fti, --•. Z-:^ *l^ %**.. No. No. No. olagical Case, ^'^'^-^ 'Sv?''(./^; Sec Book, ^ OA. A'. .7. jr- 3n. '♦^ "7/ 4^ ^ ^\ f^. NV ;: 5^ ^ I V . - i /'V ^ • ••' ^«^ Icl'JicV/'cr^scfmif mo u / h.. ind thecal Udi tat ion ofmuK. .r; i ,^cccpl:i^lc in ifn; Sijfit.c/'crd mi/Strcfirfht .vid Tnt/'Jtcdc' ■j:n PIOUS BREATHINGS. ^^iE E I N G THE at^i^^^TT MEDITATIONS / OF St. AUGUSTINE, His Treatise of the LOVE of GOD, SOLILOQUIES and MANUAL. To which are added. Select Contemplations FROM St. Anjelm and St. Bernard. Made English by GEO. STANHOTE, D. D. Dean of Canter- bury^ and Chaplain in Ordinary to HerMajeily. The Fifth Edition. LONDON: Printed for J. Knapton, R. Knaplock, J. Sprint, B. Took, D. Midwinter, R.Smith, J.Tonson, W.Taylor, W. Innys, J.OsBORN, T. BicKERTON, R. RoBiNsoN, and T. Ward. 1720. T O H E R ROYAL HIGHNESS THE Princefs ANNE O F DENMARK. May it pleafe Tour Royal Highnefsy TH E following Devotions do in their Original Language a- bundantly recpmmend Them- felves to the World, not only by their own intrinfic Worth, but by the Authority of thofe Venerable Names, among whofe Works they are pub- Jifb'd- And fince this laft Advantage A % i-§ The EPISTLE is what the EngUPo cannot receive from the Character of the Tranflator, Your Royal Highnefs will , 1 hope, have theGoodnefs to pardon his Am- bition, in prefuming to fupply that Defe<5t, by the Honour of Your Roy- al Highnefs's Patronage and Accep- tance. That Holy Zeal, which they are intended to kindle in others. Good Men behold with great Satif- faftion already fhining bright in Your Royal Highnefs ^ fo that their proper and utmoft Efficacy to be at- tained with regard to You, Madam, is the cheriftiing and exercifing that Devotion and Piety, which I pray God they may in fome degree be ferviceable for infpiring common Readers with. May the Fountam of all Goodnefs p refer ve Your precious Life, and continue Your Royal High- nefs long to us a bright Example, and a fignal Blelling to this and future Ages: May He hear and grant the daily Petitions of His Church, Endue Ton with His Holy Spirit y enrich Ton with DEDICATORT. with Hts Heavenly Grace ^ profper You with all Happinefsy and bring Ton to His Everlajiing Kingdom, Thefe, Ma- dam, I beg leave, with all Humility and moft profound Refped, to alTure Your Royal Highnefs, are the fin- cere, earneft, and conftant Prayers of, {May itpleafe Tour Royal Highnefs) Tour Royal Highnefs's Apr. 12. ^gfi Obedient^ and 1701. -* ' mofl Devoted Servant^ Geo. Stanhope. A 3 A TABLE of CHAPTERS. St. Auguftine'^ Meditations. Book I. Chap. ^ Page I. A I^rayer for Reformation of Life \ jTV IL An Act of Self-accufatlon^ and Imploring the Divine Mercy 3 III. "the Sinner^ s Lamentation for his Prayers not being heard 5 iV. An ASi of Fear 9 V. An Addrefs to the Father In the Son's J^ame 1 1 VI. T'he Son^s Sufferings reprefented to the Father 1 3 VII. An Acknowledgment that fin ful Man was the Caufe of Chrlfl^s Sufferings i ^ VIII. T'he Soul's Application of Chrlji's Death and Suffer- ings to her felf by Faith I g IX. A Prayer to the Holy Ghoji 21 X. An AB of Humility 25 XI. A Prayer to the Holy 'Trinity ibid. XII. A Confeffion of God's Omnipotence And Majejly 24 XIII. Of the Incarnation of the Divine Word / 25' - XIV. An AB of Trujl In^ and Thankfglvlng for ChHJi and his Sufferings 27 XV. Of God the Father's Love to Mankind 29 XVI. Of the two Natures In Chrlfi 32 XVII. Of Thanks due to GOD for the Redemption of the World ^ 34 XVIII. A devovt Prayer to Chrlfi: 35 XIX. The Souls of the Righteous are the Houfe of God 40 XX. The pious SouPs longing for Heaven 42 ^XL The Mlferles of the prefent Life Ad, XXII. The Happlnefs of that Life prepared for them that love G OD A^ XXIII. The Happlnefs of Holy Souls at their departure out of this World ^8 XXIV. A Prayer for Succour In Trouble and Danger 49 XXV. The pious Soul's defire of Heaven <\ XXVI. An Aa of Pralfe ^4 —- XXVII. How God may be feen^ and pojjeft of Man 5-7 XXVIII. ■ — .. ^(\ XXIX. Of the^ Plurality of Perfons in ^he Unity of the Divine Effence ^2 ^XX. A Prayer to the Evir-bleffed Trinity 64 XXXI. God the true Life 6< XXXII. Th^ A T A B L E. XXXII. T'he Praifes of Angels and Men Page 67 XXXIII. A 'Prayer fur Zeal in the Service and Prajfe of GOD 72, XXXIV. An ASi of Devotion and hove of God 74 XXXV. A devout Prayer to Chrift 80 XXXVI. Another to the fame pwpofe 8^ XXXVII. A Praver in time of Afflidion pi XXXVIII. A devout Prayer for pardon of Sins 93 XXXIX. A 7ifeful Prayer 99 XL. Devout Refiedions upon the Sufferings of Chriji 104 St. Augujlim of the Love of God > or, his fecond Book of Meditations. Book II. I. T" f? ^-E, the way that leadeth to Life ill 1 / II. Upon whqt account^ and in what manner we ought to love God 113 III. How God made all things for Man 118 IV. Of the Love of God towards us 1 21 V. Of the Fruition of God 124 VI. T^he Mercies of Creation and Regeneration \i$ VII. T'he Mercy of being called to the true Faith 1 29 VIII. Of the Communications of divine Grace 1 31 IX. T'he Mercy of InJiruBion and Illumination 134 X. God''s tender Care and conjlant Prefence with us 13^' XI. "The Benefit of our bodily Senfes , and the Prefervatiott of our Lives 13S XII. God^s Long-fuffering and Mercy ^ which preferved us from^ and forgave us after the commijfion of Sin 142 XIII. The Power ofmajlering T'emptations I J'O XIV. T'he Benefit of a holy Hope 1 5*2 XV. T'he many Inflames ofGod''s Bounty ^notwithjianding our Sins^ and the T'hanks due to him upon this Account i j* j* XVI. Of the Death of Chrift I S9 XVJI. The Promifes of God 162 XVill. The Happinefs of our future State 163 Sele£l Meditations out of St. Auguftine'% Solilo- quies. Book III. L — — P.^-, : 169 II. -^ . . 171 III. The Mifery of unregenerate Man 174 IV. An Ad of Praife for God's manifold Mercies in Man's prefent State ^ 1 79 Y, The Excellency of Man's future State 181 ^ A 4 VI. Of "«jj''.^ A TABLE. VI. Of the Almighty Power of God Page ^% /2 VII. A Prayer for divine Grace and ProteSiion i8£ VIII. A Prayer againjl evil Defires 1 87 IX. Of God'' s feeing all the ASiions and Intentions of Men 1 90 X. 'J'he Impotence of Human Nature to refiffTemptationSy without the Ajfijiance of divine Grace 193 XL 'The manifold Goodnefs of Gody and what Improvement we Jhould make of it 203 XII. The Conjidcration of the divine Goodnefs, our Hope and Comfort in Suffering 209 XIII. The Methods of God^s Grace in our SanSiification and Salvation 219 XIV. We are not to conceive God to he afenfihle OhjeSi 11^ XV. AConfeJfionofourVilenefsandGod''sExcell^cies 233 XVI. The SouPs earneji L ongings after future Happinefs 237 XVII. A concluding Prayer to the Holy Trinity 242 St. Aiigufiine"^ Manual. Book IV. I. *Tp //jE Excellencies of the divine Rffence 24^ X II- The inexprejfible Perfe^ioii of the divine Know- ledge 247 III. The Thirjl of the Soul after God 249 IV. The Mifery of them who do notfeek and love God 2^0 V. A Prayer for Grace to love God above all things ifi VI. The Happinefs of Souls delivered from their earthly Prifons 2^3 VII. Of the Comforts afforded good Men tinder their pre fent Troubles if^ VIII. An Ad of Love and Devotion if 6 IX. The pleafure of Meditating upon God 259 X. Of Loving God^ and the Advantages of doing fo 264 XI. The good Effeds of Meditating on Chrijl^s Death and Sufferings i6<) XII. Of the Knowledge of the Truth 274 XIII. The Marks and Fruits of true Love 277 XIV. TheexqiiifiteGoodnefsofGod 281 XV. The happinefs of Saints hereafter 284 St. Ayifelnf^ Meditations concerning the Redempti- on of Mankind. Book V. rage iSp. St. Anfelm of the Mifery of Man , in the Perfon of a forrowful Sinner deploring his own Condition. Book VI. Page 20f . St. A TABLE. St. Anfelm^ Incentive to Holy Love; or, Meditations upon the Paffion of our Lord. Book VII. I. * ■ ^WE Bmejit of obferving and reverencing our Lord in his State m of Humiliation Page 3 1 y II. A Chr-ijlian's Boaji /Ijould 6e in a Crucify' d Saviour 317 III. The greatnefs of God's Mercy to Mankind 318 IV. Of the Miferies which God took upon him for Mankind 31,0 V. The Behaviour of Chriji from his Youth 3 2 z VI. Of our Lord's laft Supper with his Difciples» and the Treachery of Judas i-} C VII. Of Chrifi retiring into the Garden, and his Sufferings there 325? VIII. ^efus Apprehended 331 IX. Our Lord bujfetedy fpit upon and fcourged 333 X. fefus in the Common-Hall 33^ XI. ^efus at Mou?it Calvary 336 XII. RejleHions upon the Mocking and Crucifixion of our Lord 337 XIII. Jcfus glorified in his Death 340 - XIV. An Addrefs to God the Father 341 XV. That the Son hath paid the Debt due to Divine Jujiice for us 343 XVI. The Love due to the Son for his Sufferings 344. XVII. An humble Addrefs to the Son 346 XVIII. of cur Lord's RefurreHion 349' XIX. A Trayer to the Holy Trinity 35-0 Devout Meditations of St. Bernard^ with regard to the State of Human Nature ; otherwife called his Book of the Soul. Book VIII. I. ^ ■ *^HE Dignity of Man, with regard to his Soul ^ff- J[ II. The Mifery of Man, with refpecl to his Body 3^0- III . ts.cfleciions upon the excellent Nature and Privileges of the Soul 3 64 - IV. The Rewards of good Men in the next Life 371 V . of the Duty of Self examination 37f VI. of the Attention requifite in publick Devotion 377 VII. ' . 3^5- VIII. of wandring Thoughts in Prayer 387 IX. The Ficklenefs of Man's Heart 389 X. of excufing our Fatdts 394 y^l. A farther Confejjion of Sins 399 XII. " 400 XIII. Confdence is every where 4°* . XIV. The three great Enemies of Mankind 403 XV. . '■— — — . 407 XVI. — — 409 XVII. — .-«— ..-J- — 410 For For the Reader's greater Eafe^ the following Tabic direfts to Devotions proper for Solemn Days^ and particular Occafions. FOR the Feap of our Bleffed ) Saziiour, efpecially TaJ^on-> Book VU. week. 3 ^eajis of Ai^tincieitionoy Nfitivtty. B.I. Chap. 15, 14, 15*, i5, ij'ftj^n-rpeek: or before a Sacrament, B. I. Ch. 5-, 6, 7, 8, Par Whitfunday. B. I. Ch. 9. B. III. Ch. i?. lievotions proptrforTvmity-Sun''\B. I. 11, 12,29. to pag. 67. day. J B. III. Ch. 14. ^r 7 ^i^j. i B. I. Ch. 28, 29, 40. B. IV. JBejope the Blejjea Sacrament , > ch 8 B IV 1 B.II.Ch. 15-, 16. B.IV. Ch.8. '^ the time of Receiving. \ B.V. Ch.j-. B. VII, Ch. 10, 3 12, 14, 15-, 1 5, 17. ' ^r T r ^ f -) Pag. 67. to 80. B. I. Ch. 40. After the Blejfed Sacrament, > B.IV. Ch. 10, 11. Confejfion of Sins. B. I. Ch. 3, 4. B. VI. Xn time of Affliciion, B.I.C.24,37. B.3.C.1 2. B.IV. 7. uigamfl Temptations. B. I. C. 24. B. III. Ch. i o. p. 1 9 2 , Tor Grace to ferve arid l • • • 3>» 3 • uigamji roandring Thoughts /«7 B VI II Ch 6 7 9 Frayer. J _,,... r ,^ . ^^. . 7 B. I. Ch. 17. B. II. through- -rhankfgtvmgs for Mercies. Sptrs- ( ^^^ g /jj^ ^.j^^ ^^^ /«^/ 0«e. .^a^///. ^ ^^ j8^^ Ch. II, 12, i^-. Contemplations of the Divine Fer- )B. I. Ch. 12, 28. B. IV. Ch. feSion. j 12. 7 B. I. Ch. 20, 21, 22, 25-, 26. ^c?j of Heavedy-mindednefs. \ B. III. C. 16. B. IV. C, 6, 9, 5 If. B. VIII. C 4. St. give car to my W orhs , C £crb , G o nsil)cr my . cAlc?i fair Oil PS;'y.V;t. St. Auguflines MEDITATIONS. B O O K I. CHAP. L A Trayerfor Reformation of Life, INfpire my Soul, O Lord my God, with a ho- ly defire of thee, my chief, my only good, that I may fo earneftly defire as diligently to feek thee, fo fuccefsfully feek as to be happy in finding thee j make me fo fenfible of that Happinefs in finding, as moil pallionately to love theej fo ef- fectually to exprefs that Love, as to make fome amends for my paft W ickednefs , by hating and forfaking my former evil courfes, and entring upon a Conver- fation exemplarily Pious for the time to come. Give me, dear God, hearty Repentance, an hum- ble and contrite Spirit > make my Eyes a Fountain of Tears, and my Hands liberal difpenfers of Alms, and unwearied inflruments of good Works. Thou art my King ♦, reign abfolute in my Heart , fubduc and expel thence all rebellious Paffions > quench all the impure burnings of fieflaly Lufts, and kindle in it the bright Fire of thy Love. Thou art my Redeemer, beat down and drive out the fpirit of Pride, and impart to mc, in much Mercy, the Treafure of thy own unexampled Hu- mility, and wonderful Condefccnfion. ' ■■ • Thou MEDITATIONS. Thou art my Saviour, take from me the rage of Anger i and arm me, I befeech thee, with the Shield of Patience. Thou art my Creator, root out from me all that Rancour and Malice whereby my Nature is corrupt- ed y and implant in me all that fweetnefs and gen- tlenels of Temper, which may render me a Man made in thy own Image, and after the hkenefs of thy own divine Goodnefs. Thou art my mofl merciful and indulgent Father, O grant thy own Child thofe beft of Gifts -, a firm and right Faith, a ftedfaft and well-grounded Hope, and a never-failing Charity. O my Dire6tor and Governor, turn away from ■ me, I befeech thee, vanity and filthinefs of Mind, a wandering Heart, a fcurrilous Tongue, a proud Look, a gluttonous Belly 5 preierve me from the venom of Slander and Detraftion , from the Itch of Curiofity, from the thirft of Covetoufnefs, Am- bition and Vain-glory 5 from the deceits of Hypo- crify, the fecret Poyfon of Flattery j from contempt of the Poor, and oppreilion of the Helplefs > from the canker of Envy, the fever of Avarice, and the peftilential Difeafe of Blafphemy and Prophanefs. Prune away my fuperfluity of Naughtinefs , and purge me from all manner of Injuftice, Ralhnefs, and Obflinacy j from Impatience, Blindnefs of Heart, and cruelty of Difpofition. Incline me to obey that which is good , and to comply with wholfome Advice > enable me to bri- dle my Tongue, and to contain my Hands from Wrong and Robbery. Suffer me not to infult the Poor, to defame the Innocent, to defpife my Infe- riors, to treat rny Sei^vants with Severity and Scorn, to fail in due Affeftion towards my Friends and Re- lations, or in Kindnefs and Compaflian towards my Neighbours and Acquaintance. O my MEDITATIONS. O my God, thou Fountain of Mercy, I beg Thee, for the fake of the Son of thy Love, difpofe me to the Love and Praftice of Kindnels and Mercy j that I may have a tender fellow-feeUng of my Brethrens Afflictions j and apply my felf cheerfully to reftify their Miilakes, to relieve their Miieries, to fupply their Wants, to comfort their Sorrows , to aflifl: the opprefled, to right the injured, to fuilain the needy, to cherifh the deje theie raife my drooping Spirits, and give new Life to my Hopes. For Thou, my God, Thou haft made all things by thy Power, and art wonderful in all thy doings > yet art Thou moft wonderful, and exceeding Glorious in thy Works of Pity and Love. In this fenfe too is that moft true, which Thou fpeakeft of thy Self by the Mouth Pfal. 145. of thy Servants. The Lord is good to all^ and his tender 19- Mercies are over all his Works, And what was (aid of one particular Perfon, we may moft truly apply to So. 24, thy People in general. My Mercy 'will I not take from 28. him. For Thou abhorreft, defpifeft, forfakeft no Man, but fuch only as, loft to all fenfe of their own Duty and Happinefs, do firft defpife and forfake Thee. Hence is it that Thou doft not only not ftrike when Thou art not angry, but even when Thou art moft juftly fo. Thou giveft good things liberally, upon the requcft of thofe Wretches who have pro- vok'd Thee to Anger. O my God, the horn of my Salvation, and my Refuge, I am fadly fenfible that I am one of thole miferable Wretches j I have provok'd thy Wrath, and done evil in thy Sight j and yet Thou holdeft thy Hand. I have finn'd, and Thou haft fuffer'dj I have offended, and ftill Thou beareft with me. If I repent, Thou fparefts if I return. Thou reccivcft me with open Arms 5 nay, even while 1 delay. Thou waiteft patiently for my coming back to Thee; Thou calleft me to Thee, when I go aftray \ Thou invitcft me while I am deaf to thy gracious Calls 5 Thou ftay'ft till I fhake off" my wicked lloth j and, when thy Prodigal Child MEDITATIONS. at laft bethinks himfelf. Thou meeteil and embra- ceft him moft gladly. Thou inilrudeft my igno- rance, comfortefl my Sorrows, keepeil me from falling, raifeft me up when I am fallen, giveft when Matt. 7,7, I aft:, art found when I feek Thee, and opcnell the door when I knock. Thus, O God of my Salvation, I have nothing to^ofler in my own excufe^ no Plea to make when Thou chargeft me with folly. There is no Refuge for me, but in thy Goodnefs and Protection 5 no place to hide me in from thy i\ll-feeing Eye. Thou haft iliew'd me the right way 3 Thou haft taught me how I ought to walk in it j Thou haft threatened the Torments of Hell to affright me from Wicked- nefs } and promised the Joys of Heaven to encou- rage my Obedience. And now, O Father of Mercies, and God of all Comfort, perfeft, I befeech Thee, thefe gracious de- figns upon thy Servant j pofTefs me throughly with thy Fear, that I may not dare to incur thy Threat- nings ; and fupport me with the Joy of thy Salva- tion, that I may be fill'd with thy Love, and cheer- fully run the Race that leadeth to thy gracious Pro- mifes. Thou, O Lord, art my Strength, my God, my Refuge, and only Deliverer : O be Thou pleas'd to infpire my Soul with proper Thoughts of Thee: Teach my Tongue fit Words to call upon Thee ac- ceptably 5 and enable my Hands, and every Mem- ber to do the thing that pleafeth Thee. I know full well that there is one way of pacifying thy Wrath, one Offering which thy Mercy will not reje6l. 'floe P^- S ^- n- Sacrifices of Ged are a troubled Spirit^ a broken and a contrite Heart my God will not defpife. Yet even this I cannot give my God, unlefs he firft vouchfafe to give it me. And therefore, O "Thoi^ Father of Light s^ from whom every good thing cometh^ enrich me, I befeech Thee, with This, I aflc no other Treafure j let this be my Introduction into thy Prefence^ this my defence againft the alTaults of 6 MEDITATIONS. *»^i— II I ' ' of Spiritual Enemies % this my Fountain of Tears to quench the flames of Sin^ this my fure Retreat from the Fury of inordinate Paffions and Defires. Suffer -me not, O Thou Strength of my Soul's Health, fuffer me not, I beg, to be one of thofe Luke 8. weak Chrillians, who for a time believe^ and in time 13. of temptation fall away. But cover Thou my Head Pial. 140- in the day of Battel^ for Thou, Thou only art my '^' Hope in the day of Trouble, and my Safety in the ~^' ' time of Danger. Thus do I come to Thee, my Light, and my Sal- tation, imploring the BlefTmgs of which I fland in need, and declaring the Miferies of which I am afraid. But in the midft of this Addrefs, I feel a check from within > my Confcience flings, and my Heart mifgives me j Love bids me hope, but fenlc of Sin bids me fear > and dread of thy Difpleafure damps that Zeal with which my Heart approaches thee 'y when I reflefl: on my own doings, I can't but defpond j when I look up to thy Goodnefs I'm full of Hope. The kindnefs of my God invites and pufties me forward, the Wickednels of my own Heart difmays and pulls me back. And all my Faults appear in fuch ghaftly lliapes before my Eyes as almofl hinder a holy Confidence, but quite beat down the boldnels of prefumption. CHAP. III. The Sinners Lamentation for bis Trayers not being heard, THus is my Soul diil:ra£l:ed witli different pafli- ons, when I appear before tJie Divine Ma- jeity. And how, alas ! lliould it be othcrwife ? For v/ith what Face can that Man entreat a Fa- vour, who hath deferv'd nothing but Hatred and In- MEDITATIONS. 7 Indignation ? What rafhncfs is it to afk Glory, when Punilhment only is his due? The Maletador pro- vokes his Judge, and, inllead of (atisfying for his Offence, he experts to be honour'd with' Crowns and Rewards: He Hes under Sentence of Con- demnation, and is it not infoient to fuc for a Bounty, to which he hath no manner of Pretence ? A llupid Child provokes a moft affectionate Father, ahd is it not yet a greater provocation to affume to himfelf the Claim of inheriting, 'till he have firff retraced his undutiful Behaviour ? This, O my Father, I confefs with Grief to be my own Cafe, I aflv Life, and have deferved Death : I have been difloyal to my King, and yet have the confidence to fly to him for Prote6tion : I have defpifed my Judge, and armed his angry Jullice againlt my guilty felf, and yet this very Judge I betake my felf to for fuccour. I have flopped my Ears againfl the Commands of a Father, and yet I take, upon me to depend upon him for his Paternal Affeftion and Care. To Thee I come j but oh ! how long do I make it before I come ? how much precious time do I trifle away in this moft important, moff neceffary Affair ? My Feet alas ! are fwift to Ruin, but flow in the way that leads to Life and Safety. I run after Sicknefs, and Wounds, and Death, and take no care to fhun the Darts which made thofe Wounds, even when I have felt the fmart, and am healed of the Sore. I prevented not thofe Eiangers which might have been avoided, and am at lall awakened into a ' fenfeofthem, when they have brought me to the ve- ry Gates of the Grave. I have added to my Plagues by multiplying my Tranfgrellions, and torn open my old Wounds, by rclapling into my former evil Courfes > and thofe Maladies which the Ipiritual Phyfician had cured, the frantick Patient hath again brought upon bimfclf : The Sore which was ikinn'd over, now breaks out afrefh, becaufe in- Pi flamed 21. 8 MEDITATIONS. fliimed by that repeated Folly, which hath forfeited the Mercy extended before. I know who hath de- clared, that "when the righteous man turneth away from his righteoufnefs^ and commit teth iniquity^ all the righteoufnefs that he hath done Jhall not be men- tioned. And if this Righteous Man, when he falls into fin, lofe all the benefit of his former Righteouf- nefs, what good can be expected for the ineffectual remorfe of that Sinner, who commits Evil, and repents of it, and then does the fame Evil again? This is to me a mortifying Thought > to me, who i Pet. 2. have fo often return d with the Dog to the Vomit ^ and with the Sow that was wajlo'd^ to her wallow- ing in the Mire. How oft I have offended, it is not in my power to remember : But this I own with a heavy Heart, that, in general, I have taught Men how to fin, and made thofe wife and fkilful in wickednefs, who liv'd before in happy ignorance of it. I have perfuaded them who wa'e averfe, forced them that refiilied me, and readily complied and taken part with thofe whofe Inclinations were to do a- mifs. I have laid Snares for thofe who walked fe- curely -, betray'd thofe into the Pit, who defir'd to be inform'd in the right way> and, that I might dare to be guilty of thofe things, I have dared to forget and drive out of my Mind thofe good Princi- ples, and great Obligations of gratitude to fo good a God, the which fhould have reilrain'd me from them. But, how faulty foever my own Memory may be, yet I have to deal with a Jull and Terrible Judge : Job 14. One who feals up my Iniquities in a Bag^ and ^fpes ^7- out all my ways. And tho' thou haft holdenthy peace^ Fial. 139-^^^^/ jj^ji y^^y^ jiiii^ ^j^^ refraineft thy felf a long Ifai. 41. ^i^^-i y(^t I dread to think the Day will comc^ when 14. thou flmlt cry like a tra-v ailing Woman^ and deftroy ayid del' our the ungodly at once, CHAP. MEDITATIONS. CHAP. IV. An Act of Fear. THE Lord^ even the moft mighty God^ jJ^all come^^^^^x, 50. / know thou y/;^//' appear^ and not alxv ays keep i, 3, 4- filencc : Then fhall thy Glory be feen, then fhall thy Voice be heard, then thy Terrors felt by all the world j when a fire jlnill devour before thee^ and a horrible Tern pe ft be ftifd up round about thee. JVhen thou ftoalt call to the Heavens from ahove^y and to the Earthy that thou may ft judge thy People. Andmuft our fnis, which we now fo indullriouily conceal, muft every aggravating Circumflance be then laid open, before fo many thoufand millions of Witnei- fes ? Muft I be then upbraided before fo many Troops of Angels and Saints, with not my evil deeds only, but even w^ith the fms of Word and Thought ? Mu(l 1 ftand then helplefs and friendlefs before fo many Judges? Muft I be confounded w4th the Re- proaches of fo many eminent Patterns of Piety and Virtue, whofe Examples I refus'd to follow .^ Muft I ftand the fliock of fo many Witneftes, w^ho will teftify againft me how often their charitable Advice hath been given me to no purpofe, and how inef- fectual all the good they did was to provoke my I- mitation ! Blefled God ! What fhall I have to fiy, or how fhall I find an evafion ? The very Appre- henfion racks me at this diftancc^ my Confcience flies in my Face 3 and I have this difmal Profped con- tinually in view. I fee, and daily lament my danger ; and every vicious difpofition helps to drefs up the woful Scheme. My fecret Imaginations fting me, my Covetoufnefs fetters me. Pride accufes. Envy gnaw^s and confumes me, Luft inflames, Intempe- rance Ihames me> Detra6tion tortures. Ambition fupplants, Violence and Fraud upbraid 3 Anger dif- orders, Gentlenefs makes mc fecure, Sloth over- B z comes, IP MEDITATIONS. comes, Hypocrify cheats me, Flattery makes me effeminate, Applaufe and Favour vain, Slander full of- anguifh. Thefa, my Great, my Only Deliverer, thefe are the fierce Nations that make War againft me : Thefe the Acquaintance I have been bred up with : This the Company I have delighted to frequent, and eontra<5ted the mofl intimate Familiarity with. Thus the Objects of my Love condemn me, and to my Shame and Difhonour. Thefe are the Friends I have trufled, the Teachers I have learnt of, the Maflers, or rather the Tyrants, I have lived in fubje6bion to , the Counfellors I have been go- vern'd by, the Cronies I have lived and afted with. Pfal. 20. ff^Qfy i^ ^^^ j^y Qod, that I have thus long dwelt 5 » ^' in Mefech^ and had my habitation among the Tents of Kedar. For fure, whatever reafon David had, I have much greater, to lament, that my Soul hath long dwelt among them that are Enemies unto Peace. But Thou, O Lord, art Hill my hope and flay. In Pfal. 143- thy fight ^ it is true^ Jhall no flejh living be jtiftified. ^- 1 put not, therefore, any trufl in the Sons of Men: Pfal. 130 For if thou, Lord.^ fiwuldefl be extream to mark what 3. is done amifs^ who among them, is there that might abide it ? And therefore, unlels thou prevent the Sinner with thy Mercy and Pardon, for what hath been done amifs, there cannot be any Righteous to be glorified, any quaUfied for a reward of what hath been done well. Therefore it is, my God and my Salvation, that Rom.i.4T believe in Thee, as knowing that thy Goodnefs Pfal. 119. iQa,deth to Repentance, How fweet are thofe words of Tohn 6 ^^^^^ ^^ ^y throat, ! yea^ fweet er than honey to my Mouthy 2 y ^ ^^, that no man cometh to thee except the Father draw him^ and that him who cometh to thee thou wilt in no wife cafi out. Since then, thou haft not only inftrucled me in, but even given mc new hfe, by the knowledge of this Truth, and thus again made me thy own Creature 5 MEDITATIONS. n ,1 ■ — — — ^-^— — — ^— — ^^— — ^ Creature > I do, with all imaginable earneftnefs, with all the fincerity and zeal my heart is capable of, befeech thee, Almighty Father, together with thy moil dearly beloved Son, and Thee, O beft be- loved Son, with thy moll fweet Comforter , draw me, that I may run after Thee , and be delighted c^^nt. i. with the odour of thy precious Ointments. 3, 4. CHAP. V. - An Addrefs to the Father in the Sons Name, I Call upon thee, my God, yea, even upon Thee do I call, who declared thy felf;2/^/:7^;^/o^//y^^^^Pfai. 146, as call upon thee in Truth. Yea, thou thy fclf art 18. Truth , and therefore teach me , for thy Mercies fake, to perform this fervice as I ought j for with- out Thee I know not how to pleafe thee 5 and therefore do make it my moft humble and earnell requell to be taught by Truth it felf All Wifdom without Thee is no better than Folly, and to know Thee alone is the Sum and Perfedbion of Know- ledge. Inform me, therefore, O Divine Wifdom, and make me to underfl^nd thy Statutes. For I am fully perfuaded, that He, and He alone, is hlejfed 'whom Thou nurtureft and teachefi in thy pfai. 94, Law. 12, * My defire is to call upon thee , and to do it in Tmth : But what can calling upon Truth it fclf in Truth mean, except applying to the Father by the Son? Therefore, Holy Father, thy Word is Truth, and the beginning of all thy Word in the Gofpcl hath told us, that. In the beginning was the JVord.]^^- ^- ^'- In that Word of Truth I call upon Thee, O Ef- fential and Original Truth, and beg to be directed in, and thoroughly taught the Truth. B. J [And II MEDITATIONS. And what can be more delightful than to addrefs Him that begot, in the name of his only begotten? than to move the Father to tenderneis by the men- tion of his own dear Son? than to appeafe the wrath of a King, by interpofmg the darling of the Family, the Heir of all his Dominions ? Thefe are the powerful methods ufed by Malefactors for re- leafe out of Prifon -, by Slaves and Captives for ob- taining Freedom ^ by condemn'd Perfons for Par- don \ nay, powerful enough to prevail , not for Pardon only, but even for Favour and Advance- ment too. A King's anger cools inftantlv, if the Offenders are fuch Favomites of the Prince, as to make ufe of his Name and Intereft : And Servants find it no hard matter to come off without blows, if the Children employ their pretty endearments in their behalf. Since then thefe methods are fo fuc- cefsful below, why fnould they not have the fame good eife6t above? I will beg the Almighty Father, Pfal. 141. for the fake of his Almighty Son, to bring my Soul 9. otit' of prifon^ that I may groe thanks imto his Name. •^ Loofe me, Lord, from the bands of my fins, for the fake of thy only, thy coeternal Son j and by the In- tcrceflion of that Dear, that Divine Image and Brightnefs of thy Glory, now fitting at thy right hand, be reconciled to a poor finful wretch > and inflcad of that Death my wickcdncfies defervedly threaten me with, raife and refiore me to a Life of Hope and Bleflednefs. This isf indeed the only Advocnte I can employ : For, whither iliould I fice, or whofe Interefl Ihould I depend upon with the Father, except to go to I Joh. 2. Him, who is the Propitiation for our Sins; whoalfo 2.- fitteth at the right hand of Gad^ making interceffion fov us? This therefore is myiMediator with thee, Hea- venly Father 5 This my perfe<51: High-Priclf, who Heb. 7. ^^<^^'-^ ^^^ to be fan(5tified vjith other Bloody but hath 25, 27. made atonement, and fbands before .thee pure and ix. ir,i2 bright in virtue of his own Blood, with which he was MEDITATIONS, 13 j^vas waih'd for our fakes. This is that holy and unblemifh'd, that acceptable and perfect Sacrifice, oifer'd for a fweet-fmelling fwour unto God. This that Lamb without fpot^ who was dumb before bis fi ear- Ifa . 5 3 . 7 , ersy and tho' reviled^ and buffeted, and fpit upon, i i'^^- ^« yet he opened not his Mouth. This that righteous -5» ^^* Pei-fon who did not fin , but condefcended to bear our finSj and by his own Stripes to heal our putri- fied Sores. CHAP. VI. The Sons Sufferings reprefentedto the Father. LOOK therefore. Gracious Father, look upon this befb and dearefl of Sons, who hath en^ dur'd the worft and wicked'll: indignities upon my account. Confider, moil merciful King of Hea- ven, who it is that fuffer'd 3 and at the fame time think for whom he fuffer'd fuch bitter things. Is R-om. 8. not this, my God, that fpotlefs Innocent, whom, 32-- though thy Son, thou wert pleafcdnot to fparc, that ?^^'^' '^' he might redeem thy Servant .^ Is not this that Aas^l'sl' Author and Giver of Life who was led '.\s a Sheep to Phil. 2.. 8. the /laughter^ and becoming obedient e^ven unto Death ^ was content to die in the moll painful and igno- minious manner? O thou, w^hofe wonderful Wif- dom contriv'd the whole Myllery of Man's Re- demption ! Relied, I befeech thee, that this is that veiy Perfon, who though begotten of, and refcm- bling'Thee in thy Almighty Power, yet was or- dain'd by Thee to partake of my weaknefs. It was thy own Divine, which cloath'd it felf withmy Human Nature, and in my Flefh afcended the Crofs , and felt the Torments of a moil dolorous Death. O let this unfpeakable inilance of Con- defccnfion and Love be ever before thine Eyes ! See that delightful Son extended on the Crofs; B 4 Bchoid 14 MEDITATIONS. Behold his holy Hand ftained with innocent Blood, and pardon thofe Iniquities which my wicked hands have been polluted with. Behold his naked Side pierced with a cruel Spear, and wafli me in that Fountain, which by the Eyes of Faith I fee flowing from that Wound. Behold thofe bleffed Feet, 'al. I. I. which never flood in the way of Sinners^ hut walked in the paths of thy Commandments^ thrull thro' with Pfal.17.5 mercilefs Nails > and hold up my goings in thy Path s^ and give me Grace to hate all evil Ways, and to chufe the way to Truth and Righteoufnefs. I befeech thee, O King of Saints, may it pleafe thee, by this moil Holy of all thy Saints, by this powerful Redeemer, fo to difpofe my Heart and Actions, that I may be united to him in the fame Spirit, 1 Cor. 6. who did not difdain to be united to me in the fame 17. Flefh. Obferve that Head rechncd upon hisBreaft, and expiring in the pangs of Deaths and let this proof of thy uncreated Son's Humanity prevail with my moll merciRil Creator, for Compallion upon his own wretched Creature's Infirmity. See his pale Bread, his purple Sides, his Bowels parched with Third, his beautiful Eyes languifhing in Death, his Arms grown flid^ his royal Face be- fmeared , his Legs extended , his pierced Feet drenched with dreams of precious Blood : Look, Glorious Father of this deared Child , look upon this Body, bruifed and broken, and torn, and then in Mercy call to mind whereof I am made. Let the Punifhment of God and Man perfonally united, atone for a Man created after his and thy likenefs. Ifa. 53. 8. Let the Sufterings of the Redeemer be ever in thy Matt. 3. fjg}^^^ 2ind in them over-look the Oftences of thy 1 Pet. 1. Redeemed. This (my God) is He, whom thou 2 \ . thoughted fit to fmite for the tranfgrcjjion of thy Peo- If. 53. n pi^^ tiio' he was ih:\tbeloved in whom thy Soul delight" Lu:<. 2.2,. ^^^^ This is he in whom there was no guile ^ tho' he ^ ' was content to be reckoned among the Tran/greffors. CHAP, MEDITATIONS. ij CHAP. VII. An Acknowledgement that finfulMan was the Caufe of Chriji's Sufferings, WHAT had ft thou done, O Charming Inno- cence 5 to bring thee as a Criminal before thy Enemies Bar ? Or how hadft Thou deferved to* be treated with fuch rude and infolent, fuch unrelenting and triumphant Barbarity ? What paf- fage of thy whole Life could they fix an Accufation upon, what Crime alledge to countenance fo rigo- rous a Sentence ? If none, ( as none they could) whence then thy fhameful bitter Death, or how cameft thou to be condemned as a vile Mifcreant ? 'Twas I, alas, 'twas wretched I that gave thee all thofe pains : 'Twas I deferved the Death that thou enduredft •, and my Offences gave thofe Scourges, thofe Nails, that Spear the power of flay- ing and wounding, and killing thee. O wonder- ful Procefb! mylTery of Juftice ! that the Wicked fliould. offend, and the Righteous be punifhed for it ! thacikhe Guilt and the Condemnation ihould thus be feparated ! that the Servant ihould contra6t a Debt , and the Lord to whom it was due make fatisfa6lion ! that Man fhould provoke the divine Vengeance, and God fhould feel the fmart of it ! How low, O Son of God, did thy HumiHty ftoop ! How fervent was thy Love ! How boundleis thy Compaflion ! For I have done wickedly , and Thou art called to account for it : I armed an angry Juftice againft my felf, and it is difcharged upon Thy Head : Mine is the Crime, and Thine the Torture : I have been proud, and Thou art humbled y I am puffed up, and Thou haft emptied thy felf : I have been rebel- lious, and thy obedience hath expiated for it. I have been intemperate, and Thou haft hungred and 1 6 MEDITATIONS. and thirftcd for it : My ungovcrn'd Appetite fin- ned in the forbidden, and thy immenfe Love fub- mitted to hang on the accurfed, Tree : I eat the Fruit, and Thou feeledft the Pains : I wallow in Plcafures,. and thou art torn with Nails : The Honey in my Mouth is turned to Gall in thy Sto- mach : The tempting E-ve rejoices with me, the forrowful Mo.ry fufSrs and laments with Thee. Thus is my wickednefs and want of Love to God, thus is thy Righteoufnefs and inexprefiible Love to Man manifelled in this marvelous difpenlation. pfal 1 1 6. -^"^ now, my God and King, ^uohat reward jlo all I II. ' g^'^^-i what return can I make /or all the benefits thou haft done unto me ? Surely it is not in the power of Man to find out any requital anfwerable to fuch bounty : For how fiiould the narrownefs of a fi-^ nite Mind extend to any thing fit to be compared with infinite Compallion ? How fiiould a poor Creature be capable of any recompcnce fuitable to the Mercy of an Almighty Creator ? And yet, my dearell Saviour, fo wonderfully is this matter or- da^'d, that even Man, even I, weak and worthlefs though I be, may find fomcthing which Thou art pleas'd to accept in return ; if by thy^^race my Gal 5. i-i. Soul be broken and humbled, -xndi 1 crucifie this Flejj} "with its affections and lifts. When wrought up to this holy difpofition, I then begin to liiffer for, and live to thee , and in fomc ibrt to pay back what thou haft cndur'd when dying for me. Thus by gaining a conqueft upon the Inward Man, 1 am by thee enabled to win the Crown by my Out- ward •, and, by triumphing over the Ficfii in Spiri- tual Trials , that very Flelli hath the courage to iiibmit gladly for thy fake to Bodily Perfccutions and Death. This is the utmoft my Condition will admit j and this, though but little in it lelf , yet when proceeding from the fame Principle of holy Love, thou art gracioufiy pleas'd to accept, as the utmoll poor Mortals can do in acknowledgment of MEDITATIONS. 17 of their Great Maker. This is the Cure of finful Souls ', This Blelled Jefus, the fovereign Antidote Thy Mercy hath provided for us ! I befeech thee therefore, by thy tender Mercies^-^^^^. i-. which ha'ue e-ver been of old^ pour fuchBahn into my 5. Wounds, as may difpel the Venom of my Difeafes, and reilore me to fpiritual health and foundnefs. Let me drink of thy heavenly fwectnefs, and be fo raviih'd with the tallc, as ever after to difrelifh the Senfual Delights of the World, to defpife its Plea- fures, and chearfully encounter the Afflictions of this prefent Life > and fo to fix my Heart on true noble Joys, as always to difdain the empty and tranfitory Shadows, which Flefh and Blood is fo fooliflily fond of, and fo fearful of parting with. Let me not, I befeech thee, efteem^or delight in any thing but Thee : Let all this whole World can give, without thee, be counted no better than Drofs and Dung : Let me hate moil irreconcilably what- ever difplcafes Thce> and what Thou lovelt let me moll eagerly deiire , and inceflantly purfue : Let me feci no iatisfacirion in any Joys without Thee ; nor any rclu^tancy in the greateil Sufferings for thcc. Let the mention of thy Name be always a Refrefhment, and the remem.brance of thy Good- ncfs an inexhaufHble Spring of Comfort to my Soul. Let Tears be my Meat day and night, fo I may attain to thy Righteoufnefs •, -divAthe Laiv of thy pr.,I. 119. Mouth always dearer to nie than thoufands of Gold and 7 '- Siher. Let me aim at nothing fo much as to do Thee fervice j nor deteil and avoid any thing in comparifon of finning againll thee. And, for what I have unhappily done of that kind already, I en- treat Thee, my only refuge and hope, to pardon for thy own Mercies fike. Let my Ears be ever open to the Voice of thy Law," and fuffer not m^ Heart to encUne to any ^-ri/if/^/;;^, that I never comply Pral. 149, with them that pra'clife wickednefs^ nor takefhelter in -^• trifling Pretences to excufc or indulge m.y felf in doing 8 MEDITATIONS. II. doing what I ought not. And once more, I beg Pfal. 36. thee, by thy own unparallcrd HumiHty, that the foot of Pride may not come againji me^ nor the hatid of the ungodly cafi fne down. CHAP. VIII. The Soufs Application of Chrijl's "Deathy and Suffer trigs to herfef by Faith, ™», '"^HOU feefr, niy Lord, my God, I have done my iitmpll to incUne thy Mercys I have vith a moil fincere zeal offered to thee the beft, the dearell, -the moft acceptable thing I have : Nay, 1 hav*e nothing elle indeed, no addition to make , llnce in this One I place my whole trull, and make a prefent at once of all I value or depend upon. For I have addrefs'd to thee by My only I Tim. 2. Advocate, and Thy Only Son: That One Media- 5, tor het-iveen God and Alan , that Glorious Intercef- for, by whom I afTuredly expect acceptance and foigivcnefs. 1 have, by my words poured out be- fore thee, fent that fFord in my behalf to Thee, which thou didll heretofore fend down from Hea- ven for my Sins , I have paid down the price of that Paflion, which thy own Son, I moll firmly believe, hath undergone, for the releafe of that Debt to thy Juilice which my mifdeeds have con- tracted. I believe that thy Godhead, fent thus in- to the World , did take upon him my Manhood j that in this State he vouchlafed to be bound and buffeted, to be derided and fpit upon, to be nail- ed, and pierced, and crucified. And this Nature of mine, after being wrapt up in fw^adling Clothes, and moillncd with infant Tears -, after the toils of Youth, the mortifications of Fallings, and Watch- ings, and long Journeys j after being furrowed with MEDITATIONS. ip with Scoiirgings, torn upon the Crofs, numbred among the Dead, and at laft honoured with a glo- rious Refurredion : This Nature of mine, I lay, thy Godhead united to it, I moil: afluredly believe, hath now exalted to the Joys of Heaven, and feat- ed at the right-hand of thy Majefty on high. This is my Confidence 5 this the ReconciHation for my Sinsj this the Atonement thou haft accepted for them. Remember then, in much Mercy," the quahtyof thy Son, and the condition of thy Servant redeem- ed by him. Look upon the Maker, and defpife not the work of his Hands. Take the Shepherd into thy embraces, and caft not out the ftray Sheep Luk; which he brings home upoii his Shoulders. For This is that careful Shepherd, who, when his Sheep wander'd over lleep Hills, and thorny Vales, and defolate Wildernefles, fought and brought it back with wondrous fkill and pains: And when it was faint and jult expiring, fullainVl and carry'd it, ty'd it faft to himfelf by the flraiteft bands of Love, lifted it out of the Pit of Error and Confu- fion, and with many a kind and tender Embrace rejoiced over it, and fetch'd the poor loil filly Creature home to the ninety and nine which layfafe in his own Fold. See then, my God and King, fee the good Shep- herd bringing to thee the Sheep committed to his Charge: He undertook to fave Man by thy ap- pointment, and he hath perform'd the undertaking fo, as to reilore to thee pure aud fpotleis thy once polluted Creatures: He brings in lafety back that Prey, which the Wolf and Robber had carried off hy violence. He brings that Servant into thy pre- fence, whom his own guilty Confcience had put upon fleeing from thy fight, that fo the puniihment due to his deferts mj'ght be remitted through his Lord's fatisfadion \ and the Offender, who had nothing to look for but to be baniflied for ever into 20 MEDITATIONS. into hell, might, under the protection of this glo- rious Conqueror, be aflLir'd of admittance into his Heavenly Country. I needed none to help me in offending Thee, but without help I never could have appeas'd Thee. Thou therefore, who alone could' 11 be. Thou, my God, was my helper 5 and thy beloved Son effected what could not have been effected, had he not taken my Nature upon him, in order to cure my Infirmities : l^ut thus he became our perfect cure, by rendring the fame Nature the fubje<5t of both the Sin and the Sacrifice, anddraw- mg the Antidote out of the fame Root from whence the Poifon had fpiamg. Thus hath he made me a fit Obie6t of mcrcy^ while fitting at thy Right Hand in my Subltance, he makes it impoflible for Thee to hate that in me, which thou canll not but love in him. This is my hope, and the Joy of my Confidence. If then I do, as well I may, feem vile and de- fpicable in thy fight, through my own Impurities, yet look upon me at leall with an Eye of Pity : when thou beholdcll my Likenefs in the Son of thy Love, behold the myltery of a Human Body in him, and remit the guilt of the f\me Human Body in me : Hide my Sins in his Wounds, and let my Stains be wafh'd in his molt precious Blood. Flefh provok'd thee to Wrath, let Flefh likewife prevail with thee for Mercy ; and as my Fleili drew me into fin, fo let my Saviour's draw thee to compafiion. Great, 1 confcfs, arc my Faults, and the Punifhments due to them j but greater, infi- nitely greater, are the Merits and Sufferings of my Dear Redeemer: Between my Sins and his Righ- teoufnefs there is no comparilbn, no proportion at all, either for quality or degree, no more than there is between GOD and Man, between an Atom and an Infinite. For what is it poffiblc for Man to be guilty of which the Son of God made Man mull not needs have MEDITATIONS. 21 have compenfated ? What Pride can be fo extra- vagant, that His Humihty did not exceed and make amends for ? What dominion could Death have lb abfolute, that the Death of the Crois fhould not utterly overthrow it ? If then Almigh- ty G O D would be pleas'd to weigh the Sins of Man in balance againft the Goodnefs of his Saviour, Eall: and Well, Heaven and Hell, are not fo far diftant from each other. And therefore, O my God, let my manifold Offences be pai'don'd, for the many more Pains and Sufferings of thy dear Son : Let his Piety atone for my want of it y his ready Obedience for my Perverfenefs j his Meeknefs for my untradlable temper : Set his Humility againil my Pride, his Patience againft my Difcontent, his Kindnefs againft my Hard-heartednefs, the Calm- nefs of his Soul againft my Fretfulnefs and unruly Pallions, his Gentlcnefs againft my Rage, his uni- verfal and unwearied Love againft my Hatred, Re- venge, and Cruelty. CHAP. IX. ^ Trayer to the Holy Ghoft, AN D now, O Holy Spirit, Love of God, who proceed'ft from the Almighty Father and his moft Blefled Son, powerful Advocate, and fweetcft Comforter, infufe thy Grace, and defccnd plentifully into my Heart 5 enlighten the dark cor- ners of this negleded dwelling, and fcatter there thy chearful Beams j dwell in that Soul which longs to be thy Temple •, w^ater that barren Soil, over-run with Weeds and Briars, and loft for want of cul- tivating, and make it fruitful with thy Dew from Heaven. Heal the lurking Diftempers of my In- ward Man j ftrike me through with the Dart of thy Love, 2z MEDITATIONS. Love, and kindle holy Fires in my Breaft, fuch as may flame out in a bright and devout zeal, a6luate and enliven the heavy Mafs, burn up all the drols of fenfual AfFeftions, and diffufing themfelves thro' every part, poflefs, and purify, and warm my whole Spirit, and Soul and Body. P^al. 36.S. Make me to drink of the Spiritual Pleafures as out of a River 'y and let their heavenly Sweetnefs fa corre61: my Palate, as to leave no defire, no re- lifh for the grofs unhealthful fulfomnels of world- Pfal 43.T. ly dehghts. Judge me^ O Lord^ and defend my caufe 143- •^o- againfi the ungodly People. Teachmetodothethingthat ■pleafeth thee^ for thou art my God. I believe, that in whomfoever thou dwelleft, the Father and the Son do likewife come, and inhabit that Breaft. And oh ! happy is that Breaft, which is honoured with fo glorious, rfo divine a Gueft, in whofe Company the Father and the Son always come, and take up their abode ! O that it may pleafe thee to come to me, thou kindeft Comforter of Mourning Souls, thou Mighty Defence in Diftrefies, and ready help in time of need. O come thou purger of all in-' ward Pollutions, and healer of fpiritual Wounds and Luke I. Difeafes. Come, Thou ftrength of the feeble, and pial 51. raiferof them that fall. Come, Thou ^utttx down ^^- ^' of the Proud^ and teacher of the Meek and Humble,' ^8 5. Come, Thou Father of the Fatherlefs^ and juft Avenger of dcfolate Widows. Come, come. Thou Hope of the Poor, and refrefliment of them that languilh and faint. Come, Thou Star and Guide of them that fail in this tempeftuous Sea of the World V Thou only Haven of the tofs'd and fhip- wreckt. Come, thou Glory and Crown of the Living, and only Safeguard of the Dying. Come, Holy Spirit, in much Mercy, come, make me fit to receive thee, and condefcend to my Infirmities, that my meannefs may not be difdained by thy greatnefs, nor my weakncfs by thy ftrength : All which I beg for the fake of Jefus Chrift my only Sa- MEDITATIONS. 23 Saviour, who in the Unity of Thee, O Holy Spi- rit, Hvcth and reigneth with the Father, One God, World without end. Avien. CHAP. X. An A£i of Humility. I Know, O Lord, and do with all Humility Ac- knowledge my felf an Obje6t altogether un- worthy of Thy Love > but fare I am, Thou art an Object altogether worthy of mine. I am not good enough to ferve Thee, but Thou haft a right to the beil Service I can pay. Do Thou then impart to me fome of that Excellence, and that fhall fupply iHy own want of Worth. Help me to ceafe from Sin according to thy Will, that I may be capable of doing Thee Service according to my Duty. En- able me fo to guard and govern my felf, fo to be- fin and finiili my Courfe, that when the Race of ife is run, I may lleep in Peace, and reft in Thee* Be with me unto the End, that my Sleep may be Reft indeed, my Reft perfed Security, and that Security a blejGTed Eternity. Amen, CHAP. XL A Trayer to the Holy Trinity. WE praife^ and blefs, and acknowledge Thee^ both in Heart and Voice > even Thee, O Father, begotten of none 5 Thee, O Son, the Only begotten of the Father 5 Thee, O Holy Ghoft, Eternal Comforter : To this Holy and Undivided Trinity, be Gloiy for ever and ever. Amen. e C H A E 24 MEDITATIONS. CHAP. XII. A CmfeJJlm of God's Omnipotence and MajeJIf, OGod moft High, Three Perfons, but One Ef- fence, the fame Majefty and Power, Lord God Almighty ! the leafl of all thy SeiTants, and meaneft Member of thy myliical Body the Church, defires to afcribe to Thee all Honour and Praife, the utmoft that the little Knowledge and Power, with which Thou haft been pleafed to endue him, is [capable of I have no Prefent but my felf to make, and that which is not in it felf worthy thy Acceptance > I beg Thou wilt be pleafed to look upon, not according to its own Value, but accord- ing to thy own rich Mercy, and that Sincerity and Faith unfeigned, with which 1 do moft joyfully confe.crate it to thy Service. I believe in, and heartily pray to Thee, Great King of Heaven and Earth j I acknowledge Fa- ther, Son and Holy Ghoft; Three Perfons but One Ellence^ the True, the Almighty God, of One uncompounded, incorporeal, inviiible, un- circumfcribed Being} in whom thei*e is nothing higher or lower, greater or lefTer, but perfc£t and equal all : Great without Quantity, Good with- out Quality, Eternal without Time, Life without Death, Strength without Weaknefs, Truth with- out Falihood, Omniprefent without Space, filling all things and places without Extenfion, palling every where without motion, abiding every wnere without confinement, communicating to all thy Creatures without diminifhing thy own fulnefs, governing all things without labour J without beginning, and yet giving beginning to all, making all things mutable, and yet unchangeable thy feltj infinite in Great- nefs, unbounded in Power, of Goodnefs indefefti- ble, of Wifdom incomprehenfible, wonderful in thy Coun- ME PI TAT IONS. . ij Counfels, jufl in thy Judgments, unfearchable in thy Thoughts, true in all thy Words, holy in all thy Works, abundant in Mercies, long-fuffering towards Sinners, compaflionate to all that repent 5 always the fame, without mixture or defilement, allay or accidents > eternal, immortal, unchange- able. Thy Will alters not, thy Juftice is not by- afs'd, thy Mind is not dillurbed with Griefs, or Pleafures, or Pailions : With Thee nothing is for- gotten, nothing which was once loft called to re- membrance again j but all things paft or future are ever prefent to thy capacious Mind ; whole Duration neither begun in time, nor encreafes by length of time, nor fhall it ever end, but thou li- veft before, and in, and after all Ages. Thy Glory is Eternal, thy Power Supreme, thy Kingdom £■» Verlafting, and World without end. Amen. CHAP. XIII. Of the Incarnation of the divine Word. THus far, O my God, the fearcher and feer of Rom. to; Hearts, I have profefled my Faith in thy 9. Power and Majefty. Now as my Heart believes unto Righteoufnefs , fo my Mouth ihall confefs unto Salvation, that unfpeakable Goodnefs expreft to Mankind in the later Ages of the World. Thou, O Father, art the only Perfon, of whom we no where read that he was fent. But of thy Son, the Apoftle hath inftrucled Us, that, IFhen the fulnefs of q^\^ j^,^; time was come^ God fent forth his Son. By faying Go^ fent him^ he means that the Perfon thus fent came into the World when he condefcended to be born of the Virgin Mary^ and made his appeai'ance in our Flcih, a True and Perfect Man. But what means that paflage of the great Evange- lift, He was in the JVorld^ and the World was made by joh. i.iOf C a, him? x6 MEDITATIONS. him ? The fenfe furc is, that he was fent hither with fegard to his Humanity, but was really here before, and ail-along in refpc6t of his Divinity. Now this Miffion I believe, and thankfully acknowledge to have been the Work of the whole Trinity. But, O Holy Father, how great was thy Love, and how tender the iVlmighty Creator's Concern for his poor R om . 8 . Creatures, wh ich /pared not his own Son^ but delivered y- S> S- him up freely /6/r iis^ and, which is the moft aftonifli- ing Circum fiance for us, zvhile we were yet Sinners ! Phil. 1.8. That Son became obedient unto death ^ even the death of Col 1.14- the Crofs J he took the hand-writing that was againft us, and nail d it to that Crofs of his> thus crucifying Sin and flaying Death. He only was free when in the Regions Joh. lo. of Death and Captivity, becaufe He only h^id power to ^ ^' lay down his Life^ and power to take it up again^ for us. He therefore was the Victor and the Vi£bim, and therefore the Victor, becaufe the Victim. He was the Priefl: and the Sacrifice, and for that reafon the true High-Prieft, becaufe the tme Sacrifice to thee our God. Firm therefore are thofe Hopes I enter- tain of having all my Difeafes healed by Him, be- Heb. 7. caufe grounded upon his fitting at thy right-hand^ and 2 5 . living for ever to make Inter cejfion for us. Thofe Dif- eafes, I mufl own, are many and fore, for the Prince of this World hath much in me, but I apply to thee for Health, by the Merits of that Redeemer, ia whom his Malice could find nothing. Juftify me John 14. t>yhim, who dad no Sin^ neither was any Guile found in 30.^ his Mouth. By that holy and fpotlefs Head convey I Pet. 2. Health and Salvation to thy weak polluted Member. ''^* Deliver me, I befeech thee, from my finful Habits, my vicious Difpofitions, my faults of Wilfulnefs, of Negligence and Ignorance. Fill me w4th thy Grace, and help me to excel and refemble thee, the Perfection of Goodnels. Keep me fledfall in the way of thy Commandments, and enable me to grow and perfevere in Virtue unto the End, that I may live and die according to thy IVilh CHAP. MEDITATIONS. 27 CHAP. XIV. An A£i ofTruft in, and Thankjgivingfor Chrift and his Sufferings, WHAT Foundation could a finful Creature, Heb. lo. laden with Guilt 5 and quite overwhelmed ^7- with Frailties, have for Hope? What could poor I, ^^^•'' ^'** whofe Confcience upbraids mc with infinite Faults and Negleds, have lookt for but Judgment and fiery Indignation^ had not thy Word, O God, been made Flejh^ and dwelt among us? But this marvellous Difpenfation will no more fuffer me to defpair, than my own Condition without it could have iullified my Hope : For who fhall dare to defpair when we, even while we were Enemies , were reconciled by the Rom. 5. Death of thy Son -y and therefore, without all quefti- 10. on, being reconciled^ Jhall much more be faved by his Life? This is my Hope, the Rock of Confidence, even the precious Blood of thy Son, which he flied for us, and for our Salvation. In him I revive, and take Courage to approach thee, not having my ownVhW, 3. 9. Righteoufnefs^ or prefuming in any degree upon any Work of mine, but that Right eoufnefs which is of thy Son our Lordjefus Chrift^ even the Righteoufi nefs of Faith in his Sacrifice for me. For this I give thee my moil; unfeigned Thanks, O tender Lover of Souls, who by thy Son our Lord Jefus Chrift, haft created us again to a new Life when we had made our felves nothing, worfe than nothings and wonderfully delivered and reftored us to a Spiritual Being, when we were funk and ab- folutely loft in Sin and Mifeiy . ^ — All Praife be to thy Fatherly Compaffion, which from the bottom of my Heart I admire and thankv fully adore, for that inexprefiible Love wherewith thy Bowels yearned over undone Man, whereby thou didft extend to moft unworthy Wretches fuch C } m^rvellousi 28 MEDITATIONS. marvellous Grace, didll fend thy only Begotten out of thy own Bofom, for our univerfal Benefit , and fave poor Sinners, then the Children of Wrath and Perdition. All Honour and Praife be to thee for his miracu- lous Incarnation and holy Nativity, whereby he took Fleih of the Sub fiance of his BlefTed Mother, for us and for our Salvation , that as he had been before from all Eternity very God of God , fo he might be in time very Man of Man. Glory and Praife be to my God for his PafHon und painful Crucifixion , for his Death and Refur- redlion, for his triumphant Afcent into Heaven, A 1 7 > 3 ■ f^j^iy jjQgQitQji ^Qyi^ fjjat all who belie've in him fiould not perijh^ hut have cveriafling Life : And this is Life V e^verlajling^ to know 'Jhee^ the only true God^ and J ejus Chrijf^ MEDITATIONS. 29 Chrift^ whom thou haft lov'd-y to know Thee by a right Faitli, and to manifell that Knowledge by- Works fuitable to fuch a Faith. CHAP. XV. Of God the Fathefs Love to Mankind. O Bowels unmeafurable ! O Love ineflimable ? Thou delivered: up a Son to ranfom a Ser- vant 5 an Only, an entirely-beloved Son, for a wicked and rebellious Servant. God was made Man, that undone Man might be refcued from the tyranny and power of Devils. How infinitely kind was thy Son our Lord, how tender of Souls, whofe Pity was content to floop fo low for our Salvation , fo low, as not only to take our Nature of his Virgin Mother, but in it to fhed the Blood he took, and endure the fcandal and torture of the Crofs ! Behold the Merciful and Gracious God, coming in Grace and Mercy , infinite from his own Divine Eflence, and fuch as no Being but God , who is Love and Goodnefs itfelf , could be capable of j coming to feek and to fave that which Luk. 15; was loft. Behold the careful Shepherd looking for 4? 5> 6. his flray Sheep, fearching till he find it, and when^^^atth.18, he hath found it, carrying it back to the fold upon ^^* his Shoulders with moll afi:e6tionate Joy. O the Love! O the Mercy! Was ever any thing like this heard of? Who can without Amazement think of Bov/els fo enlarged ? Who can forbear admiring, adoring, exulting v/ith tranfports of Joy, at the infinite Goodnefs of Thee, my God , and the Love wherewith thou lovedll us ? 'thou fent eft thy Rom. 8. 3 . own Son in the Ukenefs offtnful Flefto^andfor Sindidft condemn Sin^ that we might he made thy Righteoufmfs in 2 Cor. 5. him. For " this is the very Pafchal Lamb without 2- 1- *' Blemifh. and without Spot, who by his Death hath C 4 " deflroyed 30 MEDITATIONS. '^ deftroyed Death, and by his rifing to Life again, ^^ hath reflored to usEverlaftingLife. But what, alas ! are we able to repay Thee for fuch wonderful Benefits, fuch aftoniHiing Demon- ftrations of thy Concern for us ? What Praifes, what Thankfgivings are fufficient ? Though Thou fhouldfl impart to us all the Knowledge and Wif- dotn, all the Aftivity and Power of Angels which wait continually about thy Throne, and execute all thy Pleafure, yet could we not be qualified for any A6bion worthy fo vaft a Favour : Tho' every Limb were a Tongue, yet could we not even thus found forth thy Praifes as they deferve : For even Angels themfelves are too weak to comprehend the Depth and Glories of this Myftery, infinite as thy felf, and therefore fuch as could only be effeded , fuch as can perfedly be known, by thy own Knowledge only, infinite as thy own Goodnefs. How have we deferved, that thy Son, and our God Heb.2.i6. fhould take upon him not the nature of Angels^ hut Jhould take the Seed of Ahraham 3 that he fhould be* come like to us Mortals in all things, fin only excepted -^ that he fhould honour this Mortality with the Glor lies of his Refurreftion, with a Crown of Immorr tality 5 that he fhould exalt it far above all Hea- vens, above all the Troops of Angels, above Che^ rubim and Seraphim, and place it at thy own right handj that Angels fhould praife, that Dominions fliould adore, that all the Powers of Heaven fhould fall down, and humble themfelves before, and call: their Crowns at the Feet of this Man and God in one Perfon, feated in Dignity fo far above them all ! . This Exaltation is my joyful Hope j this my firm and only Confidence : For even that Jefus, in that glorious Lord , is a part of every one of us j Eph.5.30. We are of his Flefh^hisBlood^andhisBones.'^ossi where a part oiF me already reigns, there I believe my felf fhall reign alfo 5 and in the Triumphs and Glories of His Flcih 5 I plainly fee and am afiured of the Honoiu's MEDITATIONS. 31 Honours done to my own. Though I am a mife- rable Sinner, yet the participation of this Grace will not fuffer me to dclpond : And, if my own Vilenefs exclude me from this Blifs, yet my Sub- Hance already admitted to it , opens a pafTage for me thither too. For God is not, cannot be, (b unnatural, as to forget that Manhood, with which himfelf is cloathed, which he put on for my fake, and which he will one Day receive to Himfelf for my unfpeakable Benefit. No, no, our God is merciful and gracious, ten- der-hearted, and of great Goodnefs. He loves his own Flefh, his own Body, and his own Bowels. That Fleili of ours, in which he rofc from the dead, and afcended into Heaven, and now does fit in Heavenly Places , cannot but love us, becaufe this in effect is but to love it felf : We have the Privilege of our own Blood flowing in His Veins : We are his Body, and his Subflance. He is our Head, from whence the Members are derived , to which they are infeparably united , and of Us alfo is that Ordinance of God in the firft Creation ve- rified, that He is the Bone of my Bone^ andFleJh of ?ny Gen. 2. Flefh'i md we 'Two are no more Two^ hut One Flefh ; 23. Now the Apoflle tells us, and if he had not, even M-^t.ip.^. Nature it felf tells us , that no Man ever yet hated Ephef. 5. his own Flefh ^ but loveth and cherifloeth it. And this 29,30,31, principle of Nature he hath juftified the applicati- 32.. on of to our own eternal Comfort, and molt aflur- ed Hope, when he adds thofe remarkable, thofe moil precious Words, This is a great My fiery ^ hut Ifpeak concerning Chrifi and the Church, C H A P, 7,1 MEDITATIONS. F C HA P. XVI. Of the Two Natures in Chrift, O R this caiife, O Lord my God, my Tongue^ my Heart, tny every Faculty, ihall never ceafe to magnify thy mniute Loving-kindnefs for all the Miracles of Mercy which thou haft been pleafed to work for the Relief of wretched Man, by the Miniftry and Mediation of thy BlefTed Son, the great Reftorer of thy loft World. That Son, ^jjha Bom. 4. died for our Offences^ and rofe again for our Juftifi' 25' cation 'y and now liveth for ever at thy right-hand making Inter cejjion continually for us : That Son, who joins with Thee in extending the Mercy for which he intercedes, bccaufe he is of Thee and with Thee, the fame very and eternal God , which makes him Heb. 7. able for ever tofave them that come to thee by him .-That 25- Son, who even as Man,tho' in that refpeft inferior Matth.28. to thy Divine Majefty, hath all Power given to him ^^' in Heaven and in Earth ^ that at the name ofjefus eve- 10^ 1 1* ^•^' ^^^^ 7^^// bow^ of things in Heaven^ and things on Earthy and things under the Earth > and that every 'Tongue fjjould confefs that Jefus Chrifi is Lord^ to^ and A^s 10. ^'^ th Glory ^ O God the Father, This is he whom thou 4i- haft ordained to be the Judge both of the ^ick and the John 5.22. Dead j for Thou thy felf judge ft no Man^ but haft com- ^^ ' ^* ^ mitted all Judgment to thy Son^ in whom are hid all theTreafures of Wifdom and Knowledge. Now He is both the Witnefs and the Judge \ that Judge, and that Witnefs, whofe difcerning Heb. 4. 1 2. Eye no guilty Confcience canefcape: For all things are naked and open in his fight. Thus He, who did Acls 17. himfelf fubmit to a moft unrighteous Judgment, 3V pall judge the World in Righteoufnefs^ and the People ^ial. 98. ^,^y^^ Equity. I magnify thy Holy Name, O Almighty and moft Merciful God , and from the bottom of fiiy Heart give Glory to Thee, for this wonderful Con-? 10. MEDITATIONS. 33 Conjunftion of the Divine and Humane Nature in one Perfon , that fo One might not be God, and Another be Man > but that one and the fame fhould be God and Man , Man and God. But notwith- llanding thy Divine IVord did, by a moll aftonifh- ing Condefcenfion, fuffer himfelf to be made Flefi^]ij\i,i,i^. yet both thefe Natures ilill remained diftin6b and perfe6t, and neither was changed into, or fwallow- ed up in the other. There was no addition of a Fourth Perfon to the Trinity by this amazing Dif- penfation 5 no confuiion of Subflance, but an exa6t Unity fo ordered by thy excellent Wifdom , that the Subilance taken anew fhould approach, and be joyn'd to God> and that of which it could ne- ver be faid that it was not , ihould Hill continue \vhat it always was. O marvellous Myflery ! O inexplicable Conjunc- tion ! O Mercy moft adorable, ever to be admired, ever to be lov'd ! We were not worthy to be call'd thy Servants, and thou hall made us Sons j Sons of God, not only Sons hut Heirs too^ Heirs of God^ and Rom. 8. Joint Heirs with Chrifi. Whence is this mighty Fa- i7- vour ? Who are we, that the King of Heaven ihould thus dehght to Honour us? Nothing, alas! and even lefs than nothing. But Unce, O Gracious Father, thou hall been pleafed to do great things for us , I bcfeech thee , by thy own unfpeakable Love, to perfeft the good Work thou hall begun j and make us fuch , as thy many and gracious Pro- mifes in Jefus Chrill were deligned to be accom- plilhed in. Send down thy Grace and Spirit from above, and let this qualify us to receive the ful- nefs of thy Mercy, Help us to underlland and conlider with reverence, to contemplate, and with all diligence to w^alk worthy of this Myflery God- i Tim. 3, linefs^ this Son of God, manifefted in the Fleflo^juf- ^^• tified in the Spirit^ feen of Angels^ peached unto the Gentiles^ believed on in the World ^ received up into Glory, CHAP. 34 MEDITATIONS. CHAP. XVII. Of the Thanks due to God for the Redemption of the World. H 'OW vainly are we indebted to thy Bounty, O Lord, whom thou haft redeemed with fo pre- cious a ranfom , faved with fo noble a Gift, ho- noured with fo high a Privilege ! What Fear, what Reverence, what Love, what Thanks, what Praife, and Glory, ought wretched Sinners to pay to a God, who hath thus pitied, thus loved, thus refcued, thus fan6i:ified, thus exalted them ! The whole of our Ability , the whole of our Know- ledge, our veiy Life and Being is all of it thy juft Tribute. But alas ! what Ability hath any of us, what can we do, or what indeed are we, which is not thine already ? Thou therefore, from whom all good things do come, impart to us, for thy own Names fake, of thy good Treafure, that of thy own good Gifts, we may give back again to Thee 5 and by thy Grace be enabled to ferve and pleale Thee in faithfulnefs and truth, and to render Thee due and daily Praife for all thy works of Mercy, yea, even for the very Power of rendring Thee this Praife. For alas ! we are very fenfible that the veiy Pow- er of ferving and pleafingThec is entirely thy Gift : Jam .1.17. Since every good Gift^ and perfe5l Gift is from ahove^ and Cometh down from the Father of Lights^ with whom is no variablenefs^ neither fJjadow of turning. And in this fenfe we addrefs to thee, O Father Almighty, acknowledging thy Power > O Father of Mercy, depending on thy Goodnefs 5 O Lord incompre- henlible, adoring thy infinite Excellencies 5 O Maker and Reftorer of all things by thy Son Jefus Chrift, in confidence of thy Love through that fwecteft Saviour , whom thou haft vouchlafed to fepd MEDITATIONS. 3^ fend out of thy own Bofom for our common Bene- fit i to take our Life, that He might give us His : to be perfe6t Man, of the Subftance of his Mother, as He is perfect God of the Subftance of Thee his Father j perfect God and perfect Man, but ftill one Chrift, begotten from Eternity, and born in Time, Immortal and Mortal, Creator and Creature, Strong and Weak, Vi6tor and Vanquifhed, the Nourifher and the Nouriihed, the Shepherd and the Sheep, dead for a Seafon, and yet ever living / with Thee : In the Name therefore of this wonder- ful Perfon we approach Thee j and well we may, fince He who cannot lye hath left this joyful Aflli- rance with all that love him, 'That whatfoe^uer fuch John i^. jJmll afk the Father in his Name^ he will not fail to ^3* give it them. Therefore by this Great, this True, this Only perfe6b High-Prieft, this Biihop of Souls, who of- Heb. 9; fered Himfelf a fpotlefs and propitiatory Sacrifice i4« to thy Juflice^ by this good Shepherd^ who laid down John 10: his Life for the Sheep 5 by this Mediator and Redeem- 1 1» er, \j\\o fitteth at Thy right hand^ making Inter cejjion for us^ I implore thy Mercy, O moll tender LovTr of Mankind, that Thou, this Son of Thine, and Thy bleilcd Spirit, would grant me Grace worthily and conftc^ntly to magnify thy Glorious Name, with deep Remorfe and godly Sorrow for my Sins, with Humility and Plenty of Tears j with profound Reverence, with Fear and Trembling. And for this 1 entreat the whole Trinity of Perfons, who being all united in the fame Subftance, muft of ne- cefiity be join'd in the fame Mk. of giving. But being fadly fenfible withal, that the Spirit Wifd. 9. w^ithin me, how willing foever of it felf, is yet is- weaken'd and weigh 'd down by this corruptible Body J I beg that Thou wouldil ftir up and quick- en my Stupidity > and fo aduate this heavy Lump, that I may vigoroufly attend to, and ftedfaftly per- fevere in, the ways of thy Commandments, and the 3<^ MEDITATIONS. the proper Methods of giving Thee true Praife Day Pfal. 394 and Night. O let my Spirit wax hot within me^ and in my mufings let the holy Fire hiirft out. And in regard Joh. 6.44 thy own Son hath declared, xh^tno Mancometh unto Him except he be drawn of the Father > and again, that 14.6. no Man cometh to tJ:^ Father but by him: Draw me, I mofl humbly pray thee, continually to Him, that He at laft may bring me to "thee j even to thoie happy Manfions where he now fits at thy right- hand 5 where there is Life and Blifs everlafling; where joyful Love abounds, and Fear is done a- way j where there is eternal Day, and perfect agree- ment of Souls -y certain Security, and fecure Quiet 5 Pleafure and exquilite Happinefs j happy Eternity, and eternal Bleflednefs, even the ravifhing Sight, and the never-ceafing Praife of Thee the Great and Glorious God : Where Thou, with that Blefled Son, as does that Blefled Son with Thee, livefl and reignelt in the Unity of the fame Divine Spirit, e- ver one God, World without end. Amen. CHAP. XVIII. A devout Tracer to Chrijt. MY. Hope, my Chrifl, my God^ Saviour and Lover of Men, thou Light and Way, thou Life and Health, thou Gloiy and Grace of all that love and ferve thee! Look down from the Throne of thy Majefty, and in the midfh of Blifs remember the Injuries and Sufferings, the Scourges and the Crofs, the Wounds and Death which thou endureft> and think with Favour on thy Suppli- ant, for whofe fake thou wall: pleafed to endure and do fo much. • Thou art my living and true God r, my holy Fa- ther, my gentle and kind Mailer, my great King, my MEDITATIONS. 37 my good Shepherd, my only Teacher, my moft ready and efFeclual Helper, my deareit and moft beautiful Spoufe, my true and living Bread, my everlafbing High - Priefl; , my Guide to my own Country, my true Light, my right Way, my bcft Wifdom, my holy Delight, my unfpotted Purity, my Reconciliation and Peace, my fure Defence } my moft defirable Portion j my eternal Healthy my unbounded Mercy j my invincible Patience > my unblemiflied Sacrifice j my perfe6t Redemption ; my afiiired Hope 5 my univerfal Charity > my Re- furre6lion from the Dead 5 my everlailing Life; my Joy and Beatifick Vifion for ever. Of thee I beg that I may walk by thee, come to thee, reft in thee, O thou IVay^ thou'TrMth^ thou Li fe^ "without ]oh..iJi^6, which no Man cometh to the Father. Thou, even Thou, art the Blefling my Soul wants, and moft earneftly defires, my fweeteft, lovelieft, only Lord. O Brightnefs of thy Father's Glory, who from thy Throne far above the Cherubim feeft all the Secrets of the Great Deep ! Thou true, enlivening, unexhaufted Light, which Angels long to be illuminated with, and fpend glad Ages in behold- ing! fpring forth into my Soul, and fcatter the thick Darknefs there, that the Brightnefs of thy Love may fhine and fhed it felf through every cor- ner of my benighted Heart. Give me thy felf^ O God, give me thy Love in return, for that I love thee thou knoweft j and if it be too little, I defire '■ to love thee more ardently. I cannot make fuch exa6t reckoning of my Love, as to know how much I fall fhort of that Affeftion which I ought to have, that fo my every Action and Defire might carry me to thy Embraces, fly to thy Arms, and never ceafe the purfuit of my Lord, till I be hid in the fecret place of thy prefence. But though I cannot take a precife meafure of my Dcfe6ts, and how much better I ought to be, yet this I know, and from my own experience can declare, that all with" 38 MEDITATIONS. without, nay, all befides Thee avails me nothing ; all about, all within is Defolation and Mifery 5 what- ever the foolifh World calls Plenty, is nothing -, and all but my God is Poverty, and the very extremity of Want. For Thou alone art that God, which cannot ad- mit of either Diminution or Increafe 5 To Thee to live and to be happy is the fame thing, who art Happineis it felf But thy Creature, with whom thefe things may be feparated, and who may either not live, or live and be unhappy, ought to afcribe the whole benefit of both Life and Happinefs to thy fole Gift and Favour. Hence it is that we Hand in continual need of Thee, but Thou haft none of us : For, if we had no Being at all, that would not lefTen in any degree that Happinefs, which is infe- parable from thy Being j nay, is indeed thy very Being. It is therefore abfolutely necefTary for us to cleave ftedfaftly to the Lord our God, that by thy continual Afliftance we may be enabled to live Tit.i.ii.Joberly^ right eoujly^ and godly ^ in this prefent World, For this load of FlelTi and Frailty cumbers and drags us down, but the Gifts of thy Spirit are a happy Counterpoize to this heavy Clog. By thele we feel the fluggilh Mafs warm'd and put into Mo- tion j we rife and mount upwards in Heart and Mind 'y we fing Songs of Degrees^ and, inflam'd with thy divine Fire, burn with holy Zeal and foar aloft fuccefsfully. But whither is it that thefe Flights would carry us ? Even to the Peace of Jerufalem : According to Pfal. 111. that of the Pfalmift^ I was glad when they faid unto 1. me^ M^e will go into the houfe of the Lord, There hath his Goodnefs prepared a Place for us, that the fum of all our Wiihes and Defires ftiould be to fet up our 1 Cor. 5. Reft there for ever. For, in regard we are ahfent ^- from the Lord^ during the time of our fojourning Keb. 13. in this Tabernacle of the Body, ^w^ han;e (it is ma- 4' nifeft) no continuing city here^ but are feeking one to come-. MEDITATIONS. 3^ come y we lodge in a moveable Tent, and are Tra- vellers and Strangers in a foreign Land, but we are free Denizens of Heaven, and our Home, and Phil. 3 20. all our Privileges and Properties are there. I will therefore move under the Conduct of thy Grace j I will retire into^the Clofet of my Heart, and en* . tertain my Soul with Songs of Love to Thee, my King and my God 5 with tender Sighs and Groan- ings which cannot be uttcr'd> in the Houfe of my Pilgrimage, which the Contemplation of thy Righ- teoufnefs' lliall foften, while it is made the Subjed of my Joy and Praife. And can I think upon Jerufakm without llretch- ing forward all the Delires of my Soul to that Re- gion of Bhfs? Jerufakm^ the Country, the common Mother of us alls and Thee my God, that rcigneit Pfal. 4 i^. there in Glory ^ the Light of that Holy City, the Father and Defender, the Governour and the Shepherd. 5 the chaile, but exquifite Delights that abound there -, the fubllantial Joy, and all th^ unfpeakable Felicities united in Thee, who art the True, the Supreme, the Only Felicity of thy Peo- ple. O let me not , I befeech Thee, turn back, or go out of the Way, but proceed continually in my AfFedions, till thou at laft bring my whole •Spirit, and Soul, and Body into the peaceful Man- fibns, where my Heart is already fixed : The firft Rom, 8. Fruits of the Spirit I already tafte, impart to meis- the whole Lump, and fatiate my Soul with the Joys which I now anticipate. Colle6t my fcat- ter'd Thoughts, and take off the Blemifhes and De- formities of my prefent Frailties, till thou hail wrought me up to a refemblance of thy Beauty, and eilabhUi'd me for ever in the Glories of thy BlelTcd Prefencc, O God of my Mercy, D CHAP. 40 MEDITATIONS. CHAP. XIX. The Souls of the Righteous are the Houfe of God. T ^His Houfe of thine, my God, is not built of Earthly, nor of any fuch Heavenly, but Corporeal Matter, as the Orbs above are formed of 5 but is Spiritual and Eternal, without Flaw or Decay. For thou hall fet it faft for ever and ever^ Pfal. 14S. ^nd founded it upon a decree which fh all not he broken. ^' Thou haft given it a duration equal to thy own, and end it {hall have none, though it had a begin- Eccl. 24- I'iing. For IVifdom was created in the beginning : I. Not that eflential Wifdom coeternal with the Fa- Joh. 1.3. ther, by whom all things were made^ but that which is created but Spiritual Subftance, the Rational and Intelle6tual Mind, which is Light by contemplati- on of Light, and in a qualified fenfe Ityl'd Wifdom, though it be finite and created. But as there is a mighty difference between original Light, and that which is derived from, and caufcd by the reflecti- on of it j fo is there between Thee the perfe61: un- created Wifdom, and that which is thy Creature, and thy Image. Thus alfo we diftinguifh between the Righteoufnefs which juftifies, (the Righteouf- nefs of God ) and that which is attributed to the Perfons juftified by it : In w^iich laft fenfe, the A- 2 Cor. j.poftle fays we are made the Righteoufnefs of God^ in 21. Thee his Son, our Lord. The Ground of which Diftinction lies in this, that the firft of all thefe Creatures was Wifdom j that rational Power, of which thy City confifts, which is above 'y and free^ the ch-^ii^iQ: Mother of us all for ever in the Heavens, even in that Heaven of Heavens whidi continually praifes God, and is to ,.hifn the Heaven of Heavens indeed. And though we can aflign no point of Time antecedent to this noble Worfcmanfhip of thine, which had a being be- MEDITATIONS. 41 before Time it felf was : Yet Thou the Eternal Creator art before it, and from Thee it derives its Eternity and its Beginning. It is therefore of Thee in fuch a manner, as to be a Subftance di- ftin6t from Thee: It is quahfied to behold thy Face always, and never to be deprived of that Blef- fed Vifion. In this refpeiSl it undergoes no change, and yet it is hable to change 5 for this Light may grow dim and cold , if not fed and Jkept bright by the Fire of fervent Love, which when wellchcriih- ed, conveys into it a Heat and Lullre clearer and warmer than the Noon-day Sun. By this moft Holy Love it is fo clofely united to Thee, the True, the Eternal God, that though it be not of the (iime Eternity from the beginning, yet no length of future Time, no change of For- tune or Affairs, fliall ever dillblve or loofen itj but it ihall reft and be employed for ever in the ravifhing Contemplation of thy divine Excellen- cies. For Thou, O God, art bountiful to all that love thee y aud wilt reveal thy felf to luch as feek thee, in meafures large as their Capacities admit, or at lead as their Neceflities require. This keeps thy Servants fteady to Thee and to Themfelves. This preferves the Soul in the fame happy State, while its Eyes are ever intent, its Affediions ever fixed upon Thee > while it beholds, and loves and delights in that God who is true Light, and pure Love. O Blefled noble Creature, the firfl and beft of all the Works of God ! but then moft blef- fed, when dwelling upon thy Mafter's blefled Per- fections 'y then happy beyond all ExprefHon, when entertaining that Divine Inhabitant, and illuftrated with the enlivening Beams of that Glorious Spring of Light from on high ! What can I fuppofe deferves that magnificent Name, T'be Heaven of Hewjcns ? What can be e- fteem'd the higheft and moft beloved Habitation of Godj rather than this fpiritual Houfej the Purity D 2» and -WSb. 41 MEDITATIONS. and Zeal of a Mind at Unity in it felf^ always tranf- ported with the Pleafure of beholding the divine Glory > always enamour'd with God, without ad- mitting any Rival, and Partner in its Love. This is the Rock on which blefled Spirits are built > thele the Heavenly Satisfactions in Heavenly Places > this the foretafte of future Joys , and the aflurance of every wayfaring Soul, that tho' it fojourn at prefent in a ilrange Land, and at a great dillance from thee, yet if it thirfl and pant after thee, if its god-^ iy Tears are its Meat Day and Night, if the dwel- ling thus above hereafter aH the days of its Life be its conilant wilh and endeavour , its longing ihall one day be fatisfied with the pleafures of thy Houfe, and all its pious Mournings turned into Joy. From this Bhfs then and Duration of thcJir own, let our Souls raife therafelves to form fuch Ideas of thine, as their prefent Condition can receive. For what notions mull we have of this Blefledncfs^ and how vail is thy Eternity , when even this Created Houfe of thine, when keeping at hotne with thee, though it partake not of the fame unbounded Eter- nity:, yet by its Union with its Glorious Maker and Inhabitant, Hands proof againft all chance of Time j and perfevering by thy gracious Influences, is firm, notwithftanding the Polfibility of Change which it is fubje£t to : Secured by thy Prefence, aud by its own conftant Affe6tion , and thofe li- beral Communications of thy Grace , which it drinks in, and Fealb upon continually: It looks at nothing beyond Thee, as a future addition to its Happinefs > it is afflicted with no troublefom Remembrances of any thing paft , which fhould embitter or lefTen the Prefent, but is entirely blefl with the Enjoyment of that God, who hath in Mercy made it like himfelf, and knit it to himfelf -with the ftrongeft Cement of inviolable Love, and fuch a fulnefs of Satisfa^Stion, as neither fuffers nor "4efires a Change. I:.: . . CHAR M E D I T A T I O ISJ S. 43 Tsx-u ■. — .~ji':v.-^— CHAP. XX. ne 'Pious Soul's Longing for Heave7i. LORD ! how have I lov'd the habitation of thy Pfal.26. 8. Hoiife^ and the j^lace where thine Honour dweU leth ! O Glorious Seat ! the Reiidence and theWorJc- manihip of the Great, the Mighty God : Let xne fcontinue, let me encreafe in this Love of thee mpre and more. Let this weary Pilgrimage be fpent in advancing daily toward thee, and may the gafping of my Soul after thee fanclify and comfort the La- bours of each day, and refrefh my waking Thoughts by night. Let my Heart be always where my Trea- Mat.6.?.o, fure is already : And, in this dry and defolate Wil- dernefs, may I feel no other Thirll than that of ar- rivfng at my Hcaycnly Canaan^ and partaking in the Society and the Joys of that happy /^(?o^/^ who hiziepf^], x^. the Lord for their God. O may that God who inade 15. both Me and Thee poflefs Me in Thee ! Not that I dare prefume to hope for thy Beavity and Blifs, upon the account of any deferts of my own j but yet, the humbled; fenfe of my own unworthinefs wi]l not fink me into defpair of it, when I reficft upon the Blood of Him who dy'd to purchafe this Maii- fion for nie. Let but his Merits be apply'd topej let his Interceflions alTift my want of Worth', /md then I am fafe j for thofe Merits cannot be pvei;- balanc'd by my Sins, nor were, or can thofe Pray- ers be ever offered up to God in vain. iPor my own part, I confcfs with Shame and Sorrow, that I have gone afiray like a Sheep that is pr^] T19, lofi^ drawn out'my Wandrings and myMiferies to a 136. great length , and a.m caft out of the fight of my God, into the blindnefs and darknefs of a fpiritual Staniihment. In this forlorn Ellate I fadly bew^l ,the wretchedncfs of my Captivity, and fing mourn- ful Songs wl>,en I remember Thee, Jmifak/tu^ D } ' As . 44 MEDITATIONS. As yet I am at an uncomfortable difliance, and at bed my Feet fland only in the outer Courts of Sion, The Beauties of the Sanctuary are behind the Veil, and kept hid from my longing Eyes : But I am full of Hope, that the Builder of this Sanctuary, and the gracious Shepherd of Souls will carry me in up- on his Shoulders, that I may there rejoice with that gladnefs unfpeakable, which all thofe happy Saints feel, who are already admitted into the pre- fence of their God and Saviour : The Saviour who hath opened this Royal Palace to all Believers, by Ephef. 1. ^boUJJnng the Enmity in his Flejh^ and reconciling all 15* ^^- things in Heaven and Earth by his own Blood, E h^fT' ^^^ ^^ ^^ our Peace^ who hath made both one^ and J 4^ * * broken down the middle Wall of Part ition,^ promiling to give us the fame degree of Happinafs in his own due time, which is already enjoyed by, and in Luk. 10. Thee. For thus he hath declared , that ^hey who 3S> 30. ^^g worthy to obtain that iVorld and the Refurre^ion from the Dead^ floall be equal unto the Angels. O Je- rufalem^ the eternal Habitation of the eternal God ! may' it Thou be the fecond Darling of my Soul, and only He be preferred before Thee in my x-lffedtion, who fhed his Blood to make me w^orthy of Thee. Be Thou the Joy and Comfort of my languifliing Mind, my great fupport in Hardfhips and Diitrefles ; May the remembrance of Thee be ever fweet, and the mention of thy Name a holy Charm to drive away all Sorrow from my Soul. CHAP. XXL The Miferies of the prefent Life. WELL may I feek for fome Relief from thefc Contemplations of a future State , fince this in which I now am yields me no Diverfion, no Satis- MEDITATIONS. 45 Satisfa6bion at all j but is a painful, and wearifom, a foul and tedious Journey : A wretched, decaying and uncertain Life > a Life of Labour, and which is worfe, a Life of Sin, and Pride, and Folly > full of Miferies and Errors , and rather Death than Life, fince in it we die daily, by the conllant de- cays and alterations of our Bodies, and the fundry kinds of Death, to which we ftand every moment cxpofed. And can we in any propriety of Speech call this Living ? Does that empty thing deferve the name of Life, which is blotted with Tumours, macerated with Pains , burnt up with Fevers , blafled by an infe blown up with Riches, dejected by Poverty j made gay bv Youth , bowed down with Age, broken with Lifirmities, and defbroyed with Griefs ? Nay, as if all thefe Evils were too little, the conclufion of them all is the Tyranny of Death, which puts a fpeedy Period to what we falfely call the Joys of Life, and aboliflies them, and wears out all the Footfteps and Remembrances of them fo utterly, that it is from thenceforth , as if they had never been at all. And yet it is prodigious to confider how this llrange mixture, for which we know not well how to find a Name, this Living Death, or Dyii^g Life, though in every part embittered by thefe and in- finite other Mii'eries -, how it impofcs, I fay, upon the generality of Mankind , and cheats them with lying promifes of imaginary Happinels. Nay, though the Cheat be fo grofs, that the blindefl of its admirers cannot but difcover it -y and the Poti? on fo naufeous , that the moil fbupid cannot but loath and be fick of it , yet ftill infinite are the Fools that drink large draughts of its Cup, and are intoxicated with the bewitching Liquor. But liap- D 4 py 4d MEDITATIONS. py are thofe few, thofe very few, who wifely keep their dilVance, and will not trufl themfelves in its treacherous Embraces > who defpife its vain fuper- ficial Joys , and will have nothing to do with its flattering Allurements , for fear at laft it prove their fate to have the Deceiver and the Deceived penih together. CHAP. XXII. The Happinefs of that Life prepared for thein that love God. BUT oh! that Life which God hath laid up in flore for them that love him ! that Life in- deed ! That Happy, Secure, Serene and moil a- miable, that Pure and Holy Life : That Life which fears no Death, which feels no Sorrow, which knows no Sin, which languifhes under no Pain, is diftracSted with no Care, is ruffled with no Pailion, lies at the Mercy of no Accidents : That incorruptible, that unchangeable Life, which hath every thing that can attra6b our Affc6licns, and^ommand our Elleem. There will be no Ene- mies to aflault us, no Envy to undermine us , no Temptation to feduce us, no Fears to confound us, but perfe6l Love and Harmony of Souls j a Day that never declines , a Light that never goes out : There we fhall fee God Face to Face, and 'when zve Pfal. 17. a^wake up after his likenefs^ our Souls JhaH be fatis- ^^' fie d 'with it. .