LETTERS OF Religion and virtue, To several GENTLEMEN AND LADIES.  
With some SHORT REFLECTIONS ON DIVERS SUBJECTS.  
LONDON, Printed for Henry Bonwicke, at the Red-Lyon in St. Paul's Church-Yard, 1695.   

TO THE HONOURABLE THE Lord SPENCER.  
MY LORD,  
THE following Papers I humbly Dedicate to Your LORDSHIP, who am,  
MY LORD, Your Lordship's Most Obliged, Humble Servant.   

THE PREFACE.  
THE Design of the following Papers is to serve the Interests of virtue, which is the same with serving God; in whose Service all our Happiness and our Glory consists: And every thing else is Misery and Impertinence, a squandering of Life, and trifling with our Creation.  
The Epistolary Way of Writing I preferred to all other, as the best Means, in Order to this best End; as most easy, most familiar, and most natural: But so as not to trouble the Reader with the private and personal Circumstances of a Letter; which to him are wholly useless and impertinent, and therefore fitter to be omitted.  
To oppose an Age that has declared in the Behalf of ruin, and is fond of being undone; that has sided with 'vice and Misery to its utter Destruction, and that against all the Care and Compassion of God; against itself, against virtue and Holiness, and all that's wise or happy; is an Undertaking worthy the greatest Man in the World, and therefore above me, who am less than the least of all Men, and am not Meet to be called a Christian. But if these worthless Papers shall have any such Effect, or shall contribute ought to the Recovery of an Age, that has no Compassion on itself; and appease the Calamities of a Generation that won't be warned, but seems resolved to exhaust all the Labours and ruins of Wickedness, and prove the utmost Extremity of 'vice and Error; I shall think 'em well bestowed, and no trifling Service to the blasted Age, not quiter dead.   

Books Printed for HENRY BONWICKE, at the read Lion in St. Paul's Church-yard.  
THE General History of the Reformation of the Church: Written in La●… in by John Sleidan: Faithfully English●… d. To which is added, A Continuation 〈…〉 the End of the Council of Trent. By E. Bohun, Esq;. In Folio.  
Two Useful Cases Resolved: I. Whe●… her a State of Salvation be attainable. ●… I. What is the Rule by which this Cer●… ainty is to be attained. In Quarto.  
Pia Desideria: Or, Divine Addresses: ●… n Three Books. I. Sighs of the Peni●… ent Soul. II. Desires of the Religious ●… soul. III. Ecstacies of the Enamoured ●… soul. Illustrated with Forty Seven Cop●… er Plates. Written in Latin: English●… d by Edm. Arwaker, M. A. Octavo.  
A New Description of Paris: Contain●… g a particular Account of all the ●… hurches, Palaces, Monasteries, Colleges, ●… ospitals, Libraries, Cabinets of Rareties, Academies of the Virtuosi, Paint●… gs, Medals, Statues and other Scul●… tures, Monuments, and public Inscri●… tions: With all other Remarkable Matters in that great and famous City●… Translated out of French. To which i●… added, A Map of Paris.  
The Art of catechizing: Or, The Com●… pleat Catechist: In Four Books. I. Th●… Church-Catechism Resolved into Easi●… Questions. II. An Exposition of it, i●… a Continued, Full, and Plain Discourse●… III. The Church-Catechism Resolved int●… Scripture-Proofs. IV. The Whole Dut●… of Man Reduced into Questions. Fitte●… for the meanest Capacities, the weake●… Memories, the plainest Teachers, and th●… most uninstructed Learners.  
Country-Conversations: Being an A●… count of some Discourses that happene●… in a Visit to the Country, last Summe●… on divers Subjects; chiefly, of the Mo●… dern Comedies, of Drinking, of Tran●… lated Verse, of Painting and Painter●… of Poets and Poetry.   

LETTERS OF Religion and virtue.  

LETTER I.  
MADAM,  
LET those Beauties never fade, that are preserved by so much virtue: And when your last Hour is come, ●… nd you are going for ever you know not ●… hither, may the Angel of your Nativi●… y, he who is about your Path, and about ●… our Bed, and spies out all your Ways, ●… ear you on his Purple Wings, to the ●… alaces of Glory.  
Nor let him minister to you in vain, while you are alive, and amongst us: When he whispers, do you harken, and obey; and do, or abstain, as he di●… rects you; though still guarding you●… self against a Scorbutick Enthusiasm●… and the Vanity and Corruption o●… your own Heart, that are apt to counterfeit the Angel: And therefore be ve●… ry wary.  
If the Angels are ministering Spirits and minister to the Heirs of Eterna●… Salvation, how shall their Ministerie●… profit us, if we do not comply with them; and they shall serve in vain, and we shall be waited on in vain; we shal●… do the Things they warn us against, and omit the Good they move us to; though still we are to pray, and endeavour earnestly for the Gift of Discerning of Spirits: For the Evil Spirits too will often pretend to restrain us from Evil, and move us to Good; but their Design in Good is Evil, and to gain Credit for the contrary Motions.  
Therefore I know no surer Guard than Prayer, to detect the exquisite Counterfeit: Carry the doubt to God, and be not too hasty to follow the Guide you have never seen, and 'tis likely never will, till you have fetched the last Sigh, and the Pangs of Death shall give you ease, and set you at rest for ever.  
These are the most dangerous Rocks and Sands that lye in our Way, on which many a zealous Religion, and well-meaning virtue, have been cast away.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER II.  
SIR,  
IF these Letters profit you, they will profit me in the Day of Accounts; for the Good and Evil we have done here, will follow us thither.  
Let the last Hour mingle with every Hour of your Life, and you shall be filled with Wisdom and Caution, and have power over the World, and yourself; and know how to die, before there be Occasion for it.  
Let the Scriptures wear your Eyes, and over-run your Soul; bind them about your Neck, and writ them upon the Table of your Heart; let them sleep with you, and let them wake with you, and let the Psalms in particular work all their various Effects upon you; now lamenting your past Follies, now imploring Forgiveness, now fainting with a Sense of the infinite Mercy, and Patience, and condescension of God, now begging his Grace, now exalting his Glory, now praising him with the Blessed, and triumphing in his Salvation.  
Aspire continually to the Prayer that never ceases, because your Danger and your Temptation never ceases: And be ever praising God, because his Mercy is everlasting.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER III.  
MADAM,  
SO may you shine in Glory, as you endeavour here to excel in Grace: Let that Face that bears the Impress of so much Holiness behold the Angels for ever in Glory: Let that heavenly Mei●… and Person be seen for ever radiant in the upper Life, where you shall behold all your Prayers and Vows turned to Glories, and Light, and Ecstasies; into Kingdoms and Crowns, and everlasting Beauty and Loves.  
Because I love you as a Christian, I wish you eternal Prosperity, and wil●… seek to do you good, by improving you●… Soul, by assisting your virtues, by praying for you, by writing to you, by praising you, by warning you, by encou●… ging you.  
Let the Example of Christ and his ●… recepts always fill your Mind, and go●… ern your Life; let the Lives and Deaths ●… f the Apostles, and Martyrs, and Con●… ssors, of all the holy Men and Women that now behold Jesus Face to Face) ●… arm you to follow them, as they did ●… hrist.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER IV.  
SIR,  
●… F the whole World shall profit you nothing when your Soul is lost, how ●… all a small part of it deserve your ●… rongest Thoughts and Cares?  
Endeavour to be of that Mind now, ●… at Death shall make you of when ●… ou are quitting the World you have ●… Il'd for; whose Rewards you shall al●… ays find crowded with Bitterness and ●… isappointment, and the rankest Delusions.  
But the Pursuits of virtue will make ●… ou other Returns: You shall have the ●… even you seek for; and you shall own the Reward is greater than your Expe●… ctation, and bigger than your Notion o●… it; and shall fill all the Desires of you●… thirsty Soul.  
If you are wise, be wise to the pur●… pose, and be wise for yourself, and b●… wise for ever: Set your Value and Di●… esteem of Things right; understand thi●… World, and the other, as you should be wise in earnest, and pursue your Hap●… piness as you ought.  
I am, Sir, &c   

LETTTR V.  
●●DAM,  
WHat shall it avail you in that Hou●… which shall thrust you out of th●… World, that your Blood and Clothes ar●… better than mine? That you lye on 〈…〉 richer Bed, and sit at a better Table than I? Do not abuse yourself, and the Truth; but let our Saviour's, Woe unto you Rich, for you have received your Consolation; and his, Blessed are ye Poor●… for yours is the Kingdom of Heaven, give you right Thoughts, and a true judgement in this Matter.  
Extract what Comfort you can out of that Saying of our Saviour's, That ●… tis easier for a Camel to go through the Eye of a Needle, than for a rich Person ●… o enter into the Kingdom of Heaven: Remember that he who said it, and much more to the same purpose,( our Great Master) had not where to lay his Head, ●… hough by him both the Worlds were made: And it is enough for the Disciple, ●… hat he be as his Master.  
Be familiar with the Examples of the ●… rst Ages of the Christian Religion; and ●… ehold with what Faith, and Zeal, and Patience, they followed their dear Master ●… nd Lord, and trod in his Steps, and put ●… n his Poverty, and wore his Disgraces ●… nd Reproaches, who now shine forth ●… ike the Sun, in the Kingdom of the ●… ather.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER VI.  
SIR,  
●… F you truly aspire to Glory, let it be by a Contempt of all Worldly Things: ●… nd you cannot be great, but by being greater than the whole World.  
To be great according to the World is to be little and foolish for ever: Ther●… is no other Pattern of Wisdom and tru●… Greatness, but that of our poor and persecuted Lord and Master, the General o●… our Salvation, who was made perfec●… through Sufferings.  
'Tis too much to contradict the Sayings of our Saviour and Redeemer, an●… 'tis more to contradict his Example. I●… you would be rich, be poor: If yo●… would be honourable, be despised: I●… you would live for ever, lose your Lif●… for his sake and the Gospel's.  
I am, Sir, & c●…   

LETTER VII.  
MADAM,  
IF you are truly pious and holy, wh●… should you seek any farther Comfort●… For you are capable of none greater though the Globe of the Earth wer●… yours, and though it were drained fo●… your use.  
Be contented to want some lesser Comforts for a while, till you have laid down your Body, and worn out the Years o●… your Pilgrimage, and reached the Haven where you would be; then you shall be ●… atisfied for ever with the Pleasures of ●… our Father's House, in whose Presence ●… s the fullness of Joy.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER VIII.  
SIR,  
LET not the Strength of your Passions discourage you; nor the Bigness ●… f your Poverty overwhelm you, nor the Obstinate Perseverance of your Tempta●… jons and Afflictions make you despair: Cry unto God, Thou art my Father, my God, and my strong Salvation: Through thee ●… ill we do great Acts, for 'tis thou that shalt red down our Enemies.  
Remember that these are the noble Proofs of your Birth and Legitimacy, ●… hat you are a lawful Son and Heir: Nor ●… o you seek Rest by Despair.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER IX.  
SIR,  
BE good to yourself while you may, before the Mourners go about the Street●… and you sleep till the Resurrection.  
If you will labour now, you shall rest for ever, and celebrate everlasting Triumphs: But if you suffer this Life to pas●… before you are dressed and prepared fo●… another, you shall weep for ever and ever, and put on Eternal Sorrows.  
What though all this Life were one uninterrupted Joy, if you must afterwards dwell with Everlasting Burnings, and the Worm that never dies?  
Here you may purchase the Reward of Wisdom or Folly, Crowns or Fire, Eternal Joys and Happiness, or Lamentations, and Mourning, and Woe.  
Therefore do good to yourself while you may, and lay up Treasures where no Thief approaches; make the most of this Life, and manage your Eternal Interests to the best Advantage you can; be ever charmed with the bright Prospect that is before you, and let Eternal Glories engage you to do and suffer every Thing to obtain them.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER X.  
MADAM,  
REmember the true Beauties are those of virtue, and a well-ordered Life: Those of the Face and Person shall die with you, or before you. If you delight in Ornaments and Dress, let it be in those of the Soul, and of a meek and quiet Spirit; which, in the Sight of God, is of great Price: Be chased, ●… nd you shall shine: Be humble, and ●… ou shall charm the Eyes of Wisdom, ●… nd the Man of Understanding: Be cha●… itable, and you shall be the Angel of ●… he Poor, and the Servant of the Church: Be patient, and you shall be the Daugh●… er of Peace.  
Why should any Thing delight you ●… ut virtue, whose Features are per●… ect, and Lineaments exact, and whose ●… eauties are immortal? Nor shall you ●… ver be more beautiful than you are ●… ertuous, be your Face, or Person, or ●… lothes, or Dress what they will: If ●… ou neglect it, you neglect yourself, ●… nd slight the greatest Beauties, and the ●… ost provoking Rewards, and Heaven ●… self.  
And why should you dote on Sin, a Folly that will undo you for ever, and make you weep eternally?  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XI.  
SIR,  
WHY should I warn you any mor●… against the Deceitfulness of Pleasures, than which, there is no greate●… Enemy to true Happiness, and he that resists them, crowns his Life?  
If you seek for Mastery, seek it over yourself; and the way to be a Slave to No-body else, is, to be one to yourself: Let it delight you to behold you●… Passions in Chains, and your Appetites bound; neither able to mutiny, or so much as murmur; and then you shal●… have done that which Alexander never did; you shall have conquered a World●… a World of more Importance to you than the World.  
This is a Victory you may boast of and affirm you have out-done Caesar though no Historians or Orators have spoken of you.  
I am, Sir, & c●…   

LETTER XII.  
MADAM,  
IF the Fear of Death haunts and scares you so much, what would it do stripped of that virtue you labour after, and pursue, and in some measure have overtaken?  
As you proceed in this Course, and persevere, and hold out, you shall every Day less and less fear this Enemy, whom our Sins only have made so terrible. Your Body you shall never be able to rescue from him; on which he will commit the saddest Outrages, and Insults, and Affronts, till the Resurrection in Christ shall restore its Beauty and Proportions; then you shall shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of the Father, and you shall be rid of the Fears of a Second Death.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XIII.  
SIR,  
TUrn your Eyes from looking downward on that World that shall always delude and torment you, plague you and fool you; that is not only Vanity, but Vexation of Spirit, and an outrageous Dream.  
And look up to your Heavenly Country, that's fairer than your Hopes, and brighter than your Fancy, and wider than your Desires; where you shall celebrate Eternal Triumphs, and waste eternal Joys, and behold the Beauties of Cherubims, and embrace Angels, and talk with Seraphims, and be beloved by the God of them all. Let the Thoughts of these Things raise your Soul above all this lower World, and soar it up to Heaven.  
Let the Mistakes you have already made, and the Miseries you have much known, better your Understanding, fix your Choice, and make you lay out the short Time to come, to the best Advantage, that you may wake before you die.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XIV.  
MADAM,  
CAN the World amuse you with any Thing fairer than virtue? Can it promise any Thing richer than Heaven? That shall be yours if you will be wise and good.  
How often have you owned with Sighs, this World afforded nothing to make one sincere Joy, or Ingredients for one lasting Comfort? Be ever of that judgement, and be constant to your wisest Thoughts.  
What will your Beauties avail you, when Death shall come upon you, and the Grave open her Mouth? When the Silver Cord is loosed, and he whose Love for you was strong as Death, shall not be able to endure the Sight of you any longer, and shall be contented to let you go all alone, for ever and ever, in the Dark, you know not whither?  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XV.  
SIR,  
WIth what Care and Industry did you endeavour lately to secure your Estate, when in danger? With how much greater ought you to secure your Soul from the many Dangers that threaten it?  
If it be of greater Value to you, why should not it be of greater Concern to you? How did the Sight of your Friend, lately deceased, amaze your Soul, convuls'd with an uncertain Hope, and a distracting Despair; and who you thought lived as well as you? Would you pass out of this Life in the famed horrors, and scared with the same Fears? If you would not, but would die easily, if not joyfully, esteem all this World as nothing, and now immediately prepare for Death, as if the Physicians had given you over.  
Nor can you forget how suddenly another of your Friends was snatched away, and how much concerned you were at the News of it, in relation to his future State. Can you tell when you shall be called out, or how soon your Friends shall hear of you, but see you no more? Then act immediately as if you had received a Mortal Wound, that can receive no Cure.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XVI.  
MADAM,  
IF you rejoice so much at your Recovery, from your late Distemper, that treated your Beauties so severely, how ought you to rejoice at your Recovery from the Corruptions of your Nature, and the Follies of the World, and the manifold Temptations of the Devil?  
But let it not trouble you, that your Beauties are impaired, for you have still as much Beauty as virtue; and you, nor any else, ever had more: And if you will endeavour to be yet more virtuous, you shall yet be more beautiful, in spite of your late Distemper, which acted the part of a Friend, and cured you of your Vanity and your Danger; and did that for you which you were not able to do for yourself.  
Moderate the Satisfaction you express in the Success you have lately had in your Affairs; for how else shall you be prepared to receive the next News you may hear, which is, perhaps, that you are ruined, and when you shall hear it don't believe it; but say with St. Augustine, I had been ruined if I had not been ruined; that is, what I have lost in my Estate, I have gained in my Soul; and what I have lost of this World, I have gained of the other.  
Phoebe, whom you loved, is recovered too, but Naomi has changed Worlds.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XVII.  
SIR,  
YOU seem much altered in your Temper, since your Return to Town; you seem more melancholy and retired than you use to be; your Thoughts more contracted and inward.  
Whatever has occasioned this Change, it matters not, for 'tis to your Advantage: Continual laughing is no more a Sign of a Man's Happiness than Wisdom; a Man may be very grave and very happy, very serious and very cheerful; and indeed, there must be a constant Seriousness, to make a constant cheerfulness; of the Two, I had rather you should frown than sneer, but I approve neither.  
I believe the Conversation of Syncretus has made some Impression upon you,( for you are apt to receive all good Impressions) who is in Pursuit of every virtue, and at War with every 'vice; I know his Picture hangs in your Mind, and your Thoughts often stare at it, and though he is still in the Country, you have brought him to Town with you, and have lodged him nearer to you, than in the same House.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XVIII.  
MADAM,  
YOur last to me miscarried, as have, perhaps, some of mine to you: I believe its Contents were serious, and therefore useful and weighty.  
You seldom writ that in which the Soul is not concerned, nor do you much care for reading that which has no Relation to true Wisdom.  
Be ever of that Mind, for every thing else is Misery, or nothing.  
Your last Distemper has divorced you entirely from the Care of your Body, and the Exactness of Dress. O happy Sickness! that has ministered so much to your Health! Others return Thanks for their Recovery; do you for your Sickness too.  
I believe you will now join with me, That the most afflicting, are the most gainful Favours of Heaven. You have Reason to aclowledge it, who have found it so.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XIX.  
SIR,  
YOU say, you earnestly desire his Company in Town, whom you so much admire and imitate; and that you are uneasy without it; you have his Company when you think of him, and he yours, when he thinks of you. 'Tis our Minds, not our Bodies, that bring us together, and you are properly said to be there where your Mind is.  
In this sense, you may be in Heaven, ●… nd your Body on Earth, you may tra●… el and sit still; your Body may remain ●… here 'tis, while you take the Wings of ●… he Morning and remain in the utter●… ost Parts of the Earth, and some have ●… rried their Bodies about them, un●… noun to them.  
Let not the Obstinacy of your Passions trouble you so much, 'tis the Na●… re of virtue, for all virtue is a Strug●… e, and there is no Struggle where there ●… no Opposition; and no virtue where ●… ere is no Difficulty, be you as obstinate ●… they; you in subduing, as they in ●… utinying and rebelling; and the more ●… ork they make you, the more the Vi●… ory, and the greater the Reward: And ●… erefore hereafter count it all Joy.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XX.  
MADAM,  
WHY should I writ to you any more of the Advantages of Old-age, which ●… ou seem not to be easily convinced of. ●… ou are contented to live long, but not ●… be Old.  
This is the Folly of Youth and 〈…〉 young Wisdom, this is judging and co●… demning without a trial, but tell 〈…〉 first what is there in Youth that you a●… so fond of? Are there such Charms in 〈…〉 giddy Ignorance? boiling Passions, 〈…〉 ging Desires, mischievous Choices, hea●… long Actions, hellish Lusts? But ho●… great is the Peace of the hoary Hea●… that has laid all these asleep, and rang●… them into order, by Discipline and E●… ercise, and Experience, and the Grace 〈…〉 God, by many a Victory, and by ma●… a Grapple, and by many a Defeat; by A●… and Contention, Labour and Religio●… till at last a firm Peace is settled, by an i●… tyre Conquest and Subjection, and submi●… thing to the Conqueror!  
I am, Madam, & ●…   

LETTER XXI.  
SIR,  
THough you are much a Philoso●… pher, and a Christian, I shall wri●… to you now of the Immortality of th●… Soul, of which I fear you are some●… times apt to doubt, though you scarc●… think so yourself, much less would have ●… thers.  
You say, that what influences your ●… ody, influences your Mind too, as the ●… veral Changes of the Weather, Diet, ●… ealth, Air, Sickness, the Plenty, or ●… carcity of the animal Spirits, Mirth and ●… dness; and therefore you sometimes ●… spect they are all of a Piece, and live ●… d die together, and if it be so, then is ●… our Hope in vain, and if you are to die ●… Morrow, your Business is to eat and ●… ink to Day.  
Stand forth and answer me now, ●… hence are the horrors of an ill Mind ●… d an ill Action, all the World over, ●… f a cursed Execution, of a damned De●… gn? Whence the terrors of the Mur●… erer without any Alteration in the ●… either, or his Health, or his Body, ●… d though above the Laws, or out of ●… e Reach of Discovery? Say, why no●… king can make a Man truly happy but ●… oodness and virtue, though in many ●… stances of them, the Health of the ●… ody is not much concerned, as those ●… f Justice and Charity? Say, whence the ●… tus & laniatus animi, the Gripes and ●… orrours, and the furiales somni, the ●… ightful Dreams of the black and gloo●… y Villain that's said to believe nothing ●… f the Matter? Say, why the murderer cannot be at rest, if he be nothing but Matter? Say, why we believe another Life whether we will or no, and against our Wishes? Are all the Relations of Apparitions of the Departed, false? Is not the Mind often sad, when the Body is in perfect Health, and cheerful in Sickness? whence the dismal Apprehensions, or the joyful Expectations of the departing Person, according to his past Life? but as you are a Christian, it were enough to tell you in our Saviour's Words, That God is not the God of the Dead, but of the Living; and that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, are still alive, and by the same Argument and by the same Authority, all the Dead are so too, are so in their Souls, and will be so in their Bodies too, in the Resurrection.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XXII.  
MADAM,  
THat Freedom you allow me in writing to you, encourages me to b●… plain with you on all Occasions, preferring the Truth and your Good, to Impertinence and lies; and because you ●… e wise, it pleases you best.  
Suffer me now to talk to you of ●… e Tenderness and Delicacy of your ●… x; and how cruelly and foolishly, ●… d perversely 'tis managed. What Care ●… out the Body? What neglect about ●… e Soul; the true and only Seat of ●… se and Pain, of Misery and Happi●… ss? Nor do I excuse the stronger ●… x in this Matter. How uneasy is ●… king a-foot to you, and plain Clothes, ●… d the Omission of the least Respect, ●… urse Diet, and Work, though no●… king contrary in all this, to the Will ●… God, to Nature, to Reason, and ex●… edingly agreeable to the Name and ●… the Example you are baptized in●…? The Life of the Son of God was ●… in and humble, and painful, cover●… with Affronts, overwhelmed with ●… verty: And is it not enough for ●… e Disciple, that he be as his Ma●… r? Will you refuse to set your Foot ●… the Ground, on which the Holy ●… sus, your Redeemer, laid his Sacred ●… ead, having no where else to lay it? ●… wake and tremble at all this damnable ●… Ide and Wickedness, and apostasy ●… om the Example and Precepts of your ●… eligion, from Humility, and Respect, ●… d Manners.  
But supposing this Folly and Wicke●… ness were allowable, What are the Adva●… tages of it? What are the Miseries avoided? What the Happinesses gained the●… by? You say, 'tis a very miserable thi●… to go a-foot, and wear course Cloth●… and to want Respect, and to wor●… and you will labour hard to avoid i●… And 'tis pleasant to do nothing, and 〈…〉 be carried, and to be well dressed and 〈…〉 spected.  
I say, there is no Misery in the Fir●… and there is no Happiness in the la●… I say, Secondly, That all real Misery 〈…〉 in Sin, and all true Happiness from V●… tue. Are you so uneasy at going a-fo●… and so unconcerned under the Racks 〈…〉 Conscience, and the Gripes and Horro●… of Sin? Are course plain Clothes so 〈…〉 flicting; and the terrors, and Disg●… ces, and Miseries of 'vice so easy? A●… Industry and Labour so frightful? A●… is there nothing dismal, in being subj●… by our Sins and Debaucheries to the 〈…〉 sults of Devils, to numberless and 〈…〉 supportable Miseries and Troubles, 〈…〉 the Wrath of God, and the Scorn 〈…〉 Men, and to Despair? To an enrag●… Mind, and blasted Hopes of Heaven, a●… haunting Fears of Hell? To the T●… rours of the Night, and the Sadnes●… of the Day? To become a Stranger 〈…〉 Happiness, and to be written all over, ●… ithin and without, Lamentation, and ●… ourning, and Woe? To have no Hap●… ness here, and to expect no Happi●… ess hereafter? To be racked with Mi●… ry here, and to expect infinite and ●… erlasting Miseries hereafter?  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XXIII.  
SIR,  
WHat you say of Health, is just; and you may prise it to its Value: But ●… ou must not disparaged the Advantages ●… f Sickness, which is generally the best ●… hysick of the Soul.  
If you serve God with your Strength, ●… nd love him with your Health, they ●… re happy Blessings: But if you eat to ●… uxury, and the Conversation of your ●… ealth is only to blaspheme the God of ●… our Strength, censure your Neighbour, ●… nd murder your own Soul; 'twere bet●… er for you to fall into the Hands of the ●… hysician, that your Skin lay next ●… o your Bones, and to lean on the Staff ●… f Sickness, and to walk on the Borders of your Grave, or be humbled on you●… Bed, by long Nights, and tedious Days●… short Sleeps, and long Watches; by th●… Fears of Death, and Weariness of Life.  
I am, Sir, & c●…   

