inexhaustible Source. And therefore he alone h right to command our Love for his own Excellenc because all Excellence is his; He alone is to be love above all others, because he neither hath, nor can har any Equal. Cover not then the Praise or Love of Me for Praife and Love' are God's Peculiar. Nor lavi difpenfe thefe to others, but in thy felf, and all Pe fons of Virtue and Merit, laud and admire, and loɛ the Graces of Chrift.

Bring to thy Lord a clean and upright Spirit, fr from the fordid Affections of the World; that the may'ft be entirely his, and folace thy felf with th Delights of his Converfation. But leave the World and come to him thou canst not, without the Prever tion and Affiftance of his Grace. This only can exa thy Defires, and draw and charm thy Heart with th Cords of Divine Love. For Man can Phil. iv. all things through Chrift that strengthens him but if that Succour be withdrawn, he is blind and n ked, deftitute and weak, full of Confufion and To ment; or rather, he is Confufion in the Abftract, Weal nefs and Impotence it felf. And if fometimes thou feel an inward Scourge, let not thy Melancholy Thought deject or drive thee to Defpair. For Spiritual Com forts and Joys are fown in Tears; and Patience bring forth plentiful and perfect Fruits of Righteoufnefs and Peace. If thefe Sorrows proceed from a Reflection upon thy own Sins and Infirmities, indulge the Holy Grief; and lament, as becomes a Serious Penitent, th own Unworthinefs, and former Mifery: If Adverfitic fent from the Hand of God afflict thee, fupport thy felf with the Confolations of a Good Confcience; and be affured, that fuffering fo as may advance thy Mafter's Honour, will end in Glory and Advantage to thy felf. But confider, that in either cafe, the Trow ble cannot be long; for thefe Black Intervals of Sadnefs will as certainly, as naturally be followed with

inward Peace and Joy, as Summer fucceeds Winter, and Storms are hufhed into a profound Calm.

CHAP. IX.

The Difconfolate State.

When all Human Comforts forfake us, if God

vouchsafe to fupply their place with Spiritual and Heavenly, which are infinitely better; we are not much to wonder if the Soul preferve its Temper, and bear up manfully under fuch Circumftances: But when the World and God both frown, then to bear fuch Desertion with Patience, and be content to be abandoned of all our Hopes for his Glory; then to acknowledge our Unworthinefs, and not charge God foolifhly, nor be partial to our fuffering felves, this is Virtue and Refignation indeed, the very Excellence and Perfection of an Humble and Submiffive Mind. Who that confiders, can forbear rejoicing, while the cheerful Light of God's Countenance fhines bright about him? What Wretch is fo unreasonable to grudge his Service, when Bounty and Bleffings reward his Pains, and convince him that he does not ferve God for nought? This is the happy Seafon which every Man defires and triumphs in. Smooth and pleasant is his Paffage, whom the Grace of God conducts and carries through this troublesome World. For how can we think it ftrange that he should not feel the weight of his Burthen, who is ftrengthened and fupported by Almighty Power, and led through Difficulties and Dangers by the Captain of his Salvation?

It is natural for us to cling faft about any thing that may give us eafe; and hard for a Man to diveft himfelf of Carnal Affections; fo that before our Paf

fions be effectually fubdued,and our Delight and Hope fixt entirely upon God, many and frequent Conflicts must be undergone. And yet at no Expence less than this is our Peace and Quiet to be purchased. For fo long as a Man refts upon his own Strength, he is eafily diverted to worldly Comforts, and taftes little Satisfaction but what arifes from fuch. But he whose Soul is enamoured with God and Goodness, expects not his Delight from Senfual Enjoyments, but finds a Pleasure in the feverer Exercises of Virtue and Devotion, and even enjoys the Difficulties he undergoes for Chrift's Sake.