< ' O let me indulge ,this deUghtful Thought, and run over all the Beauties an'ci BlifTcs with Jtn un- wearied delire ! For the more I confider, the more pafflonately fond I grow of Thee, and feel no Pleafure comparable to the fwect Refle6lions upon, and impatient Thirftings after Thee, Hera will / dwells MEDITATIONS. 47 dwell^ for I have unfpeakable delight therein. Upon this will I fix my Eyes, my Heart, my Studies j To this will I dire6t all my delires, and conform all my difpofitions. This rubje6b let me fpeak and hear of continually, let it be my Theme to write on, my Entertainment in Converfation. I will fpend my private hours in reading of its Blifs and Glories j I will meditate frequently upon what I have read of it 3 that thus at leail I may find fomc Refrelh- ment, fome loofe from the mifcries, and toils, and incumbrances, of a troublefome perifliing Life: And at laft recline my weary Head , and lay me down to flcep with Joy, when I know that Sleep jliall be lliaken off again, and the Bleflednefs of this Life, truly fo called, immediately commence upon my waking. This makes me walk with fach delight in the pleafant Gardens of the Holy Scripture 3 Here I am diligent to gather the fweet Flowers of God's Word and Promifes: I devour them by reading, J chew the Cud upon them by frequent Recollection ; I lay them up in my Memory as a moil valuable Treafure y And by tafting and feeding upon the{e delicious defcriptions of another World, I take off great part of the bitter and naufeoufnels of this^ O happy State ! O truly glorious Kingdom : without Succcflion, without Confufion! Where time is no longer meafured by the revolutions of Days and Nights, Summers and Winters 3 but Eternity is continued thro' one endiels Day, one ever-blooming Spring. Where they , who have been victorious in their Spiritual Warfare, join in confort with the Bleiled Angels , and fing the Songs of Sion without ceafing. There a never-fading Crown adorns every Head, and exquifite Joy ,over- flows every Heart. Oh that my Sins were blotted out, my Pardon fealcd ! O when will it pleafe God to give me leave to lay down this load and lumber 48 MEDITATIONS. lumber of flefh, and admit me without fpot or cor- ruption into the true refl, the trantporting delights pral.48. 8. of that bhfsful place ! that I may "walk about the beauteous walls of the City of God^view all her Palaces^ and receive a Crown at the Hand of my mercifiil Tude;e J when lliall I make one in that Holy Choir, and^ behold the Majeftick Prcfence of my Maker, with the Spirits of juft Men fiiade perfect ? When fhall I fee my dear Redeemer face to fice, and ap- proach that unfpeakably bright, and as yet inaccef- iible light, which flows from the Sun of Righte- oufnefs ? When, O when, lliall I be freed from the bondage of the fear of Death, and pofTefs the un- intermpted Joy of an endlcfs incorruptible State, con- fen-ed upon me by the Bounty of my God ? CHAP. XXIII. The Happinefs of Holy Souls at their departure out of this World, HAppy the Soul, which, refined from thisdrofs of Earth, and got loofe from its incumbrance ^ of a Body, foars up to Heaven, and takes its dwel- ling there, fecure from any future aflaults, and tri- umphant over Death. Then does it fcaft upon the beauteous Face of that dear Lord, whom it ferv'd, and lov'd, and long'd to enjoy, in that Glory, and glad Immortality to which it is at laft arriv'd. A Glory and Gladnefs which no length of time will wear out, no envious Adverfiuy can take away. ^ r This is the Spoufe, which the Daughter faw and ^^[eM^lf^dher-., the ^leens and the Concubines and they praifed her. Wloo is this that cometh up from the Wil- der nef^s leaning upon her helov'd ? B'^ho is fhe that goeth up as the Mornings fair as the Moon^ clear as the Sun^ and terrible as an Army with Banners? With what eager Joy docsihe fly to the Arms of her Lord, when with MEDITATIONS. 49 with a joyful aftonilhment fhe hears the Voice of his moll affeftionate Call > Rife up my Lo've^ my fair Cant. 2. One^ and come away? For lol the Winter is pa(i^ //:7^io,ii,t Rain is over and gone. 'The Flowers appear on the Earthly ^ 3 » M- the time of finging is come^ and the V me of the Turtle is heard in our Land. The Figtree putteth forth her green Figs^ and the Viyies with the tender Grapes give a good fmell. jdrife^my Love^ my fair one ^ and come away y O my Dove^ thou art in the clifts of the Rocks^ in the fecrel places of the Stairs^ let me fee thy Countenance ^ let me hear thy voice^for fweet is thyyoice^ and thy countenance is comely. Come, my Chofcn, my fair One, my Dove, my Spoufe, and I will receive thee into my Throne, for, I have long'd for thy Beauty. Come and rejoice before me with the Angels , to whom I have pro- mifed to make thee a Companion. Come after long toils and many dangers, and enter thou into the Joy jvfat. 15. of thy Lord^ a Joy which no Man taketh from thee. 5 3 . John i6, __ 2,1, CHAP. XXIV. A Trayerfor Succour in Trouble and 'Danger. BLefled are all thy Saints, my God and King, who have travelled over the tempeftuous Sea of Mortality^ and have at lafb made the defir'd Port of Peace and Felicity > fearlefs of future ha- zards, and full of perpetual Joy. This Sea, Thou, my Saviour, didft condefcend to try and be toll upon. O call a gracious Eye upon us who are flill in our dangerous Voyage. Thou art pollelt of never-lading Glory, but do not in the midll oF thy own happinefs, forget thofe who are befetwith vail variety of Miferies. Thou hall chofcn us to thy felf, and what we are or hope to be, is all thy Gift -y thou hall promifed to make us immortal with and by thy felf, and to bellow upon us the everlalling Felicity of thy Prefence> O remember gnd JO MEDITATIONS. and fuccour us in our diftrefs, and think on them who lie expofed to the rough ftorms of Troubles and Temptations. John 10. Thou art the beautiful Gate of Heaven, the door 9. at which the Sheep mult enter 5 but We alas ! lie groveling here below , and our Soul cleaveth to the duft. Stretch forth thy hand, and raife us up; Strengthen otir weaknefs, that we may do valiantly in this Spiritual War, who of our felves are not able to Hand againll the mighty force that comes againft us. Help us againft our Enemies Power > help us againft our own Negligence and Cowardice , and defend us from the treachery of our own unfaith- ful Hearts. We are exceeding frail, exceeding weak and defpicable. Slaves to intemperance and luft, and indifpofed to every virtuous and gallant undertaking. And yet, helplcls wretches as we are, when lifted under thy Banner, and) born up by thy Crofs, wc are buoy'd up in Faith, and commit Pfal. 10. our felves boldly to x.\m great and wide Sea^ wherein as* 2<5. are things creeping innumerable^ hpth [mall and great Beafis^ where is that Leviathan^ that Serpent rea- dy to devour 5 wherein are Rocks and Quickfaiids, and other Dangers without nimiber, on which the Carelefs and the unbelieving run their VefTels, and fuffer Shipwreck daily. Intercede for me therefore, moft gracious Savi- our, that, by thy powerful Mediation, and all-fuf- ficient Merits, I may be able to bring this VelTel and its Lading fafe to fhore y and be conduced to the Haven where every pious Soul would be^ the Ha- ven of Peace and Salvation, of uninterrupted Reft, and never-ending Joy. CHAP, MED I TATI ON S. jt CHAP. XXV. The Tiotis Soul's ^efire of Heaven, O Heavenly Jerufalem ! Our common Mother, the Holy City of God, Thou beautiful Spoufe of Chrift, my Soul hath loved thee exceedingly, and all my Faculties are raviihed with thy Charms. O what Graces, what Glory, what noble State ap- pears in every part of Thee! Moll exquifite is thy Form, and thou alone art Beauty without blemifh. Rejoice and Dance for Joy,' O Daughter of my Kiiig, for thy Lord himfelf, fairer than all the Sons of Men, hath pleafure in thy Beauty, ^^^^' 45- But, liohat is thy Belo'ued more than another Be-l^' loved whom they continually behold, and beholding continually ad- mire, and praife and love, and love and praife without intei mifHon, without end, without weari- nefs, or diftra^tion of Thought. This is their con- flant, their delightful Employ nients. And, O how happy ihall I be, how exquifitely, how incefliint^ ly happy, if, when this Body criunblcs into duft, I {hall be entatain'd with that Coeleftial Harmony, and hear the Hymns of Praife to their Eternal ' King, which Troops of Angels, and Saints innu- merable are ever iinging in full Confort ! How happy my felf to bear a part with them, and pay the fame Tribute to my God and Saviour, the Au- thor and the Captain of my Salvation ! To behold His Face in Glory, and be made Partaker of thofe gracious Promifes, of which he hath given me the comfortable Hope, when faying to his Father, I will ^ that they whom thou haft given me be w/V/^ Jolm i7« me where I am^ that they?nay behold the Glory which ^'» ^4* ■/ had with T'hee before the World was. And again, fupporting his Difciples againfl the Tribulations they fliould encounter here below, If any Man love me^ xii. i6. let him follow me^ and where I ayn^ there floall alfo my Servant be. And in another place. He thatlov- xiv. if, eth me ftoall be loved of 7ny Father^ and I will lovs him^ and will manifeft my felf unto him. CHAP. 54 MEDITATIONS. CHAP. XX VL An Aci QJTraife. Pfal. 103. Xl^^y^ the Lor d^ O my Sotil^ and all that is within I , ii • J3 ^^^ ^M^ ^^^^ ^■>oly Name. Blefs the Lord^ O my Soid^ and forget not all his benefits, O Praife the Lord^ all ye 'works of his^ in all places of his Dominions 5 Praife the Lord^ O my Soul. Let us magnify that Great God, whom Angels praife, whom Dominions adore, whom Powers fall down and tremble before -, whole Excellent Glory Cherubim and Seraphim proclaim with loud incefllmt Voices : Let Us then bear a part too in this heavenly Song, and together with Angels and Archangels^ and all the Company of Hea'ven^ laud and magnify that glorious Name 5 Let us tune our Voices up with theirs , and tho' we cannot reach their pitch, yet will we exert the ut- moil of our fkill and power, in this Tribute to the fame common Lord j and fay with them , as poor Mortals are able, Holy^ Holy^ Holy^ Lord God ofHofts j Heaven and Earth are full of thy Glory > Glory he to "ithee^ O Lord mofi high. For Thefe are the happy Spirits, who offer a Sacrifice of pure Pniife before the Throne of God continually, who are ever wrapt in the contempla- tions of his Perfections j and fee them, not Kke Us, I Cor. 1 3.^^^^' a glafs darkly^ but near at hand, and face to face. What Tongue can exprefs, what Thought conceive, the admirable Beauty., the exa6t Order, the numberlefs Multitude of this Heavenly Holl: ? The inexhauilible fource of Joy fpringing from the beatifick Vifion y the fervent Love which miniflers Delight without Torment ; The Ever-growing Defire, which rifes with their Satisfadions, and the grateful Satisfa6ticns which cro\vn that defire 5 A defire always eager, and never uneafie, always full, and never cloy'd : The Bleflcdnefs derived down MEDITATI ONS. 55 down to them, by their infeparable Union to the Fountain of all Blifs^ the Light communicated to them from the Original Light > the happy j joh.2.3. change into an immutable Nature, by feeing the immutable God as he is, and being transformed into the Kkenefs of him they fee ? But how, alas ! fhould we hope to comprehend the Divinity and Bhfs of Angels fo ifar above us, when we feel our felves unable to find out the Na- ture and Perfe6tions of this veiy Soul within us ? What fort of Being mufl this be, which infpires a lump of dead Flelh with Life and A6tivdty, and yet, when moll defirous fo to do, cannot confine its Thoughts to Holy Exercifes ? What a mixture of Power and Lnpotence is here ? How great, and yet how poor and little is this Principle, which dives into the Secrets of the Mofl High, fearches the deep Things of God, and expands it felf to celeilial • Objecbs at the fame time that it is forced to em- ploy its Talent in the invention of ufeful Arts, and to ferve the neceffities of a mortal Life ? What fort of Creature is this, that knows fo much of other Things, and fo little of it fdf ? So ingenious in ^ Matters abroad, fo perfedly in the dark to what is done at home ? Specious, but very difputable No- tions have indeed been advanced concerning the Origin of our Soul, but all we know of it amounts at laft to this 3 That it is an intelleftual Spirit, created by the Almighty Power of its Divine Ma- ker, endued with fuch an Immortality as he was pleafed to qualifie it for j enlivening and fuftain- ing a Body fubjeft to Change, Corruption, and Death, and liable to all the unequal AfFeftions of Fear and Joy, and every turbulent Paffion, that in their turns exalt and depfefs, enlai'ge or contract its Powers. And what an amazing thing is this now ! The more we attend to it, the more we fliall find our felves loft in wonder. When we read, or fpeak, E or 5<5 MEDITATIONS. -•i^ or write of God, the Great Creator of the Uni- verfe, we can deliver our felves clearly and diftincl- ly, though at the fame time his Perfe6tions be too V aft for our Words to exprefs, or our Minds to com- prehend j the Subie£b, not of an adequate Concep- tion, but of an awful Aftonilliment. But when we defcend lower, and treat of Angels and created Spirits, of Souls united to Bodies, and Beings of the lame level with, or a Condition inferiour to, Our own ^ we are not able to fupport our Ideas with proofs fo unconteftable j and find it impracti- cable to fatisfy our felves or others in the Enqui- ries concerning them. Why then fhould we, to fo very little purpofe, hover uncertainly about thefc lower Regions, and fpend our Time and Pains in groping in the dark ? No, let our Minds rather enlarge their Thoughts, and take a nobler range > • -Let them leave all created Objefe behind, and run, and mount, and fly aloft : And, taking Faith to the afiiftance of Reafon, fix their Eyes with the utmoft Intenfenefs our Nature will bear, upon the Creator, the univerfal Caufe. Yes^ I will ^en. iS.inake a Ladder, like that o^ Jacob's^ reaching from 12. Earth to Heaven, and as by rounds, go up from . my Body to my Soul- from my own Soul to that 'Eternal Spiiit that made it> who fuftains, preferves, it always with me, about me, above me ^ thus (kip- ping over all the intermediate Stages of Beings, and re-uniting my own Soul to Him, from whom it came, and in whofe Image it was created. Whatever Bodily Eyes can difcern, whatevcr^ leaves Impreflions upon my imaginative Faculty, fhall be refolutely fet out of the way, as a hin- drance to that more abftra61:ed Contemplation, which my Mind is defirous to indulge. A pui*ie and fimple a6t of the Underftanding, is that v/hich • -muft carry me up, and boldly foar at once to the Creator of Angels, and Souls, and all things. And happy is that Soul, which, rcfufing to be de- -I tained MEDITATIONS. ^7 tain^d by low and viler Obje6ts5 dircfts its ilight to the nobleft and moft exalted, and, like the Eagle, builds its Neft in the top of the Rocks, and keeps its Eye fteddy upon the Sun of Righteoui^ nefs : For no Beauty is fo charming, no Pleafure ib tranfporting, as that with which our Eyes and Mind are feafted, when our greedy Sight and ea- ger AfFe61:ions are determin'd to our God and Sa- viour, as to their only proper Centre^ when, by a wondrous myftical, but true and fpiritual A6t of Vifion, we fee Him who is invifible-, behold a Light far different from this, which cheers our Senfes, and talfe a Pleafure infinitely fweeter than any this World and its Joys can afford : For this is a fhort and unfincere Pleafure j this is a dim and feeble Light, confined to a narrow fpace, always in motion from us, and in few hours put out by con- ffcant returns of Darknefs : Thefe are Enjoyments which the Great Creator hath diftriKuted to Brutes, nay, to the vileft of Infe61:s, in common with Man- kind > and therefore let us thirfl and afpire after fuch as are truly divine > for what even Swine and Worms {hare with us, cannot deferve the Name of Light and Pleafure, but, in comparifon of thofe more refined, are to be efteem'd no better than Pain and Night. CHAP. XXVIL How God may he feeu:, and pojjefsd of Man, THis Supreme and Immutable Being, this Glo- rious Sun that never fets, this true, uncloud- ed, and eternal Light, the Light of Angels and Men, cannot indeed be feen with mortal Eyes, nor muil we hope in this Life to approach it, that Blefling is referv'd for glorified Saints in Heaven > and therein chiefly docs the Excellence of their E 2. Re- 58 MEDITATIONS. Reward and Happinefs confills. But yet are we not even now ihut out from all Perception of it neither : For to believe in, to meditate upon, to underftand, and ardently to third after God, to make him the fole Obje6l of our Thoughts and Delires > this is in fome fenfe to fee, and to pof- fefs him. And fince our Capacity extends thus far at prefent, let us exert thofe little powers we have y Let our Voices be lifted up on high, and our Souls make God their Study j and let us, to the bell: of our ability, entertain him with his ow^n Praifes. For if is very meet^ right ^ and our hounden duty^ that the Creature fhould pubUfh the goodnefs of the Creator > fince He created us for the lUullra- pral.47.7. tion of his Happinefs, not to ftand in need of any glory we can give him, nor can we add to what He hath already. For he is Power incomprchenfible, poflelling all 145. 3. Things, and felf-fufficient. Great is our Lord^ and great is his Power ^ yea^ and his Wifdom is infinite. Great is our Lord and mar'vellous^ and worthy to be p'aifed. Let this then be the Object of our Love > this the Subje6t of our Song *, this the Ground of our Labour and Studies. And let our Mind, and Tongue, and Hands be continually exercifed in De- liring, Speaking, Singing, Writing of Him. Let the Delights of this Heavenly Rhetoric be our dai- ly Food and Feaft, that, filled with this Divine Nourifhment, we may cry out with the moft ear- ncft Contention of Heart and Voice, with Joy and Gladnefs, and moft fervent Zeal, and proclaim the Excellencies of our God after the following manner» CHAP. MEDITATIONS. 59 CHAP. XXVIII. MOST Great, ^mofl Gracious, moft Mighty, moftjull:, moft MercifuLy Omniprefent and Incomprehenfible Lord God ! Thou art Invifible and yet feeft all things. Unchangeable and changed all things, Immortal , Uncircumfcribed , without bound, without end, unfpeakable, unfearchable, unmoved, and giving Motion to all things j Fear- ful and Glorious j to be honoured, and reverenced, and adored with the moffc profound Humihty j never new, never old 5 and yet making all things new, and confuming their gayell Pride with Age, tho' they regard it not. Always in Aftion, and yet always at Rcfl -, fuf- taining all things , and yet feeling no Burthen j fining all things, and yet included in nothing j creating, protecting, nourifhing, maintaining, im- proving all things : Thou feekefh, and yet thou lackeil not •, thou lovell without pafHon, art jea- lous without diflurbance j thou repentefl without remorfe > art angry without perturbation > chang- ed thy Works, but not thy Refolution •, thou re-^ ceivefl what thou hadil never loft j art never poor, and yet rejoiceft in the gaining of Sinners j art not covetous, and yet expe6teft thy own with ufury-y Mat. 15. and art pleafed to account thy fclf a Debtor to ^7« them who do good for thy fake. But who, alas, can do! who is pofTeiTed of any Good, which is not thine already.^ Thou payeil Debts, and yet oweft nothing: Thou forgiveft Debts, and art no lofer by thy Mercy : Thou givell Life and Being to all j art every where, and all iii all : Thou may'il be felt and perceived , but net fecn ', art diftant from no place , and yet far from the Ungodly ! For where thou art not bythyGraos E I ^' and 6o MEDITATIONS. and favour, thou ftill art prefcnt by thy Obiervati- on and Vengeance. Thou communicateil thy felf to all, but not to all equally. To Ibme things thou impartell Being, but not Life, or Scnfe , or Underftanding. To fome , Being and Life , but not Senfe and Underilanding. - To fome again. Being and Life, and Senfe , ■>: but not Underltand- ing. To fome, laftly, thy Bounty extends fo far, as to beftow all thefe. And tho' thou always be the fame, perfedly confident with thy felf, yet nothing is more different than that vaft variety of Gifts and Difpenlations , wherein thy different Influences are fhed abroad upon different forts of Creatures. We are in continual purdiit of thee, and though thou move not away from us, yet can we not ap- prehend thee. Thou pofleffeft all things, compaf- fefl: all, furmounteil all, upholdell all j yet dofl not fo uphold all, as to have any thing above thee ; nor fo fill all, as to have any thing without theej but at once filleil: and containell, furtaineil and fur- mount eff all. Thou teacheff the Hearts of the Faithful with- out the formality of Words, and fpeakefl to them Wifi'.S.L.^Tithout the noife of articulate Sounds. Thy Wif- iom reacheth from one end to the other mightily^ and fiveetly doth poe order all things. Thou art neither enlarg'd by any addition of Space, nor changed by any revolution of Time. Thou inhabitell the Light, which no Man can approach j indivifible, bccaufe ff ri6i:ly and (imply One, and , having no Parts, filled all things with the Whole of thy Finite Minds cannot diftin6tly conceive, nor artful Expreffions declare, nor whole Volumes and Libraries explain the depttis and intricacies of this My fiery. For what can defcribe that Greatnefs which is above all Qiiantity, and that tranfccn- iient Goodnels which is above all Quality? This is MEDITATIONS. 6i is perfect Goodnefs indeed > and therefore none is truly good but thou alone , with whom to intend is to Hnifn , and to will is to be able to pci*- form. . Thou madefl all things out of nothing, merely becaufe 'twas thy good pleafure fo to do. Thou poll^fleil all things, not becaufe thou needefl: any : Thou govern'!!; all without cai*e or toil , and nO' thing in Heaven above, or in Earth, no, not in Hell beneath , hath power to countermand, or in any degree to dillm^b thy regular management , or break the beauteous Order of thy univerfe. Thou art not the Author of any Evil : This is what even that Power, which can do all things, cannot do ^ for the being able to do this would argue a defect, and not a perfe6i:ion of Power. Is! or canlt thou repent of any thing thou haft done, becaufe thy Wifdom always does the beft : Nor Ganft thou be diforder'd with any tumultuous Paf^ lions, for thefe are the Tempefts and Commotions of weak Minds : Nor could the danger or ruine of the whole World be any detriment to thee, for that were to have a Happinefs depending on thy own Creatures : .Nor canii thou approve or com- mend any wicked action, for that were a blemifh to thy Hohnefs, and would make thee ceafe to be God. Thou never ly'ft , becaufe thou art Eternal Truth : By thy Bounty alone we were created j by thy Juftice we are punifh'd for our Offences j and by thy Clemency we are deliver'd from Ven- geance and Deftruction. No material Being, whe- ther Earthly or Heavenly Body , no a6i:ive Princi- ple (not even that of Fire) which can affect our Senfes, ought to be worfhip'd for thee j for thou alone haft Self-exiftence , and never changeft from what thou art: Hence is thy Name Jehovah ^ de-Exod. 3. noting that thou art always the fame ^ and thy. Tears M-^ Jtiall not fa'iL Thefc, and many other neceflary J"^*^'- ^°^* E 4 and^^* dz MEDITATIONS. and fciving Tmths thy Church hath taught me , of which I acknowledge it thy fpecial Favour to have been made a Member. For here I learnt, that thou art the One, the True God , without Body, Parts, or PaiTions : And that no part of thy Sub- ftance is capable of Change or Corruption, com- poimded or made. This makes it evident, that no bodily Eye can difcern thee, and that no Mor- tal can fee thee in thy proper EfTence : Hence it is alfo plain, that from the fame caufe, which enables Angels to behold thee now, we alfo after this Life ihall be enabled to behold thee. But even thofe glorious and intelledual Spirits cannot fee thee in all points as thou art j for thy myfterious Unity of Eflence in Trinity of Perfons , as it hath nothing like it felf , fo it is fully comprehended by nothing but itfelf CHAR XXIX. Of the Plurality of Perfons in the Unity of the "Divine Ejfence, THOU, my God, art but One with regard to thy Nature, but the Perfons to whom this Nature is communicated are feveral > and thus in different refpe& thou art capable and incapable of becoming the Object of Number, and Meafurc, and Weight. We do not acknowledge any begin- ning of that Goodnefs, whereof thy ElTence con- fids, but believe all things wliatfoever to be from, and by, and in this 5 and that there is no other thing Good, except fo far as it participates of, and receives its Goodnefs from thee. Thy Di- vine Eflence is, and ever was without Matter, but not without Form : The perfe6i:, moft beautiful, and true original Form 3 which like thy Seal% thou MEDITATIONS. 63 thou fealeft upon every thing, and flill, without addition or diminution to thy felf, diverfify'ft thy own Works after a wonderful manner, and makelt them to differ from thee, and from each other, according to the different Chara6ters imprefs'd up- on them by their Maker's Hand. For whatfoever is made, is made by thee alone. O Lord Omnipotent, thou great Three-One, whofe Almighty Power pofTefTes, governs, and fills all things 3 yet fo as that the Greatefl hath not more, nor the Leaft lefs, but fo as to be All in All, and all to be in thee 3 as it is written. Whither jh all? h\. 139. I go from thy Spirit ^ and 'whither fioall I flee from 1^^ ^9^^'^' thy Prefence ? If I climb up to Heaven^ thou art there j if I go down to Hell^ thou art there alfo -, If I take the wings of the Mornings and remain in the uttermoji parts of the Sea^ even there alfo floall thy Hand lead me^ and thy right Hand fJo all hold me. Thus art thou prefent Vx^ith every thing, and every thing with thee J not by any local extenfion, but by thy Vir- tue and Power, and communication of thy felf Now fince thy Nature is fimply and infeparably One, we mufl not fo conceive of the Trinity, as if the Perfons in it could be really feparated from one another. This is indeed diftinguiihed into Three, and each Perfon hath a different Name and Title 5 but ftill no Name belongs to any One of them, which does not at the fame time refer to the reft, according to the different Properties and mutual relations of each to other. The Father in- cludes the notion of a Son j The Son that of a Fa- ther 5 The Holy Spirit Father and Son both. And all thofe Titles us'd to exprefs the Power, and Ef^ {^WQQ^ and Perfeftions $ and whatever is included in the Name of God, belongs to every Perfon e- qually. There is not therefore any thing which may be truly affirm'd of the Father as God , but may with equal Truth be afHrm'd of the Son, or Holy Gholl, as God. We fay that the Fatha* is God 64 MEDITATIONS. God by Nature, fo we fay likewife that the Son and the Holy Gholl are 5 and yet they are not Three Gods by Nature, but Father, Son, and Ho- ly Gholt, One and the felf-fame God. So that our Underilanding embraces but One undivided Eflence,. tho*, for our more diftinft con- ception of this EfTence, we diilinguifh the feveral Sublicences in it, by calling them different Per- fons. But IHII, that this plurality of Perfons does not infer a plurality of Beings, is manifeft from hence, that the Name of each Perfon has a necef- fary refpe6t to the other two. If I mention the Father, I include the Son > if the Son, I include the Father j if the Spirit , I muft unavoidably be imderllood to refer to fome whofe Spirit this is, and fo imply Father and Son both. This is the true Faith 5 this is the refult of found Doclrine , fuch as Almighty God hath taught in his Church , and by her Miniflry educated me in the belief and full perfuafion of. CHAP. XXX. ' A Trayer to the Ever-bleffed Trinity, IN this Faith, which I do not only profefs with all poifible Sincerity, but thankfully acknow- ledge to be thy gracious Gift , for the Benefit and Salvation of my Soul , I call upon my God. And reafon good I have to be thankful for this Gift, iince the beheving Soul lives by Faith, and by Hope embraces that at prefent which it fhall one day fee in thee. To thee therefore I come, with a Mind thus enlighten'd, full of chafte and holy Defires, happily brought out of the dark night of Ignorance, to the knowledge of thy Divine Truth > and deliver'd from the feducing Charms of a treacherous and calamitous World, to tafle the MEDITATIONS. 1 the Sweets of that Love, which places all its Hopes and Joys in thee j even thee, O bleffed and glori- ous Trinity in Unity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, my God, my Lord, my Comforter! Love, Mercy, and Communion of Grace ! O thou that begetteft ! O thou that art be- gotten ! O thou that begetteft us again to a new Life ! Source of Light, Light of Light, Diftri- buter of Light j the Spring, the Stream, the Wa- tering, the One of v/hom, the One by whom, the One in whom are all things ! Thou Life in thy feli^ Life in thy fclf derived trom Life in himfelf, the Lord and Giver of Life 5 One originally , One of One, One from the other Two > Truth the Fa- ther, Truth the Son, Truth the HolyGhoft! For in all Three is but One Eflence, One Power, One Goodnefs, One Bleiredncfs, from, and by, and in whom whatever elfe is BlefTed, receives its Blef- fednefs. C H A P. XXXI. God the True Life. OGod, the true Life, of, and by, and in whom all things hve, the common Source of all Good ! our Faith in thee excites, our Hope exalts, our Love unites us. Thou commandeft us to feek thee, and art ready to be found 5 thou biddeft usMat. 7. 7, knock, and openeft when we do fo. To turn from thee, is to fall into mine and Death. To turn to thee, is to rife to Life and Glory. To a- bide in thee, is to ftand faft and fecure from Dan- ger. No Man lofes thee, who does not fufFer him- lelf to be deceiv'd> no Man feeks thee, who does not fubmit to Inftruclion and Reproof ^ no Man finds thee, who does not feek after thee with a clean 66 MEDITATIONS. clean Heart and purify'd Affeftions. To know thee is Life, to ferve thee is Freedom, to enjoy thee is a Kingdom, to praife thee is the Joy and Happi- ne{s of the Soul. I praife, and blefs, and adore thee, with Heart, and Voice, and every Faculty j J ivorjhip thee^ I glorify thee^ I give 'Thanks to thee for thy great Glory ^ for thy great Goodneis, for thy innumerable and ineftimable Mercies, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty. I humbly befeech thee, O blefled Trinity, to come to me, to abide with me, to reign in me, to make this Heart of mine a holy Temple , a fit Habitation for thy Majefty. I entreat the Father by the Son, the Son by the Father, the Holy Gh oft by the Father and the Son, that all thofe vicious difpofitions may be remov'd far from me which might give offence to thofe Eyes who cannot be- hold Iniquity j and that all thofe Virtues may be implanted, and grow, and flourifh, and abound in me, in which the God of Unity delights. O thou Maker and Preferver of all things viiible and invifible ! keep, I befeech thee, the Work of thy own Hands , who trufts in thy Mercy alone for fafety and protedion. Guard me with the Power of thy Grace^ here and in all places, now and at all times, within and without, before and behind, above and below -, let thy holy Angels pitch their Tents round about me , and lb poflefs themfelves of all the pafTes to my Heart, that the treacherous Enemy of Souls may have no place left open, where-f by to make his approach. Thou art the Guardian and Defender of all that depend upon thee> without wiiofe watchful Care none can be fafe^ without whoft- mighty Power none is a match for the Dangers and Temptations If.i. 45. 5. which every Moment befet him. Thou art God^ P^al. 56. and there is none he fide thee^ in Heaven above, or in '^- Earth beneath : Thou art Great and do ft wondrous things 5 Who caii recount, who can conceive them ? Honour MEDITATIONS. 67 Honour and Praife are thine > Angels and Spirits, and all the Creation join in fetting forth thy Glory, and paying the conmint humble Homage due from Creatures to their Creator, from Servants to their Lord, from Subjcds and Soldiers to their vidorious Leader and univerfal King. CHAP. XXXII. The Traifes of Angels and Men. TO thee the pure and lowly in Heart, to thee the Souls of the Righteous, to thee the Ci- tizens of the Heavenly Jerufalem^ to thee the nu- merous Orders of intellectual Spirits, fing Hymns of Joy perpetually > fall down before thy Throne, caft their Crowns at thy Feet, and with profound- eft reverence adore the brightnefs of thy Majefty. Not only thefe, but Man, a valuable part of the Creation, fince form'd in thy refemblance and plac'd chief in Honour of all things here below, he joins in Praifes too, though not able to dis- charge the Duty with the fame noble and exalted Zeal as the bright Hofts of Heaven. Nay, even I, the laft and leaft of Men, laden with fin and frailty, do yet defire to magnify thee worthily^ and to love thee perfectly. Help me, my God, my Life, my Strength, ailiil the defires thou canft not but approve, and make me capable of glorifying thee. Shed abroad thy Light in my Heart, put thy Word in mv Mouth, that my Heart may he fiWd with thy Praife^ and my 'Tongue may fing of thy Glory and Honour all the day long. But, in regard Praife is not co?nely in the Mouth of a Sinner^ and 1, alas ! am a Man of unclean Lips^ purge me, I befeech thee, from all manner of Impurity j Touch 68 MEDITATIONS. llai. 6.5- Touch my Heart and T'ongue with a Coal from thine Al- tar^ wafh away my Filth, and purifie all my Drofs, lb fhall I be fit to offer thee the Sacrifice of Praife. And when I do fo, be thou gracioufly pleas'd to accept the little I can give, according to the Incli- Hof. 1 4-2. nation and Sincerity of my Heart, accept the calves Heb I. of my Lips. Let 7ny Pruyer he fet forth in thy pre- '^lty^S' fence ^ and let the lifting up my Hands he an Evening Plal. 141. Sacrifice. Let the continual, and the moil delight- ful remembrance of thee diffufe a conftant Joy thro' my whole Soul, and tranfport it with a moft ardent love of invifible BlciTings, that my Affections may rife from Earth to Heaven, from Temporal Objefe to Eternal, and from the dark confus'd View of the Creature, to the aftoniflling and beatifick Vifi- on of the Creator. Pfal. 41. O Eternal Truth, and true Love, and beloved ^*^' Eternity ! my Soul panteth after thee Day and Night > on thee all my Hopes and Thoughts are fixed, and in the Enjoyment of thee are all deter- min'd. He that knows thee, knows Truth and I Cor.i 3 Eternity J for thou art feated on high, above all 5 !-• whom, w^hen this Life of dimnefs is difpers'd, and I Job. 3. the Veil of mortal Fiefh drawn afide, wx fee as thou i- art. At prefent the Language wherewith others accofi: me is, Where is thy God ? and the Queflion I often put to thee is, Where art thou now^ my God ? I now and then take breath, and fcem to live, Pfal. 41. when I pour out 7ny Heart hefore thee in the voice of joy and thankfgiving \ but even in the mid 11: of Mirth, a damp comes over m.y Spirits, becaufe my Soul falls back again from thefe pleafing Exercifes > and even when mod defirous to mount up above the highefl Heavens, feels it felf dragg'd down in- to a dark and great Deep, or rather finds it (elf to be no better than a dark and great Deep. In this Abyfs indeed fomctimes I perceive fome glimmerings of Light, from that-Faith which thou haft kindled to fiiine in the dai'knefs. This fome- times MEDITATIONS. 6^ times roufes me in David's firkin, IVloy art thou fo pfal. 43. heavy ^ O^ny Soul., a?id why art thou fo dlfquietedvoith^ 5./^- in me ? Still put thy Trufl in God : His Word is a 119. loj, lanthorn to my feet., and a light unto my Paths. Still tmlt in God till the night wear off, and the wrath of God, of which we were fome time Children., be Eph. 2. 3. over-paft, and the overflowings of ungodlinefs be carried clean away. The remains of thefe mife- ries we muft be content to carry about us, while burden'd with a Body dead in regard of Sin, till fuch time as the Ihades and thick clouds be difpel- led by the dawn of the day of Life. Put thou thy trufl in God., and tarry his Pleafure : for in the morn- ing I lliall Hand before Him, and behold his Gloiy, and be filled with his Praife. Even His, who fliall quicken our mortal Bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth Rom. S. in us. His, who fhall make us Light., that we may ^ ^ • be Children of the Day., and not any longer of the i Thcf. j. Night., nor of Darknefs. For ive were fometimes ^i: Darknefs., hut now are we Light in the Lord., but ^^ ^* fuch we are, as yet by Faith only, and not by Sight and Fruition. For we 2ire faved through Hope., but Rom, S^ Hope that is feen., is not Hope. ^^, The numerous Progeny of Angels and Coeleflial Spirits do indeed glorifie thy Name after a manner very different from ours. They have no need to ftudy the Holy Scriptures, and learn from thence the Glories of thy Eflence. They fee the Bleffed Trinity face to face, and read in thee the Coun- fels of thy Eternal Will and Wifdom : They read, and choofe, and love all thy good Pleafure 5 and what they read, they never lofe the remembrance of Nor iliall this Book ever be fhut to them -, be- caufe Thou art ever prefent with them, the {ame to all Eternity, exhibiting thy felf continually to their Undcrilandings. O bleffed Spirits, who are thus enabl'd to offer thee the tribute of their praife without any mixture of infirmity, without any in- terruption, without the alloy of anxious Care and Sor- 70 MEDITATIONS. Sorrow, who drink of thy Pleafures^ as out of a River^ and exult witTi the fweet Tninfports of Joy imfpeakable. For their Praife and their Joy flow both from the fame Source ^ and they who always iee thee, cannot but always praife, and always re- joice in thee. But we poor feeble Mortals, weigh'd down with a Body of Corruption, placed at a vail diilancc from the bright Beams of thy Countenance, and di- ftrafted with variety of worldly Cares and Events, are not in condition of glorifying thee worthily. Our profpc with fad Apprehenfions of the Juftice I have provoked to Anger, and con- lliant Lamentations of my own Guilt and Unwor-' thinefs j that I fhould exceedingly fear and qualce, and never come into thy prefence, but with a pale dejected Countenance, with weeping Eyes, and fnivering Limb^. This I am fenfible I ought, and this I wifh to do 5 but yet I do it not becaufe I cannot do what I fincerely wifh I could, and won- der greatly that I cannot bring my felf to do. But who is able to do this, without the Afiillance of thy Grace? For, as our Salvation it felf is entirely thy Gift, fo every pious Difpofition, which tends to qiwlify us for it, is of thy great and free Mercy. O wretched Man! whofe Heart is fo hard, fa ilupid, as not to be broken with the Terrors of the Great God, when he appears before thee, and takes upon him to publifli thy praife! O flinty I Creature, MEDITATIONS. 73 Creature, more impenetrable than the nether Mil- flone, whofe Eyes do not melt even into Floods of Tears, when the leaft of all the Servants expoftu- lates with his Mafter, Man with God, the Crea- ture with his Creator, Dull; and AOies with Him who made me out of nothing ! Behold, O Lord, I lay my felf open before thee, and do not fpare to tell all the World the mean and guilty Refle61:ions with which my Thoughts upbraid me when alone. I only beg, that thou, who art rich in Mercy, wilt impart to me out of thy abundance -, and from the treafures of thy Goodnefs let me receive fomething which may be graciouily accepted by thee. For we can only ferve thee of thy own , and if at any time thou art pleafed with our Endeavours, thole very Endeavours are of the Ability which thou thy felf didil: firfl vouchfafe to give us. Do thou, therefore, from whom every good Gift Cometh, ftrikc this Rock, that the Waters of Holy Sorrow may flow out abundantly: And when this iinful Soul attempts to pay its Tribute of Praifes and Thankfgiving, let it be done with that becom- ing mixture of HumiHty and Remorfe, of profound Reverence and inward Purity, and holy Joy, which they who love thee perfedlly, and praife thee wor- thily, feel their Hearts affe&d with 5 fuch as may entitle me to all thofe fpiritual Comforts defcribed in Scripture 3 when it is faid, O tafte and fee hovj pfai. 34.8. gracious the Lord is. BJeJfed is the Man that truji- 79. 86. eth in him. Blejfed is the People that can rejoice in'^S- S><^'7' thee. Blejfed is the Man whofe ftrength is in thee^ in whofe Heart are thy Ways^ who pajfmg through the Valley of Weeping make it a Well^ and go from ftrength to ftrength^ till they appear in Si on. And, Blejfed are the pure in Hearty for they ft) all fee God. Mart. 5.S. And again, Bleffed^ Lord.^ are they that dwell in //^jy Pial. 85.4. Houfe^ they will he always praifing thee. F 2. CHAP, o 74 MEDITATIONS. CHAP. XXXIV. An A[i of T>e'Votion and Love of Go t>, BlefTed Jefus, my Sacrifice and Ranfom, the Delight and Defire of my Soul, God of God ! mercifully ailift the Prayers of thy humble Servant. On thee I call, to thee I cry with a loud Voice^ and from the very bottom of my Heart. Thy pre- fence 1 invite into my Soul, O enter there and fit it Eph.5.i7-up for thy felf, that it may not offend thee by Spot or JVrinkk^ or any fuch things but be Holy and with" out Blemifi. For fure a clean DweUing only can be acceptable to the Purity of fo divine an Inhabitant. Do thou therefore fancfcify me, a VefTel made by thy own Hand y and make me fit for thy own ufe : Purge out all the remains of Wickedneis -, fill me with thy Grace, and keep me ever in that fulnels, that I may be built up a Holy Temple, an Habita- tion fuch as my God will not difdain here and for ever. O fweetefl, kindeft, deareft, moft powerful, moll precious, loveheft and moft beautiful Saviour [ more delicious than Honey, whiter than Snow, of more value than Gold and precious Stones, and dearer to me than all the Riches, and Honours, and Pleafures this World can afford ! But what does all I have faid amount to, my J God, my only Hope, my unfpeakable Mercy? What have I faid, m.y fweet Repofe, my fure Re- fuge, in all this .^ Alas ! I fay as much as I can, tho' in no degree what I ought, upon fo glorious a SubjecL. O that I were capable of exprefling thy . Excellencies in as perfect and becoming a manner as the melodious Choirs of' Angels do in their per- petual Conforts of Pralfc! How gladly would I then fpend all my Breath, and even warble out my Soul in Songs of Thankfgiving ? With what ar- dent, what indefiUigable Devotion would I proclaim i thy MEDITATIONS. 75 thy Glories in the midft of thy Congregations ! But if I cannot do fo much as becomes me, is that a reafon why I fhould do nothing ? No, I will exert my utmoft powers, and fpeak my beil , though I can never ipeak enough : For woe to them that are filent on this occalion 3 fince them who are willing thou rendreil: able, making even the dumb to fpeak 3 and out of the Mouths of very Babes and pfal, 8.2. Sucklings perfe^ing Praife. Woe then to them who do not employ their Tongues to thy Honour, fince even the greateil Mailers of Eloquence, who ufq them mofl and beil, yet in effed are dumb, and fay nothing to purpofe, when they do not employ their Tongues to thy Honour. Who can fet forth thy Greatnefs as it deferves, inexpreffible Power and Wifdom of the F-ather ! But, in regard no Words are to be found fufficient to declare the Omnipotent and Omniprefent TVorcl^ 1 will at lead contrive the beil I can , and go the greateft length Mortality is qualified for, till thou ihalt receive me to thy own felf, and enable me to exprefs my Praifcs in terms fuitable to thy Dignity and my Duty. In the mean while it is my earnell requeft, that thou wouldll meafure my prefent feeble Eflays, not by what I fay, but what I dcfire to fay. For it is the moil vehement willi and long- ing of my Soul, to give fuch Praifes as I know are becoming fo great a Majefly to receive, 'and a due Homage for a Creature to give. And thou, my God, who knoweft the fecrets of all Hearts, and art confcious to every motion of my Soul, canft bear me witnefs , that Heaven and Earth , and all that therein is, are of fmall confideration with me in comparifon with thee. Whatever elfe may challenge a place in my Affedlion, ceafes to be of ^ny regard at all , and ought indeed to be hated, when put in the balance with my God. This is Luk. 14. the real fenfe of my Soul, with fuch unrival'd, ^-^. fuch a fervent Pilffion I Jove my Gadj i\nd yet F 3 am 7<5 MEDITATIONS. am fenfible withal , that this is Icfs than thy due, and therefore dclire above all things to love Thee itill more and more. O Grant that I may daily grow and continue for ever ftedfaft in thy Love , that I may pay thee all the AfFeftion I wifh I could, all I owe and fhould pay 'y that thou may'll be my only x^im and End, pfal.63.6.the only Obje6t of my Thoughts. Let my Days be fpent in meditating upon thee inceffantly , and my Dreams prefent no other Idea to my Lua- gination : Let my Spirit confer with thee upon my Bed, and remember thee alone when waking in the Night feafon. Let the Light of thy Coun- tenance ihine through every corner of my Heart, that under thy Government and Condud I may Pfal. 85/'. proceed Strength to Strength^ till at length I fee the God of Gods in Sion -y and whom I now can only take an imperfe61: Glimpfe of through a dark and I Cor. 1 3 . broken Glafs, may then behold Face to Face^ and know II. e'ven as I am known. And fince this is a Blefiing Mat. 5. 0. pj-omifed in a peculiar manner to the pure in Hearty I entreat thee, by all that Goodnefs and Compaf- fion, which hath delivered us from Death eternal, let thy moil: powerful Holy Union foften this tough, hard, rocky Heart of mine, and render it fufceptible of tender and good Lnpreiiions , that the Fire of Compun61:ion and Holy Zeal may be cheriilicd' there continually, and render it a daily living Sacrifice unto thee. Grant me the Grace of an humble and contrite Spirit, that I may come into thy Prefence wafhed clean with Tears of Godly Sorrow. And let my Aifedions be fo infeparably united to thee, that I may have no carnal Defires left, but be utterly cold and dead to this World. Let me not fo m.uch as remember tranlitory things for the vehemxnce of that Fear and Love I bear to God j that thefe mo- mentary Trifles may no longer be matter of Grief or Joy, or Concern to me 5 nor any flattering Prof- perity MEDITATIONS. 77 perity have power to byafs or corrupt my Heart, nor any terror of Adverfity to iliake my Conilancy. And becaufe the Love of thee is flrong as Death it felf, let this, I befeech thee, entirely poflefs and fwallow up my Soul 5 let that fweet and holy Fire confume all the Drofs of worldly AfFedions, that I may cleave to thee alone, and make it my conilant John 4. Meat and Drink to do thy Will, and know noRe- frelTiments but fuch as flow from the delightful Re- membrances of thee. Send down, O Lord, fend down into my Heart thy precious Odours, that I may be ravifhed with the fragrance of my heavenly Spoufe. Let the de- lightful reliih of thy fweetnefs excite in me holy and eager Defircs, and be in me a fVell of /m>;^ Job. 4.1 4' Water [pinging up to everlafting Life. Thy Great- nefs, O my God, is unmeafurable, and* therefore the Love of thee ought to be fo too 5 for furc no bounds ought to determine the Gratitude and Praife .of thofe whom thou haft vouch fafed to redeem with thy own moft precious Blood. O tender Lover of Souls ! O merciful Lord ! O righteous Judge, to whom xh^ Father hath committed alljudg- ment! Thou feeft and haft declared how fit it is, that the Children of this World fhould not in their i^ixkt 16. Generation be wifer than the Children of Light j that 8. the Sons of Night and Darknefs ought to be our Pattern 5 and that it is juft Matter of Reproach to us, if they {hall love and purfue the perifhing Riches and fleeting Pleafures and Advantages with a more intcnfe Defire, and more unwearied Endeavours than thy own Servants feek and love the Source and Sum of their true Happinefs : Even thee their God, who . made them when they were not, and redeemed them when otherwife it were better for them not to have been at all. And if one Man love another Man fo fervently, if a Spoufe be fo fond of her beloved, as not, with- out the utmoft Impa,tience, and even inconfolable F 4 Grief^i 78 MEDITATIONS. Grief 5 to bear the abfence of a Friend fo dear : What Affeftion, what Zeal, what ardent defire of conftant Union, ought that Soul to exprefs, whom thou haft betroth'd and marry'd to thy felf by Faithfulnefs and Mercies manifold ? How ought we to be converfing with, and enjoying the Great God, the moft amiable Hufband , who hath loved us and faved us after fo aftonifhing a manner, and for our Sakes done fo many, fo great, fo kind, fo wonderful things! For though the Objects here below have indeed fome Delights pecuhar to them- felves, which attract our Hearts , and kindle Af- fections and Defires proportioned to them j yet do not they affe£t us after the lame manner, as thou our God, and the blefled Objects above do. The righteous Man rejoices in thee, bccaufe the Love of thee ft a calm and fweet refentment. For every Breaft thus difpofed, is filled with an equal, fecure and ferene Pleafure. But the love of the World and the Flefli is ruffled with anxious Fears, and vio- lent Emotions : It utterly deftroys the Peace of the Soul where it takes pofleflion, and diftracls them with Cares and Sufpicions, with Jealoufie and Paf- fions, and a thouiand uneaiie Apprehenfions. Mofl: juftly, therefore, art thou the Joy and De- light of good Men, becaufe thou art the only Ha- ven where they are at reft j and with thee alone is that Life which brings quietnefs and afTurancc, Icttled and fincere Pleafure. He that enters into thee, enters into the Joy of his Lord, where fears of future Evils have no place. Fixed in this moft happy Station, and fecure of change or danger, he can fpeak comfort to his Soul in tbefe words of the Pfal. 131. Pfalmift, 'this Jh all he my reft for ever^ here I ckvelly * 4- for I have a delight therein. And again. The Lord is ^3- ^^- my Shepherd^ therefore can I lack nothing: He ft j all make me to lie down in green PaftureSj and fend mQ forth beftde the fill JVaters. O that MEDITATIONS. 79 O that it might pleafe my fwceteil, dearelljefus, to fill my Heart with liich a Love of him, as never can be quenched 5 to be ever prefent in Mind, that I may be all over Love , and burn with perpetual Defires of his Company and Enjoyment. Let this Defire exalt my Heart, and enable it to throw ofF that troublefome load of fendial and worldly Affec- tions, which now obilmft and prefs me down, and do but add to my Miferies , inftead of gratifying my IncHnations. And, having laid afide this weight, help me to run chearfully and apace after theQdour of thy Ointments, Hill keeping on my courfe with- out incumbrance or diverfion , till by thy gracious Guidance I at laft fhall be received to thy own feli^ there to be feailed for ever with the Pleafarcs of thy beauteous Prefence. For two fo different Paflions, a Good and Evil, a Sweet and Bitter, cannot dwell together in the iiime Breaft. And therefore, if a Man love any thing beiides thee, the Love of God is not in him. i joh. i. O Love of exquiiite Pleafure, and exquilite Plea- is- Ture of Love ! Love, all Delight without allay of Tor/nent j Love, chafte and perfect, whofe bright flame never can be extind, but burns pure and cheerful to all Eternity •, my God, my Jefus, who art Love and Pleafure in the abftract, inflame my every part with this holy Fire, pour thy tranfport- ing Joys , thy inexpreflible Comforts and fweet Raptures abundantly into my Soul j kindle there Deflres chafle and holy , peaceful and calm , plea- fant and fccure, that thus overflowing with delight, and enflam'd with defire, I may love thee, ?nyGod^ \Ux. la. "with all my Hearty and SouJ^ and Strength : That thou 3^- may'll be always in m.y Mind, and Mouth, and Sight, at all times, and in all places > and fo refrefh me, that no room may be left for any other, w^hich are indeed no better than unfaithful and adulterous Pailions. Heai- 8o MEDITATIONS. Hear me, my God 5 hear, thou Light of my Eyes, hear what I alk, and grant my Petitions > and that thou may'ft hear me etfe6i:ually, do thou infpire and direct my Petitions. O merciful and gracious Lord ! let not my manifold Offences flop thy Ears againft my Prayers, nor lliut out thy Mercy from me : But let thy Servant obtain his Requefts, though not for any Merit of his pwn, yet for the fake of His Me^ rits and Interceffion in whom alone he trufts, and by Him only prefumes to ask any thing : Even the Bleffed Jefus, the Son of thy Love, the One^ the 1 Tim. 1. powerful Mediator bet-zveen God and Man j w^ho 5. with thee and thy bleffed Spirit, liveth and reign- eth for Ever. Amen, o CHAP. XXXV. A T)evoiit Trayer to Christ, Lord Jefus, the Anointed of God, the Word of the Father, who cameft into the World on purpofe to fave Sinners ! I conjure thee by the moll enlarged Bowels of thy indulgent Mercy, let me ceafe to do evil^ learn to do well^ and reduce all my Aftions to rule and due order -, take away from me ivhatfocver is offenftve to thee, and hurtful to my felf j and implant in me all thole Virtues and Graces which may conduce to my Soul's Advantage, and Job 14- 4 thy good-liking and acceptance of me. M^ho can R 0111.4.5.^^-/^^^ ^ f^lQ^y^ fjjlyig Q^f of an unclean^ but thou alone ? Thou art a God infinite in Goodncfs and Power, y///^ Eph. 2. 1 tifying the Ungodly ^ quickenlyig them that lay dead in 1'refpaffes ayid Sins^ changing the Hearts of Men, and forming them into new and different Creatures. Thy Eyes behold my many and great Imperfecti- ons : Look down upon them with an Eye of Pity^ fend down thy Hand of Compallioa from above^ and MEDITATIONS. 8i and remove far from me whatever is difplealing in thy Sight. My fpiritual Health and Difeafes are both in thy Sight, O itrengthcn , I befeech thee, and preferve the former , and in much Mercy heal the latter. Heal thou me, bleffed Phyfician of Souls , and fo fhall I be heal'd j hold thou me up, thou Al- mighty Preferver of Men, and fo {hall I be fafe. Thou who give ft Medicines for the cure of our Sicknefs^ Pfai. 147. and fullainell that Health which is thy own^ thou 3. who repairell our Breaches, and buildeft up our de- cay'd Ruins with a Word of thy Mouth. If thou think fit (as I hope thou wilt) to fow the good Seed Luke 8, in thy Field my Heart, the firft part of that blef- M- fed Work mull be to prepare and correct the Soil, by rooting out the Weeds and Thorns of vicious Habits and Difpofitions, which elfe will choak the Work, and m^ake it unfruitful. O fweetelf, kind- efc, dearefr Jefus ! pour into me, I beg thee, the abundance of thy Love, that there may be no re- mains of earthly or fcnfual Defires or Thoughts in my Breaft, but thou and thy Love may reign un- rival'd there, and pofTefs my Heart entirely. Write thy Name in my Mind, that thou and thy Commands may be ever before my Eyes. Kindle in my Soul that holy Fire which thou haft fent into the World, that it may melt away my Drofs, and qualify me for offering to thee the daily Sacrifice of a broken and contrite Spirit. Sweeteft Redeemer, as thou haft given me the fmcere dcfire, fo give me the attainment of thy chafte and holy Love, fervent as my Defire, and entire as the Sincerity with which I afk it. Let myyzx,^. i, Head he Waters^ and my Eyes a Fountain of Tears^ that thefe may fpeak for me, and teftify the great- nefs of my Love, and the inward delights 1 feel, too big to be contained within my Heart, and per- petually running over in Tears of Joy. Ifre- 8i MEDITATIONS. I Sam. I. I frequently call to Mind the devout Addrelles of thy Servant Hannah^ who came to thy Tabernacle to beg a Son frora thee : And, upon each remem- brance of her remarkable Piety and Perfeverance in Prayers, I find my felf tormented with Grief, and confounded with Shame, for my own coldnefs and. deadnefs in Devotion. For, if fhe did not only weep, but continue weeping, in hopes of obtaining a Son> what affectionate Complaints, what mea- fure of Tears become my Soul, which comes to thee in Prayer, which feeks and loves my God and Saviour, defiring to receive him , and be received to him ? What fighs and groanings, what earneft gafpings, what impatient thirftings ought I to bring who am in purfuit of my God day and night, and defire to love and to enjoy nothing but him only ? O look then upon me, and extend thy Mercy to Pfal. 15. me, for the Sorrows of my Heart are enlaj-g'd: Per- 17- mit me to tafte of thy Heavenly Comforts, and do not difdain that finful Soul , for which thou didfl not grudge to die. Give me plenteoufnefs of Tears flowing from an affe6tionate Heart, fuch as, by la- menting, may prevail for forgivenefs of my Sins, a releafe from the Bands with which I have fo long been tir'd, and a godly Sorrow, which may produce Spiritual and Heavenly Joy. That, if I cannot rife to that exalted pitch of Zeal, with fome illuftrious Martyrs and Confeflbrs, and eminently devout Men, whofe bright Examples I defpair of coming up with ', I may however not fuffer my felf to be outdone by the weaker Sex, but be admitted to a fliare in thy Kingdom with devout Women. Another inftance of Female Devotion comes alfb often into my remembrance : Her, I mean, whofe vehement Affcftion for thee put her upon waiting at thy Sepulchre > who, though thyDifciples went Job. XX. ^way, would not depart w^ith them , but flit there weeping, and deploring the fuppos'd lofs of her dear Lord 3 and rifing frequently, return'd to fcarch the MEDITATIONS. 83 the empty Cave with anxious Eyes, not trufting her own Senfes, but hoping and feeking ftill, in defpight of their former reports, to fee Him whom her Soul loved. She hadj no doubt, examin'd the Grave with a mbft nice diligence before -, but ftill her paflionate delires could not be fatisfy'd, that ihe had fought thee with fufficient Care. For that which crowns and recommends every good Work, is the Virtue of Perfeverance. This Perfon then, becaufe fhe lov'd more than the reft, and exprefs'd that love by her weeping, and fought thee care- fully with Tears, and ftill continu'd feeking, not- withftanding fo many former difappointments, ob- tain'd the preference above the reft, and " had the Honour to find, and fee, and converfe with thee, before any other Perfon whatfoever. Not only fo, but She was made choice of to be- the firft Preacher of thy glorious Refurre61:ion. By her thou didft impart the joyful tydings to thy dif- confolate Difciplcs, and refrefti their Memories, with thy Promife of vifiting them again, faying, Go tell my Brethren^ that I go into Galilee^ there Jh all Mm. iS. they fee me. If then this Woman wept fo tenderly, '^• who fought the Living among theDead^ andtouch'd thee with the Hand of Faith, how ftiould that Soul be aftefted, and how lafting ought that AfFe6lion to be, which believes in the Heart, and confeffes with the Mouth, a glorify'd Redeemer enthron'd in Heaven, and reigning over the whole World ? What Sighs and Tears (hould breath out from that Heart, which loves nothing but thee, and above all things longs to gain a Sight of thee: Of thee, the only refuge and hope of the miferable, who art never addrefs'd to without a comfortable Expecta- tion of Mercy? In this Confidence I entreat thee, for thy own fake, and for the Glory of thy Holy Name, to grant me fuch a tender and afFedionate Senfe of thy Goodnefs, and my own Unworthinefs, that every u MEDITATIONS. every time I think, or fpeak, or read, or write of, upon every remembrance of, every approach to my God and Saviour, in the Sacrifices of Prayer and Praifc, my Eyes may overflow w^ith Tears of Remorfe and Love. Thou the King of Glory, the Teacher and Pattern of all Virtues, haft inftrufted us to weep, both by thy Word, and by thy own Ex- Mat. 5. 4- ample. Thou haft faid, Blcjfed are they thatmourn^ John II. for they Jlmll be comforted: And didft thy felf fhed 35. Tears of Compaflion for thy deceas'd Friend, and yet more abundantly for the ungracious City of thy People, and its approaching Deftru6lion. Luke 19 By thy moft precious Tear^, and by all the won- 41- derful Inftances of thy Mercy for the relief of loft Mankind, I beg the Grace of Tears and godly Sor- row, which my Soul vehemently thirfts after. I cannot attain to this, unlefs thou vouchfafc to give it me j for it is thy Holy Spirit alone that can bring Water out of this Rock, and foften the Hearts of hardened Sinners. This thou ha;ft been pleas'd to communicate freely to many primitive and emi- nent Saints, whofe pious Footfteps I dare to tread in. Send down thy former and thy latter Rain, and water this dry Soil with the dew of Heaven, that I may with true Compunction bewail my Sin and Mifery j and kindle in my Heart a fervent • Zeal, that I may be a Burnt-offering to thee, a Sacrifice of fweet favour in thy prefence. And let my Tears wafh that polluted Offering, that it may be prefented clean and pure. For of thefe I {hall ftill have daily need 5 becaufe, tho' by the aftiftance of thy Grace I confecrate my felf never fo devout- ly, and entirely to thy Service, yet fuch is my frail- J3.m. 3, 1. ty, tfiat ftill in mmy things I ftiall offend. Grant me therefore this neceffary Grace, that I may tafte of thy Cup, and quench my Thirft, that my Soul may ever pant after thee, and burn with the Love of thee alone, regardlels of any other Objc6t, and get- ting above the Vanities ot Senfe, and Mifcries of the World, Hear MEDITATION S 8 j "■ " ' ■ ■ ' t ' ' ' Hear me, my God, hearken, thou Light of my Eyes, grant me my Requeft, and grant me to aik fuch things as thou deHghteft to give. Let not my manifold Offences flop the current of thy Grace, whofe property it is to be ixGod hearing Prayer^ and Pfal. 55.1, always to have Mercy. But, according to the mid- ^ '• ^• titude of thy Mercies do away mine Offences^ and^^" ^* think upon me^ O Lordj for thy Goodnefs. CHAP. XXXVI. Another Grayer to the fame Tiirpofe, O Gracious Saviour, O merciful Lord Jefus, who waft pleas'd to die for our Sins, and rife Rom. 4; again for our Jeftifi cation, be alfo pleas'd, by that 2.5. glorious Refurredion, I befeech thee, good Lord, to raife me from the Death of Sin to the Life of Righteoufnefs j that fo partaking now in the firft and fpiritual, I may be admitted to partake of the bleiTed and literal 'Refurredion at the laft Day. Sweeteft, kindeft, deareft Lord, moft mighty King of Glory, who haft afcended with great Triumph unto thy Kingdom in Heaven, and fitteft enthron'd at the right hand of the Father > Dmw me up to thee J that by thy powerful Guidance, and more than magnetick Force, I may run after the Odour of thy Ointments, and not faint. Draw this thir- fty Soul to the Rivei^ of eternal Pleafure, to the Fountain of living Water, that I may drink my fill, and live for ever, O God of my Life. They are thy own moft conifortable Wor(^, //"Job.?. 37, any Man thirft^ let hi?n come unto me and drink. O S^, 39- Well of Life ! make good that gracious Invitation to^ thy unworthy Servant, that I may continually drink of thee, and quench my eager thirftings, and, according to thy moft true Promife, be fo fiU'd with thy Holy Spirit, that out of my Belly may flovi 86 MEDITATIONS. ^■^*' fiow Streams of Having Water. O Well of Life! Pul 36.8 give r}%& drink out of thy Plea fur es as out of a River ^ latiate my Soul with the delights of thy Love, that I may lole all relilli for vain, and fenfual, and world- ly Joys, and fix my Thoughts and Delires on thee alone, and on thy fwcet Mercies y as Holy David \h\. 1 1 9. profeifcs of himfelf, / reraembred thine everJaJiing 55- Judgments^ O Lord^ and rec civ'' d Comfort. Shower down upon me the fructifying Graces of thy good Spirit, which thou wert pkiis'd to re- prefent, by the Waters promis'd to be given to jf)li. 7.39. them that thirft. Let all my defircs and endeavours make up dire6lly to that blifsful place, whither we moil firmly believe thee to have gone forty Days after the Refurreclion. That nothing but my Body may be detained any longer in this Valley of Mife- ry here below s but my Soul and all its Faculties may be with thee. That where my beft, my only Treafure is, my incomparable bell-belov'd Jefus is, Matt. 6. there my Heart may he alfo. In the difmal Deluge, ic>. the wide unfaithful Sea of this tempeiluous Life, we arc tofs'd and driven about by Storms that blow from every Quarter 5 without Port or Shelter 5 without one fpot of dry Ground for the weary Gtxi.2.^. DorQQ to reft her Foot w'^on; no Peace, no Calm, no Security j but Rocks and Quickliinds, Wars z Cor. 7. and Contentions, and Enemies on every fide> with- 5. out are fightings and within are fears. Thou hail fram'd us out of a wonderful mixture of different Parts, and join'd Heaven and Earth W.fd. 9. together in One Man. T^he Earthly Body prcj/eth down 15. the Soul^ and hence the Mind thus unequally cou-^ pled, is dragged back by its Companion, moves heavily and is foon tir'd with its Journey, nay,- often languiihes and finks down in the middle of its Courfej is torn and wounded by the thorny Cares and Vanities through which its way lies ; bruis'd by the rough nefs of the PalTagej hungry and hard beilcad, and often ready to perilli with thiril, in this MEDITATIONS. 87^ this dry, barren, dcfolate Wildernefs. Nor have I wherewithal to fatisfy its cravings, being, alas! poor and dellitute of my fpiritual Comforts. Therefore I flee to thee, my Lord and God, rich in Mercies, and a bountiful Giver of good Gifts 9 imploring Food in my Neceflity, Rcfrefhment for my Wearinefs, Balm for my Wounds, and Guid- ance for my Wandrings. Behold, m.y Soul Hands ' f: at the Door and knocks: O let that tender Mercy of Luke r." my God J whereby thou glorious Day-fpring from ofii^y 79* bigh hath vifited us^ open to this impc^i'tunate '^ Beggar ! Extend thy Charity, and in a nfarvellous Condefcenfion take him in, that he my find Re- frefhment and fweet Repofe in thee, knd be feS they are filled with the Pleafures of thy Houfe^ 4. 36. 8,9 . and thou give ft them drink out of thy fulnefs : For thou art the Fountain of Life^ and in thy light they fee light. Such Light, that tho' they are but a derived and fe- condary Light, yet the bright Beams of thee, the Great Originiil Light, arc Ihcd fo plentifully up- on MEDITATIONS. 89 on them, that by virtue of this llrong Reflcclion '>i\-\Q.^ Jhim forth astheSun^ in thy Prcfcncc and King- Matt. 13. dom. O ho-w ^oodh\ how amiable^ how dchcious are the 42.. tabernacles of thy dwellings thou Lord of Hofts f My ' ^' Soul longeth^ yea^ even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord y this finful heart andflefi crieth out for the living God: It cries continually, and repeats this Profeffion again and again, Lord^ L have loved the beauties ^/i'fal.Kj.S. thy Houfe^ and the place where thine Honour dwelleth. One thing have I de fired of the Lord^ that will L feek 17.4. after^ that I may dwell in the Houfe of the Lord all the days of my Life . As the Heart panted after the water- 4 1 . r . _ hrook^ fo panteth my Soul after thee^ O God. When ihall I fee the hving God, whom my Soul thirfteth after? Whcn{h:i\\l fee him in the Land of the Living? z-j. 13. For in this Land of the Dying, where we now dwell, no mortal Eye can fee him. What Ihall I do, wretched Man that I am ! chained down to Flelli and Senfe, and dragging after me a Clog of Corruption? What is this miferable Condition ca- pable of? JVhile we are at home in the Body^ we are 1 Cor. 5. abfent from the Lord , for we have here no continuing^- City^ but we feek one to co'me : There is our Settle- ^^^' ^^' ment^ and all our Privilege, the hope of our high ^^^^^ ^ ^^^ Calling, the Bufinefs and the Happinefs of our Lives, all in our Native, in our Heavenly Country. • l^^oe is me^ that / have fo long dwelt in the I'ents of p p^|_ j 2.0. Kcdar^and been conflrained to fojourn among the Enemies 4, 5 . ofmyPeace. O that I had wings like a Dove^ then would J flyaway^ and be at reft. I know noPleafure com- parable to that of being with my Lord. It is good ^i, 18, for me to draw near to God^ to hold me fafl by God. Grant me, therefore, gracious Lord, fo clofe an Union with thee, even while I am imprifoned in this frail Body, as to make good the Apoille's Ob- fervation. He that is joined to the Lor d^ is one Spirit. , cor. 6. Arm my Soul with the Wings of Contemplation, 17. that it may foar up to thee : And, becaufe my Frailty, without thee, cannot but fall, fupport my G z Soul, pd MEDITATIONS. Soul, that it fink not into the bottom of this dark vale of Senfe: Let not any Interpofition of the Earth ecUpfe the Sun of Righteoufnefs, and ob- ftruct the Influence of his refrefhing Beams , but let his Light dire6b5 ^^^ ^^^ cherifhing Heat warm my frozen Heart, in my profpe6ts and purfuits of high and heavenly Things. For, from this Inllant I defire to bend my courfe to the Joys of Eternal Peace, and leaving the Clouds and Storms of thefe lower Regions of the Air, afpire to the quiet and ferene, the bright and blifsful Manfions of ^the- rial Light above. Hold thou up my Heart \vith thy mighty Hand, for without thee it cannot mount upward: I ha- ilen to the place where fweeteil: and moil pro- found Peace reigns undifturbed : O do thou affift and govern my Flight, that by thy guidance I may come into thofe fruitful Paftures, where thou feed- eft Ifrael with Eternal Truth 5 that my Mind may dwell upon thee, the Supreme Wifdom, who pe- netrateft and governeft all Things. , But while I aim at this afcent to thee, I find many Obje6i:i- ons and Obftrucbions to my defign: Do thou, I befeech thee, remove and filence them all : Com- mand, and the Tempeft will be ilill : Let my Soul poflefs it felf iii quietnefs, and filently pafs over all created Obje61:s to fix on thee : There, in her great Creator, let her Eyes of F aith, her Defires, i her Hopes and Thoughts, immoveably reftj and ^ no obje(5t ever divert, none entertain her, but her true and chief Good, her exquifite and endlefs There are, indeed, many Contemplations, in which a devout Mind feels wonderful Satisfa6]:ion j but never can it attain to that Iweet Tranquillity and Delight, as when it meditates on thee alone. Zech. 9. For, O bow great is thy Goodnefs^ and bow great is thy 17. Beauty / and how tranfporting are thofe fecretPlea- fures which overflow the Hearts of thy beloved, I who MEDITATIONS. 9i_ who love, and feek, and defire to know nothing but thee ! Happy are they who have no other Hope : Happy, whofe conftant Employment is praying to , and converfing with thee : Happy, whofe Solitude is fpent in awful Silence, and hea- venly Raptures, and conftant Watchfulnefs over themfelves : Happy, who, even while in this frail Body, anticipate, fo far as their Condition will al- low, the ineffable fweetnefs of their future Glories. By thofe life-giving Wounds which thou didil condefcend for our Salvation to fuffer on the Crofs, thofe Wounds, from whence ftreamed forth that precious Blood by which Mankind are redeemed from Death eternal j wound, I befeech thee, this linful Soul of mine , for which thou didfl not dif- dain to die : Strike it through with the fiery Dart of thy moll fervent Love, which nothing can refill : For the Word of God is quick and powerful^ andjharper Heb.4. i a. than any two-edged Sword ^ piercing the Joints and Marrow : Strike therefore, gracious Lord, ftrike this hard Heart of mine to the very quick 5 and let the Waters of penitent and affe6i:ionate Tears flow out in great abundance. Let me lament my prefent Miferies day and night, and find no Comfort till I am allowed to behold my faireil and beft-beloved Spoufe, my Lord and my God , in his heavenly Bed-Chamber. That there, for ever gazing on thy q^^i-j ^^ beauteous Face with thy chofen, I may fall down and adore thy Majelly : And , tranfported with rapturous and inexpreffible Joy , may cry out with them that love thee : Behold , I fee what I have long defired > I am in full pofTeflion of my Hopes > I am infeparably united to him in Heaven , whom upon Earth I loved with a moft eager and impati- ent , a moll fincere and undivided Affe6tion : This is he whom, my Soul fo earnellly panted after, he whom I v/ill praife andblefs, and moil devoutly adore 5 he, who liveth and reigneth my God for ever and ever. Amen. G 5 CHAP, 91 MEDITATIONS. L' CHAP. XXXVII. A Trayer in time of AjfliEiion. OOK down, O Lord, with Pity and Com- pafHon upon a moll miierable Sinner , doing the things he ought not, and enduring the things which he hath mofl jullly deferved, every Day multiplying his Offences, and fmarting daily un- der thy correcting Rod for them. When I reflect upon my many and great Provocations , I cannot but confefs my Sufferings light and gentle in com- parifon j and own they do by no means bear pro- portion to what I have incurred, and might ex- Pfil. Tip. pe6l. Righteous art thou^ O Lord^ and jnfl are thy 137- Judgments. Yea, juft and faithful is my God, and ^^' ^^* there is no Iniquity in him. Thou fendelt Affliction, but thou fendeft it upon Creatures and upon Sin- ners, and can If not therefore be charged with In- juflice or Crucltv. For what is the utmoft we groan under? How does this declare thy Power, in comparifon of that Almighty Inlimcc of it, which commanded us into Being, when we were not? How does this deferve the imputation of Rigour, when fet againft that infinite Mercy, which in wotfderful Pity redeemed and reftored us to Happinefs ahd Life, when Sin had reduci4 ^-^s to a Condition fo loll and defperate, that even our Being was become a Cuffe to us ? I am abundantly convinced , that the Events of ,:; .. this Life are not left to the ralli, uncertain hits of ^* blind Chance, but under the lleddy Governance Wifd. II. and wife Difpofal of thy good Providence. I know ^4- thou lovefl and takefl care of all thy Creatures, ^'^' ^'^^ but more efpecially thy faithful Servants, who re- , pofc all their Hope and Confidence in thy Mercy, and in this confidence do cheerfully commit them- fclves. MEDITATIONS. 93 (elves , and all their AfFairs to thee. In this per- fiiafion I moll humbly pray thee, that thou woiildll deal with me not according to my Sins, which have made me obnoxious to thy angry Ju- llicc, but after thy own great Mercy, w^iich far exceeds not only mine, but the whole World's Offences. And may it pleafe thee, when thou thinkcil fit to fcourge my Outward Man, to fri-engthen my Inward with the Grace of Conftan- cy and unwearied Patience : That even in the bittercil anguiHi of my Soul , thy Goodnefs may ilill be acknowledged moft thankfully, and thy Praiie at no time depart out of my Mouth. Pity me, O Lord, and help me, according to what thou feeil necclTary for me both in Body and Soul. Thou knoweft all things, and canfl do all things, and livell for ever, and therefore wilt, I hope, confider my Needs and my Infirmities, and extend Mercy and Relief in thy own time, and thy own ;^vay, which is always furc to be bed and moil ex- pedient for us. . CHAP. XXXVIII. A devout "Grayer for "^Pardon of Sins. OLord Jefus Chrifl:, Son of the Living God, who didll, with Hands ftretched out upon the Crofs, fubmit to drink the bitter Cup of Suf- ferings unconceivable, for the Redemption of all Mankind, vouchfafe to hear and help me this Day: Behold a Wretch in extreme Poverty, addrefling to the endlefs Treafure of thy rich' Mercy ! O fend me not away empty and defpifed ! 1 come with all the cravings of fpiritual Hunger; let my Soul, I pray thee, be filled with good things 3 at leait deny mc not fomc Suflenance» G 4 And 94 MEDITATIONS. And, fir ft of all, my deareft Saviour, I freely turn my own Accufer, and do fo confefs againft my felf all thofe Traufgrcffions and Pollutions which render me unworthy of the leaft of thy Mercies. VU\. 51.5' Behold I was Jhapen in Wickednefs^ and in Sin did my Mother conceive and hare me : But from this Defile- ment thou haft been pleas'd to wafli and fan6tify me. O that I had been as careful to prefer ve my Purity ! But with Shame I own , I have defiled my felf a- new with more and greater, and more inexcufable Sins. Thofe I was born in, I could not prevent j they were not my fault fo much as my misfortune > but the Filth I have wallowed in fince, was entire- ly of my own choice and contracting, and the . Tranfgreftions I am moft concerned for, have been in the ftri6teft fcnfe my proper Ad and Deed. Nay, to add yet more to my Confufion, I can- not but call to mmd the great advantages of doing better, which thou, according to thy wonted Mer- cy, has been pleafed to afford me. Thou haft fe- parated me from the converfation of Sinners, and put into my Heart good Refolutions of avoiding their Seducements, and following thee \ of aflem- bhng with the Generation of them that feck thy Face, and walk in the paths of Righteoufnefs > of abandoning a fenfual, and devoting my felf to a mortified and fpiritual and divine Life. And I, infenfible and ungrateful Wretch that I am ! in re- turn for fuch ineftimable Benefits, have, even fince my entrance upon this better courfe, done many and grievous things againft thy holy Laws, and my own good Intentions! Tnftead of amending and forfaking my Sins, I have added greatly to their number. Thus have I difhonour'd my God, and ftained and defaced that Image of his in which I was created, with Pride and Vain-glory, and many other natural Deformities, with the difmal prof- pecb of which my poor Soul is tormented and af- Aided, wounded and deftroyed. Behold, MEDITATIONS. 95_ Behold, OLord, my Wickedneffes are gone overmy^:2i\,-^%,j^, Head^ and are become like a fore burden^ too heavy for me to bear. And unlefs thou, whofe Property is always to fpare^ and to have Mercy ^ be pleas'd to put forth thy Hand, and fupport me ^from finking, I fhall be irrecoverably loft, and fwallow'd up in the great Deep. Hearken, O Lord, to my cry^ look down and behold my Mifery, how proudly the Adver- fary of Souls infults agamft me, faying, God hath ^ii, n. & forfaken him^ Iwill purfuehim^ and take him^ for there 6, 3, 4. is none to deliver him. But thou^ O Lord^ how long wilt thou forget me? I'urn^ I befeechthee^ and deliver my Soid'y O fave me for thy Mercies fake. Have Compafiion on thy Child, whom thou haft made fuch, at the expence of infinite Travail and Pain, and do not fo far remember my Wickednefs, as to forget thy own Goodnefs. What Father is he, that will refufe to refcue his Son from Deftruction ? Or, what Son is he who never offends, and whom the mo ft affe6tionate Parent chaftcneth not with the Rod of his Love ? Confider thereibre, O my Lord and Father, that tho' I am a Sinner, I am ftill thy Soul, I cannot ceafe to be fo by a double Title , for thou art the Author and Giver, not only of my firft and Natu- ral, but of my fecond, my fpiritual and better Life. Since therefore I have finned, corre6l me as thou feeft expedient j but when thy Corre6t:ions have reform'd me, deliver me up to thy Son. Can irA,49.i). ' a Mother forget the fruit of her Womb ? Nay, tho' fhe fiiould forget, yet thou, our kinder Father, haft declar'd, that thou wilt not forget thy Children. Behold I cry, and thou hearkeneft not , I am tor- mented, and thou comforteft me not. What ftiall I do, or to whom fliall I betake my felf, when dc- ftitute of my only fupport, and caft out of the fight of thine Eyes? O wretched Creature! how great is the Happinefs from which, hov/ great the . Klifery into which I am Men ! Whither was I goings ' 96 MEDITATIONS. going, and whither am I at laft come? Where am I, -^nd where am I not? What Bills was I making up to, and \vhat Horrors do I groan under ? 1 aim'd at Peace and Joy, but behold Perplexity and Mifery ! I die, and my Jcllis is not with me j and fure better it were for me not to be at all, than to be without myjefusj better not to hve, thim to Hve without him, who is the very Life of my Life. pfal. 26. But, O mydcivcrijcfusjwhejrare thy tender Mer- 6. &103. cies^ and thy loving Klndneffes-ivhich have been ever of 9'Ti'l- old? IVill the Lord keep his Anger for ever^ and vjill he be no more entreated ? Be favoui'able , I befeech thee, and turn not now aw^ay thy Face from him, for whofe Redemption thou did it not turn it away lix. 50. 6. heretofore, fro?n JJmme and fpiting. I confcfs, O Lord, that I am a Sinner, a Cfrcat and Q:rievous Smner; My Confcience reproaches me with Guilt continually, and fets before mine Eyes that Hell and Damnation, which, I am iadly fenlible, are the defcrv'd Wages of my evil doings. I know too no Remorfe, no Repentance of mine can be a fufficient Satisfaction to thy offended Juilicc ^ and ' therefore I take Sanctuary in thy Mercy alone > that Mercy which can never be over-power'd by any Greatnefs, any number of offences. Do not, I befeech thee, moft merciful Lord, ftill write bit- Pa 143. ^^^ things againfc me, nor enter into Judgment with 'L.'^'^i.i.thy ServaMt^ but, accm'd'ng to the multitude of thy Mercies blot out all my Offeaccs. O what will become ) x:i' I } oPme at that dreadful Diy, when the Books of I all Confciences ihall be laid open, and the Judge ihall fiy of me, "fhis is the Man^ and thefe are his IForks! What fhall I do, or whither fhall I flee, when the Heavens fhall declare my Unrightcouf- nefs, and the Earth lliall rife up againlt, and open her Mouth upon me ? Alas ! I ihall not have one Word to alledge in my own Vindication or Ex- cufe, no Pica to make in Bar to Sentence pafling upon MEDITATIONS. ^7 upon me> but with a guilty and dejected Counte- nance, (land trembling and amaz'd before thy Judg- ment-Seat. O Mifery, Mifery! What fhall I %? I will cry unto thee, my Lord and God 5 for why fliould I periili, and languifh away in filencc? and yet if I Ipeak 5 my Pains will not be afl wag'd j and if I hold my Peace, I am wrack'd with lecret anguifli. Mourn, my Soul, mourn and weep, like a difcon- folate Widow, over the Hufband of thy Youth. Howl, WTCtched thing, and lament, becaufe thy Spoufe, thy Chriif, hath divorc'd thee in his dif- pieafure. Nay, but, O mighty Avenger, do not let loofe thine Indignation upon me; for it is not in the Nature of a Mortal to fuflain the Powder of thy Wrath. Have Mercy, left I link in utter de- fpair 5 and, when my guilty Reflections deje6t me molt, let me find fome refrelTiing glance of Hope, that I be not quite fwallow'd up in Guilt and Con- fufion. 'Tis true, I have loft that Innocence which fhould preferve me, and given thee juft reafon to damn me ^ but thou haft not, canft not have loft that Property, which is us'd to prevail for the Sal- vation of thofe who have dcferv'd Damnation. Thou^ O Lord^ wUkli not the death of a Sinner^ nel- ^-itV ; 8, ther haft thou any -pie a fare in the deftrvMion of him that 13 , 31. dieth •, fo fir from that, that thou thy felf haft dy'd to the intent that they who before were dead might live. Thy death hath kill'd the death of Sin- 2 Cor. 5. ners, and from that inftant thou diedft, their Life ^5- commenc'd. Since therefore our living depended upon thy dying, fuffer me not, 1 befecch thee, to die, now thou art reftor'd to Life for evermore 5 but if thy death reconcil'd me, much more let thy Life fave me. Send down thy hand fro?n above ^ and Kom 5, deliver me from the hand of mine Enemies^ let them ^O' U' not triumph over ?ne^ Tie it her let than fay^ We have ' '^^' ^'^^' devoufd him, 7 . 3 S • 2. 5 . Who, 98 MEDITATIONS. Who, blelTcd Jefus, who can ever fuffer himfelf to diftruft thy Mercy and Goodnefs , after having reconcil'd us to God, and ranfom'd us from Hell and Death, with thy own deareft Blood, even when Rom. 5. we were Rebels and declar'd Enemies? Under the ^> 9' fheltea of this Mercy I dare approach the Throne of Grace j and thus protefted and encdurag'd , I run, I call, I cry for Pardon, and knock importu- nately, inceflantly , till thou open, and take pity upon me. For if thou didft of thy own mere Motion call us to a Pardon which we never fought, " how fhall we not much rather obtain a Pardon upon our own Requeft, and that Requeft grounded upon Encouragements, and Commands, and Promifes, which thou thy felf haft given us ? Look not upon me therefore , fweeteft Saviour, in the capacity of a Sinner, which would awaken thy Juftice •, but confider me as thy Creature, and let that foften and enlarge the Bowels of thy Mer- cy. Remember not thine Anger, to which Guilt hath made me obnoxious, but remember thy never- failing Compailions, of which my Mifery renders me a fit obje6b. Overlook my Pride, which incen- fed thee, and obferve my Humility and Affliction, which implores thee. And what indeed is Jefus but a Saviour ? By the importance of thy blelled Name, and by all that Goodnefs which fo fully an- fwer'd its moll: extenfive fignification, arife, I con- Pfal 35.3. jure thee, to help me^ and fay to my "^oox So ul^ I am thy Salvation. I entertain very aflur'd Expectations of thy Bounty, becaufe thou haft taught me to Matty. 7 ajk^ ^ndfeek^ and knock: And therefore what I do is not an a6t of bold and rafh Prefumption , but of becoming Truft and faithful Obedience. Thou therefore. Lord, who commandeft me to ajk^ grant that I may receive -, thou haft put me ' xx^onfeeking^ let me be happy m finding -^ thou haft bidden me knock^ open when I do fo j ftrengthen a weak J reftoie a loft, raife and quicken a dead ' Wretch i. MEDITATIONS. 99. Wretch j and be gracioufly pleas'd to direct and govern my (everal Faculties, Senfes, Thoughts and Actions, in doing that which is well-pleafing in thy Sight: That, for the future, I mayfcrve thee, live to thee, and entirely devote my felf to the Obe- dience of thee. I know, O Lord, the whole of what I am is thy due, as my Creator > I am fenfible that more than I am is thy due, as my Redeemer. And, had I it, I fhould owe thee as much more than I am, as thou, who gaveft thy felf to be Man for my fake, art greater than the Man for whom thou weit given. But this poor y^i^ is all I have to offer in return, and even this I could not offer without ' thee: Accept me therefore, I befeech thee, and draw me to thy felf, that I may from henceforth be thine by Imitation and Refemblance, by Obe- dience and Love, who am already all thy Own, as thy Creature, and thy Purchafe. Even thine, O fweetefl: Saviour, who liveft and reignefl for Ever and Ever, Amen, CHAP. XXXIX. A Ufefiil Trayer, OLord God Almighty, Three Perfons, and One Subilance, Eternal and Omniprefent, before all, and in all, God bleffed for ever ^ I con- fecrate to thy ufe, . and commit into thy cuftody, this Day, and for my whole Life, my Body and my Soul, my Sight and Hearing, my Tafle, Touch, and Smelling > all my Thoughts and Affedions j my Words and Actions j all without, and all with- in me ', my Senfitive and Intellectual Faculties, my Imagination and Memory , my Faith and my Perfeverance •, befceching thee in Mercy to take charge of them dav and night, and guard thera fafe ICO MEDITATIONS. {life from all the Diingers and Temptations which bcfct me, and attempt to enter at thcle Avenues every hour and moment. Hear me, O blefled Holy Trinity, and preferve me from all Evil, and all Scandal, and clpecially from all deadly Sin. Pro- tect mc from the fubtle Treachery, and violent Ailaults, and perpetual Hollilities of evil Spirits, and fhield mc from the Malice of all my Enemies, vifible and inviliblcj and, under thy mighty Pro- teciiion, conducl: me fafe at lail to thofe blifsful Manfions, which thou haft prepar'd for them that love thee, inhabited by Patriarchs and Prophets, Apoftles and Martyrs , Confellbrs and Virgins , and all the Holy Men and Women who have walk'd in thy Fear, and done the Will of their Heavenly Father faithfully from the beginning of the World. Root out from me, I pray thee , all confident Boalting, Spiritual Pride, Arrogance and Haughti- nefs of Spirit, and beat down my Soul with true Compunction for my Sins , and a profound unaf- fected Humility. Open a vent for the Tears of Repentance 3 and, when thou halt foften'd this rock within my Breaft, let thofe itreams gufh out Pfa'.p. 1 3. abundantly. Delis^er me, O Lord, from the y^^r^ of the hunter , and give not my Soul up a prey to them that feck its ruin, but keep me ever fafe and ftedflilt in the Performance of thy Will. "Teach ?ne 143. 