they difdain the Shadow, and lay hold on the Substance; pafs from Falfhood to Truth, and from Body to Spirit. Thefe are the Men, who love and delight in God; and find no Satisfaction in the Creatures, farther than as they promote the Honour, and ferve the Purposes, of the great Creator. The Joys they minifter are fubordinate and limited: Not inherent and natuarl, but by reflection only; and every Thing is efteemed, in proportion as it tends to its Maker's Ufe and Praife. So very unlike, so infinitely different, is the Pleasure we feel from the Creator and the Creature; from the boundlefs Ocean of Eternity, and the narrow Tract of Time; from the original Self-exiftent Light, and those faint Beams fhot down on Things here below..

Shine then, O Light everlafting, in comparison whereof, all created Lights are but a lefs degree of Darkness. Convey thy felf into my benighted Soul, purge and difpel the Clouds of Error there, purify my polluted Affections, cheer my Sadnefs, enliven my ftupid Mind and all its Faculties; that I may rejoice and triumph, and bask in thy bright Beams. O! when will that happy, that long wifhed for Hour approach when I fhall be filled with thy Luftre, and fatisfied with thy Prefence, and my God be my All in all? For fure I am, till that bleffed Time, my Joys must be imperfect. I feel, alas! I feel and lament in my felf, fome Remains of the Old Man ftill. Scourged he is, but not entirely Crucified; Wounded and Bruised, but not quite Dead. My Flesh, in defpight of all my painful Labours, continues to luft against the Spirit; and à domeftick War diftracts and breaks the Peace and good Government of my Mind. This cannot exercise its juft Dominion without perpetual Broils and tumultuous Infurrections. But, O thou, who Pfal. Ixvir ruleft the Raging of the Sea, and ftilleft the

Waves

Waves thereof, when they arife, come fpeedly to my Affittance, and quell this Storm. Scatter my Enemies that delight in blood, and beat them down, O Lord, my Defence. Exert thy mighty Power, and get thee Honour by this Conqueft. For thou, O Lord, my God art my only Hope and Helper: O fave, or I perish.

CHA P. XL.

This Life a State of Continual Temptation.

Christ.]

O not fuppofe, my Son, that in this World

D thou ever canft be in a Condition of

abfolute Safety. Dangers and Enemies await thee every where. Violence and Stratagems are perpetually employed for thy Ruin; and therefore the Weapons of thy Spiritual Warfare muft not be laid afide; for ufeful they are, and always neceffary, during this State of Mortality. Cover thy felf then with the Shield of Wisdom, and Faith; for, if thou expose thy Perfon without this Defence, the fiery Darts of the Wicked will quickly gall and wound thee. And, if Dexterity and Diligence in the Ufe of thy Arms be not animated by a Mind fixed intirely upon Me, and a vigorous Refolution of enduring the worst that can happen for my Sake; the Engagement will be found too hot, and that Crown of the Bleffed, which is the Reward of Perfeverance, can never belong to thee. Call up thy Courage then, and exert thy utmoft Strength, as Occafions of Combat

fhall offer. For to him that overcometh will Rev. ii.

I give the hidden Manna; but Mifery and Deftruction as the Portion of faint-hearted and feeble, flothful and fleeping Soldiers.

If then, thefe are the Conditions of thy Obedience and Reward; think how abfurd it is for them who indulge their Eafe here, to expect Peace and Happiness hereafter. In one of the two States Enduring must be thy Lot; and therefore tough Patience, and not foft Repofe, is what thou fhould'ft labour for at prefent. For Reft and undisturbed Content have now no Place on Earth, nor can the greatest Affluence of worldly Good procure them, but their Dwelling is in Heaven only, and they are peculiar to the Love and Fruition of God alone. In Obedience to his Will, you fhould contentedly undergo Labour and Toil, Tryals and Troubles, Distress and Anguish of Heart, Poverty and Want, Infirmities and Difeafes, Injuries and Affronts, Scandal and Reproach, Difparagement and Difgrace, Punishment and Torture. Thefe whet and brighten a Chriftian's Virtue, exercife and diftinguifh him. Thefe Thorns are woven into Wreaths of Glory; and to fuch faithful Servants I repay for their fhort Hardfhip an endlefs Recompence; and, for the Shame, which is presently forgotten, Laurels that never fade, Crowns always bright, and Honours firm and immortal, as my own.

These are the Difficulties of the prefent State, which Men are to be upon their Guard against from without. But alas! they muft not hope always to enjoy Peace and Satisfaction within. No, even the Saints of old, whofe purer Innocence and eminent Virtues might better entitle them to this Tranquillity, yet often found occafion to complain, That their Heart Pf.lv. cxliii. was difquieted, their Spirit defolate, and an horrible, Dread overwhelmed them. Doubts and Scruples, Temptations and Fears, and cutting Perplexities of Heart, are frequently the Lot of the most excellent Perfons. But in all thefe Streights the Good behave themselves with Meeknefs and Patience, repofing their Confidence in God, and humbly diftrufting them

felves,

felves, but fupported with the Hopes of Divine Grace and Favour, to comfort and affift them; and with the Confideration, that the Sufferings of this prefent time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory that fhall be revealed in them. This was the Cafe of thofe glorified Saints, who are thy Patterns. And, what Pretence canft Thou have, to hope for that Joy in prefent, which they waited long for, and purchased at the Expence of fore Pains and many Tears, and great Difficulties; and thought themfelves well paid even thus ? Wait then thy Mafter's Leifure, quit thy felf manfully, banish Impatience and Diftruft, perfevere in Faith and good Works; Grudge not to lay out Perfon, Life, All, for the Service and Glory of God; and doubt not, but I will one Day abundantly reward, and in the mean time I will ftand by thee to fuftain and deliver thee in every Danger and Calamity.

CHA P. XLI.

Of defpifing the Vain Cenfures of Men.

Christ.]

M

Y Son, repofe thy Soul upon God, caft all thy Care there, and let it be thy great, thy only Concern, to approve thyself to Him. When this is done, a Man fhould not much regard what the World thinks of him, nor fear the Cenfures of Others. While his own Confcience bears Teftimony to his Piety and Innocence. To be ill thought of, is fometimes for thy Good; it conforms thee to the Image of thy Saviour; and if thy Soul, like his, be meek and humble; if thou feek not thy own Glory, but his that fent thee; the Affliction will not be very grievous to be born. The Opinions of Men are as many and as different as their Perfons;

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