LETTER XXIV.  
MADAM,  
I Pursue in this, the Subject on whic●… I wrote to you last; exhorting al●… that are delicate and tender, to show it in the Care of their Souls; for al●… Misery is little to that of the Soul 〈…〉 and that's the Seat of Pleasure: He wh●… is miserable there, is miserable indeed 〈…〉 and he who is happy there, is happy indeed.  
What signifies all the rich Equipage to a black, guilty Mind? To him whose Sins make him go mourning without the Sun, because he frequented the House which is the Way to Hell, leading down to the Chambers o●… Death?  
But if you love Paradise, and boundless Pleasures, and unmeasurable Joys be in love with virtue, be nice and delicate about your Soul: Here bestow ●… ll your Care and Pains, and be as tedious and as endless as you can: Be tenderer of it than of the Apple of your Eye.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XXV.  
SIR,  
I Still persist to tell you, that Philosophy is impertinent to Life and Happiness; Else how shall the Ignorant and Children be saved.  
I know you are fond of it; but when ●… ou have drunk enough, you will be weary of it, and own there is nothing ●… omparable to the Demonstration of the ●… pirit, and of Power. St. Paul treats it ●… s I do: And when you have tried its ●… trength, you will be convinced of its Weakness; you will own it is not able ●… o subdue a Lust, nor support against ●… he Miseries of Life, nor tell you of Heaven: It will talk and think endless, ●… nd tyre you with Discourse, and put ●… our Reason in a Sweat; and after all ●… his, you shall be little the wiser, or ●… he better: And he shall out-wit you, and out-live you by much, that know●… much less than you, if he but practise●… what he knows.  
I am, Sir, & c●…   

LETTER XXVI.  
MADAM,  
I Am glad you are satisfied in the Vexation of Vanity; and that nothing i●… Pleasure, but virtue; and nothing Sense but Religion; and nothing great, bu●… Living well.  
And now let me go on, and tell you that Hardships and Mortifications of a●… kinds are pleasant; and that the mor●… you suffer in the Body, the more yo●… enjoy in the Mind; they look sour, bu●… they taste sweet; though they frown●… they are kind; and whenever you converse with them, you will find them so 〈…〉 Fast, and you shall eat Angels Food●… Watch, and the Cherubim shall be nig●… you: Obey, and Seraphims shall ministe●… unto you: Humble yourself, and yo●… shall be exalted: Be poor, and bot●… Worlds shall be yours.  
I am, Madam, & c●…   

LETTER XXVII.  
SIR,  
I Own your Parts are strong, and that you think with the Strength of a Man, and talk well, and thirst violently ●… fter the true Wisdom; but Philosophy ●… hall never quench that Thirst, nor Talk●… ng, nor painful Thinking, nor the whole World, if it were yours, without the Labours of Conquest, and the travels of Empire.  
Remember, nothing is Wisdom but Happiness; and nothing is Happiness, ●… ut virtue and Religion: And I am ●… ure your Experience remembers it; and ●… f you will practise accordingly, 'tis no matter whether you talk wittily or dully, or whether you spend so much Time and Spirits in Thinking. Nothing is Common Sense or Interest, but a good Life; virtue is the only true Wit; and to be a Christian indeed, is to be happy ●… indeed.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XXVIII.  
MADAM,  
YOurs I lately received: To which I answer, That Life is very well, if we live it as we should: An Infinite Goodness and Wisdom has projected it; and we could not be made to better Advantage. If you would have a Life without Miseries, you must have a Life without Rewards too. Would you be rewarded for your Ease? Should he triumph, that never was in a battle? Would you have Heaven for nothing? Do you reward any one for nothing? Or do you think it Sense in him that expects it from you?  
To the other part of your Letter, relating to the late Loss of your Friends, and your Grief, and your Remarks on the Uncertainty of Life, I reply, That something must be allowed to Humanity, but more to Reason, and incomparably more to Religion. You shall see your beloved Friends again, at the Resurrection: You shall behold those Faces that were so dear to you, and whose Pictures hang in your Memory: They are at rest, and do not envy them. If you sorrow for your own Loss, say so; and own, you weep for yourself.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XXIX.  
SIR,  
YOU have no reason to complain of my writing so seldom to you, who, you know, am ready to serve you in whatever I am able.  
I should be glad to see you in Town as soon as your Conveniences will allow; and to talk to you of several Things you have hinted at in your Letter.  
As to your Enquiry concerning the Strength of our Natures, and what they will bear; I believe we are, most of us, apt to impose upon ourselves in that Point, and to fancy we cannot bear the tenth part of what we can. How will the tenderest of Women, and the greatest Qualities, watch with a sick Husband, or Son; that without that Occasion, would fancy, the Loss of Half an Hour of their usual Rest would ruin them; and yet, when forced upon a Trial; shall out-do a Watch-man? What have Kings and Queens themselves undergone in their Distresses, and Calamities, and Misfortunes? Even to the Out-suffering the meanest private Person. Of this, our Second Charles was an eminent Instance; and our First Charles too. Therefore change your Thoughts on this Subject.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XXX.  
SIR,  
'TIS with just Admiration I behold the Progress your Sister has made in Religion and virtue; how she has slaved her Passions, and triumphed over her Body; how chased her Eyes, how mildred her Tongue, how she fasts, how she watches, how she preys; how silent, how modest, how humble, how peaceable; what sacred Beauty, what a celestial Air, what an Angelical Mein adorns her! These are the Ornaments of virtue, these the Charms of Religion, this the Attire of Holiness, which no Dress can imitate, which no Art can counterfeit; for the Original is wholly Divine.  
What vast Pains are taken in vain by others, to force a Beauty, and an Air, which nothing can give but virtue and Piety, Humility and Chastity? May her Example spread; may her virtues infect; may her Beauties charm to Imitation, and red silent Lectures of virtue to her own Sex, and dictate soft Precepts, and admonish sweetly, and instruct gently.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XXXI.  
MADAM,  
BE just, and kind, and merciful to yourself: Have pity on your own Soul; let that be your biggest Care, and your tenderest Concern: Remember 'tis of more value to you than the whole World, than Empire, or Pleasures, or Riches: If you save that, you have saved all; if you lose that, you lose all.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XXXII.  
SIR,  
WHether this will meet you as directed, I know not: However, 'tis likely it will meet you in another place, and give you Thoughts worthy of an immortal Mind, and a Soul that is greater than the Earth, and designed for Heaven, and the Company of Angels.  
Though your other Affairs be many, let your Soul still be the greatest; for in it you must be happy or miserable through infinite Ages, and while God is God; and from this Life, it takes its Eternal Condition; and this Life, for ought you know, may be over before to Morrow, and your Lot cast for ever. Therefore how does it stand you upon't to work while it is Day, before the Night comes, wherein no Man worketh? As you value an eternal Happiness, and boundless and everlasting Joys; and as you dread an endless and a ghastly Misery and Ruin, secure the main Chance: Look to the One Thing necessary, whatever you may lose, whatever you may suffer in this short Life, which will soon disappear and vanish. But would you have the Happiness you sigh for? Would you sit down in immortal Pleasures and Delights, and feast on the purest Joys, and perfect Beauties? In the Christian Religion you shall find them all; in it the Desires of your Soul shall be more than satisfied, Angels shall minister to you, your Passions shall sleep, your Reason shall command; an ardent Faith, and glorious Hopes, and a flaming Charity, shall set you above all this World, that is less than what you expect, that is less than what you possess; in the eruptions of Heaven, in the Visits of the Spirit, that exceed all present Enjoyments that are worldly; in the Inundations of Divine Love, overflowing all the Soul with Joys unspeakable, and never-fading Glories.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XXXIII.  
SIR,  
THE Contents of your last were not plain to me; but, in general, I red your holy Desires, and the sacred Temper of your Soul; how you burn towards Heaven, how you press through the narrow Way, how you grapple with your Passions, how you keep under your Body, and raise your Soul: These, I understand, are your Labours, these the rich Employments of your precious Time; from which no Pleasures can divert you, no Difficulties discourage you; but you proceed with the Obstinacy of a Christian, and the Peace of an Angel; now demolishing your Passions, now fortifying your virtues, now praying, now reading, now singing divinest Anthems, now meditating, now fighting, now mining, now scaling, now over-powered, now pursuing; supported by Angels, strengthened by God, confirmed by the Spirit, lead on by the Captain of your Salvation, who himself was made perfect through Sufferings. And I rejoice in your travels, and over all your glorious Labours, which you have covered with so much Modesty.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XXXIV.  
MADAM,  
IF you feel the Pleasures of virtue growing in your Soul, and springing up in your Mind, you are happy, and I am glad for your sake: Now you begin to live, now you are awake, now your Profession is turned into Life, and you practise your Faith, and act what you believed; and you are the better, and the wiser, and the happier for being a Christian, while you are no longer so in Name only, but in Experience, in practise, in an operative Faith, and a lively Hope, and a flaming Charity; in Joys unspeakable, and full of Glory. Let the ministry of Angels support you; let the Peace of God cover you; let the Hopes of Heaven inflame you to go on and persevere, to be wise and happy to the End, to grapple with every Difficulty in the Way, to subdue every Opposition, to triumph over every Hardship, to press forward, and obtain the prise. And let nothing disquiet you while it goes well with your Soul; for if that be well, all's well, and you have Comfort enough to balance a Thousand Miseries. Peace of Mind, and a lively Hope, and the Evidence of Things not seen, will shin●… through the darkest Cloud, and surmount the greatest Occasion of Sorrow; for they are a Cordial for every Trouble, and a very present Help i●… Time or Need; and without them, every Estate is sad, and every Joy sinks; the greatest Riches, Poverty; the greatest Plenty, Want: music cannot entertain, nor Wine raise the Spirits, no●… Company divert, nor Sleep refresh ou●… Minds, or throw off the sullen Grie●… that hangs like a Gloomy Mist about our Souls.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XXXV.  
MADAM,  
IF you would not have Heaven for nothing, you must not think much of the Labours of virtue. If we plow for common Bread, what should we do for the Bread of Life? If we toil for an Earthly Inheritance, what should we do for an Heavenly, where the Joy is Ecstacy, and the Income infinite; where Rivers of Pleasure flow for ever; where God, the Infinite Beauty, is seen Face to Face, and yet we live for ever; where there are Crowds of Angels, and Ten Thousand times Ten Thousand flaming Beauties; where the Martyrs shout for Victory, and the Confessors rest for ever; where the Hermit feasts on Everlasting Joys, and fasts no more; where the Virgins shine with a double Glory, and a purer Light; where you shall be restored again to the virtuous Souls you so much loved? Now, What Toils are too great for so rich an Harvest? Is not the very Hope a vast Reward? Is not the very Thought an Enjoyment? Is it not more than all this Life, to think of the other?  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XXXVI.  
SIR,  
COncerning Death, the chief Subject of your Letter, I must own the Antipathy Nature has to it, destroying ●… ts Beauty, and its Being, being the Friend of Rottenness and Corruption; but Religion is above Nature and Death too, and triumphs over all the Deformities of a Dissolution, because it can never die; and gives Courage to the Soul to reflect on the strange Change, without Amazement; for nothing can hurt but Sin, and Death is no Sin; it commits strange Outrages on the Body, but cannot touch the Soul; it blots out Life, and with it all the Miseries of Life; and at the same Time throws open a vast Eternity, and displays the Scenes of an immortal Life, which shall be filled with Happiness: If we spend the first Life wisely, it shall be one everlasting Ecstacy and Triumph; and then where is the Harm of that Death▪ that shuts up one Life that is full of Miseries and Troubles, and throws open another that is Glory, Honour, Immortality, and Eternal Life; where there are Rivers of Pleasure for evermore, endless Torrents of Happiness, and Joys unspeakable, and full of Glory.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XXXVII.  
MADAM,  
BY your last Letter you seem to design suddenly for Town, if your Health will allow of traveling. Where e'er you are, you are equally near, and equally distant from Heaven, if the Grace of God be with you; without which, you are exposed in the widest desert, and in the closest Cell, to the Incursions and Devastations of the Enemy; and he who protects in the desert, can protect in a City, and give you Safety every where.  
Oh! May the glorious Course of Life you are engaged in hold out to the End, and prosper, for your own sake, and for your Sex's sake, while they shall behold the Beauty of your Manners, and be charmed with your Life, and inflamed to Imitation.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XXXVIII.  
SIR,  
I Must put you in Mind again, That this is not a Life of Rest, and uninterrupted Ease; great are the Spiritual Pleasures of Religion, but Temptations and Desertions often interpose, and lye like Clouds before the Sun; and then the spiritual Joy succeeds again, and that gives way again to Dejection, this is the way of this Life, and in this it differs from the other, which is one eternal Flow o●… Happiness, without Stops and without Ebbs, but here we must rise, and fal●… in the Successions of Desertions and Consolations; but still this increase●… our Reward in another Life, and enlarges our Crown, and Afflictions work●… for us a far more exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory. And therefore, though I have already so much, and so justly admired the Course you hold, and the Progress you make in Religion, yet let me warn you against being discouraged by Dejection, of Spirit, or the manifold Temptations we must encounter in this World, but they shall quickly pass, and Consolation and Victory shall succeed, and remain entirely ours for ever.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XXXIX.  
SIR,  
THE Troubles I mentioned in my last, are every way to our Advantage, ●… hey prove our Patience and Sincerity, ●… hey establish our Faith, they confirm ●… ur Manners, and St. James bids us count ●… t all joy when we fall into trials( the ●… urnace in which acceptable men are ●… rov'd,) therefore be constant in your trial, endeavour to stand the Test of Temptations, of Afflictions, of Reproa●… hes, of Necessities, of Distresses; these ●… nlarge the spiritual Man, these raise his ●… soul, and strengthen his Spirit, and con●… rm his Mind; they perfect his Pati●… nce, and fortify his Hope, and com●… leat his Experience, and the Work of ●… hich he has no need to be ashamed; they ●… ache his Faith manly and firm, and ●… trong against the Attempts of the spiri●… val Enemy. And therefore, may you ●… tanned as a City built on an Hill, an Ob●… ect of Imitation and Admiration to all the World, who by you may learn how to follow Christ, let 'em admire the Chastity of your Manners, the Beauty of your Life, the Glory of your Hopes, how you live, how you suffer, how you conquer, how you persevere; let them copy your Patience, and transcribe your Prudence, and imitate your Faith.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XL.  
SIR,  
AS you are sensible of the Joys of Lov●… and divinest Charity, so you canno●… but prefer them to every other Joy, to all that the World affords, or this natu●…ral Life can pretend to; I mean tha●… Love that is of God, and returns to God▪ that inflames the Soul, that burns the Heart, and fires the Affections, and fixe●… them on the infinite Beauties of God●… and on his boundless Love, and all hi●… other Perfections infinite, here gazing●… here contemplating, here delighting to dwell for ever in Adoration and Praises in Hymns and Thanks, in Love and Obedience.  
I am, Sir, &c▪   

LETTER XLI.  
MADAM,  
THE Contents of your last are various, though all divine. I shall answer ●… hem as they lye. And first, of Retirement. ●… am partly of your Mind, I own itis Ad●… antages very great, it helps Prayer, it ●… eparates from the World, 'tis a Friend ●… o Wisdom, it purifies the Spirit, it ●… trengthens Meditation, but 'tis no long●… r necessary than God sees it so, who is good to the Soul every where, and whose ●… pirit reaches it in every Place.  
As concerning prayer, its Perfection is, ●… ever to cease, to be always flaming to God a perpetual Sacrifice; a Fire that's ●… lways to burn upon the Altar of the Heart, though not in equal Degrees of Heat, for that, the human Frame will ●… ot bear, nor does the Spirit so descend, ●… ut considers our Infirmity, and visits us ●… ccordingly.  
As concerning Mortification, I say, ●… ometimes the Body will bear more than we think, sometimes not so much, and ●… n this the immediate Spirit of God will direct an honest Soul, for neither he him●… elf, nor any other human Prudence ●… an do it.  
Touching Constancy in Resolution, i●… you certainly see the change will be fo●… the better, 'tis no Inconstancy to change but a proceeding from a lesser Wisdom to a greater, and these Changes are often unavoidable, and do not, procee●… from Levity of Mind, but an ardent pursuit of that that's best, but all ligh●… Changes are utterly to be avoided.  
Concerning Fortitude of Mind, ther●… is a great Degree of it necessary in th●… Christian Religion, that you be no●… abused and over-powered by the World to bear up against Discouragements, t●… keep on your way, and let this suffice i●… Answer to your last.  
I am, Madam, & c●…   

LETTER XLII.  
SIR,  
LET not the ill Habit of your Bod●… trouble you much; that profits you●… Soul, 'tis better than Health, and wil●… admonish you better, and side with you against the World. In Health we are apt to forget the Duties of Religion▪ and the Interests of our Souls, and the Health of our Minds, and pursue the ●… esent Interest, and the bewitching ●… easure, and the poisonous bait, but ●… ckness makes the Mind severe, and ●… it is averse to Folly, and chooses ●… isely, and pursues resolutely, and re●… ses to be baffled by the World; itsNo●…ons are all strong, and it deals sincere●… by itself; Folly is now grown nau●… ous, and frightful, and nothing is ●… ought of but Amendment of Life, ●… d redeeming the Time because the ●… ays are evil and sickly, and the Years are ●… owe upon us, in which we have no ●… easure; and Eternity approaches, like ●… armed Man, and Death as he that ●… avels, and we are forced to be wise, or ●… be undone for ever, to live or die e●… rnally, and he that would not use Re●… gion as a Ship, is now forced to hug ●… as a Plank, and as his Life, while ●… e deep Waters of Eternity are ready ●… go over his Soul.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XLIII.  
MADAM,  
THERE is nothing formidable in h●…mane Life, but what we make 〈…〉 by Sloth and false Opinions, of whic●… your Experience will convince you, wha●… ever you seem by your Letter to thin●… to the contrary, there is nothing form●…dable but Sin, which is more formidab●… than Death itself; because it hath A●…cess to the Soul, and kills that that 〈…〉 immortal; besides, all the real Mischie●… that can happen to the Body too, a●… from Sin, for else Sickness and Death 〈…〉 self are not Evils in themselves, t●… poisoned by Sin, and envenomed by Guil●… else the first raises the Mind, and th●… last sets it free, the one prepares us fo●… an eternal State, and the other ente●… us into it; but Sin is the unsupportab●… Misery, that darkens and weakens th●… Soul, and pollutes the Body, and bani●…shes Joy, and doubles every Sorrow.  
I am, Madam, & c●…   

LETTER XLIV.  
SIR,  
●… Our Letter came late to my Hands, and therefore the Return is late, I ●… d you still insist on the Miseries of ●… fe, and seem to be pressed with too ●… eat a Sense of them, but do not you ●… ache Miseries for yourself? There are ●… ought to your Hands, and you need not ●… e Help of Fancy and Opinion, but ra●… er employ your Reason and your Re●… ion, to engage what really is in hu●… ne Life, and fight as a Christian, for ●… eater is he that is in you, than all the ●… series of Life put together; and is ●… e to give you the Conquest in the ●… est trial, and make your Peace as the ●… ver, and your Joys as the Waves ●… the Sea, but if you grow melan●… oly, and distrust the Succours of●… ' d you, which are more than enough ●… subdue the Difficulties that urge you, ●… ur Case will be evil, and you will ●… ve too great an Advantage to the E●… my to spoil you, and Reproach you; ●… o knows your strength through God is ●… fficient, if you will make use of it, ●… d can only insult you by the Advan●… ge of Despair; the saddest Sickness of the Mind, and the worst Estate th●… Soul can fall into, while she invites th●… Enemy to oppress her, and refuses th●… Goodness of God; but embraces Sorrow, and lies down willingly in her ow●… ruin.  
I am, Sir, & c●…   