10. to do the thing that pkafeth thee ^ for thou art my God. Give me a right Judgment , and a perfe6t Under- ftanding of divine Truths, that I may have wor- thy Apprehenfions of thy unmeafurable Goodnefs. Dire6t my Prayers to thee on all Occafions , and let me afk fuch things as thou delighteft to give, and are belt for me to receive. Kindle in my Heart a holy Zeal, fuch as may incline thy Mercy effectually to blot out the remembrance of all my pall Offences committed againft thy divine Majelty. Dan.9.19. Lord^ hear y O Lord hearken and do 5 Defer not for thy MEDITATIONS. loi thy o-d;n fake^ O my God. If thou rejected; my Peti- tions, wnd turncfl; away thy Face^ Idle \ if thou fhew- cft the Hght of thy Countenance, I am rene'vfd to p(^^|. 104. Life. It thou regard my Rightcoufnefs only, this, ip, 30. aliis ! is no better than filth and pollution , and I iliall be on thy account no better than a loathfome Carcafe. But if thou look upon me in thy Mercy, this raifes my dead putrify'd Body from the Grave of Sin, and breaths into me again a Life of Righ- tcoufnefs and Hope. Remove fir from me what- ever is odious and ofTenfive to thy pure Eyes, and plant in me a Spirit of Charity and Cleannefs, that I may lift up holy Hands in Prayer ^ and not bring fuch a Sacrifice as is an abomination to my God. Put away from me all hurtful things, and give me r Tim. 2. fuch things as be profitable for me. O thou blef- 8. fed Phyfician of Souls, grant me Balm for my Wounds, and proper Medicines to heal my Spiri- tual Difeafes. PofTels my Heart with thy Fear, with Meeknefs and Reverence, grant me unfeigned Faith, a clean Confcience, and a true Charity, a tender regard to the good of my Brethren j let mc never fiivour or forget my own Mifcarriages, nor €ver be inquifitive after, or fevere upon, the Faults or Failings of other People. - O be gracious and compafTionate to my poor Soul, to my Frailties and Tranfgreilions. Vifit mc in my Weaknefs, heal my Sickncfs, refrefli my lan- guilhings, and revive me from Spiritual death. Of that there were in me a Heart that might always fear thee, a Soul that might always love thee, an Underitanding that might rightly apprehend and conceive worthily of thee ; Ears ever open to hear thee 5 Eyes ever fixt and intent to fee thee. Have pity upon me, O my God, have pity upon me j and from the Throne of thy Majeftyon high call down a companionate Look-, fcatter the thick^vght of Ig- norance and Error, and enlighten my dark' Soul with the bright Beams of thy Holy Spirit. G'i\(: m.e the Know- loi MEDITATIONS. Knowledge of difcerning between Good and Evil 5 and help me to keep a conftant watchful guard over my felf j that I may fee the things which belong un- to my Peace^ and carefully efchew all thofe Seduce- ments, that would betray me into irrecoverable Ruin. Above all, I beg free and full Remiffion of my manifold and grievous Sins, of thee, my Lord, who dy'dll; to purchafe it 5 and that, by and thro' thee I may find effe6tual Propitiation, and Com- fort, and Mercy, in all time of my "Tribulation^ and an- guifh of Heart, in all my necellities and diftrefTes, but efpecially in the Hour of Death^ and in the Day of Judgment. Finally, O Lord, vouchfafe to be- fiow on me Everlafting Life, not for any Works which I have done, (let them be pardon'd only, and that is fufficient, reward they cannot deferve) but for thy manifold and great Mercy, upon which I throw my felf entirely, as the only Refuge and Hope of Sinners and unprofitable Servants. ,' And now, O Lord Jefus Chrill:, permit, I pray thee, thy unworthy Servant to exprefs his Chari- ty, by enlarging thefe Petitions, and let them pre- vail tor Blellings not only on my felf, but others. Grant to all Princes and Governours, that they • may rule thy People in Juftice and thy Fear ^ and eflablilh the Thrones of them that do fo in Righ- teoufnefs and Peace. Infpire thy Minifters with Truth and Zeal, that they may agree in a right Underftanding of thy holy Word, and diligently and unanimouily profecute their great Work , by fecting forth thy Glory, and fetting forward the Salvation of all Men. Let thy Favour be ever prefent with thy Holy Catholick Church , and every Member of it. Men and Women, Priefts and People, all that believe in thee, all that la- bour in thy Love j encreafe their Graces daily, and enable them faithfully to improve and per- feverc in every good Word and Work. Aflift all thy Servants with fuch kinds and degrees of thy Grace, MEDITATIONS. 103 grace, as are fuitable to their rerpe<5i:ive Conditi- ons. Infpire all Virgins with Chaftity arid Mode- fty, all Perfons devoted to thy Service with Hea- venly- mindednefs and Purity, all married Pairs with Fidelity and mutual Love. To all repenting Sinners grant Pardon and Confolation ; to all Wi- dows and Orphans, Sufteriance and Relief j to the helplefs and oppreiled, Prote6tion and Jufticej to all Travellers, a fafe Return home j to all in Sor- row and Trouble, Patience and Comfort > to all who arc at Sea, their defir'd Port^ and to every one tofs'd on the Waves of this troublefome World,- the Haven of Salvation, and the Land of everlaft- ing Life. Enable thofe that are ftrong, to ftand^ help them that are growing in Goodnefs, to profpet and improve daily more and more > and to all that live in Sin, to wretched Me in particular, give the Grace of fpeedy recollection, and effe(Etual amend- j mcnt. For, O fweeteft and ntoft merciful Jefus, Son of the Living God, and Saviour of the World ! I acknowledge my felf a moil unworthy, moil mi- ferable Sinner j but Thou, O Father of Mercies, who hail Compailion upon all, wilt riot fuffer me to perifh, nor cail me utterly out of thy fight: Had that been thy intention, thou woulail have cut me off in the midil of my wickednefs, and not have allow'd me fpace or difpofition to repent. Since therefore, thou art pleas'd flill to forbear pu- nifhment, and to grant me a Truce , give me a Heart,' as thou hail given me Opportunities, to make my Peace with thee. Lifluence my Mind powerfully, that I may feek, and deiire, and love thee above all things, and fear above all to offend thee, and be careful conilantly to pleafe thee. Lailly, O God, and Father, Bleiled for ever, I entreat thee for all them who make charitable mention of me in their Prayers, and all who have defir'd to be recommended to thy Favour, in tboic H 0€ I04 MEDITATIONS. of the lend; and moil: unworthy of thy Servants: For all who have done me any good Offices, or are in any degree related to me, that thou wouldft hear Them for Me, and Me for Them; and ac- cording to thy bounteous Mercy, prcferve and gwern them, and return all their Kindnefs and Charity feventbld into their Boibm. That thou wouldil impart liberally to all, who are yet engag'd in their Chriilian Warfare, the Succours of thy Grace; and, in thy own good time, to all who have happily finifh'd their Courfe, the Confumma- tion of Reward and Glory. And, O thou who art Alpha and Omega^ the beginning and end^ once more I repeat that moil important Requeft, that, when the time appointed for my great change iliall come, thou wilt in mercy (land by me at my lail Hours J llrcngthen me in my great Conflict, fup- port me in my dying Agonies, pluck me out of the Jaws of the ravening Wolf, who will then ftand ready to feize and devour me; defend me from his Terrors and Accufations, and take me -for thy own: So Ihall I be receiv'd into the blclTed Company of Saints and Angels, in thy heavenly Paradife, there to rejoice, and live, and reign with thee for ever, who art over all God blelTed forever. Amen^ Iwcet Jefus, Amen. CHAP. XL. devout Reflexions up on the Sufferings of Chrijt, OLord Jefus Chrift, who art made unto me of God^ Redemption, and Mercy, and Salva- tion! I praife thee, I blefs thee, I render Thanks to thee, but Thanks that do by no means bear pro- portion to the ineftimable Benefits for which they are due ; Thanks wretchedly defeSiive in their zeal and devotion, which ought to warm this frozen Heart MEDITATIONS. loj Heart of mine upon every remembrance of thee : Not fuch as I am fendble 1 owe, but yet the beft iry Soul can with its utmoft efforts reach up to. Thou Hope of my Heart, and Strength of my Soul, let thy Power fupply what my Weaknefs cannot attain to j thy fervent Love make up for my lukewarm Affc6i:ion: For tho' I have not yet been able to love thee fo much as I ought, yet, if Sincerity can be accepted inftead of Perfection, my Confcience fupports me with this Teftimony, that I delire hov/ever, and wilh with all my Soul that I were able to love thee as much as I ought to do. O Light fhed from above into my Soul, from whom no Secrets are hid ! Thou feeft my inward Parts, and art confcious to all my Defires. If any Good be there, 'tis of thy infpiring j if this of lo- ving thee be (nay, becaufe I am lure it is) good, and from thee, enable me to perform that which thou haft made me to delire, and grant that I may love thee to a degree as exalted as thou requireft. I offer to thee Thanks and Praifes j Let not that Gift be barren, and produce no worthy Fruit in me, which thou haft of thy own free Grace com- municated 5 but crown and perfc6l thine own Work : And as thy Goodnefs firft prevented me with holy Defires, mov'd by no Deferts of mine, fo, I beicech thee, continue the fame Grace, in granting thofe Deiires their juft accomplifhment : Awaken my ftupidity, quicken my deadnefs, and change my cold indifterence into a moft fenftble and fervent zeal •, for this is the aim and end of all my Prayers, this is the proper effect of all my Reflections upon Thee and all thy Benefits, that the more I converfe with thee, and the oftener I remember thee, the more vehemently I may love thee. It was thy Goodnefs, O Lord, that created me at iirft : It was thy Mercy that, when I was I Hi created, io6 MEDITATIONS. created, cleans'd me from the llain of Oiiginal Sin : It was thy Power which preferv'd me after the Sanctification of Baptifm : It was thy Cle- mency, thy Bounty, thy Long-fuffering, which, notwithftanding my numberlels actual Provoca- tions (ince, hath forborn, fuflain'd, and waited for my amendment. Thou, Lord, haft long ex- pe6bed the return of thy Prodigal Child ^ and I, but not, alas ! with equal carefulnefs", wait for the infpiration of thy Grace, to work in me Re- pentance and Holinefs of Life. My God, my Ma- ker, thou that fpareft me, thou that fuftaineft me, I hunger and thirft after thee, I gafp for and pant ; after thee > and as a darling, but a defolate Child, i debarr'd of his moft indulgent Father's prefcnce, weeps and laments incefTantly, and thinks of, and longs for nothing but his beloved Company, and ' wears the Image of his Face perpetually in his Heart 5 fo I am mov'd by the tendereft Impreili"^ ons, and with an eager Impatience lament my di- flance from thee. I often think upon, and am veiy fenfibly affefted, tho' not fo fenfibly as I wiih and ought to be, with thy Sorrows and Sufferings, thy Buffetings and Scourges, thy Reproaches and Revihngs , thy Wounds and expiring Agonies ; how thou weit kill'd and crucified, how thou wert embalm'd and buried, and withal, how glorioufly thou didft rife again, and how triumphantly afcen^^ ded up into Heaven > and all this for me, finful Man, and for my Salvation. Thefe things I believe with a moft ftedfift Faith j and in vertue of that Perfuafion I bewail the Miferies of my Pilgrimage and Exile from thee ; I propofe no other Comfort to my felf, comparable to that of my Lord's return to me, and do moft ardently defire, as the fum and fource of all my Happinels, to fee thy bounteous Face for ever in thy Glory. Say, my Soul, if thou canft, ho^v thou fhould'ft have been affcfted, hadft thou feen this Lord in Perfon > MEDITATIONS. 107 Perfon^ feen the King of Angels emptying him- felf of Majefty, and condefcending to converie with Men, that Men might be exalted to live and converfe with Angels , leen thy offended GOD die, to reconcile vile Offenders to himfelf, and {b prevent their everlafting Death. O what Ex- preflions, what Conceptions, what Wonder can be great enough for this unparallePd, this amaz- ing Love and Goodnefs ! But draw a little nearer yet, my Soul, and take a more diftin6t view of this Tragical, this Allonifhing Scene. Could'ft thou have feen thy deareft Saviour's Side pierc'd with a Spear, and would not the fime Weapon have pierc'd thro' thy own Heart alfo ? Could'ft thou have flood by and beheld the Hand? and Feet of him that created thee torn with Nails, and fafl- ned to the Crofs, and the Blood which redeem'd thee gufhing out in Streams, and not have funk thy felf , and even expir'd , with grief and horror at the fight? Say then withal, (but that thou canfl not fay) why thou dofl now read, and hear, and meditate upon thefe things, which when feen by the Eye of Faith , are as certain as if prefent to that of the Body, with fo flender imprefHon and concern : Why dofl not thou drink up the bitter Cup of Tears, fince thy Jefus did for thee drink that of his Father's Wrath ? Why doft thou not feel a Grief too deep to be defcrib'd , like that of his Virgin- Mother, when fhe faw her innocent and only Son bound and fcourg'd , tortur'd and flain before her Face 'y fince the relation here too is mofl clofe and dear, and, as thy Lord was hers, fo art thou thy J-vord's Flefh and Bones, a Member of that Body whereof he is the Head ? Had 1 5 with holy Jofeply^ taken my Lord down from the Crofs , wrapped him in Spices , and laid him in the Sepulchre , how happy ihould I have really eileem'd my felf, that any ^ tl 5 officioui io8 MEDITATIONS. officious Rerpe6t of mine had contributed to the Honour of his Interment ? What glad Aftonilh- mcnt jfhould I have felt, had I been in company with thofe zealous Women who were affrighted with a Vifion of Angels , and heard that comfort- Mat. i8. able, that reviving Meflage, Fear not ye-y ye feek Si^' y^fus 'which was crucified : He is not here^ for he is rifen. Thefe, deareft Lord, were moving Obje6ls, which thy Providence did not think fit to give me a bodily fight of, but I behold them all by a diftinft and undoubted Faith. I fee the Pledges and Me- morials of them daily in thy blefled Sacraments : And tho' I was not vxllow'd to kifs thy Scars, and drop my Tears into the print of the Spear and Nails, yet, as oft as I approach thy Table with deep remorfe and due reverence, I there weep over thy crucified Body, there contemplate the Pangs of thy bitter Death, thcie rejoice in the Triumphs of thy Rcfurreftion , there receive the cffeftual Rcprefentation of all thou haft done and fuffer'd for me^ and, by a holy union with thee and all thy Mem.bers, attain a greater Privilege than any convcrfation with thee in the days of thy Fleflx could have conferred. Thou art to all intents the fame Saviour, and i^ they that faw thee were blef- fed, becaufe they believ'd, yet thy own Mouth de- John 10. clar'd them no lefs hk/Jed who have not feen^ and -9- yet ha'ce believed. But ftill the fight of thee, of thy Beauties, and thy Glory, is the conllant Dcfire, the only End, and noble Reward of our Faith ^ and, in this clouded difconfolate interval , till that can be ob- tained , my Soul finds it fclf frequently at a lofs how to exprefs it fclf, what to do, whither to bend its courfe, or where to find its much loved Lord. Who fiiall tell my Spoufe how I languifli for him j how my Joy is turn'd into Heavinefs, and my Laughter into Mourning, for want of his P fal. 73. dear prefence ? My flejlo and my heart faikth^ but God z6. i^ MEDITATIONS. 109 is the ftrength of ?ny heart and my portion for ever. My Soul refufeth Comfort from any other Hand but thine, my Joy and Treafurcj for. Whom have lin-i^. 75, Heaven hut thee? and there is none upon Earth that I defire hefides thee. Thou haft commanded me to feck thy Face, and my Heart moft readily replies, ^^^J'pfal.i-.S. Face^ Lord^ will I feck^ O turn not thou thy Face from 7ne.^ nor caft away thy Servant in difplcafure. O moft affectionate Lover of Souls, I'he Poor com- pf,i 10. mitt eth himfelf unto thee ^ and thou art the helper of ij\,. the fatherlefs. O my moft faithful Guardian, pre- ferve and pity me j I am an Orphan deftitute of Friends, and my Soul is in a ftate of Poverty and Widowhood. Look upon the Tears I llied for thy abffcnce in this defolate condition > and come. Lord Jefus, come unto me quickly, that I may be com- forted 5 fhew me thy Face, and I ihall be fatisficd j difcover thy Glory, -.vrK^ my Joy fliall be full : IVIy Flefh and my Soul thirfi and pant for thee^ the Uving'^^Ti 41. God^ the Fountain of Life, O when fo all I come and \, 2.. appear before God? When will my Comforter, whom I fo earneftly look for, make his approaches to me ? When, O when fhall I feel the Joy I fo paftionately defire, and be fiU'd with the Pleafures of that glorious Dwelling, which I hope to reach at the end of this wearifom Journey of Life? Lord, if I may not yet drink of the River of thy Pleafures^ let me at leaft drink o^ the Brook in the way. Let my Tears be my Meat and Drink Day and Night, till the dawn of that glorious Morning, when my Soul fliall be awaken'd with that moft welcome Call, Behold thy Spoufe^ thy Lord^ the Marriage- of the pfal. 6^. Lamb is com.e. All I prcfume to afk at prefcnt4. &: no, is Refreiliment and Support under my Sorrov/s 57. and, that theie may be fuch as will one day be turn'd into Joy 3 for I know my Redeemer will come, becaufe he is merciful and true 5, H 4 nor no MEDITATIONS. nor will he fufpend my Happinefs by unneceflary Prov. 8. Delay, bccaufe he loaves thofe that love hlm^ and 17' they that feek him early fiall be fure to find him. To whom therefore be Glory and Praife for eve* and ever. Amen. the End of the Firft Book of Meditations, St* MEDITATIONS. 1 1 1 St. AUGUSTINE Of the Love of God. OR, HIS Second Book of Meditations. B o o K IL CHAP. I. LovCy the Way that leadeth to Life. Y what Means we may avoid the Torments of Hell, and attain the Joys of Heaven, is an Enquiry which deferves our moft at- tentive apphcation of Thought ^ a Science to be learnt at the expence of our moil watchful Care, and moft foUicitous Concern. And in this Study 'tis of great confequence to fet out right 3 for all our moft afliduous Endeavours will be employed to very little purpofe , if v/e be not firft inftructed what Way it is that leads to everlafting Blifs, and carries us out from all danger of everlafting Mife- ry. 'Tv/ill therefore behove us very diligently to confider thofe words of the Apoftle, in i Cor, z. p. V/hich, taken in their juft latitude, do plainly teach Ill MEDITATIONS. teach us thefe two things : Firil, That the Glories of the BlefTed, in a future State, are greater than can be exprefs'd j and then, Secondly, what is the k way 5 by which we muil arrive at this BlefTednefs. I I Cor.i 9 Eye^ he lays, hath not feen^ nor Ear heard .y neither hath \ it entred into the Heart of Man to conceive^ the things isjhich God hath prepared for thern that love him.. Now when he tells us that thefe excellent things are pre- pare for them that love God, from thence the Infe« rence is natural and plain, that Love is the Condi- tion enjoin'd, in order to the obtaining them. But then the Scripture makes it no lefs evident , that the Love of God, and the Love of our Neighbour, are Virtues infeparable from each other. For thus much is the importance of that pafTage in St. Johnj I John 4. //^ that loveth not his Brother whom he hath fecn^ 20, ii. hoiv can he love God whom he hath not feen? And this Commandment have we from him^ That he who loveth God love his Brother alfo. In thefe two parts it feems that true Charity confifts, to which St. P.?/// hath given fo glorious a Chara&er, when he fliuts up his Difcourfe of the extraordinary Gifts of the T Cor. II Spirit with thofe remarkable words. And yet fJjcw 3^' I unto you a more excellent way. Charity then is not only the way, but the beft, nay, the only way, that leads to our Heavenly Country 5 for 'tis impoilible for any Man ever to come thither by any other way. But who is it that knov.'-s, or walks in this way? Even he that loves God and his Bro- ther. It will concern us then to be perfectly well informed what are the proper Expreflions of our Love to each, and the iuft meafures of our Affe6ti-- on to God and to our Neighbour. And of this point it may fuffice to fay, that we are bound in Duty to love God more than our felves^ and to love our Neigh- bour as our [elves. Now we love God more than our felvcs , when upon all occafions we pcfer his Will before our own, and fufi-zr no private Intercfb or fenfual Inclination to come in competiuon with his MEDITATIONS. 113 his Commands 5 and his Honour. But it is very obfervable, that although wc are enjoy n'd to love our Neighbour as our felves, yet we are nowhere enjoin'd to love him as much as we do our felves j and therefore our Duty in this refpect is latisfied, when we heartily wifli and endeavour all that good to our Neighbour, which we ought to wilh and endeavour the attainment of our lelves, efpecial- ly the everlalling Happinefs of the Soul ; when w^e contribute to his obtaining it, and omit no Inilancc, whereby our Help may be of any ufe to him, in procuring any Advantage, whether Tem- poral or Spiritual, fo far as the prefent Circum- ilances of Affiiirs render our Affiftance feafonable, and our own Condition puts it in our power to become ferviceable to him. This Explication a- grees exactly with the Equity of our Lord's Rule, JVloatfoeierye would that Men fljoulddo uyitoyou^ do ye y^^x.i 1 1. e^uen fo to thern. And it fhews us hkewife the ne- ceffity of that other left us by St. John^ Let us not j john 3. lo've in word^ neither in tongue^ but in deed^ and in 1 8. truth. But it may be afk'd once more, who thofe Neighbours are whom wc are bound to love after this manner? And to this the Anfwer is veryihort, That the Command is of unlimited extent, and comprehends all Mankind 3 whether they be Chri- ftians, Jev.'s , or Infidels 3 whether they be Ac- quaintance or Strangers j whether they be Friends or Eneniies. C H A P. II. Upon "what account Sy and in what manner y we ought to love God, UT in regard this Duty is of fuch infinite con- fequence, and that the whole of our Hopes and Happinefs depends upon the due performance = ' of 114 MEDITATIONS. of it, it is very necefTiiry that we confider diligent- ly what are the grounds of this Obhgation , and by what means it may be difcharg'd. Nov/ no- thing will conduce to the begetting, chcrifhing, and heightning in our Minds a holy Love towards God^ lo much as a frequent rccoIle61:ion and juft ' Eftimate of his wonderful Goodnels , and innume- rable Benefits to us : For indeed, the Blellings he gives us of his own mere Motion are fo many and io great, andUhe Recompence.Jie .makes, us in rc- ^y turn for any Services we pay him, is fo exceeding % difproportionate to what we have reafon to ex- "'^ pc6t, that our Souls mull of neceiuty be at a lofs, ^/ and perfe6lly confounded with amazement at the ,>Hum.ber and the value of the Favours we receive at his Hands. But though thefe are fo ineftimably great, that 'tis impoilible for us to make fuch a return of Love, and Thanks, and Obedience as they deferve , yet fure it is, we are bound to make the beft we can , and by our Diligence to pay to the utmofl of our Ability, remembring that the vaft Arrear behind (lands IHII charg'd to account, hot from any want of Will , but merely from the want of Power to clear fo great a Debt. And thus, my Soul, thou hail an Anfwer to the firft En- quiry propounded in this Chapter, which was con- cerning the Ground of this Duty. For therefore ; iB our Lord to be moil affectionately lov'd by us, J becaufe he is fo wonderfully compaffionate and ten- ,' der, Co kind and bountiful, and poureth out his Benefits upon us in fuch abundance : And all this not from any manner of defcrt or worth in us, that might engage his Favour, but of his own Good- v/ill and mere Motion -, of which we are able tQ render no other reafon, but only this, that he will have Mercy J becaufe he delights in , and ijoill have Mercy, \ The other, How this God is to he lovecl^ that Com^ mand which enjoins the Duty makes fufficient)y plain. MEDITATIONS. iij plain. And what a ftrict obfervance of this Com- mand is rcquir'd from us, we may caiily infer frorri the Terms in which it is exprefs'd , and the So- lemnity us'd in laying it upon us. Hear then, O Man, the firfi and great Commandment y hearken to it attentively, remember it exaftly, meditate upon it inceifantly, and ufe thy very utmoft Efforts to fulfil it without delay, without intermiflion, with-^ out end, or ever fuppofing thou half done fo much, that thou art at liberty to defift from any frefh In- Itances of thy regard to it. All this is imply'd in that awakening Preface, by which God introduces it: Hear^ O Ifrael^ the Lord thy God is one Lord. Deut.6.4. Now the Command itfelf runs thus. Thou Jh alt love y[^tx, 12.^ \ the Lord thy God with all thy Hearty and with allth) 2.9, 30. v Soul^ and with all thy Mind^ andwith all thy Strength, Which is as much as to fay, that our intelle<5tual Faculties, the Underflanding, the Will, and the Memory, fhould all be fix'd on This, as on their heft ani proper Objecbj that God fhould be the Subjecl of our Study j that he Ihould prefide over'^ all our Inclinations, be the ultimate End of all our Defires, dwell always prefent in our Thoughts, and reign Supreme, as the governing Principle of all our A61:ions. In a word, that we fliould contem- plate, and chufe, and remember, and reverence Him above all, and make it our Bulineis to live to Him alone. How Men come fo eafily to (atisfy themifelves with being fo extreamly negligent in this moll: ne« ceflary Branch of their Obedience, is very difficult to conceive 5 except it be from hence, that want- ing a due fenfe of the greatnefs of God's Love, they proportion their Regard to Him according to their own fcanty Notions of his Goodnefs toward them. And therefore, for prevention of this fault in thee, do thou, my Soul, attend with reverence, and thankfully recolle61: the innumerable Benefits which He hath bellow'd upon thee j the many precious ii6 MEDITATIONS. precious Promifes he hath made thee: And then I doubt not but what thou hail already, and what thou art warranted to hope for hereafter, will fuf * iiciently convince thee, that thou art under the highell ObUgations to love God with a moil: fer- vent and entire Affection. Now, in order to exer- cife and encreafc this Love the more effe6bually, be- gin thy Condderations where God began the Ex- preflions of his Goodnefs, and think fcrioufly with thy felf, by whom, upon v/hat motive, and to what purpofe Man was created, and what things God was pleas'd to create belides, for the fake and fer- vice of Man. Firll then, We mufl underfland, that there is but one Caufe which produced all created Beings, whether they be things in Heaven, or things on Earth, whether they be vifible or invilible. That this fole, this univerfal Caufe, was no other than the Goodnefs of their Creator, who is the One True God ^ whofe EfTential Goodnefs is fo large, and fo communicative, that Ele was pleas'd to make others Partakers of that Bleflednefs, which He enjoys from and to all Eternity, and w^hich he fiw capable of being imparted, without any poili- bility of fuffering diminution by being thus diffu- fed. That Good therefore, which is his very Na- ture, and wherein his own Happincfs confills, he did thus fhew abroad, not by neceffity, but free choice, becaufe 'tis the Property of the Supreme Good to will the Good of others, and the Excel- lence of Supreme Power to exert it felf, not to the prejudice, but the benefit of all that are fubject to it. Now, becaufe this Bleflednefs of God can- not be any otherwifc partaken of, but by being underftood ; and the more perfectly it is under- ftood, the more plentifully it is imparted -, God was pleas'd to make rational Creatures, and to give to fjch a Capacity of undcrilanding the Su- preme Good, of having what they thus underllood, of MEDITATIONS. 117 oF poiieiling this beil Objc6t of their Love, and of enjoying wh^it they fo poflefs'd. This rational part of the Creation is ih order'd, that part of it retains its elfential Purity, without being united to any Bodily Subftance^ and fuch are the Angels: Another part there is join to the Body, and fuch is the Soul of Man. Rational Creatures then, are either Incorporeal or Corporeal : The Incorpo- real are Angels, for thefe are (imple Spirits. The Corporeal are Men, fo call'd, becaufe the Human Nature confiflis not only of a reafonable Soul, but alfo of a flefhly Body. So then, that the rational Creature had any, and that it had particularly this kind of Exiftence, is to be imputed wholly to the Goodnefs of Almighty God, as its original impul- five Caufc. Men then and Angels, both were crea- ted by the Goodneis of God ; for we therefore are at all, becaufe God is good, and the whole of that Being we receive from God is good. But to what s purpofe were thefe rational Creatures made? Sure- ly to praife God, and to love him, and to enjoy himj in all which not the Creator's, but the Crea- ture's advantage is confulted 5 for God is abfolute- . ly perfe6t and happy in himfelf, and cannot receive either Addition or Diminution from any of the Works of his own Hands. The only Ufes then that can be ferv'd by making fuch Creatures as/ theie, and the only account that can be given why' they were made at all, muft be the illultration of the Creator's Goodnefs, and the promoting of the Creature's Happinefs. When therefore the Que- Irion is aflv'd. Why, or to what end rational Crea- tures were made -, the true Anfwer undoubtedly is this. That they were made becaufe God was good, and to the intent they might be happy: For, what can conduce to their Happinefs fo much as to fervc Him, and to enjoy Him ? CHAP. ii8 MEDITATIONS. CHAP. III. How God made all Things for Man. WHEN God is faid to have made Angels or Men for himielf, we mull not fo millake this Expreflioft, as fondly to imagine, that He who made both had any need of either 5 or, that the Acknowledgments and Services, which He gave them a capacity of paying, arc any addition to the fulnefs of his Bliis and Glory. For, how un- worthily fhould we conceive of our Creator's Ma- jefty, by thinking that any thing which we call Ours, or is moll valuable in us, could encreafe or take away from his Bleflednefs ? No, he made us to ferve Him, but it was becaufe His Service is Freedom, is an Honour , and to be fuch Subj e61:s, is to be truly Kings. This Service redounds whol- ly to the profit of him that pays it, but not at all to his, to whom it is paid. And, as God made Man for himfelf, fo did he like wife make the World for Man -, that is, fo as to minifler to Man's ufe and Comfort. Man then is plac'd in a middle and fubordinate Station, fo as to be under Autho- rity himfelf, yet to have Servants under him too : And thus all things are moil admirably contriv'd to our advantage, when both the Homage we payy and that which is paid to us, flows into one com- mon Channel, and all unites at lail in our Advan- tage, as in its proper Centre. God will be ferv'd by Man, for this reafon, that not He, but Man may reap the benefit of that Service : Again, God will have Man ferv'd by the World, that by this Service alio Man may be the gainer. So that we may with due Reverence fiy, that the whole defign of the Creation, and eveiy part of it, may be at lafl reduced to the Happincfs of Man > fince both that which was made for him, and that for which MEDITATIONS. 119 which himfelf was made, do mutually confpire to make him happy. Thus all things^ as the Apoflle r Cor. 3: lays, are Ours-y whether they be things above usj^t. or upon a level with us, or below us. The things above us are for our Enjoyment, and fuch is God. Thofe on the level with us are for our Society, and fuch are Angels, whom I prefume to call our Equals, not only vnth regard to the fame rational Nature, but chiefly in profpe<5t of our future State : for we are afllired that hovv^ever they are now in fevcral refpe6ts fuperior to us, yet in the next World the Children of the Refurre6tion fhall be as they are^ and fhall live with them for ever in Matt. 22; Heaven. The things below us are likewife ours 530. for we have the \J^t and Convenience of them, as the Mafters Goods are, in a true but qualified fenfe, faid to be their Sei*vants. Not that this gives them a Property exclufive of their Mafters, but extends the Benefit and the Privilege of ufing them. Nay, even the Angels, in fome PafTages of Scripture are (Iiid to do us Service ^ nor did the Apoftle think it any Difparagement to their Character and Dig- nity, when he called them all miniftring Spirits^ fent Heb.r.14; forth to Minifter for them who fJoall he Heirs of Sal- ivation. A very great Honour this, but fuch as we ought not to make any difficulty of believing to be done to us, when we reflc6t upon that fo much more aftonifhing Condefcenfion of the Creator, and King of Angels, who defcribes the end of his coming into the World in thole very humble terms^ that he came not to he miniftred unto but it is neceflary, that reafonable Creatures fhould refer all their temporal Occafions to the judgment and dif- pofal of eternal Tmth : Either by afking what they think fit to be done for them. Or by defiring to know what he fees fit to be done with them, and by them. So that a Principle of mai*vcllous Chari- ty invites the Holy Angels from their Manfions of Blifs in Heaven, that they may fuggeft good Coun- fel in our Difficulties, that they may vifit and com- fort us in our DillrefTes and Sufferings, and that they may fuccour us in our Conflifts and Dangers. All which good Offices they perform with the greateft Cheerfulnefs and Vigilance imaginable ^ up- on God's, upon ours, and upon their own account. Upon God's, becaufe they love and admire that Re- femblance of their own Excellencies, which ap- pear in our Nature 3 and upon their own, becaule they hope and wifh to fee their numbers recruited by the Spirits of jufl Men made perfe6t, and re- ceived into the place of the fallen Angels. CHAR MEDITATIONS. lit CHAP. IV. Of the Love of God towards us. FIrft then, it is necefiary, that every Man ihould take a dillin^t View of himfelf, and when he is arrived at a due underflanding of the honourable Poll God hath placed him in, that he be careful not to difhonour himfelf, nor injure his Maker, by fetthng his Affedions upon things that are below, or unworthy of his Charafter. For Objects, which conlidered fingly and feparately^ may appear beautiful and lovely, do yet defer- vedly fink in eileem, when compared with others confelTedly more excellent. It argues great Folly to put things manifellly deform Vi and vile, upon the level with fiich as are amiable and handfome^ and is it a point^f Wifdom to raife thofe which have a noble and real Excellence, and neither de- pending upon mere Fancy nor of the meanefl Rank of Beauties, to an equal degree with the higheft and moft eminently Good ? Condder then, my Soul, what Excellencies thou art endued with, and from hence take thy meafures, what Excel- lencies thofe are that deferve thy Love. Now, if through negligence, or long difufe of the molt exalted Objects, thy Eyes are fo far blinded, that thou canft not entertain fuch lofty Ideas of thy own condition, as the cafe requires y yet thus fir at leaft, conquer thy own prejudices, as to learn to make a jull eftimate of thy felf, by the Judgment which another hath made of thee. And for this thou canil; not want opportunity, becaufe the mat- ter is ^o plain, as to give thee fufficient Direction. Thou halt a Lord and Spoufe, but how exquilitely beautiful, as yet thou dolt not perfe6tly know, be- caufe thou halt not feen his Face. He fees and knows Thee throughly > for had he not done fo, he would I z not Ill MED I TATIONS. not love thee. He hath not thought fit hitherto to prefent himfelf to thee, but he hath made thee many noble Prefents ; and given fuch Pledges of his Kindnefs, as might at once be both Aflurances and Signs, who it is, that hath betrothed thee to himfelf, and how exceeding tender that AfFeftion is, which moved him to this Union. Couldft thou behold his Charms, there could be no longer ground of doubt. For thou wouldft be convinced, that One fo fan*, fo heavenly fweet. One of fuch match- lefs Excellence, could not be fmitten with thee, were there not in thy form fomewhat very graceful, very uncommon, to recommend thee, and engage his Love. But in the mean while, how doft thou behave thy felf upon this occafion? See him face to face thou canll not, becaufe he is abfent 5 And is this a fufficient reafon for not paying him reve- rence, for infolently and ihamelellly affronting him, for flighting that love which tlifu canft not but fee, and impudently proflituting thy felf to the luft of feducing Strangers ? O do not treat him after this contemptuous manner ! If thou canft not as yet know all the Charms of thy Lover, yet thou -canft underftand the valuable Inftances of his Love. Thefe arc already actually in thy poffcffionj and, if confidered as they ought, will plainly ftiew thee, what Returns of Love it becomes thee to make, and how extremely follicitous thou oughteft to be, not to difpleafe, not to defpiie, not to lofe him or his fivour. The Pledge he hath given thee is moft extraordinary : A noble Gift fuited to the Majefty of the Giver. And, as it was below fo great a Perfon to beftow a thing of little value ; (6 were it no lefs unbecoming fo wife a Perfon, to throw a- way things of the higheft value upon one in whom there was httle or nothing valuable. Great there- fore is the Prefent he hath made, but greater ftill in his efteem is that which he loves in thee, and which induced him to give it. But MEDITATIONS. izi But thou perhaps wilt afk, my Soul , what this great Gift is, which thy Spoufe hath fhewed him- ielf fo very bountiful , in bellowing upon thee. Look round this Univerfe , view every part of it, and tell me if thou canft there difcover any thing which does not fome way or other do thee icwicc. Is not this the end to which every Creature feems to have been deiigned ? And does not the whole courfe of Nature plainly promote it ? The gratify^ ing thy defires, the bringing in thy profit, the fup'^ ply of thy wants, the furnifhing flore for thy com- forts and delights, the doing all this in great abun- dance, and confulting not barely thy Necellities, but even thy Eafe and Pleafure. This is what the Hea- vens, the Earth, the Air, the Sea, and all the In- habitants and Produ6ts of each of them, are with a continual and moll officious Diligence employed about. The regular Revolutions of Time, the various Seafons of the Year, the flated Succellions of Night and Day, by which the World dies and revives, grows old and young again j its Fabrick ruin'd and repaired, its Provifions confum'd and recruited j all is contriv'd fo admirably for thy pur- pofe, that, as none of thefe Viciflitudes are ufelels, fo one cannot conceive how any of them could be fpared without fome manifeft, fome infupporta- ble Inconvenience. This I fuppofe thee fenfible of 5 but art thou not fenfible at the fame time who it is that fram'd and contriv'd this wonderful Or^? der, and difpofed every part fo advantageoufly , that whatever difcord appears between each other, yet are all unanimous in promoting the common Defignj and confpire to do thee feryice? How brutifh is it to feed upon the benefit , and remain ignorant of thy Benefa6lor ? The Gift is evident, : and is the Giver a fecret ? Nay, thy own reafon will not allow thee in vain an Imagination, as, that thefe Advantages arc upon ar^ account thy c^Ue, or of thy pwn procuring, but loudly telk thee I J thou IZ4 MEDITATIONS. Ill I "^^■-~' thou oweft them all to th^ Liberality of another. Now be that Avho it will, to whofe Bounty thou art fo largely indebted , 'tis plain he hath given us much J and no lefs plain, that he, who gave fo much , would not have done it , had he not loved much. So the grcatnefs of his AfFe6tion, and the indifpenfable Obligation to ours in return are both of them demonftrable from the Quahty of his Gift. Now hov/ extravagantly foolifh is it not to defire the true love of one , who hath it in his Power to be fo excellent a Friend ? Not to do it of our own accord, and in regard to our Intereft, though there were no antecedent ObHgation ? But hov/ impious, how perverfe, how bafe, not to love him in return, who hath been fo inexpreflibly kind to us ? If then thou loveft other things befides, do it with fuch Limitations as are proper j maintain thy Charac- ter, and remember theirs > Love them as things below thee j as thofe that were made to do thee ftrvice, as tokens of thy Spoufe's Love, the Gift of a Friend , the Bounty of a Mailer -, but be fure never to forget whofe Goodnefs all thefe Blcffings ^re owing to, and therefore be not fond of them, for their own fake 5 but for his fake who beflow- ed them : Nor let them divide thy Affe6lions with the Donor, for to take them into tliy Heart toge^ ther with him, is a wrong and great Indignity 3 and therefore they mull be loved for him, but he by and for them, and infinitely above them all. CHAP. V. Of the Fruition of God. TAke heed, my Soul, that thou incur not the Reproach of a Harlot, by doing hke thofe common Proftitutcs , who have no Principle but Pr-fit, and vf^e the Price of the Gift much more than the Affeftion of the Giver. Thou canfl not be guilty MEDITATIONS. iiy guilty of a more infamous, a more injurious Af- front, than to accept and live upon his Prefents, and not to return his Love. Confider well the value of what thou haft received •, Or, if thou art not, as indeed thou art not able, truly to eftimate the great nefs of his Bounty, confidei however the ad- vantage of loving him in return., | Love him for his own fake J love thy felf for his fakej love him that thou mayeft enjoy and be happy in him 3 love thy felf that he may love thee. Love him in the good things he hath beftowed upon thee, love him for thy own fake, and thy felf for his fake. This is pure and chafte Love , debated with no fordid Intereft, embittered with no Torment, but delight- ful and generous, firm and lafting. Think, and recollect diligently, my Soul, what Mercies thou haft received in common with all Mankind, What fpccial Marks of Favour, of which All are not al- lowed to partake, What others, which are peculiar to thy felf alone. He hath loved thee in common with all thy Fellow-Creatures j He hath diftin- guifhed thee from many of them by lingular Blef- iings > he hath fhewed the fame AffeQiion to thee with all good Men 5 he hath preferred thee be- fore all evil Men 5 and if the being preferred be- fore the evil feem a fmall thing, reflect farther, how very many good Men there are , whofe Blef- fings yet are come fir lliort of thine. CHAP. VL The Mercies of Great mi and Regeneration. ^ I R S T then, my Soul, remember that there was a time that thou wcrt not at all, and, that tiiou ever didft begin to be, is the free Gift of God. Thy very Being then is an inftance of his Bounty. But was it polliblc , that before thou hadft a Be- I 4 ing, 1x6 MEDITATIONS. ing, thou ihouldft give any thing to God , which could obhge him to give thee that Being, by way of recompence for any former kindnefs on thy part. No certainly, 'Tis manifeft thou didft not, couldft not deferve any thing at his Hands, while thou thy felf as yet wcrt not any thing. Had then his liberahty flopped there, and given thee Being only -, yet this fingle Blefling is great enough to challenge thy continual Praife and Love. But he hath given thee a great deal more than bare Exifhence 5 by making thee a beautiful and a glorious Creature. Nor did the Munificence of this noble Benefa6tor content it felf with an inferior degree of Beauty, for he hath wrought thee up to the highefl Perfec- tion, 'and formed thee into a Refemblance of his own divine Excellencies. Thus hath he drawn thofe Hearts to him by a likenefs of Nature, which he had attracted by the Engagements of his Love. He gave us Being, and Beauty, and Life j that by Exiltence we might excel thofe things that are not 5 by our Form, thofe that are rude, unfinifhed , or deformed 3 and by our Life, thofe things that are inanimate. How deeply then art thou indebted, O my Soul , to him , from whom thou haft re- ceived much, when yet thou hadft nothing of thy own J and, having nothing of thy own, haft no- thing in thy Power to make requital with, but on- ly to love him, who gave thee all thou haft? For, in recompence of that which was given thee, out of pure love , thou canft not make any Icfs, thou canft not make any greater return, than that of loving again. And evident it is, that there could not be any other Inducement for beftowing allthefe Benefits, but the free Love of God alone. But now I will open another and more amazing Scene of kindnefs, by fhewing thee, how low this Lord and Spoufe of thine -, whofe Majefty fhone fo glorioufly bright in thy Creation, was pleafed to condefcend in the Work of thy Regeneration. In the MEDITATIONS. iz/ the Former he appear'd fo high and noble, in the Latter fo little and fo humble, that it is not eafy to determine, whether ofthefe two extremes is a more worthy Subject of thy wonder and Praife. In the Former his Power was illuftrious , who conferred fuch glorious Privileges upon thee -, in the Latter, his Mercy was no lefs illuftrious, who fubmitted to endure fuch bitter things for thee: That he might raife thee up from the depth of Mifery, into which thou hadft funk thy felf, himfelf vouchfafed to defcend into the fame Pit, where thou layeft grovelling and unable to help thy felf: And, the Mifery which thou didfl then fuftain, he was con- tent in Pity to undergo, that a way might be made for Juftice to be fatisfied with the Reftitution of the Happinefs thou hadil loft. He came down, he took upon himfelf, he endured, he vanquifhed, he reftored. He came down from the Throne of God to wretched Mortals^ he took upon himfelf Mortality, he endured Affliction, and Pain, and Ignominy > he vanquifhed Death , he reftored Mankind. Stand ftill, my Soul, and with a holy aftonijfliment gaze on the Series of Wonders , this ineftimable Complication of Mercies. Confidcr the greatnefs of his Love, who did not grudge to do fo much for thee : He made thee beautiful at firft, but thou haft fully'd and deform'd thy felf by Sin. Notwithftanding this diihonour done to the Charms thou hadft received from him, thy Stains are waihed away, and the Purity of thy former Complexion renewed again, by his marvellous Compaffion. Thus was his Love the fole Caufe, both of the Gift at firftj and of its Reftitution. When thou hadft no Being, his Love created thee: When thou hadft defaced his glorious Image, his Love refrelhed the ImprefTion , and to demonftrate how exceedingly he loved thee, he willingly deli- vered thee from death, when that could be done at no lefs Expence, than the laying down his own LifCo iz8 MEDITATIONS, Life. He would not do it ut a cheaper mtc, that (6 the Price might demoniirate the vehemence of his Affection, no lefs than the valvie of the advantages purchafed with it. A mighty favour no doubt it was, that the iirll Man rcceive and, the more I confider either thee or my felf, the lefs I find my fclf able to account for it. CHAP. VII. The Mercy of being called to the true Faith. TH E merit and fafficiency of this Redemption extend to all Mankind, but the means ordi- narily neceflaiy to render it effeftual are not di- llributed with an even hand. Here then, my Soul oblerve and be thankful for a difcrimination manifeftly in thy favour. For hovx^ numerous , and of what condition, if compared to thee, are thofe many, who have not the precious opportu- nities of that Grace which arc allowed to thee ? Thou canil not but have heard how many Gene- rations of Men, from the beginning of the World down to this very day, have lived and died with- out the knowledge of the true God 3 how many \ more did formerly, how many even now periih e-ternally, and never heard one Syllable of a Re- demption purchafed by the Blood of God. All thefe thy Saviour hath diftinguifhed thee above, and fignalized his love in granting thofe means of Grace, which none of them were thought worthy . to partake of. They were left in their Ignorance, and thou art taken to be made wife unto Salvation » But for this difference there can be but one reafon ailigned, which is the fame fo often inculcated alrcadv, thy Bleded Mafter's Love. Thy Spoufe, fe thy Friend, thy God, thy Redeemer, cliofe thee rather than them. He chofe thee among all He fmgled thee from the reft^ He hath giveii thee all poUible Demonftrations of his Kindneis. He hath called thee by his own Name, that this 130 MEDITATIONS. mark and memorial might reft perpetually upon thee that thou mightelt never forget to whom thou belongell > He hath not given thee an empty name, but all the advantages imported by, and accruing \ from it j he hath anointed thee with the fame oil of gladnefs^ with which himfelf was anointed, that thou mightefl be the Anointed of the Anoin- ted, and from Chrift^ denominated in the mofl be- neficial fenfe, a Chrijiian. But whence is this to the fervant of thy Lord j Didll: thou excel in Strength, in Wifdom, or No- ble Defcent, in Riches, or Virtue, or any other Qualification, which might entitle thee to thisfpe- cial Favour, from which fo many others are ex- cluded ? How many flrong, how many wife, how many noble, how many rich Men have there been who yet have all been paft over and rejecSted? This therefore is another Enchantment of thy Fa- vour, that They, notwithflanding all their pom^ pous pretenfions, were not admitted to the like pri- vileges with Thee, who hadft them not to al- ledge in thy behalf. Thou wert miferable and deformed, naked and poor, diffolute and finful, an object of Abhorrence and Deteflation, yet did not thy God difdain thee, but even in thefe wretch- ^ ed, thefe forbidding Circum fiances , extended to thee the riches of this marvellous compaflion and grace. And now, my Soul, that thou hafl feen thy happine{s, fee alfo what thy duty is refulting from the fenfe of it. For be afllired, that not- withflanding all thefe kind Advances, if thou do not make it thy conllant care and mofl earneft endeavour to deck and adorn thy felf as becomes thee, thou fhalt not be admitted into the embraces, of thy heavenly Spoufe. Set then about this ne- cefTary Work, while thou hafl time j for now is the proper feafon of drefTmg thy felf for the Mar- riage. Abate thy too follicitous Concern for the outward appearance of thy Body, and employ aU thy MEDITATION S. 131 thy pains upon thy inward Man , fet off thy Face in the beft manner j let thy habit be clean and comely, thy Spots wafhed off, thy Complexion clear, thy Decays and Blemifhes refrefhed, thy Air modeft and graceful, thy Deportment orderly 5 and let it be thy chief, thy only Bufmefs, fo to prepare and fit thy felf for thy Lord's Approach, that the figure thou makefl may be fuitable to thy Charader, and become the Chaftity, the Majefty of one who hath the honour of being a Bride to an immortal Hufband, a heavenly King. CHAP. VIII. Of the Communications of "Divine Grace. NOR let thy Poverty difcourage thee, as if I now advifed to an impoflible undertaking 5 For This is yet a farther Inftance of thy Lord's Love, that he furniihes thee with fuch Qrnaments, as he likes to fee thee in, and fuch as could not be procured any where elfe, did not his Bounty fup- ply thee with them. From him alone it is, that thou art put into a condition of being cloathed with good Works, adorned with Alms-deeds, and Watchings, and Failings, and other acceptable in- flances of Piety and Devotion. All which, like Garments of the richeft Materials, and mod de- lightful Colours, make up the Drefs, and fet off the Beauties of a heavenly Soul. Whatever is ne- ceflary for thy health, whatever for thy refrefh- ment and delight, whatever can reftore loft beauty, or add to the gracefulnefs of that which thou al- ready haft, thou need'ft not wantj for he hath Plenty of all, and diftvibutes his Stores liberally. See now what a noble Provifion is made for thee, and how abundant Care hath been taken for the relief of all thv necefilties. At firft thou wertpof- fefled iSZ MEDITATIO NS. fcfled of nothing, and he imparted to thee what was fitting : This gift through thy default was loll, and he reflored it to thee ^ Thus art thou never forfaken in any of thy diftrejfTes -, to convince thee how generous, how boundlefs an AfFe6i:ion thy Lover bears to thee. He will not lofe thee 5 and therefore he waits with great Patience for thy better Refolutions, and in much Pity grants thee frequent opportunities of recovering again and again thofe precious Advantages, which through thy ov/n CarelelFnefs were often forfeited and gone. So that in all this matter, this remarkable Difference defeives to be thankfully confidcred, that all the Damage thou fuftaineft is entirely from thy felf, but all the Recruits of it are entirely from Him. AndO! how many are there, who once received the fame Advantages with Thee j but though equally favoured in the Gift at firfl, yet were deny'd the Privilege of having them reflored when loft, which thou hafl had fo very often re- peated, by a particular Indulgence of thy gracious God to thee above others ? The Grace of doing well was never deny'd thee, when thou wert as feady to receive and improve, as he conflantly is to give it. And, if thou become an inllrument of great Good, it is his Mercy that exalts thee to this high pitch of Virtue : But if thou find great Diffi- culties, and canfl not attain to the perfe6lion thou laboured: after, and eagerly deiirell, yet this fhould be efleem'd an efFe6t of Mercy too. For He knows befl what is convenient for thee, and will make a more advantageous choice than thou canil for thy felf. And therefore the way alway to think well and worthily of God, is to be throughly pcrfuaded, that whatever he does with thee and thy Afl&irs, is wife and good. For fuch is the Love of God towards us, that there is not any one Trial, which Humane Nature labours un- der^ not any one Infirmity, to which it is fub- jeft, MEDITATIONS. 133 ^ect, not any Event that befals any one of us j but He in his infinite Goodnefs, and fo far as we do not obdrudl his gracious Intentions of Kind- ncfs, difpofes it to our Advantage. It may be, thou hall not the Grace of an eminent and ftcady Virtue 'y but, while the Storms of Temptation fhake thee, that Inconvenience is compenfated by thy HumiUty taking deeper root. And Humihty with an x\llay of Frailties and Faihngs, is more ac- ceptable to Almighty God, than virtuous Actions puffed up with Vain-glory, and Spiritual Pride, when therefore thou obfervell any Difpenfation of Providence, do not prefume to think that fomc other method, or event, would have been better ; but fear his Maicfly, reverence his Wifdom, and make thy Prayers to him, with a Mind entirely refigned to his Will. Imploring his Protection and AfHltance, in fuch meafures of Grace, as he knows fitteft for thee > that, if there be any Remains of Evil in thee, his Mercy would take them clear a- way> that, whatever good inclinations or begin- nings he fees in thee, he would promote and bring them to due Perfection 5 and in a word, that he v^ould at lall bring thee to himfelf, by fuch a way as he fhall find mofl agreeable to his own wife purpofes. For, fo thou do but attain the end, the . means are what thou needed: not be very folicitous about. That is the proper object of thy Defiresj but when thou extended thy Delires to thefe too, they then exceed their juit Bounds, and, if too anxious, take upon them to preicribe to Provi- dence, in things which God hath refen'ed to his own free Difpofal. CHAP, 134 MEDITATIONS. CHAP. IX. The Mercy of InflniEiton and Illumination. AN D now, my Soul, I muft afk thee again and again. What Jhall we render to the Lord our God^ for the innumerable benefits he hath done unto us ? Of which that thou mayeft take another Profpe6i:, confider, that he does not only give us caufe to thank him for the fame good things which he be- ftows upon others, but makes the very Evils that befal us. Experiments of his exceeding great love, that we in like manner might be moved to love him exceedingly, whether we refle6t upon the Good we enjoy, or the Evil we endure. Thou, Lord, haft had compaflion on my Ignorance and Blind- nefs 5 and by my Mifery magnified thy Merey, in bringing me to the knowledge of Thee and thy Truth : and granted me a clearer underfbandi ng in the dark and difficult PalTages of thy revealed Will, than many others have arrived at. Some of my equals in years and natural abilities, thou fuffer- eft Hill to continue in Ignorance and Error, but My eyes haft thou enlightened with thy grace, and thereby made me wifer than the aged. Thou haft endued me with ftrong faculties, a large capacity, a quick apprehenfion, a faithful memory. Thou giveft fuccefs to my undertakings, agreeablenefs in converfation , improvement by my ftudies, com- fort in my adverfity, protedtion in my profperity : Which way foever I go, thy Grace prevents and follows me > and many times, when I have given my felf for loft. Thou haft by fome fudden and furprizing turn of Mercy delivered me from iny calamities and my fears. When I went wrong, thou haft brought me back and guided me in the I right MEDITATIONS. 13J right way ^ when I ofFended, thou haft reproved and challened me j When I was in heavincfs, thou haft rupported[my Spirits j When I fell, thou haft fet me up again 5 When I ftood, thou up- heldft me : Thou didft enable me to know thee more truly, to believe in thee more ftedfaftly, to love thee more vehemently, to follow thee more eagerly. And now, O Lord my God, the joy of my Life, the light of my Eyes, what requital fhall I make thee for all thy ineftimable mercies? Thou commandeft me to love thee, but how can I ever love thee enough? Nay, who am I indeed that thou ihouldft defire or accept of my love ? . For Thou, Lord, art my ftrength and my Caftle, my Deliverer and my Refuge, my Helper and Pro- te61:or, the Horn of my Salvation, m.y Support, my All 'y and, in a word, for that comprehends the whole of what I can fay or think. Thou, O Lord, art my God > and whatever I have, or can do, or am, is of Thee, and in Thee, and by Thee. CHAP. X. God's tender Care^ andconfiant Trefence with us. STill I muft repeat my grateful acknowledgment, that the Bleftings I have received from Thee are great beyond meafure, and many beyond num- ber, of thefe it* fhall be my moft delightful En- tertainment always to be talking 5 And, Lord, I befeech thee, grant me a mind truly thankful, that my mouth may be ever full of thy praife, and my heart overflov/" with thy love, for thy infinite goodnefs to me. Thou feeft, my Soul, what noble pledges thou haft, and thefe Pledges fufficiently declare the Affection of that Spoufe, who gave K them i3<^ MEDITATIONS. them. Take care then to preferve thy Charity and Fidelity entire. Let no impure Defires, no adulterous Luft pollute or divide thy afFe6tion 5 but keep thee only unto Him to the lail Moment of thy life. If thou wert formerly an Harlot, yet now thy virgin Innocence is reilored. For fuch is the Excellence of his wonderful Love, that it reftores purity to them that had loll it, and prefcrves it un- blcmifhed to them who are careful to retain it. Let then the greatnefs of his Mercy never jdip out of thy Mind, but confider how tenderly he loves thee, who never was wanting to thee in any de- monftration of his kindnefs which thy condition required. I cannot but confeis, when I refle6t upon the conftant prefence, and the abundance of his Mercies towards me, that I am almoil tempted to fay, that my Salvation is his only bufinefs and care. For fure he could not be more tender of my fafety, more ready to relieve all my diftreffes, to comfort all my forrows, to fupply all my wants, to guard me in all my dangers, could he be fuppofed to over- look the exigencies of all his other creatures, and confine his good Providence to Me alone. So^ watchful does he fhew himfelf over all my affairs, fo ever prefent to, nay, ever preventing my earli- efl Wifhes. Wherefocver I go, he forfakes me not> wherefoever I am^ he Hands by me 5 what- soever I do, he fbrengthens and fuccours me 5 He is a confhant Obferver of all my Behaviour 5 and fuch is his goodnefs, that whatever commendable Attempts I make, he. works together with me in them, and by the fuccefs which I attain gradually, fhews me that he condefcends to work, not accord- ing to the efficacy of his own Almighty Power, but in proportion to my weak capacity. Thefe Inftances^make it indifputably clear, that though the imperfection of our prefent ftate will not allow us to fee his face, yet we cannot be fo flupidly blind, as not to be fenlible of his prefence* A pre- i fence, MEDITATIONS. 137 fence, which can no more be concealed , than it can be avoided. • But while my thoughts are engaged upon this Subje6t, I feel a new and unufual Pleafure, that make fuch ftrong , fuch delightful ImprefHons , as fecm to tranfport and carry me out of my ielE Methinks I am in an inftant chang'd , and become quite another Creature, and Joys come flowing in upon me, more exquiiite than I am able to exprels. My Confcicnce is all over ratisfa6tion j the anguifh of my pall: Sufferings is quite fwallowed up , and not fo much as a troublefome remembrance of them left behind. My Mind is enlarged, my Underftand- ing clear and bright, my Heart and its Affe6]:ions enlightned and purify'd j all my Defircs filled with plealiire, and my Soul is perfect rapture and triumph. I am no longer here methinks, but tranilated y J know not how, nor whither, to fome unknown Region of Blifs -, I embrace, as it were, with a mofc ardent Love, fome dear Objeft with which I am not yet perfe61:ly acquainted : I hold him fail: , and ftrive all I can never to part with him more -, but flill it is with a fort of delightful difficulty, that I llruggle not to let that break from me , which of all things I wifh to keep for ever in my Arms. For in him my Soul feems to have found the comple- ment and end of all her defires. This Thought creates that eager and inexpreffible tranfport of Joyj; that fhe feeks nothing, covets nothing be- yond it y but would eilcem her happinefs compleat^ could fhe continue always to be as now fhe is. What can this delicious Objeft be, that poiirs in fuch a torrent of rapturous and uncorrupted plea-^ fure? Is it my Beloved? Undoubtedly it can be none but he. 'Tis thus my Lord vouchfafes to vifit me. Me comes in fecret, not to be feen, not to be difcern'd by any of my Senfes. He comes to touch me, but not to fhew me his Face. He comes to put me in mind of him, but not to let me per- K 2, feclly 138 MEDITATIONS. feftly underftand him. He comes to me to give me a tafte of his fweetnefs, but not to give me his whole felf > to gratify my defires, but not to be- llow upon me the fuhicfs of his Excellencies. However, this is what my condition will admit, what I ought to receive with all the thanks and gladneis poilible : for it is an aflured foretafte of heaven, an inviolable earneft and token of his marrying me to himfelf. And blefled, ever blefled be thy mercy, for thefe afTurances, thefe comfor- table antepafts of future happinefs : Thou, Lord^ art good and gracious, and canfl not worthily be praifed, for thofe fupporting confolations, where- by Thou, who haft promifed, that my Soul fhall have a diftin6t view and full pofTeflion of thee here- after, doft convince her, how fweet that enjoyment, and how precious the promifes of it are, by con- defcending to give her a tafte of thee here. CHAP. XL The Benefit of our Bodily SenfeSy and the Tre- fervation of our Lives. HOW fervently then oughteft thou, my Soul, to love this good God, who hath been fo exceeding kind to thee ! Nor am I yet, or ever fhould I be at an end, did I undertake to recount all his Benefits. But, to keep clofe to what thou canft not fure but feel and fee daily and hourly, ^t Ihall be next my endeavour to kindle and fan this divine flame, by putting thee in mind of fuch as thou carrieft about with thee, and art thy felf a living monument of. Confider then, what Praife, what Thanks, what devout Zeal are due to Him, who converted the Defires of my Parents, which, fincc the Corruption of humane Nature, are tainted I and MEDITATIONS. 1:^9 and debafed with an allay of Impurity, to a profi- table purpole ; and made ufe of thefe for creating me of their Subftancej who breathed into me the Breath of Life, brought me to juft maturity for Birth , and put a difference between me and thole, which, perifhing by untimely Abortions, or flrang- led at the gate of the Womb , feem to have been conceiv'd for Death rather than Life. It is of his Mercy alone, that I am > it is a yet more valuable effe£b of the fame Mercy that I am a Man > that I was endued with an underllanding Spirit, which makes a very advantageous diftinftion between me and Brntes. To the fame Mercy I owe the comely Form of this Body, and the perfe6l Ufe of thofe feveral Organs of Senfe, fo commodioufly plac'd in it. Hence I have Eyes for feeing. Ears for hearing , Noflrils for fmelhng. Hands for handling, a Palate for tailing, Feet for walking j and, which crowns all the reft, a healthful Con- llitution for my unfpeakable Eafe and Comfort. And is not this another moft wonderful inftance of goodnefs, that God hath made fuch plentiful Provifion for the Service, the Entertainment, the Delight of the Senfes j and fuited Objects lb to the Organs , that each is proportibn'd to the ufe and convenience of that Senfe, which it was de- fign'd to gratify and minifter unto ? That there are many bright Bodies , many delightful Sounds, many fweet Smells, many grateful Reliihes, many things that pleafingly affe6t the Touch. For this, no doubt, the good Providence of God had in view, when he infufed fuch different Qualities into the Bodies created by him, that there fliould be no Senfe of Man, which from thence might not find a delight peculiar to it. And thus we fee, that Sight is qualified to perceive one fort of Obje6ts -, Hearing, another ; Tafting, another j and the Touch a different kind from all the former. The Beauty of Colours feeds the Sight j the Harmony K3 of I40 ME D I T A T I O N S. of Sounds delights our Ears, the Fragrancy of Per- fumes entertams our Smell, and the deUcious Re- lifhes our Taile. And who can exprefs the vaft variety of ImpreiHons, with which our Senfes are gratefully wrought upon ? Thcfe are fo many , and fo different in each Senfe fingly, that if any one be confidered apart , one would think Provi- dence had made it its Bufinefs , to contrive Plen- ty of - Amufements and Pleafures for that alone. There is fo in^xprelTible a Beauty refuking from' the Divevfity of Cdloui's to pleafe the Eye, and fo many charming founds of different forts to delight the Ear 3 fach a vaft ufefiilnefs attending thcfe that; are articulate, whereby Men without any difH-^ culty communicate their Thoughts to one another, relate things already paft, diicourfe of the pre- fent, predict the future, . and difclofe thofe that are fecret , and muft otherwife continue unknown , that if Mankind were left deftitute of thefe conve- niencies, their life, would be but very little better than Beafts. If now to all the Advantages of Speech I iliould add thofe other Entertainments of this Senfe , which refult* from the Choirs of Birds abroad, or from the Melody of humane Voices, or from thofe Improvements and Imitations of na-* tural Mufick by Art and Inftruments •, it muft be allowed me, that the feveral kinds of harmony are of infinite Variety j of fo great indeed they are, that the Wit of Man cannot conceive all the parti- cular kinds , nor words explain and defcribe them diftinftly. And yet all thefe are contrived for the fervice and delight of the Ear. So nobly is this lingle Senfe provided for. A great deal might be faid to the fame purpofe, concerning the Objefc pleafurable to the talle and the touch. But the re- femblance between the cafe of thefe and the for- mer is fo great, that my Reader may eafily make his obfervations upon them, by what hath already been faid concerning thole. And, MEDITATIONS. 141 And, as our Senfes, and a right difpofition of the Organs which ferve them, is a very valuable Bleffing, fo is it Hkewife, that our Limbs have all their due Place and Figure > that no part of our Body is fo diftorted, or defc6live, as to be painful to our felves, or to make our deformity a fubje<5b, either of Melancholy to our Friends or Relations , or of jeft and fcorn to Strangers. But, which is yet of higher Importance, within this Body fo commodioufly ordered, I have a glorious Inhabi- tant > an underffcanding Spirit > capable of difcern- ing and receiving the Truth > of dillinguifhing be- tween right and wrong, good and evil j nay, which tends more to its happinefs and perfe61:ion, qualified to feek and find its Creator, to defire and gafp after him , to praife and cleave , and be united to him , by the cement of a moft ardent and inviolable Love. Another great inftance of God's goodnefs to me, I acknowledge it, that I was referv'd for the glorious tim.es of the Gofpelj born in a Country, where his holy Truth is pro- fefled ', and among fuch Friends as took effc(5]:u- al care to inftru6i: and eftabhili me in the Faith, and make me a partaker of the blefled Sacraments. This is a Mercy which vafl: numbers of People have not enjoyed, and therefore I have flill the great Reafon to be thankful for it 3 fince their condition* and mine are in other refpcfts the fame 5 nor can I boafl of any Qualification that fhould •give me the Preference, or recommend me to fo lingular a Favour, which hath not been in like manner extended to them. The fumm and fole Account of fo diftin^uifhins; a Providence is this, that God was juft in leaving them , but cxceedmg gracious in calling me. Nor ought I upon this oc- cafion to forget to thank God, that he was pleafed to fpare rriy Parent's Life , till the great bufinefs ox my Education v/as finifh'd ; That the care of m'e was not turn'd over to them who could not have K 4 the I4Z MEDITATIONS. the fame tendemefs and natural Affection for me -, that I efcap'd the many dreadful difailers, which fome others did, and I was equally liable to fuf- fer by : that the Fire hath never burnt nor disfi- gured me, nor the Water fwallowed me up -, that Evil Spirits were never permitted to torment me 3 that God hath fhut the Mouths of the Bcafts of Prey, guarded me from their Violence , kept me back from many a dangerous Precipice , and pre- ferv'd me from falls , and pits , lofTes or raaimings of Limbs, to which the giddinefs of Childhood, and the heat and folly of Youth are perpetually expos'd : and, laftly, that I was bred up all along in the true Faith and Obedience of him , and his Will , till I arriv'd at Years of Difcretion , and made that Service of God my Act and Choice, which I was difpos'd to before by the happy pre- pofleffions infus'd into me by others. CHAP. XII. Go(^s Long-ftiffenng and Mercy which preferv'd us from y and forgave us after^ the Commifji- . on of Sin, SO gfeat, fo numerous, O Lord my God, are the Proofs which thou hall given me of thy marvellous Love ! But, though 1 praife and adore thy Majeity for all thy wondrous works, yet art thou more juftly to be admir'd for none, than for thofe A<5ts of Goodnefs and tender Pity, which plainly fpcak the molt enlarg'd Bowels of our Hea- venly Father's paternal Affection, to his unworthy and rebellious Children. Thefe are fo unbounded, as to reach all without diltin6tion. For thou defpif- eft no Man, cafteit off no Man, abhorrelt no Man, except fuch only as by their own incorrigible folly havQ MEDITATIONS. 143 have given thee provocation, by firffc forfaking, and contemning thee. And therefore I, O Lord, in particular, muft own, that I have many Mer- cies, and much Indulgence of this kind to love and thank thee for. For thou haft frequently refcu'd me from dangers which had hemm'd me in on every fide , and left me no power to efcape, by any Strength or Prudence of my own. When I was engag'd in finful Aftions, thou didft not leave me to perifh in them : When I forgot thee, thou didft refrefh my Memory : When I was fal- ling off from thee, thou didft recal and bring me home again : When I return'd in obedience to that Call, thou didft receive and meet me with open Arms 'y And when my Soul was wounded Vs^ith grief for my former TranfgrcfHons , thou didft comfort my Sorrows, pardon my Offences, accept my Repentance , and fpeak Peace to my troubled Mind. Nay, I fhould detra6t from the greatneis of thy Mercy, in acknowledging the benefit of fo gracious a Pardon, for my paft actual Tranfgreflions only : Since it is of the fame Mercy alone, that not only the Crimes really committed by me , but all thofe too, which I fhould have committed, had not thy Grace and good Providence reftrain'd and protected me, are not fuffer'd to enflame my reckoning at the laft terrible Day of Account. For, as I do with Shame and deep Remorfe con- fefs , that the Sins I have fallen into are many and grievous > fo I am fadly fenfible of my own weak- nefs and frailty , and , that my faults would have far exceeded what they now have done , had not thy watchful care and goodnefs prefeived me. Now there are three ways , which I plainly perceive thou haft made ufe of to this purpofe -, and each hath greatly contributed to my fafetVa Thefe are, the removal of the occafion, the power of Refiftance, and the integrity of my Will and Affeftions. 144 MEDITATIONS. Aifccftions. For^; without all difpute, I had been very frequently enrnared in Sin, had Temptations and Opportunities offered themfelvcs thicker to me 'y but the good Providence of God fo ordered the matter, that many times I had no evil Sug- geflions prompting me to Wickednefs, nor any Opportunity given the Tempter for an AiTault. Again, I have frequently found my felf attacked with great Violence j but thou, OLord, hall come to my Succour, and poured in freili Recruits of Grace and Strength, whereby I was enabled to get the mallery over my Appetites , and obftinately to hold out the Siege , againil the treachery of my own corrupt Lufts, which would have betrayed and undermined me y and all the fury of the Temptet*, who laboured to ftorm the fort of my Soul. But fome fins again there have been, which thy mercy, Lord, hath kept me at fo great a diftance from-, that I perfectly abhorred the very thoughts of them j and, never found my felf fo much as molefted with any temptation to contract fo black and dctellable a Guilt. O that this had been the cafe with me in all things, that offend the God of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity ! But, where it was not, I have not wanted plentiful Experience of thy Goodnefs and Companion. For alas ! my God, my Confci- ence reproaches me w^ith having too often and too heinouilydifpleafed thy divine Majefly. Wretch that I am, I have behaved my felf unfeemly in thy prefence, I have done amifs and dealt wick- edly, provoked thy Anger, and deferved the hot- teil of thy Vengeance. I have j:ranfgreffed , and thou haft born with it. I have finned long and pei-verfly, and ftill thou fuffereft me to. live. If 1 repent thou fpareft me, if I return thou received: me gladly. Nay, even while I dally and am fo di- latory in this, my moft important Concern , thod waiteft for my better and more fcrious thoughts-. When MEDITATIONS. 14^ When I wander, thou bringefl: me back^ when I refift thy gracious Methods , thou winneft me over and indinefl: my Will. When I am floth- ful, thou quickeneft and fpurreft me on 3 when I flee to thee for Mercy, thou readily extend- cft it : Thou inftrucleit my Ignorance, thou dryell up my Tears , lupporteft my drooping Spirits, raifeil me up again when I fall, re- pairell; my Breaches and inward Decays , granteft when I afk, art found when I feek thee, openelt when I knock., iheweil me the good way, and teacheft me to walk' in it , when thou haft difco- vered it to me. The grace of being thus favour'd upon my own foHcitous applications, is indeed very great 5 but greater ftill is that, by which thy- liberality, O Lord, even prevents my applicati- on to thee. And yet even thofe gifts which I have, received at thy bountiful hand, before I could aflc, or wifh, or even think of them, are fuch that fhould I attempt to declare, and fpeak of them particularly, they would be found more than I am able to exprefs. Had thefe unafk'd Bcneiits pre- vented my Requcfts and Willies then only, when the Greennefs of my Years and Underltanding rendered me uncapable of difcerning my Wants, and addrelling to thee for proper Supplies > this had been a compaflion in fome degree neceflaiy 9 to the Ignorance of my Childhood, or the Incon- iideration of my Youth. But, w4iich enhances the Obligation yet more, I find the fame goodhefs following , and even preventing me ftill , though arrived at an Age of Maturity and Judgment, When I am quahfied to prcfent before thee Sup- pHcations faited to a due fenfe of my wants, when I am in a condition of feeking thee , and defiring and cleaving ftedtaftly to thee , as my Chief and' only Good. But, O wonderful Love ! even now thou giveft when I afk not, thou art with me, when I look not after thee, thou imparteft to me thofe 146 MEDITATIONS. thole ineflimiible Benefits , which I have not a juft regard for j nay, which I am fo far from defiring, as even to defpife them. » Another Mercy of the firft quaHty, I cannot but efteem that Providence of thine, which gives thy Angels charge over me. That a Creature fo frail and fo expos'd, fhould have a conllant guard of thy appointment, and not be left to travel through this hazardous and troublefome Wildefnefs of a World, hke a Stranger in an Enemy's Country, naked and alone ; but have powerful Protestors, and moil affedionate Guides to keep him Compa- ny, and be an unfccn Security to him. This furcly, among other Confiderations , fhould abun^ dantly convince us of the dignity of our Souls -, and how precious they are in thy fight, that thou art pleas'd to employ thofe bright and glorious Spi^ rits in 7nimftring continually for them "who Jhall be heirs of everlailing Salvation. But above all , I mull needs admire that unwea?' ried Patience and pity , which no Provocations of mine could harden againil me , fo far as to with" draw the influence of that preferving Providence, though I have juflly forfeited it long ago. And to this I am fenfible it is , that I owe the being ftill in the Land of the living, and the having e-^ fcaped the many dreadful Diiaflcrs, which llood ready to devour and deflroy me. For what can I fay, why the Earth ihould not long ago have open- ed her Mouth and fwallow'd me up , why I have not been flruck through with hot Thunderbolts, blafled with Lightning, drown'd in the Waters, or fuffer'd fome untimely or uncommon Death, which might evidently appear to carry the marks of a fignal Vengeance, infli6lcd on me for the hei- noufnefs of my Sins ? This there was reafon enough to apprehend : For, when by finning I departed from my God , I did henceforth not only deferve thy anger, and to be puniih'd by thy Hand im- mc- MEDITATIONS. 147 mediately > but I put my felf into a Hate of Hofti^ lity, and armed the whole Creation againft me. Thus we find it here below, that if any Great Man's Servant revolt from his Mafter, he docs not exafperate his Lord alone, but the whole Family refent the thing, and look upon themfelves con- cerned to puniih the Defeftion to the utmoli: of their power. And I, by parity of reafon, after incurring the difpleafure of Thee, my God, the Maker and Governour of all things, ceafed to deferve any Friendihip or good Offices from ^ny Wifd. 5, branch of this thy numerous Family j and might i7« expert, that every Creature fhould fife up againit me, and fight the quarrel of their inccnfed Lord. The Earth might fay, I owe thee no Suflenance^ and, inftead of nourifhing, ought rather to fwal- low thee up, becaufe thou halt deferted my Ma- ker and thy King, and lifted thy felf in the Ser- vice of his Enemy, the Devil. The Sun might tell me, that he ought not to ilied his beams upon my head, for the comforts of hght and cherifhing warmth, but if at all, to fcorch me up j Or elfe to hide thofe beams and withdraw them quite j That my fafety and convenience ought now no longer to be his Care, but only, how to revenge the diilionour done to that Lord, who is the fource of Light, and by whofe brightnefs it is that he ihines at all. Thus every Creature, in its turn and refpeiStive Capacity, might threaten and upbraid my rebellion againft our common Maker and Go- vernour. Thefe, I am well aftlired, are weapons which God hath often made the inftruments of his angry Juftice, againft them who affront and live in Defiance of Him and his Laws : But in truth there is no need of his ifiuing out a frefh commif- fion, or fetting them on upon this occafionj for fhould God only withdraw that reftraint he keeps upon the Creatures, they would, when once left to themfelves, foon make examples of Sinners: And 148 MEDITATIONS. And their not doing it every day mufl: wholly be imputed to that controuHng Power, which checks and keeps them in -, becaufe he who made us loves us, becaufe he is long fufFering and tender, not Ezek i^defirmg the death, of a Sinner^ but rather that he Jhould be converted and lii'e. But fure, when 1 fit down and compute my Ob- ligations, the more and greater I find thefe to be^ the more thankful, more entire, more ready and cheerfiti I ought to fiiew my felf in my Obedience^ for fear at leaft the Sufpenfion of the Puniihment add to the Weight of itj and Forbearance abufed inflame the Wrath of God, in proportion to the time and the bafcnefs, of my having it extended to me in vain. O let us then, my Soul, lay feri- oufly to heart the wonderful Compaffion of God, in not cutting us off in our fins 5 let us admire that grace by which he hath elected us that we fhould be veffels of mercy prepared unto glory , let us adore that incomprehenfible love wherewith he hath loved Pfal. 40. tis. For upon this account did he wait patiently^ incline his ear unto me^ and hear my calling j turning his eyes away from my iniquities, as if he were loth to fee the greatnels of thofe Tranlgrcfiions, which his mercy difpofed him not to punifii. Therefore, I fay, did he overlook, as it were, and made as though he did not fee, 'that he might commend the exceeding greatnefs of his Patience, and give us the ampleil teftimony of his love. To this end ( for I perfectly remember, and feel the fmart Hill ) did he pierce my Heart, rowfing it out of its Le- thargick flupidity, and making it fenfible, how grievoufiy it was wounded and bruifed with Sin, that fo it might underlland its own condition, and groan under the anguifh of a broken Spirit. He led me down to the gates of Hell, fliewed me the Flames and Fiends, the Torments and Horrors of that difmal place prepared for the Damned > And when he had thus brought me to a fight of my Mifery MEDITATIONS. 149 Mifery and Danger > when my Heart was over- whelmed with grief and terror, and almoft funk in defpair ; then did he turn again and revive me, let in frefli comforts upon my Soul, infpired me firft with hopes of Pardon for my Sins, and then bellowed that Pardon which he had fufbained me with the hopes of. And this Pardon is fo frank, fo abfolute, that all the Guik and Refentment is- wholly taken away by it > He will not now, Vm fure, take this revenge in my condemnation 5 He will not expofe me to fhame by upbraiding me with my offences 3 He will not fuffer any unkind remem- ■ brances of v/hat a wretch I have been heretofore, to leflen his love of me, as tarn how. And thcfe are all very engaging Confiderations ^ for how many are there, who, ..though they pafs over Injuiy, fo as at no other time to make the Offender fmart for it, yet take the liberty of frequently caffing it in his teeth ? or, if they fmotber their refentmcnts in filcnce, yet bear a fecret grudge, and remember the fault with bitternefs and rancour? Either of v/hich is very diftant from a true and full forgiveneis. But I nothing can be more unlike than thefe, to the Oiemency and Benignity of the Divine Nature. For God gives liberally, and forgives abfolutely^ , and, that repenting Sinners may want no Encou- ragement to truff in his Mercy, and depend upon a favourable Reception, when they have recourfe to him, the greatnefs of the guilt we are affured is no bar to pardon ^ for wbere f be offence ahu^dedyRom.C.t, there it is often manifeff, that Grac^ is wont much more to abound. Of this the Scriptures furnifh many eminent tcilimonies for our Confolation. Such was ' St. Peter^ who, after having thrice folemnly and deli- Matt. 20. berately denied his Lord, had the care of Chriff's John 21. Sheop three feveral times committed to his Truff. Such was St. Pauly who from a Blafphemer of the Truth, and a Perfecutor of the Church of God, was made a fhofen vejj'el unto Cbrifl^ to bear his nd7?ie before Acfl. 9. i j; ' the ijo MEDITATIONS. the Gentiles and Kings^ and the Children of Ifrael. Matth. 9. Such, once more was St. Matthew^ who from fit- ting at the Receit of Cullom, and the infamous Chara6ter of a Publican, was chofen to be an A- pollle, and had the honour of being the firfl Wri- ter of the New Teftament. CHAP. XIII. The Tower of Maftering Temptations. T O all his former valuable gifts, God hath been pleafed to add that of Continence. By which I mean the power of refilling and abftaining from, not only the pleafures of flefh and fenfe, but all other temptations and vices whatfoever, to which it is no lefs criminal to yield, than it \yould be to thofe of Carnahty and Luxury. And I muft own with all due gratitude, that I in this refpecl have foimd my felf fo ftrengthened, as of late, by the af- fiilances of divine Grace, to exercife that Maftery over my Appetite for a long time together, which formerly I was feldom able to retain for three poor days, without fome fad defe6t or interruption. And this I count fo very happy an alteration, as to chal- Lu' the ^yc Senfes of our Body, thro' which he] wounds Me with his darts, and ^o Death comes upltx.^.zil into my windows.^ and enters into my "palaces. The third is that common and inveterate Ene- my of Mankind, that Old Serpent, which is more Gen. 3. (ubtle than all the beafts of the field. An Enemy that attacks us unfeen, and confequently more difficult to be avoided. Nor does he always pro- ceed in the lame method > but fometimes falls on with open violence, fometimes trepans us by fecret cunning and fraudulent infinuation : His malice however, and his cruelty, are always the fame, and the end he drives at by the moil different means is conflantly our mifchief and eternal ruin. And who now is fufficient, to vanquifh, fiiall I fay ? nay, even to hold out, and keep himfelf from being vanquifhed by this triple Alliance, and joint force ? Thefe things are what I thought fit to have the more exprefs notice taken of, I L that ijz MEDITATIONS. that Men might have the jufter notion of the ex- cellence, but withal the difficulty too, of that Mafterly Virtue, which I mean here by Conti- nence. That they who are happy in it might be duly fenfible, how valuable a gift they have re- ceived from God, and in that fcnfe might excite their hearts to a more earncil love of their Pre- ferver and great Benefactor, who alone could be- Pfal. 44. fl;ow it upon them. For it is through theJLord that ive do all the great a5Is of this kind, and tread them under that rife up againftus. He it is^ that fubducs and crucifies our Flefh, with its affedlions and lufts : He that proteds us againft this prefent evil World, and mortifies us to all its vanities 5 and He ft is, that breaks the Serpent's head, and bruifes Satan imder our feet, with all his wicked Wiles and Temptations. Is there not reafon then from the contemplation of this Virtue, of the Conquclb it makes, and the power of making them, which is received from above, to cry out, again and again. He that is mighty hath done for me great things^ and holy is his name ? CHAP. XIV. The Benefit af a Holy Hope. BY being enabled to* vanquifli temptations, I am put into a condition of efcaping eternal Death ^ but it is yet a farther inflance of Mercy, that the Lord my God affords me fuch grace, as may qualify me for inheriting the bleilings of Eter- nal Life. And this I take chiefly to confiil inThrce things : The Hatred of pail Evil, The Contempt of prefent Good, and. The Defire of that Good which is to come : Which Defirc is alfo fupported and inflamed by another precious Gift of God, the Hope of obtaining that futui'e Blcflednefs. Now MEDITATIONS. 