If then God shed down Spiritual Comforts from Above, entertain the Precious Gift with Humility and Thanks; and lofe not the Effect and Reward of Grace, by fuppofing it your Due, or valuing your felf upon it. Rejoice in the Bleffing; but temper that Joy with Gratitude; and let it not fwell to Infolence and Vanity, to Cenforioufnefs or Contempt of thy weaker Brethren; but the more thou haft received, the greater let thy Modesty be; and the more thy Fear, thy Diligence and Watchfulness, that thou abuse not fuch gracious Liberality. For Comfort and Gladnefs will not laft always; a Cloud will come betwixt, and interrupt the cheerful Beams of this Sun of Righteousness. Temptations will have their turn too; and therefore, when thefe fall hard and heavy, let Patience and Humility, not hopelefs Defpondency, be the Effect of fuch Oppreffions. The greatnefs of thy Sufferings muft inflame thy Truft, thy Zeal, thy Devotion; and fervent Prayer is the proper Weapon against the Attacks of our Spiritual Adverfary. For Matters are not defperate, and he who took away his Supports, only withdraws them for a feafon, and to thofe who feek them with holy Perfeverence, will at a fit (that is, at his own) time, reftore them again with Advantage. This is a ufual thing with God. The Prophets and

Saints of old have all advanced to their Crowns by the fame rough Way of Grief and Desertion. Nor may we fuppofe that these Disconfolate Intervals are the Effects of God's Anger and final Abdication of

us.

Observe how eminent an Instance of these Changes we have in the Man after God's own Heart; when the Grace and Favour of God was lifted up upon him, his Mind was exalted proportionably: In my

7.

8.

IO, II.

Profperity, I faid, I shall never be cast down, Pfal.xxx. 6. thou, Lord, of thy Goodness, badft made my Hill fo ftrong. When this Favour was withdrawn, he confeffes the Confequence of it, the deep and heavy Impreffion it made upon his Spirits, Thou didst turn thy Face from me, and I was troubled. But yet this Trouble, fharp and fenfible as it was,did not fink down into Defpair. HisRemedy wasPrayer,Then cryed I unto thee, O Lord,and got me to my Lord, right humbly. And how fuccefsful this Application proved, himself declares, The Lord heard me, and had Mercy upon me; thou haft turned my Mourning into Dancing, thou haft put off my Sackcloth, and girded me with Gladness. Now, if these Sorrows were the Portion of thofe bright Patterns of Piety; if God's dearly beloved Children and faithfulleft Servants have not liv'd constantly under his Propitious Smiles; if Men of fo exalted Virtue were yet differently affected, as they felt different Difpenfations of Providence toward them; what are we poor, we weak, defertless Wretches, that we fhould expect to be exempted from Troubles? What is our Zeal in comparison of Theirs, that we should hope to have it always warm, always gay? What have we done to confine the kindly Influences of that Spirit, and fecure them conftant to our felves, which even to those that

use and improve it beft,goes and comes, and John iii. 8. blows only where and when it lifteth? And therefore Job H

takes

takes notice of it, as a Fate common to all Mankind, that God does not fo magnifie, or fet his Job vii. 17, 18. heart upon any one among them, but that be vifits him every Morning, and tries him every Moment. Where therefore can we fafely place our Confidence, except in the Grace and Mercy of God only? All other Comforters are miferable. The Company and Exhortation of Religious Men, The tender and affectionate Advice of dear and Faithful Friends, The Entertainment of good Books, the moving Strains of pious Eloquence, The heavenly Raptures of Pfalms and Hymns, All these adminifter but very poor and flender Relief, to affwage the Anguifh of our Minds, or but fo much as to divert and deceive our Pain, if God withdraw his Confolations, and leave us to the defolate Condition of merely Humane Helps. Then as our last and best Refuge, we must fly to God; humble our felves under his mighty Hand; fubmit to what he lays upon us; acknowledge his Goodness even in our Sufferings; and be content to fuffer ftill, fo long as he fees fit; for he will not fee fit to continue his Displeasure for ever, but will revive the Contrite, and exalt the Humble in due time.

I never yet, to the beft of my Remembrance, met with any remarkable good Man, who had not, atfome time or other, fallen into thefe Difcomforts; and languished under the Apprehenfion of God's Difpleafure, or the Abatement of his own Zeal. Nor was itever defigned, that any Man in this Life fhould arrive at fo exalted a State of Holiness, and abfolute Safety, as not to be fometimes tempted. Though this happens at very different times, and fome have their Tryals in the beginning of their Converfion, which are referved for Others to their latter and more perfect Days. It seems, the fublime and rapturous Contemplations of God, are a Bleffing too precious for those who have not firft endured tome Trouble of Mind, to qualifie,

them