LETTER XLV.  
MADAM,  
BE still the same Example of your Se●… and an Ornament of the Christia●… Religion, let your Beauties grow, l●… those Charms you derive from Vertu●… never fade, let Chastity triumph, le●… Religion make you glorious as the King●… Daughter, and Piety as the opening o●… the Morning, nor may the Mists of Vio●… ever obscure you, or cloud your Lustre●… may you ever be a Stranger to the Disgraces of Lust, and the Reproaches o●… Sin, to the Horrors of Guilt and a darkened Mind, sullied with Pleasure, an●… polluted with unlawful Joys, that ca●…ress and murder, that feast and poison that smile and kill, that when they have abused the Body, come like a●… armed Man upon the Soul; destroying its Glory, and wasting its Beauty, ●… urning its Peace into horrors, and ●… s Joys into the terrors of an Evil ●… pirit.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XLVI.  
SIR,  
I Cannot easily writ so fully to you on the Subjects of your last Letter, ●… s we might talk if together; you have ●… inted at many things, and expect I ●… hold be particular on each: this the Compass of a Letter will hardly permit, which should be short and strong, ●… ree but not tedious, an Answer, not a Treatise.  
Of Conversation with Women, these are my Thoughts, That it cannot be managed with too much Caution, that it cannot be too little, too seldom, too short, or too severe, this the Holy and the Rotten, the Skeliton and the Saint, they who have resisted to Glory, and they who have yielded to Corruption and Dishonour will easily grant; is our virtue stronger than David's? Was not ●… he lost at a Look? That obliged him to take his Choice of the Sword, or t●… Plague, or a Famine, to expiate th●… Adultery and Murder, which drew the●… Birth from the Glance of an Eye, th●… had  shed Rivers of Tears of Devotio●… and that were always lift up unto t●… Hills, from whence cometh Salvatio●… Do you pray oftener than he? Or are yo●… more in the Protection of God? Ther●…fore beware.  
Of Discourse, I say, that Too, ca●… not be too little, nor too chased, nor to●… severe, because we must account f●… every Word that's more than enough.  
Of Passion, That it hurts our Neigh●…bour and ourselves, that it is an Enem●… to Reason and Peace, and therefore t●… be avoided in the Degrees of Sin, for 〈…〉 may be angry.  
Of Sadness, That in great Degrees ' t●… greatly dangerous, but the Love an●… Pity of God, who is infinitely tender●… watches then in a special Manner ove●… the Soul, to guard it against the dar●… Suggestions of the Enemy, to comfort i●… to restore it, and cloath it again wit●… the Garments of Joy. And, indeed●… none can comfort now effectually, bu●… God alone, whose Mercy and Love endures for ever. The rest shall be another Letter.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XLVII.  
MADAM,  
IN Answer to your Last, I say, that virtue is every Blessing, and 'vice is ●… very Misery. From the first is Peace of Mind, a feasting Conscience, the Tri●… mphs of Innocence, the Courage of ●… n honest Mind. From the latter, Plagues and Fears, dreadful Nights, and melancholy Days, shane and Sorrows, Trouble and Despair. Therefore, Who would not clause the first, as Life; and dread the last, as Death? That over●… hrows all our Happiness and Honour, ●… nd tears our Crown, and disperses our Glory, and makes us lye down in Confusion and Sorrow, in Darkness and terrors, in Loss and Ruin; while virtue is brighter than the Sun, and cheerful as the Morning, refreshing the Mind, adorning the Soul, transporting with Hopes, ravishing with Pleasures; now triumphing over the World, anon leading the Flesh in Chains; now subduing Armies of Daemons, that abet the Interests of 'vice; now scaling Heaven, and taking possession of the Kingdom prepared for it.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XLVIII.  
SIR,  
BE always revolving in your Min●… the Greatness of the other Life, an●… the Littleness of this; so shall you b●… always great and wise, fit to live, an●… fit to die. But if you abuse your Un●…derstanding, and imagine all your In●…terests lye in this Life, and consequent●…ly lay out all your Care upon it, ho●… will the Messengers of Death undeceiv●… you? When at the Death of your Body, you shall find your Soul more aliv●… and awake than ever, entering on a●… immortal State, that shall last durin●… the Years of Eternity; in which yo●… shall reap the Fruits of your presen●… Folly or Wisdom, Understanding o●… Mistakes, Religion or Impiety.  
I am, Sir, & c●…   

LETTER XLIX.  
MADAM,  
WHat can I writ to you of more charming than Heaven? And of what more instructive, than of Death and Hell? The first is every Beauty, and every Pleasure: The last is an infinite Misery and Ruin, an everlasting Destruction both of Soul and Body, a Woe as long as Eternity, without Intermission, without End. And if the first be the Reward of virtue and Religion, and the last of 'vice and Impiety, how are we obliged by all that's happy or miserable in our Beings, to think of these Things with all the Force of our Souls, fermented by the Grace of God.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER L.  
MADAM,  
AS often as you hear from me, I will endeavour, with the Blessing o●… God, that you shall hear of your Happiness, and of your best Interest: And be true to yourself, as I am; be in love with that which will bless you for ever; let Chastity make you yet more beautiful, and charming, and Angelical; let Devotion defend you from every Evil, let Patience raise you above every Affliction, let Meekness adorn you, let Humility make you great, let every virtue accompany you, and endeavour to be always ready for the Bridegroom's Coming.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER LI.  
MADAM,  
THE best Advice I can at present give you, in Answer to your last, is, always to think of Death, and the last judgement; but so, as not to despair: Then shall the World become ●… at to you, and it shall be crucified to ●… ou, and you to it; you shall always ●… e wise for yourself, and lay out the Remainder of your Time to the utmost ●… dvantage: 'Twill make you severe and ●… rofitable to your own Interest, a Friend ●… o your Soul, an Enemy to your Ruin, ●… Servant ready for his Master's Coming. ●… nd this one Advice is in the place of eve●… y Advice, and will serve you instead of ●… any Books, and much Reading; and each you in a Moment, all you can learn ●… an Age.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER LII.  
SIR,  
YOU will forgive the Delay of my Return to your Last, and accept it ●… hen I can sand it. Let Patience and ●… he Grace of God rule your present Mi●… eries, be violent in Prayer, increase in Charity, contend with your Afflictions, ●… nd with yourself, be instant in Re●… entance, multiply your Vows, be hum●… le without Bounds; red, meditate, ●… ractise, confer, do, and suffer as a Christian, and let Patience have its perfect Work: Let the Thoughts of ano●…ther Life inflame you with the most ge●…nerous Resolutions; let nothing ob●…lige you to despair, believe all Thing●… hope all Things, Remember the Affl●…ctions of the Apostles, but chiefly 〈…〉 their Master, whose Sufferings exceede●… all Men's? and you will rejoice in you●… Portion, and turn your Prayers int●… Praises, and your Tears into Psalms an●… music.  
I am, Sir, & ●…   

LETTER LIII.  
MADAM,  
I Can neither converse nor writ to yo●… so often as I would, nor do you nee●… being writ to so often as I do: Bu●… your Modesty is greater than mine, 〈…〉 you exceed me in every Thing els●… but in nothing more than in Humil●…ty, the Foundation of all virtue, th●… Pillar of Holiness, the Ornament an●… Security of a good Life. Proceed i●… the Course you walk, and prosper; l●… Piety crown your Head, let Charity i●…flame your Heart, and let every virtue adorn you.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER LIV.  
MADAM,  
SO may you prosper for ever, as you persevere in the Way you have begun; for many Heavens shall meet you in that Way, and an Eternal Heaven at the End; Angels will accompany you, the Spirit of God will led you, immortal Hopes will transport you, and Joys unspeakable and full of Glory shall entertain you all the Way; the Path that burns with Love, and flames with Joys, will led you to Crowns and Ecstasies, to Angels, and to Peace; to Brightness, and to Glory; where you shall triumph with the Apostles, and rejoice with the Martyrs, and behold the Beauty of the Virgins, and the Glory of the Confessors, who trod the mighty Way, and were broken upon many Crosses, but were supported by the Love of Jesus, the Leader of our Sufferings, the Shield of our Salvation; who stands by, and numbers our Sighs.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER LV.  
SIR,  
TO the Second Particular of your last, namely, the various Changes of our Temper in a Religious Course of Life, I think you need not be much concerned at them, if you are constant in your Sincerity; for your Body is not in your power, nor can you be always in the Taking you would be; and this without any Harm to your virtue or Happiness, that will live and thrive best in Storms and Uneasinesses, and is slacken'd by Ease and Pleasure, and improved by Difficulties and Adversities, by Temptation and Sickness. Therefore let nothing but the Diminution of your virtue trouble you, and a Decrease of Manners; for this is just Matter of Trouble, and a Rational Grief: But unless you have this, you have none at all. And though you may be troubled, with St. Paul, yet you are not cast down; but rather, you have much Reason to rejoice that you are still in the right Road, and keep your Way, though it be not so pleasant and easy as at another Time, nor you so vigorous and lively.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER LVI.  
MADAM,  
I Easily red the Change of your Condition in your Last; but this must not be any more. I do not expect you should always laugh: But I could be contented still to see you smile, and never to go thus heavily, though the Enemy oppresses you. Let the Everlasting Reward encourage you: Remember you shall die, and all your Troubles shall die with you; and you shall change this Valley of Misery, for numberless and almost intolerable Joys, and for the Society of Angels, and Virgins of Martyrs, Penitents and Confessors; who gave their Lives and their Deaths, their Bodies and their Souls to God. Hither contend with all the Wings of Devotion, travail fast on this Road, and your End shall be happy for ever.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER LVII.  
SIR,  
TO the rest of your Letter, I answer, That this Life is neither tedious nor short: If you are miserable, 'tis long enough; if you live well, you shall live better in another Life. The Infinite Wisdom has proportioned it to our several Conditions; and we must not wish it otherwise, without Blasphemy, and an implicit Saying, our Wishes are wiser than Providence; and we, than he who made us; and the day, than the Potter.  
Of the Relishes of the Mind, I say, 'tis its Happiness that this World tastes flat, and every Thing in it; and not the Misery and Disappointment of a Man: For, who abused him, that this World was Happiness? Or if any one  told him so, why did he believe? Is any Information surer than our own Experience? Taste and see that 'tis the the World itself: For Happiness will not crucify and disappoint, as you see the World does: But all the while, 'tis our Interest to do so; and 'tis better to be plagued into Wisdom, than always continue a Fool. If this World gave us the Satisfactions we expect in it, we should quit our Pursuit after another, and our Faith would whither, and our Hope would be no more, and our Charity would be to ourselves, and an infinitely greater Happiness would be slighted and lost, and Heaven would court in vain, and we should rest contented with nothing, and despise the great Designation of our Being, and take up with a trifling Happiness for ever.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER LVIII.  
MADAM,  
I Cannot be so punctual in my Returns to yours, as you expect; nor can I writ when I would: Let this suffice, in Answer to your last, That you may expect the best Offices from me, that I am able( by the Assistance of God) to perform for you. I know how much your Soul is inflamed towards Religion, how much you love to live, how much you hate to talk, how charmed with sacred Solitude, that adds Fire to our Prayers, where we meet the Angels, and have a clearer View of Heaven: There your Charity burns in Intercessions, and you contend by Prayer for the Welfare of the whole World, and pour out such Devotions as the World is the better for, and happy are they that have ● particular Interest in them. There you desire to hear from me, who have so often wished to be with you, that I might be instructed by your Prayers and burn with your Discourse, an●… imitate your Heaven, whom the Angels love to accompany, who feeds on Prayer, and feasts on Fasts, and mixes Life with Heaven.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER LIX.  
SIR,  
SInce my last to you, several Things have happened that delayed the Paper I now sand you. In Answer to your last, I return, That the Goodness of God is universal, and diffuses itself through every Instance of Life. A wicked Age is no Objection against his Providence, nor lessons his Goodness; whose Doings are infinitely good, and extracts Good out of all that ●… he suffers: If Sin abounds, the astonishing Mercy of God abounds much more: If the Age be outrageous, and rebels against the Command of the Most High, then the Patience of God exerts itself beyond all Bounds, and acts in all the Extents of Infinity, and is greater than the Heavens, and arrests his Justice; and even when Wrath is gone out, re-calls the judgement, and turns the Thunder, and stifles the Lightning, and still the Sun shines, and the Early and the Latter Rain descends, and the fruitful Harvest follows, and the Sinner reaps as he that preys, and his Bosom is full of the Blessings of God, and his Children are satisfied with Bread: And now shall his Infinite Mercy and Goodness be taken up as an Argument against his Being? And because he is infinitely merciful and good, shall we say he is not? This be far from us: But let his Mercy prove his Being; and his Love, that he is God. And this I do not writ for your sake, who dete●… the Ingratitude of the Argument, an●… the villainy and Folly of the Obj●…ction, and the Absurdity of the Discourse; but for theirs who turn h●… Love against him, and play his Mercy against his Being, who is God Blessed for evermore; and for whose infinite Mercy and Love may we prais●… and magnify him for ever.  
I am, Sir, &c▪   

LETTER LX.  
MADAM,  
FOrgive him this late Answer, who owes you so much Love and Admi●… ation, and who is willing to serve you ●… eyond his Power; if I do not writ so ●… ften as you would have me, 'tis not ●… hat I slight her who is the Ornament ●… f the devout and fairer Sex, who ●… eigns in Beauty, and triumphs in Piety, ●… nd has put on all the Glories of Ver●… ue, and the Ornaments of Religion, ●… nd the Happiness of Retirement, sa●… read to Contemplation and Prayer, to Hymns and Praises, to holy Reading ●… nd devout Conferences.  
There you vouchsafe to hear from ●… im, who is fitter to be instructed by ●… ou, in the Conquest of the World and ●… nes self, in the Reduction of the Pas●… jons, in restraining Folly, and exert●… ng the Powers of Wisdom, but this is your Humility, the Crown of all your Glory, and the Perfection of every other virtue, without which nothing is beau●… iful or lasting.  
I would recommend to your Retirement, St. Jerom's Laeta, and his Paula Romana, and the wondrous Instructions he gives, if you needed them, but your Life has red 'em and transcribed 'em already; and Life surpasses all Reading and Knowledge, for 'tis the End of both, and therefore is nobler than the means, and others may red you with Advantage, and study how to imitate you, to grapple with a Temptation to discover the Snare, how to quench the fiery Dart, how to resist even unto Blood, striving against Sin, to despise this World for a better, to rejoice in Hope, to be patient in Tribulation, to continue instant in Prayer, and to do and suffer all the Will of God, for these are your holy Exercises, these the Labours of your Love, and if you persevere you shall be crowned, and the manifold and obstinate Temptation shall inflame your Victory, and inglory your Triumph, which cannot be celebrated for doing easy things, and suffering nothing, but when the Grapple is terrible, and the Difficulty obstinate like the Labours of Bonosus, described by the same St. Jerom, or like his own, or yours.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER LXI.  
SIR,  
WHen you come to Town our thoughts will be easier exchanged on the sub●… cts of your last; in the mean Time, I ●… all give you all the Satisfaction I can 〈…〉 Letter, for you know my Readiness 〈…〉 serve you as far as I am able, and I ●… how your Humility, to desire it when ●… u are able to direct.  
If I must give my Advice and Judg●… ent in Answer to what you proposed in ●… urs, I shall do it with that Modesty ●… at becomes my Weakness, and with that ●… umility that becomes one that can do ●… thing of himself.  
Though you fill the Leisure of your Time, and the Hours that are your ●… n with the best Exercises, yet some●… king there must be more immediately ●… lating to settled Work and Labour: ●… his St. Paul has said before me, this the ●… lest Directors of the first and purest ●… ges of the Church, and the Necessity 〈…〉 it your own Experience will evince. ●… he ancient Religious Institutes of Egypt ●… erted the Unlawfulness of any Man's ●… king but upon his Labour, though his ●… tate and Patrimony were never so large; unless impotent in his Strength and unable to comply with the Apostolical Precept, and 'tis said of the●… wondrous Paul, That notwithstanding all his Devotions and religious Exercises; he was not able to sustain the Tediousness of Time, and was therefor●… directed by an Angel to interpose bod●…ly Labour when he was just quittin●… his Retirement; how many Vices a●… owing to the want of something t●… fill up our Time that's lawful and useful? 'Tis this that fills the Taverns an●… the Coffee-Houses, those Schools of Vi●… and Idleness, that devour our Vert●… and our Time. Hence the Folly 〈…〉 game, and the Mischiefs and Losse●… which by some is drawn out into To●… and Labour, and Watching; hence inveterate Habits of tiresome Idleness an●… doing nothing, or something that's foolisher and worse than nothing; hen●… Swarms of Temptations, and the Opportunities of the Tempter, hence th●… idle Lives for the most part of Perso●… of Quality and Estate of both Sexes, th●… they are in a manner useless to themselves and to the World, hence Hour and Days, and whole Years sacrificed t●… Idleness and Impertinence, and Debauchery, hence all the mischievous and th●… wretched Shifts to wast their Time, an●… with it their Lives and Estates, hence Hours and Days of dressing and un●… ressing, of giving and receiving the ●… enseless and impertinent Visit; but this 〈…〉 all cured by a settled Course of In●… ustry and employment, to our own ●… ood, and for the Good of the World, 〈…〉 which our Lives would be far more ●… sie and useful, profitable and pleasant.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER LXII.  
MADAM,  
●… ET me tell you in Answer to your last, that the Christian Religion is ●… ain and easy, unconcerned in parts 〈…〉 Learning; as its Mysteries are Mat●… rs of Faith, and equally exceed all ●… umane Capacities; so its Precepts are ●… ain, and calculated to the meanest ●… apacities, and Simplicity and Humi●… y are far better Dispositions for the ●… ristian Religion, as to Faith or Pra●… ice, than all the Parts and all the ●… earning in the World, what has Life 〈…〉 do with Disputes, or Obedience ●… ith Contention? He knows enough who lives well, and a Sinner know●… nothing to the Purpose, or as 〈…〉 should, Faith and Humility are t●… Learning of the Christian Religio●… and not Science falsely so called, i●… Philosophy is Obedience, and Purity 〈…〉 Manners, and in the Christian Religio●… he who lives best is the greatest Ph●…losopher, and he who is proud, unde●…stands nothing; for Pride is the dee●…est Ignorance of ones self and ever●…thing else, and Humility understan●… and practices every thing aright.  
Therefore let not the Want of Lea●…ning discourage you, or any one else the greatest Saints that have been 〈…〉 the Church of God, were far from b●…ing the greatest Scholars; nay, ma●… of them were strangers to Learnin●… and yet had a Knowledge that w●… above all Learning, having the●…ction of the Spirit that teacheth 〈…〉 things, and reveals the most hidd●… Mysteries, and enables to do and s●…fer the greatest things, and makes 〈…〉 true Hero's and Philosophers, and co●…ferrs the true Wisdom and Learnin●… not that which talks, but that whi●… lives, and will make us live for eve●… and this was the Learning of the Ap●…stles themselves, and of their first, gre●… and Holy Successors, and of the common Body of the first and best Chri●… ans, and Oh! That it were the Lear●… ng of Christendom at this Day, and ●… at that Time were spent in Holi●… ss, that's spent in unnecessary Rea●… ng and curious Studies, that make a ●… an neither truly wiser, or better, ●… d would be much better employed 〈…〉 Prayer and Charity, in holy Li●… ng and preparing for the Hour of ●… eath, when all our Learning shall ●… e, and our Piety and Holiness shall 〈…〉 crowned, and shall last for ever; ●… re, with the Blessing of God, endea●… ur to employ your Time, and the ●… eward will answer your Pains, do you ●… dy how to be saved, how to secure ●… even and avoid Hell, how to follow ●… e Footsteps of Christ, and of his ●… ostles, to be like the good Ground, ●… d like the wise Virgins, and like the ●… an that built his House on a Rock, ●… d like the wise Servant that was al●… ays ready for his Master's coming, ●… r these things are more necessary than ●… eat Reading, and useless Study, which ●… ke up a great deal of Time and La●… ur to little Purpose.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER LXIII.  
SIR,  
LET nothing shake your Resoluti●… once fixed, provided 'twas fir●… with Consideration and Prayer, 〈…〉 constant, or you'll do nothing but bac●…ward and forward; an indifferent W●…dom put in practise, shall stand 〈…〉 more stead than a stronger thats w●…vering; in this Instance the Spaniar●… are great Sufferers, they have Wisdo●… enough, perhaps, none more; but th●… spend it in Counsel not in practise, a●… they continue considering backwar●… and forward, weighing the Matter i●… Gold Scales, till the Enemy have ex●…cuted; and then they proceed to●…ction, when there is nothing to b●… done, but much to suffer, cast you●… Counsels which Way you will, an●… with never so long Delays; yet sti●… there shall Difficulties and Objection●… remain, therefore this is no Objectio●… against Constancy in speedier Counsels.  
I am, Sir, &c▪   

LETTER LXIV.  
MADAM,  
AMuse yourself no longer with the present Turn of the Age, and the ●… ashion of your Sex, but comform ●… our self to the Wisdom of your Bap●… sm, and to the Sacrament and Obli●… tion you then undertook, and put 〈…〉 the Manners of the Christian Religi●… n, and then you shall be as happy as ●… our Soul can reasonably wish; you shall ●… ear the Beauties and the Triumphs of ●… hastity, and act the Victories of Reason, ●… d put on all the Glories of virtue, ●… d the Rewards of a constant Faith. 〈…〉 you love Pleasure, and Honour, ●… d Riches, seek them from virtue, ●… ddress yourself to the Christian Re●… gion, which will be lavish in an●… wering your Desires, and more than ●… uench your Thirst, you shall live in ●… e Enjoyment of no mean Happiness, ●… nd in the Expectation of boundless and ●… verlasting Joys; such as fill the Angels, ●… nd infinitely exceed all that we know, ●… ou shall feed on the Beauties of God, ●… nd dwell upon his Glories inutterably ●… diant, and waste eternal Ages in the ●… alaces of Light and Joy.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER LXV.  
SIR,  
COncerning the Management of yo●… Worldly Affairs, and the Dist●…bance it gives your Religion, all th●… I can say, is, That you must at a●… Rate secure the last; because it is yo●… Life, and your Soul, and your etern●… Happiness or Misery; you had bett●… be undone in this World than in th●… other; for there is no Comparis●… betwixt a short Poverty, and an eve●…lasting Burning.  
Do what you can safely for t●… Support of this Life, for to that y●… are obliged by the Apostolical P●…cept, and the purest and severest I●…stitutes of the first Religious Societi●… particularly those of Egypt, that d●…clared, whoever does not sustain himse●… subsists upon Charity,( to which no●… but the impotent have a Right) nay though he lives on his own Estate. Bu●… such Cares as choke the Word, or m●… it unfruitful, or stifle the Soul, or●…ver-load the Mind, are undoubtedly 〈…〉 be cut off, and used like heavy loading in a Storm, which though neve●… so Rich, when the Ship's in Danger, must be heaved overboard.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER LXVI.  
MADAM,  
I Say again, with that Freedom you have always allowed me, that nothing but Religion shall give you the Peace you seek, and the rest you long for; if you seek it in the World, you are as wise as he who in the midst of a Storm should lay himself down to sleep on the Top of a Mast. Therefore let this Delusion at last have an End, and put on the Strengths of Wisdom, and apply yourself where you may succeed to your Satisfaction; for virtue is loaded with Pleasures, and overflows with Happiness, and is crowded with Joys softer than your own delicate and tender Soul, that would fain be united to true Beauty, and Wisdom and Peace.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER LXVII.  
SIR,  
IF the Miseries of this Life seem so uneasy to you, how can you endure to think of those of the Life to come? Miseries that have no Bounds, and that have no End, where the horror is Infinite, and the Torment everlasting, where the Worm never dies, and the Fire never goes out, where our Pains shall be new after the Sufferings of a Thousand Ages, and always beginning, where all Hope of Ease is banished for ever, and nothing left but everlasting Fires and Despair, a raging and a burning Eternity, that will rack us with a Thousand Deaths; but for ever deprive us of the Happiness of dying.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER LXVIII.  
MADAM,  
BE as much in Love with Pleasure as you will, so you seek it in Re●… igion, where alone it is to be found; ●… t will feast your Soul, and bath your Mind in the richest Joys, and you shall feed as the Angels feed, and the Hopes of another Life shall crown you little ●… hort of them, and the Hope sometimes shall be ecstasy, and unruly Joy, an ●… mpatient Desire of Death and eternal Life, that you may be drowned in Love, ●… nd overwhelmed with Beauty, and ●… rench'd in an Ocean of Joy, and act eternal Triumphs in the Palaces of Light and Glory, where the Light of the Sun shall be Seven-fold, and you ●… hall be dazzled with the Beauty of Millions of Cherubims and flaming Angels, and radiant Seraphims, that hid their Beauties now; though they minister to you, and are about your Path, and about your Bed, and haunt you every where for good, ministering to the Heirs of eternal Salvation.  
I am, Madam, &c.    