153 %«»««»> Now there are likewife l^bree Confiderations, which uphold and llrengtheii my Heart in this hope: And that (o firmly^ that no want of defert on my part, not even the lowed and moft mortifying thoughts of my vilencfs and unworthinefs, nor the liighell and moft enlarged notions of the excels lence of that blifs in Heaven, can caft me down from this high Tower of Hope. No, My Soul is rooted and grounded in it, paft the power of be- ing fhaken with any melancholy mifgivings. And the foundations that bear me up in all this firmnels of Mind are Three. Firft, I conlider the Great- ncfs of God's Love, expreiTed in my Adoption. Se- condly, The Truth of God, which hath proinifed this Bledednefs. And, Thirdly, The Power of God to make good whatever he hath promifed, to the? iittermoft. Let then my foolifh defponding Heart raife fcruples to confound me, and obje<5t never fo importunately 5 ^^ Vain Man, confider what ^' thou art, and what thou fondly imagineft thou *' {halt one day be> What canft thou fee in thy *' felf, a Creature fo little, fo polluted, to think " that ever thou fliouldft attain to a ftate of fuch '^ purity, fuch excellent gloiy ? Canft thou dif- '' cern any proportion at all between a finite Crea-* . " ture and infinite Happinefs? Or art thou able '' to difcover any fuch extraordinary Merit to ^* ground thy hopes upon, as {hould incline God to *' exalt Thee fo much above what Nature feems *' to have qualified thee for? Thefe difficulties I I am in no degree terrified by, but can with great aflurance return this anfwer to them, and reft my Soul upon it, I know whom I have heUeved^ and am 2. Tim. i^ eerily perfuaded^ that God would never have adopt- li. ed me for his own Child, had he not loved me exceedingly ; that he would never have promifed, had he not refolved to perform 5 and that, 1^ thefe things could be fuppoled greater than really they are, yet the putting me in a£tual pofTeflion of L % th^n^j IJ4 MEDITATIONS. them, cannot exceed in his Power, becaufe I am fure he can do whatfoever pleafeth him, both in Heaven and Earth. And therefore I can never love God enough, for infpiring 'and comforting me with this Hope, and putting me into the way qf attainii:5g the bhfs, he hath encouraged me to cxpe6l' at his merciful hands. And great encou- ragement I have from thofe Earftefts and Ante-* palh of his future Goodnefs, which he vouchfafes :me even in this world. For fuch, I reckon, are his following after, and overtaking me, when I iled away from him ; His controuhng and banifh- ing my fears, by the Charms of meeknefs and kindnefs, cherifliing and frequently reviving my hopes, when I lay languifliing in Defpair ; His even conllraining me to better obedience, by heaping on frefe Benefits, not with ftanding my Ingratitude for thofe I had formerly receiv'd -, His giving me a better Senfe of things, and enabling me to relifh the' fweetnefs of fpiritual Joys, when my palate Hood to none, but fuch as were impure and merely fcnfual>j His burfling my bonds afunder, andfetting mc at liberty, from the bondage of evil habits, which I had not the Power to breaks and his re- ceiving me with fo much tendernefs, when by his help I had weaned my Affe6lions from the World, and forfakcn all to follow him. He would not have done thus much for me already, had he not intended to do more hereafter 5 and therefore I will trull his word for thfs fulnefs of blifs in reverfion, and dare depend upon the full accomplifhment of it to his Servant ( though of my felf mofh unwor- thy,) fince I have fuch grounds of afiurance from the many precious pledges of an inviolable love ex- hibited, and paid me down in hand. CHAP, MED ITATI ON S. lyy C H A P. XV. The many Injlances of Gods Bounty ; notwith- fiand'tng our Sins 5 and the Thanks due to him ti^on this account. PRoceed then, my Soul, in th^fe moil pleafing Contemplations, and fuftain thy felf againft all defponding thoughts, by recolle(5ling thole many other proofs of the divine Goodnefs, which have been fo peculiar, fo fecretly convey'd to thee, that none but thy felf could be privy to them. Think of thofe retir'd Pleafures , which thy Lord entertains thee with in fecret, upon thy retreat from the World, and private Converfation with him j What delicious Food he hath provided for the fatisfying of thy Spiritual Hunger j What ineflimable Treafures of Mercy he hath given thee richly to enjoys what fecret longings he in- fpires thee with, and how plentifully thou haft been made to drink of the raviihing Cup of his Love. Was it then not a noble Condefcenfion, a moft aftonifliing inftance of CompalTion, that he left me not deftitute of fpiritual Comforts ? Me, I fay, who was a flothful and ungracious Servant, a Fugitive, a Rebel, and one who never had returned to him and my Duty, if he in mere, in boundlefs pity, had not call'd me home ? For thou canft not fure but remember, my Soul, that if at any time J[ was under fharp trials, he interpos'd with feafonar ble fupports : If I was ready to be overpowered by dangers, he prefently fortify'd me againft them : If I was dejeded with grief, he fuftain'd my Spi- rits i If I was wavering in my Duty, he ftrengthen'd ^nd kept me fteady. If I grew dry and heavy, fearful and faint, he pour'd in the Refrefhments of his holy Spirit, and gave a grateful relifh to my L 3 devo^^ IJ(^ MEDITATIONS. Devotions. O I never can, I never ought to for- get , when I have been reading , or hearing , or praying, or meditating, in private or in publick, how often he hath fhone in upon me , and , by a Ray of heavenly Light, guided my Mind to a right underflanding of his holy Word, opened mine Eyes, that 1 might fee the meaning, the wondrous hidden things of his Law > collected my fcatter'd Thoughts y put a flop to my Wandrings ; and made them all to center in himfclf, with a defire too intenfe to be exprefs'd : how often he hath drawn off my Mind from earthly Objeclrs, and rais'd it up to heavenly Dehghtsj and fixed it there, and en- tertained me with thofe Pleafures , which are the Portion of the Blefled above. Thefe and many more Expreflions of his Mercy I have felt and re- joyced in j more than I can , more than perhaps would become me to mention particularly, left I fhould feem to exceed the bounds of Modefty, to infinuate an Opinion of fome more than common worth in one fo highly favour'd, and arrogate to my felf a part of that Glory which is entirely his. For, according to the vulgar Notions of thefe Mat- ters, the Grace of the giver, and the Privilege of the receiver, are fo clofely connected, that he who ought alone to be praifed , is feldom praifed alone; for the Perfon who is fo fignally happy in the Gift, is generally admitted into a fhare of the value and commendation due to it. But, alas ! what fhare hath any of us, even the bcft of us all, >phich he hath not receiv'd ? And what applaufe can belong to him, who receiv'd all the powers of doing well freely, as if this receiving were in any degree meritorious ? To thee, therefore, O Lord my God, to thee alone, be the Praife, the Glory and Thankfgiving : but to me, I am furc, be- longs nothing but fliame and confufion of Face, for the numberlefs evil things 1 have done againft thee, and the numberlefs good things I have been blefs'd with from thee. -. • ■ ^^^ MEDITATIONS. ij/ And indeed my thanks are by no means what they ought to be, except thefe Articles be both taken in. For, though the consideration of thy Goodnefs be by it lelf juil matter of gratitude anci wonder 5 yet it is ftill more engaging , more ailo- -aiiiliing, when that of our Ofienccs and grievous Wic kednefs is added to it. For, if it be a com- mendation of bounty, to give largely where the Receivers have deferved nothing , how fhall we find Ideas large enough to reprefent, and worthily extol that kindnefs, which returns Good and Evil, and beilows liberally where Men have been as li- beral in their injuries and provocations ? What ftrange bowels of a Fatherly afFedion are thofe, which the moil infolent, moif perverfe, moft un- dutiful Children cannot harden againfl themfelves ? And yet, my foul, this is dire6tly the State of the Cafe between God and Thee. Many things there are, which he in Mercy forgives, many that he forgives moil readily, and in great abundance. But then we muil remember, that the Evils he forgives are entirely Ours, and the good things he beltows are entirely his Own. He is always ready to pardon, he is no lefs ready to givej the One proves his boimdlefs pity, the other his boundleis Liberality > Or rather indeed, both the one and the other prove, that neither his pity nor his Libe- rality have any bounds. Let us therefore give glory to God by confeiling the good we have done, let us do it likewife by confeiling the good we have received. Let us acknowledge the Evil to be all our ov/n, that his Mercy may be inclined to pardon it;, let us acknowledge the good to be all His, that his Bounty may continue, and add to it. And let this be our conllant daily work j for wc can never exceed in any expreilions of that grati- tude, which is due, both upon the account of the iins he hath pardoned, and of the gifts and graces he hath beilov/ed. Thus, I fiy, cscry one ihould L 4 ' be iy8 MEDITATIONS. be employed, who thinks himfelf , or who defires to be a true lover of God : For true Love will be always labouring to exprefs it lelf in fuch Con- feflions and Acknowledgments. And what now do we think fhould be the re- fult of all thefe Confiderations ? What indeed but this, that eveiy one who lays them ferioufly to Heart, fhall take his Mind off from all other Ob- je6ts, and place his Love on God alone, who hath done fo much for him ? That he fhould find him- felf very tenderly affefted, and wonderfully tranf- ported with every refle6tion upon fuch amazing Kindnefs and Compailion ? If any Man can ob- ferve fo much Mercy, fo llrong Obligations, and yet be wanting in affeftion to God, let fuch a one be afTur'd , that this coldnefs proceeds from his negledt and though tlefnefs. For every one who will be at the pains to confider, will eafily find himfelf fo highly indebted to God, that all he can do in this fervice is little enough , and much lefs than is owing him in return. 'Tis true indeed all Men's Engagements in this point are not the fame j nor hath God diflributed his Blefiings with a perfectly even Hand ^ but they that have leaft have more than they can lay claim to, more than they can ever be fufficiently grateful for. Admit- ting then that a Man be not furnifh'd even with all thofe Graces which are necelFary to Salvation, yet will not this bear fuch a one out in murmur- ing againfi Providence , or charging God fool- ifhly. For God is Wife and Jufl in all his Difpen- fations : He proceeds upon Meafures, which, though unlvuown to us, are yet moft reafonable Rom. 9. in themfelves. He hath mercy on 'whom he imll have 16. mercy ^ andwhom heivill he hardeneth. And, being no Man's debtor, but abfolutcly Mafler of his own favours, he may give where he fees fit, and refume what he had given, when and from whom he fees fit, without beins accountable for either. Let MEDITATIONS. 159 Let him therefore, who hath not thofe Gifts, la- ment his own Misfortune with humiHty, and la- bour after them, and pray for them moft earneftlyj and let him, who hath them make a juft eflimate of the mighty Blefling, and give all diligence to be truly thankful to God for it. CHAP. XVI. Of the "Death ofChriJi. I For my own part do moft humbly confefs, that the Benefits I have receiv'd from thee, my Lord and my God , are unmeafurably great , are innu- merably many : So many and fo great, that I ihould be of all Creatures the moft unworthy and infenfible, fhou'd I not aKvays Love, and always Praife thee for them. For whatever good thing I am now, or ever was, or ever ihall be polTefs'd of, is from thee, the Supreme Good, from whom all that is good proceeds. And yet there is one thing ftill behind, which, I muft own, enflames my Heart, and excites my A^QQiion^ more power- fully than all the reft. For never was any Inftance of thy kindncfs fo engaging, fo irrefiftable, as that moft ihameful and moft bitter Death, which thou, bleffed Jefus, didft fubmit to for the accom- pliftiing of the moft glorious work of our Redemp- tion. This fingly, or at leaft this with the reft, lays indifputable claim to all our Life, to all our Labours, to all our Obedience, to all our Love. This, 1 fay, is the Confideration, which of all others ex- cites our Devotion moft frequently, entertains it moft agreeably, and raifes it to the loftieft pitch. For in this great Defign the great Creator of the World takes pains, and feems to have retrieved the Fabrick of his own framing with much more dif- ficulty than he at firft built it all out of Nothing. With i6o MEDITATIONS. With what cafe that was done, the Pliilmill very lively exprelTes. He fpake the word and they were nuuie^ he commanded and they were created , But for the rellitution of loll Men, Good God ! how ma- ny, how grievous, how long a Series of labours and foiTows didil: thou undergo! Gome hither thcn^ my Soul, and behold what manner of Love thy Sa- viour hath beftowed on thee ; who, without any manner of neceility to compel him , without any profpe6b of Profit to induce him, but purely of his own free Mercy, was content to fuffer fuch hard- iTiips, fuch barbarous indignities for thy fake! Well might I fay, that this fingle a£fc of Goodnefs is an over-balance to all the reit. For tho' it be a great kindneis to lay out what we have for another's advantage, yet what we have bears no proportion to what we are -, nor ought that to be compar'd with the giving a Man's own felf And , if the molt exalted Friendfhip we ever heard of can go no higher than one Friend's laying down his Lite for another j how much more noble was that Charity of which the Son of God left us this unexam.pl'd Proof, of his laying down his Life for his Enemies. And that this was our Condition the Apollle de- Rom. 5. clares, IV hen we were Ene?nies^ fays he, we were re- J^- 7? ^* conciled to God by the death of his Son; and again, Scarcely for a righteous Man will one die^ but God herein commendeth his love towards iis^ that while we were yet I Pet. 3. (inner s^ Chrift died for us : the juft for the unjufi^ that he might bring us to God. He remov'd down from the Manfions of Biifs in Heaven, that he might car- ry us back thither with him. O unfpeakable Love ! J O fwectnefs of Mercy unconceivable ! O moil amazing Condefcenlion ! that God for the fake of IVlan lliould be made Man, that God for Man ihould die in the Flefh , that he fhould fubmit to Keb4.T5.be te?nptcd in all things like as we are^ only without fin. See at how inellimable a Price, fee with what dif- ficulty, Man was redeemed > who had forfeited and MEDITATIONS. i6 and enflaved himfclf to the Devil •, and had he not been ranfom'd at fo valt an Expence^ mail unavoidably have fufFer'd eternal Damnation, with that tyrannical Mailer of his own choollng. Thefe . Refle&ions will iliew thee, O Man, how much thou art bound to love God -, and if he calls thee to it, how patiently, how w^illingly, nay, with how chearful and eager a Zeal , thou oughtefl to endure hardfhips, and pain, and tortures, for him who hath endur'd fo much incomparably greater for thee. For it is through much tribulation that v:e mufl enter into the Kingdom of God. And therefore let my Soul gladly embrace her cnici^y'dLjefus', let her, my fweetell: Saviour, drink deep of thy deli- cious Blood; let this moil moving Theme be her conilant Meditation, that I may never one Moment be unmindful of him that died for me. I am deter- mined from henceforth ?tot to kuo'W any thing fave i Cor. ^, Jefus Chrifl^ and him crucified y lell other vain mif- 2. taken Notions ihould draw mv knowledge off from the firm bottom of fivin£^ Faith : And O ! let this wonderful Love of thine take poffeilion of all the Love I am capable of, leil any rival PalTion infinu- ate it felf into my Heart , and I be fwallowed up with a torrent of worldly Affections. In thus devoting my w^hole fclf to thee, I fhall confult not my Duty only, but my Happinefs too. For thofe Hearts, which the fweetnefs of thy love hath taken full poffeffion of, are all Tranquillity and Joy : there is no place for fear to dao'jp them, or Luft to defile them, or Anger to dillrad them^ or Pride to fwell them , or Vain-glory to blow them about, or Ambition to gall them, or Cove- toufnefs to narrow them, or Sorrow to deject them, or E>nvy to emaciate them ; in fhort, no diibrder-? ly Vice difturbs their Peace, or corrupts their Joy, but they continue firm and calm, like thofe upper Regions, where Clouds and Storms have no power. And what can we imagine wtII God give, or what will x6z MEDITATIONS. will he not give hereafter to thofe good Men who tafte fo largely of his Bounty here ? For even the bell: of thofe Gifts Men have in hand are Tempo- raU but thofe which he hath promifed to beftow upon them that love him in the next World , are Eternal, and confequently much more defirable than any temporal Advantages > that even to make a Comparifon between them were to injure and difparage them. For this is a Condition common to all temporal Advantages , that they are very hardly got, and very caiily loft again : that, while we have them in PofTeinon , they are kept at the expence of a great deal of anxious care , and part- ed with to our great grief, and if ever retrieved again, yet not without a great deal of toil and trouble. But the happinefs of the next World is not capable of lofs or diminution j the enjoy- ment of it is Pleafure without allay, and Eafc without fraud or difturbance j the Defires of it arc always keen, and the Delights of PofTeffion always new. No Man receives them but with fuli fecurity, that they fhall no more be taken from him againft his will, then he fhall ever have the will to diveft himfelf of them. CHAP. XVII. The Tromifes of God. fT^ HIS may perfuade us to make the Promifes JL of God another Incentive to the Love of him. For, though the Benefits he hath given his Servants are great j yet thofe which he hath en- gaged to give them, are incomparably greater. Now thefe are, Reft from our Labours, a Change from Bondage to Liberty, from Fear to Security , from Grief to Comfort > Refurredion to a Life immortal after Death 3 and after that Refurrecti? cnc. MEDITATIONS. 1^3 on, exquifite and endlefs Joy : In a word, he hath promifed to give us Himfelf. So unfpcakably glo- rious are his Promifes. And the love which thefe beget in us, he expe<5i:s fhould exert it felf after z very particular manner: And that is, by a vehement delire of the Promife, in which it is impoflible to be guilty of Excefs. In other cafes we blame Men for being impatient -, but this cafe is an Exception to the reft, and here Men are to be commended for it. To be contented with delays argues lan- guid Defires and coldnefs of Affection; and as the wife Man obferves very truly,. Hope deferred maketh the Heart fick. Since then thefe Blifles are to be obtained no where but in our heavenly Country^ it betrays too great an indifference for fuch noble Reverfions, v/hen we do not long moft earneftly to get at them, and are not weary and perfe6tly fick of every thing that confpires to detain us from them. CHAP. XVIIL The Happinefs of a Future State. LE T us then raife our Thoughts as high, and ftretch them as wide as ever we can, that we may try to reprefent to our felves in fome mea- fure the Nature and Perfe6tion of that Joy of the Saints, which no other is equal, no other like un- to. Now that chief Good, which we find called by the feveral Titles of Life, Light, Blcflednefs, Wifdom, Eternity, and the like, is but One moft fimple and fuprcme Good, perfect and felf-fuffici- ent, without v/hich no other thing can either be perfe6i:, or indeed be at all : This Good, I fay, is God the Father, This the Word, or Son of God, This again is that pure undivided Love common to Father and Son both, the Holy Ghoft^ I mean, who 1^4 MEDITATIONS. who proceedeth from the Father and the Son. Now fiich as each of thcfe Perfons is, confidered apart by himfclf, fuch is the whole Trinity taken together^ Father, Son, and Holy Gholl: For each of thefe iingly is nothing elfe but the One moll fimple, conibant Being which can neither be multiplied, nor diverfified, ' nor changed. Here then is th'at One thing whidi is neceflary : For that mull certainly be a neceflary Good, in which all Good is, nay, which it felf is Good, the One whole and fole Good. If each of thefe things, which we call Good, miniftcr fo much Delight, how much muit flow from the PoiTellion of Him who comprehends them all, and is as much fupe- rior to Them in Excellence, as the Creator is above the Creature ? Let us not then lavirh away our time and pains upon things that only flatter us with deceitful Promifes of Happinefsj but let us love this one Good, for that alone can fuffice for all our Exigencies, and fill all our largell: Defircs. It is but lofi Labour to attempt a jufl Defcription of the Blifs referved for us in our Heavenly Fa- ther's Kingdoni -, no Words can exprefs, no Mind confined in Flelli can expand it felf fufficiently to conceive them. For w^hcn we have let loofe our Thoughts, ftill thofc Joys are of a Compafs lar- ger than They can fetch. Many and glorious things indeed have been fpoken of this City of God, but yet the half of tlie Truth hath not been told us. This is the only Inflance, in which Re- port can never exceed, and Praifes can never flatter j no Knowledge can come up to it, no Glory compare with it. The Kingdom of God, in a word, is full of Liglit and Peace, Charity and Meeknefs, Honour and Glory, Sweetnefs and Love, Joy and everlalfing Blifs : To be fhort, of every thing that is Good, more and better than can be pofiibly expreft or conceived : But ftill this is no Argument, why I ihould not fpeak of it at all, or reprcfent MEDITATIONS. 165 reprefent its Excellencies as well as I can, becauie I cannot do it fo well as I would, we believe the Majefly of God to be unfpeakably Glorious -, but no Man is to extravagant fure, to infer from thence that wc ought never to fpeak of him, nay, it iol- lows rather, that we fnould fpeak the moft glori- ous things we are able, that they who hear us may believe him to be Hill far above all we can fay of him. Much more, 'tis evident, may be compre- hended by the underflanding, than a Man can find proper Words to utter 5 and yet the moll profound and capacious Mind cannot comprehend or have any Ideas of the Kingdom of Heaven in any degree fuitable to its real Excellence. And therefore the Life to come is what we have reprefented to us by the following Chara6lcr, that it is Eternal in Du- ration, and a BlciTednefs to all Eternity, a State where there is the moll profound Security and Tranquillity, Pleafure without Pallion, Love with- out Fear, Love in Perfecbion, Day without Night, Adivity and Strength without poffibiiity of De- cay, perfect Unanimity, all the Souls in it rapt with the Contemplation of God, and pall all an- prehenlion of being ever deprived of his bcatifick Prefence : A City bleft with the moil glorious In- habitants, where all the Saints and Angels take up their perpetual Rcfidence > the Splendor whereof confifts in the fliining Graces of God's Elccl > where Health abounds, and Truth reigns for ever ! where there is no deceiving, no being deceived j out of which none of the happy ai'e ever expelled, into which none of the wretched are ever admitted. This is that happy contemplative Life, which they who can reach up to, by the finilliing of their Virtues, Ihall for ever enjoy, and be like the Spi- rits of jull Men made perfeft, and fhall rcign with them for ever. What fuch have here anticipated by Faith, they fhall there have in Sights beholding with pure Hearts the Subftancc of their Creator > rejoicing x66 MEDITATIONS. rejoicing with never-ceaiing and exceeding great Joy 5 united unfeparably to God, and to each o- ther by the full Fruition of the Divine Goodnefs, and the Charms of mutual Love j Then fliall their once fcattered Bodies be reftored, and put oh Immortality and Incorruption > and thus united, they fhall be made free Subjects of their heavenly Country, and inverted with all the Privileges of the City of God. Then fhall they reap the Fruits of all their holy Labours, thofe eternal Recom- pences, the Promifes and diftant Expectation whereof fuftained their Spirits in the many long and painful Conflicts here below. A general Glad- nefs there fhall overflow, and thefe Joys fhall be fo agreeable, that they fhall always be thankful to their bountiful Rewarder, for the plenty he hath fo nobly enriched them with, and yet that Plenty fhall abate no Man's Satisfa6tion in the a- bundance he enjoys. There every Man's Heart Ihdl be open to eveiy Man, for every Bread fhall be fo white and pure, that the Soul fo cleanfed Ihall find caufe to thank God for wafhing away their Stains in the Blood of his Son, but not at all to be alhamed, or blufh for any of their old Blemifhes : And why fhould they not fee into one another's Hearts freely, who have no Secret? in referve, no feparate Litereil to promote, no Deceit to manage, no Faults to conceal ? For nei- ther Sins nor Sinners are in Heaven, and They who once were fuch, from the Inllant of their en- tring that place of purity, are out of all poflibi- lity ever to be fo any more. None of the darkeft Secrets, none of the deepcft Mylleries fhall then continue fuch : The blefled lliall be let into a diilinct knowledge of them 5 and, which is in- finitely better, they fhall be ever viev/mg and admiring the adorable Perfci^tions of God hini- felf. This MEDITATIONS. 1^7 This humane Nature ihall then be. advanced to its jull: and utmoft Perfection, incapable of being exalted, or funk lower any more. All the Excel- lencies commimicated to it by being made after the likenefs of its Maker, fhall then be fet at their higheft Pitch -, and the corruption and defeats introduced by Sin, utterly done away. Nay, we fhall even rife above what was given us at our firll Creation, though we had been fo happy as to re- tain our primitive advantages. We fhall under- fland and judge without error, remember without forge tfulnefs, think without wandering, love with- out diflimulation > we fhall have Senfe without any thing to offend it, Eafe without Pain, Life without Death -, Power of ailing without Obftruc- tion, fulnefs without naufeating, and fuch a per- fe6tion of every Faculty, that there fhall be in us all imaginable Soundnefs and Vigour, without any fort of Difeafe or Decay. Whatever maim our Bodies may have fuffered here, by fudden difafters or wafting diftempers, or mortified Sores > what- ever Limbs have been loft by the biting of wild Beafts, or the Cruelty of Men no lefs barbarous than they, by War, or Fire, or any other difmem- bring Accident 3 nay, even the Weaknefs and De- formities of Sicknefs and old Age, ftiall all be re- paired at the general Refurre6tion > every Defeat fupplied, every Lofs reftored, and the Body com- pleat in all its Parts > Sound and Youthful, Beauti- tul and Gay, fliall then, together with the Soul, be cloathed with everlafting Health and Immortality. So happy ihall all the Saints be at that Day 3 but though all fliall be happy, yet will not they all be equally fo j their BlifTes then will hold Proportion to their Virtues now> and one Star differs from an-- 1 Cor. 15, other Star in that glory^ becaufe the merciful King of Glory rewards every man according to his works. \ ^ai. 6i. II M SELECT '^ GcirimuTxe juttli mi/ C7vn ^'€can anx) mi/ rSinrit cidc !Diiigent and fcatter, Lord, all thofe Mifts of Vanity that dance before my Sight, and lead me into Sin and Error. Make me a new Smell, that I may run after the Odour of thy Cant. tl Ointments 'f and correct my vitiated Palate, that I M z niay I70 MEDITATIONS. may tafle and deliglit in thy fweet and gi'acious PfAl. 34S. Goodnefs. And, having thus reformed my Senjl- tive^ carry on, I befeech thee, the good Work in the InteUeUual Faculties of my Soul > Oh, that my Underftanding may apprehend thee , my Will choofe thee, my Memory retain and meditate upon thee, and my whole Heart cleave to thee with immoveable ftedfallnefs, and a mofl: fenfible delight. O Life, to and by whom all things livej without whom I dye and perifh, by whom I am animated, fuftained, reftored, exhilcrated, where fhall I find thee, that I may go out of my felf, and fubfift en- Lxod.33.tirelyin thee? Thou haft faid indeed, No Man Jh all ^^' fee me and Ihe. Lo ! if this be the condition of my happineft, I moft gladly accept it 5 yea^ let me dye, O Lord, that I may {tt thee in Heaven 5 and let Phil. 1.23. me fee thee, that 1 may dye to this World. Ideftre to he diffolved^ and to he with Chrift^ which is far hetter : I wifh to dye, that I may fee my Lord : I would not live here, that I may live with Chrift. h^^l-S9'Lord Jefus^ recei'ue my Spirit -j take thou my Soul, my Life ^ enta* into my Heart, thou Joy of m^y Heart, that it may rejoice in Thee. Shed thy bright Beams upon it. Sun of Righteoufnefs, that it may know and love thee > for therefore does it not love thee as it ought, becaufe it knows thee but very imperfectly •, and therefore is its know- ledge very imperfe6b, becaufe thy Light hath hi- John r. 5. therto fnned in darkmfs^ and my darkncfs did not recei'Ve it as it ought. O Light of Truth, and true Light, which lights, eft every man that co?neth into the world^ (that cometh into it^ but not that loveth it > for whofoever will Jam. 4. 4. be a friend of the wcrld^ is an ene?ny to God) difpel the thick darknefs which is upon the face of this C/r^^oj", that my Mind may fee thee , by its intelleftual Powers, and fo comprehend, as to know thee, and fo know, as to love thee. For every one that knows thee, loves thee, even more, tlian himfelf, I forfalvcs MEDITATIONS. 171 forfakes himfelf and flies to thee, that there he may find Peace and perfe61: Joy. For want of that knowledge it is that I have been fo extremely dc-. fective'in this Point: departing from thee, the true inward and fpiritual Joy , and feeking Satif- fa6tion in outward Obje6ls. Thus have I with an adulterous affedion, fet that unfaithful Heart upon Vanities, which of light was entirely thine. And I have fucceeded according to my Folly. For as Vanity was the Object, fo hath it been the Fruit and Portion of my Love. This made it impofH- ble for me to delight in, and to reft upon thee. For I was converfant about external , whereas: thou art to be found only in internal Pleafures. I made Temporal Advantages my Study. Thou imparteft thy felf in thofe that are Spiritual j my Thoughts, and Difcourfe, and Inclinations, were engag'd and intangl'd in fhort and tranlitory things : And thou, O Lord, inhahiteft in, nay, art thy ira.57.15, felf Eternity. Thou art in Heaven , I altogether upon Earth : Thou loveft high things, I fool- ifhly dote on fuch as are vile and low. And what way can be found to reconcile fuch contrary Dif- pofitions ? CHAP. IL WHen, wretched Man, when fhall this crook- ed in thee be made ftraight , and modelPd t>y the Rule and Pattern of thy God? He delights in Solitude and retir'd Contemplation, I purfue variety of Company and Diverfions : He dwells in Silence, I in Noife and Hurry : He loves Truth, I follow Lies and Deceit : He requires, and is him- felf unfpotted Purity 5 I wallow in Uncleannels, Jind all manner of filthy Lufts. Thus, Lord, thou ^rp Good , and I E,vil > thou Holy, I a miferablq M z Sinners ^7^ MED I T A T I O N S. a * I ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ■ ■ .« i. Sinner i thou art light, I blindnefs > thou life, I Pfal.39.6. am deadj thou eflential Truth, I altogether Vanity. Such, alas! ami, and fuch is every Man living. And now what fhall I fay to the 2, my God ? I am 111.73. thy Creature, and reduc'd to nothing j I'hy hands have made me , and fajhioned me 3 nay, thy Hands were nailed to the Crofs for me j do not^ my Crea- 138. 8. tor, defpife the work of thy own hands j do not, my Redeemer, forget the Wounds of thy own Ifa. 49.16. Hands. Behold, thou haft graven me upon the Palms of thy Hands 5 O read thofe indelible Cha- ra6tcrs , and fave me. To thee thy Creature lifts up his Soul, make me again by thy regenerating Power j infpire me with new Life, by thy en- livening influence J heal my Breaches, repair my Decays , and fpare me by thy Mercy, for my Days Pfal,39. 6. are even as nothing in co/nparifon of thee. Lord, what is Man, that he fhould prefume to Expoftulate with , or Addrefs to God his Maker ? Gen. 18. Pardon thy Servant, Lord, who is but Duft and ^'!. Afhes, and yet takes upon him to fpcak to fo great a Majefty : Let my neceffity be accepted as an excufe for this boldnels. -My Grief will have vent, and my Calamity forces a complaint. I am Sick, and cry to my Phyfician for help j blind, and feek to the light y dead, and implore the Hfe of Souls, For this Phyfician, Light and Life art thou, and Luke 1 8. only thou 5 and therefore Jefus of Nazareth , have 3 7 >3^>39' mercy on me^ Son of David^ have mercy on me. O Foun- tain of Health, hearken to the Complaints of thy poor difeafed Patient. O Light which paffed by^ ftand ftill a while, 'till this blind Creature can come to thee : Lend him thy Hand, and in thy PfaL36.3. Light let him fee light. O Life effential and evei> lafting, raife from the Grave of Deftrudion this Wretch, long dead in TrefpafTes and Sins. Lord, what am I, who have thus taken upon me to talk to thee ? A ftinking Carcafs , food for Worms, a polluted broken VeSel| fuel fov the fires of Hell? O wretched. MEDITATIONS. 173 O wretched Creature ! Mercy, my God, Mercy ! for all this and no better is man horn of a "woman^ Job 14. i: who bath but a Jloort time to livey and is full of mi- fery : Man who is altogether vanity^ compared to the prai.39. c. beafts that perifiy and refembling them in folly. 49. 20. But what alas ! am I, the worft of Men ? A dark Abyfs, a clod of Earth, a Child of Wrath^ a Ephef.2.3 Veffel of Difhonour^ conceiv'd injUncleannefs, living in Trouble, dying in Anguiih: Poor and naked,2.Tim. 2; miferable and weak, not knowing whence I came 10. and whither I go> whofe days pafs like a Jhadow^^^^^'io^* whofe life withereth like grafs. The more is added ^^* to it, the more is taken from it ; and every ftep from my Cradle is a nearer advance to my Grave. Who for a while am exercis'd with the VicifEtudes of Joy and Grief, of Health and Sicknefs j with Fear and Trembling, Hunger and Thirft, Heat and Cold, Languifhing and Pains, and at lafl: muft fink down and vanifh in Death, which hath a thoufand ways of fnatching Mortals out of the World, when they are leaft aware of it 5 moll cer- tain in it felf, but in the time and mannei*, moll uncertain. This, Lord, is my Mifery, and yet I am fecure in the midft of all thefe Dangers. So great is my Calamity, fo little is my Senfe of it. I will there- fore cry to my God, before I go away hence^ and be pfai. 39 no more feen. I will confefs my vilenefs before 15. 'thee, and Ihew thee all my trouble. Help me, my Strength, by whom I am fullained. Shine upon me, my Light, by whom alone I fee : Come unto me, and quicken me, my Life, by whom alone I live. For thou alone art my Help and Light, my jLife, and my Joy, my Lord^ and my God. M 4 CHAP. 174 MEDITATIONS. C H A P. III. The Mifery of imregenerate Man. John I- 1, /^\ Lord, the Word of God, the Word it felf V kJ God, thou art Light, and by thee the Light Joh;i4. 6.was made: Thou art the Way ^ the "truth^ and the 'Life^ in whom is no Darknefs or Error, no Vanity Ifa. 5. 20. or Death. Without thee / put darknefs for light ^ and light for darknefs. Without thee I am all over Confufion and Mifbake, Ignorance and Bhndnefs; Gen. 1. 3. Say to mj Soul, Let there heLight^ that I may dif- eern the light, and avoid darknefs 3 that I may fee the way, and be deliver'd from my wandrings > that I may know the Truth, and not be deceiv'd by Falihcod 3 .that I may attain the true Life, and not be fwallow'd up in Death. Thou art my Lord, and. I will fear thee> my God, and I will praife thee j my Father , and I will love thee j my Spoufe, and I will keep my felf only unto thee. Lul^e I. Pity this defolate Creature, which fits in darknefs^ *;S, 79- -and in -the f J ad Qw of deaths and guide my feet into pral.41. A- the 'way of jpeace^ that I may ^0 into the houfe of my 'Gcd^with the voice of joy and thankfgiving. For, this is the way, by which I muil return from my Errors, into thee the true way, even the w^ay of Life. I will therefore approach thee, O Father of Hea- ven and Earth, and lay before thee all my State, that the frank Confeflion of my Mifery may re- com.mend me to thy Mercy. I was reduc'd to nothing, nay, to worfe than nothing, and knew it not, becaufe thou art the Truth^ and I was not with thee : I was wounded with my Tranfgref- lions, and felt no Smart, becaufe thou art theLife^ and I was not with thee. I was brought to no- thing, becaufe thou art the Word^ by whom all things were made, and I was not with' thee. For Gen. I. Qfodifazv all things that ha had 'made .^and behold they 13' ^ 'UJcr^ MEDITATIONS. i/y fwere 'very good. They mull be fo, becaufe nothing John 1.3. rwas made 'without him , and nothing that is good can be otherwile fo, but by its participation of, and Vinion with , the Supreme Good : But God made not Evil, nor hath it any Being of its own, but is pnly a privation of Good , and is therefore No- thing, and makes the committers of it in God's Account nothing too , as being made without the Word, without which nothing that hath an actual Exigence was made> and therefore is it Evil, be- caufe it proceeds not from , and hath no part in, that Good , by which all things inere made. And confequently to be without the JVord^ is to be no- thing 'y and Evil argues a defeat only , and not a pofitive effect, becaufe all things that are, are by the Word. Now what it is to be without the Word, is eafy to be underltood from that Defcription given of himfelf, I am the Way ^ the 'Truth and the Life : He John 14-6- that is without thefe , is without the Word -, and to be without him is Evil, becaufe it feparates from the Author of all Good : It is alfo to be no- thing, becaufe it infers a defe6t, a privation of living in and with him , by whom all things that Exiitare, and are made good. So often then as we depart from Good , fo oft we depart from the Word, and from our proper Exiitence. And I thank thee, O Lord, for fo far enlightening mc with the knowledge of thee, and of my felf, as to make me fenlible, that whenfoever I forget that which is Good , and corrupt my felf with Evil, I am transform'd from what I was , lofe my Spiri- tual Life and Being, and am cut off from thee. Wretch that I was , not to confider this before ! How low I fell, and how exa6tly that Defcription of the Heathen Idols fuited the Condition of my Soul 5 for this too, during my Separation from thee. Hath ears and hears not^ nofe and finells not^?[zl ij. eyes and fees not ^ mouth and freaks not .^ hands andaBs >. 6, 7. '. / ^ notj i7d MEDITATIONS. not. In ihort, is nothing but an empty Form, the Lines and Proportions of every Part, without the \J[c and Senfation proper to any of them. So true it is, that while I was without thee, I was not at all -, but fell back into nothing ; blind and deaf, and infenfible to do good, having no inclination, no know^ledgc to avoid Evil. Hence, bad my Enemies their will upon me > they ftripp'd and wounded, they fpoil'd and flew me, becaufe I departed from thee, my Light and my Defence. But, O God of my Life, raife me, I pray thee, from this Death. Look upon me in the Day of my Trouble , and fave me from the Hand of the in- fulting Adverfaries. Let them that hate mx flee before thee , and let me live in thee, and by thee. They faw my Mifery ', and had me in deriiion, they divided my Virtues, thofe Garments giveni to adorn my Soul, among them, and rode over my Head ! They defiled thy holy Temple with Filth and Sin, and brought me into Ruin and Defolation: They led me Captive from one wick-- ednefs into another, and dragg'd me through Mire and Clay. I was a Slave, and in love with my Bondage j Blind, and loved darknefs rather than light \ tied and boimd , and fond of my Chains. Miferable, and knew it not. And all, becaufe feparatcd from that Almighty Word, by which every Creature fubfifbs, and is preferv'd. O do thou from henceforth unite me to thy felfj for, when I go from thee, I periflij and can no other way be reflor*d to Being, but by that Power making a new Creature, which at the firft did make me out of nothing. And, blefTed be that Power and Mercy, which vifited me when I of- fended, rais'd me up when I was fallen, taught me when I was ignorant, and gave fight to my E-yes when I was blind. CHAP, &. MEDITATIONS. 177 CHAP. IV. \/4n AEi of Traife for God's manifold Mercies in Marls pre fent State, TEach me, my God, how much I ought to love thee, how thankfully I ought to praife thee, how carefully I ought to pleafe thee. Let the voice of thy Thunder be heard from above , and pierce the Ears of my ilupid Heart j that I may magnify that Goodncfs, which created me when as yet I was not 5 which enlightened me when I was in darknefs j which revived me when I was dead 5 which fuflaincd me from my Youth up with its Bounty 5 and Hill cherilhes this vile, ufelefs, loathfome Worm , with the good gifts of its right and left Hand. Open to me, O Key of David^ which opene ft ^ ^;^^ Re v. 3. 7. no Man ftoutteth againil him to whom thou openeft > and jhutteth^ and no Man openeth to him againfl whom thou fhuttell 3 open to me, Holy and Y'rue^ that I may enter into thy Light, and fee, and know, and thank "thee with my whole Heart. ¥ov great is ihy?h\. 85. mercy toward me^ and thou haft delhered my Soul ^ 3 • from the nether mo ft Hell. O Lord^ my God^ how ' ^* excellent is thy name in all the world I PFhat is Man that thou art mindful of him ? or the Son of Man that thou viftteft him ? O hope of thy Saints , and hfe of my Soul, by whom I live, and without whom I die> light of my Eyes, and joy of my Heart, let me love thee v/ith all my Mind, and with all my Strength j bccaiife thy Bowels are fo wonderfully enlarg'd, and thou hail: firft loved me with an exceeding Love. And whence is this to me, that the Creator ofi'fal.16.2. Heaven and Earth , and of the Great Deep, to whom my Goods cannot extend, cannot add any fhing, ilioiild vouchfife ;o love a Creature of whom 1/8 MEDITATIONS. whom he hath no need ? O Wifdom, O Word of God, which enablefl; the dumb to fpeak, open my Mouth, and infpire me with thy Praife, that I may thankfully recount the Benefits, which thou hail from the beginning conferr'd upon thy Servant. My very Being is from thy Gift > I am, becaufe thou madeft me 5 and this was ordain'd by thee from all Eternity 5 before the Mountains were brought forth, or the great Depths broken up; before the Earth was fix'd upon its Foundations, or the Heavens llretch'd out as a Curtain j I was written in thy Book, and numbred among thy Creatures by an everlafling Decree, a certain fore- fight of every thing that ihould be, long before it was. And what, O merciful Father, and moil migh- ty Creator, what could there be in me, to de- ferve, what to incline, thy glorious Majeily, to make me ? What indeed , fince I was not ? And thou madefl me not a drop of Water, a fpark of Fire, nor a Bird or Fifh, not a Brute or an In- fcft, not a Stone or a Tree 5 Not one of thofe Creatures to whom thou hafl imparted Being with- out Lifcj nor of thofe who have Life \\«thout Senfe j nor yet of thofe , who have Senfe without Reafon : But a Creature fuperior to all thofe j a Pfal 8. 5. little lower than the Angels^ becaufe partaker of an intelligent Spirit, common to Man with them, by thy merciful diftribution , and moil wife appoints ment. But ftill a little lower than the Angels^ be- caufe they are happy in that knowledge of thy Glories, which they attain by Sight, but I by 1 Cor, 13. Faith and Hope onlyj they fee thee face to face ^ I ^" darkly through a glafs y they know xh^c fully ^ las yet but in part. I CHAP. t4. MEDITATIONS. 179 C H A P. V. The Excellency of Maris Future State, Chap. 8. T'His is my prefent condition, but this condition will not lail always. For inhen that which is ^ Cor. 15." perfect is come^ then that which is in part JJoall he done ^^' away, then fhall we with open face behold the glory 2. Cor. 3. of the Lord^ and he changed our fehes into the fame i^* image of him we behold. What fhall then hinder us from being no longer a little lower than the Angels^ whom thou haft already crowned with hope, and ihalt then crown with glory and honour^ whom thou Pfal. 8. j; delighteft to honour as thy friends and favourites, and advanceft to a dignity and happinefs in all points like Theirs ? Thus hath thy truth declared, that They who fhall be accounted worthy to obtain that ^"^^ ^^« world^^ are equal to the Angels^ and are the children of '^^^ ^'^^ God. Children of God, in the moft beneficial and exalted fenfe, if equal to the Angels j and there- fore Sons of God, becaufe the Son of God was made the Son of Man. The confideration of this Myftery gives me the Confidence to fay, not only that Man is little lower than the Angels, not only that he is equal to the Angels, but that in fome refpects he is even fuperior to the Angels 5 in that Man, not Angel, is God ^ and God vouch fafed to be made, not x'Vngel, but Man. This honour done to our Nature gives Man a Prerogative above any other Creature whatfoever > For the /Vord^ which was in the beginning with God^ Job. i.rz; and was God^ that Word which faid. Let there be Ij^ i. Light ^ and there was Light ^ (by which created Light ^^"« i- 3* fome underftand thofe Intelleftual Spirits the An- gels) that Word, by which God made all things in the beginning, was made flefo^ and dwelt in us^ Joh. t.i4= and we have feen his glory. This is that Glory, in which I glory : This the Joy in which I rejoice. T ac- 8o MEDITATIONS. I acknowledge therefore, O Lord, my Life, my Joy and Glory, that in making me a Creature capa- ble of Reafon, thou haft made me in fome re- gard equal to the Angels 5 becaufe this gives me a capacity of being made perfect by thy Word, and receiving the adoption of Sons by thy only bcgot- Mat.3.17 ten Sonj that beloved Son in whom thou art well plcafed -y thy confubftantial coeternal Heir , Jefus Chrift our only Lord and Redeemer 5 Our Inligh- ^ J^^^-^ tener. and Comforter, Our u^dvocate with the Fa- ther. Our Life, and Saviour, and only Hope, who Eph 3.12. loved us more tenderly than his own body, by whom we have boldnefs and accefs with confidence to Thee, J oh. Mi. becaufe he hath given us power to become the Sons of God^ even to as many as believe in his name, I will magnify thy name, O Lord, for that by Gen.1.26. creating me in thy own Image after thy likenefs, thou hall given me a capacity of fuch excellent glory, as to become a Child of God. This is an honour of w^hich Trees and Stones, and all the Vegetable and Senfitive World, whether of Crea- tures in the Air, or Earth, or Sea, are totally ex- cluded. To whom thou haft not granted the power of becoming thy Children, becaufe they are not endued with Reafon. For in that Reafon by which we attain to the Knowledge of God, does this Capacity confift 5 and therefore Man alone is happy in it, becaufe refembling his hea- venly Father in the dignity and perfections of a Rational Soul. Thus to thy Favour and Goodnefs 1 owe my being a Man, and to a yet higher de- gree of the fame Goodnefs, that, being Man by r^ature, I am qualified for becoming thy Child by Grace j which no other of the Creatures in this lower world can be. And whence is this to me, thou Univerfal Au- thor and Maker of every Creature •, whence, that I fhould be fo fignally honoured above the reft of the Works of thy hands ? Thou art the fame from . and MEDITATIONS. i8 ^nd to all Eternity, and didll in time create all things in the fpace of fix days. Man and Beafts, Stones and Trees, were produced together. No antecedent merits of their own contributed to that produ6i:ion j For how could they deferve, who as yet were not ? It was of thy Goodnefs alone that they had a Being communicated to them, and all in this refpe^t were equal, that all were a- likc undefemng. How came it then to pafs, that this Creature whom thou endueft with Reafon, fhould receive fuch a pecuhar, fuch abundant marks of thy Love ? Why were not They advanced to the fame level with me, or I at leaft thrult down to the fame with Them ? Had I any right, any pretence at all, to that glorious Privilege of being made capable of this Divine Sonfhip.^ Far be it from me. Lord, to entertain fo vain a thought. No, no, it was thy Goodnefs, thy free Grace alone, that made this diftincbion (o !_ much to my advantage •, that I might fee, and feel, and tafte, and paitake largely of thy mercy. And therefore by that Grace, which thus appeared fo liberally in thy firft Creation, I humbly implore thee to make me a new Creature -, and grant me grace to be duly thankful for the infinite . Good- nefs thus extended to me. C H A P. VI. Of the Almighty Tower of God. Ch. 9. 10, THY mighty Hand, at all times and upon all occafions the fame, created Angels in Hea- ven, and Worms upon Earth 5 nor was the one of thefe Operations left a denionflration of thy Om- nipotence than the other. For as no hand but thine could give Being to Creatures fo noble as the * 8z MEDITATIONS. the Angels, fo none but thine could frame tHevileft Infc6t. Thine only could fpread out the Firma- ment, thine only could produce the leaft fpire of Grafs. Thine only could fafhion thefe wonderful Bodies of ours, thine only make the leaft hair of our heads white or black : For to that power which knows no bounds, all things are not only poflible, but are equally fo. Matth. 6. To Thee there is the fame difficulty in making 36. a Worm, as an Angelj to Thee the fame eafe in creating the whole Heaven, as a (ingle Leaf^ the colouring a Hair, and compa6ting a Body, are the fame thing, and the Almighty finds no difference between hanging the Earth upon the Waters, and Pfal. 1 3 5. Supporting the Waters by dry Ground. Whatever 6. pleafed Him was done in heaven and in earthy and in the fea^ and in all deep places > and done exadtly as it pleafed him. He made them all, and me among the reft, according to the excellency of his wifdom, and fkill, and power, and good pleafure. Thy hand, hadft thou thought fit, could have made me a Stone, or a Bird, or a Serpent, or any of the Brutal kind> but fuch was thy Goodnefs, that it would not. If then I would be fitisfied why I am none of thefc, but a Creature by far more excel- lent than all thefe 3 no other anfwcr can be re- turned to that quellion, but this, that thy won- drous Goodnefs was pleafed thus to order it, and that it did thus order without any confideration on my part to deferve, or any way incline thee to grant me fuch preference above the Creatures of lower attainments, and lefs honourable fta- tion. How fliall I therefore praife thee, moft mighty Lord ? How fiiall I be able to contribute to thy glory, who could contribute nothing to my own cxiifence ? Let thy own works magnify thee, ac- cording to the gfcatnefs and multitude of thy power ajid mercies. Thy praife is too vaft to be com- MEDITATIONS. 183 comprehended by thought, exprell by words^ or heard by any mortal ear. Thefc all are finite, and pals away > but thy glory is infinite, and the praiie of it endureth for ever. Our thoughts begin, and foon come to an end, our words form different founds, and vanifh into air, our ear receives im- ^reilion of thofe founds, and quickly lofes 'em again, but thy praife is fixed, and abideth to all eternity. What mortal Man then is fufficient lo tell thy no- pfal. io6, hleMs^ or fet forth all thy praife? He praifes thee in- 2.. deed, who acknowledges himfelf unable to praife thee. We only praife thee in and by thy felf, and all our praife is in thee. Then have we true praife, when thou approveft thy own works in us > When we feek it from any other, we lofe true praife j for that is tranfitory, thine Eternal, and as oft as the tranfitory is grafped at, the eternal flips away from us. Let me therefore love and feek thee alone, from whom is true and lafting praife. Give me thy felf, and fo fhall I be able to praife thee J for, What am I without thee, but dult and afhes, a dead dog, a loathfome Carcafs, and how ^ , . fhould death and corruption praife the God of the ^^ ^^' Spirits of allflejh^ that inhabit eth Eternity? I fa* 5 7. 15.^ Can Darknefs praife Light, and Death Life? Yet fuch is the difference between Thee and me. Thou art Light, I am Darknefs : Thou art Life^ I am Death : Thou an Eternal Subftance, I Vanity and Nothing. And can a rriortal man, who to day is, and to morrow is not, praife him that endures the fame for ever ? Can rottennefs and worms add to the glory of the Great God } Can he that is con- ceiv'd and born, and brought up in fin, praife that hohnefs whofe pure eyes cannot behold iniquity? No, my God, let thy own incomprehenfible Power and Wifdom, and Goodnefs, thy boundlefs Mercy and unfpeakable Clemency ; let thefe, for thefe a- lone are qualified to fet forth thy praifes. Even that Almighty Power, and infinite Love, by which N thou 184 MEDITATIONS. thou halt created me to natural, and regenerated me to Spiritual Life, O God, the Life of my Soul. CHAP. VIL Chip. iV.A Grayer for the "Divine Grace and 7rote5iionl Will therefore rejoice under the fhadow of thy wings, and hope in thy Goodnefs, which firlt gave me Being. Thy Bounty made me, let it alfo help me j preferve that Creature which thy Good- nefs made, from periihing in its own wickednefs and mifery. For how am I the better for being made, if I be fuffered to fink into my own Cor- Pf. 89.47. ruption? Haft th 011^ my God, created man for nought? 138. 8. Defpife not then the work of thy own hands : but go- vern and preferve it. Thou madeil me out of no- thing, and if thou leavefh me deilitute of thy pro-- tediion, I fliall quickly return to nothing. For as I was not, when thou firlt commandedll me into Being, fo unlcfs thou be pleafed to aflift and fup-- port me,, there is that principle of deil:ru6bion in- me, which will foon make me not to be again. Help me therefore, thou God of my Life, that I periih not. Hadft thou not made me, I had ne- ver been at all : Becaufe thou madeil: me 1 am what I am 5 but if thou preferve me not, I am no more. Let then that Love, which prevail'd with thee to give me Being , prevail alfo for the gover- nance and prefervation of that Being. Save what thou haft created, and corapleat thy mercy 5 for better were it never to have created me, than to create me for iin and deftrudion. The Benefit I afk, is not lefs than that vouchfafcd already j Thy love is ftill the fame, for thou hateft nothing that thou haft made, and art the fame kind God, even Ifai. 59.1, Love it felf. Thy hand is 7iot ftyortned^ that it cannot 3. fave^ neither thy heavy ear^ th^t it cannot hear > hut my^ MEDIT A-TION S. i8; iniquities ha-ve feparated between mc and my God^ be- tween darkncfs and light, between the fhadow of death and life, between falHiood and truth > be-, tween my periHaing, and thy enduring and ever- laftin^ fubitance. CHAP. VIII. A Trayer againft Evil T^efires. ch.12,13; THefe are the thick fhades of night, with which. 1 am encompafs'd in the dark Dungeon of this mortal Body, till the day dawn^and the day ftar ^^p^x, i; arife in my heart. O that thy powerful voice would 19. iflue that irrefiftable Command, Let there he light ! Gen. 1.2^ fo fhould darknefs difperfe from off the face of the 3» deep^ fo the dry land appear and bring forth abun- dantly the green herb, and the fruit of righteouf- ne{s after his kind. O Father of Life, leave me not under the power of wicked Imaginations, nor give me a proud look : But turn away from thy eccIus." Servant an haughty mind and vain concupifcence,!}. 4» 5» and pollefs my Heart with thy grace, that I may ferve and always think on Thee with reverence and godly fear. Enlighten my Eyes that they may fee thee, and not exalt themfelves -, but gaze with humble won- der on the things that are too high to be thorough- ly perceived : And fix my fight and defires on the blelTings of thy right, and not on thofe of thy left Hand. Attrad my heart with that Goodnefs thou haft laid up for them that fear thee, that I may love thee with everlafting love , aiid not wander after vain objects, and, blinded with their deceit- ful appearance, put hitter for fweet^ and fvjeet for rfj,_ ^^ -^.qI bitter ', darknefs for light ^ and light for darknefs : But that by thy giacious guidance and mighty N 2. pro^ i8(5 MEDITATIONS. prote^ion, I may be fafely led, and efcape thofe manifold Snares which the fubtile nature of our common ' Enemy lays every where in our way to catch unwary Souls. Of which, he who wifely had confidercd our danger,, hath given us this fair I John 1. warning, yf// that is in the JVorld^ is the luft of the i6. Fleflj^ the deftres of the Eyes^ and the pride of Life, r Since then every place is fo thick fet with Snares^ and every ilep we take fo full of hazard, who fhall be able to promife himfelf Safety ? Surely none but he whom' thou fecureft from the dejire of the Eyes^ by taking from him a proud look j none but He, whom thou defended againft the lufi of the fleflj^ by turning from him vain concupifcence : None but He, whom thou haft made proof againft the pride of life^ by delivering him from a haughty and in- folent and profane mind. Happy the Man who is J^fal S9. thus arm'd, thus prote(Sted j His Enemies fhall not ^2" he able to do him violence^ the Son of 'wi eke dnefs fhall not hurt him. i beg thee therefore, O my Redeemer, for thy own mercies fake, let me not fall into the fnares laid for me, nor give the adverfary occafion to tri- Pfal.68.i,umph in my ruin. Let my God arife^ and let his ^* enemies he fcattered^ yea^ let them which hate him flee before him. Like as the fmoak 'vanifJjeth^ fo do thou drive them away > and like as the wax meltetb at the fire^ fo let the ungodly periflo at the prefence of God. Thou, Lord, art the Father of the father^ lefs, hear the cry of thy defolate and helplefs Chrl- Pfal. 1 2, 1 . dren. Sleep not^ nor flumber^ O thou keeper o-f If" 4. rael^ for the watchful Enemy that labours IfraeVs deftruftion, doth neither flumber nor fleep. O Eighty before which all other hght is dark- nefs, which no night can damp, no obftrudion intercept, no blindnefs ihut outj Thou that en- lightneft every thing in every part, at once and always receive me in thy brightnefs, that I may fee thee in thy felf, and my felf in thee, and all I things MEDITATIONS. 187 things elfe under thee. If thou withdraw thy Shin- ing, the clouds of niy ignorance gather, and I am overwhelmed with Sin and Error. All is black, all evil without thecj for what can poflibly be good, which is deftitute of thee , the True, the Chief, xhe only Good ? I know, O Lord, and acknowledge, that befides thee alone not only all without, but all within me, is Mifery and Want. And otherwife than wretched I cannot be, when diftrafted by the vaft variety of worldly Obje6ts, and drawn off from thee, the one fupreme Good. I purfue firfl one, and then another, but cannot meet with- fatisfacbioa from any : I flarve in the midft of plenty, and am but mock'd with the empty pomp of a Feafl, when my Soul feeds on any thing but thee 5 for thou alone canft fatisfy my hunger, all wage my pains, and fill my large defires. How wretched, doubly wretched,, is that Soul^ >vhich forfakes thee , with whom is fulnefs and joy, to follow the World , where it is fure to fuf- fer poverty and pain ? The World cries out, I can- not fatisfy thee •, thou fiiyeft^ Eat and let thy Soul be fatisfiedj and yet (fuch is the perverfeneis of my appetite) I follow after that which cannot, and forfake that which can and would content ms. Con:e6t, O Spiritual Phyiician , this diforderly ea- gernefs for Trafh, and, help me to relifh the whole- fome food of Souls : and to Ifibour for that mec^t y-^\^^ 5^ 'which endureth to e'verlafiing life. ^7* The great things thou hall done for me already encourage me to afk and hope for more. I was not, an4 tbou gaveft me Being j I was loft and thou haft reftored me 5 dead and thou haft raifed mej thou enduredft death to purchafe my life j and tho' the King of Heaven deliveredft up thy Perfon to ran^- fom the leaft and moft unworthy of thy Subjetis, thy Blood was not thought a Price too dear for my Redemption, and I may truly fay, that in fome i88 MEDITATIONS. fenfe, thou lovcdft me better than thy felf, fince thou weit content to die for my fake. By fo gra- cious a Covenant, by fo precious a Ranfom, am I redeem'd from flavery and exile, from punifhment and death. And that the remembrance of fuch aftonifhing Mercies might be for ever frefh and prefent with me, thou haft called me by thy Name, marked me for thy own \vith thy Blood, anointed me with that Oil of the holy Spirit, T John 2.. with which thy felf waft anointed, and diftin- "^^' guiftied me with the moft honourable of all Titles, that of Chrijiian. Thus have thy Grace and Mer- cy all along prevented me. And infinite are the dangers from which thou haft deliver'd me. Thou -haft been my Guide and Teacher, when I ftrayed through ignorancc'v my Reprover and Correfter when 1 oifended through carelefnefs or prefump- tionj my Comfort in Trouble, my Support in Defpair ^ whe» I fell, thou tookeft me up 5 when I ftood, it was becaufe thou upheldeft mx, when I advanced , thou condu6]:edft me ; v/hcn T ap- proached, thou receivedft me j when I ftept, thou didft guard me 3 when I cry'd thou didft hear and anfwer me. C H A P. IX. Chap. 14. Of Gods feeing all the ABions and Intentions of Men, THefe and innumerable other Mercies, I thank- fully afcribe to thee, my God, and recollect with fuch a fenfible delight, that I could dwell up- on them for ever j and wiih. to fpeak, and think of thee alone j to love thee with all my Heart , and ]VL^;d, and Strength, and, with every Faculty and Part of my Soul and Body be conftantly employ- ed MEDITATIONS. 189 ed in praifing thee. O how blefTed are thoie pious Men who can rejoice in thee ! But thou, my God, feeft all my imperfedions, and how far dillant I am from this happinefs. Thy Eyes are a thoufand times more piercing than the Sun, pe- netrating the deepell and darivcil receflcs , and watching continually in every 'place to behold the?iQv.i^. £vil and the good. ^ 3- For thou, who filled and governed all things, haft a conftant regard to the Work of thy own Hands: Hadft thou not loved thy Creatures , thou hadft not made them > and the lame love which made, will always continue to guide, and pre- ferve, and watch over them. Thus thou art ever prefent with me, always marking well my goings, and numbreft all my fteps : Thou ftandeft over me as a watchful Centinel, and obferveft me as nicely as if all care of every thing befides had been dif- .mift, and I remain'd the only Objed of thy Con- cern > for fo entire, fo unalterable is the perfedi- on of thy Sight and Knowledge, that it is neither more exa6t by being confin'd to one Objed, nor at all perplexed or confufed by taking into view the moft diftant and even innumerable. Becaufe as thou confidereft the whole with all its parts in onediftinftly, fo doft thou fee all, though never fo many, never fo different, never fo remote 3 and feeft them all together, with one and the lame act of thy whole divine Knowledge. This is of fuch unbounded Comprehenfion^ fo incapable of being feparated in its own Operations, or diftracled with variety of Obiefts , that one and many are the fame, and both underftood and obfcrv'd alike, be- caufe filling alike under the lame undivided and en- tire Wifdom , which applies the whole of it felf 1:0 the confideration of each and every thing. And thus I ought to believe my felf, ^and every ^hing belonging to me as much under thy Eye, as ' if thy Providence had no other care. For thou -^ -i , N 4 ^^'^ ipo meditations'. art always prefent, always ready , if thou do but find me fo. Wherefoever I go, thou goeft along with me, except I firfl forfake and fall from thee. Where-ever I am, thou abidell with me > for thou art every where > that I may find thee upon every remove, and fo fubfiil: by thee 5 for otherwife I mull perifli, not being able to fubfift without thee. I rnuil acknowledge then, that every thing I do is done in thy prefence j thou underllandeit every aftion, and the nature of it, much better than even I who am the doer of it. For let me do what I will, and when I will, flill thou art pre- fent at all times equally j an incefiant obferver of all my views and Intentions, my inclinations and inward complacencies, my words and a6tions. So pfaj.3S.9. good reafon have I to cry out with David^ Lord^ 339. ^' thou knoipefl all my defire^ and under fiandefi my thoughts afar off. Thou feeft how the Spirit moves me, whence it comes, where it reds, and whither it tends j be- caufe thou art the weigher of Spirits. The outward Aft, like a well leav'd Tree, may be fair and flou- rifhing, and impofe upon the Eyes of Men > but the All- feeing Judge goes deeper , he examines the Sap and and Root throughly. If this be rotten or bitter, if the Intention be corrupt , he deals with the Tree according to its Root, and recompenfes . the Man after the bent of his Heart. The Evil that he would do is punifh'd, and the Good he en- deavoured and heartily defir'd to do, but could not, is as kindly accepted as if it had been aftually ac- compliihed. Thou feeft, as foqn as I begin to move, what I would be at j what I defign and de- light in J thy Ears and Eyes are ever open 5 thou attendeft diligently, and entereft- punftually into thy Book, whatever I do, whether it be good, or whether it be evil, that the one may receive a bountiful reward, the other its deferv'd punifh- ment. MEDITATIONS. 191 ment. And this fhall furely be ijuhen the Books JhallEyL.-]. lo. he opened^ and all Mankind jh all be judged out of the Rev. zo. th'mgs 'which are %vritten in thofe Books^ according to^'^- their works. Thus may \vc underftand what is faid of thee, that thou fearcheft out all perfe^ion y becaufe in hu- man A6tions thou hall a greater regard to what we wifh and intend to do, than to what we really do. And when I ferioufly confider, that this is the me- thod by which thou proceedelt, fhame and confu- fion, fear and horrible dread, link my Spirits > to think how holy and upright, how pure and fincere, all our intentions and behaviour ought to be, fince we do every thing in the fight of our Judge > a Judge on whom no difguife can impofe , but who does not only fee our A6tions, but perfectly difcern our molt fecret Thoughts. C H A P. X. . The Impotence of htman Nature xo refill Temp- Ch.i 5, t54» tations, without the affijiance ofTDivine'^' Grace, OLord, the God of the Spirits of all flefh^ whofe Mum. 16:. Eyes are upon all the ways of the Sons of ^i- Men , from the very inftant of their entrance into this World , to that of their departure out of it, that thou mayll render to every Man according to his doings -, briiig me, I befeech thee, acquainted with my felf 5 that I may be truly fenfible of my weaknefs and my wants, I have indeed prefumed to fay, but they were but vain boalls, that / 'z^^^ Re v. 3. 17, rich^ and flood in need of nothing y ivhile alas ! I was poor and blind^ and naked^ and 7niferahle^ and weak. Thus I thought my felf fomething, when in truth I \vas nothing j and p' and thus far refembles the Devil himfelf, that he would ufurp upon the Ma- jefty and Property of his Mafter. He that is am- bitious of praife for thy Gifts, and aims not at pro- moting thy honour , but his own , how profufe foever Men may be in their Commendations of him, yet thou wilt be fure to reproach and con- demn him for his Arrogance and Injuftice. And what lliall the praife of Men then profit him ? For though they extol never fo much, yet if thou dis- approve, they {hall not be able to defend him when thou fitteil: in Judgment, nor to deliver him from Vengeance, when thy av/ful Voice fhall pafs the fatal Sentence upon him. Therefore, O Lord, who hail formed and fuf- tained me from my Mother's Womb, fuffer mc not, I implore thee, to fall under that Condemna- tion, of attempting to Ileal away any part of thy Glory. Thine is all the Good, and fit, it is, that thine fhould be all the Honour of it. To me be- longs only Confufion of Face, and Mifery unfpeak- able 'y for mine is all the Evil , and of that evil this mull be the Confequence, unlefs thy Mer- cy interpofe and refcue me. But thou , my Lord, wilt have Mercy 5 thy Mercy extends to all thy Works, and tliou hatell nothing that thou hall made 3 thou impartell to us of thy own goodnefs, Tind enrichell us with many excellent Girts j hav- ing declared thy felf, a lover of the Poor, and a provider for their Neccffitics out of thy hid treafures. Pfal. 1 1 3, *^. ^ Behold^. 194 MEDITATIONS. lAike 6. 20. Flal. 22. 26. Luke I. 52., 53. 14. II. Behold we are poor, we are thy needy Children, thy little Flock j open to us thy Gates, that the poor may eat and be fatisfied^ and the heart of them ■that feek thee^ may -praife thee and Ihe for ei:er. For I am taught, that none but they who fee, and ac- knowledge, and lament their Poverty, lliall be en- riched by thee j while the rich and great in their Mat. 5. 3. own conceits, (who are in reality the leaft and mofl wretchedly indigent of all others) ihall be fent empty away , and left to perifli in their fup- pofed fufficiency. In a due fenie of this Difpenfation, I mofl hum- bly confefs my fpiritual Poverty > that I have no- thing of my own j and , if any good A6bion have been done by me, the Honour of it is intirely thine, becaufe the good it felf was thy Gift. I do look upon my felf to be no better than Vanity, a Mafs of Corruption, a dark and empty Creature, a barren Soil, not able, without the fruftify- ing dew of thy Bleifing, to bring forth any Fruit, but the venomous and noifome Weeds of Shame, and Sin, and Death. If I have any good Difpo- & fltion, it is of thy infufing •, if I have perfevered in doing well , it is becaufe thy Strength enabled me 3 if I fell off from a good courfe, it was becaufe thy Grace did not prefei*ve me : And in each of thofe Relapfes I had lain and been loft for ever, had not thy mighty Hand raifed me out of that duft of Death. Thy Light alone delivered me from Blindnefs, thy Defence from Temptations, thy Support from Relapfes , and thy continual Governance from final Mifery and Ruin irreco- verable. Thus hath thy Goodnefs, O my God, prevent- ed me in all the Events and Exigencies of my Life j refcuing me out of paft evils, fuftaining and defendr ing me againft the prefent, and arming me againft the future. Hewing in pieces the Nets and Snares laid to entrap my Soul, and taking out of the way - the MEDITATIONS. 1915 the occafions and allurements to Sin, which hadft thou not done for me, there is not in the World a Crime (6 black, but I might have been guilty of it. For this I know, O Lord, that there is no Sin ever committed by any one Man, which any o- ther Man is not capable of committing too, if that Almighty Power which made him Man, be not at hand with its afliftance. But what I could not do for my felf, thou haft vouchfafed in much mercy to do for me : Thou laidft upon me thy Commands, and didfl fignify, what I ought to abftain from : Thou gaveft to thefe Commands the San6tion of Promifes and Threatnings, and to thy Grace a- lone I afcribe my believing the one and the other. Thou haft governed and preferved me to Thee and to my felf 5 and, by thy feafonable and happy Re- straints, I have been kept from Adultery, Muithcr,_^ Blafphemy, and every heinous Violation of thy Laws, which othenvife had provoked thy difplca- fure, and certainly incurred my own Damnation. Sometimes there was no Tempter to perfuade me to do amifs j and, that there was no fuch at hand, was the effect of thy merciful Providence- ^ At ether times the Tempter was ready, and had done his part, but for want of fit time and place^ the Temptation could not take eife6t : This alfo was from the fame good Providence. At others, he laid the Bait, Place was convenient, Opportu- nity was invitmg, and then, by thy reftraining Grace, I was withheld from complying with his black and deceitful Allurements. Sometimes he made his approaches in the dark, black and loath- Ibme as he is -, and thy affiftancc enabled me to difcover and deteft his Deformities. S^omctimes fke ftrong man anned attacked me with open force, and Luke rr, hoped to carry me by Terror and Storm > and in^'-. thefe Confli6ts thou haft fo powerfully reftrained Him, and ftrengthned Me, that I have not only Hood the {hock, but come off Conqueror. Some- times 1^6 MEDITATIONS. ■ times he hath accollied me in a bright and beautiful 1 Cor. 1 1 . Figure, and transformed bimfelf into an Angel of Light y 14- and thou hadll rebuked him, and opened my Eyes in time, to dete6t his borrowed Difguiies. For this Rev. II. is the red jDr^^^';^, the old Serpent, called the Devil ^ ' ^ • and Satan, having [even heads and ten horns j the great Leviathan^ whom thou hail: made to take his paf- Ffal. 104. time upon the vail Ocean of this World, ^wherein are things creeping innumerable^ both f mall and great beajls 5 that is, feveral kinds of evil Spirits, working mif- I Pet. 5.8. chief day and night, and going about continually^ feek- ing whom they may devour. And devour they certain- ly will, except thou, the Great Shepherd of Souls^ deliver the Prey out of their hungry Jaw^s. Gen. 31. This is He, who appeared in the form of a Ser- Rev.12.4. pent in Paradife, w^hofe tail drew down a third part of the Jlars of heaven^ andcafi them to the earth -y who poifons the Waters, that Men may drink of the J0I340.13. invenomed Liquor and dye, who trufi^eth that he can 41 • 13- draw tip Jordan in his mouthy and is made without. fear. And, who can defend himfelf from his gree- dy Ravenings, except thou, Lord, dehver him, who Pfal. 74. breakeil the Heads of the great Dragon? Do thou ^3- therefore help and protect us, hide us under the Shadow of thy Wings, and ihield us from the force of the Monger's Horns. For this is his conftant employment, this his only defu'c and endeavour, to detfroy and fwallow up the Souls w^iich thou hall made. To Thee therefore, our God, we flee, to Thee we cry for defence againll our daily and our dead- ly Foe j who, whether w^e llcep or w^ake, whe- ther we eat or drink, or whatever elfe we are employed about, is Night and Day m.aking War a^ gainlf us, by cunning Stratagems and a thoufand un- conceivable Arts of Delufion. Sometimes in open Field, fometimes from private Ambufcades aiming his poifon'd Darts at us, that he may flay our Souls. And ycr, lb wretchedly ftupid, fo perverfely mad are MEDITATIONS. 197 arc we, that though we know and fee this fierce Dragon is ever making at us with open Mouth, Hill we can fold our hands to fleep, indulge our lelves in eafe and iloth, and wantonly fport upon the Brink of Ruin, as if no danger threatned us. His conllant Endeavour is our Deilru6tion, and upon this he is fo eagerly intent, as never to flum- ber or fleep : We in the mean while fleep fecure and will not fo much as be awakened into one fc- rious thought of our Chief, our Everlafting Con- cern. And what, alas ! muft needs become at lafl, of Creatures whom the Enemy ufes fo much In- dufrry to deilroy, and They fo very little to pre- ferve themfeives. For infinite, God knows, are our hazards, and all our v/ay is fpread fo thick with Traps and Toils, that we cannot tread one Step where there is not fomc Net laid for our Souls. And whofe wifdom and care is fuilicient to efcape them all ? Snares in our Plenty, and Snares in our Poverty : Snares in our Company, and Snares in our moil private Re- tirements : Snares in our Pleafures, and the ordinary Refrefliments of Life^ and Snares in our very Faft- ings and moft mortifying Aufteritics. Abroad or at home, afleep or awake, we are never fafe, but eve-' ry Word and Adion, every Thought and Defign is hazardous and enfnaring. Such is our Condition, and fo manifold our Danger. But do thou. Lord, deliver us from the Toils of the Hunter, that we may give Thanks unto thy Name, faying with the Holy Pfalmift, If the Lord himfelf bad not been on?hl 113: our fidcy our enemies had fwallowed us u^ quick : But i> 3> ^' 7« p'aifed be the Lord^ who hath not ghen us over ^s a prey unto their teeth. Our Soul is efcaped even as a Bird out of the Snare of the fowler^ the fnare is broken^ and we are delivered. Do thou, O gracious God, my Life and Light, ch. 17, in order to compleating this deliverance, enlighten my Eyes, that I may fee thy Light, and walk in it. For 198 MEDITATIONS. For who can cfcape the fnares he docs not fee? And who can fee them, except thou open his Eyes, and dire6l his unwary Steps ? The Prince of Darknels works in the dark, and fprdads his Nets unfeen 5 and the Children of Darknefs fall into them, becaufe deflitute of thy Light, in which John II. whofoever walketh, walketh fafely. For if any man 9» i°- *walketh in the day he ftumhlcth not^ hecaufe he feeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night he fiumhleth^ hecaufe there is no light in him. Now thou, my God, art the Light which alone can guide us ; thou art the Light of the Children of Light, the Day that never declines, and they who walk in thee, tread fure and fafe, but they who want Thee, are flill in the thickefl Night, and know not whither they go. This is moft manifefl from daily Experience, that the farther any Man wanders from Thee, the more he is bewildrcd in the Night of Ignorance and Error, of Sin and Confufion v and the mol*e grofs the Darknefs about him is, the lefs he is ca- pable of difcerning his Danger > the oftener he is entangled the deeper he falls, and is not fenfiblc that he does fo. And how iliould he be foUicitous to rife again, who does not perceive the neceffity of fuch an attempt, but fondly thinks he Hands, even when he falls moft dcfperatcly? How ihall that Patient ever find a Cure, who hath no appre- Iicnfion of his Difeafe? So great occafion have I to be importunate with Thee, my God, and Light, that thoii fliouldft enlighten my Eyes, and fliew me the true Hate of my cafe, that I may fee my way, and rightly apprehend my Danger, and not be Overthrown before mv cruel Adverfaries. For our common Enemy intends no lefs than our ut- Ifdiah r4.ter Dellruction : He is a robber from the begin- ning, and fuch he will continue to the end of the World. He firit formed a defign of invading thy Glory, and, for a piyiiflunent of that unjult and facrile- MEDITATIONS. 199 fecrilegioLis Pride, was call out of thy holy Moun- tain. And now iince that fall from Heaven, he Hill carries on his wicked Defigns with indefati- gable Induftry and Malice, labouring with all his might to undermine thy Children > and in impla- cable defpight to Thee^ to deftroy the Creature honoured above the reft, by being made after thy own Image, and defigned to inherit that Glory with thy felf, from which he by his proud Pre- fumption fell. But, O thou Shepherd of Ifrael^ break in pieces the Head of this ravening Wolf, let him not tear and devour thy tender Lambs, but lead thy Flock fafely, and condud them at laft td thy felf. T'hou knoweft his goings out^ and his coming ifaiah 37, in^ and his rage again ft us : Thou feeft through all 18. his cunning Difguifes, and canft with eafe dete<5l his fubtileft Devices. Nor do I mention thefe to in- form thee of them, for thou knoweft all things, and the fecreteft imaginations are not hid from thee : But I lament my danger, and my own difabihty, that thou, my Judge, mayeft fee how ienfible I am of both, that thy Compaftion may come in to my aiiiftance, and difappoint our Enemy and thine ^ and fave thofe Souls whofe ftrength thou art a- lone. Our Enemy is wondrous crafty, and his Con- trivances are fo difguifed, that, except thou open our Eyes, we cannot eafily difcover what it is he aims at, nor diftinguifh this deadly Foe, from a very affe6lionate Friend. For he conveys himfelf into every place, and is dexterous beyond what is pofti* ble to conceive, at putting on all manner of fhapes* Sometimes he appears like himfelf, a raging Wolf, or a black Fiend ^ at other times he feems a meek and gentle Lamb, and is transformed into an An- gel of Light. He v/atches all our motions, obfei^ves what poilure our affairs are in, and accommodates his Temptations to the Humour, the Occafions,^ the Events and Fortunes of each Perfon j he con- O fiders zoo MEDITATIONS. ders the Times, the Places, the critical Jiindtures, in which thefe are moft likely to prevail, and is fiire to fall in with thofe, that are moft £ivourable to his mifchievous Purpofes. He counterfeits me- kncholyy that he may delude the forrowful and dejefted j and Jollity, that he may betray the fprightly and gay 5 he wears Sheeps cloathmg, that he may deceive the fccurej and all the fa- vage fiercenefs of the Wolf, that he may terrify the fearful. Thus does he manage matters with fuch a fatal Addrefs, that fome are feared with terrors by nighty and others wounded with the arrows that fly by day^ others tainted with the fecret peflilence of lufls that "walk in darknefs^ and others deftroyed by the open Profanenefs and impudent Vices that wafte at fioon day. And who is fufficient for thefe things ? What Prudence, what Caution can be a match for Job 41. fuch intricate Impollures? Who can difcover the r3« face of his garrdent^ or bridle up the 'teeth of this tyrai:mical Leviathan? Behold he hides his Arrows (ecretly in his Qui- ver, and hits us fuddenly, when we are leaft in fear. While he covers his Hook w^ith fpecious baits, and fets his Traps out of fight, he drav/s us into Mifery and Death, by falfe appearances of happi- nefs, and under the pretence of kindnefs and friendfhip : And thefe things pais upon us veiy eafily, unlefs thou, Lord, help us to pull off the Mafk, and dete6b his flight of Hand with which the crafty Juggler deludes our credulous Sight. Were we in danger only from acknowledged Vice, and the Works of the Flefli, the matter were not fo hard to guard our felves again ft him. But alas ! he turns our own Artillery upon us, and hath a thoufand ways of compa'ffing his Ends and our DeftrucVion 5 by our very Virtues and Graces, by our Devotions and moft fpiritual Exercifes. And this is properly to transform himfelf into an Angel of Light, when he makes us ten times more the I Childrei? MED IT ATI ONS. 201 Children of Hell, by pcn^erting thofe very Me- thods which feeni to have the moil dire6t tenden- cy to Heaven. Thefe , and innumerable other Stratagems, to me unknown, this Son of Belial finds out, and in fome or other of them h perpe- tually exerciiing himfelf to our eternal Mifchief } But do thou, OLord, hew the friar es of the ungodly ^^zl.i^il in pieces^ and let him not triumph over us, Let him ro. fall into his own nets ^ and let me ever efcape them j H2.. i^* that he may gnafo with his teeth ^ and confume away. with Envy and Rage, at the perifiing of his own defires^ and thou mayeft be glorified in our Prefer- vation, O thou who art the Saviour of all that put?'i\,i-],'j. their truft in thee^ from fiich as reftfi thy right hand. C H A P. XL The manifold Goodnefs ofGody and what im- chap. t8, provement we Jhoiild make of it. 19,10,2.1. TH I S I requeft with greater confidence upon every remembrance of thy Favour already vouchfafed me. And therefore behold thy Ser- vant and Son of thy Handmaid , acknowledging with all Humility, and thankfully recounting the many Mercies, witl> which thou haft prevented, preferved , and particularly blefs'd me from my Youth up to this very Day. Herein I exercife my felf the rather in a due fenfe and deteftation of Ingratitude how odious a Sin it is in it felf, and how very difpleafing to thee. For this is the ruin of all that is good : The Dam that ftops the cur- rent of thy Mercy, elfe ever overflowing upon Mankind: The Seeds of Vice though killed , by this, revive and fprout up afrefh in our Hearts, and the moft thriving Virtues, where this bailful Qua- lity enters, are immediately poyfoned and ftinted, O z grow 202 MEDITATIONS. grows fickly, fade away and dye. Therefore I will give thanks to my God, that I fall not into this miferable State, nor lie under the dangerous influence and indelible reproach of a Sin, fo ma- lignant in its quality and effefts, as that of Ingra- titude. O Lord my Deliverer ! how often hath the roar^ ing Lion opened his Mouth upon me, and thou haft drawn me from between his Teeth, by quafhing the Temptation ? How often have I wickedly complied, and done the Fa6t, and he Hood ready to carry off his Prey, but thou haft defended me from the Hell I have deferved. Thus my Offences againft thee were repaired, by the Manifeftations of thy Power and Goodncfs in the defence of me. I was not afraid, nor ftood in awe of Thee, and . tliou didft keep a ftrift and impregnable Guard for my Prefervation. I departed from Thee, and fur- rendered my felf to the Enemy : Thou wouldeft not liiffer Him to take the advantage, nor Me to be ruined 5 even by my own aft and deed. Thefe Benefits my Gracious God conferr'd, and yet fo blind was I, as not to fee them. For after this man- ner haft thou fnatched my Soul from him, that would have torn it in pieces, and refcued me from eternal Deftruftion, when I was not in the leaft fenfible how near I was to it. I have ventured to the very brink of the Precipice, and thou haft plucked me back when droppmg into, it. I was at the very Gates of Death, and thou haft reftrain'd the Grave from fhutting her Mouth upon me. Nor hath the care of this kind Providence been confined only to my Soul, my Bodv alfo hath felt its good effefts. For often haft thou, my God and Saviour, reftored me from the Bed ot Lan- guiftiing, healed thofe Difeafes which had baffled all humane fkill, prefcrved and proteftcd me by Sea and Land, in perils of Fire and Sword, ftiicld- ing me from many a fore Thruft, and putting by Deaths MEDITATIONS. zoj Deaths innumerable , which were levell'd at my Head : Standing over, and covering me with the fhadow of thy Wings, from all manner of hurt and danger. And this thou didft, as I have reafon to believe, in great compaflion to my poor Soul, con- fidering how unprovided I was for fo important a Change > and that, had I been then hurry'd out of the World , Hell and eternal Mifery muft have been my Portion. So that thy Grace and Mercy, thus preventing me, have refcu'd me from a two- fold Death, and fecured Body and Soul at once by the fame fufpenfion of the fatal Stroke 5 and by thus lengthening out my Life, laid a foundation for my living to all Eternity. Thefe and many other Benefits I have received at thy bounteous Hand, and I , ftupid Wretch, regarded not, nay, was fo blind as not to fee them, till the Light from above opened my Eyes. But now, thou God of my Life, by whom I live 5 thou Light of my Eyes by which I fee J I have receiv'd the influence of thy bright Beams, and am brought to a due fight and fenfe of thee and thy Goodnefs > and moft heartily j^eturn my Thanks the bell I can , though moft difpro- portionate to the Mercies for which they are due. For thou only art my God and moft merciful Crea- tor, a lover of Souls, and hating nothing that thou haft made : And I alas ! with ftiame confefs my felf the Chief of Sinners , in whom thou haft fhewn all long-fuffering for a Pattern to them , whole finful and miferable State fhall hereafter render thern Ob- jedts of thy Clemency and Compaffion. I acknowledge thy Mercies to be unfpeakably great, for delivering my Soul from the nethermofi hell \ not once , or twice, or thrice, but hundreds, and thoufands,- and millions of times. I was perpetual- ly driven thither, and thou as conftantly check- ing my furious Career, and turning me back again. And, had not thy own goodnefs loved me better than I loved my felf, thou had ft e'er this, funk mc O 3 Uito 204 MEDITATIONS. into the bottomlels Pit ten thoufand times over. But fuch is thy tendernefs, that thou wilt not fuf- fcr us to undo our felves, and makefl as though thou fawefl not our Offences, that thy forbearance may win us to Repentance. So full of Mercy are all thy ways, O God : Which I now plainly per- ceive, and have a deep and grateful Senfe of, and am even loll in Wonder and Amazement at the Kindnefs which hath all along watched over me for good, and faved both Body and Soul from the Death which had otherwife long (ince fwallowed them up. For I was entirely Jn the hands of Death, and thou reiloredft me entire to Life. Thine there- fore be the whole of this which lives by thy Cle- mency, and every part of me confpires in offer- ing every part of me, a Sacrifice of Praife. This whole Spirit, and Soul, and Body, and all that Life refulting from the mutual Union of thefe, fhall from henceforth be confecrated to the God of my Life 'y for thou refloredll me All, that thou mightft keep me All for thy own : And therefore I will love my Strength and my Deliverer, and live no longer to my iclf , but thee. The whole of my Lite was lofl and gone in Mifery, the whole was reflored and given me afrefh by thy Mercy : For Pfal. 86. thou art a God full of com^ajjion^ long-fuffering^ 15- plenteous in goodnefs and trufl^ ^nd JJjcwing mercy un* Exod. 10. ^^ thoufands in them that love thy name. Deut 6. 