between the Guilty and the Innocent; and call both to account hereafter; however I may think fit to try them in the mean while, and keep thofe Things in the Dark at present, which then fhall be notorious to all the World. And what Mistress foever may prevail now, my Judgment will be according to Equity and Truth; and my Sentence, once pronounced, can never be revers'd. Few indeed are capable of difcerning the Juftice of my Providence, in fuffering Innocent Men to be traduced, and their honest Actions misunderstood. But I do nothing without wife Reasons, and neither am, nor can be, mistaken in my Methods, how much foever fhort-fighted and inconfiderate Men are confounded about them.

Appeal then in all thefe Cafes to my Determination, and let thy Matter reft fo fully there, as not only to difregard what other think concerning thee, but even in fome measure to diftruft thy own Judgment corcerning thy felf. Confider, that I think many Things fit for my Servants, which they can by no means imagine convenient for themselves. This very Reflection preserves a good Man's Temper, in every Accident of Life; because he knows, that every Accident falls out thus by my Direction. This buoys his Spirits up against the Infults and Injuries of Calumny and Detraction; and keeps them from fwelling into Pride and immoderate Joy, when his Innocence is cleared, and his Virtue commended. He knows that God fees not as Man fees; for Man judges according to outward and fallible Appearances, but God fearches the Reins and the Heart, and judges righteous Judgment.

Pfal. vii.

Difciple.] O Lord, thou righteous Judge, ftrong and patient, who understandeft the Frailty and the Wickedness of Men, be thou my ftrong Rock, my Truft and Defence. For even in my own Confcience I dare not be too confident; fince

many

many things which to me are either unknown or forgotten thou haft a perfect Knowledge, and exact Remembrance of. I ought therefore in all Reproofs and Reproaches to fubmit with Patience, even though my Heart condemn me not; because thou, who John iii. permittest these things, art greater than my Heart, and knoweft all things. Thus Reafon and Religion both convince me, I ought to behave my self; but, if at any time Paffion and Frailty have exceeded in too nice and tender a Senfe of thefe Things, pardon, I beseech thee, what is paft, and enable me to be more refigned for the time to come. Thy Mercy alone will avail me more than all my laboured Excufes; and Pardon is what I rather chufe, the moft confident Teftimony of my own Conscience. For though I fhould know nothing by my felf, yet am I not bereby justified; for he that judgeth me is the Lord: The Lord, who will one Day bring to light the. bidden things of dishonesty, even thofe, which have escaped the Committer's own Obfervation. And therefore, if thou Lord, should't be extreme to

I Cor. IV.

mark what is done amifs, no Flesh living P. cxxx.3. could be juftified in thy fight. Pf. cxliii.2.

Nothing too much to fuffer for Eternal Life.

ET not, my Son, thy Labours or Suffer

Chrings for Me and thy Duty, or any other

fort of Hardship or Tribulation in this World, fo far damp thy Courage, but that my Promise ftill fhould be a fure Anchor-hold of Hope; and this Reflection ever minifter Comfort, that I am able to recompence thee not only beyond what is reasonable to expect,

expect, but even impoffible for thee to wifh or imagine. Thy Toils will not continue very long, nor will thy Pain and Trouble always torment thee. Wait but a little longer, and look forward and fee how glorious a Profpect opens it felf: How fwiftly the End of all thy Sufferings approaches; and how fuddenly Sorrow and Tumult vanifh away. Even Time it felf is not of everlasting Continuance; but that which is bounded within fo very narrow a Space, as this short Span of Life, cannot in any fair Computation be counted long or great. Proceed then in thy Duty with Vigor and undaunted Refolution; ply thy Work hard in my Vineyard, and fill the Station I have appointed thee to; thy Wages are certain and valuable, for I my felf will be thy exceeding great Reward.

Gen. xvii.