LETTERS OF Religion and virtue. PART II.  

LETTER I.  
MADAM,  
MAY you never repeat the Complaint of your last, that your Sex is wronged of its Share of Learning and Knowledge: A Complaint unworthy of the Masculine Strength of your judgement, of your better Christian Education, and of the Hopes of Glory, and an entire Happiness hereafter.  
If you live as you design, you are happy; every Blessing will surround you, every Joy will court you, and the Desires of your Soul shall dwell with you.  
I own, great are the Beauties of Learning, ministering to Religion and Piety, to Manners and Life: But separate from this End, 'tis painful Trash, laborious Impertinence; that makes a Man neither the wiser, nor the better. Nor does any Thing deserve the Name of Learning, but the Knowledge of the Christian Doctrine well lived: This is the Perfection of Learning, ard Wisdom, and Knowledge; and besides it, there is none other. And this Learning is yours in a fair Measure, and in the Hopes of a vast Improvement. And be persuaded, whomsoever you out-live, you out-know; whom you excel in virtue; you excel in Learning; only he has studied and toiled more than you, to less purpose: His is a laboured, studied Ignorance; and yours is a practical Knowledge, of vast Advantage, and solid Use, securing all the Happinesses, and grasping all the Interests of this Life, and of that to come.  
This, I think, is a satisfactory Answer to yours; and I shall desire no other Return, but that you and your Sex would be easy and happy in it.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER II.  
SIR,  
I Expected to have heard from you sooner, but I believe your Leisure would not permit: Nor ought I to have expected it, but when you had nothing else to do than to throw away your Time upon me who am the least of all Men.  
I rejoice to hear of the Recovery of your Brother's Health, and that your Sister has changed her Resolution, and that you persist in yours. You have taken away the Hopes I had of seeing you in Town, and enjoying your Company, being now more likely to see you in the Country.  
As I never have writ to you of News yet, so you will not expect any from me now. Let it suffice us, that the World is in the Hands of an infinite Wisdom, that cannot err in its Conduct; supported by an infinite Power, that cannot be insulted; acting by an Infinite Goodness, that loves and forgives to the utmost, whose Bounty and Mercy have no Bounds. 'Tis he who manages the great Opera of the World, and shifts the Scenes to his own Glory; which neither the successses of a Villain, nor the Calamities of a Righteous Man can impeach: Nor can it receive an Addition from the Confusion of the first, or the Triumphs of the last; because it is infinitely great from all Eternity: And the last Scene will vindicate the Conduct of all the rest, and demonstrate a just and regular Providence throughout the whole.  
Let these Considerations entertain us better than News, and settle us in a perpetual Peace, and satisfy us in every Event; knowing that all things minister to the Glory of the Governor of Heaven and Earth, who will assert his own Eternal Wisdom, and pled the Cause of the Righteous, and defend the Poor, and punish the Wrong-doer.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER III.  
MADAM,  
I Am still obliged to ask your Pardon for the Delay of my Answers; which you are still ready to grant, by a Goodness that charms all that are acquainted with it.  
The late Advantages you have received in your Fortunes, I know, will not be able to change your Mind from humble to vain, from modest to arrogant, from obliging to intolerable. Changes that have been made in some, upon smaller Occasions, and the Losses they have sustained in their Souls, have far exceeded their other Advantages.  
But so, I know, it will not be with you, whose virtue is deeper rooted, and higher grown, and is able to stand the Shock of greater Temptations, and turn them into Victories and Triumphs.  
I know you are able to comfort the Misfortunes of your Friend, without my Assistance. Let your virtue instruct him; let your Discourses strengthen him; let a short Life, and a long Eternity admonish him concerning human Things, and give him the just Value and Contempt of them; that when we have them, they may not have us; and we must be always as ready to part as they: And thus shall they serve us, and not we them: It shall neither be in their power to raise or depress us, to make us more or less than we were. And thus shall they do the Duty of Servants, and we act the Part of Masters, and maintain a Constancy in our virtue and Happiness.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER IV.  
SIR,  
BEing uncertain where to direct to you, I was the less forward to writ, because I would not writ in vain; else you had heard from me sooner, and received this Trouble long ago.  
The Freedom you used in your last was very pleasing to me; and every Thing in it was Entertainment or Instruction.  
The happy Retirement you enjoy, ●… s no small Blessing. There you converse with yourself, and with your Happiness; with present Joys, and future Hopes; while Noise and Impertinence keep their just Distance, and whatever else disturbs the Peace of Life.  
But he who cheerfully stands on ●… he Post which God has assigned him, ●… nd acquits the Duty he is employed ●… n, whatever Troubles attend it, is the ●… est and greatest Man, and lives to ●… he greatest Rewards, and shall be ●… ure to have them larger than his weak Brother, that cannot bear an ●… mpertinence, nor endure a Noise, nor ●… aintain his Peace in a Storm; but ●… is Mind is presently ruffl'd, and his Philosophy discomposed, and his Religion crushed and disordered. And, in●… eed, it must be a strong, well-built virtue and Life, that can ride it out ●… ecure, in the Tempest of the World, without being driven from its An●… horse, and sadly damaged in the ●… torm.  
I would not have you be too solli●… itous concerning the Welfare of your Brother, though you have not heard ●… rom him in so long a Time. Commit him to his Care and Goodness, to which you commit yourself, and the rest of your Concerns.  
If his virtue be equal to yours, so is his Happiness, where e'er he is; whether scorched in the South, or frozen in the North; whether in Sickness or Captivity, Poverty or Contempt: For all these are the Friends of Happiness, being the Friends of virtue, and a Masculine Religion.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER V.  
MADAM,  
I Was loth to lose the Opportunity to writing to you by the Bearer, who offered his Service, and  told me, it would not be unacceptable to you.  
As many as are acquainted with your virtue, desire to converse with it, though at a distance: And for that Reason you receive this Trouble from me now unwilling to miss so fair an Occasion.  
Though the greatest Happiness lies in the practise of virtue, yet it is no mean one to discourse of its Beauties, and entertain ourselves with its Heavenly Nature and Effects, how it blesses and preserves the World, how near allied to Heaven and our Souls, how crowded with Joys, and loaded with Hopes; how all our Happiness and Interests are wrapped up in it, the Peace of this Life, and the Glory of the next; what Beauty it gives to the Mind, how it adorns the Body, how high above all the Pretences of Birth, and Fortune, and Power; how it alone can make us happy; and how without it, nothing; how it is able to vanquish every Sorrow, and triumph over every Misery; how it guides Life, and insults Death, and acts an Eternal Triumph in the New Jerusalem. With these Considerations we entertain ourselves above any other; and none so fit to entertain us, as they: Nor can they be displeasing to you, whose Soul is daily fed by them, and from whence you derive your purest Joys, and such as charm your very Sleep, and bless your Slumbers, and render your Days as the Days of Heaven.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER VI.  
SIR,  
THough your last desired nothing but what was just and reasonable, and though your Desires, with me, are always Commands, yet I cannot entirely comply with them; of the Reason of which you are not altogether ignorant, and therefore you will the easilier excuse me.  
'Tis our Religion to comply wherein we can, and we are obliged to it by out Duty; but farther we are excused.  
'Tis with no little Satisfaction that I always think of our last personal Conversation: Nor am I without Hopes of many more of the same Nature and Happiness. If we are just to ourselves, we shall promote them as much as we can; to which, I know, your pious Disposition will very much incline you.  
I am not unmindful of the Trust you have reposed in me, but serve you in that Affair to the utmost of my power; as likewise in every Thing else, as far as I am able; and no farther will you expect from me.  
Let not the uncertain State of your Health grieve you; but rather rejoice in all the Miseries of this Life, as the greatest promoters of the Happiness of the next. Remember, whatever the Body loses, the Soul gains: And there is no Comparison betwixt the Ease of the one, and the Advantages of the other. To be truly sick, is to be vicious, to lose the Peace of our Minds, and the Influences of God upon our Souls; to be proud and passionate, covetous and fearful. These are real Distempers, and afflict sorely; and the Patient has Reason to groan, and complain bitterly. But this, I think, is not your Case, who have placed your Health in your Soul, not in your Body.  
The Remembrance of the Flames of Hell, and of the Misery that never dies, will greatly abate the Pains of Sickness; which, compared with the others, appear as none. But nothing so effectually comforts, as the Divine Aids and Assistances, that relieve us in the greatest Miseries. 'Tis this that makes all our Bed in our Sickness, and cooled the Martyrs in the midst of Flames, and warmed them in the Frozen Waters, and has sung Anthems of Joy and Praise, upon the Rack, to him who is mighty to save.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER VII.  
MADAM,  
BY the Date of this, you will find, I have not delayed to answer yours, which was not unwelcome to me, as never any were from you, which always bring their Entertainment with them.  
I cannot pretend to give you the Satisfaction you expect on the Subjects your Letter insists on, being various and important, worthy of an Holy and a Rational Soul, that cannot dwell on Trifles, nor feed upon Impertinences, that abuse our Time, and our Happiness, and our Beings; and rob us of what we are, and what we were designed for.  
But this is not the Fashion of your Conversations and Correspondencies, that are all strong and useful, masculine and noble, worthy of a wise, and a Christian Woman.  
To the First, Concerning the Value of Birth; what it may claim, and what we are obliged to pay. I say, ●… et it pretend to what it will, virtue is infinitely above it, as far as Heaven is above Earth; exceeds it, as far as the Soul does the Body: That virtue is great without it; but it without virtue, is scandalous, and exposes; is a Load, and a Misery, and ● sad Misfortune. Besides, that all ●… ts Pretences are on the Account of virtue: That first raised an obscure Birth, and ennobled the Blood by a ●… eal Quality: And therefore, as soon ●… s virtue ceases in the Race, the Birth ●… nd the Blood return to their first Obscurity.  
And this is your Title to Respect, without any other; nor need you any other.  
As concerning Learning, its highest Quality is to be a Servant to Ver●… ue; and when-ever it leaves the Service, 'tis wholly useless: And therefore itis Value too wholly refers to virtue.  
Concerning the Employment of our Time, Nothing is worthy of such an expense, but what ministers to our Eternal Happiness. Let that employ us always, that will last always: Let the Hours burn in Prayer, and let the Night flamme with Piety, and let our Days be as the Days of Heaven, by incessant Praises and Adoration; let virtue and Religion consecrate every Moment of our Lives, and then shall this Life be very near a-kin to the next, and lose its usual Miseries; and Death will make no great Change.  
Whoever reflects on the infinite Use and Advantage that may be made of Time, will immediately turn Usurer. Crowns, and Everlasting Mansions, and the perpetual Glory, are the Interest of Time: Endless and unspeakable Joys, that would rend a Mortal Frame, and shatter an Earthly Tabernacle, that can now enjoy but little, till refined, dilated, and enlarged in Heaven, and fitted to endure the Everlasting Ecstacy, and the Eternal Rapture, that shall ferment the Soul for ever with eternal and unutterable Joys, such as the Heart of Man is not able now to conceive, without Danger to the whole Man.  
On this purchase we should lay out all our Time, and not on that which is not Bread, but Ruin; that leads us from one Misery to another, from Death to Death, till it has at last plunged us in Everlasting Death, the constant Usage, and never-failing Wages of unlawful Pleasures, and Sin; that court and betray, that embrace and murder, that invite and kill.  
Concerning Clothes, I say, A Degree of Decency in them is lawful, proportionable to our Rank and Condition. And they that live in Kings Houses may wear soft Clothing, without the Imputation of Vanity or Pride.  
In all Things use a Freedom of Spirit; neither draw yourself in too ●… lose, nor burst out; neither be scrupulous, nor licentious; both pay tithe of Mint, and observe the weightier Duties of the Law.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER VIII.  
SIR,  
YOurs came late to me, but always comes welcome, because it treats of that which deserves to be red▪ and becomes the Holiness of our Baptism, and the Importance of our Creations; which must either be infinitely happy, or infinitely miserable; an●… will allow no Time for Trifling in thi●… short Life, which is but just enough t●… fit us for Eternity.  
So may you always writ, and 〈…〉 may we always red, and be still 〈…〉 earnest with ourselves, and with o●… another; still minding our great Busines, still traveling on, and keepin●… our Road; turning neither to th●… Right Hand, nor to the Left; becau●… the Danger of Straggling is infinit●… and the Day is far spent upon 〈…〉 all; and if benighted on the Roa●… we are lost for ever; and the Sun wi●… rise upon us no more to light our Fo●…lies, but will draw an Eternal Nigh●… over us.  
What you have writ last, and often is useful and advantageous to this purpose: Nor shall I alone reap the Bene●… it of it.  
The Glories and the Beauties you bestow on virtue, the charming Lights ●… nd Shades with which you paint it, ●… nd the Strengths with which you assault 'vice, and repress its Confidences, ●… nd refute its Pretences, are a Service to all that red you, and may profit ●… hem greatly on the Road of Life, to ●… irect the Way, and secure from Danger, and support the Toil, and are be and all the Impertinencies and Ex●… ravagances of Wit, that Waste of Parts ●… hat makes us Ten Times more the Children of Folly than we were be ore: That Wit that has been so much ●… he Darling of this wild, sickly Age, ●… nd has almost stripped us of common ●… ense, and murdered true Wisdom, ●… he Governor of our Lives and Actions; ●… referring a Heap of wretched Words ●… nd Talk, to all the Wisdom and Con●… uct in the World.  
This is their Folly: But you are far ●… rom praising their Saying.  
The just Resentment, the holy Zeal, ●… he sacred Rage that fills your last 〈…〉 me, and shines upon all your Con●… ersations, show how much you e●… pouse the Interests of virtue, and ●… he Glories of Religion, which have been so much assaulted and opposed by this foolish Generation, that is still studying and contriving its own shane and ruin; preferring the Infamy, and all the Miseries of 'vice, to that Glory, Honour, Immortality, and Eternal Life, that attends on virtue.  
This is a Wickedness that is far removed from you; and much you have done to remove it from others. But the Current runs strong against you; and 'tis a noble virtue, not to be carried with it. And your Labour●… have this Comfort, that it is happie●… to escape alone, than to perish, in Company.  
Me you have greatly obliged; an●… so you will, as often as you writ to him who is,  
Sir, &c▪   

LETTER IX.  
MADAM,  
THough you have honoured me with a Correspondence, and take some Satisfaction in writing to, and hearing from me, yet am I not any way worthy of it.  
I know, all your Delight is in conversing with virtue, and beholding ●… ts Beauties, and submitting to its Charms, and gazing on its Features; and when you red mine, you are not angry, but forgive the Troubles you have almost commanded; and which you will own I would have excused, because I know nothing can come from me, that has any Dignity or Worth beyond the Subject: And should I imagine otherwise, I should greatly wrong myself, and the Truth.  
That you are very humble, is but 〈…〉 sad Reason that I should be very ●… ain, and Imagine that I can enter●… ain her who has made so great an Advance in virtue, and tasted so ●… argely of its Joys, that nothing I ●… end you can tell you more than you ●… now.  
But whatever treats of virtue is acceptable to you, and you love to converse with it in any Dress, because it charms in any. And this is the Reason I have consented to writ to you, and to obey you, and to expose myself.  
And happy is she who has built her Happiness on such a Foundation, that nothing can injure or disturb it: The Bottom defies the Floods, and the Top is higher than the Winds, and Death itself shall help to build it higher.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER X.  
MADAM,  
ACcept the thankful Return your last to me deserves, of which I was wholly unworthy; but you oppress with Goodness, and make it difficult to be grateful. I would willingly make some Return suitable to the Favours I have received from you; which are many, and great, and undeserved; but you have set it past my power; and I am more likely to increase, than discharge the Debt.  
But if ought I writ delights you, if virtue has not charmed the less for reading mine; if it has warmed your holy Breast, and kindled sacred Fire there; if the flaming Soul was soaring then with Silver Wings to Heaven; if the Guardian-Beauty then inspires sacred Zeal and Love, and breaths the Joys of Heaven; if your Wisdom is not less, and if your Happiness be more; if Hymns and Prayer consecrate the Night, and pious Works the Day; if you weep more, if you fast oftener, if you retire longer; then I may modestly hope I have discharged a part of so large a Debt, and that you yourself will discharge the rest, and always believe none to be more,  
Madam, Your, &c.   

LETTER XI.  
SIR,  
I Would not have you take it ill, that I have not seen you for some Time: for it was not Want of Love, but because all Worldly Affections and Relations are of little Moment, compared to Spiritual Relations and Friendships. I shall much rather choose to express the latter, than the former, towards you, who are now just entering into a World that is crowded with Spiritual Enemies, and Dangers, and Ruins; that will endeavour to defeat your best Happiness in this World, which is that of inward Joy, and Peace, and Hope; and your Eternal Happiness in the next, that infinitely exceeds all that this World can propose to us, which has nothing truly great, or happy, or lasting in it; nothing inward, or sincere; nothing that can out-last a short and miserable Life, or pass one Step beyond the Grave, to comfort one Moment in the other World, where there is most need.  
Therefore the true and everlasting Wisdom of every Man, is, to know how to value and despise a-right; to know what will make him really, and certainly, and inwardly happy, and that for ever; and what it is that only pretends to it, and, upon Trial, can perform no such Matter: Such as are Riches, and Pleasures, and Honours: And accordingly, to pursue and follow, to avoid and slight. And much it imports us to have this Knowledge early, before we have travelled far on a wrong Road, and have a great Way to go back; that we may set out right, and keep our Way, which lies high above this World, and leads through Joys, to Joys; through the Pleasures of virtue in this Life, to Everlasting Joys in the Life to come. And that Road is Piety and virtue; a vast and just Contempt of the Things of this Life, that can do nothing towards our real Happiness, but much towards our real and eternal Misery: A flaming Sense of the Interests of virtue and Religion, that will secure us through a dangerous and a miserable World, and car●… y us to the only Rational Object of our Labours and Desires.  
This Wisdom, and this Happiness▪ I sincerely and hearty wish you▪ And I can wish him nothing greater, or better, who is half my own Flesh and Blood, because it can make you happy in any Condition.  
Thus he who is the greatest o●… Sinners, has presumed to writ to you▪ But let not that hinder you from using the Advices he has sent you▪ which are able to set and keep you in the true Road to Happiness in this World, and in the World to come.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XII.  
SIR,  
FOrgive this, though it comes to you late, because you have no Reason to question my Readiness to serve you in whatsoever I am able. Of this I have given you large Proof already, and you yourself have often owned it, and that not without Reason.  
I know how little you value a trifling Correspondence, and how much you prefer Silence to Impertinence; and that your strong and holy Soul is not to be fed with Trash, but loves to dwell upon that which is solid, and becoming your holy Education, and your own natural Inclinations to that which is wisest and best, and a Life worthy of the Christian Religion, and the immortal Hope.  
And thus only would I choose to correspond with you, that I may be the better for Writing, and you not the worse for Reading; that neither of us may trifle with our Time, or abuse that which is of the greatest value.  
There is something particular in your Temper, and Manner of Life, that makes it pleasant and delightful to me to writ to you: And your near Alliance to virtue, your stricter Life, the Severity of your Manners, the Holiness of your Devotions, the Sincerity of your Friendship, your Readiness to oblige, your Knowledge, Parts, and Modesty, endear you to all who know you, and bind them fast to you; and none more than him who writes to you now, who has known you through all the various Improvements of your virtue, and happy Changes of your Life; still admiring the happy Success, through your own Labours, and the Blessings of God; that having now mastered every Difficulty, and triumphed over the Obstinacy of every 'vice, and the Inveteracy of ill Habits, you are grown a fair and a large Example: And it is a Lecture to see you, and to converse with you; to admire and imitate you. Nor are you backward to communicate with a charming Sweetness, the best Rules and happiest Methods to attain to Wisdom and Happiness; after which you have laboured so much, and not in vain.  
How abundantly are you now recompensed for all the Pains you have taken in the rough Path of virtue? caressed by inward Joys, filled with Peace, even to Transport, indifferent to all the Changes of Fortune; neither the richer for Riches, nor the poorer for Poverty; neither increased by Honours, nor lessened by Contempt: If the World is in Arms, and died in Christian-Blood, your Peace is as the River; and no Man taketh it from you; though I could wish you conversed more with the World, that the World might be the better for conversing with you. This, I know, is much against your Inclinations, who prefer the Quiet and Security of the Port, to all the Bravery of Riding it out in the Storm: But the latter is certainly a larger virtue, and a better Service to the World, and a nobler Religion.  
This was the Life of God, and of his Apostles; of the patriarches, and the Prophets; of holy Kings and Bishops, the Guardians of the Temporal and Spiritual Happiness of the World; and of them who turn many to Righteousness, and are themselves to shine as the Stars, for ever and ever. 'Tis true, their Labours and Contentions are great, and their Martyrdom is living and tedious, unreliev'd by Death and a quick Hand, justly envying the Foelici cruore damnatos: But the Triumph and the Crown is proportionable to all their Labour, and their Reward shall live through all the Ages of Eternity, and they shall be as happy as they can endure for ever.  
Come forth! Appear then in the Beauty of virtue, fitted and prepared by Retirement for public Labours, and for a public Example. Quit the Port, and launch out into the Storm, and let the raging Tempest own you strong in the Rescue of your Brethren from a common Danger: Let your virtue shine like Lightning in the Storm: Act your own Glory, and the common Deliverance from the Tyranny of 'vice: Nor let your Retirement any longer wrong the public. This is my earnest Desire, and the earnest Desire of all that know you; and who hope you will prefer a public Good to a private Happiness, and the common Service to a single Ease.  
I am, Sir, &c,   