4. Now at length, O Lord my God, I plainly per- ceive the Equity of that Command, w^hich enjoins Mat. 21. me to love thee "with all my hearty and ivith all my 3^' mind^ andimthall7ny foul^ and with all my ftrength^ at all times , with a moil ardent and never-cealing Affection : Bccaufe I fhould perifh each Moment, didfl not thou renew the Gift of Life by thy Pre- fen'ation and Continuance of it, and every Mo- ment thou bindeil me fifler to thee, by the Addi- tion of new, and Repetition of former Benefits. As therefore no Hour, no Minute pafles by, W'ithout fome MEDITATIONS. toj fome inllance of thy Bounty : So it is fit that none fhoiild pafs 5 without my grateful and aifeftionate remembrances of fo kind a Benefa6lor^ without fuch zealous and conflant Love of fo good a God, as my frail Nature, and narrow Soul can extend to. This is indeed what ought to be, but yet it is what will not, cannot be, unlefs the fame hand give the Grace of Gratitude, which gives the Ob- ligations to the Duty: For every good gift^ and eve^hrn.i.i"], ry perfect gift cometh down from above^ and is from the Father of Lights^ with whom is no va^iabJenefs^ neither f J adow of turning. And it is not of him that Rom. o. willeth ^ nor of him that runneth ^ hut of thee who i6, JJje-weft mercy , that I muft be enabled to love thee. Thine, Lord, is this Gift, as thine is every thing that is good. Thou commandeft that I fhould love thee, grant me the Power to do whatfoever thou commandeft, and then command whatfoever thou pleafeft. But ftill the more I refleft on thee , and on my felf, the greater occafion I find to aflc again and again, how is it pollible for me to love thee to the degree that I ought, or where I fhall meet with Words to exprefs the Engagements I have to dofo ? If I look back to the firft Produftion of my Na- ture, the feveral Privileges, by which thou haft diftinguiihcd Mankind from all his fellow Crea- tures here below, are not only highly valuable, but even aftoniftiing Marks of thy Favour. The Honour of being formed after thy own Image,, thofe Charafters of the Divine Excellencies im- preiTed upon the noble Faculties of my Soul , fet- ting me far above the vegetable and merely fenfible World, and approaching to the Dignity of thofe intelleftual Spirits above > the Angels thatMinifter about thy Throne , and are allowed to partake in the Glories of thy beauteous Prefence , the ample Provifions made for our Convenience and De- light, and that Dominion Man was iuvefted with • O 4 oyer- %o6 MEDITATIONS. over the Works of thy Hands in thefe Region? about him. And what can I fuppofe thy Wifdom dcfigned Chap. 20. by putting all things in fuhjeElion under the feet of pfal. 8. 6 Man, but to teach him, that his Subje6lion was referv^cd to thee alone ^ that he ihould devote him- felf entirely to thy Service, whom To many other things were ordained to ferve ? For in this order the Creation feems plainly to proceed. The things without us were framed for the ufe of our Body , the Body for the Soul, the Soul for thee \ that, being freed from the Diftra6bion of ferving any thing befides, thou mightell remain the only pro- per Obje6t of its care, while it poiTefTes thee for its Joy and Happinefs, and ultimate end, and Crea- tures of a lower Rank for its Comfort and Con- venience, as means tending to the attainment of that end. For all contained within the compafs of thofe bright Orbs above us , are in their own Nature, and in thy purpofe , inferior to the hur mane Soul, and made fubfervient to that. But this was made fo far like them, as to be fubfer- vient to fome Good above it too, that it might ferve and grafp at that, and pofTefs that which it would be exquifitely happy in the Enjoyment of. And if it get above the mean Affections of fuch mutable things as are unworthy of its chief con- cern 5 and fix its Thoughts and Defires on thee alone , it fliall advance to a nearer refemblance oF that fupreme Perfedtion , whofe likenefs it wears, and be admitted to a clear Vifion of the Divine Majefty in immortal Blifs. Then fhall it be pof- feft fecurely of all thofe precious and inellimable Treafures in the Houfe of its Lord, with which if all we fee and ufe to be fond of here , are put into Ffsl^di.p.the Balance, they will be found altogether deceitful upon the 'weights^ and lighter than even Vanity it felf. Thefe are the Glories which thou wilt one Day confer upon humane Souls 3 and in the mean while, • "^ by MEDITATIONS. 207 — ^ — ^ by the profpecl of them, thou doft fupport and fill thy Saints with Joy and Comfort inexprelTible. Such large dcfigns of happinefs aiid glory might rather be thought jufl Matter of Wonder than of Belief and Expedation, were it not that in doing ifo much Honour to Man, thou dofh it to thy felf^ and exaltell thy own Likenef? and Copy, by re- ceiving it into this Union with its Divine Origi- nal. Nor can I fuffer my felf to doubt, that any meafurc of kindnefs will be thought too great for the Soul, when I refle6t how much thou haft al- ready {hewn , to this corruptible and viler part of us, the Body. For even to every fenfe and organ of this thy liberality is admirable. The Sun and Moon are daily in attendance , and ( in obedience to thy wife appointment) ferve thy Children by fixt and regular fucceflions of Heat and Cold, of Light and Darknefs. The brightnefs of the Hea- vens thou haft given for an Entertainment to our Sight J the pure and fubtle Air for liberty of Breathing ^ the difference of harmonious Sounds to charm our Ears 3 the fragrant Perfumes to feaft our fmell j variety of rcliflies for our tafte 3 and the tadile Qualities of Bodies to exercife our touch. Cattle of feveral forts to affift us in our Toils, and lighten the labour of fupporting Lifej Fowls of the Air, Fifties of the Sea, and Fruits of the Earth for our Suftenance and Refrefhment : Plants and Minerals, whofe healing Virtues may relieve the Pains and Diftempers we are fubje6t . / to 3 and though thy Wifdom hath thought fit to / leave us liable to many and grievous bodily Suf? ferings, yet thou haft furniftied us with proper Re- medies to aftwage or remove each of them. Such is the pity and love of him who made us, and who knows our frame : The Almighty Potter, in whofe Hand we are the Clay, thus taking care to prefervc the brittle Veflels he hath made. But. zo8 MEDITATIONS. Cli. 21. B'-it while I am thus endeavouring to beget in my Soul v/orthy apprehenfions, of thy bounteous Mercy, pour, I befcech thee, from "above the light of thy Grace, which may enlarge the profpe6t, and from thefe little things below, get above the Objects and the Comforts of Senfcj help me to make a right judgment of the Great , the invifible above, which our gl'eat Creator hath prepared for our immortal Spirits. For if my God be fo folici- tous for a thing fo mean, and of fo ihort and pcrifhing a nature as this mortal Body j if the Heavens and the Air, Seas and Land, Light and Darknefs, fcorching Heats and refrelhing Shades : If Showers and Dew, Winds and Storms, Fowls and Fifhes, Beads and Vegetables 5 if Herbs and Trees, the artful and the voluntary Productions of the Earth , do all confpire to ferve us, and fo alliduoully perform their part to entertain us with a variety, that may render Life not only fupport- able, but even dehghtful : What are the Comforts, what the Entertainments ? How great, how rich, how innumerable, how unconceivable, w^hich thou hall prepared for them that love thee, in that heavenly Country where they fhall behold thee Face to Face? If fuch Provifion be made for us in our Prifon, what may we expeft to find in our Palace ? Great and Marvellous are thy Works , O King of Heaven. For fince all thofe things are exceed- ing pleafant and good , which thou haft impaited to good and evil Men in common, how much better muft we fuppofe thofc to be, which thou haft referved as the Portion peculiar to the Good only ? If thy Gifts are fo many, and fo various, which at prefent thy Enemies, as well as thy Friends, have a fhare in, how noble and how un- meafurable, how delicioufly fwcet and charming muft thofe needs be, which none but thy Friends are thought worthy to partake of ? If in our Day MEDITATIONS. 209 of Mourning there are fo many comforts afforded us, what fhall be our Joys in the Day of our Nup- tials ? If our Dungeon, and our Exile have fo ma- ny Refrefhments , what Ihall be the felicities of our own Home, the Native Soil of our Souls, the magnificent Court of the King of Heaven? Sure- ly, my God, no Eye hath feen, or can fee the things thou haft prepar'd for thy faithful and be- loved, unlefs thou who waft prepared, do alfo vouchfafe to reveal them. For as is thy Majefiy^ Ecdef. 2. fo is thy Mercy ^ and infinite is the Goodnefs which ^^• thou haft laid up for them that fear thee^ infinite as ^^^^' ^^' thy own eflential happinefs, and the inexhauftible ^'^' multitude of thy Mercies. For thou, O Lord, art great, incomprehenfibly great, thy Powder knows no bounds, thy Wifdom no number, thy Kindnefs no meafure 5 neither do thy Rewards and gracious Gifts, which are in eve- ry refpect worthy of, and of an extent qjiial to thy felf They muft be fo becaufe. tl>Qu th^'felf art the reward of thy Saints, the hope of them that combate in this fpiritual Warfare, the Crown of them that ftrive lawfully^ and the Joy and Triumph 1 Tim. 2, of them that conquer. CHAP. XII. The confideration of thy "Divine Goodnefs^ ^//r Ch. 22, 26,27. hofe and coinfort in Sufferings. ^^ »2.4,2 5^ THefe, O my God, are the many, the mighty Benefits, with which thou one day haft de^ creed to fatisfy the wants and cravings of thy needy Children. For thou art the hope of them, whom all other hopes have forfaken Thou art the Crown of Glory which ihall adorn every Head that overcomcch. Thou the Eternal fulneis of thofa 2IO MEDITATIONS. thofe blefled Souls who hunger and thirlt aftpr thy Rightcoufnefs and Kingdom. Thou the never- faihng Comfort , communicating thy felf to none but luch as are content to forego, nay, have learnt to defpife all worldly Comforts in order to obtain thy everlafting and fpiritual one in exchange. For they who fet up their rell, and feek their fatisfact? tions here, are reputed unworthy of thofe, thou haft referved for thine Ele6t hereafter. But they who are tormented here are comforted hereafter j and fuch as bear a part in the fuffeiings , fhall not fail to obtain a fhare in the confolations, of their Lord and Saviour. For matters are fo order'd by thy Wifdom, that no Man can have his joys and confolations here and hereafter both 3 God and Mammon cannot both be ferved > to divide our felves between them, is to lofe all pretence of re^ Mat.6.24 ward from either j and Heaven and the World, Spiritual and Temporal , are Objects fo diftant, things fo incompatible, that he who refolves in good earneft to enjoy the one, is unavoidably o- bliged to give up all his pretenfions to the other. Upon thefe Confiderations my Soul refufes to be comforted, and to find her happinefs in this Hfe, and rather choofes and begs of thee, my Lord and Comforter, that thefe may be referved for her fu- ture and eternal State. Acknowledging it moft equitable, that every one ihould lofe thee, who prefers any other thing before thee. And there:;' Fore I make it my moft earneft requeft, that thou v/ilt not fuffer me to take up with any treacherous empty Comforts, fuch as defert me when I ftand in moft need of them. But rather give me a ge- neral difguft, and make all things befides bitter and loathfome to me, that my Soul may delight it felf in nothing but my God , whofe charming fwectnefs is of that invincible efficacy, as even to fweeten the bittereft Afflictions that can pofti- bly befal Man 111 this valley of Tears and Trouble. Tranf- MEDITATIONS. zii Tranfported with the ravifhing foretafte of this Blils, thy firft Martyr St. Steven vo^cdvtdi the Ads 7. fhowers of Stones poured on him by his Murde- rers with Triumph. Thy Apoftles departed from the prcfence of the Council, rejoicing that they were Ads 5. counted worthy to fuffer flame for the name of Jefus. St. Andrew marcJhed to his Crucifixion without the leaft regret, becaufe advancing to the polleilion of this Bhfs. The two great Apoflles fubmitted cheerfully to death, St. Peter by the Crofs, St. Paul by the Sword. St. Bartholomew thought he made a prudent bargain when flay'd alive, to pur- chafe it with his Skin. St. John drank up the ^, poyfoned cup without the Icalt figns of fear. St. Peter long before, upon a talte of this unfpeakable delight, cried out, it is good for us to be here^ we Matt 17, aft: no other happinefs. Such mighty efficacy had a drop of this fweetnefs to create a difrelifh of all other pleafures : And what can we fuppofc would have been the tranfports of his Soul, could he, while in the body, have drunk the fulnefs of thy Cup overflowing with delights unfpeakable } Some fuch antepaft we may imagine vouchfafed to Da- lid wh^n he cry'd out v%dth holy zeal, O how great ?^^i\. 31.' is thy goodnefs which thou haft laid up for them that ^9- feek thee f and again, O tafte and fee hozv gracious 34. 8. the Lord is I This is the Bleflednefs we live in hope of j this we firmly believe thy bounty will one day beltow upon us, for this we fight under our Lord's Banner againft Sin, the World, and the Devil > for the fake of this we are content to be killed all the day long^ in afiurance that in thee our life, we fhall live for ever. But, O thou hope of Ifracl^ and defire of my heart, Pfai. 44. after which I figh and pant night and day, make hafte 2.4. and tarry not. Arife and come, and bring us out of prifon, that we may give thanks unto thy name, ch. 23. and rejoice in the light of thy Countenance. Let thine ears be open to the Prayers of thy defolate Or- 211 MEDITATION S. Orphans, and hold not thy peace at then' Tears; they cry to thee for their daily Bread, that, by the ftrength of that they may be fuftained in their Travels, and happily condu6lcd to the wifh'd for end of their Journey, even to thy holy Moun- tain. Among thcfe, I, the leaft and moft un- worthy to be called thy Son, lift up my Heart and Voice, confeiling, that I have no right to cry to my heavenly Father , nor any defert which might challenge admittance into thy Houfe> but begging notwithflanding for thy own Mercies fake what nothing elfe can juflify my afking, even that thy Servant may not be confounded , which Pfal.63.i.puts his Truft in thee : For who fhall enter into thy SanEltmry^ there to behold^thy po'uoer and glory , unlefs thou open to him ? And if thou open, who Job 1 2. 1 4> fhall {hut? If thou break down it cannot he built ^S' again: and if thou fhut up^ there can be no opening. If thou with'holdthe waters they dry up-, and if thou ]Qhii.i<^,fend them out^ they overturn the earth. If thou cut off^ and command all that thou haft made, back in- to nothing again, who fo all controul or hinder thee? Such is thy Power, and no lefs is thy Mercy , ex- tending to every thing to which thou giveft Being. And therefore we befecch thee, remember that we are a pare of the World fram'd by thee j and pre- ferve thy own Workmanfliip. Vile Earth tho' we are , thou art our Maker , defpife not the VefTels of ^ thy own Moulding. AOics and Worms cannot indeed afpire to the blifsful Regions of Eternity ; but that Power \vhich made all things out of no- thing, can find no difficulty in exalting even fuch as we arc, thither j and that goodnefs which mov- ed thee to make them , is fufficient to prevail for making even thus happy the Creature, which thou Wifd. II. wouldeft not have made, hadft thou not intended ^4- that they fhould be happy. In this alone it is, that I place my hope. For Ch. 24- I will not trujl in my boiv^ it is not my [word that fiall help MEDITATIONS. 113 help me j kit thy right hand and thine arms^ and the Pral.44. 3. light of thy countenance^ becaufe thou hail favour to thy own Handyr^^ork. Thou knowefl our Frame and Temper, that we are all as a Le^/ that withereth, our life a blafi and vapour upon earthy and every Man living altogether vanity. And thefe reflections give us confidence , that we ihall find Compaffion for our Frailties. For will the God of matchlefs Strength exert his Power againft dry Stubble, driv- en about by every gull of Wind? Will the King r Sam.24. of Ifrael hunt a dog or a flea ? We have heard large- i4- ly of thy Mercy, O Lord, that thou didft not create \Ki^u 13, death .y neither haft pleafure in the deftriiUion of the E^i^k. i§. livings nor in the death of him that dieth by his own '^'^' perverfe choice. Suffer not therefore, we befeech thee, that which thou never madeft, to have domi- nion over the Creatures which thou didil make. For if thou art griev'd at our deftru6tion, what can obftruft thy finding joy in our Life and Salvation ? If thou wilt, thou canft fave me, but I am not able without thee to fave my felf , though I would never fo ^ fain : For the number of my Miferies is very great, and their weight lies heavy upon me. To will indeed is prefent with me^ hut how to per- Rom. 7; form that which is good I find not. Nay, even to will 18. that good is not in my difpofal , and even what I have the power to do, I fometimes find not the in- clination to do, except thou grant my Petition, that thy Will may he done in earth as it is in heaven. And what I would and could do, I know not how to fet about, unlefs thy Wifdom ihew the way, and enlighten my eyes , that I may difcern and w^alk in it. Nay, farther yet, although I know my du- ty, and have the will and ability fometimes to dif- charge it 5 yet all my knowledge is vain and im- perfect, unlefs thy true Wifdom, which dcfcend- eth from above, render my knowledge active and effectual. For to thy Will every thing is poffible, and nothing can refiil the great Lord of all. Let / then ZI4 MEDITATIONS. then thy Will be done in us, upon whom thy name is called, that this noble Creature perifh not, which thou haft formed for the illuftration of thy pf. 89.48. own Glory. For what Man is he that li-vethy and Jhall not fee death^ or who can deliver his Soul from the hand of hell^ unlels thou plcafe to work out his deliverance, who art alone that Source of Life, by whofe life-giving influence all things live? I have already afcribed my ftrength to Thee, and, with the moft profound Humility, confefled, Ch. 25. that I did formerly truft in my own ftrength, which upon trial proved no better than weaknefs. When in this miftaken perfuafion I attempted to run, I fell where I thought my felf moft able to iland. I ftumbled and went backwards, and the prize I aimed at fled farther from me, when I thought my felf making moft dire&ly up to it. Thus haft thou^ by many difappointments of my vain confident?fe, brought me to a true fight of my own impotent condition. And by thefe difpenfations I was inftrufted, when that appcar'd leaft of all in my power, which I imagined moft cafy to be compalVd, without any fuccours from abroad. How often have I boafted, that I would attempt this, or perform that good a6tion, and neither performed, nor fo much as attempted ci- ther? How often was my^Will not feconded by Power ? How often hath my Power loft all its efli- cacy for want of the Will to employ? And whence all this, but want of looking up to him, from whence both the Will and the Power of doing good is derived, and thinking my felf abfolute Mat- ter of both, when in truth 1 was fo of neither. But, being now brought to a better fenfe, I ac- knowledge before thee, my God and Father, that by his own ^ropei' frength jw Man f jail prevail, and that it is but a folly and vain prefumption, wheri 1 Sam. 2. ^^y j^^jj^ glories in thy pre fence. For it is not in Man 2 Cor. I. alone to will the good he can do, nor to perform 19. ' the! MEDITATIONS. iiy the good he would do, no, nor to know the good he would or could do : But all their fleps are guided by Thee. Theirs, I fay, who are duly periuaded, that it is not by Themfelves, but by Thee that they are conduced in the ways of holinefs and falvation. Wherefore we moll earneftly implore thee by the bowels of thy tender mercies, that thou wilt lave the Creatures thou halt made. For if thou wilt, thou canft do it y and upon thy Will to do it depends the ftrength of our hopes, and the certainty of our Salvation. Call then to re?nembrance thofe tender mercies ^ijuhich q^. 25. have been ever of old^ and to finifh that Goodnefs in its utmoft perfe61:ion with the hleffings whereof ^howp^^i 2.1.2 • hafi prevented me from the beginning. Well may I fay, thou hafl prevented me. For, long before this Son of thy Handmaid was born, thou didft prepare the way, wherein I fhould go, and by it be led to the glories of thyhoufe. Before thou hadft formed p|-^j^ j^^^- me in the womb thou kneweft me, and hail deter- 19. mined all thy good pleafure concerning me 5 and e- ver {incel was born I have been holden up by thee, ^^ . by thee, my God and my Hope, even from my Mo- ^ ^ * ther's Brealls. For fuch is thy comprehenfive and unchangeable Knowledge, that what I now expecl thoufands of ' years to come, m thy Eternal Purpofe is fixed and done already : And, although with regard to the Event it be ilill future, yet in Thy forefight and de- cree it is already pafied beyond the poilibility of re- V£rfal or alteration. What this is, fo far as I am concerned, ftands indeed entered in thy Book j but I, who know not what thou hafl determined, am full of fear and jealoufies. The vail variety of dan- gers that threaten me on every fide j the Troops of Enemies combined againfl my Life, the number- lels miferies that obflru6l and intercept my courfe j Thefe fill my Soul with fuch Perplexity and Dread^ that wert not thou my ailiftance and fupport, I fhould be loll and funlv into defpair. 2i6 MEDITATIONS. But my hope is great in Thee, my moft merci- ful King and my God, and in the ?nultitiide of the forrovjs 'which I have in my hearty thy Comforts refrejb my Soul. The iignal marks of thy Goodnefs, even before I was born, in making fuch Provifions for my happinefs> The many more which have fol- lowed me lince, and been particular to Me, be- fides thofe common to other Men > Thefe all for- bid me to diflrull, nay, they engage me to be ve- ry confident, that the paft demonllrations of thy love, are pledges and earnefls of more and better bleflings in referve: That fo much done on my behalf already, was never intended to be loft j but what thou haft begun thou wilt gracioully finifh, Pfal. io6. and grant me in thy own due time x,o fee the felicity 5- of thy chofen^ and rejoice in the gladnefs of thy people ^ Ch. 27. and give thanks with thine inheritance. W hy fiiould I not believe and hope all this ? Or how indeed can I do otherwife, when thefe glori- ous inftances of thy favour and love occur to my Thoughts, fo ofteny but never too often, menti- I John 4. oned, O my Love and only Delight ? Whom I 19, love becaufe thou firft lovedft me 3 and provedft it by thofe precious evidences, of creating me like thy felf, preferring me in honour above thy other Creatures, and inftm^ling me how to keep up the dignity of my Chara6ter, which is then only pre- ferved, when I know and ferve Thee, for whofe ufe and glory I was made. The fame large expectations are farther cherifh- ed by One reflection more, that of thy Angels Ff. 1 04.4 r being made Miniftring Spirits for me, and having a Pfal. 91. charge given them over me, to keep me in all my ii» 12,. J4-^ays^ lefi at any time I hurt my foot againfi aStone. Thefe are the Guards, the fliining Centinels upon Pfal. 125. the new Jerufalem.^ and thy Mountains round a- 2. bout her J keeping watch over thy flock night and I Pet. 5.8.d>iy, left our adverfary the Devil .^ (that old Serpent, who like a roaring Lion goes about continually feeking : L 5 "whom MEDITATIONS. 1 17 whom he may devour) fhould at any time furorize weak and unwaiy Souls, and tear them in pieces like Pfal. 17,2; a Lion J "while there is none to help. Thefc are the Denizens of that Blefled City above, which is mo- Gal. 4. ther of us all^ fent forth to mini ft er for them that Heb. x. ftmll be heirs of Salvation^ that they may lupport ^4- and conduct them (Iifely j and who conliantly be- hold the Face of their F^^Z;^r in Heaven^ who hath Matt. 18, committed his little ones to their care. 10. And great is their affeiStion towards their Fel- low Citizens, as the perfons in whom they hope to fee the breaches of their own Order one day repaired. Hence are they fo wakeful and follici- tous about us, fo ready to relieve us at every time and place, fjpplying our wants, and going dili- gently upon difpatches between Us and Thee, our common Lord. Attending upon our devotions, i Cor. rr; prefenting our requefts before the Throne of 10. Grace, and from thence conveying down to us the bleHings we defire. Thefe bright attendants always keep us company, go in and out with us j obferve how holily, how decently, w^e behave our felves in the midft of a crooked and pcrverfe gene- ration 'y with what earned zeal ^wc feek thy kingdom^ Matt. -5* and the right eoufnefs thereof -^ with what fear and 11. ' trembling we ferve the Majefiy on high, and with what pious raptures our hearts are tranfported at thyGoodnefs. They affift us in our labours, watch over us in our beds, encourage us in our confli6ls5 crown us in our conquefts, rejoice with them that rejoice, provided they rejoice in Thee, and mourn with them that mourn, v/hen their forrows and fuf- ferings are for Thy fake. O how vigilant is their Care ! O how fervent their Affection! and all this for the magnifying that ineftimable love, w^ herewith thou hail vouch- fafed to love us. For they love whom thou loveft, keep them whom thou keepeft, and forfake then! whom thou forfakcft. They love not the wicked^ P a, be-- zi8 MEDITATIONS. Pf. 5. S,6.becaure thou hateft all the workers of iniquity^ and ahhorrefi them that [peak lyes. When we do well^ the Angels rejoice, and the Devils are grieved : When we go aftray, we bring joy to Devils, and ' defraud the Angels of that Joy we owe them. For l,ul ^°- and Triumph in Hell, over one Righteous Man that relapfeth into Sin. Do thou therefore, graci- ous Father, enlarge thy iVngels Joy -, and furnifh matter for it daily more and more, that thou mayit be glorified in our obedience, and wc may be brought with Them into Thy one Fold, to give thanks for ever to thy Holy Name, O Almighty Maker of Angels and Men: Thefe Benefits I gratefully commemorate, and admire the greatnefs of that love, which gave thy holy Angels for Miniftring Spirits to us. Thou had ft given all things under Heaven for our ufe and fervice, and as if thou thoughteft all this too little, thou hall given us the inhabitants of Heaven it felf, for the lame gracious purpofes. Let thy Angels, O Lord, praife thee 5 Let all thy works render thanks unto thee, and let thy Saints for ever blefs thee, for this mighty favour. O God, our Glory, how haft thou honoured, how haft thou enriched, how highly haft thou exalted and ennobled us, with thy manifold and marvellous Pfal. 8. 9. Gifts ! how excellent^ how wonderful is thy name^ 5.4- O Lord^ in all the World > thou that haft fet not on- ly thine^ hut Our glory above the heavens f Lord, ' Job 7. 1 7 . what is Man^ that thou art thus mindful of him^ or the Son of Man^ that thou fhouldell: thus let thy heart upon him ? Thus haft thou eminently verified thy Prov. 8. own word, that thy delight is with the Children of 3^- Men. But is not Man corruption, and the fon of Job 5. 6. Man a worm? Is not every Man living altogether vanity? Yet doft thou, by a moft aftonifhing con- Pfal. 36.6 defcenfion, open thine eyes upon fuch a one as this. Job 14. 3. and bring him into Judgm&nt with thee, CHAP. MEDITAT IONS, 219 CHAP. XIII. TPje methods of Gods Grace in our San^ifica-ch.i^.^g, on and Salvation, 30- TEach me, thou unfathomable Abyfs , thou Wifdom, by which the World was fram'd, which haft weighed the Mountains in Scales^ <^^^ira.4o. iS. hang'd the vail Globe of the Earth in a balance ; weigh up, I befeech thee, this heavy Mafs of Bo- dy by thy invifible Power, and raife it nearer to , thy felf, that I may difcern and know, how won- | (derful thou art in all the World. O Light! ante- * cedent to and produ61:ive of all other Light, whofe Brightnefs ihincd alone on the everlaiting Hills, and to whom all things lay naked and open, evenHeb.j.ia. before they were made j whofe Purity abhors the leaft Blemifh : What Pleafurc canft thou take in Man? What Fellowjhip can light fo clear, have ^ ^ ijoitb darknefs fo grofs? Or where is it, that thou j^, hall prepar'd a Sanctuary in me, fit for fo glorious and holy a Majelly to enter, and dwell, and take delight therein ? The Spirits, by whofe fan6lifying Graces all things are cleanfed, which cannot be feen by any, much lefs be polTefs'd by any, but the fure in heart , w ill not certainly lodge in any but clean Habitations. And is it pollible to find in Man a place fit to re- ceive thee ? Who can bring a clean thing out of an un- clean ? Who indeed, but he, whofe very ElTence is Purity ? For that which is unclean it felf cannot cleanfe any other thing. And this was efpecially g^Q j j^^ fignified to our Forefathers xhtjews^ in the law 2.0. given from a Mountain burning with Fire, and out of a Cloud and thick Darknefs, by which it was ordained, that whofoever was touched by aLevitii. Perfon under legal Uncleannefs , fhculd be reputed from that Contract unclean. And fuch alas! are P 5 V/e, 2 20 MED I TAT I O N S. Pfal.5 1 . 5. We all : even the very bell of us polluted, conceiv'd and born in Corruption, and carrying the marks of our impurity fo vifible, fo foul, that it is to no pur- pofe to attempt the concealing our blcmifhes from thy All -feeing Eyes unlefs thou therefore, who alone art pure, vouch fife to Sanftify us, v/e never can be clean. And this Mercy thou didll vouchfafe to thefe among the Sons of Men , in whom thou Ephef. I. condefcendell to dwell J thefe, by the unfearchable Rom. 8. fecrets of thy Judgments, (always julf, tho' to us ^°' unknown) thou haft without any defert of theirs predeftinated before the World , called and chofen them out of the World , juftified in the World, Jolini7.6,and wilt exalt and glorify them when the World fhall be no more. But this Mercy thou doft not extend to all indifferently, but with moft wife difcri- minationj thattheWifdom of this World may fee it, and confume away with envy and aftonifhment. When I refle6b on thefe thy fecret Difpenfations , amazement feizes me •, and the profound myfte- rious Methods of thy Wifdom and Knowledge fill me with wonder at Judgments too dark and vaft for me to take a diftintb view of. For to what elfe can we afcribe the diftant Fates of the fame fort of Creatures, and, that the Almighty Potter Rom. 9. fliould of the fame lump make fome veffels to honour^ ^i- and others to everlaftins difJjonour andlliame? Thofe 2 Aim. 1. ^j^^^.^^Qj,^^ which thy love made choice of, to be Ephef. 5. ^^ ^^ty Temple for thy Majefty, thou cleanfeft 26. by thy Spirit, and fmclifieft with the wajhing of Pfa].;i47 water hy thy word^ whofe names and numbers arc ^ exa6lly known to thee j who count ef the number of Luke^'io ^^^*^^<^^-^5 <^^^^ calleft them all by their names : Thefe 20. happy Men are ivritten in the Book of Ufe^ and fo 1 Pet.1.5. preferv'd by thy Power thro"" faith unto Salvation^ Rom. 8. ij^.^i all things^ even their own faults and frailties Pf'l 71 '^'^^^ together for good to them. Tho' they fall^ they 24. ' ' fi^^^ ^^^ ^^ utterly caft down , becaufe thou upholdejl and34.2o. them with thy hand. 'Thou keepeft all their bones^ fo that not one of them is broken. But MEDITATIONS. zzi But difmal and moft dreadful is the end of Sin- ners J of fuch as thou , before ever the World was made, didll (in thy infinite Wifdom, to which the moft remote futurities are ever prefent ) fore- fee, would deferve to be reprobated by thy juft, though to us fecret, Judgment > whofe Names and Crimes are likewife known to thee, who telleft the Sands of the Sea, and foundeft the great deep. Thefe for their manifold and obftinate Offences, thou give ft up to their own hearts lufts^ and lettefi^hV 8r. them follow their own imaginations. And when they ^^> ^^• are thus permitted to perilh in their folly, all things work together for their hurt, and the very prayer Prov. 28. of the wicked is turned into fin, Infomuch, that 9-. what promising appearances foever they may make, ' ^°^* yet all at laft is blalled, and comes to nothing ♦, and even fuch as feem to have fet their neft in the Stars, are brought down , and caft out as dung upon the face of the Earth. Great and marvellous are thefe thy Counfels, O r^i 29. moft v/orthy Judge eternal, whofitteft mxkio, throne .al.9.4, of equity^ and bringeft to pafs things deep and unfearch" 8. able. And well may thefe ftrike terror through J^^S- 9* every part of me, fince Man, during this mortal State cannot attain to per fed fecurity , but is ftill left expofed to temptation and danger, that he may accomphih his Warfare with the greater cir- cumfpecbion, fern)e thee in hoUnefs and righteouf- Pf^^i.i. ir. nefs all the days of his life with fear ^ and rejoice un- Phij.i.n. to thee with Reverence. That his Obedience may be preferved by Awe , and his Joy tempered with humility and trembling : that he who girdeth on his armour fijould not hoaft himfelf^ as he that putteth it off'y nor any Flcfh glory in thyprefence j but rather fear and humble it felf before thy Majefty , when all are kept in this profitable ignorance of what may befal them in their latter end> and cannot make a judgment of thy love or hatred , or ling Songs of triumph to their Souls, till all the hazards pf the fight be over, P 4 How Z22 MEDITATIONS. How many have our own Eyes feen, how many more have we heard of, (which yet I never fee, or hear, or recolle6b5 without great impreflion) who have been long renowned for confpicuous Patterns of heroick Virtue, and fuch as feem'd, if any could do fo abfolutely, to have made their Calling and E- legion [lire ? and yet upon fome trying Emergency, even thefe Men have been vanquifh'd and enfnar'd, and fo entirely loll, not only to the pra6lice, but by degrees to the very Principle of goodnefs , as to wallow and be hardned pafl: all feehng in the mofl enormous and fcandalous Debaucheries ! Rev. 12. Such are the Stars of Heaven ^ ftruck down to the Earthy with a fweep of the Dragon's Tail. How many on the other hand ( which fuftains me with Comfort) who have lain grovelling in duil and filth, profligate and ignorant, as well as avcrfe to all good- nefs, yet even thefe abandon'd Wretches thou had wonderfully rais'd, when they feem'd to be juft finking into Hell. Thus may we frequently obferve the living die unexpectedly , and the dead in trefpafies and m fins , as much to our furprizc, Mat.8.T2 r3,is'd to a Life of Righteoufncfs and Hope: Light clouded over with Darknefs, and Darknefs break- ing forth into marvellous Light. Publicans and Harlots feizing Heaven by Violence , and the Children of the Kingdom caft into utter Dark- nefs. And whence all this, but becaufe they afcended into that Mountain of Pride into which the firft Pattern of Difobedience went up an Angel, bqt came down a Devil? Whereas the meek and hum- ble are the Perfons chofen and called, fin61:ified and built up a meet habitation for the Majeify of the Great God, thro' the Spirit of his Grace. With thefe thou cnjoyeil holy and chafte Delights > dwel- ling in their Hearts by thy Prefence , and making them thy Temple, which is the highefl: Honour our humane Nature is capable o£ Foj MEDITATIONS. 213 For this Soul of ours, which thou hail created Gh. 30. by thy Word, though not of thy own Subftancej nor yet of any elementary Matter , but out of no- thing. This rational, intellectual, and fpiritual Being, ever living, and ever in motion, (upon which thou hall impreffed thy likenefs, and confe- crated it to thy felf by the laver of Regeneration) is put into a Capacity of receiving thy Divine Majefty, and fo contrived, as to be filled with thee, and nothing elfe but thee. When it is in poiTeili- on of thee its defires are fatisfied, and nothing be- iides remains an Objed of its wifhes. But while it continues to defire any external Object, it ma- nifeftly betrays the want of thee within > be- caufe when thou art there it feeks for nothing be- yond thee. For fince thou art the fuprcme and univerfal Good, in thee polTelling all things , it cannot want any thing that is good. But if it do not de- fire that which is the fumm of all Good, fome o- ther good will neceflarily be fought after, becaufe It hath not yet attain'd to All , nor yet to the Chief Good, and aims at the pofTefiion of the Crea- ture rather than the Creator. And fo long as the Creature is the Objeft of its defires , thofe defires are never to be fatisfied > for fome frelTi thing is ever prefenting it felf, and the Soul ftill remains empty and dilcontented , becaufe out of its Ele- ment and dcftitute of its proper happinefs. " For nothing is fo, but the utmofl perfeAion it is qua- lified for , and fuch alone is that bleffed Original , after whofe Image it was made at firft. Now thou art pleafed thus to communicate thy felf only to fuch , who defire , nothing but thee. Such thou makefl holy as thou art holy , pure and worthy of thee, fuch elleemefl thy Friends, who counting all things but as drofs and dung, propofe no other cndj no other blifs but to gain tliee alone. And 2X4 MEDITATIONS. And this is the bleflednefs , which thy Mercy- hath beftowed upon Man : This is thy Honour, with which thou hall diflinguifhed thy favourite Creature , and exalted him far above the reft of the Works of thy Hands. And now, O Lord, at length I have found out the place where the Great, the Good, the Mighty God is pleafed to dwell. Even in that Soul which thou haft form'd into a refemblance of thy own Excellencies j which feeks, and loves, and longs for thee alone j but not in that, which divides its afFeclions, and either loves thee and defires thee not, or loves and longs for other things befides thee. CHAP. XIV. Ch.2T,i2. ff^e are not to conceive God to be a fenjible Object. I Have gone aftray like a Sheep that was loft, feeking thee with great anxiety without, when yet thou art within, and dwelleft in my Soul, if it defire my prefence. I wandred about the Villages and Streets of the City of this World, enquiring for thee every where ^ and found thee not 'y becaufe I expected t9 meet that abroad 3 which all the while I had at home. I fent my Meflcngers into all Quarters, and charged my bo- dily. Senfes to make ftridt fearch, and bring back \ a true report , but all to no purpofe ^ becaufe I / took a wrong method, and employed thofe w^ho were not quahfied for the difcovery : This Error I now perceive, becaufe thou haft enlightned and ihewcd me the right way^ for though thou art within me, yet none of thefe Centinels could give any account how thou cameft thither. My MEDITATIONS. 22 j My Eyes declare , if God have no colour , he came not in at thofc doors > my Ears, if he made no noifc, did not pals this way^ my Nofe, if he did not affect the fmcll, he enter'd not by me j my Palate, if he have no tafte, he could not enter here > my Touch, if he be not a bodily Subflance, I can give no account of him. Thefe Qualities then do not belong to thee, my God, becaufe I am not confcious of any fuch impreflions upon thy approach. For thou hall not the form of a Body, nor the whitenefs of Light, nor the fpar Id- ling of precious Stones, nor the Harmony of Mu- lick, nor the fragrancy of Flowers, or Ointments, or Spices , nor the delicious talle of Honey , nor the charms of thofe things that are pleaiiint to the Touch, nor any other qualities by which our Senfes are entertained. When I feek after God, I purfue a happinefs very different from all thefe 5 for to fuppofe him fuch a Being, as even Brutes are capable of feeling with the Organs of Senfe, were to think moil unworthily, moil abfurdly of him. # And yet I cannot but acknowledge, that in God I expect to find a certain light above all other hght , too bright for Mortal Eyes to behold j a powerful voice above all other voices, too llrong for any Ear to hear j A fwectnefs above all other fweets, too exquiiite for any taile to reliih-. A Light fhining without being confin'd by any de- terminate fpace 'y a Voice founding without lofing it felf in Air, a fragrant Perfume without the af- liftance of Winds to wafte it. Such is my God, and there is none that can be compared unto him : And fuch is the Objeft, which my Soul loves and longs after. And too late it was , that I fet my heart upon thee, O my beloved, whofe Beauty was from ever- lafting and yet is always new and blooming. Too Jong did I puifucthee in vain, while running after the xx6 MEDITATIONS. the beauteous Creatures thou haft made, and thinking there to find thee. Thou waft with me, but I was not with thee 5 and thofe things kept me at a diftance from thee, which yet could not lubfift except in and by thee. I afked the Earth , if it was not. my God, and it anfwered No-^ and all that it contains unanimoufly agreed in the fame Confeflion. I afkM the Sea, the Great Depths, and all the yaft and ftrange variety of Creatures living and engendred in thofe watry Regions j they reply 'd, We are not thy God^ look for him above lis. I enquir'd of the Firmament, and the Air with all its Inhabitants replied, that Anammenes was quite miftaken^ fo did the Sun, and Moon, and Stars declare they were not God. Then I defired the obie6t of my Scnfes, to inform me fomewhat of that Good, which they difclaimed all pretence of being taken for. They all cried out aloud, // is he that made us. At laft I reforted to this Globe of the World , but there again the anfwer w^as, I am not God^ but I am by him: the Bein^ivhom you feck in me is^ he that made me. And you look much too low > for he who made and governs me is much more excellent, znd feated far above me. Now by enquiring of the feveral Creatures , I mean by an attentive conlideration of their rcfpec- ■ live Natures and Conditions : And by their anfwers, that evidence of their being created by God, which is the plain rcfult of fuch a consideration. For moft agreeable to the Experience of every wife and Rom. I. {q]^q^. Perfon is that of the Apoftle, that the /;^^7//^/^ things of God are clearly fecn from the Creation of the world., being undcrftoodby the things that were made. After confuking thus the Creatures abroad, I came home at laft, dcfcended into my felf, and afked, What art thou ? The reply made me was, A rational and mortal Man. Then I begun to exa- mine what, and from whence this fort of Animal fhould be, and prefently reflcded, Whence could it pjjibly 10. MEDITATIONS. 2x7 pojfibiy he hut from Thee? It is thou^ my God^ that? hi, loo. hafi made me^ and not I my [elf. But Hill, who art 2.. Thou? Thou art He, by whom I livcj He by ^whom all things Hve : Thou art the true God^ the only omnipotent, and eternal, and incompre- henfible, and infinite. Everlafting, and nothing dyes in Thee 3 for thou art immortal and inhahiteft \(^\, j. 7, Eternity^ Wonderful in the Eyes of the Angels, rj. inexprefiible, unfearchable , and of perfection fo great as wants a name. Strong and powerful, and greatly to be feared, without beginning and without end. Thy felf the beginning and the end of all things. Exifting before Time was, Gover- nour and Lord of all that thou hall made 5 whole Caufes all are fixed in thee, and the Effects fubfift in fuch manner and to fuch a term, as thy immu- table Vsafdom fees fit. Tell then thy Servant, who defires to know. Whence could Man take his original, but from Thee ? Could any of us give lite and being to himfelf ? Nay, was it pofiible for any other to give him either, but for Thee alone ? Art not Thou the firft and fupreme Being, from whom all elfe * receive their being ? Whatever is, is certainly from thee, for nothing is without thee. Thou art the Fountain of Life : Whatever Hves, by thee it lives ; for nothing can live, without thee. Thou haft made all things, and can I then doubt who made me? Thou certainly art my maker, and I thy work- manfhip. Thanks be to my God, by whom I and all things fubfift and Hve, for my Creation : Thanks to this fkilful Artificer, whofe hands made and fafhioned me, for creating me a Man. Thanks to that light, which difcovercd it felf to Me, and Me to my felf For in finding and knowing my felf, I find and know thee : And by the communi- cation of thy hght, it is that I know thee. Thanks therefore, O my God, all thanks and praife be to thee, for thus enlightening mc. But 228 MEDITATIONS. 'But how can I pretend to fay, I know thee? Art not thou God infinite, incomprehenliblc, the King I Tim. I. of Kings, and Lord of Lords, 'who only haft mmor- ^1' tality^ and dwelleft in light 'which cannot be approached unto^ whom no Man hath feen or can fee ? A God that liidell thy felf from mortal Eyes ? And who can know what he hath never feen ? The Herald, fent to prepare the way for thy Truth, proclaim- JoVi. T.iS.ed, A^^ Man hath feen God at any time-^ and that Mjtt. II. Truth it felf declared. No man knoweth the Son^ but ^7- the Father.^ neither knoweth any man the Father^ but the Son. Thus the Lord is (aid to be high above all heavens, and fuch as even the Angels (flri6tly fpeaking) do Father admire than behold : This is John 3. the heaven to which none hath afcended up^ but he 13. that came down from heaven: Thus the Father is known to none but the Son and the Spirit pro- ceeding from both 3 'and the Son to none but the Father and the fame Spirit common to them both : The holy and wonderful Trinity does then exceed all comprehenfions but its own 3 and the very An- gels, who are continually looking into this glorious Eflence, and contemplate it with a moft intenfe defire, yet are not able to exprefs, conceive, or ac- quaint themfelves throughly with, all its moll my- ilerious Perfections. How is it then that I know the moft high God, whom neither heaven nor earth contain, whom even Cherubim and Seraphim adpre with aftonifli- ment, and veil their Faces with their wings before him that fits on the Throne 5- crying out Boly^ holy^ Ifai. 6. JjQiy^ Lord God of hofts^ heaven and earth are full of thy glory ? I know thee not, my God, as thou art in thy Self, but as thou art with refped to Me : Not in thy Eflence but thy Operations 3 and even this knowledge is not from any powers of my own, but wholly owing to the guidance of that Light, which thou art plcafed to reflecl upon me. Thy Glories arc underllood by tHy felf alone, thy Grace MEDITATIONS. 229 Grace and Goodnefs manifefted to me. And what art thou with refpect to me ? Tell me, O Lord, and fay unto my SouU I ^^ thy Salvation, HidePfal.35 3- not thy face from me, left I dye : Suffer me to fpeak to thy Mercy, who am but Duft and Afhes. Thou haft made thy voice to be heard from above, and broken through the deafnefs of my heart j thy light hath fhined forth > and thou haft fhewed me that thou art vaj Saviour and my merciful God-y and thus it is, that I have faid I know thee. Thus have I .known thee the only true God^ and ^^^-'^1^1* . yefus Chrifi whom thou haft fent. How wretched ^ was that Bhndnefs, in which I faw thee not! How ftupid that Deafnefs, when I heard thee not ! How miferable my condition, when I loved thee not! For no Man loves thee, who does not fee thee, and none can fee thee, who does not love thee. Honour, and Praife, and Thankfgiving be to the Ch. 32, Light of my Life, for thofe manifeftations of himfelf, which he hath vouchfafed to make to my Soul. But how is it that thou haft mani- P^"^- S5. fefted thy felf to me ? Even by inftru6ling me, ]?' that thou art my only God and Creator, the tq^"*j-^^' true living God, Almighty, Immortal, Invifi- Gen.17!^] ble , Eternal , Incomprehenftble , Unfearchable, Unchangeable, Infinite, by whom all things ^ '^^"^' ^* were made, and the principles of all fubfift. jj^, n.y, Whofe Majefty as it had no beginning or en- creafe, fo fhall it never have diminution or end. ^^^^- ^^''^' The One ox-ly God, Father, Son, and Holyf'^^*''- Ghoft, Three Perfons and One Subftance, Author John r. %, and common Caufe of all things vifible and in- Colof. 1I vifible, who by thy mighty power didft at the^^- beginning of time form Spiritual and Corporeal Subftances 3 The Angels of the former, the things of this world oF the latter fort -, and Man partaking of both natures confifting of Body and Spirit, by a ftupendous conjunction of , material and 230 M E DITATION S. and immaterial, and all thefe created out of no- thing. I know and acknowledge thee, O Father, be- gotten of none, Thee, O Son, begotten of the John 14. Father, Thee, O holy Ghoft the Comforter, pro- ^^^ cceding from both. Three Perfons coequal, con- fab ilantial, coeternal: This Holy undivided Tri- Rom. 10 nity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity, / believe 9> 10- "with the heart unto right eoufnefs^ and confefs with the mouth unto Salvation. I confefs and acknowledge Thee the true God, and our Lord Jefus Chriil:, the only begotten Son of God, Creator, Saviour and Redeemer of me, John I.-:;, and of all Mankind. Begotten of the Father^ before 5. all worlds^ God of God^ Light of Light ^ Very God of Very God^ being of one Suhfiance voith the Father and Heb. 1.3. Holy Spirit, By whom all things were made. Firm- ly believing, that thou, God, only begotten Jefus Chriil, by a marvellous Concurrence of the whole Mat.i.i I. Trinity, wa{l/ where now thou fitteft at the right hand of 2.1. God, in endlefs overflowing Life, in Light inac- ceffible^ in that Peace, which paiTeth all underftand- There wc believe and woiihip Jefus Chrift, very God and very Man > confefling, that God, who hath fo highly exalted thee^ is thy Father of a truth, and waiting for thy coming in the end of the world to Adts ro; judge the quick and dead^ and reyider to every Man ac-^'^- wording to his works -y To the Good reward and reft^ ^^^^^* * to the Evil, grief and punifhment eternal. For at that day fliall all Men hear thy voice, and fhallcome Rom. 2.5, forth with their own bodies, that each may r^^^/'z;^7>8,9, lo. at thy hand according to that he hath done in his ho^ % ^* dy.y whether it he good or had-. Thou art our Life, n' 25! thou art our Refurre^tion, and in thee we look for 1 Cor. 5. a Saviour, Jefus Chrift the Lordly who JJoall change ^^^^■3-'^^* our vile body, and faJJjion it like unto his glorious ho^ dy, according to his mighty working whereby he is a* hie to fubdue all things to himfelf. I know and acknowledge thee^ the One true God, Holy Spirit, Proceeding from the Father r Job. 5 7, and the Son > Of the fame Subftance and Eternity John 14. with the Father and the Son, Our Advocate and Comforter > who didft defcend like a Dove upon Matt. 3; the fame our Lord Jefus Chrift, and appear in ^ •^• fiery Tongues upon the Blefled Apoftles. Who^^^^-^^ haft from the beginning of the World fhed abroad ^^j^^'j^] the Gifts of thy Grace upon all the Saints and ' ' Chofen of God, and opened the Mouths of the Prophets, that they might reveal the Wonders of his Kingdom > Who with the Father and the Son Q. toge- 23 z MEDITATIONS. together art worfliipped and glorified in all Churches of the Saints. Among whom I alfo, thy meaneft Sei-vant, beg leave to publilli thy praifes, for the faving Light communicated to my poor Soul. For thou art the true Light, the holy Fire of God, to whom all Saints are fubje6t 5 The I John 2. Spirit of Truth, who by thy Un^ion teacheth us ^OyZi. all truth*., without whofe Grace it is impoflible to ^^"^' ' pleafe God 3 for thou art God of God, and Light ' proceeding after a myfterious and ineffable manner from the Father of Lights, and from his Son Jefus Chriii our Lord. With Thefe Thou art coequal, and coeternally united in the fame EfTence, and with them reignefl, and art glorified by a fingular. and a moffc ftupendous Union. Thus do I know the One true God, Three in Perfons, and One in EfTence j Thus do I confefs and adore with my whole Heart the Maker and Governour of all things that are in Heaven and Earth, and under the Earth. I know thefe by that Faith which thou haft infpired into me> for Thou art the Light of my Eyes, the Hope of all the ends of the Earth, the Joy of my Youth, and Pf, 35.1c. the Support of my Old Age. jlll my Bones Jh all he joyful in thee^ and fay^ Lord^ who is like unto Thee ? Yea, who among the Gods is like unto "Thee^ O Lord^ who art not made as they were, by Mens hands, but who thy felf didft make the hands of Pfal. 1 15. Men? The Luages of the Heathen are Stiver and I Kings Gold^ and all their Gods are Devils. But it is the Lord ^S- 39- that made the Heavens. The Lord he is the God. P[a.97- V.rpj^g ^^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^ Q^^^ Confounded be all the vain Gods, and let them find no place in Heaven and Earth, who made neither Heaven nor Earth j Exod. lo.but let Heaven and Earth, and all that therein is, !i. for ever glorify and praife thy name> for thou hall made Heaven and Earthy and all that therein is. CHAP. MEDI TATIONS. 233 CHAP. XV. AConfeJJion of our own Vilenefs^ and God's Qh^'i^y'id,, Excellencies. WHO is like unto Thee^ O Lord^ among tbeEKod.i^i Gods^ Who is like tmto 1'hee^ glorious in ho-n. linefs^ fearful in fraifes^ doing tvonders ? Too late, alas! it is, that I am brought to a due fcnfe and knowledge of thee. A thick and gloomy Cloud hung too long before my blinded Eyes, through which I was not able to difcern the Sun of Righ- teoufnefs and Light of Truth. I was muffled up in darknefs, a child of darknefs, and did not only endure but love my darknefs j becaufe as y<5t in ig- norance of the truth. I was blind, and fond of my defeft and mifery, and every day bcwildred more and more, in darknefs that might even be felt. And what kind Friend was He that took me by the Hand to draw me out of this fhadow of Death? Who fo compaffionate a Guide to this blind Wretch, to feek me when I fought not Hinij to call me when I never cried for help, never com- plained, nay, never felt my calamitous and loil con- dition? This can be none but Thine, my God, the Father of Mercies^ and the God of all Comfort, i Cor. 1.3. No Bowels lefs enlarged than Thine, could fliew fuch tender Pity and Affeftion. Blefled therefore, be thy name 5 for ever blefled be thy love, which was found of a mifei-able Creature, who fought thee not^ and afked for him that enquired not after liai. 65. i» thee. In this fpiritual, as heretofore in the natural Creation, thy powerful Voice faid. Let there he Gen. 1,3', lights and there was light. The grofs Night which fwum before my Eyes difFolvcd in an inftant. I felt it fcatter, and defcryed the dawning day, and heard the powerful command, and full of CL^ th^k-; Z34 MEDITATIONS. thankful wonder cried out, 'Thou verily art my God^ which haft brought me out of darknefs and the Jhadoixi of death^ into thy marvellous light. Thou fpakeft the Word, and behold I fee. Then did 1 firil difco ver the Horror of my former Darknefs, the difmal Abyfs in which I lay ♦, and trembled at the reflc6li- on. O wretched ftate ! O mod: uncomfortable Blindnefs, which all the Light of Heaven did not penetrate ! O deplorable Ignorance ! which knew not him who made me, prefcrves me, is always prefent with .me, always infeparably in me. Thanks to my God, for bringing me to a fight of that, which I muil needs have feen before, had not my corruption been fo oppofite to thy purity, But then alas ! we are in direct Contrariety, Thou light, I darknefs ^ and difcern thee I could not, till thou dartedfl thy felf into my foul> for there is no light bcfides, none without thee. Ch. 34. Such is my meannefs and mifery,. confidered in it felf, but I am yet much more vile and defpi- cable in my ow» fight, when from fuch reflections I faife my Soul to contemplate thy unchangeable Majeily, O Lord God molt holy, God of Gods, and Lord of Lords, at whofe prefence the Holts of Angels tremble, Dominions and Thrones fall down and adore, of whofe Power and Wifdom thei-e is no end, no meafure j Who halt laid the foundati- ons of the World upon nothing, and gathered the Waters of the Sea together as an heap 5 the molt mighty God of the Spirits of all flefh > at whofe Word and Prefence the Heavens and the Earth quake, and to whofe beck every Element pays a ready Obedience. Even fo, Blcfed God, be thou for ever worlhiped, obeyed, and glorified by thy \^hole Creation. Amen. In Company with thefe, I thy unworthy Ser- vant do bow the neck of my heart by Faith, and proftrate my felf before the Footltool of thy Ma- jefly, with humble gratitude for all thy mercies, but MEDITATIONS. 23^ but more efpecially for that fpiritual Light and Guidance, which thou haft been pleased to vouch- (life unto me. By thee, O true Light, who light efi every Man that cometh into the ijuorld^ I fee and am thankful. I feel thy bright Beams defcending from above into my Soul, cherifhing and warming my inward Parts, and making glad all my Bones : Fi- niih, I befeech thee, the good Work already be- fun in me. Increafe thy blelTed Gift, and let the rightncfs of thy illuminating Grace diffufe it felf plentifully through every Power and Faculty of my Mind. What glowing in myBreaft is this I feel? What Light , that darts its Rays into my Soul ? O Fire that never art quenched, kindle my Affec- . tions ! O Sun of Righteoufnefs, that never fetteft, never art clouded, ihine in my Heart ! how fweet is thy warmth ! how fecret and pleafant thy cheerful Light ! O let me -Jlfever be inflamed with thy divine , thy delightful Beams. Wretched are they that burn with impure Fires j wretched, that walk by any other Light, and remain deftitute of thine : Wretched thofe blind Eyes, which do not, wretched thofe dim Eyes which cannot, wretch- ed thofe wilful Eyes which wink hard and will nat fee the Truth. Wretched they, who do not timi away their Eyes from beholding vanity > for being long habituated to darknefs difables fuch from bearing the brightnefs of thy Light, or valu- ing as they ought, the Blelling of thy cheering in- fluences. They feel, and approve, and dote upon darknefs J and, finking every day into groflcr de- grees of Ignorance, know not upon what flippery ground they ftand, nor the dangerous Precipices into which they are falling. O miferable wretch- es, who arc not fenflblc of the Worth of what they lofe ! And yet more miferable thoie hardned Souls, who arc fenlible of their Lofs ai)d Ruin 5 but nevcrthelefs ftumble and fall CI.J with 1^6 MEDITATIONS. with eyes broad open, and go down quick into Hell. O heavenly Luftre ! which difcovereft thy felf only to unblcmifh'd Eyes and clean hearts ! BUJfcd Matt. 5. ?. are the pure in hearty for they fiall fee God. Cleanfe me throughly , thou fanftifying Spirit 5 take out the beams and motes from my Eyes, that I may be qualified fteadily to behold thy divine Beau- ties. Command the Scales of my old Errors to fall off, which like thick mifls dance before my deluded Sight, and pierce them through with thy Pfal.36.9. refplendent Beams, that in thy light I may fee light. Praifed be my God the fountain of Light j for, w^hereas I was formerly blind now I fee : Strength- en then, I befeech thee, and diifufe this Grace yet Pfal. 119. more plentifully in my Soul. Open thou my Eyes^ iS. that I may difcern the 'wondrous things of thy Law, Thanks for the Profpect I already have of thy ftu- pendous Perfc6lions, which though as yet but dif- tant, and indiiliiK^t, dark and through a glafs^ is yet fuch as makes me vehemently defire a nearer view, and one that may be face to face. O ! when fhall that day of Joy and Triumph come, which fhall in- troduce me into the fecret place of thy Dwelling, the conftant bright abode of thy Majeflick Prefence, that- 1 may fatisfy my largefl Wiihes , and find a frefh andnever-ceafingPleafure in flill defiring what I enjoy, and enjoying what I defire. CHAP. MEDITATION S^ 237 C H A P. XL The Sour s earneft Longings after future /7^-ch 35.35. pnefs. Like as the Hart pant eth for the water-hrooks^ Jo pral.4i. i. longeth my Soul after thee^ O God. O Fountain of living Water, when fhall I approach thee, when have travell'd through this dry, and defb- late Wildernefs , in which there is no way > that my Soul may be fatisfied with the plenteoufnefe of thy Mercy ? Behold, O Lord, I thirft, thou art the Well of Life j O quench my thirft. Yea, after the Irolng God do I thirft^ O fufFer me to drink of thy Pleafares , and haften that Day of Praiie and Thankfgiving ^ that day which thou^ O Lord, haji ^^^i ii8, made^ that thy Servants may rejoice and he glad in it. 22.. O glorious Day ! O everlafting Morning ! whofe Sun never declines, in which 1 ihall hear that moft tranfporting Sentence, Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Into that Joy, where are things great and un- fearchable^ yea^ marvellous things without number. A Job s-9« Joy without conclufion , without interruption , without allay j where we {hall meet with all we '%an \vifh , and reft fecure from all we can fear j free from the Enemies aflaults, from the Tempter's reducing Infmuations > full of fecurity, and reft', and peace, blefied with the raviftiing vifton of the Deity, for ever> fuch is the Joy of thy Lord thy God. O Joy moft exquifite, moft excellent, moft com- prehenfive 5 above which , in coraparifon of which, beiide which, there is no Joy. When ftiall I enter into thee, and behold m.y God that dwftl- leth in thee ? What is it that detains me from liipi whom my Soul loveth ? How long ftiall it be faid unto my eager Heart, Wait, wait patiently : And 0.4 ^^^^'"^ 238 MEDITATIONS. now y O Lord , what do I wifh and wait for ? Fhils- 21. Surely it is for thee, my Lord (ind Saviour J efus Chrifi^ who JJoalt change our vile Body , that it may he like unto thy glorious Body, Surely it is for rny Lord's coming to the Marriage, that he may ad- mit me into the Bride Chamber. Come quickly. Mat. 25. Lord, and do not tarry. Come, Lord Jefus, in, and vifit us in Peace and Favour. Come and un- lock our Prifon doors, that thy relcafed may re^ joice before thee with a perfect Heart. Come, Pf. 18. 1 9. thou dejire of all Nations^ Jhew the light of thy coun- tenance and we Jhall he whole. Come, my Light, my Redeemer , and fct my Soul at liberty , that I may give Thanks unto thy holy Name. How long mull I continue to be toiTed upon the Waves of this mortal Life, crying unto thee, O Lord , and thou hearefl not? Bow down thine Ear, I befeech thee, and Hilen when I call out of the deep, and |)ring me to the Haven of everlafting Blifs. O happy Souls, who are delivered from the pe- rils of this Sea, and got fafe to fhorej who have reach'd their native Country, and exchang'd their . Prifon for a Palace ! Happy thofe Combatants, who have receivM that Crown of Glory, which they endur'd the fight of various Afflidions to ob*- tain, and are now tranflated from ihort Tribulations to endlefs Triumphs ! Happy beyond all expreffion, who have put oft* their load of frailty and fuffering, V/ho are in quiet pofTeflion of the Glory which fad- eth not away, and cloathed with Majefty and Honour ! O bleffed State, O Kingdom everlafting, where the Souls of the Saints are in Peace and FeH- |fa,25.iQ. city, where eternal rejoicing is upon every head^ and forrow and ftghing flee away. Where the Saints reign j'f.iQ4. 1. with chee their belov'd Lord, and deck themfelves with light as with a garment. O Kingdom ever f)lef]ed, in which thou^ Lord, the Hope and Crown Pfal. %i. of all thy faithful Servants, makeft them glad with ^}\ the joy of thy cjuntenance^ and thatj^eace whi:h fajfeth MEDITATIONS. 239 all under ft anding. Their joy knows no bounds, their mirth no tbrrow, their health no pain , their light no intervals of darknefs, their hie hath no death, their happinefs is univerfal, without the leall mixture of evil : Their Youth is ever frefh and gay, their Beauty always blooming, their Love ever fervent, their Pleafures have no abatement. For thou, O God, art their all in all, their fole, their chief, their perfe61: Good. But the more we admire the happinefs of them who are exalted to this fecure and blifsful State al- ready, the greater caufe have we to bewail our own Mifery, who are ftill expos'd to all the Storms and Shipwrack of a tempeftuous and troubled Sea : For we, alas! can only hope the befl^ but are not fure that we fhall ever make the Port of ever- lafting Life and Salvation. For our Life is a ikte of Exile and Captivity, our End unknown, our Fate wrapped up in clouds of a dark futurity. We he at the mercy of Winds and Waves, and caft many a weary and longing look , to the Land of our Hope and Reft. But, O thou ftay of our Souls, our Refuge and Strength , whofe Light, like the Saylor's Star, fhines through the thick Clouds that hang over our Heads \ fteer, we befeech thee, this floating Vellel with the helm of thy Crofs , left the deep fwallow us up. Draw us out of thefe^ Surges to thy felf our only comfort , whom now our weeping Eyes can but juft difcern, ftanding a? far off, like the dawn of the Morning Star, to con^ dudt and receive us to the wifhM-for Regions of Light : We are thy redeemed , and as fuch cry unto thee 5 Captives indeed at prefent , but fuch jis thou haft ranfomed with thy moft precious Blood. Hear us^ O God of our Sahvation^ thou that pral.65. r. firt the hope of all the ends of the Earthy and of them that remain in the broad Sea, Thou ftandeft upon the fhore, and feeft our Dangers, and how ourVef- fcl works in tl^e gtoi^m ) Q faye iis for thy Names fike^ Z40 MEDITATIONS. fake and fo direct our courfe, that we may happi- ly decline thofe Rocks on every fide, which if we Itrike upon we are dafh'd to pieces. Thou know- ell: the value of our Cargo, and the difficulties of the Voyage. Save, Matter, or we periih. Ch. 36. This is our didrefled Condition at prefent, but when thou haft brought us home to thy felf, the Fountain of Wifdom and Father of Lights j fuch complaints and all occafion for them fhall ceafe. Then in thy light fliall we fee light 5 not fuch as our corporeal Eyes are now blefs'd with, but Light unbodied, incorruptible, unquenchable, uncreated, the inacceffible , the true , the divine Light j that which enlightens Angels, and is the privilege and joy of Saints, even the Source of Light and Life, even thee, my Lord and my God. For I Cor. I3.^-J^Q^ ^y^ the Light, in whofe ligbf ive fiall fee ligbf, ^^' that is, behold thee and in thy felf, and Face to Face. Which what elfe can it import, but, as thy bleffed Apoflle hath very jultly explained it, kno'ou- ing as we are kno'wn j being let into a diltin6t view and knowledge of thy Truth and Glory ? So that toy^^ thy face is in effe6t to know the Power of the Father, the Wifdom of the Son, the Clemency and Goodnefs of the Holy Ghoft, and the mylterious adorable Union of all Three in one undivided Eflence. And thus to fee the living God, is the moft exalted Happinefs, the Honour and Reward of blefled Spi- rits, the Crown of Glory and eternal Blifs, the Beauty of Peace, the Paradife of God , the Hea- venly Jcrtifakm^ and that fulnefs of Joy which no finite Mind can comprehend. For this is the ut- molt bleflednefs of glorified Man, to fee him who made Heaven and Earth, the infinitely good Be- ing, which created, and i?,Ytdi , and brought him to Blifs and Glory with himielf This fight confiits in a clear knowledge of him in loving and admir- ing, in prailing and poilefling him. For he is the Liheritance of his People , even of the Spirits v/hom MEDITATIONS^ 241 whom he hath purchafed of old. He is their Por- tion, and the Recompence of their hopes and holy- labours. I am thy exceeding great reward^ was his Declaration andPromife x.o Abraham^ and a Promife Gen. 15.1. it was every way worthy the divine Maker. For great and noble things fuit the Charafter of great and noble Perfons. Thou indeed, my God, art exalted far above all Gods , and thy reward is proportionably high. For thou art not great and thy reward little > but as thou art, fo is that, great > for thou art not one thing and thy reward another, but both the fame , and both exceeding great. Thou art the bellower of the Crown, and the Crown it felf ^ the maker of the Promife and the . matter of the Promife > the giver and the Gift ,__ the Diadem of hope bedeckt with Gloiy^ the • Defire and the Joy of thy Holy ones. The fight of thee is therefore all that Blifs and Recompence we can pofTibly hope for. This is eternal life^ this thy own Wifdom, to know thee the only true G^/, John 17.3 - andjefus Chriji whom thou haft fent. When there- fore we fhall fee thee, the only, the true, the liv- ing, the almighty, infinite and incomprehenfible Father J and thy only begotten, confab ftantial and coeternal Son, whom thou fentcft into the World for our Salvation, by the Power of the Holy Ghofl:3 when we ihall fee thofe Three Perfons in the Unity of that Spirit One only divine EfTencc, befides whom there is no God ; then fhall we ac- tually pofTefs what we now foUicitoufly labour af- ter : Even that evcrlafting Life and Glory, vvhich thou hall prepared for them that love thee, kid up for them that fear thee> and the Portion of them that feek thy Face continually. And thou, O Lord my God, Avho hafl formed me and prcferved me from my Mother's Womb, futfer me not, 1 befeech thee, to be diverted from this one, and diflraclcd in the purfait of many. Objects ', but call in my wandering thoughts fcatter- ed 24^ MEDITATIONS. cd upon things without, and let me fland colle6t- cd in my felf, and from my felf, rife up and fix on thee alone > that my Heart may always be in a condition of faying with thy devout Pfilmift, "Thou haft faid feek ye my face ^ thy fac?^ Lord^ will I feck: Even the Face of the Lord of Hofts, in the vifion whereof the everlafting Life and Glory of blefled Spirits in Heaven confifls. Let my Heart there- fore rejoice, that it may fear thy Name. Yea, Pfal. 10 S' let the heart of them rejoice that fee k the Lord. But 4* if the heart of them who feek him only be affect- ed with fo fenfible a joy, how ravilhing and intenfe niuft theirs needs be, who do not only feek but find him ? I will therefore feek thy Face conilant-^ Pfal. iiS.iy^ zealoufly, incefTantly, that fo at length the Gate %9* 2.C. of Right eoufnefs may he open'd^ and I rnay go into the Joy of my Lord, ihis is the gate of the Lordy the righteous fhall enter into it. CHAP. XVIL Ch, 37. A concluding Trajer to the Holy Trinity, OHoly, blefled, and glorious Three, coeternal and^ coequal Perfons and One true God > Father, Son, and Holy Ghoilj thou that alone inhabiteft Eternity, and that Light to which no Mortal can approach -, that hall founded the Earth by thy Power, and rulell all the Kingdoms of it by thy Wifdom 5 Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth! Strong and terrible, merciful and jufl, worthy to be praifed, admired and loved above all things, by every Creature capable of paying thee this Tribute i Power, Wifdom and Goodnefs, One undivided Trinity, look down with Pity, and give car to the calling of thy poor Servant, who humbly begs adinifSon into the gates of Rightcoufnefs, thap he MEDITATIONS. 243 he may render due thanks to thy glorious Name. Behold) Great Mafter of the houfe, a needy beggar knocking at the door of thy mercy y O let him by his own experience prove the truth of that gracious promife. Knock and it jJoall he opened unto Matt, 7.7,' you. For what is knocking, if the inward groans, the foundings of my Bowels, the vehement defires, the doleful lamentations, and moving tears, and im- portunate cries, with which my heart now feeks thee, do not deferve that name ? Nor can any of thefe mod: inward griefs be loft upon an All-feeing God i For thou obferveft my moft fecret thoughts, and my heavinefs is not hid from thee. I'urn not Pfal. 27." then thy face any longer from me^ nor caft away thy Servant in difpleafure. Hear, O Father of Mercies, hear the loud Complaints of thy defolate Child, and ftretch out thy right hand to help me. Draw me out of the mire ot mifery and corruption, and fave me from the deep waters, the overflowings of un- godlinefs, that I fink not> My danger and my calamity thou canft not but fee, and fhall I be fut- fered to pcrifh, while Mercy it felf looks on .^ Call up thy bowels, thy tender and unfpeakable affedi- on, of which I have already had fo many inftances r let thefe commiferate my prefent diftrefs, and work out for me a mighty deliverance : that I may be conducted fafe^ to thee, my God, and fee the riches of thy kingdom, and the beauties of thy glorious Prefence j and fing praifes incefTantly to thy Name, O Lord^ "who do ft wondrous things. ThouPfa!. 72*' vefrefheft my Soul with glad remembrances of thy ^^^ Goodnefs ; and haft enlightened my younger years with the brightneis of thy Truth 5 forfake me not, Pfal. -jx: I befeech thee, in my old age and gray hairs, but ^^3- S* make my feeble Body to rejoice, and renew my Youth as the Eagles, and in thy due time command thefe dry bones to live again by a blcfted refurreiti- €>n to immortal Life and Glory. St. /'_£±__!±^ JtLOu that jzearcst Prayer, untcincs -Snait all Ttaa Ccrm . PS. Oj-. V,jt . ^4) St. AUGUSTlNEs MANUAL. Book IV, The PREFACE. THE multimde and vail variety of en{la%-ing obieas with which in this iiie we aie every where befet, divert our thoughts and cool our love of Heaven. It is therefore ne- cefTarv to fortify and rouTe our felves, that we may wake out of our deluding dream > and when we feci our Souls rove and fall off, we may be able to bring them back fpeedily, to God our true and chief Good. This conS deration, and my fervent love of my God, not any raili prelumptuous con- ceit of mv own .Abilities, put me upon compiling this little Book 5 that fo I might have fome pious refic<5tions alwavs about me > colled:ed from the choicell iavingsof Holy Fathers 5 the fen-eni read- ing whereof may warm me afrcili with di\-ine Love, whene\-er I ihsil feel that holy fire begin to lan- guilli in my heart. AiLll me therefbre, O my God, in this well intended imderrakingj For thee, even thee, I feek, and love, and praiie, and adore, with hGirr, and mouth, and e\*ery faculty I have X My 2^6 MEDITATIONS. My Mind intirely dedicates it felf to thee, gafps and pants after thee, and covets no other Blifs than the fight of her beloved 5 taites no other pleafure, but that which refiilts fi'om fpeaking, hearing, writing, conferring, and perpetually dwelling upon the Meditation of thee and thy gloiy: expeding from thefe fweet remembrances, fome refrefliment and inward calm, in the midft of a tempeftuous World. To thee therefore, O Joy and Defirc of my heart, I cry aloud, and from the bottom of my heart. I call within, bccaufe I know thee there 5 j for wert not thou in me, I fhould not be at all ; and were not I in thee, thou wouldft not be in me. But thou art in me, whenever in my memo- ry > from thence I know thee, and there I find thee, when I call to mind, and delight my felf in recounting thy glorious pcrfedions, from, and by^ ^. and in whom all things fubfift. •<*f CHAP. I. Tloe Excellencies of the divine EJfenc'e. Ifa. 6. 3.TTEavenand Earth, O Lord, are full of xht Heb. 1.3.JLX Majefty of thy glory : Thou fuftaineft all things, and yet feelefl no burden^ fillcft all, and John 5. 7 -art circumfcribed by none. Always in a6tion, and yet always in reft, (eeking and gathereft, but want- Exod. lo.eft not J lovefl without pafiion, art jealous with- 5- out pain J repentcft without remorfe, art angry 18*7 '^'without commotion J altereft thy meafures, but not thy mind J recovereft what thou hadft never loft, rejoicing in gain, and yet never poor, ex- pecting thy own with ufury, and yet never cove- Luke i5.tousj bountiful, and paying tothem^ to whom thou art not indebted, and placing thofe good aftions to MEDITATION S; 147 to account, which are thy due, that by a marvel- pfal. 79.5. lous condefcenfion, thou mayeft become thy faithr*Matt. zj. £ii\ Servants debtor. ^7- •For who hath any thing \idiich is not thine ? i Cor. 4.7, Thou payefb andoweft not. Thou remittefl: thy diies and lofeil nothing. Thou art in every place, Prov. 15^ and in each intirej Thou art to be perceived, but3> ^9* not with Eyes .of flefh 5 Abfent from none, yet far fj-pm the imaginations of the ungodly -, but ftill not abfent even from them -, for where thou art not by thv grace, thou art prefent by thy Obfervation and .Vengeance. We follow thee, and yet thou remo- vefl not, and what we purfue we are not able to attain: For thou pofleffell, fiUeft, comprehendeft and fuilaineft all things by thy wonderful prefence and power. Thou teachefl the hearts of the faithful, with^rra.54.i3;- out the help of articulate Sounds > art not extend- Job 33. ed with fpace, nor changed by time, nor nearer ^4.i5>i^' or more diftant by motion 5 but inhabitefl: the Light, to which no mortal can approach, which i Tim.6\: none hath feen or can fee. Always at reft in thyi*^- felf, and yet travelling through the Univerfe, and each part of it. For Thou art fo entirely One, •as not to be divided 5 but art every where all •in all. ' • CHAP. II. The inexprejjlble Terfe6iion of the "Divine Knowledge. T Hough the whole world were filled with Vo« lumes on that fubje6t, yet could they not all declare the excellence ot thy immenfe Knowledge > for this is above the power of Pens or Tongues to exprefs, or finite minds to comprehend. Thou art the fource of Divine Light, tranfcendently R. gre^l 148 MEDITATIONS. great and good, and therefore exceeding all quan- tity and quality. With thee to will is to do, and to intend is to be able to perform. By the Al- mighty efficacy of this will alone, it was that thou madeft all things out of nothing j and every thing thus made, thou pofTefleft without need, governeft without trouble, difpofeft without reiiftance or in- terruption. For neither in Heaven above, nor in Earth nor Hell beneath, is there any thing that can difturb the peaceful order of thy adminift ration. And yet thou art not the Author of any Evil > || for the doing this is what thy Omnipotence ex- tends not to, which can do all things good and great > and therefore thou who canft do every thing, canfl; yet do nothing to be repented of 4" Thy Goodnefs gave us being, thy Juftice punifhes our mifdeeds, thy Mercy fpares us from the puniih- ments we delerve. When we fay that all things are full of thy power and prefence, our meaning is not, that they contain thee, but are contained in thee 5 not that thou fiUeil them by parts and meafure, fo that each axature fhould receive fuch proportions of thee as it is capable of, fome more, fome lefs •, but thou art entire in each of them, and every one of them entirely in thee. For all things are within the compafs and governance of thy power > and whoever hath not the comfor- table prefence of this goodnefs and favour, hath the terror of thy angry Juftice ever prefent with him. CHAP. MEDITATIONS. 249 CHAP. III. The Thirft of the Soul after God^ BU T as for me, my deareft Lord, let the for* mcr of thcfe, I befeech thee, be my porti^ on J Come in much mercy down into my Soul, and take pofleflion and dwell there. A homely manfion, I confels, for fo glorious a Majefty, but fuch as thou art fitting up for the Reception of thee, by holy and fervent Defires of thy own in- fpiring. Enter _then, and^adojn, and make it fuch as thou wilt not difdain to inhabit, fince it is dou- bly the work of thy hands •, firft by a natural, to life, and fince by a fpiritual and better Creation, to righteoufnefs and true hoHnefs : let me wear thee upon my heart as a fignet, and let nothing ever deface the Impreflion. Forfake not, I befeech thee, thy fervant that calleth upon thee > for be- fore I called thou preventedft my defires > and that I call or feek thee^ is from that grace which firft of all fought and called me : And why was thisj but that fo fought I might feek thee again, and fo feek as to find thee^ and fo find as unfeignedly to love and delight in thee? Love, I have fought, Lo I have found my God, Lo I defire to love thee : O increafe my dehre, O grant that requeft, and give me thy own felf, without which tho' thou fhouldeft give me all that ever thoif haft made, yet could not my defires be fatisfied. Give then thy own felf to thy own Servant, for thy fervant lov-^ ^ cth thee j and if he love thee yet too little, endea- vour to fupply that defeat, by wiftiing above all things to love thee every day more and more. Thou haft my whole heart, I know no rival paflion^ I burn with no other defire, I delight in the remem« brance of no other Objeft, R % The ijo MEDITATIONS. The power of this afFc6lion is fo fenfiblc, that while my mind is foaring up to thee, it finds it felf in fome degree releafed from this clog of Flefh that hangs about it. A peaceable calm compofes all my thoughts, the load of mortality and mifery grows hghter, and all the tumult of worldly cares and troubles are hufh'd in lilence and profound tran- quillity. I feci my heart glow, my m.ind ravifhed with extalies of pleafure, my memory grows vigo- rous and ftrong, my intellc6lual powers more clear and bright, and my whole Soul inflamed with eager love and earneft longings for invilible Joys. O that I had v/ings like an Eagle, that my towring flight might never faulter, never refl till I had mounted up to tlie glories of thy heavenly habitation, and were filled with the pleafures of thy beauteous prefence, and tafle the fv/cets, and feaft upon the rich dain- ties which the Citizens of the heavenly Jerufalem perpetually feed upon. Thou art our Hope, our Salvation and Redemption, and exceeding great Reward. Be thou alfo our glory and our joy. Let my Soul ever feek thee, and let me perfill in feek- ing, till I have found, and am in full poflcilion of thee. CHAP. IV. The Mifery of them ijjho do rM feek and love God, FOR wretched is that Soul, whofe endeavours and defires are fixed on any other Objcd, by a third ahvays tormenting, but never refrefhcd, never fatisfied. The end of living is loft to them who love not God \ and he who defircs life for the (like of any thing befidcs, is nothing, and aims at vanity and nothing. He who will not live to ■Thee, He that is wife for any other purpofe, is no better than a fool. To thee therefore, graci- ous MEDITATIONS. 2 51 Oils Lord, I commit, bequeath, devote my fclf, from whom alone my whole being, and life, and knowledge is derived 5 in thee is all my tniil and confidence, from whom I expe6i: my fecond and better life. I defire, and love, and worfhip thee, with whom I hope to dwxll and reign, and be happy to all eternity. The Soul which fceks^ and loves not Thee, dotes on the World, and is a Slave to Sin 3 always in bondage, never at cafe, never fecure. Let my Soul, gracious Lord, . be ever imployed in thy fervice, my prefent fojour- xiing tend ever to Thee, and my heart be ever inflamed with the defire and love of Thee alone. Let this be my Rell, and the Contemplation of it my Joy and Comfort in the Days of my Pilgri- mage. Let me be ilieltred under the fliadow of thy Wings from the Storms of anxious and world- ly Cares > and when the Winds blow and the W aves fwell, let this be my Harbour and foft re- pofe. O God, rich in goodnefs, and the boun- tiful giver of heavenly Delights, fuftain my faint- ings, relieve my hunger , break the bonds of my Captivity, heal my wounds, and repair my breaches. Behold I iland at the door and knock, let that tender Mercy, which from on high hath vifited us, command the door to be opened, that I may go in to thee , and refl: in thee, and be refrcihed abundantly with thy heavenly fullenance. For thou art the Bread and the Fountain of Life s thou art the brigbtncfs of everlalling Lights thou art every thing by which thofe pious Spirits are fupported and comforted, who love and live to thee. R 5 CHAP. iji MEDITATIONS. C H A P. V. A Trayer for grace to love God above all things. OGod, the light of every Heart that fees thee, the life of every Soul that loves thee, the flrength of every Mind that feeks thee , grant me ever to continue ftedfafl in thy holy Love. Pour thy felf into my Heart, and let it overflow, and be fo intirely filled with thy Pleafures, that there may be no room left for the trifling vanities here below. I am aiham'd and tir'd of living after the way of the World j the very fight and hearing of tranfitory Objefts is troublefome : Help me, my God, againft the Infinuations of fuch, and be thou the joy of my Heart : Take it all to thy felf, and keep thy con- tinual refidence there.The Houfe,I confefs, is ilreightj do thou enlarge it. Ruinous, but do thou repair it j full of Pollutions which might be a nuifance to Eyes fo pure > I know, and with grief confefs it : But whole help fhall I implore in clcanfing it, ex- cept thine alone ? To thee therefore I cry inilant- ly, begging that thou wilt purge me from my fecret faults^ and efpecially keep thy fervant from prefump-- tuous fins^ that they never get the dominion over me. Enable me, fweet Jefus, I befeech thee, to lay afide the weight of flellily Lulls, and exchange my worldly Defires and Affe61:ions for thofe of thee and Heaven. Let my Body be in conftant fubje^li- on to my Soul, my Senfes to Reafon, and myRea- fon to thy Grace 5 that fo both the outward and inward Man may be ever obedient , and difpofed to do thy will. Fill my Heart, my Mouth, and all my Bones with thy Praife. Enlighten my Under- ftanding, and exalt my Affe6tions, that I may foar upwards to thee 5 ana fet me free from thofe Fet- ters which faften me down, and are an incum- brance MEDITATIONS. ^n brance to me, that I may leave all here below, and ferve, and fix, and dwell upon thee alone. CHAP. VI. The Happinefs of Souls delivered from their earthly Trifons, AN D happy fure beyond Imagination is that bleft Soul^ which making its efcape out of this earthly Prifon wings its way to Heaven with- out any reftraint 5 which fees its deareft Lord fiice to face, and no longer enflav'd to the fear of death, triumphs in the enjoyments of everlafting Glory. Pollelling thee the objedt of its love and long pur- fuit, and Imging Hymns of never-ceafing Praife to the Honour of her King and Redeemer 3 fatiated with the Plenteoufnefs of thy Houfe, and drunk with the Rivers of thy overflowing Pleafures. O happy Company of heavenly Citizens ! O glorious Pomp of Souls returning from their toilfome pil- grimage to the excellence of theJBeauty, and Splen- dor and Majefty of thy Courts ! O the ravifhing Entertainment of thofe harmonious Hymns , the Melody of Angels , and fweet Notes of Songs in Confort, of which every Member of the heavenly Choir bears his part ! No mixture of bitter pollutes thofe holy Joys, no malice or wickednefs, no want or difgrace, no railing or reviling, or angry dif- putes, no fear or difquiet, no doubt or uneafineS, or mutual diftruft j nor force or difcord > but per- fe<5t peace and love, eternal praife and thankfgiv- ing, uninterrupted reft, and joy everlafting in the Holy Ghoft. My God, how happy fhould I be to hear that tranfporting Mufick, and thofe divine Compofitions, which publifti the Myfteries and Glo- ries of the blefled Trinity j my God, how mwch R- 4 . hap- 254 MEDITATIONS. happier and more honour'd , if admitted not only to hear, but my felf to join in contort with thofe Sons of God, who fing to their Chriil and King t)nc of the pleafant Songs of Sion. Ch. 7. O Life, truly worthy that Name j becaufe ever- lafling, ever blefTed. A Life of Joy unpolluted iwith Sufferings or Sorrow, Reft without Labour or Diflurbance -, Honour without Fear or Envy y Riches without Robbery or Lofs^ Health without Decay, Plenty without Lack, Happinefs without Difaflers. Where all good things are enjoyed in perfeft Charity. Where God is feen face to face, knd the Mind is feafted and fully fatisfied with knowledge, ever feeing and ever defiring to fee more, but defiring without uncafinefs, and fatis- fied fo as never to be cloyed. Where the Sun of Righteoufnefs fheds the refrefhing Beams of his ex- cellent Beauty upon every Head> and the origi- nal Light is fo diifufed, that every Inhabitant of thofe blifsful Regions fhines by the Reflection ; For being conftantly united to the Deity, they are transformed into the likenefs of the Divine Immortality and Perfe6l:ions 3 thus receiving the John 17. full efic61: of their holy Lord's Promife, Father^ I ^i, 24. ^^m fjj^f fj^^y c^fQQyyi fjjQi^ jj^ji gic^Qyi, yfjc he with' me where I am^ that they may behold the ^.ory which thou haft gi'uen me^ and all he one ifi tis^ as thou^ Father^ art in me^ and I in thee^ that they alfo may he one in us. Ch, 8. O glorious Kingdom, to the Inheritance where- of we are advanced, without the melancholy forms of Death and Succefiion, and whofe Pofiefiion knows no change or end ^ but one perpetual Day, fubje£l: to no Revolution of time > and never fading Laurels upon the Head of each triumphant Soldier, who hath fought manfully, and weather- ed all the toil and hardfliips of this fpiritual War- fare I How do I long for that . mofi: blefi^ed time , when this poor unworthy Creature, the laft and i^Aft of all my Maitev's Servants 5 fhall be called * "'^ -' •■' \ ■ -r ■ upoq MEDITATIONS. i^j upon to put oiFthis load of Sin and Corruption, and thus dilburdcned, remove, and fix my H.ibitation in the heavenly City, mingHng with that harmo- nious Hoil above, and doing homage with them in the blelFed prefence of my glorious Lord : Re- leafed not only from the Senfe, but even the for- •rowful Remembrances of Death, and Suffering, Ignorance and Infirmity, Difeiues and Temptati- ons, Decays and Pains , ialfe Plcafures and violent Paifions, which are our conftant Exercife and Mi- fery, while we continue our Journey through this Valley of Tears. CHAP. VII. Of the Comforts afforded good Men trader their ch. 7, prefent Trouble, SUCH are the Frailties, fuch the Incumbrances of a wretched mortal State j wretched indeed, if confidered, either with regard to the weight laid upon it, or its own inability to fuflain the Iieavy load. But bleffed, and for ever magnified be the Mercy of our God^ wdio, while he afflicls and difciplines by his Providence, does not leave us delHtute of the pov/eiiul Afiillances and fweet Confolations of his Grace ! I feel my felf indeed oppreiTed and pierced thro' with many Sorrows, and anxious fears 3 my Life, I know, . muft ihortly have an end, the guilt of my Sins firikcs me with horror and amazement. For death, I am fenfiblc, configns me oyer to Judgment , and the torments .pf Hell are the due reward of my evil Deeds 3 and -what defence to make for my felf, I cannot tell, in that Day when every Acirion, and Word, and thought (hall undergo a fcrutiny more exacl and ievere than I at prefent am able to conceive, .,.