Perfift in Writing, in Reading, in finging, Meditation, in Devout Prayer, in Fortitude and Patience. For the things prepar'd for them that love God, are richly worth these and greater Conflicts; all thou must do, all thou canft fuffer, are in no degree worthy to be compared with them. The Day is coming, and fix'd in my unalterable Decree, adorn'd with the Triumphs of Joy and Peace; That mighty Revolution, when these alternate Succeffions of Day and Night fhall cease; and everlasting uninterrupted Light fhall fhine for ever. There fhall be Luftre infinite, Satisfactions unbroken,unconceivable, Reft eternal, and above the Power of any future Danger. There fhall then be no Place left for that melancholy Win; O that thou would't deliver me from the Body of this Death! no Occafion for that Complaint, Wo is me, that I am conftrained to dwell with Melbech, and to bave my Habitation in this barren Wilderness. For even the laft Enemy fhall be fubdued, and Death it felf deftroyed. Salvation then

Rom. vii.

Pfal. cxx.

1 Cor. XV.

and

and Life fhall reign for ever; Sorrow and Anguish, Sighs and Tears fhall flee away; a Crown of Rejoycing put upon every head, aud thou shalt be happy in the fweet Society of Saints and Angels, the Spirits of Juft Men made perfect, and the Af fembly of the First-born.

Heb. xii.

Oh!could'ft thou now but fee the Heavens open, and with the Ken of Mortal Eye behold the bright and everlasting Crowns of my Chofen; Were thy Heart large enough to admit a juft Idea of their Trophies and Glories, whom once the World defpifed, and thought not worthy to live upon the Earth; thou then would'st gladly embrace their Sufferings and Reproaches, abandon all thy vain Defires of Worldly Greatnefs, and difdain the perishing Pleasures of the prefent Life. Humility and Patience would then appear in all their native Beauties; and even Affliction and Ignominy display fuch Charms, as muft attract thy Love, and make thee esteem the Reproaches of Chrift greater Treasures and Gain, than all the Majefty and Honour, and most celebrated Reputation, that a mortal State is capable of.

Attend then seriously to these important Truths. For they, if confidered and believed in good earnest, will stop thy Mouth, and effectually filence all thy Complaints. For fure the Sufferings of a Moment cannot be thought too dear a Price for Eternal Happinefs in exchange. Surely the Kingdom of God is no trifling Concern. And when the lofing or attaining this lies before thee, nothing can be too much to prevent that Lofs; nothing a hard Bargain for that infinite Advantage. Grovel then upon the Earth no longer, but ftand Erect, and lift thy Eyes and Heart to Heaven. See there the bleffed Effects, the mighty Succefs, of all those sharp Conflicts, which my Saints, while in the Body, underwent; the End of all their Tryals and Adversities, their painful Severities and pious La

2

bours,

bours. These mortify'd afflicted Men once reputed the Filth of the World, and the Off-fcouring I Cor. iv. of all Things, the common Mark of Infolence and Malice, are now in perfect Joy; their Sorrows swallowed up in tranfporting Blifs and Comfort; their Dangers changed into fecure Peace; their Labours into Ease and fweet Repofe; their Perfecutions and wrongful Accufations before the Bar of Men, into Thrones of Glory, where they fit and judge the World, and live, and rejoice, and reign with me for

ever.

CHA P. LIII.

The Joys of Eternity, and Miseries of this prefent Life.

Difcipley bright and glorious Day of E

Bleffed Manfions of the Heavenly Ci

O

ternal Light and Blifs! A Day that never declines; a Sun that never fets, nor is obfcured by any fucceeding Night; but a State always chearful, always fixed, and fecured from Change and Sorrow, from Danger and Decay. How do I pant and thirst after that happy Hour, when this Bleffed Morning fhall dawn and thed its Beams, and with a wondrous Luftre put an end to all the Darkness and Miferies of Mortality? It does indeed already fhine in the Hearts and Hopes of these good Men, whofe Converfation is even now in Heaven: But even theirs is but a diftant Profpect, and fuch as, while they fojourn here, prefents things only in a Glafs. The Citizens and Inhabitants of thofe Bleffed Regions fee it with their naked Eye; they feel and enjoy its Sweetnefs, and are all enlightned with its Rays; while the diftreffed Sons of

Eve