LETTER XIII.  
SIR,  
THis is the Third Letter you receive from me since I heard from you, but your own Concerns require this, and therefore you have the more Reason to forgive it, though it informs you of the Loss of that large Debt you reckoned sure, and that you are to depend upon it no longer: Nor is this the only Instance in which you are a Worldly Loser; she whom you so much loved, she who was to you as your own Soul, and whose Love for you exceeded the Love of Women; whose Love for you was wonderful, is now no more; from you and Nature she is removed for ever; the Mind which so much charmed you, now sojourns naked in another World, stripped of that Body which was the Pride of Nature, and gave her Queen of all her Sex. No more shall you behold that charming Face, that struck your Soul when first you saw it, and challenged Friendship's utmost Vows; no more those Eyes which kindled warm and sacred Love, sudden and long; no more shall they behold the Sun or you: Almira, fairest of human things, is now no more; she whom every virtue graced; she who was chast and kind as Angels, devout as ancient Syrian Hermits, and holy as the great Ascetick's sacred Sister, or the Egyptian Mary, inhabits now another World; is lost in Crowds of Angels, dissolved in everlasting Joys, to be seen no more by human Eyes; no more shall writ the best and kindest things to you, nor you the softest sacred things to her; your Tenderer half is dead and butted, and you knew it not till now; but seek not to appease your Grief with Tears, for that would weep you blind, and you would weep in vain, but let Prayer staunch the mighty Sorrow, and Resignation heal your Grief, think not of Almira's Death, but of her Life, and do you live it over again, and thus restore your other half to Life; think how she talked, and how she writ, and how she lived; think of that chast and beauteous Face that charmed against Almira's Will, in spite of Fasts, and penitential Tears, and nightly Watches; in Spite of all that she could do or suffer; that sacred Face, whose Picture always hangs before your Thoughts; think of that angelic Air, and sacred Mien that awed whoever it charmed, and charmed whoever it awed; think how in the midst of a plentiful Fortune, her own Hands ministered to her Necessities; how modest her Apparel, how humble her Behaviour, how lavish to the poor, how sparing to her self, and with these Remembrances appease your Sorrow, say to yourself, she is still alive, and more alive than ever, in a better Place, and better Company; and then admire you should grieve so much, because she is so happy whom you loved so much, and now enjoys what you have so often wished her; and say these Tears recall those Wishes, and I must weep no more. Say if Almira is thus happy, how should I rejoice; and share her Happiness, who shared it while she lived below? And thus shall her past Life comfort you, and her present Glory transport you, that were it in your Power, you would not call her back again, or bring her down to this miserable Life. And thus you may manage yourself on the Death of all your other Friends, and of your nearest Relations, who tread the Paths of virtue, and give ●… ust Hopes that they shall be happy as we can wish them; and that you can pretend no other Reason for your Weeping when they die, but that you love their Company better than their Happiness, and that all this while you weep for yourself, and not for them, because not they, but you, are miserable.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XIV.  
SIR,  
YOur last was no mean Entertainment to me, for which I return you Thanks, desiring to hear oftener from you, because I know the Correspondence will be to my Advantage.  
You are pleased with an exceeding Humility, to desire me to writ to you concerning human Miseries and Afflictions, how they profit the Soul, and what Advantage we reap from them, how they improve our virtue, and make us happier as well as better, to which I shall answer as God shall enable me.  
I say, First, in the Authority of the Scriptures, that they are favours peculiar to the Righteous, for the Wicked come into no Misfortue, neither are they plagued like other Men, and this is the Reason they are so wicked; but many are the Miseries of the Righteous. And whom the Lord loves he corrects, and who shall doubt but that's for his good, which is sent him from his infinite Friend, let it look how it will?  
I say, Secondly, in the Authority of Experience, that every good Man finds the Benefit of them; I do not say they are pleasant while they are upon us, while they are working and crucifying our very Souls, while our Bodies sweat Blood, and our Souls are sorrowful even unto Death, during the great Desolation and Amazement, while we are a grinding and racking, while we are pouring forth our Souls unto Death, but our Peace may remain with us all this while; and the Favour of God, though not the Light of his Countenance; and though he hides his Face for a While, yet he will not absent himself for ever; and the Joy which comes in the Morning, will relieve the Heaviness that endures but for a Night, and the Light Affliction which is but for a Moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory.  
These Considerations may comfort us while we are in the very Furnace, and enable us at the same Time that we cry, Father, if it be possible, let this Cup pass, to add, Nevertheless not my will, but Thine be done. To say, Father, thou art infinitely good, and while by thy Grace I endeavour to please thee, thou wilt lay nothing on me but what is for my good; though this Temptation is violent, and though the Battle is fought in Garments rolled in Blood, and I am pressed above Measure, so that I despair of Life; yet he who has lead me into this Temptation, will deliver me out of it, and when I have passed through Fire and Water, he will bring me forth into a wealthy Land. He will crown me for ever, for all the Wounds I have received, and for all the Blood I have lost, and give me Beauty for Dust, and Garments of Praise for those that were rolled in Blood. He who lead me to the Battle, will led me to the Triumph, he who saw me struck down to the Ground in his Cause, will raise me up to Heaven; if I sow in Tears, I shall reap in Joy, and with these Cordials we may recover and support our fainting Spirits.  
But if we are capable of all this Comfort while the Misery rages, and we in the midst of the Furnace, and while we are torn with Agonies and Convulsions, how large shall our Peace be when the Storm is laid, and the Tempest sleeps, and all is calm as the Face of Heaven, or the Visage of a Cherubim descending with Messages of Love and Peace on Earth; when the Consolation abounds, and the beauteous Guardian renews his Visits, streaming purest Joys into the Soul, with balmy Comforts healing all its sorrows, and composing every Grief, that the Bones which had been broken might rejoice; and the Anthem will be, Thou art my Father, my God, and my strong Salvation; thou hast sent down from on high to deliver me, thy right Hand has saved me, thou hast mightily delivered thy Servant, the Waters saw thee, O God, the Waters saw thee, and were afraid, the Depths also were troubled, thy Lightnings shone, and thy Arrows went abroad in my Defence. This Song we shall take up, and whatever else is solemn and triumphant in the Psalms of David, and our Soul shall be satisfied even as it were with Marrow and Fatness, while we are praising God with joyful Lips, My Heart is fixed O God, my Heart is fixed, I will Sing and give Praise, awake my Glory, and awake my Lute, and awake my Harp, and I myself will awake right early; for the Greatness of thy Mercy reaches unto the Heavens, and thy Truth unto the Clouds, set up thyself, O God, above the Heavens, and thy Glory above all the Earth. Thus shall we break forth into Songs of Triumph, and Anthe●● of Deliverance; and if Tribulation● have abounded, Consolations shall abound much more in Psalms and sacred Poetry, and inspired Hymns.  
And thus far have I writ to you in the Genius of the Scriptures, because they are infinitely stronger and holier than any human Reasoning or Discourse, for they are the Discourses of a God, and not of a Man, and are the Measure of the Truth and Holiness of all other Discourses; but human Discourses withal, have their Weight and Dignity, and Effect, may comfort and support, and even raise the Soul up to a holy Triumph, tho writ by Heathens themselves; such ar● those of Plutarch and Seneca, to which a Christian may be beholden for Comforts, and even have a better Opinion of Miseries, this Dignity and Power I say there is in the very natural Reason. Therefore we may not despise it, or slight its Use and Helps, and Advantages; nor was it given us to be so used, but to treat it with Respect, and to make the most of it: It too will tell us, that Afflictions are nearly ●… elated to virtue, and Pleasures to 'vice, that Pleasures naturally let the Mind down, and that Afflictions raise it, that Difficulties and Hardships are ●… he proper Objects of virtue, as Sloth and easy Joys, of 'vice; and these are Notions of no small Dignity and Importance, to be informed how Sufferings purge, and cleanse, and purify the Mind, loosen it from the Body, make it strong and healthy, spiritual ●… nd noble, ambitious and heavenly, while Luxury and Prosperity make it ●… oft and mean, fearful and poor, uncapable of the vast Labours and Rewards of virtue; that all Pleasures but those of the Mind, are base and despicable, and sully the Body as well ●… s the Soul, and tarnish our very Thoughts: And to come close to the Purpose, that those only are true pleasures, that are squeezed out of Miseries ●… nd Sufferings, and proceed from Patience and Fortitude, and a hardy virtue. To scorn and hate Pleasures, is a true and noble Pleasure, haec summa voluptas, odisse & contempsisse voluptates, dilectari miseriis; and in all this there is not one Word of Stoicism, but entirely agrees with St. Paul Words,— Therefore I take Pleasure in Infirmities, and Necessities, and Distresses, and God forbid, that I should glory, save in th●… across of our Lord Jesus Christ; so that by the Authority of the Scriptures, a Man may glory and rejoice in Miseries and that for this natural Reason, that if Tribulations abound, then do Consolations abound much more; and o●… that Strength has this Reason been and of that real Force, that many o●… the Martyrs in the bitterest Torment●… have rejoiced, not accepting Deliverance, as the same Scriptures infor●… us; and that without the least Stupidity or playing the Fool with the●… Reason or their Sences, but in th●… just and utmost Use of them both have preferred the present Joy and Hope, and to us unconceivable Support, to a Deliverance from any pain●… they could suffer; which in many wer●… lost and drowned in the greatness o●… their Joys: No, let Stupidity be lai●… to the Sons and Daughters of Pleasure, and Honour, and Interest, to the Hero, and the Miser, and the Debauché; who will suffer infinitely for nothing, The ●… irst will exhaust all the Labours of War, will pass through Water, and Blood, and Fire, to be praised; and embrace a Sha●… low, to make Men talk who have some●… hang else to do: This is their Folly; ●… nd their Generation praise their Saying. The Labours of the Covetous are not ●… ess: They will renounce all the Plea●… ures of this Life, and of the Life to ●… ome, for the sake of that, which when ●… btain'd, they will not enjoy: They will watch, and fear, and starve for that which, when they have got, they will ●… ot touch: They will live in the utmost Poverty and shane, for the poor Rea●… on of dying rich. And the Debauché will rot, because he loves his Body; and ●… e is for those Pleasures that can make him roar; and he will renounce his Rea●… on, that he may be a Wit. These are Follies of a strange Size and Shape, and ●… omething thicker than Stupidity itself. Thus have I written to you more large●… y than usual; and if it gives you any ●… atisfaction, I am happy.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XV.  
MADAM,  
AS I have long delayed this, so ' t●… like you had not heard from n●… yet, if common Civility had not obliged me, though a longer Silence ha●… been a greater.  
Had your last to me treated me wit●… that Contempt I deserve, and done m●… the Justice I might challenge, my Return to yours had been speedier: Bu●… what you have writ, is lost on me, wh●… have no Right to it, nor any way d●…serve the Honour of corresponding with you. You are a large Entertainment to yourself; and you would be a Company in a Wilderness. Your ow●… Thoughts are large Conversations, you●… Piety treats you, Retirement caresse●… you, virtue feasts you, your Hope●… transport you. Nor are those very Mortifications( with which you so severely treat that beauteous Frame) without their Joys: If you talk, you make the Company; if you red, your Conversation is with the greater Dread. Thus happy, How can I add to your Happiness? But I may easily interrupt it: Which is a strange Civility; and such an one as I would rather refuse than pay, ●… you would give me leave.  
What can divert you more than your ●… appy Contemplations, that raise the ●… umane Life above the World, and ●… ar the Soul to Heaven in a secret Peace; ●… nd purest Joys, which your own Heart ●… nows, and a Stranger intermeddles not ●… ith; than those Devotions, that in●… me your Soul, and kindle brightest ●… ires, and exhale it quiter to Heaven; ●… an those pious Offices you perform ●… public, ministering to the Necessi●… es of the Orphan, blessing the Wi●… w, covering the Naked, and refresh●… g the Bowels of the Distressed: La●… ours you are forced to perform in pub●… ck, while you wish they were un●… noun.  
And how can I add to so much ●… appiness? And what can I do, that ●… n make you happier? This is the ●… usiness of your own Angel, who has ●… ot ministered to you in vain, nor yet ●… es minister: He will be about your ●… d, and about your Path, and ob●… rve all your Ways; 'allure you with ●… oys, and warn you with Fears, and ●… i've with you against the Tempta●… on, and against the Tempter, and ●… form you of all his Strength, and ●… scover all his wil●ss, and make you wise to Salvation, and instruct yo●… in an holy Prudence, and spiritua●… Arts, and tell you of the Danger o●… living too fast, and being over-righ●…teous, and how the Enemy will ma●… his Advantages of it; who, when h●… cannot persuade you to lye down i●… the Way, will put you upon Ru●…ning yourself out of Breath; whic●… he knows come both to the sam●… Thing, and will equally serve his Tur●… And in this, above all other Matter●… it is necessary that you be throug●…ly instructed; or he will come roun●… you, and every Step you make w●… be a Fall, and every Fall will brui●… you sorely. When he sees he canno●… hinder you from fasting, he will pr●…tend to promote it, and put you upon excessive Fasts, to dry up you●… Devotions, and the Goodness of you●… Temper, and sour your Love, an●… fret your Peace, and enrage your P●…tience; that what you gain one Way●… you may lose ten-fold another; tha●… instead of keeping under the Body and purifying the Mind, and soberin●… the Desires, the Passions may take 〈…〉 stronger Ferment, and the Body b●… disabled from serving the Mind, an●… the Mind stripped of all its Vigou●… and both lye fainting on the Wa●… If you are inclined to Prayer, and ●… e finds he cannot hinder you, then ●… e immediately shifts Hands, and en●… eavours to persuade you, that your Prayers are neither warm enough, nor ●… any enough, nor long enough; that ●… e may tyre you, and waste your Spirits, and that you may take a Sur●… eit of Prayer; that when you have disabled yourself for some Time, and ●… aid by your armor, he may set upon you naked with all his Strength ●… nd Fury, and tear you in pieces while ●… here is none to help, and while you ●… eek to none. The Time would fail me to tell you how many Ways he endeavours to abuse us; but by none more than by spiritual Indiscretion.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XVI.  
SIR,  
IF you forgive my Delay in answering your last, you will oblige me and if you reap any Benefit by mine it will be a Satisfaction to me. For while we do good to others, we be friend ourselves, and are still promoting our own Interest, which God ha●… placed in that of others, and promoting the Good of our Neighbou●… whom we are to love as ourselves▪ and our Reward shall be with 〈◇〉 Most High, and Crowns and Palm●… shall grow out of the Labours of ou●… Charity, and Everlasting Rest shall bles●… our Love.  
But whether my Letters to you b●… a Charity or a Trouble, a good or an●… impertinent Office, you will best b●… able to judge by the Effects: If the●… led you to Wisdom, they are Friend●… and Benefactors: If they promote your Happiness, you will have Reason to forgive the Trouble of them, and not repent your desiring to be thus troubled; for there is no Advantage equal to that of the Soul, which shal●… out-live the Age of Time, and behold the Funeral of the World, and the Birth of the New Heavens, and the Second Eternity; for all its Advantages are eternal; and whatever it gains here, it shall enjoy for ever in the Region of Angels, in the Mansions of Ecstacy and Souls, of Cherubims and Spirits, of Rapture and Light; where the Reward shall grow to an infinite height, and the Joy shall stream like the Sun, and flamme like Light, Hither I would serve you, and all who travail on the Road to Heaven, by inflaming your Hopes, and chasing your Love, and altering your Desires, and confirming your Faith, and endeavouring to raise you above Life, and above the World; from Impertinence and Sorrow, to Wisdom and Glory.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XVII.  
MADAM,  
YOur last still dwells on the same Subject, on the same immortal and inexhaustible Subject; the Glory of this Life, and the next; the best Wisdom, and the highest Interest; our Race, and our Crown.  
On that Subject I answer, that nothing can better employ your Soul, aspiring to the Glories of the Upper Life, whither you contend; taking the Wings of the Morning, and born up upon the Flames of Prayer, and supported by your Duty; and the Angels that have the Charge of you, and bear you in their Hands, and raise you on their Purple Wings, soaring to the Palaces of Light and Bliss, where the Joy is never quenched, and where the Beauty and the Ecstacy never dies; but shall enfold you in the Arms of an Everlasting Love, while your Soul is bathed in unutterable and everlasting Joys, that flow from the Face of God; at whose Right Hand there are Pleasures for evermore, such as no Eye has seen, or Ear heard, neither has it entered into the Heart of Man to conceive. Hither incessant Prayer will led you, and cleansing Fasts and Watchings; after which, you wash your Face, and anoint your Head, that none may see, but he that sees in secret, and rewards openly. Hither Holiness and virtue will conduct you, and steer you safe through this Stormy Nether World, and land you on the Immortal shore, and bring you to the Haven where you would be.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XVIII.  
SIR,  
YOurs which insisted so much on the Pleasures of traveling, is more diverting than Instructive: Its Pleasures I easilier allow, than its Advantages; though it is not without its many Troubles and Hazards, that prove him wiser that stays at home.  
The Eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor will the Fancy ever own it has enough; but he shall have enough to do, and enough to suffer, that undertakes to humour it in all its various and unaccountable Changes: And he who travels till he accomplishes this, will not find Room enough in one World, nor in the Range of a Thousand.  
I know no other wise traveling, but that that brings us nearer to God; Ad Deum autem non peregrinando, said amando pervenitur. And that we may do in the Land of our Nativity; yea, in our Father's House, and in the House in which we were born; without any Necessity of staring in Foreign Countries, or cutting the Face of the Sea, or going to and fro on the Earth, and seeking new Climates, or conversing with strange Languages, and Customs, and Complexions, and beholding the various Faces of the human Nature.  
He who loves God much, has travelled much, and is far advanced on the Road to Heaven; and his Travels shall turn to an everlasting Account, and make him wise for ever, and happy to all Eternity.  
He who travels on the Errand of God, bearing the Everlasting Gospel, like the Apostles, travels to the purpose, to the solid Advantage of himself, and of the World. But he who travels out of Curiosity, could he tyre the Sun, and weary the Moon, and fetch the Compass of the Empirean Heaven, yet should he be neither the wiser, nor the better; but have toiled infinitely, and have exhausted endless Labours, and expenses, and Dangers, for that which is not Bread, nor Wisdom, nor Heaven.  
But the Travels of Wisdom may be performed at home, in the Improvements of the Mind, in vast Advances in virtue, in a large Progress in Piety, in the Labours of Love, in subduing Temptations, and the Confidence and Impertinence of Fancy; in passing from Grace to Grace, and from virtue to virtue; from the Conquest of the Body, to the Enlarging of the Mind; from Anger to Patience, from Patience to Health, from Health to Beauty, from Beauty to Glory, from Earth to Heaven.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XIX.  
MADAM,  
I Shall now, in Answer to yours, insist on the Heaven of Divine Love. And, forgive my Delay. You know it is not Neglect, but a better Cause, has occasioned it. Nor are you ignorant of my Readiness to serve you in the Interests of Eternity; how much I love your Soul should be in health, and you wise and happy for ever.  
I say then, that Divine Love is the greatest Duty, and the greatest Reward of a Religious Life; that it is the utmost Happiness the Soul is capable of, That it is the Bread of Angels: That which refines the Body, and perfects the Mind; that subdues the World, and unites the Soul to God. And let this be the great End of your Religion, to arrive at the Perfection of Divine Love; than which, nothing better is known to Men or Angels. That now raises us up to Heaven, now draws down Heaven to us; and is every Beauty, and every Perfection, a●d every Glory; itis own Duty, and its own Reward; a Heaven drawn over this Life; the great Intercourse betwixt the Upper and the Nether World; that attracts the Angels, and chaces the Evil Spirits; that tramples on the World, and on the Conquerors and the Tyrants of the World. 'Tis greater than Empire, and fairer than Beauty, and richer than the Treasures of Kings, or the Bowels of the Earth. 'Tis the Standard of every Pretence to Religion: That that wants it, is none; that that has it, is perfect. In its Strength you shall go farther in a Day, than without it in an Age. By it the Martyrs died, and the glorious Confessors outlived their many Deaths; and spent and wreck'd the Storm, instead of being wreck'd; and return'd late, but loaded with Glories, to Heaven. On it you shall secure your Soul for ever; for it is not alone, but in its Train follows every virtue, and every Grace; and( but long behind, in the Rank of Slaves) follow all the Passions in Chains; Unreasonable Wickedness, Polluting Lusts, and Dark Revenge; the Intemperances of the Mind, and the Excesses of the Body; Fear and Desire, Malice and Covetousness; Pride, and Cowardice, Sloth, and all that is wicked, and bold, and little; impudent, or mischievous, or impertinent; a Friend to 'vice, or an Enemy to Wisdom and Happiness. All these confess its Power, and follow its Triumph, and bow the Head to its Glory. Great is Faith, great is Hope, and great are the Things they have performed: But greater than these, and every Thing else, is Love; for God is Love. And there is nothing which is so much the terror of Evil Spirits, as Divine Love; nor Watchings, nor Prayer, nor Fasts, nor Charities, nor Mercy, nor Humility, nor Patience, nor any other virtue, acts so perfect a Triumph over them; as one by Experience hath assured us.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XX.  
SIR,  
THE Subject of your last is weighty, and if you desire my judgement on it, it is this, that let our Duty be never so difficult, we must set our Shoulder to it, and not take up part and let the rest lye, and cry our Strength is not proportionable to the Weight of the whole. This the everlasting Fire, this the everlasting Glory will not permit, unless we will forfeit the one, and for ever lye down in the other, for the Sake of being easy and lazy for a few Years; but who would purchase such a scandalous Happiness at the Price of a flaming and enraged Eternity? To burn for his Ease, and to be miserable for ever to save himself a Trouble, to howl out eternal Ages that he may be quiet for a Moment; may so much Folly never oppress you, and may this Choice never be made by you; judge of your Duty now as you would if you were weltering in the Flames of Hell; and see if there be any Comparison be twixt the Miseries of the one and of the other, who in that Place of Torments would not forgive an Injury, or an Affront, or quit a Lust, or a Revenge to be discharged? And will it not be wiser done before we come there, for not doing it here? And there are few better Means to prevent our really coming there hereafter, than to fancy ourselves there now, and to consider what it is we would not do to get loose from such a Condition, and immediately to resolve to do as much now, to prevent our ever coming there; let the Gate of Heaven be never so narrow, and the way to it never so straight; yet surely it is easier to press through, than to lye down in everlasting Burnings for the Pleasure of a facilis descensus.  
But shall the Joys of Heaven weigh nothing with us in this Matter? Shall not they too provoke to do and suffer to the utmost that we may attain to them; if the Difficulties of our Duty be never so great, yet if the Reward be infinitely greater, greater Reason have we to rejoice than complain, unless we think no Reward great enough for sleeping soundly, or doing nothing, or doing very wickedly, and exceeding foolishly, if Poverty and the ston, the Gout and Contempt, and all the Miseries that Advice or physic knows, if all the Afflictions which the Righteous have known, and the Wicked escaped, who are not plagued like other Men, should crawl upon every Moment of our Lives; and Life were nothing but Racks and Agonies, and Martyrdom, yet were it worth the While to suffer all, for the Sake of Heaven, and for his Sake who suffered so much for us and for our Salvation to bring us to his Glory.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XXI.  
MADAM,  
I Have nothing to say in Excuse for my Delay in answering your last, your Sex and your Birth, your virtue and Piety, and the common Respect you receive from all, obliged me to a quicker Compliance with your Desires, which are always reasonable and just, useful and unimpertinent, the Satisfaction of him who serves you, as well as of her who is served; whose Beauties are sacred, and charm to virtue, not to Lust, and you are seen like Angels, with Admiration, not Desire.  
And now with what can I entertain you better, than with those Subjects that still delight your Holy Mind, and furnish you with the purest Joys, and often bath your Soul in Heaven, and raise you high above all this lower World; above Interests and Pleasures, above Desires and Fears, above Life and Death, that have reared your virtue to such an admired height, when you talk you instruct, when you are filent you admonish, and all your Behaviour is either a Lecture, or an Example, or a mildred Reproof, that invites the good, and corrects the bad, and cherishes and supports the Interests of virtue, and represses the Confidence of 'vice, and the Impudence of Sin.  
Such is she whom we all respect! Such is she whom we all admire! Nor are you obliged to blushy when you red no more than what you are, the Joy of virtue, and the Support or Manners, the Strength and Beauty of your Sex, and whom Men admire, the best Stay and the last Hopes of a decayed and blasted Age; that has been just to Religion in nothing, but in celebrating her Funerals, though with a false Piety conveying her out of the World.  
The Satisfactions you take in virtue are certainly wise and just; for nothing else can comfort or support, nothing else can atone the Calamities of this miserable Life, which we ourselves have made so; by the Malice of our Sins, and by our innumerable Follies, with which we have oppressed our Beings, and filled our Souls with Anguish, and turned Life into Death, and Death into Horrors.  
May you still more and more resemble the Beauties of him you have never seen, but ministers to you in secret, and encamps about you wherever you make your abode, and follows you wherever you go; may he still delight to tarry round about you, and deliver you, when he whispers do you harken and do, when he restrains secretly, do you refrain, that his Ministry be not in vain.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XXII.  
SIR,  
AS a farther Answer to your last, which now a greater Leisure allows me to make, I tell you, that you cannot allow too much Time to Prayer, because it is your Life, and your Security; your Guard, and your Defence; the Shield and the Sword of the Soul, the Friend of virtue, and the Rage of Satan: That repels the Evil Spirits, and invites the Good. Let its Warmths inflame you always, and its Powers fill your Soul: 'Tis the great Business of this Life, as Praise is of the next: 'Twill grapple for you in the Temptation, and strive with you in the Agony of Sin, and support you fainting in the Resistance: 'Twill obtain whatever you desire, and prevent whatever you fear: 'Twill cover you from the terrors of the Night, and from the Arrow that flies by Day; from Sorrows and Folly, and from Repentance, by preventing the Occasion: 'Twill preserve the Glory of the Soul, and adorn it ever more and more, and prevent the Deformities and Ruins of Sin, and the sad Cry of Why go I thus heavily, while the Enemy oppresses me? 'Twill conquer for you, and triumph with you: 'Twill scatter the Enemy: 'Twill teach you how to go upon the Lion and the Adder: 'Twill solve the Delusion, and disperse the Temptation, and pursue the Enemy, and tread them under that rise up against you.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XXIII.  
MADAM,  
THat you desire to hear from me, is, because you abound in Modesty, not that I am worthy to writ to you, who am less than the least of all Men, the weakest and the worst of Men. But if you receive Benefit by my writing to you, 'twill in some measure compound for my Immodesty in writing.  
Your own Troubles, and the Troubles of your Family, I own, are sufficient to overthrow a weak Religion, and a trifling Faith. For if they are such as yours describes them, they are not to be born by an ordinary Strength: And such always is our own Strength; or rather, our own Weakness. Therefore we must have Recourse to Prayer, the only powerful Remedy against all Evils; for that will strengthen the Weak, and support the Feeble, and double our Patience, and make us equal to any Load; drawing Succours from an Infinite Fountain, that can always overrule our Miseries, and even turn them to Happiness, the constant Issue of them, when they are received with the Right Hand, and we behave ourselves under them as we ought; for then they presently lose their Weight, and their Bitterness; and of Enemies, become Friends and Allies; and strengthen our virtues, and fight with us against our Follies and our Vices, that infest our Happiness, and corrupt our Wisdom; and make us firm and strong, and give Patience its perfect Work, making us perfect and entire, wanting nothing.  
So that our Complaints of this kind must be low, modest, and temperate, lest we should be over-heard complaining of our best Friends, and such as render us the usefullest Offices, such as will not flatter and deceive, weaken and dis-spirit us; but harden us by severe and Manly Trials, and train us to Crowns and Everlasting Rewards, to Glory, Honour, Immortality, and Eternal Life; which shall infinitely recompense for the short Affliction, which is but for a Moment, and works for us a far more exceeding and eternal Weight of Happiness.  
Or shall I sand you his Advice, who had an extraordinary Unction in what he wrote; and who, in relation to your Case, writes thus:— There is no Security in this Life; thou shalt always have need of Spiritual armor. Thou livest amongst Enemies, and art assaulted on every Hand. If therefore thou defendest not thyself with the Shield of Patience, thou canst not be long unwounded. Moreover, If thou fix not thy Heart on me, with a sincere Will to suffer all Things for me, thou canst not bear the Heat of this battle, nor obtain the Triumphant Reward of the Saints in Bliss. Thou oughtest therefore manfully to go through all, and to use a strong Hand against whatsoever doth withstand thee. For, to him that overcomes is Manna given; but for the Negligent there remains much Misery.  
If thou seekest Rest in this World, how wilt thou then attain to the Everlasting Rest? Dispose not thyself to much Ease, but to much Patience. Seek true Peace; not in Earth, but in Heaven; not in Men, nor in any other Creature, but in God alone. Thou oughtest, for the Love of God, willingly to undergo all Things, Labours, Griefs, Temptations, Vexations, Anxieties, Necessities, Infirmities, Injuries, Detractions, Reprehensions, Humblings, shane, Corrections, and Contempts. These help to virtue; these try a Novice of Christ; these make the Heavenly Crown. I will give an Everlasting Reward, for a short Labour; and Infinite Glory, for Transitory shane.  
Thinkest thou that thou shalt always have spiritual Consolations at Will? My Saints had not so; but they had many Afflictions, and sundry Temptations, and many Discomforts; in all which they did bear up patiently, and trusted rather in God, than in themselves; knowing that the Sufferings of this Life are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which shall be revealed. Wilt thou have that immediately, and without Pains, which Multitudes, after many Tears, and great Labours, have hardly obtained? Wait upon the Lord, do manfully, be of good Courage, do not despair, do not flee; but with Constancy expose both Body and Soul for the Glory of God. I will reward thee in most plentiful manner, and will be with thee in all thy Tribulations.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XXIV.  
SIR,  
IN Answer to yours, I say, there is no such Thing as Outward Happiness, any farther than virtue gives the Relish. In this your Experience joyn●… with me, who have so often owned you could never make any Thing of the World, without Religion, though your Share of it be not inconsiderable, and more than a truly wise Man would desire, or you think is necessary.  
And this is our great Happiness, an●… the great Wisdom, and Power, and Goodness of God, who has set our Happiness higher than all this World, and placed it in the Joys of virtue, and the Hopes of Heaven, in Sufferings and Labours, in Persecutions and Contempts in opposing the Rage and Malice o●… Folly, and the Insolence of Wickedness, and the Fury of Custom and Example; in a vast Patience, and a noble Courage; in a strong and a sincere Mind, that will neither abuse i●… self, nor comply with an evil World▪ And though all this be very difficult and startling at the first, yet the Advance, and Progress, and Issue, are Joy and Happiness, Glory, Honour, Immortality, and Eternal Life.  
And he who acts and suffers thus, has a nobler and a sincerer Enjoyment, even of the Things of the World, than any sale and prostitute Villain or Coward, than any complying intemperate Glutton, than any of the Sons of Lust, or the Bastards of Pleasure, that would be any Thing for an infamous Life.  
For whatever has any Relish of Happiness besides virtue, receives it from virtue: And therefore, he who has most virtue, has the greatest Enjoyment of the Things of the World; His Mind is fitted and prepared for Happiness, and tinctures every Thing with its own Peace and Joys.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XXV.  
MADAM,  
THat you return Thanks for my last to you, and aclowledge any Service it has done you, is not a doing Justice to me, but to your own Humility and Modesty, while you choose to receive the Advice you are able to give.  
But whatever Opinion you have of the Paper you received from me, it must not alter mine of myself, who am nothing, and of myself able to do nothing. If I writ to you, it is not because I am fit to writ; but because you command me to writ, who know my Readiness to obey you: But would rather in any Thing else, than in this.  
I know your Soul is not to be entertained with Trifles: And what else can you expect from me, whose Weakness and Imperfections you discover in every Thing? And why will you employ me above my Strength? Or seek those Advices from him, who, of all others, is most unfit to give them?  
You desire the strongest Antidotes against Sorrow and Grief, and an extraordinary Concern upon any Worldly Account; but, with your wonted Humility, would raise them on the Account of your Sins; and would bestow Sorrow where Sorrow is due, while you would avoid the Sorrow that works Death, but cannot remove the Evil, nor persuade the Good.  
You desire to be directed to those Joys that can fill the Mind, and satisfy the Soul, and quench the Greatness of its Thirst, and the Rage of its Desires. And the Task you lay on me is vast, and above my Weakness: And they are Services I have not been able to perform for myself: And what can I do in the Behalf of another? Can he relieve others, who has nothing, for himself? Can he guard others, who is Defenceless himself? Can the Poor treat, and be at large expenses; And shall he who has no Power, undertake great Things, without exposing himself mightily? In this you are not equal, I will not say just: You have considered your own Relief, but forgot my Inability.  
But you are willing, I find, to be pleased with any Compliance with your Commands, and to excuse any Imperfections, but those of the Will: And much I may employ this Temper of yours, and much there will be for you to forgive.  
'Tis no easy Matter to remove a sullen and inveterate Grief, and an obstinate Sorrow, and the gloomy Trouble; especially when Nature joins with the Occasion, and the Distemper is become a Habit, and we lye down in our Miseries; when we desire Help, and are loth to receive it: For that is sometimes the Case, though strange, and almost incredible; in which something there is of the great Power of Custom, but much more of the Mercy of God, over-ruling human Miseries, and changing their very Natures. But when such are  told, that Worldly Sorrow work●… Death, there can be little Encouragement left to humour the Distemper●… and to side with the great Enemy o●… human Nature and Happiness, an●… enter into a Confederacy against ou●… selves, and torment ourselves to pleas●… ourselves; for there is such a pervers●… Folly in the World, and Reason ha●… been thus far blinded, and a Habit o●… Misery has gone thus far, assisted by 〈…〉 perverse Folly.  
But, methinks, every one ought to have more Love for themselves, and to be better Friends to their own Happiness, and rather strive to abate, than increase their Miseries; for this is according to Reason, and Nature, and an indispensible Debt, which all owe themselves, and are bound to discharge.  
And in order to it, nothing is more available, than to consider the In-value of all human Things; how little our Happiness or our Misery really depends upon them, without our Consent; that they can neither add to the one, or the other, without Leave from our Folly and Mistake. And therefore, Why should we rejoice so much at their Coming, or grieve at their Departure, and expose our Happiness on every trifling Occasion, and ourselves to a Thousand needless Miseries, and impertinent Afflictions, for want of fixing a right judgement of Things, and a right Notion of ourselves? He who has said to virtue, Thou art my Portion for ever, and my Happiness, shall not easily be moved; and his Goings shall not slide. He who has said, God is my All; and besides him, there is nothing in Heaven or Earth, which I desire, cannot be miserable, or afraid, though the Earth trembled under him, and the Heavens were all in a flamme over him. He knows in whom he has trusted, and in whom he rejoices; and his Joy nothing can take from him. He has cast a Foundation on the Rock of Ages, he has built upon Eternal Foundations, and shall stand fast for ever, as the Faithful Witness in Heaven.  
And if you take this Course, and lay hold of your Happiness thus, it will not so easily slip out of your Hands, nor shall it lye in the power of every trifling Misery to abuse you; but your Life will be strong and even, comfortable and uniform; neither insolent, nor dejected; neither abused by a false Happiness, nor by a pretended Misery: But you will know and use every Thing right, you shall be free from the Inroads of Sorrows, Troubles, and Griefs; and nothing shall shake your Quiet, or disturb your Peace, but your Sins, and the Wrath of God, which are just Cause of Trouble and terror, and will be unavoidable to a Mind never so firm, compact, and well built; for they pierce the Soul, and weaken all its Strength; sully all its Beauty, and discompose its Order, and turn all into horror, Confusion, and Amazement; into Cloud and Darkness, that the Man has lost his Way, himself, and his Happiness, for the present; and nothing but an humble Repentance can retrieve his sad Condition: And his Miseries are not melancholy and conceited, but real and sincere, sad and unavoidable, till the Mercy of God shall down upon his Repentance, and the Light of his Countenance begin to break in upon his Soul, resembling the Night and Chaos, and the horrors of the Flaming Deep, and the Dark and Liquid Fires. But this is not the Condition you tax yourself with, or to which I am applying Remedies by your Order: They are the Oppressions of Fancy and Ignorance, and the Insults of Mistake, I am treating of; to which you unnecessarily expose yourself; for nothing but Sin has a Right to make you miserable; no, not the Loss of your Eldest Son, and your greatest Hope; who is to you as a part of your own Soul, and whom you love more than Life: No, not the Loss of your Friend, your Estate, or your Reputation; for our Happiness can live without all these, and thrive, and be in good Health; for there is som●thing within, that not only supports, but cheers and triumphs the Soul; that not only feeds, but feasts it with the brightest Joys, such as the Soul itself knows, but a Stranger intermeddles not with: And he is best acquainted with them, who is stripped barest of human Comforts, and is farthest removed from sensible Joys, that darken and undervalue the Mind, that are no more than polished Pebbles; but the other are rough Diamonds, of inestimable Value to them who know them, as the others are of the utmost Contempt.  
If your Blood, or Humours of your Body have any Hand in this Matter, then physic is the best Advice you can take; and without it, other Advice may prove ineffectual: As on the one Hand, the Body must be severely kept under; so on the other Hand, Care must be taken to preserve its Health, and keep it in Order, that it may not prove a troublesone and unserviceable Companion of the Soul: Therefore Bleeding sometimes may be as useful as a Sermon, and equally help to bring the Body into Subjection to the Mind. The first Care is due to the Soul, and the next to the Body; which, if indisposed, or out of Order, the Soul is like to be no small Sufferer, and its Operations broken and disturbed, difficult and impotent, though never so cultivated by Reason or Philosophy, by Discourse and Abstinence; because its Organ is out of Tune, and works irregularly, on which it has so great a Dependence during this Life. If the Spleen overflow, all the bright Prospect of the Soul will be overcast, and the cheerful Face of Heaven will be covered with Clouds; and we cannot reason ourselves out of this miserable Condition, or recover our former Happiness, by all the Discourses of Philosophy. Proper physic must help in this Case, because the Indisposition is in the Body; which, by means of the Animal Spirits, is communicated to the Soul.  
But chiefly, and always, and in all Cases, you shall call upon God, the great Comforter, and Deliverer; and you shall find Prayer to surpass all other Means; because he to whom it is addressd, is infinitely powerful and good. And he will sand his Angel to charm your Grief, and correct your Body, and render the Operations both of it and the Soul, uniform and harmonious; and prosper all your Labours of virtue, and settle you in the Peace and Joys of Religion, and an humble Piety; of virtue, and a holy Life; that nothing shall be able to disturb your Happiness, or intercept your Course, or cloud and storm your Passage. And when your Prayers are heard, let them immediately be succeeded by the warmest Praises; which are the Crown and Perfection of our Devotions, and are the best of the Offerings of God: And for failing here, many lose the Answer of their Prayers, while they sacrifice the Blind and the Lame, and are devout to little purpose. And, indeed, there is a great deal of Self-interest in Prayer; and a Man may have both his Eyes on himself while he is on his Knees: But in the Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving, all the Desire of our Soul is to the God of Mercy and Goodness, while he is better to us, and more charming than any of his Gifts; and our Souls are satisfied, even as it were with Marrow and Fatness, while our Mouth praises him with joyful Lips; offering the Religion of Angels, and the Sacrifice of Cherubims, and the Anthem and the Chorus of all Heaven.  
And, indeed, more Prayer, without Praises and Thanksgivings, is but Begging at the best Hand; and all the while we are staring at Heaven, our Thoughts are upon ourselves: 'Tis a Trading in Devotion, and Turning to God when we cannot help ourselves, nor find Help in Man: And he holds up his Hands to his own Interest, and implores his own Advantage. And what Religion is there in all this? And who made him to differ from a fawning and a begging Courtier? But he whose Devotions are Praise and Love, is sincere, and truly religious: But the other, may be a Tradesman or a Merchant in Devotion; and he will pray till his Prayers are heard, and no longer, till he wants a new Blessing; but his Praises and Thanksgivings are never heard, because his Devotions never were sincere or generous; for then his Heart would be all inflamed with Love and Gratitude to the Infinite Goodness, who condescends to hear him, and from the highest Heavens to mind what he says, and grant his Requests, in spite of all his Sins, and numberless Provocations; and gives him a Blessing instead of a Punishment, a Reward instead of Correction. This ought to make us all love, and thank, and praise; and dissolve us into Wonder and Admiration, into perpetual Hymns and Psalms. To this Devotion let me warm you to the utmost, and all that red; and thus our Prayers shall never miss being heard, and returning upon us in Blessings and Mercies. But he who, like a Dog, waits and begs till he is heard, and as soon as ever he has received what he waited and begged for, is immediately gone, and seen no more till his Wants return, must remember that God is not mocked; and that he shall bend his Knees long, and in vain, till he is convinced that God is not mocked, nor can be deceived by the hypocrisy, or wronged by the Ingratitude of any Man.  
On this Subject I have been the longer, to warn you and others of the Impiety, and Mischiefs, and Ingratitude of failing in our Thanksgivings to God, whose Goodness and Mercies towards us never fail: Nay, to excite you to abound in them, as the Love of God abounds towards us.  
I am, Madam, &c.   