• ■ ■ ■ - ~- Xhefg zy(5 MEDITATIONS. Thefe are fuch mortifying Refle6tions5 as mull of neceffity fink me into defpair, did not my Lord, according to his wonted goodnefs interpofe, and in the midil of my lamentations and deep diftrels fupport my drooping Soul, and aflwage my an- guilh with profpcct of Mercy, when I /hall Hand moffc in need of it. ^ By thefe, exalting my hopes, and carrying my troubled Mind to the tops of the everlafting Hills, to the ferene and peaceful Regi- ons of Blifs y ftrengthening my Faith, and refrefh- ing me in the pleafant Paftures of the Rivers of Waters : Shewing me the plenteous Provifion made for the Entertainment of wearied and fa- mifhed Souls. This glorious fight makes me for- get my Sufferings, foftens and even recommends my prefent Troubles, leaves me no longer grovel- ing upon the Duft, but leaves Earth and its vain Object behind. So that I then look down with difdain upon the tumults and dangers, the folUes and miferies of this World > and with a Mind per- fectly compos'd, can reft my felf upon thee, the true, the holy, the undiflurbed Peace of every tru- ly pious and devout Chriflian. CHAP. VIII. u4n AH of Love andT>evotion. I Love thee, O my God, and defire to love thee every day more fervently. For thou art beautiful and amiable above the Sons of Men, and defervefl an Affeftion equal to thy own ador- able and incomprehenfible Excellencies. Equal to the marvellous inftances of Goodnefs, of which thy tender care for, and unfpeakable condefcen- fions in working out the eternal Salvation of Man- kind, hath given fuch plentiful , fuch aflonifhing Proofs. O let that Fire defcend into my Heart, which MEDITATIONS. 157 which burns with a bright and holy Flame , never langLiifhing, never to be quenched. May every part of me feel the kindly heat, may it expand it felf, and burn up every other PaiHon : that all the drofs of vain and polluted Paffions and Defircs being entirely confum'd, I may be turn'd all into Love, and know no other Obje6t of that Love, but thee alone, my deareft, fweeteft and moft love- ly Saviour. By that moft holy, that moft precious Blood, ch. ii. which thou wert content to fhed upon the Crofs for our Redemption J grant me, I befcech thee, the Grace of a truly contrite and devout Heart, at all times 5 but then efpecially, when I approach thy Majefty in Prayers and Praifes , and thankful Commemorations of the Myfterious Methods of Man's Redemption , that moft ftupendous , moft confpicuous and everlafting Monument of the di- vine Mercy. When I (unworthy, I confefs, of fo high a Privilege) proftrate my felf before thy Altar, and afiift in that heavenly Sacrifice, which thou, my undefiled High-Pricft, hath mftituted for a Memorial and Pledge of thy Love j and for the daily repair of thofe Breaches which Sin and Frailty make upon our Souls, by ihefe frequent and lively Reprefentations of that Death and Paf- fion, by virtue whereof alone v/e are , or can be faved. While I attend upon thefe holy Myfteries, let my Mind, I moft humbly pray thee, be fenfibly com.forted, and my Faith confirmed with the Joys of thy blefTcd Prefence. Let me find thee nigh at hand, and be afte6i:ed as becomes one, who juftly values the Honour and Happinels of fuch a Union with thee. Let my fpiritual Delights be ravifhing- ly fweet, my love of thee exceeding ftrong and ardent, my inward hungrings after thee refrefh'd. For thou art the Bread of Life, every day eaten, yet ftill v^hole and never coniumed : Lord, grant me 258 MEDITATIONS. me evermore this Nourifhrnent : Thou art the Light eternal, never ecKpied, never extincb: O fliine in my Heart, warm, enhghten and fanclify me, that I may be a chofen Veflel for thy ufe, purged from all wicked Filth , filled with all Grace, and ever preferving that fulnefs. So fhall I fpiritually feed upon thy Fleih, and feel my Soul efFeclually fuf- tained in the llrcngth of this heavenly Repafl 5 fo iliall I be nourilhed unto Life indeed, and living of thee, and by thee, at lail be conducted to thee, and for ever red in thee. Ch. 12. " ^ Banquet of Love, heavenly fweet, let my Bowels be refreihed by thee, my inward Part over- flow with the Nectar of thy Love, and my Soul burfl out with zealous Exprcflions of thy Praife continually. My God is love it felf, fweeter than Honey to my Mouth , Suftenance and Joy 5 make me to live and grow in thee, and correct my viti- ated Palate, thut I may truly relifh thy heavenly de- lights, and lofe all talte, all appetite for any other. Thou art the Soul of my Life, the ftafF of my Hope, the end and fum of all my Defires. O do thou polTefs my whole Heart, prefide over every Facul- ty, direct my Undcritanding , exalt my Affections ^nd quench the thirft of my longing Soul with xhofe Rivers of Pleafures which flow at thy right Hand for evermore. Let eveiy flcllily and turbu- lent defire be awed into flleace, and all Imagina- -tions of things in Heaven, and Air, and Earth, flee from before thee. Let Dreams and fancied Revela- tions j let every Word, and Sign, and Thought give way y and even the Soul it felf iland mute, go out of it felf, . aiid be employed in the Contemplation of thee alone ; for thou art my hope and my only trutt : And, though the vilencfs of my own Con- Ch. 13- dition, and efpecially the innnite faults and frail- ties of my Life, might reafonably fliut me out from any hope, that fo great and holy a God ihould ^dmit fo polluted a Wretch into Communion with him 3 MEDITATIONS. 259 him 5 yet in regard the Word of God hath conde- fcended to dwell in my Flefh, and united his Di- vine to our Human Nature, I can with confidence look up to that powerful IntercelTor at thy right Hand, and will not doubt but I ihall one Day be exalted to the lame blefled Place, where my Flcih and Blood does in my Jefus already fit triumphant. To whom be Praife and Glory, Honour and Ado- ration, and Thankfgiving for ever. Aynen. C H A P. IX. The ^leafttre of meditating npon Cod. ch. 14. 'OW fweet, O gracious Lord, who in won- derful kindnefs haft, fo loved, and flived, enli- vened, and fan6biiied, and exalted us, how inex- preilibly fweet are the thoughts and the remem- brance of thee ! The more I dwell on thefe Re- fiections, the more I feel my Soul exhilerated and tranfported with them. The ETCcellencies of thy Nature, and merciful Difpenflitions of thy Provi- dence, I contemplate with the mod abitra6lcd iim- plicity of thought, that my prefent State is capa- ble of J and feel the Delights redilting from them fwell to a pitch, as high as this difbance of a So- journer in a fhrange Land admits. More I covet earneftly, and daily afpire after, and can but covet and afpire after, during my confinement to a Bo- dy of Flefh and Frailty. I am v/ounded with the Darts of thy Love, and burn v/ith eager Dcfire of feeing aad being infeparably united to Him whom my Soul longeth to enjoy. I will therefore ftand upon my guard, and take good heed to my ways> y 'Will fing with the fpirit^ and I will fiyig with ths under ft dnding^ and exert my utmoil Activity in fet- ting forth the praifes of him, v^ho hath made mc his own by a double Title > firft bv creatine:, and then x6o MEDITATIONS. then by renewing and reftoring my Nature. My Soul fnall mount above the highell: Heavens, and in defire dwell with thee continually j that how- ever my bodily Prefence detain me here below, yet in my Inclinations and AfFe6lions I may re- lide above, and fo my heart be, where thou, its beft and mofl delirable treafure, art. But pity, I befeech thee, gracious Lord, the Impotence and Infirmities of thy Servant, who, the more he contemplates thine infinite Majefty and Goodnefs, the more confcious he is of his dif- ability to raife up to the Dignity of that Subjeft. My Heart is too narrow, and thy unbounded Ex- cellencies, thy Beauty, and Power, and Glory, and Love exceed the largeft Comprehenfions of any humane Mind. As the brightneCs of thy Ma- jelly is unconceivable, fo are the Bowels of that everlafting Mercy, by which thou adopteft them for thy own Children, and receivedll: them to be one with thy felf , whom thou at firll createdfl out of nothing. Confider, O my Soul, the greatnefs of this love, and the noble privileges accruing to thee from it : For if thou hall juft notions of thefe things, thou wilt be perfectly convinced, that if the enduring daily Pains and Sicknefs, nay, if the Torments of Hell it felf for a feafon, were made the condition of beholding Chrift in his Glory, and being re- ceived into the number and fociety of the biefled above J no Sufferings could be fo cxquifite, that they ought not to be gladly entertained, none which would not find themfeives abundantly re- compenced, by obtaining a portion in that tran- fccndent Fehcity. What though the Devils then lay wait for us, and draw us into lliarp Trials of our Virtue ; what tho' this Body be macerated with Falling, fretted with Sackcloth, fatigued with Toil, and dried up with want of Sleeps what tho' sny Enemy deride^ or rail againilj or create me •^MEDITATIONS. zdi me mifchief and difquiet > though Cold, or Want, or Pain, or Sicknefs, wear out a tedious Life in Sighs and incefTant Complaints ^ let my Strength be fpent in heavinefs, and my Years in mourning; let me roar for the very anguifh of my Heart, and my Body have no foundnefs or whole part in it, provided I may find reft in the Day of Tribula- tion, and rejoice at laft in the felicity of thy chofen^ p^^j^ ^^^ and give thanks with thine inheritance. j. For how can we efteem that Glory according to its worth, or what can be a purchafe equivalent to that happinefs, in which the face of every righ- teous Man fhall ihine as the Sun in its Strength ? When the Lord fhall reckon up his People, and diftribute them into their refpe&ive Ranks, and the degrees of Blifs differing from each other, in proportion to the good they have done in their re- {pe6tive Bodies. When he fhall put the faithful in pofTeffion of thofe promifes they fo long depended upon > and in exchange for earthly, give them hea- venly, for temporal and tranfitory, eternal and ne- ver fading goods; and make them who have ac- quitted themfelves well in a very little, Rulers over Luke t^ much. Nothing fure can be added to the happi- n- neis of that day, when the Lord fhall introduce his holy ones into his Father's Prefence, and to make them fit down with himfelf in heavenly pla- ces, that God may be all in all. O Blifs inexprcflible, to fee the Saints, to be with Chap. i6, them, to be one of them > to fee God as he is, and to pofTefs him for ever and ever ! O let this Blifs be often in our thoughts, always uppermoft, nay, only in our defkes: for it deferves the whole of us, and this is the method of infuring it to our (elves. For, if the greatnefs of the Prize put you, as well it may, upon enquiring how you can ever hope to compafs it, which way you can deferve it, or what afliftances are necefTary for this purpofe, the aniwer is fhort and ready. For God hath fo Matt. ir. I ' ordained i6x MEDITATIONS. prdiiincd that it is in every Man's Power to be Matt. II. happy, the Kingdom of Heaven fuffers violence y to deiire, and refolve, and endeavour, and flrive, is. to be quaUfied, and no JVIan ever failed in his attempt, who was willing to take by force. ^jiThis Kingdom is indeed an invaluable Treafure,- biit yet every Man is capable of being a Purchafer, becaufe the only price God expects for it is a Man's, felf. Give but your felf, and this will be looked upon as a Confideration fuflicient. And therefore never be difcouraged at the difproportion betwixt what you can pay, and what you can hope to recei\'e: For the Purchafe is paid by another Hand to the utmoft Farthing. This was done whenChrift gave himfelf3 and he gave himfelf, that he might ran-* Rom. 6. fom you, and make your Heart a Kingdom for his Father to reign in. Deliver therefore your felf in- to his PofTeflion, that Sin may no longer reign in your Body unto Death, but that God may dwxU and reign in you by his Spirit, for the attainment of everlafting Life. Ch. 17. How eager then, my Soul, fliould we be to re- turn to that heavenly City, w^here our Home and our Privileges are, where we are Free Denizens, and have our Names enroll'd in the Book of God ? Rom. 8. Since therefore we are Fellow-Citizens with thd ^1' Saints, Heirs of God, and Joint-Heirs with Chrifl, let us very diligently reprefent to our felves the glorious advantages of thefe Characters, and the blifs of our Native place, in the befl: light our pre- fcnt thoughts can .let them. Let us cry out with pral.87.3. the Prophet of old, Hoijo excellent things are fpoken of thee^ thou City of God! All thy Inhabitants are Pr.'.1.48 2. like them that fing, Beautiful art thou for fit nation^ and the joy of the ivhole earth. Into thy Gates en-^ ter neither old age, nor decay, nor mifery j No lame or maimed, no deformity or ddc^^ but all Kph.4.T3. grow up into a perfect man^ unt& the meafure of ths Jtature of the fukiefs of Chrifl:. What MEDITATIONS. 269 What can be wanting, what be added, to the Happinefs of that Life, which is never threatned with Poverty or Sicknefs, never mulefted with Wrongs or Violence, with Anger or Envy, or ex* orbitant Befire : Where all the prefent NecelTities of Nature ceafe ♦, and thereftlefs Ambition of Ho- nour and Power and Riches find no place : Where we are no longer in fear of any Devil, or in dan- ger of his Temptations, or in fo much as a polTi- bility of his Torments : Where neither Body nor Soul can dye, but both are endued with a Life e- verlafting, ever delightful : No Cafualties, no Malice, no Qiiarrels or Fadions, but univerfal A- greement, profound Peace, and perfed Love : Where the Day never declines, but a Light as perpetual as it is glorious ? For that City hath 110 Rev. 21; 7teedofthe Smu^ jieither of the Moon to JInne hi zt, but 2J- the glory of God doth Ughtejt ;>, a77d the Lamb is the light thereof Nay, the Saints too JImll JJme as the hrightiisfs of the fnna7ne7it^ arid they that turn viany Dan.i2.^ to righteoiifjtefsj as the Stars for ever. Hence there is no Night -, nor Darknefs, nor Clouds -5 no extremities of heat and cold, but fuch a happy temper in all refpects, as no eye hathfeen^ ^ q^^ 2, or ear heard^neither hath it entred into the heart of any 9. man to conceive ^ except thofe happy Souls, whom their own Experience fhall inftrud, and whofe Karnes are written in the Book of Life. To all which we may add the Honour and Happinefs of affociating with Patriarchs and Prophets, of converling v/ith Apoftles,and Martyrs, and Saints, and all thofe dear Relations and Friends, who vv^cnt thither before us. Thefe are very glorious Advantages, but that which far excels them all, is, that we fhall fee the Face of God, and ever admire and gaze upon, and rejoyce in his excellent Glo- ry. O Happinefs ineflimable, when we fhall fee God as He is in himfelf •, when we fhall fee him, and enjoy him our felves, and when this Sight S and 264 MEDITATIONS. and Fruition fhall never have any Interruption, any End. .^r For we greatly miftake, if we have the vanity to imaghi, that what we pay, and what we receive, the Soul and God, the Creature and the Creator, can ever meet upon equal terms. But if a Man love with his whole Heart, tho' this be nothing as to any fn- trinfick value of its own, yet it is efteemed not to be defedive, becaufe he is capable of no more. Let not the Soul then that thus loves God be dif- couraged ^ the only juft caufe of Fear is, whei| v/e do not love him as we may and ought. The Soul that loves after this manner, is eager in her Wifhes, fixed in her defires, lays no ftrefs upon her belt actions, but thinks all fhe can do too little • is not terrified by the Majefty of God, but ravifhed with delight in the contemplation of his Mercy, takes fanduary in his Goodnefs, and converfes with him frequently and freely. Thig does as it were, carry the Man out of himfelf, and make him act fcparately from his bodily Senfes, that he feems to have no longer any regard to him- felf, but is entirely f^vallowed up in God. Nor are thefe aiery and roraantick Notions, but fuch as every ones own experience will confirm to him, when tranfported with the unfpeakable fweetnels of heavenly Meditations. He does then as it were make an efcape from every other Objcd, that he may be diverted and interrupted by no other thoughts, but enjoy perfect Happinefs, and give himfelf up entirely to God. Nothing could aid to this ravifhing Satisfadtion, were but the conti«. S3 nuance 268 MEDITATIONS. nuance equal to the Intenfenefs of it. For th& Love of God contrads an intimate acquaintance with Inm, that acquaintance begets an affurance, that afTurance creates a fenfible delight, and that delight breeds a defire of more and greater inti- macies. A Soul thus enflamed is full of longings Pfal.42. 1' and thirftings, and often cries out with the Pfal- mift, Like as the hart pajtteth after the water-hrooh^ fopaiiteth 7nyfoiil after thee^ God. Chap. xxi. Love brought dov/n God to Men », this induced him to dwell among Men ♦ this moved him to be himJelf made Man : He in his nature is invifible ^ but this, rendred him not only vifible, but, in won- derful Condefcenfion, like to his own Servants : It was Love that wounded him for our Tranfgref- fion : incomprehenlible, unexampled Love, that made his Soul heavy to the Death, and poured out his heart'sBlood upon the Crofs. Love, that provi- ded a fure retreat for miferable Sinners, by open- ing that paffage to their Saviour's heart : For thi- ther now I can betake my felf, and what I want of merit of my felf, fupply out of the Bowels of my pierced Redeemer. There is a perpetual Spring of Mercy, and through the Orifice in his Bod}'- 1 can approach the Jleceffes of his Soul. Thefe Wounds unlock the Myftery of Godlinefs, and ftiei^/ me that tender compajhon of my Lord, whereby the Luke I. Day faring from on high vifited loft Wretches, when they fate iii darhief^ and in the jJh-tdow. of death. The Wounds of Chrift are full of Pity, full of Virtue, full of Sweetnefs and Kindnefs inexprelli- ble. They pierced his Hands and his Feet, and thruft through his Side with a Spear. By thefe Paflages I can tafte and fee how gracious my Lord hath been •, for he is indeed gentle, and long fuf- fering,^nd of great pity to all them that call up- on him faithfully, to all that feek him. diligently, to all that love him, who hath fo wonderfully fir ft loved them. In the Wounds of our blefTed Saviour MEDITATIONS. 269 Saviour we have plenteous Redemption,and there we may find abundant Goodnefs, ravifhing De- light, fulnefs of Grace, and perfection of Virtue. C H z\ P. XI. The good Effects of meditatirig on Chriji's De.itb arid Sufferings, "^Hen any finful Imagination follicites me, I ftrait take Sanduary in my Saviour's Wounds. When the Flefh weighs dovv^n my Soul, the remembrance of his Sufferings breaks all my Fetters, and fets me free by heavenly Thoughts again. When the Devil lays his Snares to entrap and deftroy me, I iiee for help to the tender Mer- cies of my dying Lord, and the Enemy foon feels himfelf difappointed and draws off. IfLuflbe kindled in my Breaft, and flir my Body to Rebel- lion, I refled: on the Agonies of the Son of God for my fake, and prefently thofe impure Fires are quenched. In any fort of Suffering or Diftrefs I fod no Comfort, no Relief comparable to the Confideration of my afflicted Saviour : In his Wounds I can lay me down and fleep fecurely ^ thefe are my defence and the fupport of my Soul in any Temxptation that airaults me, in anyAffli-* dion that befalls me. Chrift died for us ^ furely then the bitternels of Death is paft, and nothing can be fo gi'ievous to humane Nature, that it may not be m.oUified hy this Confideration. In that Death of his is all my Hope andTruft, I plead no other Merit, I ask no other Refuge, this is my Health, my Life, nay, my fecond and better Life, my Refarredion from the Dead. His Mercies are great, unmeafurably great, and how worthlefs fo ever I may be in my felf, S 4 yet 270 MEDITATIONS. yet while I am looked upon as having a Ihare in thefe, I cannot be rejedted or defpifed. For his Mercies proi'e him willing to fave. and therefore his Power is no longer a Terror, but mj bell Security. Ch. xxiii. I am indeed a very grievous Sinner, and my Confcience upbraids me v/ith numberlefs and hei- nous Tranfgreifions againft God and his moft righ- teous Laws •, but notwithftanding thefe reproaches of my own Breaft, make me fometimes uneafy, Rom. 6. 1, and afraid, yet do I not defpair •, becaufe where fit hath abointded^ there Grace hath much viore abounded, Nay^ I mult not, I dare not defpair-, for this were to bind one fault upon another, and to aggravate all the wickednefs I had ever been guilty of be- fore. For he that defpairs of forgivenefs for his Offences, does in effed declare, that God is not merciful ^ and b}^ diftrufting, robs him of his be- loved Attribute, which is the higheft Outrage and Injuftice that any Man can polhbly commit againft God. He does, as much as in him lies, bear Te- ftimony in contradiction to that Love, and Truth, and Power, which are the only Foundation, on which all Hopes are built. For how could I hope had not his Love adopted me, had not his Truth promifed, had not his Power redeemed me ? Let then my foolifh mifgivings murmur wathin me never fo im.portunately, let them ask me never fo infultingljr, what can I pretend to, or how dare I prefume to fuppofe, that any Defer ts of mine fhould procure me fo excellent, fo very difpropor- tionate aReward •, ftill my hope ftands firm, and I fliall reply with aff-irance, as St. l\tiil had left 2 Tim; i^ me a pattern, IhwiP whom I have believed^ and am '3* pcrfuaded, that he v/ho made me his own Son by Adoption, loves rr.e exceedingly ^ that he who is true, will be as good as his Word, and that he who is Almighty can lie under no Temptation, not to make it good ^ he can perform his Froanfe to the utter- MEDITATIONS. 271 uttermoft, and the very prorriiiing Ihews him as willing as he is able to do it. My Sins are not only great, hut many ^ Lut neither their Quality nor their Number terrifies me, when the Death of my Saviour comes into my mind •, becaufe I know they cannot in either refped outweigh his Sufferings upon my account. The Nails and Spear proclaim my Deliverance, and atteft my Reconciliation with Chrift, provi- ded I fincerely love him. The Soldier opened me an Entrance into his Side, and into the Clefts of thofe Wounds I can retreat with fafety. If any Man be afraid of his Condition, let him learn to love •, for this Love will be fure to caft out all anxious and defponding Fear. Our Redeemer . flretch'd out his Arms upon the Crofs, by that Pofture to fignify his readinefs to receive Sinners into his Embraces, when tiiey flee to him for fuc- cour. In thofe dear Arms I delight to live, and in them I defire to dye. There can I with a light and joyful heart iing with the Prophet, Jb?/// 7nag-- H 30. r. fiifie thee^ Lord^ for thou hajlfet fne iip^ ayid not made 77iy foesto trhmiph over 7ne, Our Icind Saviour bowed his Head when he gave up the Ghoft, and in fo doing ftooped down to meet and to kifs his beloved ones. And every one of us may be pro- perly faid to kifs our Lord, every time we feel our Hearts fenfibly wounded, and devoutly afFe- cled with his Love. And fhall not this be the conftant effect of our Ch. xxiv.. Meditations upon it > Yes fure, my Soul, lince thou art honoured by the Imprefs and Character cf thy Great Maker, fince thou art ranfomed with the moft precious Blood of thy Redeemer, fince thou art betrothed to this divine Spoufe by Faith, endowed with bis Spirit, adorned with his Graces, and advanced to the Dignity of Angels in his gra- cious Defigns for thy everlafting Felicity ^ do thy diligence to love him, who hath fo wonderfully '. , loved 272 M E D I T A T ^ O N S. loved thee : Set thy heart upon him, who fets his upon thee ^ feek him who hath fo follicitoiif- ly fought thee ^ whofe goodnefs hath prevented thee, and is the caufe of thine. He is the merit. He the reward. He the fruit and the end of thy Love. Conform thy felf therefore in all things to him, let his care excite thine, his leifare enter- tain thine, be clean with the clean, and holy with the holy. Such as thou prefenteft thy felf be- fore God, fuch apprehenfions it is plain thou en- tertaineft concerning him. If thou bclieveft him full of Meeknefs and Goodnefs and Mercy, thou canft not but conclude, that he expedls all his Children fhould be gentle and kind, compaiho- iiate and humble. Strive to be like him then, and let this likenefs prove, (for nothing elfe can prove it) that thou doft truly love him, whofe Com- panion brought thee out of the Mire and Clay, and drew thee back from the bottomlefs Pit of Peftru6lion. Choofe him for thy Friend, and prefer him be- fore all other Friends, who when all other Confi- dences forfook and betrayed thee, was the only one that ftuck clofe to thee in thy Extremity. In the Day of thy Death, when no Friend elfe will or can do thee fervice, he will not defert thee : Then will this kind Saviour be fure to ftand by thee, and fave thee from the reproof of him that would eat thee up ^ deliver thy Soul from thofe roaring Lions that wait ready to tear it in pieces, and carry it up on high through unknown Ways ^ bring thee to the heavenly Jenifalem^ and place thee amongft Angels in his own prefence, where, thou flialt hear that heavenly Song, Holy, Holy, Holy, &c. There is the Voice of joy and health, of thankfgiving and praife, and never ceafing HaUcbijahs : there is the perfcdionof Happinefs, and Glory, andGladnefs, and every thin^ defira- ble and good. . ^ Pant MEDITATIONS. 273 Pant eagerly, my Soul, and let all thyDefires loofe after this blefTed Place ^ that thou maj'^eft come into that City above, of which fuch glori- ous things are fpolcen. And love will carry thee thither, how fleep foever the Afcent may feem. For this furmounts all Difficulties, and leaves no- thing impoffible to the Perfon aded by it. This takes frequent Flights thither even while upon Earth, and walks with great Freedom through the Streets o^ Jenifalem above ^ it vifits the Patriarchs and Prophets, and Apoftles, beholds with wonder the ;-egular Armies of Martyrs and Confeflbrs, and the beauty of chafte and holy Virgins. In fhort, both Heaven and Earth, and every thing in each, are ever inculcating this Duty • that I ought to love the LorJ^ny God r/uh all viy hearty with all my Mit. 2»« m27id^ with all 7uy foid^ and with all my ftrength, ^7. But, were not this necelTary in point of Duty,ch. xxv, yet it is abfolutely fo in Point of Intereitand Pru- dence. For when the Heart of Man is not fixed upon this Objed, it is never fixed any where ^ but roves about perpetualhr from one thing to a- nother, feeking reft where it is never to be found. Now the reafon why it can never meet with Sa-^ tisfadipn in any of thefe frail and tranfitory mat- -ters,which captivate its Affections, is becaufe the Soul is above them all, and of a Condition fo ex- cellent, that no Good but the Supreme Good can anfwer its Defires., or prove its adequate Hap- pinefs. For God hath endued it with fuch a Prin- ciple of Liberty, that it cannot be compelled to the Commiijion of any Sin. And therefore every Man's Salvation or Damaiation turns at laft upon his own Choice. Hence no Man can bring a richer Pr.efent to God, thau an honeft and good Heart. This brings God down to Us, and car- ries Us up to him. By this we love God, and choofe God, and arrive at him, and attain to t;he Enjoyment of him, Tliis 274 MEDITATIONS. This is the thing, that by the alTiftance of Di- vine Grace, renev/s us, and reftores our primitive likenefs to God : This is of fo great account with him, that his Spirit will not dwell with them that have it not. This engages him to be with us, and reign in us, and makes the Soul a receptacle for the Majefty of the whole Trinity. The Wifdom of God enlightens it to the Knowledge of the Truth. The Love of God inflames it with a De- lire of his Goodnefs •, and the fatherlv Affedion of God preferves his own Creature, that the ho- ly MotioBs he infpires, and the Perfon infpired by them, ll^ould not perifh. CHAP. XII. eh. xxvi. Of the Knowledge of the Truth, BU T what is it to know the Truth, and by what Steps we do come to it ? The firfl: is, for a Man to be throughly acquainted with himfelf, to make it his bufinefs to be what he ought to be, and to correct and reform whatever he finds amifs in himfelf. The next is to know and to love the God that made him : For this is the whole^ the Duty and the Happinefs o^ Man. Now, in order hereunto, we fhall do well to obferve, how ex- ceeding good God hath been to us, and what Ob- ligations we have to love him in return. He made us out of nothing, when we had no Being •, and all we havercceived ever fince we came into being. is his Gift. But, becaufe we are degenerated in our Affections, and loved the Gift more than the Giver, the Creature more than the Creator, we fell into the Snare of the Tempter, and became the Servants of Sin and the Devil. When we were reduced to this miferable Condition, God iookt upon us v/ith an Eye of Pity, and fent his Son to • "' break MEDITATIONS. 27^ break our chains, and rekafe us from our Slavery. He fent his holy Spirit too, the Spirit of Adopti- on, and exalted his Servants to the dignity of Sons. He gave his Son to be our Ranfom, and his holy Spirit to be the Pledge of his Love, and he referves the Whole of Himfelf for our future Reward and Inheritance. Thus God in infinite compaffion and kindnefs, for the exceeding tendernefs he bore to Mankind, hath not only been liberal in his Bleffings, but hath even laid out himfelf for our advantage • that he might reftore loft Man, not fo much to God, who could not fuiFer by that lofs, as to his own felf, who muft have been otherwife irreparably undone by it. That Men might be born of God, God condefcended to be born of Man. And what heart is fo infeniible, fo hard and flinty, as not to be foftened with fuch aftonilhing advances of Love-, a Love which began entirely on God's part, and was fo ftrangely great, that he vouchfa- fcd to become Man, purely for the fake and bene- fit of Man ? Who can hate any other Man, whofe nature andlikenefs he fees in the Son of God made Man ? Certain it is, that he who hates his Bro- ther, does by neceffary confequence hate God ; and he who hates God, will find that all his pre- tended good Works are nothing worth. Now God was made Man for our fakes, that he who had been our Creator might be our Redeemer alfo, and that the humane Nature might contri- bute to its own Redemption. Again, God appear- ed in the likenefs of Man, that by his Condefcen- fion Man might be better acquainted with God, and love him with a more free and tender AfFedi- on, whom he faw ftoop down to the fame level, and a fort of equality with himfelf. Thus all the Faculties of our Souls are made happy in the Con- templation of him : Thofe of the Rational, in hi^ Divine Perfections, and thofe of the Senfitive, in his 276 MEDITATIONS, his humane Body. So admirably contrived is this , Myltery of Godiinefs to engage our AfFedions, that Man in eveiy Capacity might meet with Ob- jects fuitable to him ^ and, whether he go in or out, might find Pafture in his God and .Saviour, ch.xxvli. Such are the Benefits of the Son of God in our Flefh, all which are more compleat by the MiP^ fion of the Holy Spirit. The Son was born, and crucified, and died for us, that by that Death of his he might defliroy the Death which before had Dominion over us. Kow, when the Grape of Fieih was fquee^'d in the Wine-prefs of the Crofs, the Spirit of Grace was fent to cleanfe our Hearts that we might be Veffels prepared, and meet for our Mailer's Ufe, and jiew IFine might he pit into vew Bottles. This was neceilary, firft, that ouf Hearts being purged, the Liquor put into them might not be tainted ^ and then, that being feal- ed up, what they contained might not be loft. They are cleanfcd, when they ceafe to rejoyce in, and have no longer any relilh for Sin, and they are fealed up, when fortified againft Temp- tations, and the Seducements of vain and worldly Delights. For that which is good could not be re- ceived by them, till that which was evil was firfl: taken away. The love of Sin pollutes, the love of Vanity fpills the Wine • the former fouls the Vef- fel, the latter makes it leaky. The love of Sin makes us delight in that which is evil : The love of Vanity engages our Affedi- ons to things unprofitable and of no continuance. Put away therefore the Evil, that you may make room for the Good : Pour out the bitter and the vapid, that you may be filled with the generous and delicious. The Holy Ghoft is Joy and Love 3 Cafi: out the Spirit of the Devil and of this World, and you (hall receive the Spirit of God. The Spi- rit of the Devil difpofes us to love Sin, the Spirit of this World to delight in empty and im.aginary Joys," MEDITATIONS. 277 Joys. Thefe are "both evil ^ for the former is di- redly vicious, and the other hath a Tendency to Vice. But when thefe Spirits are difpofTelTed, the Spirit of God will fucceed into their place. He will enter into the Tabernacle of thy Heart, and produce holy Joy and holy Love. The love of the World allures, and deceives, and betrays ^ The love of Sin defiles and deftroys, and there- fore thefe muft be expelled by their Contraries : And fuch is the Love of God. For this enlightens the Underftanding, purifies the Confcience, fills the Soul with true Joy, and leads us to the fight and knowledge of God, and his glorious Per- fedions. C H A P. XIII. The Marks and Fruits of true Love, ^hap. TH E Man that truly loves God, is always thinking when he fhall be fo happy as to be with him, when he fliall leave the World, and /-^ake an efcape out of this Prifon of Corruption, that his Soul may be free, and find perfect eafe and peace. And, even while in the Flefti, he lives not after the Flefli, but fends his Thoughts and Defires up to Heaven before him, fitting or flianding, in motion or at refi:, in every pofture, in every Action, he keeps God continually in his mind. He is very zealous in perfuading others to love God, and reprefenting to them the Duty and advantage of doing fo : He endeavours to convince them how pleafant this is, and how un- fatisfa6lory and tormenting the love of the World. And to prove that all this is not meer Cant and Affectation, his Temper, his whole Converfati- on fpeak him to be in very good earneft, and confirm the truth of his Arguments, The xxvin. 278 M EDITATIONS, The Honours and Riches of this prefent Life he looks dov/n upon with a juft Difdain : Pities or defpifesthe Mifery of thofe who take fuch Pains about them ^ fhews how extremely foolilh it is, to place one's Confidence in things that are continu- ally flying from one : Wonders at the blindnefs and ftupidity of the Wretches that dote upon them • and that every body does not fee fo little in them as to quit thefe for fomewhat more fubftantial. He is fatisfied, that would they fubmit to make the Experiment without Prejudice or Palfion, all the World would approve His better choice, find inexpreffible pleafure in what He loves, and be fully fatisfied in the truth of that which is to Him evident beyond a doubt. He frequently entertains himfelf with the Contemplations of God, and feels a wonderful Comfort and Refrefhment from them 5 the more fenfible and fweet in proportion as they are oftner repeated. For that which is always worthy of our Praife and Love, cannot but be always delightful to our Thoughts. Cha p. This is indeed the true Peace of the Soul, when 2ixix. it gets loofe from all diftradlion of thought, and contracts all its defires into God alcne,as their pro- per Center. This leaves no vacant fpace for other Inclinations, but alVis full of that which employs it, and entirely contented with the pleafure refuL ting from thence. And if at anytime it happen, ( as fometimes during this frail State it will) that any trifling Thought, or multiplicity of Buiinefs come in between, all this is looked upon as a di- greflion, or impertinence, and the Alan makes all the hafl:e that poflibly he can, back to his main Point. To dwell upon any thing elfe he looks up- on as a Piniifliment like that of being baniflied from one's own Country. For as there is no mo- ment of our Lives, in which we do not tafte fome frefti infl:ance of God's Gocdnefs, fo fliould there not be any neither, in which this great Benefactor, who MEDITATIONS. 2 79 who is continually prefent by his Mercies, fliould not be prefent alfo in our thoughts and thankful remembrances. This Confideration muft needs make the Fault of thofe Men very great, v/ho when they come to, and converfe with God in Prayer, prefently dif- mifs all their devout AfFedions, and behave them- felves as though he neither faw nor heard them^ And thus does every one who purfues his own linful or worldly Defigns, and prefers fome worth- lefs Creature, by which his Mind is eaiily diverted from better and more important Conliderations. And prefer fuch he does before God, who employs more of his Pains and Thoughts upon this, than he does upon God •, who ought to be perpetually there, and conftantly remembred as our Creator, adored as our Redeemer, waited for as our Saviour, feared as our Judge. Confider therefore, Man, when the World be- ch. xkx^ gins to get within thee, what thou art doing, and where this Courfe will end: Withdraw thyfelf by degrees from BuHnefs and Noife • and run away from theConfufion and Perplexity of a diftraded Mind. Unload thy Cares, and give a little of thy time to God •, enter into thy Chamber and com- mune with thy own Heart • let none be admitted into thefe Retirements, belides Him, and fuch af-* liftants as may be ufefal in the fearch after him. Then let thy Heart fincerely profefs with the Pro-* -phet^ThoJihafifaid^feekyemyface^ thy face ^ Lord^Vh], 2I, will Ifeek. Yea, Lord, I covet earneftly, but all ^' in vain, except thou teach my heart, where and how to feek, where and hov/ to find thee. For if thou art not here, whither fliall I go to look thee > But if thou art not only here, but every where, how comes it to pafs, that I do not difcern thee > I am told thou dwelleft ht the light ^ tphzch ?io man can approach unto : And how vain is the attempt to go in quefl: of a Perfon inaccelTible .> Or who fhall T conduct 28o MEDITATIONS. condud me thither, that I may fee thee there, whither it feems no humane Power can come > But by what Marks Ihould I diftinguifh thee, ha- ving never feen th}^ Face ? What fhall this mife- rable Stranger do, that longs impatiently to be- hold thee, laments his diftance, andknovv^s not how to fliorten it ^ would gladly find thee, and cannot tell where thou dwelleft ^ deflres to pofTefs thee, and yet does not know thy Face > Ch. xxxi O Lord, thou art my God, and I thy Creature, doubly thy Creature, by Nature firft, and after- ward by Grace : All I ever had, and all I hope for, is of thy Hand alone, and yet I have not feen thee at any time, neither know thee : Na}^, for this very end was I created, that I might fee thee, and have not all this while attained the intent of my Creation. Hard fate of them, who anfwer not the End for which they were at all ! Yet fuch is now the Cafe of miferable Man ^ He is fallen from the Happinefs to which he was defigued, into the Mifery which was never intended for him. That is departed from him, without which there can be no Happinefs ^ and That rem.ains with him ^ which in its own Nature is exquifitely miferable. Man did once eat that Angels food, which he now hungers after •, but now he eats the Bread of Af- flidion, with which he then was utterly unac- quainted. ffal. 13. i'. -^^'^^ ^ovg^ Lord, wilt thou forget me, for ever ^ hor^ long wilt thou hide thy face froin 7ne ? When wilt thou turn again and hear us ? When, O when, wilt thou enlighten our Eyes, and fhew us the Light of thy Countenance, and reliore thy felf to us ? O turn thee unto us again, that it may be tvell with us, for without thee we mufi: of necef- iity be miferable. Call us, and help us to come nigh unto thee, we befeech thee • Our Heart is overwh.clmed with bittern efs and anguilli, b}^ rea- fon cf its forlorn and defolate Condition : O let U3 MEDITATION S. 281 its be refreflied with the fweetnefs of thy Confo- lations. I hunger after thee, let me not be fent empty away •, but gratify the Appetite v/hich thou haft approved, which thou thy felf haft in* fufed. I am boived down with my Infirmities, and not able to lift up my Eyes to Heaven : O loofe me from this Bond, and make me ftraight, that I may fee and feelc after thee. MylVichdneff'es are pf^i -a. 'gone over vty head^ and become afore burden too heai-y for ?ne to bear. O let thy mighty Hand take olf this Weight, left I link under it, and the Pit fliut her Mouth upon me. Teach me how to feek thee ^ for even this I cannot do without thy gui- dance : nor can I find thee, till thou art pleafed in Mercy to fhew thy felf to me. Let me fo feek as to defire, and fo defire as diligently to feek thee 5 fo love as to find •, and fo find as entirely to love thee. CHAP. XIV. The Exquifite Goodnefs of God. .\cknowledge, O Lord, with all due thankful- nefs, that Goodnefs of thine, which created me after thy own likenefs, that I might contemplate, and love, and copy after my great Original, But alas 1 this Image of thine is fo fuUied v/ith Sin, {o darkned with the Fumes of fenfual Lufts, that it can no longer attain to the refemblance thou in- tendeft it for, unlefs thou pleafe to take it again into thy Hands, and refrefh the Impreftion. Grant me therefore, gracious Lord, not only a ftedfaft Faith, but a right Underftanding,that I mayknpw as much of thee as thou feeft neceffary for,rmy purpofe : For fuch thou art in thy felf, as thou ■ haft taught us to believe concerning thee. And T 2 we Ch. xxxii. 282 MEDITATIONS. We are taught to "believe thee a Being, to which nothing can he imagined fuperior in Greatnefs or in Goodnefs. Now, what Being can this be, ex- cept fuch a one as hath all Perfection in it felf, as only exifts from it felf, and gave exiftence to all other things hj creating them out of nothing ? What Goodnefs then can be v/anting in the Su- preme and Original Caufe of Good in all befides ? Thou muft be therefore jnft, and true, and happy, and"every other Perfedion which is more delire- able to be, than not to be. But if Juftice in Perfedion be thy ElTtnce and Nature, how comes it to pafs, that thou doft not exert it to the uttermofl: upon the wicked who pro- voke it > Is it becaufe perfed and incomprehen- fible Goodnefs is equally natural and elTential to thee > This is a difficulty wrapped up in that light which no Man can approach unto. In the impe- netrable Abyfs of thy Goodnefs,there rifes it feems a Spring, from whence iffue out the Streams of thy Mercy. For there is a m.oft exadt Harmony be- tween all thy glorious Attributes, and being fo fo- vereignly and perfectly Jull:,as at the fame time to le fovereignly and perfectly Good, th)^ Compani- on to Sinners makes no inconfiftence between thefe feemingly contradictory Excellencies. For thy Goodnefs, 'tis evident, would be lefs, if no ill Men had any experience of it •, and he is more perfectly Good, who extends his kindnefs to good and bad Men both, than He who confines it to the good only ^ and fo is He, who exercifes his Goodnefs in fparing and punifhing too, than he who exerts it in no other Inftance, but that of punifhing. This therefore gives a rational Account of thy Mercy to them who leaft deferve it, that, being perfedly Good, thou canftnot but,in confequence of that, be merciful. Ch xxxiii ^ inexhauftible unmeafurable Goodnefs, which 'fo far furpafleth our largeft Conceptions, let me alfo MEDITATIONS. 28? alfo partake of thy Mercj which is fo rich, fo un- bounded : Let thy Clemency fpare, and prevent the "Vengeance which I have caufe to dread from thy angry Juftice : Let that Mercy which is ever flowing out of Thee, flie J it felf upon me. Rouze up thy felf, my Soul, and ftretch thy intelledual Powers to their utmoft length, that thou mayeft have the moft fublime and worthy Appreheniions of the Divine Goodncfs, that this imperfedt dim State will admit. If each good thing we fee and delire below be delightful lingly,coniider well, how exquifitely fo that Good mull be, which is Univerfal, and con- tains in it felf the Charms of all the good things that are, and ever were, or fhall be. And thofe notfich Charms as we find and are fond of in cre^ ated Beings, but as much above them, as Infinite excels Finite, and the Creator the Creature. If then Life derived from another be good, how ex- cellent is that Life, by which all elfe do live > If our Wifdom be fo pleafant and defirable, which reaches no farther than the confideration of Ob- jeds that prefent themfelves to us •, how lovely, how adorable is that Wifdom, by which thofe Ob- jects were fo admirably contriv'd, nay, command- ed out of nothing ? In Ihort, if different Objeds, according to their vaft variety yield fo very tranf- porting, fo very different delights, think how in- exprellibly full of delight He is, who communica- ted to each out of his own fulnefs, and fo both made all thefeObjeds, and made them delightful ? O the ineftimable Blifs of them that fhall poffefs this Good! What will they have? Whatwill they not have ? They will have nothing, to be fure, which they had rather not have. They will be fecure of every thing that can make Soul and Bo» dy both happy : So great, fo manifold, fo perfed: Blifs, as eye hath notfeen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entred lyito ths hsart of Man to conceive, Ts CHAR 284 MEDITATIONS. C H A P. XV. Ch.xxxiv. fijg Happinefs of the Saints hereafter. W HY doft thou then, deluded Creature, let thy defires run wild upon variety of Ob- jeds, and from thefe vainly expeft, that Soul and Body fhould be happy ? Love that one Good, in which all others center, and this will anfwer all thy Widies : Whatever can contribute to the perfe- ction of thy Outward or Inward Man, is there to be met with in Abundance. If Beauty delight Luke 20. thee, the Righteous are promifed to JInne as the Sun : If activit}'-, or ftrength, or a freedom of Ope- ration, which' no refiftance can obftrud, remember I Cor. 15. they fhall be as the Angels of God, and that which is fown a natural body fiall be raifed a fpiritual body ; that is, it fhall rcfemble thofe Spirits in its Acti- vity, and Penetration, and Powers, though not in Nature and Subllarxe. If length of Days, and a found Conltitution be thy defire, there fhall be Health unimpaired, and Immortality ^ for the Jufifiall live for ever^mid their Health is of the Lord. If Gratification of Deiires Pfalm 17. to the full •, the J fi all befatisfied when they wake up *5' after theirLord's likenefs. If MuiicalEntertainment, there theAngels never ceafe their melodiousPraifes to God : If any chafte Fleafurcs ^ of fuch God Pfalm 3^. Jl)all give thein to drink^ as out of a River. If Wif- ^ dom, the moft wife God fhall then unlock his Trea- fures, and let them into the Knowledge of his own myfterious Nature and Providence. If Friendlliip, there they fhall love God above themfelves, and One another as themfelves •, and God fhall love them more than they love themfelves. It muft be fo, fince they love him and one another, by and for him, and he loves himfelf and them by and forhimfelf. If perfect Agreement, there fhall be but MEDITATIONS. 285 but one Soul and one Will, for they fhall all have no Will but God's. If Power, they Ihall be abfo- lute Matters of their own Will, as God is of his. For as God can do whatever he pleafes by his own Power, fo they fhall be enabled to do whatever they pleafe, by and thro' him : For as they fhall will nothing but what he will, fo he wills what- ever they will, and therefore whatever they will muft needs be accomp Hilled. If Honour and Riches, God fhall make his faithful and good fervaiits rulers Luke 19, over many things ^ nay, they fhall be dignified with ' 7- the Title of Gods, and the Sons of God, and ihall te adually heirs ofGod^ andjohit-heirs with Chrifi^ If fecurePofTeifion, they fhall have as much aflii- ranee that no part of their Happinefs fhall ex^er forfalce them as they can have, that they can ne- ver confent to part with it 5 and that God who loved them fo as to veft them in it, can never take it away from them he loves fo dearly againft their confent ^ or as they know that nothing is ftronger than God, or can feparate between Him and Them. And who can conceive the Excel- lence and Greatnefs of that Joy, which muft needs refult from fo unconceivably excellent and great a Good } O Heart of Man, ever wanting fomewhat to CIi xxxv, make up thy Satisfadion, every Day exercifed with Pains and Sorrows, and almoft quite opprefs'd with the mighty Weight and uninterruptedSucceffion of Miferies, how wouldeft thou exult, fhould all thefe Bliffes flow in upon thee > Ask thy moft fecret Re- cefles whether they could fo expand themfelves, as to receive the Joy which mufl needs fpring up from fuch exquifite Happinefs, conlider'd purely as thy own only. But further yet, confider that if any other Perfon, equally dear to thee as thy own felf, Ihould enjoy the fame Happinefs,this would double thy Joy, becaufe thou wouldeft be as glad for his fake as for thy own : Again, if two, or three, or T 4 more. 286 MEDITATIONS, mere, thus dear to thee were in the fame blefled Condition, this Joy would be multiplied equally for every one of thefe. Now according to this Way of Arguing, what can we fuppofe will be the Rejoycing in Heaven, where Angels and Saints innumerable partake of the Happinefs, which I have been but very imperfectly defcri- bing, and every one of thefe united in a Cha- rity fo fervent, that none of them loves any of the reft lefs than himfelf, and confequently will rejoyce for each of them as much as for himfelf > If then the heart of Man be fcarce large enough to contain his Joy, for his own fingle Happinefs, how fhall it find room for fo many ]oys fo vaftly encregfed, fo often multiplied } Again, in regard we naturally rejoyce in the f elicitjr of another in proportion to the love we bear to that Perfon •, it will follow from hence, that fince in that State God is incomparably more dear to every Saint, than that Saint is to himfelf, and all his Brethren to him •, every Saint will confequently feel more Satisfa6tion, and exult incom.parably more in the Glory and BlelTednefs of God, than he will in his own and all his Brethrens put together. And if they fo love God with all their Heart, and all their Mind, and all their Soul,that even Alltheix" Heart and Mind and Soul, wants room for the largenefs of their Affedion ^ they will certainly rejoyce too with all their Heart, and Mind, and Soul fo exquifitely, that even all their Heart, and Mind, and Soul, fhall overflow and be too narrow to contain the fulnefs of their Joy. Ch. Kxxvi Tell me then, O my God and my Lord, my * hope and the delight of my Heart, whether this be the Joy meant by thy blefled Son, when he fays to his Difciples, Ash and ye pall receive:, that your John 16. joy may befulL For I have here difcover'd a Joy, 24. that feems not only full, but even more than full : SincCj after all our faculties ^re filled, there ftill remains MEDITATIONS. 287 remains frelh matter for rejoycing ^ matter more than can be comprehended, more than can ever be exhaufted : And therefore the "Whole of that Joy can never enter into the Perfons partaking in it, but they may very properly be faid to enter hito Mat. 25* the Joy of they Lord, Say then, Lord, and inform thy Servant, whe- ther this be the Joy, into which thy faithful Ser- vants fhall enter, whofe diligence in improving their Lord's Talents fhall be commended and re- warded at the great Day of Account. But That, i Cor. 2; I am told, is a Joy never yet feen, or heard, or fo 9* much as conceived by any humane Mind ^ and confequently I have not yet either in Words or Thoughts come up near to the Excellence of that Joy prepared for thj chofen. Inlhort, their Joy Ihall be equal to their Love, and their Love equal to their Knowledge of Thee : and certainly the Perfe6lion of their Love and Knowledge of Thee in the next Life, muft needs exceed all that ever Eye hath feen, or Ear heard, or the Heart of Man conceived. Grant me then, even Me, my deareft Lord, to know thee, and love thee, and rejoice in thee. And, if I cannot do thefe perfectly in this Life, let me at leaft advance to higher Degrees every Day, till I can come to do them in perfedion. Let the Know- ledge of Thee increafe in me here, that it maybe full hereafter. Let the Love of Thee grow every Day, more and more here, that it may be perfed: hereafter •, that my Joy may be great in it felf,and full in Thee. 1 know, O Lord, that thou art a God of Truth, O make good thy gracious Promifes * to me, that my Joy may be full. And till it be fo, let my Mind meditate, my Tongue fpeak, my Heart defire and love, my Soul hunger, my Flefh thirft after it, and my whole Nature gafp and pant moft earneitly, till I adually enter into the Joy of jliyLord, there to remain for ever and ever, dmen, T'he End of the Manual^ 289 Sc ANSEL Ms EDITATIONS Concerning the Redemption of Mankind. B O O K V. CHAP. I. OChriftian Soul, raifed from the worft of Deaths, redeemed and releafed from the moft wretched of all Slaveries, hj the Blood of Chrift, lift up thy felf, remember thy fpiritual Refurredion, congratulate thy own free- dom and deliverance. Conlider what and where the Power of thy Salvation is •, dwell upon this Suhjedt, and delight thy felf in the thankful con- templation of it. Shake off thy fpiritual Inappe- tence, commit a holy Violence upon thy Heart, and ingage it to tafte thy Saviour's Goodnefs, and tobeenflam'd with his Love. Suck thofe Words which are fweeter than Honey, and chew upon that Food which is not only pleafantto thy Tafte, but wholefom for thy Health and Suftenance. For then doft thou fuck this Honey-comb, then dofi: thou fwallow and chew upon this Food, when thou ftudieft, and underftandeft, andloveft, and 290 MEDITATIONS. rejoyceft in the gracious Declarations of what God hath in mercy done for thy Salvation, "Where then and what is the mighty Power of John xir. thy Saviour ? Chrijft 7i thy RefiirreBion aid thy Life: Lake X. This is the good Samaritan who pity'd thy diftrefs, covered thy Nakednefs, and healed thy Wounds : This is the kind Friend, who hath delivered thee at the expence of his own Life. And there- fore the Power of thy Salvation is the Power Rib. 3. 4. of Chrift. This is he that had honn coming out of his hands, and there was the hiding of his Power. For his Hands were nailed to the Crofs ^ and jet^ What Strength was there in that Weaknefs > What exaltation in that humility ? What refpedtdue to that Ignominy and Contempt ? His Power was hid indeed, when veil'd by fuch an appearance of weaknefs, his glory under a humility that ftoop'd fo low, and fubmitted to fuch infolence and inju- rious treatment. But ftill how wond'rous was this power ! For a Man hanging upon a tree to execute that eternal death, to which Mankind were liable, and nail to his own Crofs that very wickedncfs which crucifi- ed him 1 For one condemned to dye with Thieves, to fave Sinners, condemned to be tormented with John, 12. Devils ^ and when lifted tip from the earth in this in- J2- famous manner, to draw all the world to him. For one expiring in agonies unfpeakable, to releafe wretches innumerable from the pains of hell ^ and by undergoing the death of the body, to tak e away and deftroy the death of fo many Souls. CHAP. II. BUT what, my merciful and moft mighty Re- deemer, what was the reafonof thy chooiing to conceal fuch glory and power under fo much hU' MEDITATIONS. 291 humility and contempt ? It could not be with a de- fign to keep the Devil or the World in Ignorance, with an intent to deceive. He who is truth it felf cannot contrive Deceit, and tho"* he may be faid fometimes to hinder Men from knowing the truth, yet fuch Expreffions mean no more, than that he fufFers them to continue ignorant, who through their own fault know no better. But it is plain thou didft not take the humane nature to keep thy felf altogether unknown, but to reveal what was not known before • thou didft declare thy felf to be very God and very Man, and by thy doings and fufFerings didft evidently demonftrate thy felf to be both. The myftery indeed was of its own nature dark, but it was not made induftrioufly fo : Nor was its obfcurity contrived to hide it from the World, but neceffary for the accomplifhment of thofe great Ends, by Methods which God faw moft agreeable to his wife Purpofes. And when we read of this Alyftery being hid, we are only to underftand,that it was not made manifeft to All. For tho' Truth do not fully difcover it felf to every body, yet it does not ftiun or deny accefs to any body. Thou didft not therefore thus order the matter, either with an intention to deceive, or that any might thereby deceive himfelf ^ but didft bear conftant teftimony to the truth, that this gracious difpenfa- tion might be compleat in all its parts. If there- fore Men were led into Error, the fault was riot in thee^ but themfelves ^ not in thy truth,but in their cwn love offalftiood. Could the Devil alledge any thing againft God or Man, which might ob- lige God to alter his Meafures, and deal with him as a fair and open Enemy ? No, it was juft that he who had contrived to put fo holy and innocent a Perfon to an unjuft death, fhould lofethat pow- er which he had before, of bringing the guilty to the death they juftly deferved. 'Tis 292 MEDITATIONS. 'Tis certain there was nothing due to the Devil from God but punifhment, nor from Man but re- liftance and conqueft. So that, as Man had fuf- fer'd himfelf to be conquer'd by this enemy before, when he was feduced into Sin ; he might after- wards conquer him in return, by the humane na- ture perfevering in unblemifn'd righteoufnefs even unto death. And this too was a l3ebt which Man owed to no other but God. For in finning he did not offend againft the Devil, but againft God ^ nor was heof right a Subjed of the Devirs,butboth he and the Devil were Subjeftsof God, and under his Dominion. The Mifchiefs and Temptations by which Man s Deftrudion was attempted, did not proceed from any Zeal for Goodnefs, but purely from Wickednefs and Malice : God did not com- mand, but only permit thofe Attempts upon his Creatures : Nor was this permilTion upon any o- ther Confideration, than becaufe the Jufiice of God required it. So that God was under no Ob- ligations, but perfedly free to chufe his own Me- thods and his own Time, and to fave Mankind when and how he pleafeth. CHAP. III. UT was there any neceiTity that the mofl High _ • fhould humble himfelf fo low, and that Omni- potence, which can do every thing at eafe, fhould be at fo much pains to compafsany of its defigns ? No, Every thing that we call neceffary or impoC iible, is entirely at the free difpofal of the divine Will. Whatever he decrees mufl: of neceffity be •, and what he will not have done, cannot pofTibly be. All we can fay then in the Point is only this, that it was his Will it fhould be fb. And becaufe he al- • - ways MEDITATIONS. 293 ways wills that which is good, we may fafely infer, that it was fit it Ihould be fo. God was not driven to this way of working out the falvation of man- kind, but the condition of humane Nature made it necelTary, that fo fatisfadion might be made to the jufti-i-e of God. God did not ftand in need of fuch bitter fufterings, but Man needed them in order to his reconciliation with an offended God. God was not profited by this Condefcenfion, but Man by it received the benefit of a deliverance from the loweft Pit of Hell. The Divine Nature could not be compelled to be abafed or to fuffer, nor could it in truth do either ^ but it was neceflary that the Humane Nature Ihould do both, that it might be reftored to, and made capable of, the Condition for which it was at firft created. And for the compaifing this reftitution, neither the Hu- mane Nature of it felf, nor indeed any thing lefs than God, was fafficient. For Man is no other- wife to be reftor'd to the Perfection and Happinefs of his primitive State, but by being exalted to a likenefs of the Angels, thofe blelTed Spirits in whom there is no Sin. Now this can be done but one way, and that is by having his Sins perfectly remitted : And that Remiilion could not be obtained upon any other Terms than a plenary Satisfaction. But how fhould fuch Satisfaftion ever be made,except the Sinner in his own Perfon, or Tome other for him, give to God fomewhat freely of his own, which was not due by way of Debt, and which Ihould in value exceed e- very thing inferiour to Godhimfelf > For, if God be difhonour'd and injured by every Sin, and Man ought not for that reafontobeguiltyofSin,nonot to fave the whole Creation from perifhing ^ Rea- fon, and the eternal Rules of Equity require, that the Sinner fhould make God amends for the Injury done to his Honour,by reftoring in lieu of it fome- -what greater and more ^valuable, tlian all that.can 3 be. 294 MEDITATIONS. be, which is not a fufficient compenfation for dif- honouring him. Since then the Humane Nature alone could not be in poiTeffion of any thing fo va- luable, and fince, when corrupted by Sin, ( accord- ing to the Scheme God had laid for his Juftice to proceed upon) it could not be reconciled without an equivalent Satisfadion, it follows that neither could Man, nor any thing lefs than God, work out this reconciliation. To prevent therefore that Ufurpation which Sin had made in his Dominions, and the defolation which mufthave followed if it had reigned with- out controul, or been left wholly to his Juftice 5 the Goodnefs of God, was pleafed to interpofe, and the Son of God took Our Nature into his own per- fon. By this means being God and Man both in the fame Perfon, he was provided with a fatisfadi- on, exceeding, not only every thing which is not God, but the largeft Debt that Sinners could pof- iibly contract. And this is He who owed nothing for Himfelf, vouchfafed to pay down for Others, who had not wherewithal to pay what they owed. For the Life of That Man was of infinitely greater worth than all the Creation put together ^ and far above the Sum which Sinners were indebted to God for byway of Satisfadion. This Life that Man ( who becaufe no Sinner, was not indebted to the Law, nor liable to the death) gave voluntarily and of his own, by way of reparation to his Father's Honour,when he fufter'd it to be taken from him for righteoufnefs fake. And in fo doing, left all other Men a Pattern, that they Ihould not, for any Terrors of Death, which they owe and muft certainly pay, at one time or other, forfake their duty to God, or renounce his righte- oufnefs and truth -y when they fee Him, who ow- ed no fuch Debt, and might without any Breach of Duty have declined dying, yet freely fubmit to a death inflidcd u pon him for righteoufnefs fake.The humane MEDITATIONS. 295 Humane Nature then did, in this Perfon, give to God fomewhat purely its own, and not due to him as a debt • that thus the fame nature might be ran- fomed in others, who arc vaftly indebted, and had not wherewithal to fatisfy the demands of divineju- dice. In all which proceedings the Divine Nature was not debafed, but the Humane was exalted,nor v/as the former at all impaired, but the latter won- derfully profited, and moil mercifully relieved. CHAP. XIII. N^ O R muft we fj mifiialce in this matter^ as to fuppofe that in the Man Chrift Jefus, even his Humane Nature endured any thing out of ne- celFity and compulfion, but all his fufferiugs were in this capacity too, his own free choice. For this it was that recommended his Sufferings, and ren- dred them fo meritorious, fo full of mercy and goodnefs, that he did of his own accord deliver up himfelf for the honour of God, and the benefit of other Men, to that death, which his Enemies out of quite other Defigns, and in nieer Malice, con- triv'd. Ncr was he bound fo to do by any obedi- ence,which had made it unlawful for him to refufe dying, but difpofed to it by his own Wifdom, which forefaw the excellent efreds of condefcend- ing to it. For the Father did not compel him by any author!' ative a6l of his, but he readily ofrer'd himfelf to do that, which he knew would' be well pleafingtohis Father, and infinitely beneficial to the whole' World. It may be faid perhaps, with- out irreverence, that the Father could not force him to an infiiance of fubmiiiion, which he did not owe ^ and the Father could not but be exceed- ingly pleafed with fo great an honour done him by his Son with fo very good a Will. This was indeed U an 7^6 MEDITATIONS. all Act of Obedience, bat it was of free Obedience ^ becaufe, without any Obligarion, and of his own Accord, he did that which he Icnev/ would be moft acceptable to his Father. But then, in regard this very Will of doing it, tho' it aded freely, was gi- ven him by his Father, it may upon that account "be reafonably faid, That he received it as a Com- mand from his Father, to do what he did. And thus we are led to underftand thofe PaiTages of Phil 2. §. Scripture. He became obedievt unto Death, As myFa- ]oha 14. the r hath given vie Coimnandment^ fo I do. Ihe Cvp \i. v'h'ich 7ny Father hath given ?;/^, Jlall I not drink it ? John 18. "^"ith feveral others of the like Importance. ^ * For this perfect Obedience, and the mofi: free of any that humane Nature is capable of when the Will of Man, which is free in it felF, does readily and willingly conform to the Will of God ^ and do that v/hich it knows acceptable to him, of its own Accord, and tho' it be not pofitively and particu- larly required. And thus did This Man redeem |ill others, becaufe what he freely ^ave to God was reckon'dand gracicufly accepted fcr the Debt t]]ey owed. And this Price is fo fufficicnt, as not only to redeem Man from the Puniiliment of his Sins for once and no more, but to procure him Favour and Pardon, as oft as ever he fhall return to hisDuty by "/incei e Repentance. But then lle]entance muift be Our Work ^ for lie whohaih promifed to pardon us if we repent, hath not proiiiifal that we ihall re- pent. Now in regard this Ranfoin was paid in the Crucifixion of Chrifl:,f:om hence he is faid to have redeemed us by Iiis Crofs. But irill the Benefits of this Redemption are, as I faidy ccaiditional : For They, who with due Gratitude and Reverence ac- cept tills Grace, and the Terms upon which it is fufpcnded, are favcd by it •, but Thofe who defpife and reject it, are jniUy left to Condensation, be- caufe they neither pa \; what thej^owe in their Own Pcrfons, nor gualilv themfclves fcr a Relcafe by vei- M E D I T A r IONS. 297 vertuc of that payment which Another hath made for them. C H A ?. V. SEE, faithful Chriftlan, fee here the Power of thy Salvation, the Caufe of thy Liberty, the Price paid for thyRanfom. Thou vvert a Captive,but by this merciful Difpenfatioii,thou art now redeem'd» Thou vvert a Servant but art thus fet at Liberty • banifli'd and brought back to thy native Country, loft and art found, dead and art alive again. Let ev'ryChriftian feed upon, and digeft, andnourifh himfelf with this,when his Mouth receives the my- ftical reprefentations of that dearRedeemer'sBody and Blood. Not only then, but let this be th}^ daily Bread, thy meals and conftant fuftenance : for, by attending to this great work of thy Salva- tion, and by that only, wilt Thou abide in Chrifi:, andChriftinthee^ and the fweet fore-taftes of thy joy here, fhall advance into the fulnefs of it here- afier. But, O my dearefi: Lord, who wert content to dye., that I might live, how fhall I rejoice in my own Liberty, Vv^hen the thought of that is necefla* rily attended with a rcfledion upon thy Bonds ? What pleafure can I take in my own Eafe and Safety, when checked with a remembrance -of thy Agonies and Pains ? Or how fhall I be tranfpor- ted with receiving a Life, which was purchafed at no lefs an expence than thy Death ? Can I triumph in thy Sufferings, or be pleafed with the cruelty of thofe hardned brutifh 1 reaturcs, that ufe thee fo barbaroufly .^ And yet,had they relent- ed, thou hadft not endured ibch bitter things, and hadft not Thou endured fuch bitter things,! could not have attained to thefe Advantages. And if I grieve for thy Sufrerings, Iiovv ihall I prevent this U 2 grief 298 MEDITATIONS. grief from imbittering my joy for thofe benefits, for the procuring whereof thou wert well pi eafed to fuffer 'y and which never could have been had upon eafier terms ? And yet thy enemies malice, it is fure, would not have prevailed againll thee but by thy own permifTion, nor hadll thou fuffer'd, if thy kindnefsand compaflion had not made thee choofe it. Thefe things then laid together, my duty plainly is, to deleft the wickednefs and barbarity of them who put my Lord to death •, to imitate his fuftering and death, by fafrering and being crucified with him •, to be truly thankful for this wonderful compaffion, to love miy Jefus moft af- fedionately in return for all his goodnefs 5 and, when my Soul is th'is difpofed, then am I duly qualified to rejoice in, and fecurely depend upon, the mighty Benefits God hath done unto me. w CHAP. VI. Hen therefore thou fetteftthy felftorefledl upon the death ofthy Redeemer, do not al- low thy thoughts to wander in dark and unprofi- table Speculations, but keep them clofe to that wherein thou art properh^ concerned. Leave the wickednefs and cruelty of his enemies to the juft judgment of God ^ and imploy thy mind in com- puting how vafl:ly thou art indebted to fo kind a Savio ^r. Get a due fenfe of thy own once loft Condition, and what hath been done to redrefs thy mifery, and then confider well, what requital is due to Him, who hath done fo much for thee : Let a fight of thy own neceiiities, and his Good- nefs in providing fo effcdlual a relief for them, con- vince thee throughly, how deeply thou' art obli- ged hy his Love, and put thee upon finding out fome pro;:er way of cxpreffing thy thanks for it. Thou MEDITATIONS. 299 Thou iatteft forlorn in thick Darknefs, thy Feet were upon flipp'ry Ground, upon the ver}?" Brink of Ruine ; but why do I fay upon the Brink of it, when in eftedi: thou wert already funk into that bottomlefs Pit, out of which thou could'ft never have rifen more ? A Millftone, as it were, hanging about thy Neck, dragg'd thee to the Bottom, an infupportable Weight prefs'd and kept thee down^ and multitudes of invifible Enemies were conti- nually laying at thee to compleat thy Deftrudi- on. This was thy miferable State, deftitute of all Help, and yet thou didfi: not fee nor know thy Mifery, becaufe conceived and born in it. O what a lamentable Condition was this, and how difmal muft it have been to thee in the End > Thou canfi: not fure, it is not fit thou fhould'fi:, look back upon it without Horrour ^ every mention, every remembrance of it niufl: be attended with tr^embling and amazement. And yet, O bleffed Jefus, O compafTionate Sa- viour, v/hen I was in thefe wretched Circumftan- ces, thou didft break in upon me, like the Sun thro' a thick Cloud, thou didll difcover my Mifery to me, and flied thy rcfrefhing Beams upon miy head, to bring me out of Darlcnefs into thy marvellous Light, without my asking, without fo much as my expecl:ing, or thinking of fo happy a Change. Thou didft cut oif, and caft away that Millftone that dragged me into the Pit : thou didft take off the Weight that lay over me ^ thou didft fcatter thofe Enemies that bore down fb hard upon me, and expofe thy felf to their Force and Malice in my Defence and Stead. Thou haft calFd me by a new Name, a Title of Difiiri6tion and great Significance, a Name derived from thy own •, and, v/hen I was bent and bowed down v/ith a Spirit of Infirmiity, didft make me ftraight, and enable me to look up to Thee with aij ierect Countenance. Thou fpeakeft Comfort to me^ U 5 and 500 M E D i T A T ] O N S, and faidft, " Be of good courage, I have redeemed '^ thee ^ fear not death, 1 have laid down my life for '• thee : If thou abide ftedfafi: with me, thou fhalt " efcape the miferies 1 o v/hich thou wert obnoxious, " thou flialt not be fwallowed up in the pit whi- '^ ther thou wert finking apace •, but I will pluck '* thee back, and bring thee to my Kingdom, fhew " thee the face of God, make thee an Heir of ^*^ Him, and Joint-heir with my felf in everlafling '' Glory. From thenceforth haft thou taken me, my Lord, into thy gracious protection and particu- lar care, that nothing now can hurt my Soul with- out its own confent. And which is yet more, tho' I have not hearkened to th}^ counfel as I ought, in cleaving to thee ftedfafthr.yeth^ft not thou given me over, nor fuffered rriC to fall into the Hell I have deferved •, but according to thy abundant for- bearance and goodnefs^ waitefl: ftill for my amend- ment, lill I fnall do my duty better, and qualify my felf for receivirg th}^- gracious promifes. This, bleffcd Lord, is a m.oft true Reprefenta- tion of my unrpeakable Mifery, and cf thy mar- vellous Mercy. I fat in Darknefs, becaufe ut- tevlj ignorant both of my felf, and every thing that could be uf( ful for me to know • I was in Danger perpetual!}'', and upon the Brink of Deftrudion, by rtafon of that Frailt}" and Weak- nefs which expofedme to Sinning every Mcnient. I was finking into Hell, having even in my firit Parents fallen fiom Righteoufnefs to Difobedi- ence, (which is the fteep Defcent into that bottom- lefs Pit) and from a State of Innocence and Hap- pinefs, into temporal iiiit, and from thence into eternal Mifery. The Weight of original Corrup- tion dragg'd me down, and the Dread of thy Judg- ment, like a heavy Load, made it impoliible for me to rife, or bear up under it. The Devils, thofe Adveriaries cf Souls, aflaulted me continually with their Temptations^ and did their utmoft to make MEDITATIONS. 301 make my Condemnation flill more fureand infup- portable, by urging me to add Sin to Sin. And yet in this deftitute Condition, when there was neither Help nor Hope, the Son of Righteoufnefs was pleafed to fliine upon me, and difcover me to my felf. Nay, even then, when I was not in a ca- pacity of knowing my wretched Circumftances, thou madeft, firft Others for me, and by degrees my Sell fenfible of them •, and herein didft prevent my own Defire. The Mill-Stone hung about my Neck, and the Weight that prefTed me down thou didft remove, and beat off the Enemies that la- boured m}^ Deftruction, by obftruding the evil Confequences of that Sin in which I was concei- ved and born, remitting the Guilt of it, guard- ing my Soul againft adlual TranfgreiTions, and repelling the Violence of them that fought my Life. Thou haft made me a Chriftian, and called me after thy own Name ^ a Name by which I pro- fefs my felf, and thou acknowledgeft me for thy Own, one of the redeemed of the Lord ^ and, from forbid Objects, and fenfual Defires, thou haft ex- alted my Heart to the knowledge and love of Thee and thy Truth. Thou haft inipired me with a comfortable and holy Hope, that this Soul of mine ftiall not perifh, for which thou haft conde- fcended to pour out thy own Soul unto Death, thou haft promised me a Portion and Inheritance in thy Glory, provided I fincerely follow and obey thee. And, though I have not done this as I ought, but walked unworthy of my Profef- lion, and been guilty of many and grievous Offen- fences againft Thee, contrary to thy exprefs Com- mands, and the Dictates of my own Confcience • yet ftill thou forbeareft to executeyengeance,that I may bethink my felf, and take better Courfes, and at laft attain to thy gracious Promifes, CHAP, ^o2 MEDITATIONS. CHAP. VII. LA Y this ferioiiflj to heart, my Soul, ^/A all that is within me, obferve how much L>e "Whole of what I am is indebted to fb merciful a Saviour. It is mofi: evident, O Lord, that I owe my felf entirely toThee,becaufe I am thine by Creati- on ^ I owe my felf entirely to thee, becaufe I am thine by Redemption ♦, I owe my felf again entire- ly to thee, becaufe my being and all the hopes and comforts of it depend upon thy large and precious Promifcs, which fhould I fail to attain, iDfinitely- better were it for m.e never to have been at all : Nay, I owe to fuch wonderful Love as maich more than my felf as Thou art greater and better than Me •, than Me, for whom not withfianding thou haft given thy felf,and to whom thou halt promifed th)^ felf. Grant, me, I befeech thee, good Lord, the grace and happinefs to tafte the fweetnefs of thy mercy by Love, which I tafte already by Know- ledge ^ let me feel that which as yet I underftand and believe only. I owe thee, 'tis true, more than my felf •, but I am not able to pay thee any more than my felf ^ and what I have 1 cannot pay thee of my felf. Allift me therefore with th}^ Grace, draw me that I may run after thee, faften me with the Cords of thy Love • and, as I am already up- on fo many Accounts thy own, fo make me thy own alfo by Liclinatjon and Affection. Behold, O Lord, my heart, and all its deiires are before thee ^ thou feeft what endeavours it makes, but withal,how feeble and incffedual all its ftrug- glings are, when left to his own impotence. Do thou therefore do that for me, v/hicii I am not in a Condition to do for my felf. Admit me into the fecrets of thy love. / ask^ I fi^K I^^'^^och Thou that difpofeft me to asl^ grant my requefts • Thou that enableft me tofeck^ let me fnd , Thou that com^ MEDITATIONS. :jo3 commandeft and teacheft me to knock, open to my importunity. Whom wilt tliou give unto, if he that asJzedhe denied ? Who can expedl to firid^ if he that feeh be difappointed? To whom will the door he opend.i^it continue fhut againft them that knock? Wh^at wilt thou grant to them that pray not at all, if thou refufe them that pra}^ moft earneft- ly ? The very defire of obtaining is thy Gift-, let me obtain the thing which thou haft made me to defire •, Preferve then, my Soul, and hold thy Lord faft, and let him not go, till thy impor- tunity prevail upon him to blefs thee. O graci- ous God, O deareft, kindeft Saviour, caft not out my Soul. It faints with hunger, and languifhes with defire, do thou fuftain and refrefti it ^ let thy love fatisfy, and fatten, and fill it •, let this diffufe it ftlf throughout the whole frame, and take and keep pofieiiion of every part of me : that 1 m^ay be intirely Thine now, and Thou entirely Mine hereafter •, Who with the Father and thle Holy Ghoft, liveft and reigneft One only God blefled for evermore. Amen, St, ?o5 St. ANSEL M Of the Mifery of Man^ in the Pcrfjn of a (orroivfd Siumr deploring his otpu Coiidi'^ tion. BOOK VI. Cannot loot upon my paft life without hor- rour. For, when nicely examined, it fhews me nothing but Sin or Barrennefs, and all |Tiy Days hitherto feem to have been confumed, in living vicioufiy, or living to no purpofe. Or if in the midft of this general corruption there be fcatteredforr.efew Inftances of profitable Actions, yet even Thefe give me confufion too. For how beautiful and commendable fcever they may ap- pear outwardly, yet, upon a clofer view, I can ea- liiy difcover fo much laboured hypocrify,fo great an allay of imperfection, and fo many other ble- mifhes of feveral kinds, as will not fufter me to think they can pleafe and deferve to be approved, tut incline me rather to dread their difpleallng, and being rcjedled by a Holy and All-feeing God. And is this the beft account that finful Man can give of himfelf, that all his adtions have been ei- ther vicious and dam.nable ^ or at leaft fruitlefs and vain, 3o6 MEDITATIONS. vain, and fo defpicable and of no efFecl ? But why do I make this Diftindlion between a vain and unprofitable, and a damnable Courfe of Life ? For furely if a Man's Converfation be the One, it is as certainly the Other too. SoTruthit felf hath declared, that not only evil Fruit, but no Fruit at all ^ not only the corrupt, but barren Tree, Ihall be condemned to everlafting Flames ^ for Match 7 -^^^ ^^ ^^^^ Importance of that Saying, Every i^^ Tree that hrivgeth jtot forth good Fnih^ is hejrn down^ and cajl Into the Fire, Again, if I do an}^ thing that is ufeful, jtt of what value and confequence is it, or what pro- portion does it bear to the worth, even of that bodily fuftenance, and thofe outward comforts, that I continually fubfill upon, and frequently abufe > And what Matter is fo imprudently pro- fufe, to keep thofe Beafi:s,whofe Service does not anfwer the Expence of their Feeding ? Yet fo in- dulgent is my Lord and Mafter : For Thou, O merciful God, extended: thy CompaiTion and Boun- ty to Me, beareft with thy unprofitable Servant, and doft not only wait till he may make a happy change, and become ufeful • but wilt not caft him out, though his Sins have rendered him even odi- ous and loathfome in thy Sight. For the Stench of no Carcafs is more offenlive to Men, than a Soul dead and putrify'd with Sins, is to Al- mighty God. O wretched Man that I am ! But why do I ar- rogate to my felf that Name, who am no longer a Man, but the Scorn and Scandal of my Species ^ more vile than the Beafts that perifh, mere filthy and noifome, than a Carcafs already perifhed ? My Soul is perplexed and o'erwhelm'd with trou- ble. Life is grown a Burden to me •, T am afhamed to go on in it ^ I am horribly afraid to go out of it. And till the Time comes that I mufl do fo, Xhp only thing tluit fccms left for mc to do, is to beftow M ED I T A T I O N S. 507 beftow the whole of it in lamenting the whole of it : that fo, as every Day adds to m}^ Gnilt and Mifery, everv Day may likevnfe be emploj^ed in bewailing the Sins and Miferies of it felf, and of every other Day. Now, tho' in reafon thus I ought to do, yet this moft prodigious, moft deplorable Cirrumftance, is an aggravation to all my other Miferies, that I cannot work up my Soul to a Degree of Sorrow, fuitable to the knowledge fhe has of her own "Wretchednefs -, but, in the midft of Dangers and Difeafes, Stupidity hath feiz'd her, and a profound Security ^ as if fhe either had no Sufferings to be- wail, or at leaft had no Senfe of any. But, O barren and unprofitable Creature, what Sloth, what dead Sleep is this, that locks up all thy pow- ers > Behold ! the Day of Judgment approacheth, the great Day of the Lord is nigh at hand, it flies fwiftly toward thee.and will furely overtake thee, even the day of vevgeaiice and fierce anger ^ a day ofzt^h i: trihitlation and dijirefs^ and a day of^vafinefi and de- i4,i5> «^* folation^ a day of darhiefs and ofgloominefs^ a day of clouds and thick darhiefs •, a day of the Tnmpet ajid Alarm. O ! how bitter is the found ^ how terri- ble is the Surprize of this Day of the Lord ! Up then, wh3r fleepeft thou, O lukewarm and naufe- ous Creature ! Awake, and fhake ofFthy Slumber, for furely He who is not rouzed, who does not tremble at the loud Thunder of thefeThreatnings, can fleep no other Sleep but that of Death. Ex- amine thy felf, unprofitable Tree, and produce thy fruits. Where, where, thou withered ungraci- ous Stock, fit for the Axe and the Fire, ready to be hewn down, and burnt to Aflies ^ where is thy growth,and what canfl: thou fhew for cumbring the ground fo long, what canft thou plead inbar,why the fentence of utter deflrucHon Ihbuld not at laft take place upon thee ? Nothing hath all this while fprung t ^c8 M E D 1 1^ A T I O N S. fprung out of thee, tut fharp Thorns and bitter Sins. And O that thofc Thorns would fo prick thy Heart, as to produce Compunction and Re- pentance ^ O that thofe Sins were fo bitter to thee in the remembrance, that thou mayeft ever naufeate, and never commit them any more ! And what can be the Reafon why everv one of them fhould not be bitter to thee ? Perhaps thou thinkeft fome Sins fo fmall, as not to be worth thy concern : Well were it for thee, if the righteous and all-feeing Judge would proceed with thee at the laft Day by the fame Meafures. But be affured, how fecure foever thy Confcience may be, when deluded with thefe falfe Eftimations, yet He,whofe JudgT.ent miifl: conclude us to all eternit3%accounts no lin fmall, that affronts his Majefty, by dealing treacherouily with him, and ading in.defpight of his Laws. And what Offence then can the wretch- ed Sinner find, which he can have the confidence to think or call a little one ? Can it ever be a fmall thing to diflionour God, and contemn his Autho- rity ? O no ! deceitful Extenuations cf thy Guilt will avail nothing/Tis m.anifeft how dry and fap- lefs, how barren and unferviceable a Trunk thou art ^ and confeqaently how far from being in any condition of anftvering for thy felf in that Day, when God fhail call thee to a ftri^t Account for the time, for every' talent bellowed uponthee^and expe6l fome Improvement, or reckon with thee for the mifemployment of them all. "Whatever fhall upon this balance, be then found «pon thee of Sin and Vanity, whether in thy Acti- ons, or thy Words, nay, or even in thy filent and moll- fecretThoughts, all that fhall be condemned ; And ev'ry day and hour laid to thy charge, which was not directed to the fervice and obedience of thy God, who entrufted thee with them. But oh the difmal fight, the unconceivable numbers of unremembred, unknown, unfufpedted Sins, that Ihall MEDITATIONS. 309 fhall rufli out upon thee, like Enemies from an Ambulh, which thou wert not the leaft aware of ! Man7,too many, alas ! and too formidable are thofe thou feeft already-, but many more to be fure there are, and perhaps fuch too as are more terrible and confounding, which hitherto have efcaped thy Ob- fervation. Some things, that thou doft not think to have any hurt at all in them ^ nay, Others that thou miftakeft for commendable and good, fhall then appear of a quite different Complexion, and fcare thee with a Guilt as black as Hell. Then is the time of receiving according to what thou haft done in thy Body •, then Ihall the Seafon of for- bearance expire ^ and Mercy, fo greatly abufed, fo long extended in vain, fhall give place tojuftice, and fpeedy execution of Vengeance. Think then here, while that Thought may do thee good, what Recorapencethou art like to receive at that Day. If upon enqujr}^, thou find thy good Actions many, and thy bad ones fevv, rejoyce and be thankful for the Riches of divine Grace, which hath made tliee an Inftrument of thy Matter's honour,and thy own Salvation. But if thou find, as find I fear thou wilt,that t hy Tranfgreilions have been vaftly great and many, and th}^ vertues but very few,let thy la- mentations and fighs be likewife manjr, and thy forrow for iin proportionably great. Arenotthefe conliderations fufficient to make thy very Heart- ftrings cr::ck, and even to diifolve thy whole mafs of Blood into Tears of Repentance > How prodi- gioufljr hard is the flint of that heart, which fuch jiammers are rot able to break ? How ftupid and loft to all Senfe, which thefe fharp Goads cannot pierce ? How fatally profound that Sleep which thefe loud Claps of Thunder cannot drive away > Thefe melanchoUy Refiedions Ihouldhave power enough, not only to open a PafTage for thy Tears, but to keep them perpetually flowing, and make them tliine, as they were once the Prophet s w^^rt pfii. 42, and drink day and 7i2^ht, Great :?io MEDITATIONS. Gtcat rQafoii certainly there is, why thou fhould'ft make them Co. For what can it profit thee to difiembie the matter,by either wholly con- cealing,or craftily extenuating the greatnefs and weight of that Mifery, which like a heavy Load, lies upon thy Confcience •, and, if not feen and early prevented, will furely break upon thee in endlefs and irretrievable Beftrudion > Will the furprize of thy fufFerings be any abatement ? Will not that be the mofi: dreadful Aggravation indeed, and render thy anguifh fo much the more infap- portable ? It never can be advifeable for a Sinner to fhut his Eyes, and plunge himfelf blindfold in- to that Ruin, which a timely fore-fight of might have deliver'd him from. Men ought not to be flatter 'd in this Cafe, nor think their unhappy Circumftances exaggerated b}'' the moft frightful Reprefentations that can be given of them. For be afTured, that Experience will convince thee, when it is too late, how far it is pafc the power of words to exprefs, or come near to the deplorable miferies, that fhall one day overtake the hardened and impe- nitent. Lefl this then fhould be. thy own Cafe, open thine Eyes my Soul, and let them overflow ■U'ith tears of godly forrow. Force thy felf to fee and hear the danger of thy Condition. Make thy anguifh yet more cutting, be yet more a- fraid, tremble at the apprehenfions of an angry God, and howl over the Calamities, which thou hafl brought upon thy felf. Confider, not only that thou Ihalt be judged, but who it is that muft judge thee. Even He, who hath declared him- felf jealous of his Honour, and whofe Majefty is dared and afrronted by every wilful violation of his Law •, even Ele, who hath recompenced thee Good for Ea^I, but to whom Thou in return haft paid negled and hatred, for his unwearied kind- nefs and bounty ^ even He, who is now full of patience and forbearance, merciful and gracious, but MEDITATIONS. 511 but whofhall then be a ftrid examiner of all thy A6lions, and a juft avenger of all thy Infblence and bafe Ingratitude. * ':.- ^ ; O wretched Man ! whom have I finned againft > I have difhonoured the great God, I have provo- ked and armed againft m}'' felf the vengeance of the Almighty. O what have I done ! to' whom have I done it ' How great >vas my folly, and how unpardonable my fault ? Unpardonable, if confi- der'd in it felf ^ but, O my God,let not thy Indig- nation and fury of th]?- almighty Hand be poured out upon me ! "Who can fuftain the wrath of an omnipotent Being ? Who can ftand againft thy thunder ? Thefe very diftant Profpecls of it a- maze and utterly confound me. But Oh ! how unconceivable, how intolerable will be the per- plexities and horrors of that difmal Day : when on the one hand I fhall fee Sins innumerable ac- cufing me • en the other, Juftice inexorable dif- mayingme • beneath, a lake of liquid and eternal fire gaping to receive me •, above, an incenfed Judge ready to pronounce an irreverjfible Sentence upon me • within, a guilty Confcience reproach- ing me ; without, a World in flames, kindled by the breath of an angry God. Then fhall the righteous fcarcely befaved •, Lnt where ^ ah ! where , pg^ . Jljall the imgodly and the jinner^ already felf-con- i8. * demned appear ^ Where, where indeed ftiall I appear ? Or where fhall I hide my felf, and e- fcape from that appearance > The Jjatter is impolfible, the Former infupportable. This Judg^ ment I fhould wifh above all things to decline, but there is no flielter from it to be found • to be brought to it I fhould dread and deteft, but if I betake my felf to flight, the Eyes of God will foon difcover me, and his vengeance and my fins pur- file me every where. In this deplorable extremity what will become of me ? Who can deliver me out of the Hanfls of X ^ ' this 312 M E D I T A T I ONS. this God ? What meafurcs can I take, or who will be my Defence > Is there not one, who is call'd j^jjI. 5 J. the Avgel of the Covenant ? the Saviour, and mighty 'Deliverer ? Upon his name I will call aloud ^ Je- fus, the bleffed Jefits. This, this is He, the Judge at whom I tremble, but the Saviour in whom I truft too. Look up then. Sinner, and be comforted •, look up, and fink not in defpair : Let this Charadter revive thee,and allay thy fears with a cordial mixture of hopes •, lince thefame perfon is the proper Object both of thy hopes and fears. Flee to him in one Capacity, whom thou would'ft wifh to flee from in another. Pour out thy heart before him, for he is thy hope ^ and cry aloud, perfevere in prayer, and let thy humble fupplica- tions take no denyal ^ as rhy proud contempts and provocations of him have known no meafure. O ^ejiis, Jefiis, by this moft blefled name I beg, that thou would'ft deal with me according to the im- portance of this name. For this is a name full of love, full of delight, full of comfort, and holy con- fidence to every linner, that takes fanduary in it. For what does ^efus fignify but a Saviour > and why didft thou take that name upon thee but to declare that thou wouldft make it good to the utter- moft, by fa\dng thy people from their fins > For thy own fake I implore thee to be my jfefus in- deed : Thou haft created me, deftroy not then the work of thine own hands. Thou haft redeemed me, do not caft away the purchafe of thy own precious blood. Let thy goodnefs, I befeech thee, triumph over my wickednefs, and whom the for- mer gave a Being to, fufFer not the latter fo to prevail upon, that it fnould have been better for me never to have been at all. My Iniquities, I confefs, are many and grievous, yet do they ad- mit both of number and meafure •, thy goodnefs and thy power know no bounds •, and therefore I befeech thee, by all the paft demonftrations of thy Love MEDITATIONS. ?i? I I .III ■ ■ Love and Condefcenfion, as thy Majefty is in it felf, fo let thy Mercy be to Me, infinite. Re- member, Lord, that I am thine, lofe not thy own property : See what is in me that belongs to Thee, and gracioufly accept it : See what there is derived from any other hand, and purge it quite away, that I may be wholly thine. Mercy, flveet Jefus^ Mercy, before the feafon of Mercy be paft : bring me not intojudgmenttobe glorified in my condem- nation, for what profit is there hi my bloody if I be Pfa'. go2 thntft into the pit of everlafihig deJlriiBlGJi ? The9' Dead praife not thee^ Lord^ neither all they that ^1'^^^' go down into hell. If thou enlarge the bowels of thy Mercy, they will not be one whit the more ftreightned to others, for taking in this trembling Penitent. Admit me therefore, O thou Defire of my Soul, receive this wandring loft Sheep into thy bofome •, and 7nake yne to be niimbred with thy Saints in glory everlafting. So Ihall I join with Them in conforts of Praife; : So Ihall I enjoy thee, delight in thee, and make my boaft of thy mer- cy, with thofe that love thy name. Even thine, O. deareft, kindeft Saviour -, who, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, art worfhipped and glorified, ever one God World without end, jifnen. t St, 315 St ANSEL Ms Incentive to Holy Love : O R, Meditations upon the Pailion of our L O R a BOOK Vlf. CHAP. L Jhe Benefit of ohfervtng and reverencing ow\ Lord in hu State of Humiliation. CM E, and let us pay Divine Honours to Jefus o^ Nazareth '^ nor let it abate of our Devotion, that the yews condemned, and that the GeittUes crucified him, iince we, who are Chriftians, know alTuredlj, that his Innocence was unblemifhei, his Perfecution moft injurious, and his Sufferings in no degree deferved by him^ We therefore, who not only call our felves, but really are the Servants of Chrift, muft think that Charader obliges us to look with Reverence and Attention upon his loweftCondefceniions,to em-* brace even our defpifed and afflided Mafter, with the tendereft affedtion ^ and efteemit our duty ,oui: advantage, nay, our honour, to tread in his fteps, X 5 and 3x6 MEDITATIO N S. and conftantly endure whateverGod fhall lay upon us, in order to conforming us to the Image of that Son, whom he hath made our Pattern. For his Sufferings are the powerful InftrumentSjWhich Al- mighty Power, and unfearchaLle Wifdom thought fit to ufe, for accomplifhing the nohlcft Defign of Providence. And how can we fufficiently admire the mighty, the miraculous efficacy, which did, and ftill continues to exert it felf, in the rcftitu- tionof a loft World, hy means, in appearance fo weak, in their own nature fo exceeding unfuitable to the End accomplilhed by them ? But what a commanding influence ought this myfterious work to have upon our hearts, our difpoiitions, and our manners, and how ftrongly Ihould it draw our af- fedions and praclife, to imitate thofe Graces fo confpicuous in the Perfon of our Redeemer ? I he LordChrift was made lower than the Angels, who ii^y mature their Creator and King : and all for Our fakes, that We who are by nature below thofe Angels, might in dignity and happinefs be exalted to an equality with them : And can any of Us think much to humble himfelf at the command and for the fervice of a Mafter, who ftoop'd fo low for our advancement > The Lord Chrift fubmitted to be crucified for our fins, and,by the bitter things he underwent, hath fweetned all the fufferings and forrows that can poifibly fall upon them that love him. He dj^ed, and by his own deatli dcftroyed the power of death, that we might live through •Him. Ar.d Who, that confiders this, can forbear loving fo gracious, fo great a Mafter, as Chrift the Lord ? Who would decline fuffering, or grudge any degree of it, for His fake, cfpecially, if it be rcmembred, that for all who fufFer with and for him, is referved a recompencc like that attained hj himfelf? And Chrift, we know, made the pain and, ignominy of the crofs upon Earth a pafiage to the biifs and glory of his Throne in Heaven. The volun- MEDITATIONS. 517 voluntary fubmiirion and conftant duty paid toGod the Father by him was rewarded with all power in Match. 28. Heaven and in Earth, He who was once defpifed a7id ^^' rejected of Men^ is vow adored by Angels : A71J ^Heb i ^J. 7ia?ne is given iiytto him above every 7ta7ne^ that at the Phil. 2. o, flame of Jefiis every knee Jljoidd bow, both of things in io» heaven^ and things in earth, and things under the earthy CHAP. II. A Chrijlian hoajl fhouldbe in a cruciffd Saviour^ LEt then the carnal and the worldly minds mak^ their boaft of fuch imaginary advantages, as are agreeable to fenfual Difpofitions -^but forThee who art a Chrillian, God forbid, that Thou, like Them ihould think the Crofs of Chrift a thing to be aihamed of, that thou fhou ^ deft not glory in it, nay, that thou fhouldeft imagin any thing belides can be matter of juft glory and advantage to thee, but only the name of thy crucified Lord Chrift Je- fus. Make thou thy boaft then in that name, which is above every name, in which whofoever is bleffed tipon Earth, ftiall be bleffed alfo in Heaven. Let them give thanks whom the Lord hath redeefned^jjCR^let MI. Jo?* them ever praife his holy Name : O come and let us afcribe due honour to our Saviour, who hath done fo great things for us, great things whereof we do and ought to rejoyce. Lift up your hearts and joyn your Voices, ye Children of Grace and Redemption, and let us m.agnify his name together, faying, Ife praife thee, we blefs thee, we glorify thee^ we give thanh to thee for thy great glory, O Chrift, the-King of Ifrael^ the light of the Gentiles, the Prince of all the Kings of the Earth, the Lord of Hofts, the Power of God Almighty in its utmoft ftrength and peifedtion. We worfliip thee^ O pre^ X 4 cious ?i8 MEDITATIONS. cious and invaluable ranfom of our Souls, O our Peace, and moft acceptable Sacrifice, who bj the fweet-fmelling Savour of thy Sin-Offering:, didil incline the Father, whofe dwelling is on high, to caft an eye of pity upon the viieft of his Creatyres here below, and didftopen a way to reconciliation for the Sons of "Wrath and Perdition. We pub- liih the praife of thy Mercy, O bleffed jefts, and out of the abundance of our hearts do gratefully recount the fweetnefs of thy love •, We offer unto thee our daily facrifice of gratitude and glor}'', for the incomprehenfible ex'^ellence of thy Goodnefs, and the bowels of that tender and unbounded CompafTion, which thou haft been pleas'd to ex- tend to a moft reprobate and ungracious Seed, a race of miferable Wretches, funk in Sin, and juft- ly fentenced to deftrudion. CHAP. III. Tke Great fiefs of God's Mercy toMa?ikinJ. FOR, while we were yet Enemies to thee, O Lord, and Rebels to thy righteous Govern- ment ^ while Death maintained its ancient ufur- pation, and exercifed a moft unjuft and mercilefs Tyrany over us : (to which by the breach of our fir ft Parents Covenant all the Pofterity of Adain ( as vertually included, and finning in him, had been enflaved ) even in this miferable State, which had nothing to merit or incline thy favour, didft thou remeiiiber mercy : and, from thy dwelling upon thy holy hill in the higheft heavens, look down with plenteous compallion, and moft amar zing goodnefs,upon this valley of mifery and tears. Thou faweft, O Lord, the afflidion of thy peo- ple j and wert fo alfeded with the difmal ob jed:, that MEDITATIONS. ^19 that thy Bowels founded, and the immenlity of thy Love yearned towards us : And, from the inftant in which our Sin and Mifery commenced, thou didft apply thy Heart to thoughts of Peace, and Kindneis, and Redemption for v.s. Then didft thou lay that moft ftupendous Scheme, which Angek and Men, with holy aftonifhment, continually de- iire to look into. And, though the Son of God, thy felf very God, of the fame Subftance and E- ternity with God the Father and Holy Ghoft, dwellhig 271 the light which 710 man caji approach inito^ r Tim. 6. and npholdijig all things by the word of thy power : yet ^^* didft thou not difdain to be confined in the Prifon ^^^* '* ^' of a mortal Body, to ftoop down from the height ofMajefty, and, becoming one of Us, not onljr to tafte, but even to drink up the very Dregs of our bitter Cup ^ that the depth of thy Mifery might exalt us to thy Glory. The exceeding greatnefs of thy Love would not content it felf with committing the Work of our Salvation to any of the Cherubim or Seraphim- : Nor wouldeft thou fend the moft glorious of ihQ Angels upon this Embaffy of Peace and Joy- but didft vouchfafe to come in Perfon, and finifh with thy own Hands the Work which the Father gave thee to do : And as in thy acceptance, fo in that delegation, the Love of God to Mankind appeared incompreheniibly great ^ and never was the Fa- ther's tendernefs fo vilible, as when refleded on us in the Perfon of his Son. But as the motive, fo the manner of thy coming was extraordinary. For this comiing was not any change of Place, fo as to render thee abfent or prefent where thouwert not fo before ^ but it was only a Manifeftation of thy felf to theWorld, and rendring us feniible of that prefence in our Flefti, which was not an objedt of our Senfes before. Thou didft defcend from the Royal Throne of the Ma jefty on high, into the JV'omb of a Virgin, pure and meek, and lowly in her 320 MEDITATIONS. her own thought, precious in thyEjes. Inwhcfe holy body the m3^fterious and inexplicable power cf the Holy Spirit, without the operation of any other Agent, caafed thee to be conceived and born in the real fubftance of humane nature. And that in fo ftupendous a manner, as at once to preferve the Majefty of the Divine Nature from any indig- nity, and the chaftity of thy Virgin-Mother from any violation -, by this unexampled method of bringing a Man into the World. CHAP. IV. Of the Miferies which Gvd took upon him fjr Alankind, o Moil engaging, O mofi: aftonifhing Conde- fcenfion ! The God of infinite Glory did ' not refufe to become a defpicable Worm ; The Lord of all the World was pleafed to put on the form of a Servant \ and ftoop to the Condition of the meaneft of his own Servants. Was it not Ho- nour, was it not Privilege fufficient for us, that thou fhouldeft be our Father, and moft gracious Mafter, but wouldcfl: thou permit thy felf to b§ made our Brother and our Fellow-Servant ? Nay, that Thou, who pofTeffeth all things, and couldeft not want any thing, fhould'fi: at the drawing thy firft breathvouchfafe to tafte all the inconveniences of poverty and contempt ? Hadfi: thou made thy entrance into thy own world with all the pomp and Hate of earthly Princes,yet even thus the con- defcenfion had been amazing •, but the Scripture acquaints us, that when thou wert born there was Lttke 2. 7. '^^^ room for thee iji the Inn ^ no Bed or Cradle of State to receive this Infant King, and repofe his • tender body in, but a manger and a Stable only. See then MEDITATIONS. pi then and wonder ,Chrifl:ian,fee thy Lord s unfpeak- able humility •, fee this ftrange thing which came to pafs at Bethlehem. See him, who hides the earth in the hollow of his hand, wrapped up in fwad- ling clothes, and borrowing even from brute beafts a room to lay his new-born body in. Ob* ferve this, you that are reduced to homely Cot- tages, and have been brought up in all the ftraits of a mean fortune •, take comfort even from your want,when you behold your God fubmitting to all thefe hardfliips, which are fo apt to provoke your complaints anddifcontent : Your God, I fay, choo- ling to be made like one of you, taking a part in all your poverty, and preferring a hard and coarfe Bed before the pomps and delicacies of a Palace, or the conveniences of them, who live in luxury and eafe. See this,3''ou Rich and proud, that va- lue yourfelves upon fumptuous dwellings and gay furniture •, learn what an Eftimate you ought to make of painted Roofs, and curious Hangings, when the King of Kings defpifed thefe Vanities, and rather chofe to grace the mattrices and ftraw of the poor, by making fuch his lodging ? How can you with fuch a haughty difdain, abhor the meanefl: provifions of this kind, when that young Prince, who had all things in his power, preferred a Trufs of Straw, and a Cratch in common with Peaits, before your Down, and all your Silks and Velvets ? But neither was this the only mark, that thou, my Jefus, cameft into the World on purpofe to fuffer hardihip. For the malice of men was im- mediately awaked, and armed it felf againft thee. Thy life fet out in Perfecution, and was no fooner given, than endeavoured to be taken away. The treacherous refpedts of a jealous Tyrant laid fnares for this fuppofed Rival of his Crov/n ^ and while thou wert yet hanging at thy mothers bieaft, the fword of Herod was efcaped by flight into a ftrange 322 MEDITATIONS. Match. 2. ftrange Country : For lo, a7t Angel of the Lord ap" ^ '' peared to Jofeph in a dream^ faying^ arffe and take th^ \0Jin7 child and his 7nothe;\ and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until Ibrijtg thee word^for Herod will feek the young child to deflroy him. So foon didft thou commence a fufFering Redeemer, fo foon a fufrer- er ^ not in thy Perfon only, but in the members of thy rayftical Body too. For we are not to fup- pofe that the troubles brought upon thylnfancy, terminated in Thee alone : No, Thou wert per- fecuted in all thefe innocent Babes, fo many thoufands of whom were barbaroufly torn from the arms of their Mothers, and upon thy account butchered by the Sword of that inhumane Mon- fter, Herod, CHAP. V- The Behaviour of Chrifl fpom his Touth. W Hen this firft State of life was ran, thy ten- der Years began with fetting us early but admirable examples of Humility and Yertue. For then thou didft not, like the giddy and headftrong I , I. defpifers of Difcipline, ftand in the coiinfel of the wicked^ or fit ijt the feat of the fccrnfiil^ but wert found in the Temple at twelve 3rears old, fitting • in the midjl of the Dolors, hearing them and askiiig them queflions. Not for thy better Information fure, for thou art the fourceof all knowledge, and the very Wifdom of God the Father, and couldeft not be taught by them whom thou hadft m.ade. Another inftance of thy condefcenfion was that pattern of Obedience, which thou wert pleafed to fet us,by living in fabjedion to thyParents,tho'the whole World at the fame time was fubjecl to Thee. Thus didft thou pafs thy firft and tender Years in daily repeated inftances of humility,and meeknefs, and MEDITATIONS. 525 and the ftrldefl: obfervarice to thofe, who, after the flefli, were efteemed thy fiiperiours ; And vvouldeft not fufFer any of thy divine Prerogatives to exempt thee from any of the Offices due to the Relations contracted by the alTumption of the Humane Nature. At length, when advanced to Strength and Ma- turity, the time approaching which was appointed for combating the enemies of our Salvation, thou didft prepare thy felf for hardy exploits, and went* eft out into the field, as a Giant ready to run the whole courfe of our mifery. And fince it was expedient for thee in all things to be made like unto thy Brethren, to (hew that thou wert even then content to he Ttimihred among the tranfgrejfors^ thou didft addrefs thy felf to that fervant, whom thou hadfl: fent before thee to prepare thy way by the Baptifm of Repentance ^ as if thou hadfl: flood in need of the fame difpenfation with common Sinners : And ofFeredfl: thy Perfon to this fpiritual walhing, tho' thou wert that white and fpotlefs Watch. $. Lamb of Gcd, whofe Innocence no touch of Sin had ever ftained. Thus wert thou actually bap- tized, not with any intent to be fan6tified by, but*" to fanClif v^ the waters ^ and to convey to them a power of cleanfing Us afterwards, when We lliould have recourfe to the fame Methods, and come duly qualified for thy myfl;ical purging a- way of Sins. Immediately after thy Baptifm, the fame Spirit of Power and undaunted Refolution led thee up Match, 4. into theWildernefs : That folitude and retirement from the World might not want the advantage of fuch an example to recommend it, when chofen with prudent deliberation, and for holy and ufe- ful purpofes. There didft thou with a mofl: in- flexible confl:ancy, and evennefs of Temper, en- dure the want of all company, and natural re- frefhmeiTitjfor forty day s togcther^and the tempter t think- :?24 MEDITATIONS, thinking thefe Circumftances had given him a fair Opportunity of fucceeding, attack'd thee there. Then didft fuftain a conflid of temptations,and de- luding promifes 5 that foby vanquifliing this adver- fary, all his afTaults and deceitful wiles might be more eafily born, more fiiccefsfully encountred, more refolutely withftoodjwhen we refled that the Captain of our falvation was tempted as we are, yet mthoiitjin-^ and confequently, that we engage a Foe who hath been, and who may again be baffled. When thus initiated by Baptifm, and Falling, and a victorious combat with the Devil, thou didft begin to Ihew thy felfopenly,feekingin great com- X)airion the lojlfieep of the hoitfe oflfrael^ inlight- ning theWorld with thy divine do6lrine,proclaim- ing the approach of thy fpiritual Kingdom, offer- ing a moft gracious acceptance to all, who would come into the obedience of Faith, and confirming the truth of thy preaching by miracles and figns inconteftable. Then did the power of the God- head, refiding in thy human body, exert it felf moft manifeftly, when all manner of difeafes and ^ infirmities of Devils, nay of Deaths, yielded to thy irrefiftable command : And then thy power too was attended with the fafety or advantage either of Body or Soul, which thou didft moft freely diftribute to all who were ready to receive it : Thus wifely gaining upon Men's Necefljties, and convincing them by their own fenfible experience, that tobethydifcipleswas the greateft friendlhip they could poUibly ftiew to themfelves. But alas ! all thefe winning and excellent Arts notwithftand- ing, how difproportionate \vas the Event upon them, whom one would fcarce imagine it pollible not to have been won ? For fuch was the Dege- neracy of that Age and Nation, that their foolifii heart was hardened, their eyes blinded, the v/ord of thy truth they caft contemptuoufly behind their backs, and through a moft prodigious and ftupid obfti- MEDITATIONS. 525 oi-)ilinacy, regarded not the v/ond'rous Evidences of thy Divinity, fo often repeated among them, and for them. This was the cafe of the. generality of people, with whom thou didftcoBverfe. Some few indeed there were of better Difpofitions, and more generous Spirits •, Men, who dared to own, and to be Champions for thy Truth. And thefe thou didfl: fingle out from the mean and defpifed part of the World ^ that when the ftrong ?.nd great, the Men of Power and Learning,of Lull and Intereft, fhould,as they fhortly did, fall a conqueft to the low, illiterate, and unartful propagators of thy' Faith, the wealcnefs of the Inftruments might leave the glory intire to the wife Artificer, who had by them wrought EiFe£ls, which the Per- . fons employed about were in their own nature in no degree qualified for. Nay, had thefe perverfe Wretches only turned the deaf Ear to this Charmer fent from Heaven, and pertinacioufly refufed the mighty Benefits, which he was fo exceeding folicitous to prefs upon them, even this Ingratitude, though inexcufable, had fallen much fhort of the guilt they incurred upon that occafion. For, not content to reject and defpife him, they improved their negled into malice and implacable hatred : publickly afi^ront- ed the Lord of Lords, flander'd andmifreprefented his bell and moft beneficial miracles, and did unto him whatfoever the moft inveterate rage, and the moll impudent falihood could fiiggeft. For, when mj^bleffed Saviour did among them the works which no other Man did, when the miracles were manifefl, and they could not deny the Operations of a fu- pernatural Power, then did they belch out their hardned Infidelity, in lyes and virulent reproach- es • then waft thou, fweeteft Jefus, caft in the teeth with fiich injurious charaders as thefe : This joh. 9. j5. Man is 7Wt of God ^ He cafieth out Devils through the Mac. 9.^4. ^Qwer of the Devils-^ He hath a Devil, ajidisjiiad, why Jo^"- ^^' :^ 26 M E D I ]^ A T I O N S. Joh. 7. 1 2. hear ye him ^ He deceived the people. A gluttonous Luke 7. j^^fi^ and a wine-hibher^ a friend of publicans avd ^^' Jtnners, So outrageous is perverfenefs, fo extra- vae^aiit the imputations of prejudiced Men, even againfl Holinefs, even againft Omnipotenc7,when a Teacher, indued with both thefe in perfeclion, would inculcate Dodrines which they refolve never to be perfuaded to believe or pradife. w CHAP. VI. Of our Lord's la ft Supper with his Difciples^ and the Treachery of Judas. "HY art thou fo vexed, O Servant of Ged, and why is thy Soul thus difquieted with- in thee > Thou art reviled by the tongues of info- lent and unjuftMen. And does that opprobri- ous Language, or thefe wrongful Afperiions upon thy good Name, provoke thefe Sighs, and Tears, and bitter Lamentations ? Alas ! Thefe ought not greatly to move, thefe ought not at all to farprize thee. Haft thou forgot what Mafter thou ferveft, what contumelious treatment he met with upon earth from lying and licentious tongues •, and what fort of ufage he hath Mate. 10. warned thee to expedt, by faying, The Difciple is l^h "^'<, ^^^ above his Mafter^ nor the Servant above his Lord. fo." ^ " Ij they have perfecuted me^ they will alfo perfecute yoUy and if they called the Mafter of the Houfe Beelzebub^ how jnuch more pall they call them of his hottftwld ^ Thefe injuries and blafphemies, O meek, and pa- tient Jefus, thou didft endure, though frequently repeated. And when thy Enemies, not content to vent their Rage in the bittereft Exprellionsof hatred and contempt, went about to ftone thee, and MEDITATIONS. 527 and attempted thy life, ftill thau didfi: bear with them, and wouldeft not revenge the Mifchiefs they intended, but ftoodfl: before them as a man that heareth not^ and in whofe ??wnth is no reproofs. And in this merciful and forbearing temper thou didfh perfevere to the end : For, when at laft thy Enemies had purchafed thy moft innocent and precious blood, and bargained with thy own Difciple, that Son of perdition, to fell thy life for thirty pieces of Silver, the fame Meeknefs was eminently confpicuous to that vile wretch, who betrayed thee into the hands of thofe who fought thy deftruclion. Thofe treacherous pradices were not hid from Thee^ but thou faweft the naughti^ nefs of his heart, when in the laft Supper thou kneeledil down before him, and, without any di- ftindion, didft, among the reft, waih even thofe John, r 3; curfed feet of his, which were fwift to fhed thy blood *, and wipe them with thy holy hands. So invincible was thy patience, when yet thy power could have crufhed him to pieces, and in a moment defeated all his villainous defigns. And fhall We who are but duft and afhes, cherifh angry refent- ments after fuch an example to the contrary ? Shall We fuffer Pride to tranfport us beyond ourfelves, and fwell with impatience and fury implacable againft our Brethren and Equals, who do us wrong ? Nay, but, O Man, look upon this afto- nifliing inftance, this perfect emblem of meeknefs and humility. See the bleffed Jefus, the maker of the Univerfe, the terrible and almighty Judge of quick and dead, kneeling at the feet of his own Servant, and his own Creature, of the abandoned wretch that betrayed him. Obferve what a proof this Saviour gave, of his being what he declared * himfelf to be, 77ieek and lowly in heart, and let this Mate, i,' reflection fhame thee out of thy pride, and make 28. thee blulh at thy anger and impatience. Y Con^^ 328 MEDITATIONS. Confider again, how great a tendernefs he fhew'd for that vileft of the Sons of Men, and how far he confulted his Modefty, had there been yet any remains of it, who would not difcover his xviclced defigns, nor put him to open fhame by reproaching him with them directly, before his brethren-, but took the gentleft method of admo* tiifhing him, by hinting to him, that he was con- fcious of his malicious intentions, in that obfcure but lignificant reproof, irhat thov dofl^ do quickly * And yet, notwithftanding all thefe Intimations, he was not brought ofFfrom his hellifh purpofe,but rather hardned in his wickednefs. For the Text tells us he went out Immediately^ and laboured to ac- complifh his villany forthwith. Good God ! how obftinate, how inflexible a perverfenefs was this 1 how may we apply to that profligate Apoftle what ir4.14.i2. the Prophet fays of the Devil hi mfelf, Hon? art thou fallen from heaven^OL%iclfer^fon of the vwrnhtg} Thou that didfl: once (hine fo glorioufly, that wert ad- mitted into fellowfliip with the Citizens of heaven, and a companion and confl:ant attendant upon the Word of Godhimfelf ! What an amazing, what a deplorable Change is this ! that thou fhouldfl: now be numbred among the Children of Darknefs, and Defpair •, and, after having been fo long fullain'd with the delicious bread of life, fliould'fl; at lafl: choofe dung and death ? Then, blefTed Jefus, when this polluted Creature was feparated from their Company,thy family was pure andbright,likethe holy Angels above ; then was this happy aflembly made to drink largely of thofe divine Inftrudtions, which flowed mofi: plenteoufly out of thy holy ^ mouth : Then didft thou proceed to pour out in great abundance, thofe fpiritual Comforts, and fnpporting Promifes which the other Difciples were qualified to receive, but that profane Wretch had rendered himfelf altogether inca* pable and unworthy of, to careful wert thou not M E D I T x\ T I O N S. ^^29 not to caft thy precious Pearls before Svv^ine, fo liberal of them, to thofe well-difpofed Minds who were defirous to be inriched, and prepared to improve bj them. CHAP. VII. OfChrtJl^s rettrifi^ into the Garden^ and his Sufferings there. WHEN thoii hadft thus, not only by thy ex- ample, biit bj thy moft divine Difcourfes, inculcated upon thy Difciples,the Duties of Chari- ty and Patience ^ then did ft thoii, fweeteft Sa- viour, retreat to a place, v/ith which thy betrayer was well acquainted. And this, not through in- cautioufnefs, but to meet thofe Indignities and Sufferings, which, thoukneweft perfedtly well be- fore-hand, would there come upon thee. There did thy Soul confefs its own amazement, and hea- Vinels even unto death. Nor didft thou efteem it any Difparagement to the perfection of thy Di- vine Nature, to acknov/ledge thofe Agonies, un- der which thy Humane laboured, upon the ap- proach of that Fairion, which thou in marvellous love didft chufe to undergo. Then were thy Brethrens Ears wounded with that cutting Com- i:)laint, My foul is exceeiiyig forrowful eve7i unto ^vfaf 2^ death. There didft thou fall upon thy face, and on ^8. thy bended knees prefer thy petitions in the mul- titude of thy inward griefs ^ but ftill with an en- tire refignation to the Will of God, even in thofe Inftances, to which fiefli and blood hath the moft irreconcileable abhorrence •, viy Father^ if it bey- s9' pojfible^ let this Cup pafs fro7n ^ne-^neverthelefs^ iwtvty jnil but thine be done. The fweats of blood, which ftreamed from thy holy body, and down upon the y 2 ' ground, 330 MEDITATIONS. ground, while this prayer was utter'd, gave abun- dant evidence of the unconceivable anguifh of thy Soul. But, O Lord Jefu Chrift, fufter me, I hefeecH ■ thee, to expofculate with thee a little upon this occafion. Whence then, O mighty Lord, could that exceeding Sorrow of thy Soul proceed ? "Whence the incredible diforder of mind and body, that could force fo unnatural a Sweat ? Whence that fo earnefi: and importunate fupplication to be delivered from this bitter Cup ? Was not the Sacri- fice of thy felf ofter'd to thy Father willingl}'' and freely > Was not it therefore fo highly meritorious becaufe it was thy own choice and voluntary ad ? And could the Lord of all the World be compell'd to fuffer any thing, which himfelf did not permit,- and entirely confent to ? Undoubtedl}'', no M.m John i:>. did, no Man could take thy life away fro7n thee^ but *^' thou layedjl it down of thy felf And therefore we have rcafon to conclude, that thefe Agonies and Prayers were for our Comfort and Encourage- ment, fubmitted to for the fupport of thy feeble members •, that we fhould not defpair upon the ac- count of humane and infeparable infirmities, nor fufpecl the iincerity of our own hearts, or the mer- cy of a gracious God in fharp tryals •, though the wealcnefs of our iiefli fhould give back, and en- deavour to decline thofe fafferings^ to which our Spirit is willing and ready to fubmit. Not only fo, fcnt from hence too we find frelli motives to Love and Gratitude. For, the more fenfible we are of the frailty of our own nature, tlie jufter value we lliall have of that infinite condefcenfion,by wliich the Son of God took it upon him. And thofe pangs and prayers are an undoubted j)roof, that thou didfi: really feel our Infirmities, and with a tender and moft afflicting fenfe of pain,run through the thorny ftages of thy paifion. That expreliion, let this cup pafsfrovi me, feems plainly to have been extorted MEDITATIONS. 531 extorted from thee by the vehemence of thy hu- rnanc Affedtions • and, in fome fenfe we may have leave to apply to Thee, what thou wert pleafed to fay to thy Difciples, Thefpint truly is willlvg^ hut Macch. 2^. the fief!) is weahThe readinefs of thy fpirit upon this 41. moft trjnng occafion was manifeft beyond all rea- fon of doubt, by many and moft deliberate actions. For hadd thou not been well content, hadft thou not been moft refolutely determined in thy own .m.ind, to fufFer, why didft thou put thy felf in the Tra^^tors way ? Why, when he came with lanterns, and torches, and weapons, and a band of Soldiers that fought thy life, didft thou of thy own accord go forth to meet them? Why, w^henthy irrer* liftable power had ftruck their forces down to the ground, didft thou again withdraw that reftraint, and make thy Enemies able to take thee ? Why didft thou declare thy felf the Perfon they fought for, and compljr with the Signal given by the Plotter and Ring-leader of all this villany > Thefe Circumftances will not allow us to fuppofe, th^t thou wert wavering or loth to fuffen But that, which of all others feems moft amazing, is, that thou ftiouldft not difdain the CarefFes of fo vile a Mifcreant, that thou ftiouldft Idfs thatbeaftof prey, who thirfted for thy blood 5 and endure to let thy mouth, in which there was no guile, touch His, that was full of mifchief and deceit, and all manner of malicious wickednefs. CHAP. VIII. Jefus apj^rehended^ OLamb of God, without blemifti, and without fpot, whiter than Innocence it felf ! what part hadft thou with tliat black fiend,that ravenous ¥3 Wolf ?f 2 M E D 1 T A T 1 O N S, I ,1 r I _^^— ^^— ^^^ I I , I ■!■■ l■■^ I ■ ■ —■I^.MIMM ■■■■ m M ■ ■ ■— i— — — i^MM^ 2 Cor. <^. Wolf that came to tear thee in pieces ? jrhat con^ M- • cord could Chrift have with Belial ^ None certainly. As well may light have fellowfhip with darknefs. But even this Condefcenfion was kindly intended, and the Tray tor's Crime became yet more inexcu- fable, for neglecting to improve it. Since now no Inftance of ICindnefs had been wanting, which might fcften his Heart, and divert him from the Obftinacy of his barbarous Enter prize. He had fhewed him.felf proof againft Intimations and Ad- monitions, and Threatnings before ^ and now our Lord makes this laft Experiment ^ and, to fhame him if poffible into repentance, puts him in mind firlt of their former intimacy and friendfhip,accoft^ Macth- 25- ii^ghii^ in'thofe familiar tcicms,Frie7id,wherefore art 50. thou covio ? and then upbraids the bafenefs and horrour of his treachery, when covered under the difguife of kindnefs and refped, in that other que- Luke 22. ^Iqj-j^ Jiidas^ hetrayefi thoii the Son of Man vAth a Bfs ^ And now behold, Ihe FhiUJlines are upoyi thee^ Sampfon ^ \YitSon ofMaji is delivered into the hands of Sinner n. Of Sinners ftupid and bent upon wicked- nefs even to a Prodigy. For, who would not have expedled, that their Hearts Ihould have mifgivcn them, when repulfed at their firft Aflault, and beaten back to the Earth by the ftrength of thy almighty Arm ^ This was not done in thy ov/ii defence, or with any intent to rclcue thy felf out of their hands that fought thy life •, but purely to check the prefumption of thofe wicked Men, and let them plainly fee, that their malice had no pow- er over thee, farther than thou wert pleafed to let it prevail at that tim.e. And who can hear, with-' out a very fenfible grief, how cruelly they treated thee, how they proceeded in their m.urd'rous vio- lence, how they bound thj holy hands, and drew this meek lamb of God, who open'd not his mouth, to x}]c ilaughter, with all the contumelious indig- nities due to Robbers and Murderers ? Yet, fach was M E D I T A T i 6 ns. 535 was the overflowing fweetnefs of thy mercy, as even in that inftance to difFafe it felf upon thy bit- terefl; adverfaries. For, when the forward zeal of thy difciple had cut off an ear of one that rudely ailaulted thee, Thou by thy powerful touch didft heal the wound, and proted: thy defender from the revenge of them who had thee in cuftody. Ciirjed he their ange?'for it was fierce^ and their TPrath for it was cruel ^ fierce to the laft degree, and in- flexibly fet upon cruelty, fince neither the ma- jefty of thy miraculous power could awe it, nor the aftoniilhing goodnefs of thy no lefs miraculous mercy could foften it into pity or remorfe. CHAP. IX. Our Lord huff^eted^ [pit uporij and fcourg^d. IN purfuance of this implacable malice, my dearefi: Saviour was dragged to the High? Prieft's Palace, and in the prefence of the Coun- cil, who thirfted for his blood, was adjudged to death, as a Blafphemer, for confeliing the truth, which he had taught through the whole courfe of his Preaching. And, O my fweetcft Jefus, how many barbarous infolences didft thou then undergo from thy own race and people > That adorable j^jtc. 25. face, which Angels behold with Reverence and 3oyunfpea]cable,that fheds its bright beams of light and fills all heaven with tranfport and triumph ^ That face which all the rich and great ones of this world ihallproftrate themfelves before v/ith hum- ble fupplications, was then defiled and ftained with the fpittings of unhallowed lips •, ftruck with the palms of fa crilegious hands, cover'd and blind- folded in derifion ^ and the Lord of the Univerfe made a laugliing-ftock to the rabble^ and inhu? y 4 ITiaiiely J94 MEDITATIONS. inanely buffeted, as if he had been the vilefl: of Slaves. And was not this enough, yet barbarous wretches, to glut your fury > No : ftill he lives, and nothing but his blood can fatisfjr. Hence then he is forced away ^ and, that the Gentiles too might bear a part in this black Tragedy, the tongue of an uncircumcifed dog muft be made red with his Blood. The next Scene therefore pre- fents him bound before Pilate^ and all the people, by inftigation of their wicked Rulers, demanding vengeance, and requiring, that hefhould becruci- -iied. See here, my Soul, the blind perverfenefs of an enraged multitude. He, who had dorte no fin^ 1 Pec 1. neither was guile foiui din his 7?ioiith^ nay, he who had A >i . ^^'^^ about conftantly doinggood, and fignalized him- 23. * ' felf by miracles of mercy without Number ; This Man is refufed, and a Thief, a Murderer, a Ring- leader of Sedition preferred before him : The harm- lefs Lamb is declared unworthy to live, and a ravening Wolf is fparedfrom the death his crimes deferved. Good God ! how unequal vv^as the com- -parifon ! How abfurd the exchange ! How infatu- ated the perfons that made it ! How corrupt the Judge that allowed it ? For that wicked Magiftrate was fufficiently feniible, that Envy was at the bot- tom of all thefe proceedings againft thee ^ and yet that fenfe reftrained him not from giving in to all their inhumanity : But he too, in defpite cf the checks of his own mind, lentahelping hand to thy afflictions, and vexed that Soul which they had injuriouily wounded. He fent thee bound to tuke 23, Herod J that thou mighteft be yet more expofed to fcorn and contempt ^ and, after all the mockings of him, and his Men of War had pafTedupon thee, he received thee again, arrayed in a gorgeous robe, and conducted with all the formal Hate of a Mock- . King. Then did he ftrip thee of thy Purple Or- naments, with which thou hadfl: been lately cloath'd in deriflon, and produce thee to the ga- zing MEDITATIONS. ^35 2ing croud naked, that in this form too thou might- eft be made a fpedlacle, and every way feed their malice and fcorn. After this Ihame, fucceeded pains and tortures •, Thy holy flefh was torn with mercilefs rcom^cs.theploivers plowed ttpon thy hack^ and made long and deep furrows •, and every cutting foipe, every bruife and fear was fo far from in- clining thy perfecutors to relent, that they only provoked frefh blows, and added to the trium.phs of their cruelty. C H A P. X. Jefus in the Co?n?no?2>rHalL BU T what, O beft beloved Son of the great Mate. 27. ) God, What hadft thou done, that could de- ^7- ferve fuch fufterings ? What, to provoke fuch con- tumelious treatment ? Not any thing indeed could be laid to thy charge ^ but I, even I, and every wretched finner, were the true caufe of all thy an- giiifh and reproach. Thou wert f7mtte7i ofGod^ a7id ifai. y afflicisd • but they were onr tratifgrejfioin that wovnded thee, and our iniquities that brmfed thee. I have eatejt Ezek- i8» fowre grapes^ and thy teeth were Jet on edge. And in thy perfon fa id the Prophet truly, I paid theni the pui. 5^. things that I never took. But ftill neither thebitter- nefs of thy forrows,nor the unexampled Meeknefs with which they were endued, made any impref- lion at all upon the hard-hearted Jews. When they had even wearied themfelves with infiicling all manner of ignominy and torture, thou wert turn- ed over to the lefs relenting hands of uncircumcifed Soldiers, fentenced and delivered up to a moft fcan* dalous and painful death. And was it not enough, ye blood-thirfty monfters^to QXUci^jthisLo7'd of life (ivd glory, unlefi ye alfo wreaked your malice on t him. 356 M E D I T A T I ON S. him, and prefaced it with a new fcene of Scorn ? For thus the Scriptures have declared you did, as if you were concerned for nothing more, than not to come behind the Jews in any manner of impi- ous Infolence, and remorfelefs Cruelty. Then, fays the Evangelift, The Soldiers of the Goveniour took jfefus into the commoJi-hall^ ayid gathered imto him the whole hand of Soldiers, And theyjiripped him^ and fvt on him afcarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns ^ they put it "Upon his head, and a reed in his rijiht'handj and they bowed the knee before him^ and mocked him^ faying. Hail King of the Jews. And iheyfpit vpon him, and took the reed, and fmote him on the head. CHAP. XI. Jeftis at Mount Calvary. ^ A KD, after that they had moclid him, they took the ^l' ^' l\ robe offfro7nhi?n,and put his own raiment on hijn^ Luke 2 J. ^'^^ l(^d him away to crucify him : and he went forth John 2^. bearing his crofs. And, when they were come to a place called Golgotha, that is to fay, the place of a Skull, they gave him vinegar to drink mi^igled with gall, and when he had tajled thereof he would 7tot drijih An4 X there they crvcified him,and two thieves with him, on ei- tber fide one, and Jefiis in the midf. Then f aid Jefus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. After this, Jefus hwwiitg that all thijigs were now Mccomplijhed, that the Scripture ynight be fulfilled, faith, I thirft. Andfiraightway one of themran, and took a Jp^nge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. When Jefus therefore had re- ccived the vijiegar, hefaid. It is finifhed ; And when he h.:d cried with a loud voice, he faid. Father, into thy hands I commend my fpirit. And havijigfaid ^ thus^ M E D I TAT I N S. ^37 thus^ he bowed his head^ and gave up the Ghoft, Then one of the Soldiers with afpear pierced hisjide^ and forthwith came thereout blood and water. CHAP. XII. RefteBions upon the Mocking and Cmcifixion of our Lord. A Wake now, my Soul, and Ihake thy felf from the Duft, read this Account with due atten- tion, weigh every Circumftance nicely, and confi- der this excellent Perfon, whom the Hiftory of the Gofpel, like a Glafs, fets prefent before thy Eyes. Think, Omy Soul, who this is, that appears in the Habit and Pomp of a King, and yet covered at the fame time with the Confufion and Shame of the moft abject Slave. Obferve this mixture of Honour and Reproach. He ftands before thee crowned, but even that Crown is an addition to his Torments ^ and every pointed Thorn, of which it is compofed, pierces his Divine Body, andbe- fmears his beautiful Face with Blood : His Body is cloathed with royal Purple, but even that Robe . contributes to his Difgrace, and does not com- mand Refpecl, but was intended to provoke the Contempt of the Spectators. He holds indeed a Scepter in his Hand, but fuch a one as is imployed in fmiting his adorable Head. The infolent Crea- tures fall down upon their Knees, and worihip him in Sport ^ they proclaim him King, and in the very next Breath infult over him, fpit upon his lovely Cheeks, and ftrike him over the Mouth with their Fiits, andftrip him of thofe Ornaments which were lent only to his Diihonour. See how this King of Heaven is ridiculed by his own Crea- tures, and his Almighty Majefty, by all polRble Methods, expofed to the Derifion of prophane Re- bels ; 358 M E D 1 T A T I O N S. bels : Keep him Company to the place of Execu- tion, and obferve how his tender Limbs bend un- der the burthen of the Crofs. Behold him carrying the Inftrumiejiit of fhame, and difdaining nothing, that might render it as exqaiiite as even his bitter- eft Enemies could contrive to m^ake it. When ar- rived at the end of his painful Journc}'-, Yirjcgar and Gall are the Refrelhments allowed him af er his Toil •, fuch was the Pity his fainting Spirits found, fuch the Recruits of his thiriling Soul, bit- . ter as the Malice of them, who had exhaufted his Strength by the infinite variety of their repeated Tortures. ' Look on him next, ftretched on the Ground, his Limbs extended on the Crofs, his Hands and Feet nailed to the curfed Tree •, and, when it v/as erecied, thofe Wounds torn open by the weight of his Body hanging upon thefe Faitnings. And.^n this angui{b, what were the words his Grief extor- ted from him. ? Fathe?\forgrce thejn^ for they kr.ow not what they do, O Patience invincible ! O Charity unm.eafarable ' Kot one Syllable of angry Refent- ment nor murmuring Comphant^ no Indignation for fuch perfect Innocence fo cauflefly injured and abuftd -^ no Wifiies of Revenge, nor Imprecati- ons upon the devoted Heads of thefe brutilh Men -, but, even in the extremity of Torment, a calm and kind Petiti(ni to his Father, a word cf Eleliing, and the bell excufe alledged in mitigation of their fault, which even the guilty themfelves could have produced in Bar to the Cor.demnation and Yen- geance due to it. Never was fuch an inftance of meek fufFering, never fo unwearied a love of Ene- mies, never £o kind an Intercejhon for Pardon, foce the World began. Remember this, my Soul, and, wheTirliou iividefi thy felf apt to be out of •tefi.-^'^r "fbr' ib:e, k^oi^.^ or ^'i^^rongs thou lui^ainefl:, eve.- , .-... ..., - .n 'i'/'h^a moir iixidt- ferved J coxiipare ( chough in triath there can be no MEDITATIONS. 939 no comparifon ) thy Sufferings with thy Lord's : Then tell tliy felf, that he who gave thee com- mand to love thy enemies^ aiid pray for them that ^^- Match. 5, fphefjilly life thee^ did alfo leave thee an Example 44. of doing it, in a cafe to which thine can never be parallel. Turn thine Eyes this way yet once more, and let this Objed now before thee call up at once thy Wonder and Compailion. For what will move thy tendereft Pity, what, thy aftonifhm.ent, if thou art infenfible upon this cccafion ? Thy Lord and Saviour, th}^ beft and deareft Friend naked, and defpifed, his Body rent and whealed with Scourges, bruifed and blue with Blows, expofed to publick view in the Company of the vileft Male- fadors • as if his crimes had been as black as theirs j abhorred and infulted by his Enemies. forfaken by his Servants and Friends •, his hands and feet gored with pins of Iron *, his limbs diftorted with anguifhj mock'din the very Agonies of Death with a bitter Potion, his Spirits exhaufted with Pain • and, to fhew that the malice andinfolence of hisperfecu- tors did not expire even with his Life, his Sides in barbarous wantonnefs pierced with a Spear afteF death. See how the Blood gufhes out from his , "Wounds ? His Head, his Hands, his Feet, his Side, all fending out their purple Stream^s in great abun- dance ! And can thy eyes behold all this, and ftill be dry? O no ! Let my Head be a Fountain of Waters, and my Tears fwell into, a Flood •, let my whole Soul diiTolve, and let holy Compailion and ardent Love be the Fire to melt it down. I will weep over this wonderful Alan ^ I will bear a part in all his Sorrows •, I will waih all his Wounds. And, when the confideration what bitter things they were that he endured, hath fpent it felt, and had its full effed, the thought how meekly he en- dured them, ihall minifter frcfh matter for my ten- dernefs and contrition, C H A P, 540 MEDITATIONS. i» I I ■ I ' ' ' ' < CHAP. XIIL Jefus glorified hi his Deaths THOUhaftl)een hitherto engaged^ mySoul^ in Contemplations, that have exercifed thy Compallion as well as Wonder, and haft feen thy Saviour in the loweft of his Humiliations for thee; But now It is time to change the Scene, and to prefent thee with a new and different Profped. One that is equally amazing, and will convince thee, that God did not forfake his Son, nor leave him without ampleTeftimonies of Divine Majefty and Pov/er, even in the Extremity of Sufferings and Reproaches. To this purpofe the Evangelifts have been careful to acquaint the World, th^t from Mac zi* t^^^fi^^^^ ^our there was darhiefs over all theLaiid until the Jiinth hoiu\, and the fun was darkned^ aytd the veil of the te7nple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, ttikc 23. and the earth did quake ^ and the rocks rent^ and the f laves were opeiied, and many bodies of faiiits which \t arofe. What manner of Man is this, my Soul, that Heaven and Earth, and every Element Ihou'd fuffer v/ith him, and at the time of his expiring Agonies diffufe fuch ftrong Convulfions^fuch afto- iiifhing Appearances, through all created Nature here below ? Nay, what an uncommon Death muft that needs be, which thus infpired thofe who were dead before with new Life ? Let thefe effeds convince thee beyond all remains of fcruple, as they ought then to have fatisfied the eye-witneffes of them, that this is, this can be no other, than the Lord Jefus Chrift, the Saviour of the World, the only begotten Son of God, ]3erfe6t God and perfed Man •, the only Man indeed upon Earth, who ever lived in our Nature, and left no ftain of Sin upon it. And yet fee how this unfpotted In- nocence was 7inmbred a??io7tg the tranfgrejjors, caft out MEDITATIONS. ^41 out as a Leper from human Converfation, deipi- fed and rejeded, the very fcorn of Men, and de- teftation of the People. He that was fair and lovely above the Sons of Men, wafted with Mi- fery, deformed with Grief, and his Vifage fo mar- i^dasili $2, red more than the fom ofmen^ that as many as faw H* him were perfe^ily ajlonified at him. Thus was he tpoundedfor our hiiqmties^ and Sorely hruifed for our 53* 5» tranfgrejioyi. Thus did he fall a holy Sacrifice of- fered upon the'Altar of the Crofs : An Oblation of fweet-fmellingfavour,acceptable above any other, to Thee, O King and Father of eternal Glory : and all, that by his Death fo wrongfully inflicted, fo patiently fuftained, he might turn away the fiercenefs of that Wrath we had deferved,procur e accefs for wretched Sinners to thy Mercy-Seat ^ and having firft purged us by his Blood, might mafecus fit down together with himfelf in heave7ilyE^hc{. 2, place Sy that the exceeding riches of thy grace fnight^^j* bejl)ewn in this ineftimable fo*;/J;/^/5 towardsus thro" Chrijl Jefus, L CHAP. XIV. An Addrefs to God the Father. OOK down then, O Lord, ffom thy holjr place, from the dwelling of thy Majefty in the higheft Heavens, and let thine Eyes delight themfelves in this moft precious and perfect Sacri-^ fice, which our great High-Prieft, thy holy Child Jefus, offered for the Sins of his Brethren ^ and do not then refufe to be entreated 5 but, though our backflidings are many , and we have very grievoufly rebelled, yet let thine anger be turned av/ay, and caufe thy Face to fhine upon us, in the Comforts of Pardon and Peace, for the Lord's fake. Behold ihQvoiceofoitr brother's blood^even the blood offprink- ^^^ lingHQb',12, :?42 MEDITATIONS. Uvg^whichfpeaketh better tJmigs than that of Ah el ^cry- ing aloud to thee from the Crofs. And is it poillble that he fhouldhang there to no purpofe ? Yet hang there ftill he does in efFed ♦, for all things paftare prefent to Thee as if they were now in Action ^ andlikewife in regard of that cmitinual Reprefen- tation of his Sufferings, made bj the Churches daily Prayers and Sacraments on Earth, and his own moft gracious and powerful InterceiFion in Heaven. See now, and kno\v% dear Father, that Gen. 37. if)i^ 2s thy Sons coat, even the true Jofeph^ of whom the Patriarch heretofore was but an humble Type. An evil beaft hath devoured hi?n, trampled his cloath- ing under foot in its fury, and ftained the Beau- ty of it with his Blood. See, I befeech thee, the five ghaftly Wounds, with which the mercilefs Gen. 39. Creature rent his tender Body. Behold the Gar- ment which the chaite and finlefs Youth left in the hands of the Egyptian Harlot, his cloathing of Flefh torn off by. a wicked and adulterous Gene- ration : Remember how he rather chofe to part with this, than ftain his Innocence, preferring a voluntary Povert}^, a long fuccelTion of Sorrows, and the very Dungeon of Death, before the King- doms of the World, and the Glory of them, when Mat; 4. the reducing Tempter laid that Bait, Allthiswill I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worfiip me. And now, O Lord, our heavenly Father, conlider, that Gen. 4 J. thy fon is yet alive ^and I ehold he is Goverjiour over all the land of Egypt : Yea, as far as thy Dominions ex- tend over the face of the whole Earth. For thou haft raifed him from the Prifons of Hell and the Grave, exalted him very highly, and fcated him upon thy own Throne • haft made him to put off Mortality, and adorned his crucified Flefii with beauty exquifite,and immortal life. He hath utter- ly overthrown the Tyranny of the mercilefs P/;^- roah'^ burft througli the Bands of Death, led the infernal Powers captive, as by his own invincible Divine MEDITATION S. :^4^ Divine Power triumphantly afcended into his na- tive Heaven. I fee, I fee him with the Eyes of Faith, cr' wne.d with Glory and Honour, iianding for ever in thy Prefence at the right-hand of thy • Majefty to make Interccffion for us. And who He b. 7.- can doubt the aftedion or faccefs of that Intercef- fion ? For he is God of Thy Subflance, and Man of Ours : He who is Thy Son is alio Oar Brother, Bone of our Bones, and Fkfn cf our Flefh* CHAP. XV. Ihat the Son hath paid the T)eht^ due to Divine Jziflice for us, TUrn mt afpay^ then Ford, the face of thy anoiTit*- phij^ 2. ed, who became obedient mto deaths even the death of the Oofs^ but let the Scars of thofe Woun is he received .in the Body be ever prefent in thy fight, that thou mayit always recoiled, how ample a fa- tibfaction for the Sins of Men thou haft received at his hand. O that, when thou weigheft our Offences in the Ballance, thou wouldefb be pleafed at the fame time to make the Miferies, which thy own finlefs and beloved Son endured for our fakes, the happy counterpoife to them. Tins, ! am well affired, v\^] 11 prove the heavier Scale. And tho* our wickednclFes weigh ui down, and be an unfup- portable Load, conlider d in thenifelves, yet more and niightier are the Merits of his Sufferings to incline the abundance cf thy Mercy, tiian can the heirioufnefs or our Tranfgreiuons, poiub'y be to provoke thy Indignation. I t'^ank thee therefore, heavenly Fat' er. from the very bottom of my Heart- and fit i' is that every 1 ongue fhould jc^va. in feaiiig forth t'^e Praifes of thy unfpeak- ableGo dneis, w'dch fpi^red not thy on|y Son, the Son of thy Love, but deliver d himnpforii': all '^^r^^^^ Z Delivered ^2/ ' I ' l ft 1 I .■■ I I I . ril ■ ^ .1. , r 344 MEDITATIONS. Delivered him to a moft painful ignominious Death, that fo we might be blelTed with fo pow- erful an Advocate, fo affedionate a Friend in the Court of Heaven, to plead our Caufc fuccefsfuUy before thee. CHAP. XVI. The Love due to the Son for his Sufferings^ B UT, O fweeteft, kindeft Jefus, how fliall I thaijlc thee as I ought, or-what requital can I make for thy wonderful Condefcenfion ? How is it poiTible indeed, that Duft and Afhes, as I am, the meaneft and moft unworthy of all thy Crea- tures, fhould be capable of any return, that might bear proportion to that amazing Excefsof unmea- furable Love, which I am not capable fo much as worthily to conceive? What could be done, what could be thought of, for my Benefit and Salvati- on, which thou haft not fubmitted to do for me > From the fole of the foot to the crown of the head, thou didft plunge thy felf in fufferings and Sorrows, that thou mighteft pluck me out,and ref- cue me entirely from the deep Waters, when all the waves and ftorms of Mifery had overwhelmed pfalm 6^, me, and were coine in even unto fny Soul. Thou countedft not thy own Life dear unto thee, but didft pour out thy Soul unto Death, to redeem that forfeit Life of mine, over which Death, en- tring by Sin, had gotten the Dominion. Thus haft thou bound me to thy felf by a double Obli- gation : And I am now thy Debtor, both for that which thou haft reftored to me, and for that which thou haft laid down for me. And, iince my Life is thus made twice thy Gift, firft by Creation, and afterwards by Redemption, how can I make thee better Payment, than by devoting entirely to MED IT A T I O N S. 545 to thee, that every thing which I received from thee ? For that part of the Debt then in which my Life is concerned, fomewhat 1 have, though very fmall, to offer thee by way of Satisfadlion : But for thy own Life, fo precious, and yet fo ex- ceedingly afflided for my fake, I muft acknow- ledge my felf utterly at a lofs, and am fenfible it is not in the Power of all Mankind to make Thee any manner of Compenfation. For, though I were Mafter of Heaven and Earth, and all the Glories and Treafures of both, yet could I not. Upon thefe Terms, make thee a Recompence at all fuitable to the value of the Debt Nay, even that little, which I am bound, and qualified to do, can- not be done without thee ^ and if I give thee any thing at all, it is becaufe thoU giveft me Power to give it. Thou art pleafed to require, and moft reafonable it is, that I fliould love thee with allmyMit. lil heart avd with all my fottl^ and with all my mind^ and with all myjlrength • that as thou hafi left me an i Per* 2, example^ fo I Ihould B^a/t inthyfieps: And can I diipute my engagement to live to Thee^ who haft ^ ^^^' 5- condefcended not only to live, but even to dye for me > No, dear eft Lord, lam duly fenfible of the Obligation, but fenfible withal, that this obli* gation can never be difcharged without the Afii- ftance of thy Grace. draw methen^ that t may Vt^lm 8d# run after thee, hut my heart to thee^ that T may love thy Name •, and let my Soul cleave ftedfaftly to ^ my Lord ; for lam not fitfficient of my felf to do or ^ ^^^* V think any thing as of 7ny felf but all my fu^fftciertcy is of thee y my Lord and my God. Z 2 CHAR 346 MEDITATIONS. CHAP. XVIL Jn humble AdJrefs to the Son^ TO Thee therefore, O tlefTed Jefus, my ten- der Redeemer, my merciful Lord, I flee for Succour •, I acknowledge and adore thee, as very God ^ my Faith, my Hope, and all my Defires are fixt on thee alone. Not as I would indeed, for alas ! my Faith is imperfect, my Hope feeble, my Defires luke-warm and cold •, but, O do thou ftrengthen my Weaknefs, fupply my Defects, in- flame my Zeal, and where I cannot attain to what I ought, accept what I do, for what I would do if I were able. In the mean while, to render thefe Inclinations as efredual as I can, I will fre- quently and devoutly meditate upon the glorious Marks and Monuments of thy bitter Paifion. I fee with Joy that once derided Crofs, converted now into a royal Banner, a Trophy of the glorious Conquefl:s gained by thy triumphant Gofpel, a Standard fet up for all Nations and Kindreds of the Earth to come into, and fight under. Thy Crown of Thorns, thy Nails red with thy Gore, the Lance that pierced thy holy Side, thy Wounds, thy Blood, thy Death, thy Burial, thy Refurredticn from the Grave, and Exaltation to the Throne ot Glory, fhall be the Entertainment of my retired Thoughts, my daily Song, my Boafl:, and the glad fubjedt of my never-ceafing Praife. For every one of thefe confpire to quick- en my Soul-, and, by the Contemplation of thy Death, I feel a Principle of new and fpiritual Lite kindled or cherifhed in me, O make thefe Means cffedual for raifing me up from the Death of Sin, no more to return to corruption ! Gaard me, I pray thee, from the fubtile Infinuations of the Tempter, ftrengthcn and defend me againft his Affaults Y MEDITATIONS. 347 AlTanlrs ^ make the Yoke of thy Commandments eafy, an-l the Burden of the Crofs, which thou reqiiireft me to carry after thee, by thy fuftain- ing comforts, portable and light. For alas ! what llrengrh have T without thee, or how is i; polilblo for fuch a difabled poor Creature to bear up with Courage and Conftancy, againft the vafl variety of Difafters and Trials, which the Condition of human Life is perpetually exercifed with, and thou expedeft I fhould fight my war through > Are my feet like Harts feet,that I fhould keep pace with Thee, who didft fo nimbly run through the Briars and Thorns of Adveriities and Sufferings > Hearken, I befeech Thee, to the Voice of thy Ser- vant, and lay upon me that fweet Crofs of thine, which is a Tree of Life to them that lay hold on it, that I may finifh my Courfe faithfully and cheerfully. O that my Shoulders might be worthy to bear that Divine Myftical Crofs : The breadth whereof is a moll extenlive Charity, taking in e- very Creature ^ the length whereof is Eternity,the height Omnipotence, and the depth unfearchable Wifdom. Let my Hands and my Feet be nailed to this Crofs, and do thou vouchfafe to thy Ser- \^ant the favour of being conformed to thy like- nefs, and adting over again inm}^ Soul thefeveral Stages of my blefTed Mailer's Pajuon. Enable me, I humbly pray thee, to abHainfrom the Works of the Flefh, which thou hatefl, to per- form diligently the Works of Righteoufnefs, which thou lovefl •, and both in the Evil I decline, and in the Good I perform, to feek not my own, but thy Glory: Sofhall my Left-hand be faflned as it were to thy Crofs by the Nail of lemperartce, and ray Right-hand, by that ofjfujiice. Let my Soul be continually exercifing and delighting it felf in the Law of my God, direding all its thoughts to, and calling all its cares upon Thee ^ and then I fhall imagine my right Foot fixed to this myftical Tree Z % of j48 MEDITATIONS. of Life, bv the Nail of Friidefice. Grant that my; fenfual Affedions may always continue in fubfcr- vience to my reafonable mind •, fufFer not the trea- cherous, and even affliding Profperities of the "World to emaf ulate my Soul, nor the profitable Adverfities of it to diftnrb or confound my purfuit of eternal Rewards •, fo fhall I be fafe from unman- ly Fears and effeminate Defires, and I fhall look upon my Left Foot to be faflen'd to thy Crofs by the Nail of Forthvde. Work in me alfo fome re- fem>blance to thy Crown of Thorns^ by wounding my Spirit with a true and tender Compunction for my paft Sins, by a Remorfe eftedlual to Repen- tance, by a fellow-feeling for the Sufferings of my Brethren, by ho\y and adive Zeal for that whieh is well-pleafing in thy fight- and by taking San- fluary in thee whenfoever Troubles or Afflidions of any Sort fhall threaten oropprefs me. I fhould be likewife exceeding glad if thou wouldfl: put thy Spofige upon a Reed to my Mouth, and m.ake me fometimes tafle the fharpnefs of thy Vi'>Jegar •, I mean, if by the wholfome Inftrudions of thy holy Word, thou would'ft convince my Reafon, how juflly the World, even in its mofl flattering and ficurifhing Circumflance, may be compared to an empty Sponge^ and all the love and anxious defire of it to naufeous and griping Vhiegar, Thus let me be dealt with, O merciful Father, that the golden Cup of Babylon, which intoxicates all the Children of this Generation, may neither feduce me with its bewitching Gayeties, nor make m.e drunk with its falfe and fickly Lufcioufnefs, as it does Thofe miferably deluded Men, who pvt Darknefsfor Light, and Light for Darknefs, Bitter for Sweet, and Sweet for Bitter, The Wine of Myrrhs singled with Gall I ask not, becaufe thou didfl thy felf refufe to drink of it. Poflibly, for that it re- prcfented the bitternefs of Envy, and that in- flexible Malice, which tranfported thy Crucifiers to MEDITATIONS. 549 ■ ' ' ■ I ■ ■ I II n ■■■ to fuch a barbarous Excefs of Wickednefs and Rage. But above all, I befeech thee, let thy llfe-giving Death be moft exadly reprefented in my whole Converfation, that I may be efFedtually dead unto Jin after theftefi^ but alive unto right e on fnefs^ thro^ the Spirit, And, that I may obtain the Privilege of ha- ving no particular Paflage of my crucified Lord's Likenefs left unimprefs'd upon me, produce in me, • I befeech thee, a ftri6t Conformity even to that Inftance of infatiable Malice, which thy implaca? ble Enemies aded upon thy Body after Death.. Let thy Word, quick and powerful, ftrikc thro' my very Soul, let it reach to the moft fecret thoughts and intents of my heart, and cut fharper than the keeneft Lance •, that as the Blood and Water ftarted from thy Side in great abundance, fo from my Heart thus pierced, may overflow the Love of thee, ipy deareft Lord, and my Fellowr Chriftians. Finally, wrap thou my Soul in the clean Linen of Ipaqcence and Holinefs, that when it fhall depart this mortal Body, I may reft in Peace aud Hope ^ that thou may'ft hide me in the BedofDuft, till thy Father's Indignation be overpafs'd •, and that, when I awake up after thy Likenefs, I may enter with thee into the blifsful Manlions of thy heavenly Dwelling. CHAP. XVIII. Of our Lord^s RefurreEiion, THUS fhall I not only he planted together with Rom. 6- u my Lord, in the likenefs of his death^ but alfa in the likenefs of his RefurreUion. And on the third day, after the day of reft, and when the Morning • pf the eternal Sabbath fhall begin to dawn, thou Ihalt reftore thy moft unworthy Servant to a Z 4 , new 350 MEDITATION S- J.b X . new and better Life : Then llia'i I in this Fleili of mine, fee the Majrfty of my triumphant Redeem" er, and be filled with the Joj of th yCcuntenance. O Aij rnofl: merdfil Saviour, and rny God, haften, jiaften, I bef:ech thee, that long-wiih'd for Day ; 2 Cor. 3: that wiat I vow hchoU with t.heeyesoff.iith, avd *^- asinapliCsoyily, I then may fee diftin.ily, and with open face : That w' at I now reach forward to by a difiant Hope, I then may be in adual and full polfeilionof^ tha- w'-at I now deiire ac- cording ^o my poor Capacity, I then may grafp and hold fail, be raviftud with in the Enjoyment of-, and be entirely fwallowed up in the Abyfs of thy rapturous Love : O mofl: merciful Saviour, O my mcft glorious G ^d •, fdin would I expatiate upon this delightful Theme, and even now antici- pate the Joys of thy glorious Prefence ^ but Words are too weak, and Thoughts too narrow, fur t e unequal Subjedt : And therefore let me rather ap- ply m felf to v/hat my prefent Condition is qua- lified f-r. Praife then the Lord, O my Soul, and magnify the Mercies of thy companionate Jefus. Tell it out among all the World, how exceeding gracious tie hatn been to thee, and give him the Honours due to that charming Name • for hii Name only is excellent, and his Praife above Hea^ ven and Earth. CHAP. XIX. A Prayer to the Holy Trinity. O How plentiful is thy Goodnefs, O how tran- fporting fweet thy Mercy, deareft Lord Jefus, to every Soul that feeks and thirfts after Thee ! Jefus, thou Releafer of them that are in Captivi ty,thou Reitorer of them that are loft,thou Hope of them that ^re in exile, thou Strength of them MEDITATIONS. 751 them that are weak, thou Refrefhment of them that langiiiili and faint, thou Enlargement of them that are ftraitned, thou Comfort of every forrow- fulSoul ^ jfefiis, thcu Support and fure Defence of then that fight manfully • J^/w-S thou bright Crr wa cf all that conquer in the fpiritual War- fare ', thou on";y Reward of the Faithful, thou Joy unfpeakable of all the Citizens of the heavenly Jenifalem • Jefiis^ thou inexhauftible Source of all Virtues and Graces^ y^/wi,thou glorious Offspring of the moft High God. O thy feif God moft high •, be thou ever praiied and adored by every Crea- ture in Heaven above, and in the Earth beneath ^ for Great art Thou, and canfl not worthily be praifed. O ever Blooming, ever refulgent Beauty of the Majefty above, thou brighteft Beam of everlafting Light, thou Life by whofe genial In- fluence every living Creature lives •, thou Light from whofe Reflexion every thing fhines, and by the Communicartion of whofe Rays it is, that thoufands of millions of thoufands of glorious Spi- rits, preferve the refplendent Brightnefs Ihed by thee upon them, and all the glittering Hofts of Eleaven ftand round about the Throne of thy Glory, ever lince Tim.e was. O eternal and ever- lafting, O pure and clear Stream, ifliiing from that Fountain^ which no humane Eyes can difcover ^ a Fountain without any firft rife, a Current without any bottom, whofe Waters no Banks circumfcribe, no Soil pollutes or troubles : The Mind of the moft High God produced thee out of the unfa- thomable Depth of his own infinite Capacity : Thus thou art Life of Life, Light of Light, very God of very God, an eternal and incomprehenfible Son of an eternal and incomprehenfible Father ^ of the fame Subftance and equal Perfedtions with him that begat thee • in whom all thefidnefs of the Godhead dwells, and cf whofe fulnefs we have all received, in fuch proportions of thy Spirit as our •¥- frail 352 MEDITATIONS. frail State admits, as our necelTities require, as thou in thy unerring Wifdom feeft moft expedient for us. And Thou, O plenteous Source of every good and every perfed Gift, fhed abroad the cheering Light of thy feven-fold Grace o'er my Heart. Yea, Spirit of Love and Goodnefs, I moft hum- bly im.plore thy feafonable aififtances.Thou know- eft my Faults, my Failings, and my Neceffities : The dimnefs of my Underftanding, the inordina- cy and vehemence of my AfFedions, and the per- v^rfenefs of my Will. When therefor^ thou ob- ferveft (as obferve conftantly thou doffc j that I, who am, alas ! exceeding frail, am not fufficient- ly inftruded in the knowledge of thy Will •, or if I know, but f through giddinefs or inadvertency, or drawn off by the byafs of Flefti i:nd Senfe) I negledl to pradife what I know ^ vifit me, I be- feech thee, with thy Grace. Enlighten my Mind, redify my Defires, corred my Wandrings, and pardon my Omiflions ^ that fo I, who invoke thee here as my Pilot, to condud me through this rough and hazardous Sea of Life, may, by thy guidance be preferved from making Shipwreck of Faith and a good Confcience, and at length be fafe landed at the Haven of eternal Reft. Laftly, To Thee I make my Prayer, moft merciful Father, that Thou, who gaveft me Being by thy creating Power, and fince didft give me a new and better Being, by the Sufferings of thy only begotten Son, and Regeneration through him, wouldft work in me both to will and to do of thy good Pleafure • and fix my Thoughts and Affections upon fuch Objeds only, as conduce to thy Honour, and my own Salvation. And, lince my Frailties are great, and 1 cannot do what I ought and would, pre- ferve in me a due care to make my Peace wjth thee daih'^, by Confellion of my paft Faults, by di- ligent Examinations of my Confcience, and Re- t folutians MEDITATIONS. ?S3 folutions of living better, and growing every Day more and more in Goodnefs, till at length I obtain the Benefits purchafed for me by my dear Re- deemer. And then, whatever good Work I fhall be enabled to do by thy Grace, grant that they may all turn entirely to thy Glory: Help me, I befeech thee, to gain fuch Conquefts over my Sins, and fortify me fo efFedlually againft Temp- tations, and grant me to advance fo profperoufly in the Ways of Holinefs, that all the time I fhall continue in this mortal Body, I may be perpe- tually Aomg thee acceptable Service in feme kind or'otirer/uch^as thyProvidence fhall call me to. And when this Life fhall end, Lord, of thy infinite Mercy grant me an entire remifTion of all my Sins, and reward my imperfect Obedience with eternal Life. All which I beg for his Merits and Mediation, who dyed to pur- chafe it for fincere Penitents and true Belie- vers, and who now liveth and reigneth with Thee, One God World without end. AiJten. De- 355 Devout Medhatiom of St. Ber- nard ; With regard to the State of Humane Nature. Other-' wife called^ His Book of the Soul. BOOK VIII. CHAP. L The Dignity of Man^ with regard to his Soul. Any are deeplylearnedinvariety of Arts and Sciences, and all the while con-** tinue as profoundly ignorant of them- felves : They are inquiiitive about the Af- fairs of other Men, and perfedlly void of thought or care for their own. Nay, even in their moil ufeful and necefTary Studies, where God is the Subjed of the Enquiry, they think to find him in the things without them, and overlook the evidences of him within their own Breafts : None of which, though within them, is yet fo intimate and clofe to them., as God. I defire then that I may proceed in a quite contrary Method, and from External., retire to htternal Evidences ^ fromi Objeds with}}!., rife up to thofe above me •, that by thefel may at laft under ftand,from whence I come, aind whither I am bound ^ what I am^ why I am, and 5 56 M E D I T A T I O N S. and from whom I am ^ that fo this knowledge of my felf may lead me up to the knowledge of God. For the more perfect iinderftanding I have of my own Condition, the nearer I fliall approach to, and advance proportionably towards the right un- derftanding of the Divine Nature and Perfefti- ons. Now when I turn my e^^-es inward, I difcover three diftinct faculties in my Soul, wherehy I am qualified to remember, and contemplate, and de« £re God. Thefe are the Memory, the Under- ftandiijg, and the Will. By the fir J} of which I recoiled, by the feco7id I difcern, and by the hji I love and embrace him. When I refled upon God, I find him in my Memory, and delight in him by thofe Remembrances, according to that meafure of fatisfadion, which he is pleafed to im- part to me. By my intelligent faculty, I fee what God is in himfelf, what in his Angels and Saints, what in Men, and the other Works of his Hands ^ each of which contribute to the manifeftation of his excellencies. In himfelf he is incomprehenfible, the Beginning and the End, the Beginning with- out Conclufion, the End without any more excel- lent End to which it is ultimately referred. The Confideration of my felf convinces me how far God mufL needs exceed all comprehenfion, be- caufe I find my felf unable perfedly to underftand my felf ', who yet am but one of his Creatures. Confider'd in the Angels, He appears lovely and defirable, becaufe their conftant Happinefs and Employment is to behold and look into him. In the Saints I find him full of delight, becaufe thofe blefTed Spirits rejoyce in him. In the Creatures he appears wonderful, becaufe creating all things by his Power, governing all things by his Wif^ dom, and difpoling all things by a good and kind Providence, In MEDITATIONS. 357 In Men he is the moft worthy Objedl of Love, becaufe he is their God, and they are his people. He dwells in them, as in his own houfe, and they •are his Temple in which his Divine Prefence re- fides. He does not difdain the whole Species, nor any individual Perfonof it. Who ever remembers, and underftands, and loves him^ the fame is with him. We ought to hvehhn, hecaiife he firji loved us. He i Joh.4.9: made ns after his own Im.age, in his own likenefs, which was a Privilege vouchfafed to no other Creature befides. Now, when we are faid to be made after God's Image, the myftical Meaning may be, that we are made to underftand and be ac- quainted with the Son, by whom we come to an underftanding of and acquaintance with thfe Fa- ther •, and gain accefs to Him. So near is- the ■ Relation between us and the Son of God, that the Son of God is himfelf the exprefs Image of the Father *, and we are made after that Image of him. And this nearnefs of Relation is farther iig- nifiedby faying that we are made after his likenefs, q^^^ j> and not only in his Image. For that which is made :j5- in the Image of another, muft agree with the Ori- ginal Model, and not only partake of an empty Nam.e, without any real Similitude to juftify it. Let us be careful then to exprefs thislikenefs,and make our refemblance to God appear in the defire of Peace, the contemplation of Truth, and the love of Charity. Let us keep God in our remem- brance, carry him in our Confciences, and be- have our felves with that Deference and Refpect, becoming men that believe him to be always prefent with them. For it is in this regard, that our mind is his Image, as it is capable of receiving and par- • taking of him. It is for that reafon his Image, be- caufe, like him, it remembers, underftands, and loves it felf 5 and more efpecially becaufe while it does fo, it is capable of riling higher, by remem- bring, confidering, and loving its Maker , in the do- :?58 MEDITATIONS. . doing whereof confifts its true improvement and Wifdom. For nothing comes fo near to that per- fedwifdom above^as the rational mind •, which by its three faculties, of Memory, Underftanding and Will, fubfifts in that inexplicable Trinity of the Divine Perfons, as an Image does in its Original. But in that Original it does not triily fubfift, except in conformity to it, it remember, and con- iider, and love it. Let it therefore be careful to remember that God, after whofe Image it was made, let it endeavour to underitand and love Him, by whom it is endued with a Capacity of being for ever happy, together with himfelf. For happy is that Soul, vvith whom God takes up his Refidence, makes it the place of his Reft. • Happy, which can fay. He that formed me^ hath lodged and dwelt hi my tabernacle -^ for to fuch a one, he cannot deny the reft of Heaven. When then do we go out of our felves, and feek God in external Objeds, who all the while is with and in us, if we do but make it our Bufinefs to be with and in Him ? For he is certainly with and in Us at pre- fent by a lively Faith, which is all the Union we can attain to, till he admit us to fee him Face to Ephef, 9. Face. Thus the Apoftle fays ^ we know that Chri^ ^7* dwelleth hi our hearts by Faith • for Chrift is in our Faith, Faith in our Soul, the Soul in our Heart, the Heart in our Breaft. By Faith tlien I refledt upon and remember God in the quality of my -Creator, I adore him as my Redeemer, I wait for him as my Saviour. I believe that J fee him in all his Creatures, that I have him in my felf, and ( which is unfpeakably more pleafant and happy than all the reft ) that I know him as he is. For John J 7. to know the Father, and Son, and Holy Ghoft, is ?• Life eternal'^ confummate Felicity, and the very Perfection of Tranfport and Delight. No M E D I f A r 1 O N S. j^g No mortal can conceive, how bright, how fweet, how ravifhing we fhall find that Vifion to be, when we (hall fee God Face to Face ^ that Light of them who fliine by his reflexion ^ that Repofe of them who have been exercifed by labours and fufterings •, that Country of them who are called home from exile • that Life of them that live- the Crown of them that overcome. In the mean while the Image of that blefTed glorious Trinity, ^hich I find in my own Soul, teaches me, that I ought to make the rem.embrance, and knowledge, and love of that Trinity which I refemble, the ihain defign of all my adions, and the chief end of living. For the Mind is the likenefs of God, and in it are three Powers, Memory, Underitanding, and "Will. "We attribute our advancement in know- ledge to Memory, though this be not ftridly the Faculty by which we think. "We attribute all our Knowledge to the Underftanding alfo, becaufe by thinking we find out the truth,which when found, we commit to the cuftody of our Memory. Me- mory is more particularly our refemblance to the Father, our Underftanding to the Son, and our "Will to the Holy Ghoft. No part ot us is fo like the Holy Spirit, as our "Will or Love : And kind AfFedion is nothing elfe than a modification and exaltation ot the Will, in that which is its proper excellence. Love is not only the Gift, but the i Job. 4* beft gift ol God : For that love which is of God, and w^ich God is, is properly ftiled the Holy Spi- rit by which the love of God is fhed abroad in our Hearts, and all the Trinity dwells in us A ^ C S A R 36o MEDITATIONS. -i^ CHAP. II. The Miftry of Man^mth refpeBtoMsT^ody. SUch are the priviledges of the Inward Man, tut the condition of my Outward is very different. For in this refpect, I owe my being to Parents, who propagated to me that contagion which even before I was born rendredme liable to damnation.. H ow could it be othcrwife, when Sinners begat 'a^'SmneFih their Sin, and nourifhed him of Sin > So that from them I derive nothing but mifery and fin, and that corruptible body which I carry a- bout with me. And after them I am going apace, who are removed out of this World by the death of the body before me. I look into the Graves of my Anceftors, and find nothing there, but dufi and worms, Itench and horrour. And yet what I now am, thefe verj^ lately were. And what they are now, I ihall as certainly be in a little time. For what alas ! is this body, but a little Matter curdled into flefh, and by degrees fafhioned till I came ta maturity for the birth > Thus was I born Man,and entring into the World with cries and tears, was turned loofe into it to fojourn for a while ^ and when this pilgrimage is at an end, I Ihall expire fall of guilt and corruption. For the time haftens- towards me, when I mufl: be brought before a fe- vere Judge, and called to render an account of all that ever was done by me, whilft upon Earth. But Ob 1 what confufion, what mifery fhall o-^ verwhelm me then, when that Day of Enquiry iliall con^e, and the Books of remembrance ihall be opened, in which not only my adlions, but the very thoughts of my heart are faithfully regiftredy and fliall ht every one recited before my Lord and Judge > Then Ihall this linful Creature hang down hk> MEDITATIONS. 361 his head, andJftand trembling and perplexed with the reproaches of a guilty Confcience, and the amazing recolleftions of former Offences. For thefe (hall rife up and refreih my Memory, when it Ihall be faid, Behold the Man and his Deeds, The Power and Providence of God fo ordering the matter, that by a miraculous Operadon, there fliall not any good or evil thing done through the whole courfe of my life be abfent, but all ap- pear in an inftant, and at once crowd in, and pre- Tent themfelves diftindly to my thoughts, to bear teftimony for or againft me. And thus fliall all manldnd together, and eachperfon fingly be judg- ed before the Tribunal of the Great and Juft God. It is to little purpofe,that we lay fo many contri- vances for Ihifts and fecrefy , and ftrive to hide out Ihame • for what we now bluih to own, fhall then be laid open to the whole World •, and what we labour to difguife, Ihall be expofed in its true colours •, and all our artifice and hypocrify like ftubble, periih in that fire, the tryal whereof no- thing but Sincerity and Innocence can abide. And the longer God forbears us in order to our amend- ment, the heavier will our account be for abufing his patience, and negieding the precious oppor- tunities afforded us for fecond and better thoughts. Why ihould we then be fo immoderately fond of a life, which cannot be prolonged but by a pro- portionable addition to the number of our crimes > For every Day inflames the Reckoning ♦, Our fins grow upon us', and ( too generally fpeaking J our vertues languifhanddecreafe.That Man 7iever co7i- tiniies in onejlay^ is as true with regard to his fpiri- tual,as hisnatural life. The profperous and adverfe Events make each of them fom.e change in his temper and condition •, and howfoon or how late death will put an end to thefe he cannot at all tel]» ^Fo£as a Star th^at^litters in the hea>:en^^^ courIeTwiftIy;andTuddenlyfal^^^ 362 MEDITATIONS. the life of Man3 fwiftinits pairage,fhort in its con- tinuance, ancl fudden in its concTufronjTfiow^Ffen do we fee Men intent tipofi nothing but diver flon, or laying defigns for many years to come, fnatcht away in a moment, and the Soul compelled to take a very abrupt leave of the body ? And thefe two then, God knows, cannot part without mighty confternation, and many acute Pains. For the Angels ftand ready ta conduct the Soul to judg- ment, and bring it to the dreadful bar of their juft God. And the refiedions on all the grievous Of- fences committed night and day rife up and terrify her *, make her wifli above all things that flie could efcape, nay, that {he could put off the trj^al ^ and obtain leave but for one poor hour to provide bet- ter for this important Day, and endeavour, if pof- iible, to make her peace with God. Then fhall the Man's Works challenge him •, and as it were all crying out with one voice, fay, ThoJi hajl done us, we are thine • we will not hefialcen cff^ hut Jlich clofe totbee^ and bear thee cojnpany tojudpnent. Then fhall every Sin ftart up, and load the Wretch with innumerable Aggravations. Nay, to the true fhall add falfe teftimonies, and invent unneceflary Ijes, unnecefTary to be fure, fince even the truth, For from this fiefli it is, that the fin never adually committed by thee is laid to thy charge • that the right ecufnefs of thy own doing is no better than filthy Rags, and that thou art reduced MEDITATIONS. 