LETTER XXVI.  
SIR,  
I Have not yet fulfilled the Desires of your last, nor would the little Time I have to spare allow me; but you are, notwithstanding, sufficiently assured of my Services for you. Nor are you mistaken when you believe me your real Friend, because you have Reason so to do.  
I cannot serve you at present equal to my Desires; but that does not lessen my Good Will or Friendship towards you, which you have, on so many Occasions, experienced to be firm and sincere.  
The last Office I had the Happiness to render you, abundantly confirms the Truth of what I say: Wherein I acted beyond my Ability; and had more Regard to Friendship, than Power. And wherein I have fallen short in serving you now, you may expect, when Time and Ability will permit, that I shall more than make Amends. This your Merit extorts from me, and from most others who have the Happiness to know you; in whom are found Accomplishments that are not common; and such a Readiness to serve all others, as deserves that all others should serve you. And this you shall find me ready to do to the utmost of my Power; and farther you will not expect: And wherein my Services prove ineffectual, you will not impute it to my Neglect.  
I wish your Worldly Affairs had permitted you to have writ larger on the excellent and noble Subjects your Letter has but touched on, because they are useful and solid, fitted to Life and Happiness, that I and all that red might be the better.  
But this is the common Mischief of Worldly Affairs, that they choke the Spiritual, and stop up the Way to Heaven, as our Saviour has said; and therefore great is the Danger and Mischief of them: For, What shall it profit a Man, if he should gain the whole World, and lose his own Soul? The Loss is too great for the Advantage, and infinitely out-balances it. And he who would every Day ask himself that great and useful Question, would be much edified and advantaged thereby: He would see the Difference betwixt Temporal and Eternal, betwixt his Soul and his Body, betwixt this Life and Eternal Life: Nor would he so easily abuse himself, and his highest Interest, and slight that that is infinitely greatest, and wisest, and happiest; and amuse himself with trifles and Misery, and lose his Soul for nothing.  
Let nothing therefore hereafter come betwixt you and your Soul, betwixt you and Heaven, for every thing is little compared with either, and miserable too, and for all that, not to be had without a great deal of Misery. Wherefore then should we let our Thoughts dwell any longer on the World? Or wander from our Happiness and Interest, and follow every Impertinence and Misery, and dwell on every thing▪ but our Business? Let this Misery be far from you hereafter, and this greatest Folly; and when I hear from you next, I hope it will contain things worthy of your Baptism and your Hopes, of Faith and the human Life, and then you shall be the better for Writing, and I for Reading; you will be employed about your Happiness, and about that which you will always approve of, for what will every thing else signify when Death shall call for you? And single you out amongst all the Millions of the Living, and tear you away from all your worldly Enjoyments, and from all that in which you put your Trust and your Happiness, and strip you naked as you were born, and leave you nothing but your Piety and your virtue, your Religion and your Hopes, they shall have Leave to pass with you, but nothing else; your Gold and your Silver must stop there; and there they will leave you, and you them, and you shall own you have toiled in vain, and spent your Soul on that which is not Bread, which cannot across the Grave, nor influence the Years of Eternity.  
Therefore let me advice you to lay out all your Time on Eternity, on securing those Joys that never fail, and then you shall be truly wise and happy, for ever rich and glorious, and you shall not labour in vain; neither shall your Labours be in the House of a Stranger, nor shall a Prodigal Heir riot in the Purchase of your Soul, but all you have got shall be your own for ever; shall serve you here and hereafter, and crown you through eternal Ages; for the Labours of Piety never die, and virtue is immortal. Would you never labour in vain? Then be a Servant to Religion, apply yourself to God, and bestow yourself and your Works on him, who will comfort you when you are departing, and make Death a Joy and an Interest; lovely and desirable, a Friend and a Benefactor, and a great Deliverer, rescuing you from all the Miseries of Life, which no Philosophy was able to do; nor Money, nor Honours, nor Parts, nor Confidence; and secure you from the hideous Yawn of the Grave, and all the Malice of a Dissolution, which shall not be able to hurt your Interest or diminish your Glory, but shall give them an infinite Increase, and make you greater and happier for ever; and whenever you writ, let this be the perpetual Subject, for why should you amuse yourself any longer with that which will last but a Moment, and then disappear for ever, but leave an eternal Misery and disappointment behind it? What is there on Earth can entertain you equal to Heaven, and the Hopes of Heaven? Earthly Riches will not last long, and torment▪ while they last, and Cares and Fears are all they purchase, unless we give them to the Poor; earthly Beauty scarce lasts while we are looking at it, but dies like Lightning, as soon as 'tis seen, and vanishes for ever; if Ambition has seized your Soul, and you pursue the Delusions of Glory, you deserve the Tears that are poured on a Hearse, and the Lamentations of Widows, for you are dead to Reason and Happiness, and your Peace has given up the Ghost; and you, a Shade, are pursuing a Shadow that shall mock you eternally, and delude your Grasp, and fool all your Labours, and laugh at all your Pains; now climbing the craggy barren Precipice; anon near the very Top, and losing your Hold, tumbling and dashed through all the vast Descent. Return, fair Shunamite, return, and tread the sure and shining Paths of virtue, that led through Joys to everlasting Joys, from Pleasures to Pleasures, from a Life of Peace to an Eternity of Glory, in which no Delusion shall abuse you, nor shall you toil infinitely for nothing, nor shall your Life be a Labouring Dream, and a Vision of Trouble, but your Peace shall be as the River, and you wise as an Angel of God, to discern between Folly and Happiness, between Misery and Wisdom.  
Let your own Experience teach you better than a Thousand Instructors, ask Counsel of it; ask it what has any thing profited out of Religion? If 'vice be not the greatest Impostor in the World, if it is any thing but Labour and Sorrow, Disappointment and Delusion, Fancy and Sickness, Error and Extravagance? The Toil of Life, and Sting of Death? And terror of the Grave, the universal ●… ountain of Misery, the great Defor●… ity, the Enemy of Reason, the ●… hips and Snakes▪ of the Mind, the ●… orm of the Breast, Clouds and Dark●… ess, Horror and Stupidity, an evil ●… ame, and a lasting Ruin, the Te●… nt of the Grave, and of outer-Dark●… ss, the Blast of Life, and the Seal ●… f Death, and the Triumph of the ●… il Spirits?  
Enough, my Friend, of Labour and ●… row, enough of Folly and of Death, ●… e Day is far spent, and the Sha●… ws grow long, and the Night is at ●… nd, which your Silver Hairs confirm, ●… d the Snow that lies on your Head, ●… d the many Years which press you ●… th their Weight; therefore be wise ●… hast, and run to your Happiness, ●… t the Night overtake you, in which ●… Man works, and you weep for ever ●… vain.  
I am, Sir, &c.   