365 reduced folow, as to be efteemed little better than Vanity and Nothing. The fiefh, with which thou maintaineft fo ftrid a friendfhip, is in it felf no better than froth and bubble, cloathed with a gay, but frail and decayed beauty ^ and time will fhortly come, when all its boafted charms fhall link into a rotten Carcafs, and be only food for worms. For, after all thy care to drefs and fet it off, thou canlt not change its nature, nor make it ceafe to be Flefh. Confider a little thofe conflant evacuations, the difcharges of thy mouth, and nofe, and other paflages, without which the body cannot fubfift ^ and ask thy felf how much this differs from a Common-Shore. But there is a much more melancholly -conliderationyet behind, for, if thou wouldeft fit down and undertake to compute, how this flelh is loaded with guilt, and frailty, intangled with vicious habits, urged and inflamed with unlawful defires, overborn with un- ruly paiiions, deluded with temptations and de- ceits, prone to evil perpetually •, thus it will ap- pear full of all manner of mifchief and reproach. This is the thing that renders ever^j Man living al- Pfi^ni 3p. together vanity •, for here the fnares of Concupi- ^* fcence are laid, which captivate the mind, and draw it off to the love of Yanitj^, and the com- miffion of Iniquity. Think then, O Man, for it concerns thee high- ly : Think what thou wert before thy birth,what thou art from the time of thy coming • into this "World, to the time of thy going out of it, and what thou fhalt be after this Life is at an end. A time there hath been when thou wert not at all •, and when thou didfl begin to be, it was in fach a manner as modefty will not bear a particular de- fcription of. The ornaments and advantages with which thou appeareftin the World, make thee for- get the meannefs of thy Original, and not only ^hat thou once wert, but what thou art atprefent. A a ^ For ^.6G MEDITATIONS. For indeed this gaudy Creature is no better than a bundle of Corruption, and food for Infeds : Firft, Blood, then Man, afterwards Worms and no Man. What poor Pretence hath fuch a Creature as this, to pleafe or boa^^ himfelf : How abfurd is it for Duft and Afhes to be proud, which was conceived in Sin, born to Mifery, lives in Pain, and dyes with Agony and Terror-, nav, knows there is no Remedy, but dye he mufl : To what purpofe is it, that thou art at fo much Coil and Pains to feed and to adorn that, which in a few Diys hence will be a Nuifance to its beft Friends, and when dif- pofed of in the Grave, Ihall turn to putrefadtion, and be it felfa Feaft for Worms > How much more wifel3r were thy Hours and thy Purfe em- ployed in adorning thy Soul wiih good Works, and rendriiig this agreeable in the Sight of God, and his holy Angels, before whom it mult one Day be prefent. What a Folly, what an Indignity is it, to de- fpife thy Soul, as if it were nothing worth, and give thy Flefh the preference in thy Care aiid Lfteem ? To make the Miftrefs ferve,and put the Government into the Maid's hand is highly unjuft and abfurd. God, it is plain, took other meafures ^ He did not think fit to ^ay down his Life for all the things of this World, tho' he grudged it not for the Soul of Man. So that the Soul is mianifeftly of highiCr value than all this World, fince it could not be redeemed at a lower Price, than the Blood of Chrift himfelf ? What then wilt thou, vain Man, give in exchange for it, who art fo lavifh, fo inconfiderate, to fquander it away for no com- penfarion at all ? And yet u as it not this that the Son cf God, who lay in the bofome of the Father, came down from his throne in Heaven, to refcue, out cf the power and ufurpation of the Devil > Was it not this, that when he faw tiedajtd hoiindwith the chahis ofherfnsy^nd delivered up like a guiltyMal^- fact'or MEDITATIONS. :?67 fador irithe hands of tormentors, to xeceivefe7Jte7ice of eternal death,he tenderly wept over her and for her, when fo infenlible of her own Mifery, that Ihe fhed not one tear for herfeli > Kor did his marvellous compaiTion content it felf with tears on- ly, but he fhed his very Blood, and would not de- cline an ignominious and moft bitter death for her redemption. Confider this, Man, and be fenfible how noble a Soul thou haft, how mortal thofe "Wounds were, which nothing lefs could heal, than the Wounds of thy Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. For had not thofe SicknefTes been unto death, nay, unto death eternal, the Son of God had never dyed for thy Cure. Do not therefore think any fuifering of thy Soul a Matter unworthy thy moft ferious regard, when thou feeft fo m.uch tendernefs al- ready expreffed for it, by a Majefty fo glorious, fo infinitely above thee. Thy God ftied tears of Compailion for thee, do not think much to walh thy couch day and night with the tears of repen- , ance and holy contrition. He pour'd out his -" Blood on the Crofs for thy fake, do thou fpend thine, in daily crucifixion of thy own FleJ/j with its affeEtions and liifis. Thou may'ft not perhaps be called upon to facrifice thy Life at once for his fake ^ but this that I advife, is real Martyrdom ^ and what is wanting in the acutenefs and horror, may be made up by the length of its pains. Let thy bufinefs therefore be to fatisfy the ufes and ends of the Spirit^ and not to gratifie the covet* ings of the Fiefti. For this Spirit fliall be glorious at the return to God, provided due endeavours be applied for its removal out of the body, pure of -§in, and purged by repentance, from the polluti- ons, which it contraded by converfing inthemidft of a naughty and miferable World. If you reply, that it is a hard faying, you can- ' not defpife the W^orld, nor hate your own Flefti : Tell me, I befeech you, what is become of all thofe t ^^ Lovers 568 MEDITATIONS. Lovers of the World, who had fiich Plenty, and were fb fond of its enjoyments, but a few Years ago. What is there of them now remaining, but duft and worms,, and the remembrance of their folly ? Remember what they were, and think what they now are. They were Men, fuch as You. They eat and drank liberally, were profufe in Mirth, and Nights and Days were fpent in laughter and luxury •, at laft, when they thought of nothing lefs, in a moment they were gone and funk into Hell : Their flefli was made a prey to worms, their Souls new fewel to eternal flames •, And thus fhall each continue, till both are brought together again •, and, by a moft unhappy Union, partake for ever in the punilhment, as they before had been partners in the Crimes that deferved it. What fruit have thefe Men now of their vain-glo- ries, their traniitory joy s,their worldly power and grandeur,their fenfualpleafures,their miftaken and deceitful riches,their great families,and all the lin- ful liberties they fo obftinately indulged ?Where, Wretches, where are now your jefts and jollities, your haughty contempt of Sobriety and Religion, and every thing that is ferious, your gayety, and arrogance, and pride ? How great is the difpro- portion between fo fhort a mirth, and fo durable a for row, between fo imperfecland unfincere a plea- fure, and fo exquifitcmifery and pain ? How dif- mal the fall, from that which you vainly thought your happinefs, into torments infupportable, and mine irreparable ? I befeech thee,now and then,my Reader, whoever thou art, reprefent to thy felf, the horrors of this miferable change, which hath already been the fate of ro many ^ and reflect withal, that nothing hath happened to any one of thefe, which may not happen equally to thee. Thou too art Man like them : Thy behaviour in- deed may, but thy nature can make no difference. For thou art made of the fame Earth, liveft upon MEDITATIONS. ^69 the fame produdls of it, and fiiall return to the fame duftof it with them •, nay, thou muft return thi^ ther when that day overtakes thee,which fuddenly will, and may perhaps be this very day. For, that thou {halt die, is certain beyond all difpute, but where, and how, and when, the moft uncertain thing that can be. Since therefore Death awaits thee every where, it will be Wifdom in thee to be conftantly upon thy guard, and to exped: it every where too. If thou follow the fleih, thou flialt be puniflied in the flefh. If the delights of the Body be thy aim, the torments of the Body Ihall be the end of them. If thou afFed fine cloaths, and coft- ly furniture, the moth Ihall be thy foot-cloath,and worms thy covering. For the Juftice of God, as it cannot but judge every Man according to his defcrts,fo it will fuit Alens punilhments to the inordinacy of their defires. And he that loves the world better than God, bufinefs and pleafare more than Religion, high feeding more than modera- tion and abfl:inence,lafcivioufnefs and luxury more than chaftity and purity ^ this Man follows the Devil, and muft look to eat the bitter fruit of his own choice, by being fentenced to keep him com- pany in everlafting punifhment* But Oh the heart-breaking, the grief and a^ mazement, the bowlings and doleful lamentati- ons of that difmal day, when the wicked fliall be fevered from the converfation of the Saints, and for ever banifhed the iight and prefence of God ^ when they fliall be abandoned to the fury of De- vils, and fruitlefs tears and groans, and caft into the lake that flows in flrreams of fire for ever and ever ! Such is the defperate condition of the damned, fhut out irrevocably from the regions of blifs, to be tormented without mercy in hell ^ doomed never to fee the light, never to gain one minutes eafeor refpite, but to endure thouiandsof thoufands of ages 3 at the hands of tormentors who fhall 370 MEDITATIONS. Ihall never be weary, and in a State where th^ tormented fhall never expire with their Pains. Foi" the Fire fo burns, as never entirely to confume s and theTor tares are fo inflidted as to be ever new, ever increafed. Nor will thefe be dealt promifcu- oufly to all, but the Quality of the Panifhment (wt have Re^fon to think ) will be determined by the Nature of each Perfon\s Crimes •, and they whofe Vices are of a fort, will find the fame Agreement in their Sufferings. Weeping and Wailing, Howlings and Groans, Lamentations and Gnafhings,are the only Sounds heard in thofe dif- mal Prifons : Worms, and Ghofts, deformed and monftrous Spe6lacles are all the Objeds prefented to their Eyes : Their Bodies fhall burn in the Fire, their Souls be gnawed with the never-dying Worm of an upbraiding Confcience. Their Pains intolerable, their Fears unconceivably amazing, the Stench fuftocating beyond comparifon, their Soul and body ever dying, without the leaft Glimpfe of Hope, or PolTibility of Pardon and Mercy. Thus muft the Soul be dealt with in the other World,capable of no middle State, but either tormented everlaftingly inHell forSin unremitted, or inexpreffibly happy in Heaven for good Works gracioufly accepted. And need we then to be per- fuaded which of thefe two we ought to choofe, whether to be continually tormented with Devils, or to be as continually in felicity with the Saints >^ Good and Evil, Life and Death are fet before iis^ and Eccks^j'y.jphetherwe had rather, that fi all be given us. The Punifhment indeed fhall infinitely exceed all the Defcriptions, that have been here, or can be gi- ven of them : yet thefe Defcriptions fure are full of Terrour enough, to fright us into better Man- ners. But if thefe Terrours of the Lord fail to perfuade, let us try if the Mercies and Rewards will invite us to Amendment. CHAP. MEDITATIONS, gyi CHAR IV. The Rewards of goo J Men in the next Life. T may fuffice to fay upon this cccafion,that good Men fhall be recumpenced for their Labours by feeing God, by living with God, by living of God, being in Him, who fhall be all in all, and pofTeiTing Him who is the fupream Good. For where the fupream Good is, there of neceffity muft be the moft perfe6l Happinefs,the mojFt exqui- site joy, true liberty, unbounded charity, and eter- nal fecurity, fulnefs of knowledge, perfection of beauty,and all manner of Blefiednefs. There fhall be Peace and Piety, Joy andSweetnefs, Lifeever- lailing. Glory and Praife, Reft and Concord. So bleffed fhall every Man be with God, who leaves thisWorld with a quiet and clear Confcience,and to whom the Lord will 7iot ijnpite Jin. He fhall fee God Pfal 32. to the fatisfying his Delire,he fhall enjoy him to 2- the confummating of his Pleafure : He fhall fhine in Truth, rejoyce in Goodnefs,flourifh in a never- decaying Eternity. Nor fhall his Duration be more enlarged, than his Capacity of Knowledge and Felicity. He fhall be free of that City above of which the Angels are Denizens, the Father the Temple, the Son the Light, the Holy Spirit the Cement of inviolable Love. O happy Manfion ! O fruitful peaceful Country ,whofe Territories are large enough for all thy Inhabitants ! whofe people dwell fecurely,without Strife or Want ! How ^Zon-Pfal.87, 3 ovs things arefpoken ofthce^ thon city of God ! In thee is nothing heard but the voice of praife and thankC- giving, the fhouts and exultations of them that re- joyce in God, whofe fight is charming, whofe words are fweet beyond exprefTion. Thy Pre- fcnce, OLord is delightful ^ the poffelUon of Thee is 972 M E D I T A T I O N S» is entire fatisfaction. Thou, Thou alone, art pleafant, thou art more than a fufficient Reward 5 thehigheft merit, the fharpeftfufFerings, are over- paid in thee. Beyond thee there remains no new object for our wilhes ^ for all that we can polTibly propofe to our felves, is found in thee alone. The delires of beholding and poiTeiTrng thee will be ever frefh and growing, and the delights of thefe ever new and entertaining. In thee our under- ftandings will be enlightened, in thee our aftedti* ons ever purified, foas to know and love the truth continually more and more. And this is the ut- moft perfection mankind are capable of, to know, and entirely to love their Creator. What ftrange perverfenefs ! What madnefs and dotage then is this we labour under, to thirft after the gall and wormwood of fin, to court the Storms and Shipwreck of worldly Cares, to be content with the difafters of a perifhing life, to fubmit tamely to the tyranny of an Enemy that ufurps a Dominion over us ♦, and not rather to aim at the blifs of Saints, the fociety of Angels, the magnificent joys above, and the pleafures of a de- vout and contemplative life, that fo we may enter into the joy of our Lord, and be made partakers of the riches of his exceeding goodnefs ? There we {hall tafte how gracious the Lord is, fee the beauties of his holinefs, the luftre of his Saints,and the glories of his Palace and Throne : There we fhall know the power of the Father, the wifdom of the Son, the moft extenfive love of the Holy Ghoft ^ and get acquainted with that ever blefled and mioft myfterious Trinity. Now we fee bodies with the eyes ofour body •, we form Ideas of bodies by the powers of the Soul ^ but then we fhall fee God himfelf with a clear intuitive Knowledge. O the blefTednefs perpetually flowing fiom that Vifion, vv^hich fees God in himfelf, lees Him in t^s, and Us in him ^ which furnilhes us with the utmoft MEDITATIONS. 573 utmoft we can wilh, and leaves no new Objed:sfor our defires -^ which ftiews us all we can fee, and inflames us with the love of all we fee, and renders us perfectly happy in that love. So (hall we be blefled in the pleafures of Love, bleffed in the de- lights of Contemplation. Thisfhallbe thefummof our Contemplation, That the fumm of our Hap- pinefs. For the Divine Nature fhall then be un-^ derftoodby us in its abftraded Effence and bright- eft Perfe(9:ions *, The fecrets and myfteries ofthe Trinity, and the harmony of Providence, and the juftice of hisjudgments,andall the wondrous works of God, fhall lye fair and open to our view. The delights refulting from them, fhall fill andfatisfy ourlargeft thirft after knowledge, and fo confum- mate the happinefs of the rational Soul. And as Truth Ihall Ihine, fo Charitjr fhall burn bright 5 one Voice, one Will, one Concert of Praife : The whole AlTembly of Saints united to each other 5 Body and Soul fhall no more war and hold perpe- tual Conflicts •, nor then, ashere^obflrud, but pro- mote each other's Happinefs, and maintain good correfpondence, and the human Nature fhall ftiine in glory, as the Sun in its ftrength. The joy, the difcourfe, the entertainment of Angels and Men fhall then be the fame. Their love fhall riever grow cold, their hopes and expedations fhall never Ian- gaifh by delays ♦, for in God all good fhall be pre- sent with them, and they fhall all partake in com- mon of the fame wifdom, and power, and righte- oufnefs, and peace. No difference of language fhall there be heard, but all things uniform, and hearts unanimous •, The fame difpofitions and the fame aifedlions : In the overflowing River of this Pleafure, there will be gratification to the full, the perfection of blifs, and glory, and gladnefs. But who is fufficient, who fhall be meet to par- take of thefe things > Even every true penitent, €Yen every faithful friend, even every obedient i fer- 974 MEDITATIONS. fervant. The true Penitent grieves and mourns for his paft Mifcarriages, and gives ^11 Diligence to avoid the like for the time to come. For this is Repentance indeed, to be continually under con- cern for the fins we have committed heretofore, and fo to bewail what hath been done, as never more to do what we bewail. And Reafon tells us. That he who perfifts in Pra6tices, which he profef- fes to be forry for having ever been engaged in, does not repent, but mock God, and delude his own Soul. If then thou wouldfi: approve thy fince- rity in this Matter, leave ofr thy lins • for vain is that Repentance which fubfequent Crimes of the fame Nature ftain. Every obedient Servant re- ligns his own Inclinations and Averfions to his Matter's Plefure, Co as to be able to profefs with the Pfalmift, My heart is ready, God, my heart is 7'eadyjam content atid delight to do thy w'lll^O my God •, yea, thy law is within ?ny heart. I delight to dedicate my time to thee,to converfe with thee in my pray- er, to do good to my Neighbours, and perform all Offices of Charii 37- for thy fake •, to keep a ftridt guard over my felf, and to feek Reft for my Soul in the contemplation of heavenly things. A faith- ful friend is ferviceable and obliging to all, and troublefome to none. He is ferviceable to all. be- caufe devout towards God, kind to his Brethren, refer ved and moderate in his Enjoyments ^ a Ser- vant to his Lord, a Companion to his Equal, a Mafler of the World. The things above him mi- nifter to his Delight •, thofe upon the level with him, to his Comfort and Afliftance •, thofe below him to his Ufe and Service. He is troublefome to no body,becaufe ufingand efteeming all things ac- cording to their proper Spheres and Capacities ^ purfuing and reaching to thofe thai are more excel- lent,and retaining an abfolute Maftcryover thofe that are beneath him. To the iormer he gives up himfelf in pofleilion, but keeps undifturbed pof- feiiion MEDITATIONS. ^^^ feilion of the latter •, and thus employs himfelf in thofe two moft important, moft necefTary Affairs, the Contemplation of God, and the Prefervation of his own Soul. Let this then be thy firft Care, ftridtly to watch and guard thy felf from Sin and Temptation -but know withal, that thy own Strength is not fuffici- ent for this great Work \ and therefore do not forget moft humbly and earneftly to implore the divine Mercy and Protection : Let thy Saviour Jefus Chrift be ever in thy Thoughts and Affedi- ons, and wear Him as a Signet upon thy Heart. For when the Door is fealed and kept hj Him, all thy Faculties will be under his Governance • no Thought can go in or out, or lodge there, but by his Permiihon : The Family of Heaven and Earth will bear thee company ^ thoufands of An- gels Vvall pitch their Tents about thee, and guard the Paffes of thy outward Senfes, that no unclean thing enter there. And the great Adverfary of Souls, how mighty and formidable foever in him- felf, will not be able to break thro' thefe bright Armies, nor dare to miake his Attacks which he forefees will prove unfuccefsful. So great an awe will the Dread of this Divine Keeper, and the bright Hoft of Angels that attend him, ftrike ^ fo fure a Defence will thefe heavenly Succours be, againft that otherv/ife undaunted, that otherwife invincible Enemy. C H A P. V. Of the Duty of Self-Examhation. Sound thy Heart to the bottom, and try it nice- ly, to be throughly fatisfied of thy Sincerity. Let no Day pafs without an Account taken of thy ■ '^ B b life, 376 MEDITATIONS. life^and be fure to obferve very diligently, what Ground you get or lofe • what alteration appears in your Temper, Behaviour, Affedtions, Deiires ^ what reft^mhlance or degeneracy from God -, hov/ near approaches you make, or to what diilance you are cafi: ♦, a diftance and approach to be mea- fured not by extenlion and fpace, but by alliens and difpofitions. Above all other Subjeds, ftudy your own felf ^ for he who is throi'ghly acquaint- ed with himfelf, hath attained to a more valuable fort of Learning, laid out his Pains and Time to mxUch better purpofe, than if the courfe and pofi- tion of the Stars, the virtues of Plants, the diffe- rent complexions of Men, the nature of all forts of Animals-, inlhort, than if the comprehenfion of eeleftial and terreftial bodies, and their qualities, had imployed his Thoughts. For no Knowledge which terminates in curiofity and fpeculation, is comparable to that which is of ufe ♦, and of all ufeful Knowledge, that is moft fo, which confifts in the due care and juft notions of ourfelves. This Study is a Debt which every one owes himfelf. Let us not then be fo lavilh, fo unjuft, as not to pay this Debt, by fpending fome part at leaft, if we cannot all, or moft, of our Time and Care, upon that which hath the firft and moft indefeafi- ble Claim to it. Govern your Paffions, manage your Actions with Prudence, and where falfe Steps have been m^ade, correal them for the future. Let nothing be allow'd to grow head-ftrong and difor- derly, but bring all under Difcipline. Set all your Faults before your ov/n Eyes, and pafs Sentence upon your felf with the fame Severity that you would do upon any other, for whom no partiality hath byafTed your judgment. When this is done, ierioufly lament 3^our Tranfgreffions ^ open your guilt and grief before God ^ fhew him the troubles of a wounded Confcience, and the m.alice of them ^hat lye in vrait for your Soul. And when you mortify M E D I T A r 1 O N S. :^77 mortify your felf and melt away in tears of con- trition before him • extend your Charity to your fellow-Chriftians, and let Me in return for this good Advice, be particularly remembred in your Prayers. CHAP. YU Of the Attention reqiiijite in publickDevotmt. WHen thou entreft the Church to joyn iil the publick Worlhip, be fure to leave all the hurry of wandring and tumultuous Thoughts behind thee, abandon bufinefs and care of all forts, that thou may 'ft be diftradtedby no intruding ob- jed:, but fix thy Mind entirely upon God. For how is it poffiblethat a Man ftiould converfe with his Maker, who is all iho, while fecretly entertain- ing himfelf with the World ? Let then thy Medi^ tations be confined to Him, whofe obferving Eye is placed conftantly upon Thee ^ and liften attentively when he fpealcs to Thee, that his ears may likewife be open when thou addrefleft to Him, In this cafe you will find the feveralParts of divine Worfhip mutually contributing to the improve- ment of each other. For the Man that bears his part in the praifes and prayers,with all that thank- fulnefs and humility, that reverence and earneft Zeal which become fuch holy exercifes, will find himfelf much better difpofed to receive and profit by thofe Inftru£tions,Which the Portions of Scrip-* tiire then read are defigned to furnifh him with 5 And every Word that proceeds out of the Mouth of God, will then have its due Weight and Effica- cy upon the Hearer. Perhaps yoii may objedt, that this is a pitch of Devotion, which I my felf^ who enjoyu it, have not yet arrived to : but I beg ' ~ B b ^ " roy 573 MEDITATIONS. my Reader to confider, that m}'- Practice neither is, nor ought to be efteemed the Rule of His. I either do it ^ or if I do it not, I am fenfible, I fliould, I heartily wifh I could do it, and am forry and afhamed when I feel my felf defedive. But let not this hinder thee, or any other Perfon who is indued with more liberal Meafures of Grace, from' inclining the merciful Ears of God, by the' moft fervent Devotion that Man is capable of. Pour out thy Prayers, and to thofe Prayers add Sighs, and Tears, and inward Groanings i, all are little enough for thofe Tranfgreilions, which thoU proftrateft thy felf before the Throne of Grace to implore the Pardon of. And when Praife is thy Theme, raife up thy Soul, and endeavour to mag- nif}^ God in all his Works, by Pfalms and Hymns, and fpiritual Songs : O then exert the utmofb of thy Strength, for thou canft never exalt his Goodnefs as it deferves. No Sight is more agreeable to the Citizens of the heavenly y^r«yitZ^wz,noTribute more acceptable to the great King that reigns there, than fuch a pious Zeal. So his own Mouth Pfal 5:0. pronounced long ago by his Prophet, Whofo offer eth 25^ 7?ie tha7iha}jd praife^ he honoureth me. O how happy wouldft thou moft juftly think thy felf, could'ft thou but fee with the Eyes of thy Mind thofe fo- lemn Rejoycings above, wherein themyftical and moft magnificent Senfe of the Pfalmift's Defcripti- Pfai. 68, on, theFr'inces go before^ the hijlnnnents follow after ^ ^^' hi the nudji are the da7Jifthplayhig with their thnhf'els^ Then wouldft thou plainly difcover, and be abun- dantly convinced, though now there is little ap- pearance of thy believing it, that there are Num- bers of thofe bright Spirits, which do with won^ drous Watchfulnefs and Satisfadion, rejoice with the Congregations of good Chriftians in their iPraifes •. and obferve their Behaviour and their Prayers t, and are prefent with their pious Medita- tions ^ and keep guard about them in their Sleep >. ' _ mi M E D 1 T A T I ON S. 379 ^ and Solitude • and diredl and preferve the Gover- nours of our Church, in the Exercife of their fpiri- tual Authority and Fundion. For this is fure, that the heavenly Powers have a very tender Re- gard for the Fellow-Citizens upon Earth, and be- ing all mhnping Spirits feitt out to viivijler for them hj^. j^ ,^ who f Jail be heirs of fdvation •, we have no Caufe to doubt, that they are very follicitoufly concerned for the Good of their Charge •, that they conceive a fenfible Joy at it •, that they ftrengdien^inftrud, protect, and take all the care they can of them, in order to obtaining it. In doing fo indeed, they ftudy to promote not our Happinefs only, but their own : For they long earneftly for our fafe arrival in thofe blifsful Regions, as hoping to fee the Breaches made upon their glorious Society re- paired, and the Numbers of their fallen Brethren recruited, by the SucceiTion of redeemed Souls into their Place. They make diligent enquiry, and delight to hear of good Men ^ They fly uponDif- patches between God and Us •, and are the Mef- fengers and Inftruments, by which our Requefts and holy Sighs are carried up to God, and the Graces-and Bleiilngs he gives in return to thofe Prayers and Complaints, are conveyed down to Us. And They, who now are appointed our Minifters and MefTengers, and do with fo much Diligence and Alacrity, difcharge that Office,will not dirdain,in our exalted State,tobeour Brethren and Companions. We poured in an Addition to their joy, when we repented of our Sins •, and therefore we Ihould think ourfelves concern-ed to increafe yet more, and to compleat that Joy, which they entertained at our Converfion • by fo proceeding in Yertue,as finally to attain everlaft- ing Salvation. This is our Duty and our Intereft. But miferable doft thou make thy felf, whoever thou art, wicked ^ ^^^- ^t Creature, that retiirnefi with the Dog to thy Vomit ^" B b 3 a^ -^ ?8o MEDITATIONS- gain, and with the Sow that was waJJjed to her wallow- ing in the Mire, What favour canft thou exped in the Day of Judgment, who haft thus difappointed all Heaven of a Joy fo greatly defired, and which thou once hadft given fo promifing hopes of? The Angels triumphed in our ferious Application to Goodnefs and religious Duties, as over Men whom they fawpluck'd back from the very brink of Hell : But how different Refentments ftiall we provoke in them, by relapfing into our once ab- liorr'd and forfaken abominations, which is in ef- fect to fall back from the very Gate of Paradice, and to link into Hell, after having, as it were, al- ready one foot in Heaven ? For this is the condi- tion of them, whofe Hearts and Affedions are placed above, tho' their Bodies are ftill detained below. Let us run therefore the Race that is fet before us, by prefling forward to the Mark conti- nually, not with our Bodies, but our Inclinations and Delires. And let this Confideration prevail with us to quicken our Face, and hold out to the laft, that not only the Angels, but the common Maker and Father of Angels and Men, expeds and longs to fee us at the Goal. God the Father longs for us as his Children and Heirs^that he may crown, and make us Rulers over all that he hath, God the Son experts us as Brethren and Joynt- Heirs with himfelf, that he may prefent to God the Father,the Fruits of his marvellous condefcen- iion, in taking our Flefh upon him ^ and fecure the Purchafe, for which he paid down his own Blood. God the Holy Ghoft waits for us ^ for he is the very EfTence of Kindnefs and Love, by which good Men are predeftinated from all eter- nity, and He cannot doubtlefs but be well pleafed, to fee that gracious Decree accompliihed in fnch Men's Happinefs. Since therefore the whole Court of Heaven fo folicitoufly exped, fo eagerly defire our BleiTednefs, let it liot be our Reproach, that ws fl»'^v«n«i*a* MEDITATIONS. 581 we are carelefs and indifferent in fo weighty a Point, but let us at leaft defire and endeavour our ownhappinefs with all the zeal and earneftnefs we are capable of. I fay, let it not be our reproach to do otherwife •, for fhould we be admitted thither, it could not but confound us to refled, that we were cold in the purfuit of that ineftimable Blifs, and how far Ihort of what they ought to have been our Deiires after it were. But he that makes this the conftant Subjed of his Meditations, that prays without ceafmg, and ftrives without lazinefs or intermiilion, will go fecurelj out of this World, and be received in the next with Joy and Satisfadlion unfpealcable. Therefore wherever thou art,pray at leaft fecretly, and with- in thy felf. If thou halt not the convenience of religious Affemblies, and the Houfe of God, be not concerned for want of a proper Place, for every good Man's Heart is the Temple of God, and his Houfe of Prayer. Be thou in bed, abroad in thy fields,at home in thy clofet,the place makes no dif- ference •, thy Prayers will confecrate and make it an habitation of God's fpirit and gracious prefence. We have great need of frequent Prayer, and Ihall do well to perform it in the moft decent manner. For the more lowly pofture our bodies are bowed down in, the higher and more reverend will our thoughts be. And fure as there is not any moment in our lives, which hath not been diftinguifhed by fome freih inftance of mercy and goodnefs, fo it is not fit there fhould be any neither, in which we lliould not have God in remembrance. But you v/ill fay. Perhaps I fay my Prayers every Day, and yet I fee nothing come of it ^ but I return from my Clofet, or from Church, jufi: the fame i v/ent in : None anfwers to my Call ^ none fpeaks Comfort to me ^ my Requcfts are not granted, but I feem to have taken all this Pains tg jio manner of purpofe. This is a common, but "'\ ' Bb4 With« ?82 MEDITATIONS- withal a very foolifh Objection ^ and proceeds from the Ignorance or the Impatience of thofe that alledge it. Thefe People do not duly obferve the Import of that Promife which Truth it felf hath Mark ii. left US, Verily T fay unto you, what thhigs foever ye 24. ask when ye pray ^ believe that ye receive them^ and ye JImll have them. Do not therefore defpife Prayer, as if it were a Thing of no Benefit and Confe- quence ♦, for He to whom thou pra3^eft,makes great account of it •, and there Is not a word thou fpeakeft but even before it is well out o[ thy mouth, he or- ders it to be written in his Book. One of thefe two things we ought to depend upon, and fhould be poiTeiTed with the moft afTured Perfuafion of, that God will always give us either the very thing w^e ask, or in its ftead fomewhat elfe, which his Wif- dom knows better for us. Let therefore thy Tiioughts of God be the nobleft and moft honour- able, but thofe of thy felf the meaneft and moft humble, that j)oiribl7 they can. Thou canft not err in either of thefe Extremities. Thou oughtefl: to believe much more greatly of God, than it is in the Power of any finite Mind to conceive : And all thofe Intervals of Time which the Thoughts of Him do not employ, fhould be looked upon as fo many empty and inilgnificant fpaces of thy Life •, a Blank,which adds nothing to the main Account. And hence it is that we are fo particularly concer- ned to make good ufe of Time, becaufe all other Things are remote from us, and not in our Pow- er. They are Talents fometimes lent, and fome- times called in again by our Mailer and Creditor -, butTimeis always with us, and at our own difpo- fal. Therefore be fare to preferve this to yourfelf, and where-ever you are, let not any Bufinefs or Diverfion deprive you of Leifure to ferve God and your own Soul. Some part indeed of your Time, the Affairs of this Life, and neceffary Recreations will of neceffity devour -, but be not too profufe upon MEDITATIONS. ^8j upontheie : Remember that there ought to be a DifFerence between lending your felf to them for a little while, and wholly laying your felf out up- on them. Nor even are thefe necefTary Avoca- tions fo importunate, but with good Management the Matter may be fo ordered, as to leave room for pious Thoughts to come in betwixt, and for keeping fuch Refledions as tend to the everlaft- ing Good of the Soul, always uppermoft there. No Place, No Time, no Buiinefs can make thefe unfeafonable. Arid therefore be fure to preferve fuch a Maftery over yourfelf, that you may retire into your own Breaftat any time, and find great Satisfaction in doing fo. Your Heart is wide, and will afford you much Variety: And pleafure you cannot want, if Chrift your Spoufe hath taken up his lodging in it. And thus as it is with every vv^ife and good Man, fo it fhould be with every Man : For ought we not always to fet Him before oir eyes, by "Whom it is that we are, and live, and think at all? "VVe could not have had anvExiftence, had we not derived it from Him the Author and firft Caufe of it. We could not think to any pur- pofe, were not he our Iiiftructor and Diredtor. We could not be happy in any Degree, were not the Bleffing imparted to us by the Giver of every good and per fed Gift. And in thefe rcfpeds it is that we come to be fenfible of our refemblance to the glorious and ever-blelTed Trinity. For as God Three in One exifts, and is Wifdom and" Good- nefs in the Abftracland Perfedion -^fo we like Wife exift and know we do -fo, and love that Exiftence and that Knowledge in our felves, according to Qur Proportion and Capacity. Let then that Image of God which is in thee, awaken and preferve fuch Refped for thy Perfon as is due to a Temple of his. Now the greateft Honour we are in a condition of paying God, is \)j pur Worlliip and our Imitation. Every pious 584 MEDITATIONS. heavenly-minded Man is an Imitator of God. For a devout Mind is a Houfe confecrated to his Ser- vice, and a pure Heart is the Altar, that fandifies every Gift. Thou payeft him worfhip and reve- rence, if thou art merciful, as th}^ Father which is in Heaven is merciful : For the Apoftle hath Heb. 13. declared, that dijlnhutivg and dohig good, for God's fake, zrefacrijices with which he is particularly well- pleafed. In ail things demean thy felf as a Child pfGod, that thou may'ffcnotbe a Reproach to that Sonfhip, which he in wonderful Mercy hath a- dopted thee to. And in all thou doft, be fure to coniider, and a6:, as becomes a Man fenlible that God is always by thee, and with thee. Take good heed then, not only to thy outward Senfes, but even to thy mojR: fecret Imaginations •, for he fees and obferves the one no lefs than the other ; that neither of them engage thee in any unlawful or impure Pleafure. And how ftrong foever thy Inclination may be, yet fufter not th}^ Tongue to fpeak^ or thy Hands to a£l any evil Thing ^ but guard thy felf from giving any offence to God, and driving him awa}'' from thee. Great Caution is needful in this Cafe • for who can be too circum- fped, that lives and acls under the watchful eyes of an all- feeing Judge ? But though this Refledlion maybe a Terror to the Wicked, yet it is the Com- fort and Security of every good Chriftian, who fo purifies his Heart, and difpofes his Behaviour, as to render his Breafl: a delightful Dwelling to the moft High. With every one of us, in fome Senfe, God cannot but be. The prefence of Juftice fuc- ceeds into the place of the prefence of his Grace, when he forfakes the loathfom Dwelling of a pol- luted Heart. But Woe to them, who feel the pre- fence of his Juftice • and yet we may denounce a Woe too to them who fometimes feel it not : For then God is angry indeed, when he fuflPers us to lin without making us to fmart for it, Wickednefs n^vei; MEDITATIONS. ^8$ never goes unpuniihed, and they whom his Rod does not corred: in this World, are referved to his Vengeance and Hell-Fire in the next. M CHAP. VII. OST certain it is, that Death threatens thee every where, and the Devil is perpetually laying fnares to devour thy Soul ♦, but then efpeci- ally will he lye in wait for thisPrey,when it takes its flight out of the Body. But be not thou afraid for ten thoufands cf thy Enemies, that fet them- felves againfl: thee round about •, for God, who dwelleth in thee, ( if he do indeed dwell in thee hy the Spirit of his Grace ) will not fail to deliver thee both from Death and the Devil. He is a fure Friend, and never f orfakes them that truft in Him, except he be firfi: forfaken by them. And forfaken he is, when the Heart wanders about and lofes it felf in idle, and vicious, andfruitlefs Ima- ginations. Therefore above all Keepings, keep thy Soul, that God may fet up his Reft therewith Pleafure. For among all the Creatures, the moft exalted and nobleft, and moft God-like of any, that are expofed to the Vanities of this fublunary World, is the Heart of Man. Hence it is that God requires nothing of thee but thy Heart. Purge it therefore from Uncleannefs by godly Sorrow,and frequent Prayer ^ that thou, by thus continually keeping God'in view, may'ftbe qualified for that Blejfing of feeing Him, which belongs only to the pure 171 Heart. Let thyThoughts be conftantly fix- Wact. 5. ed upon Him, and all thy Behaviour fo regular and compofed, as to fpeak a profound Deference for, and Subjedion to Him. Preferve thy Temper from being ruffled by Paflions of any fort ^ love all Men, a^d deferve that all may love thee, by + cour^ g86 MEDITATION S. courteous and obliging Behaviour, by being a Wac.'j 9. reace'??iaker in this refpect more peculiarly a Child of God. So fhalt thou be a good Chriftian, holy, humble, upright ^ this will make thee one of thofe whofe prayers are acceptable with God, and when thine are fo, let me the meanell of thy Bre- thren, be recommended in them. Alas ! I give advice to others, which I do not follow my felf, or not fo ftridly, or not fo con- ftantly as I ought. Thefe good Inftruclions are in my head and pen •, but not in my heart and life. O that my A&ions and my Manners, and not my Words only, contained and publifhed them ! How abfuid a thing is it for me to have the law of God all Day long in my Thoughts and in ivj Mouth, and 3^et be doing things which are contrary to the law > I read much there of the Advantages of Devotion and Retirement-, and I am much fonder of reading than I 'am of praying. And yet the Sub fiance of the holy Scripture is reduced at laft to this fhort LefTon, of delighting in God, loving and doing good to my Brethren, and preferving Unity. But inftead of drawing thefe Rules into pradice, I am ftill for poring upon them, and prefer an Hour in my Study, before one at Church. Some Friend or Neighbour would gladly open his cafe to me, and defire my aififtance-, he waits my coming with impatience •, and I, inilead of anfwer- ing his Expedation, take up a Book, and entertain my felf wich that. But all the Knowledge thus acquired makes a very poor amends for the lofs of thatadvantage which my doing an Office of Cha- rity would have enfared me. Thus by turning Religion into empty Speculation, I feel none of thofe tender and warm Refreihments of Mind, thofe Bowels of Pit}^, that largenefs of Heart, thofe inward Compundlior.s of Sin, and the fenfible, the tranfporting pleafures of prayer and heavenly Contemplations. And yet, how little foever the mifta- MEDITATIONS. 387 miftaken and vitiated Palates of the World may relifh thofe things, there is not in this life any Delight fo fweet, any which the Mind more gree- dily catches at, any that fo eifedually exalts us above the Drofs of and Dotage for this World and its Vanities ♦, any fo ftrong a Defence againft Temptations, any fo powerful promoter of all manner of Yertue and Goodnefs, nor fo indefa- tigable fuftainer of Labour and Difficulty, as the Grace of fervent Prayer, and devout Con- templation. CHAP. VIII. Of wajidrmg Thoughts in Prayer. ITAve mercy upon me, O God, and aflift me jL againft my felf^ for fuch is my infirmity, that there efpecially do I fall into fin, where my obligations and endeavours are moft indifpenfable to avoid and reform it. I am afhamed to think how often I pray, and all the while regard not what I fpeak. Thus do I pray with the Mouth, but not with the Spirit ^ for while my Mind is ram- bling, my Tongue runs over empty Forms. My Body indeed is in the Clofet of the Church, but my Heart is at a diftance, in the Play-houfe, at the Exchange, in a hundred other Places •,• and then what wonder, if all I fay be loft and fruit- lefs > For what can it poffibly fignify for the Voice to perform its Part never fo punctually, if the Mind in the mean while give no manner of Atten- tion > And can there be any greater perverfenefs, greater Infolence, greater Madnefs, than to turn the deaf Ear, and run after Trifles and Imperti- nences, when we take upon us to converfe with the Majefty of Heaven and Earth in Prayer ? can ' ' . there :?88 MEDITATIONS. there on the other hand be any thing more fenfe- lefs, more provoking than for vile Earth and Alhes to behave it felf negligently, and not to think the great Creator of the Univerfe worth liftening to, when he vouchfafes to fpeak to us by his Scriptures and his Minifters > But efpecially, can any thing compare with that unwearied Pa- tience and Forbearance, that Mercy and Conde- Xcenfion of a gracious and forgiving God, whicli fees fuch Wretches every day turning the deaf ear, refujtvg the Voice of the Charmer^ charm he iieverfo mfely^ hardening their Hearts, and regardlefs of their own Duty and Advantage, and yet inftead of taking fpeedy Vengeance, repeats his kind In- Prov. I. yjtations, and cries aloud, yejimple 07ies, how lovg ' * wiU ye love JimpUcity^ and fcorners delight in f corning, Ka?. 4. aftd fools hate knowledge For its felf is a perpe- tual Motion, without any Principle of Reft from within • and therefore it out-ftrips the fwiftelt Bo- dies, is under a thoufand different Determinations at once, and flies about in Queft of Objedts innu- merable. It makes Experiments, but to no pur- pofe ^ feeks reft every where, but finds it no where^ is fure of Labour and Difappointment, and all the Mifery thefe can bring, but Happiiiefs flies from it, and its Purfuits have never their hoped for end. It is not fo much as confiftent with it felf, butdif- agrees and flies oft from its own Propofals ^ chan- ges its Inclinations and Ayerfions, loves and hates, diflikes old, and takes new Meafures : Starts freih Projects, fets up and pulls down, and runs the Race over and over again •, turns things this Way, and that Way, and every Way *, and all this from its own Mercurial Nature, that can lye ftill no where, but muft be always in adion, though it act in Contradiction to it felf. This is wliat I have often reprefented to my felf by a Wind-Mill, which whirls about apace, and takes all you put into it, grinds all you pour ^ but if you pour in nothings ftill it goes -, and, for want of other ma- X ^9o MEDITATIONS. terials to employ it, fets its felf on fire. Juft thus my Heart is always at work, afleep or awake it ftands not ^ but either by Dreams, or by fuch wa- king thoughts as oftentimes are very little better^ it isftill under fail, and nothing comes amifs to it. Again, as Sand and Stones if put into the Mill, break it, pitch or dirt foul it, chaff choaks it up •, fo is it with this heart of mine. AfflidingThoughts difturb it, unclean pollute it, idle and unprofita- ble ones tire and harafs it. And thus it will be, while it negleds fpiritual and future Good, and does notobferve the Law of God for its Rule, and attain his Affiftance for its Support : All its confu- lion grows, in proportion as it is more eflranged from the love ot heavenly things, and entangled with the bewitchmg, but always empty and trea- cherous Objeds here below. Now when the Soul falls from thofe worthy, and is bewildred in thefe fordid Affedions •, Vanity feizes it, Curiofitjr diftracts it. Covetous Defires allure it, Pleafure fediices it. Luxury defiles it. Envy racks it. Anger ruffles it,Grief affiids and de- preffes it -, and thus, obnoxious to every kind of Mifery, it is overwhelm'd and funk in all manner of Vice ^ and all, becaufe it forfook God, which lingly was the Good large enough to aniwer all its wants and wiflies. The Mind is diffipated and fcatter'd among a multitude of Trifles ^ and, tho' it anxioufly feek for fatisfadion, can yet attain to none, till it return to that one All-fufficient Ob- ject. It roves from Thought to Thought, tumbles about like a feaverifh Man, and tries to find that eafe from variety, which the quality and intrin- fick value of the things themfelves is not able to- furnifh. Thus miferably does the Heart of Man fall, till it become even Mifery in the abftrad 5 for fuch it is, when abandoned to its own folly^; and deprived of the diredion and affiftance of divine Grace, But when it returns and retires into MEDITATIONS. 391 into it felf, and comes nicely to examine what are the fruits of all its pall folicitude, it finds it felf deluded, and nothing remaining in hand ^ becaufe the whole refult of all this Care is no real Suhftance, but only an anxious Thought, a fan- taftical aiery Notion, that compounds an imagi- nary Being, out of wild Ideas of its own forming ; And thus Men are deceived by an empty Than- tome, which tlie Devil and his Temptations in-* duftrioufly dreffed up, that its falfe beauties might be qualified efrectually to cheat them into Ruine. My God commands me to give him my Heart, and my difobedience to his Command renders me at the fame time a Rebel to my own beft Reafon. For the Conditions of my Duty are fo ordered, that I cannot live in Subjection to my felf, but hy living in Subjedion to him • and all I do in compliance with my own Mind comes hard and ftrained, and goes againft the grain, becaufe I have not got the maftery of my own heart fo as to ferve God willingly and chearfully. The neg- lecting to fix my heart upon its proper bufinefs, is the occafion, that it lays m.ore Plots in one fingle Minute, than all Mankind are able to accomplifh in multitudes of Years. So long as I am not united with God, I am divided in, and at perpetual Strife with my felf. Now this Union with God can only be fecured by Charity, this Subjection to him muft be grounded in Humility, and that Humility again muft be the refult of my Icndwing and believing the truth, and having right Noti- ons of God and my felf. Highly neceifary therefore, and of great ufe it is that I enquire diligently, and difcover the true Hate of my Soul, that I be duly fenfible, how i^ile, how frail, how liable to change, and corrup- tion I am. Then, having found the extream fin- fulnefs and mifery of my Nature, my next Care muft be to lay hold upon, and hold faft by him, C c from 592 MEDITATIONS. from whom I derive my Being, without whom I neither am anything, nor able to do any thing. And becaufe it is by Sin I have departed from my God, the way to come back to him again miift needs be by true Confeffion and Repentance of thofe Sins, which have fet me at fo wide a Diftance from him. In the confeffion of our faults, we fhould proceed with all poffible fincerity and dili- gence, and a6t without any private referves. A tiling too feldom done •, for how few are there, who, when they declare the Fads committed, lay open all the Circumftances, all the wicked Means and Ends by which their Guilt was aggravated ? Nay, how unufual is it pundually to confefs the very Fads, fome of which time and negligence have worn out all Impreffion of, or if not fo, yet when we look back, the Number appears fo great, that we content our felves with general Terms, and think it endlefs to defcend to Particulars. A- gain, in our Confeffions, how little are we touch- ed with an abhorrence of that Turpitude and Bafenefs, which ought to be the moft powerful, but is commonly the weakeft Motive to that Ihame and remorfe we feel upon the Account of our Sins? If we call in the Advice of our Guides, and open our Cafe to a fpiritual Phyfician, how do we mangle and difguife our Confeffions, reveal- ing one part to one, another to another, rela- ting things imperfedly, fhewing them in falfe Lights, and contriving not fo much to inform, as to keep them in Ignorance,what fort of Perfons we really have been ? This is the Reafon that fo little Benefit is reccivM from their ghoftly Coun- fels and Comforts, becaufe wediffemble the Mat- ter, and when they fpeak peace, our own Con- fcience can upbraid us with Hypocrify, and tell iis, that thofe Abfolutions c-o not of right be- long to us which we have obtained purely by our own fraudulent Management, and conceal- ing M E D I T x\ T I O N S. 395 ing the blackeft and moft dangerous Part of our Crimes. For we are not to fuppofe, that any Confeffion will do us fervice, except it be at- tended with Truth and Simplicity of Heart : Nor will the Releafes given by God's Miniflers' upon Earth, avail the Sinner for Pardon, any far- ther, than as the cafe reprefent ed to thofe Servants and Officers, agtees with that State of it, which lies before their All-feeing Mafter in Heaven. But to all this perhaps may be objeded, what need of any Application at all to thefe fpiritual Guides, or why Ihould our Offences be told to any Man* fince God alone can pardon them, and what Men do will ftand us in no ftead,till it be ratified in the Court above ? To all this,take not mine,but the Apoftle'sAnfwer, Confefs yourJi7is to one another ^ aytd pray one for another, " Some Offences are not only againft God, but againft our Brethren too, and fure ought to be acknowledged to the injured Party ,in order to fatisfadion and reconciliation. Others may be imparted profitably •, either for advice in doubtful and difficult cafes, where par- tiality or want of skillmay incapacitate us for making a right Judgment of our diftemper, or its proper remedies ^or elfe, to engage the aiiiftance " andinterceiPion of our friends ^ on all which and " fome other accounts,it may be very convenient, *' if not abfolutely neceffary, to difclofe our fins " to God's Priefts,who are qualified to be faithful " and v/ife Councellors, fervent and powerful In- ^' terceffors for us. Andvixdl it were, if Men,who " have been proudly and obftinately rebellious *' againft God, would exercife this Dif ipHne up- « on themfelves, and undergo the Humiliation of ^' acknowledging their ov/nvilcnefs to his Mini- ^' fters. Well, if they would take this Method of " having their Condition ajid their Concern for it '' particularly recom.mended in the affectionate ^^ prayers of thofe whom their funftion obliges to be ^^•^ C c 2 " the ?94 MEDITATIONS. cc, " the moft tender Lovers of Souls : This might " have excellent Effe6ls, both in increafing their " own Compundion, and in difpofing God to pi- " ty it : And as this taking of Shame upon our *' felves, might facilitate the Cure of what is paft, fo would it douhtlefs be a mighty Check to Men, where fecrefy is a prevailing Tempta- tion, and render them more ciA:umfpedt for the " Time to come. This is what all ferious and " Confiderate Perfons mufi: allow to be highly '^ expedient, though it be not indifpenfably ne-* •' ceffary : For where the heart is duly humbled, " the fin fufficiently lamented, the Man erfedu- " ally reformed, we have no reafon to believe, " that God will not accept the performance of " that work upon confelTion to himfelf alone ^ in '' which our confeffing to Men can be no farther " ferviceable, than only as it is a probable means *•* of having it performed more effeclnally, than ^* ^ordinarily fpeakingj it was like to have been •«' without fuch Confeliion. CHAP. X. Of exciifing our Faults. HOW often, when I have fet my felf to make an entire confelTion of my Faults, have I added to their number and guilt, inftead of purging and amending them ? How often, when any of them were charged upon me, have I either falfely dif- owned them,- or cunningly Ihifted them off, or foftened and difguifed them by artificial Colours and plaufible Extenuations? Nay, which is worfe than all thefe, how often have I abandoned all Modefty and Shame, and impudently defended what 1 ought to have blulhed for ^ and been en- raged MEDITATIONS. 395 ■ - - - - ■ raged beyond all patience to be charged with thofe things, which my own Confcience told me all the whilewere very juft accufations ? And in- deed what Accufations are not juft > For fure there is no fort of Wickednefs,but I either actually have been, or, had I been left to my own corrupt Inclinations, Ihould moft certainly have been pol- luted with it. And therefore it is fit that in a due Senfe of my Abominations, and an humble refleftion upon all the reft which I was naturally difpofed to,I fliouldlay my hand upon my Mouth, bewail my grievous tranfgreiTions, and the mifery and wrath they have moft juftly expofed me to ; ferioufly intend and promife a thorough reforma? -tion ^ take fandtuary in no trifling Pretences or ex- tenuating fliifts 5 fubmit to think as ill of my felf as I deferve, and patiently take the reproofs and admonitions of others ^ in a word, fo demean my felf with regard to paft faults, that they may not rife up any more againft me, and for the future avoid offending with all pollible diligence : For i cor. lu if I thus judge ayid condemn my felf^ Ifiall not be go, condemned of the Lord. CHAP. XL A further Confejfion of Sins. My TranfgreiTions have contributed to the Deftrudion not of my felf alone, but of many befides : for, being confcious to my felf how heinous and numerous my own Crimes have been, I feel a fecret fhame and fear, which reftrains me from reproving others when they do amifs. And thus I become acceffary to the Death of their Souls too, by tamely fuitering that poy- fon to fpread, tlie malignity whereof might b^ ' ' " C c 3 expel- -^^e MEDITATIONS. expelled by timely warning or Iharp reprehenfi- cns. I take it ill of them who rebuke me for m.y Faults, and hate them whom this friendl}'' Office fhould have taught me to prefer before thofe falfe Pretenders to Friendlhip, whofe treacherous Com- plaisance choofes to fee me eternally undone, rather than to fave me from Hell, by this moft profitable, but diftaftefal piece of Service. "When any thing created me Uneafinefs, my Impatience hath tempted me to wifh that it might ceafe to be, or that it never had been at all •, and 3''et upon RecoUedion, I could not but acknowledge, that He who made every thing is good, and that every thing he made is very good, in its own Nature ^ and confequently, if it proved evil to me in the Event, or the Effedts of it, the only Reafon muft be, that i my felf was evil, and wanted the Grace and Prudence to make a right Ufe of it. For after all, nothing can work me Mifchief except my felf. The Harm that I fuftain, I carr}^ about with me, and never am a real Sufferer but by my own Fault. I have been fo extravagant as to wifh, that God might want either the Will or Power to take ven- geance on my Sins ^ which what is it in truth but to defire, that He were defective in his moft eflen- tial Excellence, his "VVifdom and Knowledge, his Jufdce and Omnipotence > And yet fuppoling him to be fo, he muft at the fame time ceafe to be God. Ko Pride was more excellive than mine, which above all other Vices renders Salvation ha- zardous. For God always looks upon this Difpo- fition with a very jealous Eye ^ he cannot away with it, nor be reconciled to it. He dwells with the contrite and humble •, but the fame Indignati- on v/hich would not endure Pride in the fame Heaven with himfelf, makes him difdain to dwell by his Grace in the fame Breaft with it. "Tis true, thisYice was born and firft appeared in Heaven ^ but, as if by feme flrange Infatuation it had forgot the MEDITATIONS. 397 the Way hj which it fell thence, it never could get up thither again. When the Weather is foul, or extreamly cold or hot, I have been fo wicked andunreafonableas to repine and murmur againft Providence. So dexterous are wc grown in \Vick- ednefs, as to turn thofe things into Occafions and Improvements of our Sins, which the Bounty of that Providence fends us for the Convenic; ces of Life. And fince we thus contrive to make every thing contribute to our Wickednefs, it is but juft in God foto order the matter, that nothing ihould be incapable of becoming inftrumentalto our Pu- nifhment. In the Performance of my publick De- votions, I have often put my Voice to the ftretch, and been more folicitous for a pathetical Delivery, or a mufical Cadence, than for the Fervency and inward Zeal of my Heart. But God, who is privy to the moft fecret Thoughts, is not to be impofed upon by Shews and Sounds ^ he looks not at the a- greeablenefs of theyoice,but the purity and pious Difpofition of the Soul. And too often it happens that he v/ho charms the People with the Sweet- nefs of his Tone, does but grate the Ears of God, and provoke him by the perverfencfs of his Tem- per and Behaviour. How often hath my Importunity extorted from my friends or fpiritual Guides,leave to indulge my feif in fome particular Liberty,which they thought inconvenient I Not conlidering (Fool that I am ! ) that he does but deceive himfelf, who takes pains to work his Advifers up to a Compliance with his own Inclinations, in oppofition to their own im- partial and better Senfe. I have allov/ed my felf in coveting, or indirectly procuring things of fmall value ^ and flatter'd my Confcience with an idle Fancy that the Sin was not worth repenting of, becaufe the Price of what I got was incon- liderable : And yet the reafon of the thing con- vinces me, that the Obliquity of any Action is to C c 4 bf 398 MEDITATIONS. be meafured, not by the value of the advantage I propofe from it, but the pravitjr of the corrupt afFedion, which purfues that advantage inordi- luke 1 5. nR{t]j. For he that is inifaithful in little^ willalfo be 7nifa2thfid hi viiich •, and it is not the Objed, but the Defire, and the undue Methods of obtaining it, that conftilute the Effence of the Sin. When I was emplo3^ed in bufinefs, I have not taken all the Pains I might or ought to have done. When I enjo37'ed I.eiitire and Retirement, I have been perfedly thoughtlefs, and this is certainl}^' a great Offence, to negled the improvement of fiich hap- py Opportunities. For no Man ought fo to feque- iler himfelf fromx the world,as not to make his foli- tiide turn to {omt good account for the benefit of others : Nor fhould any be fo deeply engaged in the bufinefs of the World, as not to leave room for God and.heavenl3r Contemplations. And he is but a very indifferent Proficient who does not always confult and promote the good of others, when it lies in his power. I have been often guil- ty of that worft and mofl wicked of all inanities, the boafiingof my Sins ^fondly imagining that to be my Glory, which was in truth my Shame and • Fault. Nay fo perverfely have I managed, as even to turn my Vertues into Vices. For Juflice, when it exceeds on the rigorous fide, degenerates into Cruelty •, andexcefs of piety and good nature en- courages offenders by too great an eafinefs, and relaxation of that Difcipline, which fhould con- ftrain them to better Manners : And thus it often happens, that what Men value as an Excellence, is really a Vice, and great Defed. Thus Sloth and a tame Infenfibility, pafTes for a quiet Spirit, and meeknefs of Difpoiition. I have pretended to be what I was not, prcfefl to defire what I fecretly ^ hated or feared, and to dread and refufc what I palfionately defired : my tongue and my heart were often very diftant, and I have aded theFo.^ under MEDITATIONS. 3^9 under Sheep's cloa thing' For what are the quali- ties of a di/Tembling Fox, if thefe that follow be not? A lulce-w arm behaviour, a fenfual Mind, counterfeit Confeffionsof Sin,fits ofRemorfe that laft but a little while , and return but very fel- dom ^ Obedience without Cheerfulnefs, Prayer without Devotion, Reading without Edification, Talk without mature Confideration? O how harlh and cutting are any Rtfieciions of this kind to me, becaufe I am confcious that all the Edge of them is turned upon my own Soul ? But though this be my wretched Cafe, jet, in regard I do not difown or cover my faults, but with all humility and forrow confefs my felf a moft vile, miferable Sinner ^ fome hope there is, that with my righteous and merciful Judge, the ac- knowledgment of my Oftencesmay prevail for a pardon. I will therefore pour out my complaint be- fore hiin, and declare the worft of my Condition, that fo, if it be poffible, his bowels may relent and yearn over one, loft, unworthy of CompaJiion, upon any other account, than only as Extremity of Mifery can recommend me to it. There fhall not a fin be left unenquired^after, or concealed when found ^ for the firft ftep towards heaven is to fee and lament the near approaches we have made to Hell. I have gone on in great Security, as if thofe outward appearances of Religion, which the ftation I am in obliges me to, would do the bu- finefs. But alas ! thefe are a deceitful Tryal ^ the Outfide may look fair and promife well ^ but Woe to him who trufts to that, without attending to the Rottennefs within, and the Worm that gnaws at his heart-ftrings. To fuch circumftances „ r - g; we m^ja])'p\yth2Lto£HoJea^Stra7Jgers have devoured hh fireytgth^and hehwwetb not^yea^gray hairs are hers and there iipon hlm^ yet he hwwethh not. Thus I,like Ephrahn heretofore, fixing my thoughts and care wholly upon the things that are without, and ig- ' t norant 40G MEDITATION S. norant and unconcerned how Matters ftand with- in, am poured out' like Water, and become alto, gether unprofitable and vain. The paft i forget^ the prefent I difregard, and the future I make no Provifion for. The Mercies and Benefits I receii^e I am unthankful for, the Temptations to Evil I feel a wondrous Forwardnefs to compl}'' with •, but the Motions and Perfuafions to any thing that is good, make flight Impreffions, and find me flow and heavy. CHAP. XII. THis duty of felf-examination, which I am now upon, I find at once a plain neceflit}^ for, and yet a mighty Difcouragement from. For, if I do not nicely look into my Soul, I Ihall continue ignorant of my own Condition •, and if I do, the Ghaftlinefs and Deformity that I difcover there, make me a perfed Monfler, and a terrour to my felf. TJie Matter for reproof and confufion which appears there, is wofiilly great •, and yetthe oftner and more narrowly I fet about this fearch,the more lurking Abominations ftill I bring to ligh t. How fhould it indeed be otherwife,fince every corner of my heart is a Cage of unclean Birds ^ fince every day from my firft beginning to fin, hath made Ad- ditions to the black Account •, and even now, tho' fenfible of my Wretchednefs, I do not ceafe to heap new Guilt upon the former > The Offences which are plainly before my eyes, I can look upon without any fenfible Concern •, I fee that which ought to make me alhamed exceedingly, yet am not the lead out of countenance at it : And that which fhould even break my Heart with Grief, gives me no manner of Uneafinefs. But fure this is a mortal Symptom, and a fad Indication of a. dam- M E D I T A T ION S. 401 *' ,1 damnable State. For do we not conclude that Member dead, which feels no Pain ? Do we not Icnow by long Experience, that the Patient is then incurable,when grown infenfible of his Difeafe > And 7et,Wretch that I am, this is my Cafe. I am thoughtlefs and diiTolute, airy and wanton, and do not take any care to corred my extravagancies, or to fix my wandring Mind. I confefs my Sins every day, and yet repeat them, and am not made fo wife, either by my own danger and difaflers,or thofe of other Men, to avoid the pit, into which I have fallen my felf^ or feen my Brethren fall, or perhaps indeed have thruft them into. Prayers and Tears are the beft Refuge I can take, and fub- jcdis in abundance I have miniftred for them, hy the many evil things I have done, and the good I have negleded to do. But alas ! I find my felf not at all touched, as thefe Occafions require. Quite contrary, my Devotion is but lukewarm- nefs at the befl: : Nay, I languifh, I grow cold, and pray without any manner of Warmth 5 and as to remorfe for my fins, my Soul is perfedlly benumbed and fenfelefs. I know upon recolledli- on, that I am in a miferable State, and yet can- not filed one tear for m}^ Mifery ^ becaufe I have long continued to harden my Heart, God hath now made my Fault my Puniftiment, and with- drawn the Grace of tender Tears and godly Sor- row from me. CHAP. XIII. Confcience is every where* IT is the fondefl: Imagination in the World, to fuppofe, that I can either com.mit fin unob- fervedj or conceal it after commiffion ♦, for let the f pri- 402 M E D I T x\ T I O N S. privacy I effect be never fo clofe, ftill it is not poiTible to Ihut out, or run away from, my own Confcience. This will be fure to bear me Com* pany,and it always carries about with it all I have ever laid up there, whether it be good or whether it be evil. There is no Truitee to be compared with This, for fidelity and punctual dealing. Whatever is depoiited in its cuftody is in fafe hands, it keeps it for the Man as long as he lives, and will be fure to pay down in full Tale at the day of Death. If I do amifs, this is prefent with me :, if I do well and feel a fatisfaQion in it, that Refentment proves that Confcience is with me, and marks my behaviour. It never parts with me in this World, and.it will follow me into the next •, and wherefoever I am, according to the quality of what I truft it with, it never fails to reproach and fhame, or elfe to commend and ex- alt me. Thus there is not only an evidence of a Judgment, but even the thing it felf in every one of our breafts. We have no need to look abroad for Juftice, fince God hath eredled a Tribunal at home, and fo order'd the Matter, that thofe of a Man's ov\^n houlhold fhould go thro' the whole procefs upon him ^ for here are Informers, and WitnelTes, Judges and Executioners. For when I break the Law, my Confcience accufes me, my Memory teftifies againft me, my Reafon tries and judges me -, fenfaal Pleafure is my Prifon,Fear my Executioner, and finful Delectation my Penalty. For in proportion to the Delights which accompa- nied the Sin, the Torments are multiplied and heightned in the x>unifhment. And God is juftand wife in ordaining that our very iins fliould prove our puniihments.andthat thepleafures of fin, and the pains we feel for them, fhould both fpring ou,t of the fame Root. CHAP. MEDITATIONS. 403 CHAP. XIV. The Three great Enejnies of anktjid. HElp me, O Lord my God, for my Enemies have befieged and compajfed about 7ny Soiih^ Thcyclofe me in on every Jide^ and I am fo faji in pn- fon that I cannot get forth : Thefe enemies are the Fiefh, the World, and the Devil, The firft I can- not^ efcape from, and as little can I force it to retire at a diftance from me . Carry it about with me I muft, for God hath laid this burden, and faf- ten'd it upon me : To kill it I am not allowed, to fuftain it I am obliged in my own defence : and yet when I am too liberal in cherilliing, I do but ftrengthen an Adverfary, and put it more in his power to do me mifchicf. For if I eat wliat is fuffi- cient,and that yield ftrength and good nourifhment, the very health and found conftitution of my body threatens danger to my Soul. Nor does this Do- meftick Foe fight againft me flngly, but aflifts and combines with others-,for theWorld lays clofe iiege too, and'm}^ five Senfes are the avenues, by which it enters and attacks me. Thefe give free paflage to the fatal Darts, and here Death makes its ap- proaches to my heart. My Eye gazes about, and \)j admitting variety of engaging Objeds, draws oft my Attention from the One thing necei^ar3^ The Ear is open to pleafing Sounds, and thefe difturb the Mind in its Meditations. The Smell a- mufes, and obftruds ferious thinking. TheTongue is lavlih infpeech, and lets it felf loofe to flattery, and falfhood. The Touch kindles impure Fires' takes every flight occafion to defile the Man with lufl,and unlefs the firft m.otions be carefully guard- ed, and refolutely rejeded, it feizes, vanquilhes, and inflames the whole body : The fteps by which it 404 MEDITATIONS. it advances in this Conqueft are,firft to tickle the Imagination with unclean Thoughts, then to pol- lute the Mind with unlawful Delight,and ^t laft to fubdue the Reafon by confenting to wicked Incli- nations. Laftly, the Devil bends his Bow, and makes ready his Arrows within the Quiver; This Enemy is the moft formidable, becaufe he aflaults me unfeen •, and the dangers which I cannot defcry are the moft difficult to be declined. He lays his fnares fecretly, and fays, no eye fiallfee them Jiid,iQS in the Profperity, and Plenty,and all the Riches, and BleiTiUgs of the prefent Life, which we abufe and convert to vicious Purpofes, and fo are drawn away by their Allurements. Nor does this Fowler only lay Snares, but Birdlime too to entangle his Prey. For fuch is Love of thefe good things we pofTefs, Fondnefs for our Friends and Relations, greedy Defires of Honours and Preferments, the Pleafures of Senfe ^ all which ftick faft about the Soul, glue it down, and fetter its Wings, that it cannot foar in Contemplation to the delightful Manfions of the heavenly Smt. Thefe are the Limetwigs fcatter'd in our way by the Hunter of Souls ^ and the Arrows he lets fly at us, tare our own unruly Pailions, Anger, and Envy, and Am- bition,and all the inordinate Affections that wound us in our animal Life. And who is able to quench the fiery Darts of the wicked difcharg'd fo thick, fo fierce, and fo well pointed, that the whole Ar- mour of God and the Shield of Faith, are not al- ways fo fuccefsful, as to preferve even very good Men, from being fometimes hit, and forely hurt by them. O fl:ate full of hazard, full of horror ! a perpe- tual War without anyTruce or Ceffationof Arms^ a Siege never to be raifed, but by demolifhing of the Walls about the Cittadel : Ambufcades and Mines every where, thick Fire and iharp Swords laying at us on all fides ^ that is, Temptations and Dangers MEDITATIONS. 405 Dangers in each A<3:ion and Accidentof my Life. What Courfe foever I bend there is no Security. The Events which delight, and thofe which grieve and pain us, do either of them minifter juft grounds of Fear„ Hunger and Fuhiefs of Bread, Sleep and Watching, Toll and Eafe are all engaged againft me, and attack me in different Methods. Mirth and Complaifance are as much to be fufpected as Ang^-r and Morofenefs • for Freedom of Converfa- tion is apt to degenerate into profufe and unwa- ry talk, and to give great Offence to others. Pros- perity pu ts me under no lefs apprehenfion than ad- verfity. For the Pleafure and Eafe of a plentiful Fortune are apt to abate our Care, and delude us with very miftaken Notions of things •, and yet the DifHculties of an afHicled and low Condition, make it like bitterPhy fick •, the roughnefs of which we gather from its unpalatable Relifh, and fear that it Ihouldbe too ftrong for us in the operation. The Sins that I commit in private are to be dread- ed as of worfe Confequence than my more mani- feft and notorious Offences. For what Men do not fee they cannot reprove, and when we are not reflrained by Apprehenfionsof a Rebuke, the Temptation is more readily entertained, and we indulge our Vices boldly and without refcrve. All which confidered, we have Reafon to move as Men in an Enemy's Country, to have our Eyes about us. and look behind upon every little noife, nor take one ftep, till we have firft viewed well the Ground, and how the Forces are polled that come againfl: us. The Flefh tempts me to Effemi- nacy and Sloth,the World to Vanity and deluding Pleafures, the Devil to Malice and Envy. As oft as any carnal Imagination ftrikes upon the Mind, and vehemently importunes me, as oft as I feel the anxious care of making provifionfor meat and drink and fleep, and other neceffaries, refrelhments and pleafures, which tend to the Eafe or Ornament of the 4o6 MEDITATIONS. the Body, thefe are properly the fuggeftiohs of the Flefh. When I find my heart fwell with Pride and Ambition, when I thirft after Honour, or • Riches, or Grandeur ^ when I am tempted to va- lue my felf highly, and to defpife others ^ all 7^ tbeie, afpiring and greedy thoughts are in a more ^' peculiar manner owing to the World. Bot when I feel my felf ftirred toanger and rage, to revenge and fpite, and bitternefs of,*Spirit, thefe are the Infinuations of the Devil, and as refolutely to be withftood, as if I faw the Fiend himfelf, and en- tred into perfonal Combat with him. For thefe Temptations and wicked Suggeftions are the Arms he makes ufe of againft us in our fpiritual Warfare, and therefore we ought to be as much upon our guard againft them, as we would againft damna- tion it felf. His part is to put thefe evil imagina- tions into our H*earts, and Ours, obftinately to deny them accefs, op'dSfito df ive them out again without delay. Artdl^f tlS^encourage us to a manful reliftance, that every time we v/ithftand a temptaj:iD% tiand continue inflexible, we put the Prin^t.of'Darknefs to the roiiff we bring joy and tri;tenph to the bleifed Angels, and glory to Al- mighty God. For it is by his command that we en- counter this terrible adverfary,andby thefuccour of his Grace that we keep, and gain the field. His Eye is upon us throughout the whole conflid, he fuftains us when we feel our fel*j|^^Gver-power\l, rallies us again when we give^;l^und, pours in frefli recruits when we are tir^ and fpent^ and crowns us when we have at laft got the vidlory. CHAP. MEDITATIONS. 407 CHAP. XV- Tl /I Y Flefh was firil prorluced out of Duft and I VI Clay, and all the voluptuous and fenfual Imaginaticns which tend to the gratifjn'ng this part of me, plainly confefs the vilenefs, and refemble the filth of that earthy Principle, to which they owe their birth. So do the vanity and diftrading anxiety of the worldly, and the malice of diaboli- cal Suggeftions, retain a Tindlure of their feveral Authors. But above all, the Devil places the chief of his Confidence, and promifes himfelf fuc- cefs in nothing more, than in the affifl:ance of the Flejfh. For open enemies are lefs capable of doing mifchief abroad, thanfalfe friends and con- fpirators at home. Now the Flefh is in conftant league with the Devil,and contrives to fubvertand deftroy us : This Inclination proceeds from its being born and bred up in Sin ^ corrupted with vicious Difpofitions in its firft Original, but yet much more corrupted by actual tranfgrellions, and the force of wicked Cuftoms. This is the true ac- count of its lulling perpetually againft the fpirit, of its repining at afflidion, and growing prefently impatient of that difcipline and thofe trials,which God in his wifdom fees fit to chaftife and exercife it by •, of its filling the mind with uneafy refledi- ons, infinuating unlaw^ful defires, rebelling againft the didates of fober reafon, and fubmitting to no reftraints of godly fear. The fly old Serpent flrikes in with this domeftick Enemy, allifts its treache- rous defigns,and makes ufe of it as his Inftrument : For the Adverfary of Souls hath* no other Defire, no other Endeavour or End that employs fcim, but only the deftrudion of Mankind in general. This is he, that continually bufies himfelf in plotting of Mifchief He accofts us with flattering D d pre- 4o8 MEDITATIONS- pretences, he hath a thoiifand Arts of enticing and betraying us, and impofcs upon our Judgments with incredible Subtlety and Addrefs. He fecret- ly infpires wicked Inclinations -, and, whenthe Venom once hath taken place, inflames the Dif- eafe •, he fows the Seeds of Difcord, heightens Qiiar- rcls and angry Refentments •, whets our Appetite up to Gluttony and Intemperance, kindles Luft, excites and urges fleflilr Deiires, provides Incen- tives and Occalions to Sin, contrives that we may neither want ftrong Inclinations to dp wickedly, nor inviting Opportunities to gratify them, and hath an unipeakable Variety of tricking Ways to feduce, alTault, and vanquifh us. Thus he wounds us with our own Weapon, and tyes our Hands with our own Girdle, and turns our Flefh, which was given us for a Convenience, into an Inflru- ment of Sin and Ruin. The Incounter indeed muft needs be Iharp and hazardous, when the E- nemy we engage not only is within our Quarters, but cannot be other wife •, and the Danger muft needs be greater Hill, when we are Strangers, and the Enemy in his native Country. He is in his proper Element, we in a ftate of Banilhment, Fo- reigners and far diltant from our Friends and the Place of our Birth. The frequency and continu- al Attempts of the Devil, which never afford us any Interval of Quiet, are alfo a frefli Addition to our Fears •, for how fnall the Soul be continually awake and in a Pofture of Defence > How fliall it be a Match for that Enemy, whofe Cunning is io much fuperior to any human Prudence, both by the Condition of his Nature, and by that Dexteri- ty in which long Practice muii needs have render- ed him mofl accoraplifned and perfedl in ? CHAR M E D I r A r J O N S. 409 CHAP. XVI. DEliver Vie from mute eneimes^ God^ fave vie^U] $p. from the rage of them that hate vie • for the i^ 2- 77i?ghty are gathered together agalvjl me '^-ajid they that thlft for bloody lye in wait for 7ny foul. By the at- iiftance cf thy heavenly Grace, I defire and re- folve from this day forward to live to my Benefit and Happinefs, and to redeem that time which hath been hitherto mifpent to my infinite Detri- ment and Danger. For fure we ought to i nploy the Term allotted us in this World, as becomes Men who have a lively Hope •, that when their perifliing Bodies fhall be Food for Worms, their immortal Souls fhall enter in^o Joy with the Saints. Fit then it is that our Mind faould be fet betimes into the right Road to that Place,which is appointed for its journey's end at laft. For why fhould we not make the beft of our way to thofe happy Regions,where we fliall live for ever fecure from fear, or pofUbi- lity of dying any a:ore > If we are fo immoderate- ly fond of Life here below, fo fhort and fo perpe- t ually upon the decay,where we make fo ver}'' hard a ihift to live with tolerable comfort, where eating and drinking, fleeping, and the other Neceiiities of this Body devour fo great a portion of our time and labour, and all does but juft fupport this mafs of Clay. How much more paihonately ought we to love, hoA^ much more earneflly to covet that eternal Life, where neither Labour nor Pain fliall have any place,v/here v/e fhall enjoy pleafure,and happinefs and freedom in Perfeftion ^ where Men fnall be equal to the Angels of God, and the righteous fiall Jlnne as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father ? How glorioufly bright may we fuppofe the Souls o: Men fliall then be, when even their Bodies fliall be as refplendent as the Stars in the Firma- ment ? No melancholy nor heavinefs of heart, no pain or fear, no labour or decay, or death there, D d 2 but 41 o MEDITATION b. but ever blooming Youth and Health unbroken continues out of danger of decay or interruption. There is no Sin, no Mifery, no Difcontent, no Temptation, no Inclination to Wickednefs, but Holinefs and Peace, and Security, and Joy, reft from Toil, Pleafures always new, the Sight and Fruition of God ever ravifhing fweet. And who would not inofi: eagerly defire to dwell in this blifsful place ? Who would not think himfelf hap- py in Peace foundifi:urbed,inPleafare fo exquifite, in the Yifion of God, fo tranfcendently glorious ? No ftranger is admitted there, lut all are Citizens of that heavenly Jeriifahm ^ and dwell fccure in their own Country, among their dearefl: Friends, ever rejoycing, ever fatisfied with Good, and yet ever defiring mere, and the m^ore diligent a Man hath been in the Service of God, the larger Reward in proportion fhall he receive at the Hand of his bountiful Mafter. The Condition, tho' not the meritorious Caufeof our Blifs everlafting is Obe- dience •, and that Obedience is accepted accord- ing to the Sincerity and Love from which it pro- ceeds. And this Love, as it recommends our Ser- vices, fo does it add to our Reccmpence. For the more fervently we love God, the nearer fhall we be fuffered to approach, and have the clearer View of him •, and the nearer we fee, the more ftill we fhall defire to fee him, and be the more tranfported with the Sight. CHAP. XVII. TH E Days of Man upon Earth are but a Shadow, always in Motion, and he in truth no better thanVanity, and Nothing, even when he feemsto be moil fuMantial and at a ftay. How foolifh is it then for Man to la}^ up Treafures up- on Earth, fince both he who heaps them up and that which is heaped up, are eternally in motion, and MEDITATIONS. / j^;— and pafs awav, like Water that runneth apace ' » ' What advantage, vain Man, doft thou cxped j this World? For the advantage of worldly-mind' Men is Deftrudlion, and the end of it is Death. O that thou wert wife, that thou wouldft underftand, that thou would'ft coniider what will happen to thee in the latter days. I know, my Soul, a certain Perfon that hath lived in great familiarity with thee,for feveral Years, hath always fat at the fame Table, been fed by thy owq hand,flept in th}^ own bofom, and converft with thee as thy moll; inti- mate favourite and friend. This fellow is of right thy Servant • but the Kindnefs thou haft fliewed him from the beginning, and the fparing thofe Chaftifements which his Petulance defended, have made him impudent and rebellious ^ for want of being kept under by the Rod, he hath lift up his heel and kick'dat thy life • nay, he hath enfnared his Mafter, and repayed his Indulgence with a m.oft infulent and tyrannical cruel ty.Thou wouldlt ask perhaps whom I drive at all this while ^ it is the Old Man, who infults over and raifes Sedition againft thy Soul, to whole juft Dominion he ought to fubmit,who proudly difdains the land of promife, and favours onl}'- the things that be cf the fiefli and Senfe. This Man is blind, and deaf, and dumb from his birth •, a wretch,harden'd and old in wickedncfs, an obftinate Rebel toTruth and Yertue, and an ir- reconcileable Enemy to the Crofs of Chrift.. He makes a laughing-ftock of the Innocent, and him that walketh in the uprightnefs of his heart •, is al- ways aiming at matters too high for him, bold and ^ allumdng, and boafts of things above his ftrength ; bears no refpe*ft to any of his fuperiors, and in his foolifh Heart fays. There is no God. He pines away ^^^j^ . ^^ and frets at the profperity of others,but grows fat and triumphs in their Misfortunes and Mifery 5 feeds upon carnal and unclean Imaginations, and perfifts in impudent fiitliinefs without remorfe •, fquanders 4t2 MEDITATIONS. fquandcrs his own PofTefTions like a Spendthrift, fcrambles and grafps at other Men's like an infati- able Mifer ^ he treaftires up Shame and Reproach to himfelf, and hy his Diinmnlation, and Craft, and vile H^ypocrifr, provokes the Wrath and Ven- geance of Almighty God. This Man was altogether born and bred up in Sin, a Friend ofUnrighteoufnefs, a Child of Death^ aYclfel of Wrath, fitted for Deftrudion ^ and yet, notwithftanding thefe forbidden Circumftauces, P|- J -^ this profiigatcvvrctch hath the confidence top/each ,5/ ' God^s Laws^ avd tale his Covenant into hh month. He hates Reproof and Difcipline, and c^s his Maf- *^> ^^^ ter's Word behind his back ^ When he fees a thief ^ he coffents vnto hhn^anJ. hath beenpa^taher v/ith the A- *P> '°' dulterers : He hath Jlandered and offended his own Mothe/s Son-^ and made it his Bu/inefs, by a Rom. 2. 5. hard and impenitent Heart, to treafure vp Wrath a^ainji the Day of Wrath. He labours to undermine thee in thj^moii valuable Intereft, would rob thee of thy Inheritance-, and thou art fo tame, fo treacherous to thy fclf, as not only not to revenge, but even to connive at, and not be fenfible of the Injury : Thou giveft him not one hard Word, nor cafteil: one angrv Look, but fmileft at him while he carefies and fawns upon thee. Thou playeft with a Scorner, and confiderefl: not that thou art engaged v/ith a mocking IJhjfiael. This is not a Diverfion oi: Children, nor a recreation c-f flmpli- city and innocence ^ but a woful delufion, a mali- cious Perfecution, a murd'ring of thy Life. He •cafts thee into the Pit himfelf had digged for thy Deftru61ion. Thou art foften'd into Luxur}^, and fold to fin, miferably enflaved, and barbaroufl}'' treated. O wretched Man, who fliall fet thee free from the Bond cf this Mifery and Reproach ! Let, , Godarife, and fpoil this^ftrong Man, let his Ene- my fall before liim, this Defpifer of his Majefty, this idola'rousWorfnipper of Himfelf^this lover of ^ ' the MEDITATIONS. 415 the World, this Servant of Satan. What doft thou think now of this Tray tor, this Tyrant ? If thou refenteft his Behaviour as itdeferves, thou wilt immediately cry out, Hj is guilty ofDeath^ let hi7n he criiiified. Do not therefore difTemble thy juil Indignation, do not delay thy Revenge^ let not thine Eye fpare, neither let it pity him. Crucify this Man of Sin iDoldly, refoliitely, inftantly, but crucify him with the Crofs of Chrift, in which is Life and Salvation. For if thou cry for help to that merciful Saviour,who did not difdain to be crucifi- ed for thy ii^ke,he will hear thee efFedually,and ac- cording to his wonted goodnefs, return that com- fortable Anfwer, Thou that art with me now upon the Crpfs, jl^alt alfo he with me this Day iJt Paradice, Oh the Bowels of Compailion ! Oh the Riches of the Mercy of Chrift 1 Oh the furprizingmyftery of the Redemption of loft Sinners ! So free, fo rea- dy is the Love of God, fo amazing his Goo 'nefs, fo far above all hope, his Condefcenfion fo unwea- ried, fo invincible hisclemency,that,whenMenfaft bound 'in Sin and Afflictions cry to him in their Diftrefs, he hears them out of their Prirons,and de- fcends from his holy Heaven to their relief,becaufe his Mercy endureth for ever. How unbounded , is his kindnefs,howunparallerd his eafinefs ofac- cefs, how inexpreftible the happy change wrought by the hand of the mofthigheft for moft unworthy moft profligate Creatures 1 Even for thee, my Soul, the moft abandoned of ail Creatures. Lately thou fatteft in Darknefs, and the Shadow of Death, but now art fecure in the Regions of Light and Glory. - Lately, a Prey in the Lion's Mouth who lay in wait to tear thy Soul in pieces, but now in the Hand of that faithful Shepherd, that powerful Mediator out of which no Malice, no Force can ever pluck thee : Lately within the Gates of Hell, now in the midft of Paradice. B»t 414 MEDITATIONS. But to what purpofe,Chriftian Reader, do I re- count thefe Benefits, or put thee in mind of thy Advantages or thy Duty, by a Book of pious Ad- monitions, unlefs thou diligently perufe the Book of Confcience,andblot out all the blackCatalogue of Sins written there againft thee ? I may Write, and thou may'ft Read and underftand thefe Re* fledtions, but all to no effed:, till thou Study and Read, and throughly underftand thy own felf. Give heed therefore to this above all other Studies, confider, and refolve to continue no longer ig- norant of the State of thy own Soul. Read thus, that thou mayft love God, that thou mayft encoun- ter and overcome the World, and every Enemy that oppofes thy Peace and Salvation. So fhall thy Labour end in Reft, thy Sorrow clear up in- to Joy ^ and when the Darknefs of this traniito- ry Life fcatters and wears off, a glorious Morn- ing fhall dawn in Comfort unfpeakable, and the Meridian Sun of Righteoufnefs fhall warm thee into new Life, and fhed his bright Beams upon thy Head. Then ftialt thou fee the Bridegroom, and his myftical Spoufe in perfed: Unity and inviolable Love ^ and rejoyce at the Alarriage Feaft of that Lamb, who was dead, and is alive a- again^ even that Lord of Glory, who liveth and reigneth for ever and ever. Ameju The £wi 0/ *St.. Bernard's Meditatio?ts. F J N J s. fb If ^r*..o .ait m i^^^'^^S^" ■9^m. •'^ ■i^-^^ 4*?^ ''^fiSB WfciMH ^Hip^ •^i^ 4. 01 ^ M ^'