LETTER XXVII.  
MADAM,  
YOU shall excuse this Trouble, w●… have commanded it; and the streng●… of your Commands shall answer f●… the Weakness of my Performan●… But why would she who has red much of that which is best, desire red what I shall writ? I know yo●… Forwardness to be instructed, who le●… need it; I know your Backwardness 〈…〉 instruct, who are most able. In 〈…〉 which, you signalise your Humili●… and show a Modesty that's rare, a●… seldom seen.  
This is not the first Time you ha●… commanded me to obey against my w●… or that you have experienced my O●…dience; but I could wish it might be t●… last. The World is crowded with Advi●… and I of all the World, am the unfitt●… to give it; and perhaps, you of m●… others, the least Need to receive it; b●… this is the Way of your Humility, a●… thus you conceal yourself from t●… World.  
Much you sigh, I understand, af●… the Retirements of the desert: And loansome, Religion that converses wi●… Angels, and is ruled only by the Spirit of God; thus you would exhale your Soul to God, and offer the Sacrifices of purest Prayer, inflamed by the Spirit of God, ●… aiming with ardent Vows, and the Labours of virtue, and the Toils of the Spiritual Field; there you would watch and pray the Nights, and consume the Days in Fasts and Labour, in Love and Sorrow, in Hymns and sacred Odes; ●… owe conversing with the Angel, now with the immediate Spirit of God, now with your own Soul, anon grap●… ling with the evil Spirit, and sweat●… ng Blood against the Importunate tem●… tation, and the Violence of the Tempter, now examining your Mind, now ●… aying the Flesh in Chains, now check●… ng the Motions of the evil Spirit, and the Rage of the Daemons, slaving the Appetite, muzling the Passions, arraign●… ng the very Thoughts, burning towards Heaven, transported with the Love of virtue, and enraged at the Deformity of 'vice, shining with Fasts, illustrated with Prayer, encompassed with Angels in the Stations of the Night, in the heavenly Vigil, and the devout Watch.  
This is the Life you sigh after, and on which your Discourses and your Letters love to dwell, and the flamme that burnt in the Holy Arsenius consumes you, an●… the Fire that wasted Hilarion rages i●… your Soul, and the Desires of St Jerom●… are restless in you. But remember, tha●… your Closet is a Cell and a desert, an●… your Heart an Oratory and a Chape●… and that the Angels are not far from Holy Prayer wherever it's offered; an●… that you are still in the Right Road t●… Heaven, though in the midst of th●… Troubles and Temptations of the World●… for the great Guide and Traveller says That through many Tribulations we mu●… enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, yea, an●… all they who live godly in Christ Jesus, sha●… suffer Persecution; and that you may a●… much as you desire, in the World, an●… equal all the Mortifications of the Desar●… and the Labours of those who so ofte●… talked with Angels Face to Face, and o●…ten saw the excellent Glory, and hear●… the Voice, and lived upon the Borders o●… Heaven, and were at once Citizens o●… the Jerusalem that's below, and of tha●… which is above too.  
I am, Madam, & ●…    

REFLECTIONS ON Divers Subjects.  

CHAP. I. That the Peace of Mind an Holy Life gives, is preferable to all the Pleasures in the World.  
PEace of Mind is a Happiness so great, and withal so necessary, that though we had all other Happinesses which the World af●… ords, but wanted this one, which is, indeed, all Happinesses, yet should we be completely miserable. For, What are Purples and Treasures to a troubled, to a ●… ickly, and a wounded Mind, that can relish neither music nor Conversation, Friendships or Love, nor the Table, nor Business, nor Divine Retirement; but is always haunted and disturbed by it sel●… and frighted at its own gloomy Shadow●… and goes mourning without the Sun, pa●… and sad, without Smile or Joy, languis●…ing and disordered, broken and abus'●… dark and benighted, clouded and glo●…my; that can neither hear the Voice o●… Singing-Men or Singing-Women, n●… share the Mirth of Feasts, nor listen t●… the Voice of the Charmer, nor is chear'●… by the Spring, nor comforted by th●… nearest Approaches of the Sun, nor 〈…〉 concerned when it retires far into t●… South? For he is still the same miserab●… Man, and can taste nothing but his So●…rows, and is insensible to any lesser M●…sery. The only Advantage he draws fro●… his Condition, is, that it drowns all oth●… Miseries, as well as Joys; and the Nig●… and the Day are to him alike: His Brea●… is darker than the Shadows of the Nigh●… the thick Darkness is not to be pierc●… by the Light; for he has bound his Sorro●… upon him, and wrapped his Miseries abo●… him; and has said, I shall go heavily all 〈…〉 Days of my Life, I shall go mourning wit●…out the Sun, I am divorced from Peace a●… Innocence, from Angels and Joy, from t●… Spirit, and from myself. I have made 〈…〉 perpetual League with Sorrow, and am 〈…〉 an Agreement with lasting Misery, thou●… my Misery be greater than I am able to be  
This is a sad, but true Description of the Misery of Sin and Guilt, of the Man that has forsaken his Interest and his Joy, his God and his Angel, his Piety and his Hopes; and is gone over to Folly and Ruin, to a Condition that is written all over, Lamentations, and Mourning, and Woe.  
But the Christian Life is the Reverse of this sad Description: Its Peace is as the River; and Glory, and Honour, and Peace is upon every Soul that lives well: His Breast is clear as the Sun, his Mind is ●… hearful as the Morning, and easy as Angels, and harmonious as the Blessed; free ●… s the Winds, and softer than the Air, ●… d undisturbed as the upper Air that ●… ouches Heaven, as does his Mind.  
In the Christian Life is every Joy, and ●… ery Treasure, the Ministry of Angels, the Favour of God, a streight Reason, ●… he Effusions of Grace, the Comforts of ●… he Spirit, Outward and Inward Peace, Radiant Hopes, Supernatural Faith, pre●… enting Heavens, and all the Raptures of ●… n undefiled Love, the Ecstacies of Con●… ssors, the Triumphs of Martyrs, the Lives of Saints, Hymns and Praises.   

CHAP. II. Of the true Conquest of the World.  
IF the Conquest of part of the Worl●… be glorious, what is the Conquest o●… the Whole? a Conquest never yet made but in the Christian Life, that shows u●… a better World than this, and brighte●… Mansions; and has raised us above th●… Consuls and Caesars, and above all th●… Tyrants of the Earth, who have tor●… the World, and disturbed Mankind, bu●… neither conquered the World nor themselves; while an humble Christian do●… both: And his Life is greater than all th●… Histories of the Rages and the Fevers o●… Alexander, while he really performs tha●… which they never so much as set about a●… they should; and instead of leading A●…mies and Fleets, and wasting Countrie●… and throwing down Cities, and marchin●… over the World like a Pestilence, or 〈…〉 Storm, or a sickly Constellation, hav●… subdued Passions, that were these Conqu●…rors Masters, and triumphed over App●…tites and Desires, that haul'd and dragg'●… them up and down the World; and enjoy'●… all that is good; triumphing over Fur●… and Folly, over Rage and Lust; and mad●… such a Conquest of the World, as is only f●… for a Great Man to own.   

CHAP. III. That there is no more Happiness in the World, than the Christian Life affords.  
WE wrong ourselves when we fancy there is; we first abuse our judgement, and then our Happiness: But Experience deceives no Man, but him that has a Mind to be knowingly miserable. Whoever can take up with Delusion and show, may find Entertainment enough in the World, and more than he will be able long to bear: But whoever loves a wise and solid Happiness, and would neither abuse his judgement, nor his Experience, must court virtue for that Portion; he must make his Addresses to that Religion that abounds in Happiness, and is replenished with Wisdom; the merchandise of which is better than the merchandise of Silver; and the Gain whereof, than fine Gold: She is more precious than Rubies; and all the Things we can desire, are not to be equal d to her: All good Things together come with her, and innumerable Riches are in her Hands; for she is a Treasure unto Men, that never fails: Her Joys are solid and numberless, her Peace is as the River, her Hopes are charming, and her Inheritance endures for ever. The very Hopes of an Everlasting Heaven, well grounded, is a better Fortune than the Roman Empire: 'Tis more than Caesar drew out of all his Conquests, or than many Crowns can afford.   

CHAP. IV. That Humility is the true Way to Happiness.  
OUR Saviour has said it, and that is beyond a Volume of Proofs: And even Reason says it, as well as Religion: Experience says it; and he who can count the Furies and Uneasiness, the Racks and Disgraces, the Labours and Torments of Pride, may count the Ease and Peace, the Wisdom and Joys, the Security and Satisfactions of an humble Spirit. Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly, is as far beyond Philosophy, as he that said it, was beyond the Philosophers. That one Precept was enough to calm the whole World, and lay Passion and Ambition asleep, and compose the Violence of Armies, and the Madness of Stoicism, that imagined that Pride could be at rest, and Insolence at ease; and to rescue the World from all its Misery and Mistakes, the Blind out of the Hands of the Blind, and the World from Philosophy. This one Precept directs to a perfect Wisdom, and an entire Happiness; The Meek-spirited shall possess the Earth, and be refreshed in the Multitude of Peace: Happinesses, the most successful Ambitions never knew, that never yet possessed the Earth, nor ever were refreshed in the Multitude of Peace; but are always oppressed with Toil and Labour, Glory and Rage, Disappointments and Fears: And all the Men whose Hands were mighty, have found nothing; and take away their Ungodliness, and thou shalt find none. The Proud are robbed of all that is easy and peaceful, humble and harmonious, and sleep with all the Fury and Disorder of the Day; while the Humble are quiet as the Night, and undisturb'●●s the Grave and the desert, and chear●ul as Angels, and music, and temperate Wine, or the Feasts of Love; his Soul shall dwell at ease, and his Seed shall inherit the Earth; he shall have all the Honours he flees; he has drunk of the Brook, therefore shall he lift up his Head: For though the Lord be high, yet hath he Respect unto the Lowly: As for the Proud, he beholdeth them a-far off. He has trod the humble Path of the Crucified Jesus, and shall be glorified with him for ever. And whosoever shall take upon him the Form of a Servant, and make himself of no Reputation, as did the Holy Jesus, shall with him be highly exalted and glorified for ever: He shall rise from Disgraces and Contempt, from a miserable and injurious World, to Crowns and Rewards, to Everlasting Peace and Glory. For there are none more under the Eye and Care of the Almighty Goodness; who, though he be high, yet hath he regard unto the Lowly, while he beholds the Proud a-far off: And he who puts down the Mighty from their Seat, exalts the Humble and Meek: And he who regarded the Lowliness of the Virgin-Mother, has a special Regard to the Humble throughout all Generations, for they come nearest the Example of him by whose Name they are called; who came not to be ministered unto, but ●o minister; and humbled himself even to the Death of the across; and gave his Back to the Smiters, and his Cheeks to them that plucked off the Hair; and appeared without Form or Comeliness in the World, in all the Aggravations of Humility, and at an infinite Distance from Pride, when he might have descended Lord and Ruler of the World he made, attended by Millions of Cherubims, and Ten Thousand flaming Fires ministering unto him, and have put out the Glory of the Caesars; but he choose the Virgin's Womb, that he might open the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers, and teach us by Humility, to be greater than the Caesars, because like him.   

CHAP. V. That to be a Christian, is to rejoice always.  
REjoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice, says the Apostle, who gloried even in Tribulations; for says he, if Tribulations abound, then do Consolations abound much more; and if a Christian can rejoice in Tribulations, what is it should make him sorrowful? His Breast is Heaven, and his Hope is Heaven. Angels hover about his Soul, Righteousness, and Peace, and Joy in the Holy Ghost make their abode with him, and he is commanded by the Holy Spirit to rejoice evermore: And he who is the Comforter will enable him abundantly so to do, and make his Peace as Heaven, and his Triumphs as the Shouts of Nations. Salvation and Victory are with him, and he dwells in the Presence that's fullness of Joy, and stands before him, at whose Right Hand there is Pleasure for evermore; nor is wholly excluded from the Beatifick Vision, even in this Life, for he makes all his Goodness to pass before him, though he cannot see his Glory; for that would over-power Life, and he would die of the Sight, for none can see the Face of God, and live.  
Every Day of the Christian's Life, is a fresh Scene of Joy, and is crowded with new Happinesses; his Hopes grow daily brighter, and his Heaven clearer; and his Soul more Spiritual, and his very Body more refined; and new Ecstasies are kindled, and stronger Loves descend, and more Angels frequent him, and enter into nearer Converse with him; and caress softer, and wondrous Scenes move in his Breast, and a Stranger meddles not with his Joy: The Blessings are showered down thick upon him, and are about him, and in him; and every Day brings him nearer to him, who is all the Desire of his Soul, for whom alone he lives; for whom he would die, that he might be satisfied with the Plenty of his House, beholding the fair Beauty of the Lord, to whom the Heavens themselves are obscure and dark, and the Angels ignorant and deformed.   

CHAP. VI. That a Christian need not mind the Interests of the World.  
SEek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his Righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you, says the infinite Jesus. Whoever is a true Christian shall have enough of that that's best; he has God himself, which is beyond all other things, the Lord himself is the Portion of his Inheritance: And therefore the Lot must needs be fallen unto him in a fair Ground, and having God, he has all things. He has Christ, by whom the Worlds were made, and therefore is like to have a large Portion in both; he is in the Favour of him to whom all Power is given in Heaven and Earth, who will use it for his Interest, and the Spirit that is in him gives him Joys greater than the World and all its Interests put together: For a Man's Happiness consists not in the Abundance of the Interests of this Life, but in being happy, and he is happiest who is happy without 'em; for such a Man's Happiness is not encumbered nor disturbed, nor uncertain'd by a Thousand Accidents, that wanton in the things of this Life; but is bound fast upon his Soul, and he has got his Happiness within him, and his Joys are sealed up where the People never laid 'em, and where no Tyrant can come at ' em. But when this World can contribute to his Happiness he shall have it too; for the Scripture says, all are his, the Promises of the Life that now is, and of that which is to come.   

CHAP. VII. Of the Freedom of the Christian Life.  
HE who is a Christian indeed, is free; and he who is not, is a Slave, though crowned. What though his Hands are not bound, nor his Feet put into Fetters, he is chained by his Lusts, and tied down by his Passions, and trampled upon by his Appetites, insulted by Fears, and broken by Sorrows: And then what signifies the Diadem about his Head, or the ermines, or the Purples, that hid the Man from us, but not from himself? Power and Respect may ease and abuse him a little, but a little Time will wear out that childish Happiness; and he will own that nothing can make a Man greater and happier, but more virtue and more Religion: And if he has made no advance here, he has not so much as begun to be happy or great; for Birth, and Crowns, and Riches, and Power, are no Part of the Man, nor of his Happiness.  
But in the Christian Life, there is perfect Liberty and perfect Freedom, solid Entertainments, noble Joys, an unbiased Reason, and a streight judgement, and a free Choice, unbiased by Passion, unprejudiced by Lust, nor wronged by Custom; as soon as we see our Interest, we are at Liberty to pursue it, without being encumbered with the World, or our own Follies and irregular Appetites, and nothing hinders us from being wise and happy.   

CHAP. VIII. That Love is the highest thing in the Christian Religion.  
BY this shall all Men know that ye are my Disciples, if ye love one another, says our Saviour; and he that loves another, has fulfilled the Law, and there is no other Commandment greater than that of the perfect Love of God and our Neighbour. These Sayings out of the Mouth of him that spake as never Man spake, are sufficient to demonstrate the height and Excellency of Love: That 'tis the best thing in this World, or in the World to come; that it comes from God, and returns to God, that by it the World is blessed and preserved, that 'tis the Soul of Angels, and the Heaven of the Soul of Man: Without it, there is neither Peace, nor Order, nor Happiness, and with it, is Heaven, and whatsoever is charming and desirable, delightful or entertaining, 'tis the last Perfection of Piety, that always resolves itself into a flaming and a boundless Love to God and Man; 'tis the utmost that the best grown Religion can come to, or that the Angels themselves can reach: And 'tis, in all that have it, a pure Influence, flowing from the Glory of the Almighty, and therefore can no defiled thing fall into it.  
'Tis Love that fulfils all other Duties, and makes Religion charming, and renders virtue choice; that we would practise it, though we suffered for it: For the Joys of Love will drown all Sufferings, and make even Sufferings themselves pleasing and advantageous. Love will make every thing as easy as itself, and  shed its Joys on all the several Duties of the Christian Life, and trample on Difficulties, and insult Dangers, and challenge the utmost Hardships and Labours, and turn 'em into Ease and Pleasure, and the greatest Losses, into the greatest Interests; and whoever is blessed by God with the Perfection of Love, is blessed with the most perfect Religion, and the best Life, and the purest Soul: For he who loves perfectly, is ready to do and suffer every thing, and would rather die than live; that he might love brighter, and stronger, and clearer, and see Face to face the Infinite Beloved, the Fountain of Love and Beauty, and Perfection; him who made Love, and who gives and bestows Love, the greatest Blessing in Heaven or Earth; the Blessing on which the Angels feed and live, the Manna of the Soul, a purer thing than Reason itself, as well as an easier and more exalted.  
What can we suppose, rendered St. John the Disciple whom Jesus loved above all the rest; even above St. Peter himself, to whom he gave the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and in so particular and repeated a Manner, the common Care of feeding his Church, but that he loved most, and therefore was most beloved, and allowed to lean on that Bosom, that was softer and warmer than the Breast of an Angel, a Privilege we are not  told was allowed any of the other Apostles; for if it were, it had not been  told as a particular Favour allowed to him, and therefore his Writings glow with Love; and were written in the fullest Effusions of the Spirit of Love, and he himself was to remain till the Infinite Lover came again: And 'tis said, that when old and decrepit, and unable to talk longer Discourses, this was the whole length of his Sermon, Brethren, love one another. And our Saviour himself says, That 'tis all the Law, and the Prophets, and above whole burnt-Offerings and Sacrifices. 'Tis the old and the new Commandment, 'tis the great Test of the Christian Religion; and oh! That it were again restored instead of Oaths or Sacraments; that a Christian might be known and distinguished by his Sweetness and Goodness, by out-loving all others of another Religion; by a greater Gentleness, and a larger Mercy, by Modesty and Obedience, by Humility and Subjection, by forgiving Enemies and gaining Friends, and then we should need no Laws; for they are made for the outrageous and the furious, or the Laws would need no Sanctions, for Men would obey on Conscience, not on Force or Wrath.   

CHAP. IX. That Learning is not of that Importance in the Christian Religion.  
MAY they find Mercy in that Day, who first debauched, debased, and still continue to adulterate the Simplicity that is in Christ, with vain Philosophy, and Science falsely so called; for they will need it in that Day, that shall assert and demonstrate the Glories, and the Authority, and the terrors of the plain Institution of Christ. And if People are in love with Learning, where is it so richly to be found, as in the plain and humble Religion of him, in whom are hide all the Treasures of Wisdom? Curiosity and useless Knowledge, is not Learning, but a thinking Ignorance; a great deal of Pains and Study, to be never the wiser, and never the better; but more ignorant, and more arrogant, and at a greater distance from their Business and Happiness, than plain Natural Parts would have set them. And with how many Tears shall they wish they had spent that Time in living, and endeavouring still to live better, which they lose in studying that which they( against the truest judgement of Things) will be calling Learning.[ For that is truly a strong Knowledge of our highest Interest, and a learned practical Use of that Knowledge, whose Life and Perfection lies in Action; that is plain in the Notion, and whose only Difficulty lies in the doing.] That requires little Study, much less that of a whole life Reading; but much Humility and Life, much Contention to reduce ourselves, and abate our Follies and Vanities; and, amongst others, that of a fond, an idle, and ostentatious Learning, to which so many Men have dedicated the Travail of their Lives, when they should have spent it more usefully on themselves and others, in the Acquisitions of Humility and Love, in minding their great Business, their own and others Salvations; in comparison of which, all the Learning in the World is wretched Trifling and Ignorance. And, in one Word, The best Christian is the best Scholar: And he is the most learned Man, who lives most.   

CHAP. X. That our Saviour's Life is the great Pattern we are to follow.  
IN the Life of our Saviour was all Perfection: His very Looks were Instructions, his Air was better than a Homily, and his Mien than a Sermon from any other: His very Silence talked, and was beyond whatever any other Man spake.  Sic oculos, sic ille manus, sic ora ferebat. 
Whoever follows this Pattern, cannot but live up to the Wisdom and Purity of the Christian Religion, let his Parts be never so mean; for he copies after the most perfect Original, and transcribes the great Author of Perfection: He traces a Life that never made one wrong Step, and included in it, the Perfection of all philosophy and Religion, and shewed the way of Heaven, and the Path of Life.  
There was in it, nothing affencted or mistaken, nothing swollen or ignorant, nothing mean or disordered, trivial or ambitious; but was sacred and uniform, constant and perfect, and invincible, charitable and Infinite; above Error or Malice, triumphing over all the Arts and Strength of the Enemy, that bore upon him from both Worlds; but were forced to give back through all his wondrous Life, and confess his Divinity, and the sacred Awe of his Person, and the terrors of his Presence.  
And now, how little is the Example of a Philosopher, or a Hero, to such a Perfection as this?[ Or who of all the Sons of Men may be compared to the Son of God; in whom the best of us live, and move, and have our Being, whom to imitate imperfectly, is our highest Glory and Perfection?]  
Therefore whoever proposes to led a Life becoming the Name of Christ, must, above all Things, propose to follow the Example of Christ.   

CHAP. XI. Of Obstinacy and Perseverance.  
ONly to begin, is to do nothing at all; or rather, to take some Pains to no purpose. 'Tis an obstinate Perseverance that rewards the stormy Passage with a Port, and the Agonies of battle with Victory and Peace, with Triumphs and laurel. 'Tis that which breaks through all the Difficulties of Life, and presses still forward to a happy End. To labour a little, and for a while, is only to court Disgraces and Defeats, and multiply Instances of our Weakness and Folly, of our Cowardice, Sloth and Irresolution. 'Tis to enter the Field with no other Design, but to be vanquished. But if we propose to conquer, we must resolve to endure all the Labours of the battle, to wade in Blood, and to be covered with Dust, and to persist to Death; striving against the Importunity of Temptation, taking the whole armor of God, that we may be able to withstand in the Evil Day: That shall bring us to the dreadful Conflict; that shall prove our Force, and Test of our Religion; wherein our Force shall be proved, the Truth of our Religion tried, and the Firmness of our virtue ascertained to ourselves.   

CHAP. XII. Of the Ministry and Assistance of Good Spirits.  
THeir Attendance on us is unquestionable, from the Authority of the Scriptures: There Angels behold the Face of my Father; and they are sent forth to minister to those that are Heirs of Eternal Life.  
And yet, how little do we value or think of so great an Honour, though greater than all the Civil Honours of crwoned Heads! And yet, could we see the flaming Minister, though but for a Moment, his wondrous Beauty, and his Heavenly Mien, what amazing Transport would it cause? What Regard and Caution? What Fear and Love?  
And yet we generally believe as if we saw, yet set no Value on the Honour, or the Advantage; seldom reflect on the many and useful Offices they perform to us; how oft they grapple with the Evil Spirit, and prevent the Danger, and divert a Ruin, and charm to Wisdom.   

CHAP. XIII. That we must resolve to live after a different Fashion, from that of the World.  
WE are sworn against the World in Baptism, and whoever is for it, is perjured; it opposes our Passage to a better World, and therefore we are to force our way through it, and to march as through an Enemy's Country, disputing our Passage, and fighting our way: And remember too, that th● Flesh that marches with us is in the Enemy's Interest; and will revolt upon the least Opportunity or Advantage, and go over to the other Side, and the Flesh is part of ourselves; therefore we are at the same Time engaged in a War against ourselves. And what Vigilance, what Caution, what Distrusts, what Labours, what Courage, what Resolutions are necessary to manage such a War? A War in which we are attacked by ourselves, and must fight against ourselves: A War in which we have to do with potent and declared Enemies, and which is worse and more difficult with a treacherous Ally.  
We are so be-set with the World, tha●… we are almost encompassed and surrounded by that Enemy; the worst Condition Soldiers can be in. And, which is a desperate and a sad Consideration, there is but one half of us true to ourselves; and while the World fights us, the Flesh betrays us; and while we have one Eye on the Enemy, we must have the other on ourselves; or else, while we are conquering the World, we may be undone by the Flesh.   

CHAP. XIV. Of the Danger of the Invisible Enemy.  
WHO can tell the Strength, the Numbers, the Order, the Stratagems, or the Malice of this Enemy? An Enemy that durst attack a Manhood united to, and supported by a Godhead, in those terrible Conflicts of the desert. An Enemy that durst stand the Presence of an Infinite Strength, and Holiness, and Wisdom; and though thrice driven back, yet thrice changing his Ground, and thrice renewing the battle, tormenting himself before his Time; for he knew who he was, and that his Arm was infinite, to save both himself, ●… nd all those that come to him; and that his own Arm brought Salva●… ion, though he could have prayed to the Father, who would have sent him more than Twelve Legions of Angels; but he restrained his own Power, that the Scriptures might be fulfilled; and kept back the Flaming Fires that strug●… lead to his Assistance, and stood all their Fury alone; the Rage of Powers, the Batteries of Principalities, the Storms of the Rulers of the Darkness of this World, the Malice, the Blasphemies, and the dreadful Assaults of the Spiritual Wickednesses in High Places, when he ●… ad fasted Forty Days, and his Spirits ●… mpair'd, and his Constitution broken, that the Ministry of Angels was neces●… airy; and he at last admitted their Ser●… ices, to refresh him after so much Agony and Struggle, after so much Temptation and Abstinence, that endeavoured to over-set human Nature.  
But what are we in the Hands of such an Enemy, that are not able to deal with the Temptation that is in our own Flesh? Of an Enemy that we cannot so much as come to the Sight of, though he stands in the very Gate, and surrounds us? And if it were not that he that is mighty to save, is in us, and that he tha●… is in us is greater than he that is in th●… World, we should be as the Dust befo●… the Wind, and as a Wheel, and so pe●…secuted and broken with the Tempes●… that the Floods would go over our Soul●… and the Waters would prevail, an●… the battle would go sore against us every Arrow would wound, and ever●… Wound would be deadly, and ever●… Death would be eternal; the Enem●… would come on so fast, that they woul●… bear us down, and trample us unde●… their Feet, so maliciously and so violen●…ly are they set against us; our Powe●… and our Beauty would be delivered int●… the Enemy's Hand, and there would b●… none to make Lamentation; and th●… Priest, and the Virgin, and the Youn●… Men would perish in their several Temptations, with the Widow that shoul●… bewail with strong Cries, and sad an●… lamentable theme.  
Here the whole armor of the Gosp●… is necessary; for the Contention is no●… with Flesh and Blood, but with all th●… dreadful Orders of Devils, that stan●… ranked in opposite Degrees to those 〈…〉 Blessed Spirits, and act in opposite Min●…steries; obstructing our Salvation, an●… toiling in our Eternal Ruin, with all th●… Labours of Wit, and Industry, and Malice; roaring about the World, and seeking whom they may devour. And therefore, with what Agonies are we to endeavour, that we may be able to overcome, when pressed by innumerable Spirits; and to resist even unto Blood, striving against Sin?  
But no armor is sufficient, without large Assistances of the Holy Spirit of God: That alone is able to baffle and control the Infernal Legions, to defeat their Malice, and infatuate their Industry, and over-rule their Power, and strengthen the Everlasting Chains of Darkness in which they are held. By it we may safely go on the Lion and the Adder, and tread the young Lion under our Feet. By it we are secured from the Pestilence that walks in Darkness, and from the Arrow that flies by Day, from Confidence and Pride, from Temptation and Despair, from an evil Life, and from Everlasting Death; from the Prince of the Winds, and from the Ruler of Darkness; from the Tempter, and the Accuser; and from the Mouth of the Lion.   

CHAP. XV. Of the Use of the Shield of Faith.  
BUT, above all, taking the Shield o●… Faith, wherewith ye shall be able t●… quench all the fiery Darts of the Wicked●… are the Words of the Holy Ghost, dictating to the Apostle of the Gentiles●… How wondrous then is the Use of this Shield? How great the Power of Faith●… And how great a Gift is that Faith, that triumphs over all the Malice and Power of Devils, and quenches the fiery Temptation, and delivers us from so many Dangers, and from so many ruins? By Faith we trust in him, whose Power is infinitely great to rescue us, and whose Goodness is infinitely great to use that Power to our Assistance. By Faith we behold Heaven through the Cloud, and the Temptation: By this we view the Joy that is set before us, and the bright Mansions above, through all the Labours of the across, through Poverty and Disgrace, through Racks, and Agonies, and Death; and, which is more difficult, through Pleasures that are sweet, but mortal; that court, and murder; that charm the Eye, and butcher the Soul; that tempt the Fancy, and assassinate the Mind, and turn its Peace into the horrors of Hell, and the Disorders of the Damned. This is the great Power of Faith, and this the Use of its wondrous Shield, that covers us from the Luxury and Insolence of Prosperity, from the Arrogance and Cruelty of Greatness and Power, and from Pride that made Devils, and defaced the Beauty of Angels, and sent them flaming down from Heaven; that secures us from the Despairs of Misery, and the Atheism of Want, by turning our Eyes to the Everlasting Prospect, by plying us with the Remembrance of brighter Honours, and firmer Happinesses than any are offered us in this Life, where all is Imposture and Delusion, vexatious, short and vain; the Issue of Labour, and the Parent of Misery. But Faith re-minds us of a City that has Foundations, of Empire and Crowns, of an Eternal Treasure, and an Infinite Joy, that shall triumph over Ages and Time, and shall for ever be young and new, beginning and unwasted; and with this Prospect bears us high, and towers us over all the little Things here below; the Res Romanas, perituraque Regna. The glorious Nothings of a vain and empty World.   

CHAP. XVI. Of Devotion.  
'TIS the Flames of the Spirit of God, 'tis the Ardours of Love, 'tis the Warmths of Religion; 'tis that that unites the Soul and Heaven, that carries us up to God: 'Tis the Sanctification of the Passions, and that that sets them above human Reason itself: 'Tis that in which Nature and the World have nothing to do: 'Tis that by which we honour God, and guard ourselves, and intercede for the Safety of the World, and triumph over Spiritual Wickednesses in High Places, and control the Disorders of Nature, and appease the Wrath of Heaven. The Angels wait upon it, and chafe its Flames, and ascend with its Sacrifices. By it we triumph over Sin, and trample on Temptation, and chain the Evil Spirits, and bind our Lusts, and strangle our Passions, and quench our Desires. By it we obtain Favours, and avert Judgments, and rectify Nature, and keep the Seasons in order. By it we cleanse the Soul, and refine Reason, and ennoble our Lives, and banish the terrors of the Night, and turn the Arrow that flies by Day, and have Fellowship with the good Spirits, and conquer the World, and reduce ourselves, and strengthen our Reason, and keep inferior Nature within its Bounds, and give Laws to 'vice. By Devotion we rise to the Perfection of our Souls, and draw down Succours against the Enemy. By Devotion we arrive at all the Joys of Love; its Ecstacies and Vows, its Sweetnesses and Faintings, its Tastes and Desires, and passionate Longings, its Raptures and Enjoyments. By Devotion we bless our Friends, and bless them that curse us, into better Passions, and holier Minds, and grow more temperate, and less revengeful, and fuller of Heaven, and emptier of Earth, and lessen our Follies, and enlarge our Wisdom, and remove for a while to the other World, while the Body is alive. By Devotion we cure all the Diseases of the Soul, and sanctify the Body; and by it we are truly spiritual and immortal, heavenly and divine.   

CHAP. XVII. Of the Internal Exercises of the Mind.  
THere is a Spiritual Kingdom within us, an Internal Religious Government, secret and wonderful Transactions, where the Operations of the Spirit are performed, where the Soul is formed, and moulded, and changed; where the Spirit of God acts and intercourses with ours, in an unexpressible manner, and in such a Way as no human Language can paint. Here pass the Throws of Repentance, the insensible Changes of the Mind, the travels of the New Birth, and the Labours of Regeneration. Here the undiscernible Increases of virtues, and Decays of Folly, the Withering of ill Habits, the Extirpation of Passions, and the secret Growths of Wisdom and Piety; the Degrees of Grace, and the Increases of the Strength of the New Life. Here passes the Ecstacy of Reconciliation to the Favour of God, the Assurances and Consolations of the Spirit, the new Favours, the surprising Peace and Joy, the blooming Hopes of an Eternal Inheritance, the Whispers of Angels, the Caresses of Cherubims, the Kindnesses of Seraphims, the gradual Opening of the Prospect of Heaven, new Springs of Light, Irradiations, Transports, an unsupportable Love, and all the other wondrous and mysterious Passages of the Spiritual, Internal Life; and can only be  told in those Words that cannot be now uttered, such as St. Paul heard while he was in Heaven.   

CHAP. XVIII. Of the Contempt of Worldly Things.  
WE undervalue ourselves, when we value Worldly Things. Is there any Thing in this World can match the Dignity of the Soul? That is immortal, like it? That is spiritual and divine, as it? That was made in the Image of God, like it? That can quench its Ambition, or equal its Soar, or measure Eternal Ages with it, or appease its Thirst? We may easily abuse it with the World, and degrade its Quality, and prostitute its Powers; but the whole World is not able to give it a true and equal Satisfaction, such as is proportionable to its Rank and Dignity, to its Promises and Pretensions.   

CHAP. XIX. Of the Value of Heaven.  
THE utmost Thirst is satisfied there, the largest Ambition arrested, and turned into Satisfaction and Content; the very Warmths and Heats of Fancy itself are bounded here: If an Earthly Beauty moves and charms so much, what will the Bosom of an Angel? What the Kindness of a Seraphim? What the softest Loves of an Archangel? What the Caresses and charming Conversations of a Cherubim? And if the Love of one would entertain so much, what will Throngs of bright and burning Loves? When we shall be encompassed with Legions of flaming Beauties: What astonishing Satisfaction? What Joy, what Rapture, what Glory, what Amazement will the View of the eternal Mansions be attended with? Where the whole Scene is one flaming and everlasting Glory: In Comparison of which, the Chinese, the Persian, or Indostan Courts and Glory; that so far exceed all the Western Magnificence, are dark, and sad, and obscure as Lamps, and Urns, and Vaults, or desolate Ruins.  
But to return to the bright Subject: If the Entertainments of Knowledge are so much valued, even here below; where Knowledge is so imperfect, so slow, and so laborious: What Satisfaction shall it be, to know all things in a Moment, to comprehend without Pains, to know the most useful things as well as the most abstruse; and that without the Toils and Fatigue of Study: To reach far into Futurities, to grasp all that's present, and hold all that's past; to exchange excellent Notions with the Angels, and to se● farther than all the Searches of Philosophy, and to comprehend the perfect Bounds of Truth and falsehood, so hide from this Life; to pass through all Science in a Moment, and pierce its deepest Secrets with a Glance; to be stored and filled with Notices, that are useful and excellent, that give Love and Obedience, that pour forth Praises and Hymns to the Infinite Fountain of Knowledge, that make us happy and wise for ever, and fix us for ever in the fullest Knowledge of Good and Evil; so as never to be imposed upon by the last, in the Garb and Appearances of the first.  
To be filled with the contemplative Beauties of virtue and Holiness, and to stand fixed on the bright Colours and Proportions, the eternal Lineaments and exactest Features, till the charming Objects have melted down our Souls into Ecstasies and oppressing Joys, and all the various Motions of a mighty, boundless Love; where every Look is Transport, and every Endearment is ecstasy, and every Assurance faints the Soul; where the very Face is Love, and every Thought is charming, and the Motion wondrous, and the Discourse ravishing.  
To behold the Beauties of the Martyrs, and the Glory of their Wounds; to assist at their Triumphs, and to view their Crowns, and all the Reward of their Toils and Death: To dwell on the Brightness of the Prophets, and to behold the Thrones of the Apostles, the great Ministers of the Christian Institution, and the flaming Glories of St. Paul, who was himself a College of Apostles, and bore the Weight of all the Churches.  
But what amazing Joys will the Sight of the Son of God give? And what unconceivable Glories crown his very Humanity? Such as add to the Glories of Heaven itself. On him our Love shall dwell for ever; on him we shall be fixed for Ages; contemplating his boundless Love to the World, his infinite Sufferings, his unexpressible Death, and all the Triumphs of his Resurrection; and those amazing everlasting Glories, for which he endured the across, and despised the shane.  
How glorious will be the Sight of Heaven itself? How dazzling bright? How glorious with numberless Fires, and with the innumerable Multitude of fixed Stars; and the flaming Body of the Sun, the vast Extent of the Heavenly Orbs, their wondrous and harmonious Motions.  
How happy will be the Conversations there? How full of ecstasy and Love, of Beauty and Charms, where all is spoken in Numbers, and every Sound is music, so far exceeding ought that ever was heard by mortal Ear, where Peace, and harmony, truth and Love, remain for ever in their Perfection; and whence, Malice and Discord, Rage and Subtlety are banished for ever, and all is Beauty, Love, and Light, Hallelujahs, Anthems, and Glory.  
And which is a vast Addition to the Joy above: The Pleasures shall be eternal, and the Rapture shall never die, the Shout and Triumph shall pass through eternal Ages; the Glory shall never whither, and Beauty shall be always young, and the happy shall be happy for ever.   

CHAP. XX. Of the Use of Time, and this Life.  
HEre we purchase Eternity: Here we trade for Heaven, here we lay hold on everlasting Life; unspeakable is the Value of every Moment of our Time while we live here, for as they go, so go the Ages of Eternity; that roll upon our present Industry, or Neglect.  
He who undervalues his Time, sleights Heaven too, in which it may be secured, if rightly used; he disdains Crowns and everlasting Kingdoms, and Glory and Honour, and Immortality and Eternal Life; and prefers a Life of Folly and Impertinence, of Sloth and nothing, to an Immense Happiness, to endless Joys, to the Society of Angels, to all that the Desire can grasp, or the Fancy can wish for: He would rather be idle than saved, he would rather do nothing than be equal to the Angels; he would not sweat for a Crown, nor disturb himself for a Kingdom, he prefers his Ease to all that he can hear or red of: And whoever is this Man, he has bid Defiance to common sense, and Interest, and Prudence, and whatever can promote his true and lasting Advantage. He raves of Ease, and mistakes its Nature, and has wrong Notions of the Labours of Repentance and Love, that give a greater Repose than any he is acquainted with; who will not enter into the Toils of virtue, and the Exercises and Contentions of Wisdom, that adorn the Mind, and ennoble the Soul, and distinguish the Man, and give him greater Joys even in this Life, than Nature or the World affords.  
Therefore, How does it import us to work while it is Day, before the Night comes, when no Man can work? On the one Hand, by an active and laborious Use of our Time in the Exercises of Religion, we secure all that's desirable and infinite, lovely and eternal,; on the other Hand, we avoid all that's woeful and amazing, horrible and intolerable, the Outer-Darkness, Indignation, and eternal Fires.  
Everlasting Rest shall crown the Labours of a short Life, and if we will not work while 'tis Day, we must weep out the eternal Night, in which no Man worketh, we must quit our Hopes and Expectations, the Rewards and Advantages of a generous Religion, flaming Glories, and everlasting Ecstasies, and all this for the Sake of being idle, and the Pleasure of doing nothing, or doing that that's foolisher than nothing, when we are courted with Crowns, and endless Rewards bespeak our Labour.   

CHAP. XXI. Of Chastity.  
THE Beauty of Angels shows the Beauty of this virtue, and the Deformities of Lust show it too; it triumphed in the clean and sacred Air of the Person of Jesus, and adorned her who was blessed amongst Women; more than sceptres or ermines, Birth or Treasures, or Blood, and a long and empty Genealogy of Ancestors that are not us; and, a celestial Chastity, and unspotted virtue and Purity, gave her more than Empress or Queen. Wherever it reigns, the Mien is sacred and Heavenly, and the Air cheerful and divine, as Lust is dark and polluted, stained and sullied, covered with horror and Disgrace, shameful and shameless, hating the Light: By Chastity the Mind is strengthened, our Contemplations cleansed, our better Desires enflamed, our Wisdom fortified, our Souls raised; it helps Devotion, assists Beauty, opposes Folly, quenches Temptation, and suppresses Lust, and ennobles the very Body.  
But Lust, on the contrary, darkens the Soul, and brutes the Body, and sullies the Reason, and weakens the Senses, and puts out all our Glory and Ambition; and turns our Flight and Soar into grovelling and wallow, and our Purity and Ambition into shane and Confusion, Contempt and Disgrace, Retirement and horror: Tis the Blast of Beauty, the Enemy of Innocence, the Murderer of Peace, the Aversion of Angels, and the Scorn of the debauched themselves.   

CHAP. XXII. Of Spiritual Prudence.  
THis is the Empress of all the virtues, another Guardian-Angel to the Soul: By it she wastes the Enemy, and grows her self: By it she fortifies and entrenches her self, and mines and batters the High Places of the Spiritual Wickednesses: By it the wil●ss and Stratagems of the Spiritual Enemy are discovered, their Approaches stopped, and the Fury of the Storm baffled and spent into a foolish, impotent Malice.  
By Prudence we make the most of the Forces God has given us: And this also is the signal Gift of God. Without a Spiritual Wisdom we shall be nothing, or quickly come to nothing. 'Tis a Nursing-Mother to all the other virtues; 'tis the Manager and Overseer of all the Affairs of the Soul, that prunes the virtues, as well as roots up Vices; that retrenches a too luxuriant Zeal, and gives Ballast to our Sails, and bids us walk softly, when we would run ourselves out of Breath; and by going too fast to Heaven, never come thither. It warns us of the Length of the Journey, and the Difficulties of the Way, and that the Enemy will dispute our Passage all along, and bids us guard and provide ourselves accordingly, and arm ourselves, not for a single battle, but for a War that is to last till Death, and a War that is managed against us with the utmost Stratagem, as well as Force, and with a merciless Enemy, that gives no Quarter, but puts all to the Ruin, and omits no Advantages, and spares no Malice, and plies us with a restless Industry, and pursues us roaring, and seizes on his Prey, like a Vulture, or a Leopard, or a starved Lioness, and tears it for ever.  
Prudence gives us a through Sight of our own Weakness, and thereby engages us to a double Care, and a restless Industry; and cures us of the Follies and Securities of Pride, and a mistaken Strength, that betrays us in the Trial, and breaks with the least Weight; and if we lean upon it, 'twill run into our Side, and make us wise by our Misery, and remember to distrust.  
By Spiritual Acts we render the Labours of our Warfare fewer and less, and ineffectuate a Thousand Stratagems and Designs of the Enemy, and make our Journey through the World easier and shorter, and prevent the many and sad Labours of Indiscretion, and the Ravages and Devastations that are made upon an imprudent Religion, by the subtle and over-reaching Adversary, that hits every Blot, and is in with us at every Weakness, and endeavours to crush us at every Fall. But much of this Misery would be prevented by a Spiritual Discretion; which consists in nothing more than in an universal Moderation in using the Strength and the Graces of God, so as they neither suffer by Rust and Idleness, nor we by overworking our Spirits, and disproportioning our Religion to our Natures, and our Zeal to our Strength, and by doing so much now, that we shall be able to do nothing hereafter; at one Time running ourselves out of Breath, at another not stirring a Foot, and consequently going back.  
By Spiritual Prudence we secure the Growth of the other virtues, and bring them to a quicker Perfection; we keep and improve what we have got, and make sure Steps, and regular Advances, and secure our Conquests, and still act with an equal Heat and Vigour, and move like a River, instead of rolling backward and forward like the Tide, now overflowing our very Duty, anon dry and barren as the naked Beach.   

CHAP. XXIII. Of not judging others in Matters of Opinion and practise.  
THere is more Hopes of a Fool, than of that Man that makes himself the Measure of Mankind. Let every Man perfect his own Life first, before he lives for others: Let him spend all his Care and Exactness at home, and let him correct others by his Example, not by his Censures in Matters of Opinion. Why should I presume that another does not make the best and the honestest Use of his judgement, as well as I? And if so, Why not as likely to be in the Right, as I; who has, perhaps, the better judgement, and a greater Integrity; only comes short of me in Pride and Uncharitableness?  
If I judge myself, I shall do that which is lawful, and useful, and good, and that that hurts no Body. But if I judge others, I shall hurt myself, and transgress the Commandment, and do no Body any Good. We have enough to do at home; and we should make an end there, before we go abroad with our Care and malicious Charity, or stay till others seek our Directions and Advice; and then too to take a good deal of Time, to consider whether we are fit to give it to others, and whether we have enough for ourselves, or whether we do not want: And thus, with the Help of God, we might put some Stop to our Neglect of ourselves, and our insolent and malicious Charity to others. We cannot censure ourselves too much, nor others too little: Here we may love ourselves as much as we will, and others as little as we please, and be so much the better Christians. 'Tis a strange perverse sort of Kindness, that hurts not only others, but ourselves; and therefore is certainly best let alone in the judgement of any wise or good-natured Man.  
'Tis recompense enough for not judging others, that we shall not be judged ourselves: And it is Discouragement enough from judging others, that if we judge, we shall be judged; and if we condemn, we shall be condemned; and the Charity we refuse to others, shall be denied to us; and that will make us sensible of the Wrong we have done our Neighbour, when we ourselves feel the weight of the Injury crushing our own Shoulders, which seemed light while it lay on others. Therefore, for my own sake, I ought to be charitable in my Censures of others, that others may be so of me, and not deny me that which I so much desire, and stand in need of, and can so ill be without.   

CHAP. XXIV. Of the Infinite Love of the Three Blessed Persons of the Holy Trinity.  
OH Sacred, infinite and most Holy Trinity of boundless Love! Teach me to writ of this most sacred and joyful Subject as pleases thee! To treat of Love with a Spirit of Love; to writ what may inflame and burn, what may warm and raise my own and others Hearts, and provoke to Love and Praise, and Joy, to do and suffer whatever is most pleasing to thee the Infinite Lover, the Fountain of Love, of Bounty, and Mercy.  
Whoever considers the infinite Majesty of God, his boundless and everlasting Glories, and his infinite Love and condescension to Man; must stand surprised, confounded and amazed; must swell with wonder; and, lost and astonished, must cry out with David, his Anointed, What is Man, that thou art mindful of him, and the Son of Man, that thou so regardest him? That from the highest Heavens, and from the Throne of thy Glory, thou beholdest the way of the Son of Man, and orderest his Going, and appointest his Reward; that thou mad'st him to praise thee, and to enjoy thee; to govern the Neather World, and to live for ever in the Upper? That thou hast given him Reason and Grace, which are thy own self? That thou hast crowned him with Glory and great Worship, and formed him to thy own Image, and given him Immortality, and bid the Angels minister unto him, to strengthen and conduct, to witness and encourage, to help and cheer him on the Way to Everlasting Happiness.  
How is the Mercy and Goodness of God displayed to us under the Labours, and Guilts, and Wounds of Sin? When Iniquity has slain the Soul, and laid waste the Man, and preyed upon his Happiness, and the Vulture has consumed his Liver, then the Goodness of God beholds and pities, recovers and restores, speaks Mercy, and bids him live, and clothes him with the Garments of Joy, and the triumphant Scene of being redeemed from so great a Death, to an immortal Kingdom: The Eternal Father forgives, the Son atones, the Holy Spirit comforts, and there is Joy diffused through all the Heavenly Legions, who sing new Verse to the Recovery of a Sinner, and raise the Anthem to brighter Numbers, and tune their Golden Harps, and touch their Lutes to softer Notes.  
Whoever considers the Gift of Reason alone, how great the Privilege, how exalted the Quality, how spiritual and unbounded the Prerogative; piercing on all Sides, endless, searching the whole Creation, and all the Works of God; now in the Earth, now remaining in the uttermost Parts of Heaven, now dwelling with the Body, now soaring to the Angels, and conversing with the Blessed, in Ecstacies and Love, in Praise and Hymns, to the God of Reason, and to the Lord of Rational Souls, the First and Infinite Reason, the Father of Intelligences, and Great source of Thought. Whoever, I say, considers these Excellencies, must stand amazed at the Greatness of the Gift, and praise the Power and the Bounty of the Giver.   
FINIS.