which is above? No habitation in that City, whither the Tribes go up, the Tribes of the Lord, unto the teftimony of Ifrael, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord? O my Soul, behold thy falvation comes, his reward is with him, and his work before him. Arife, fhine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is rifen upon thee. Away, and hate this garment spotted by the flesh, Thefe are not the spots of God's Children; These are not the Characters of God's Favourites; Spots they are, but of Leopards, marks of Wolves that come in fheeps cloathing, figns of Sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead Mens bones, and full of uncleanness.

Such serious thoughts would check Hypocrifie; but the vain Man hardens his heart against them, locks them out, will give them no enter tainment, and that makes him serve God to please the Devil. and turn Religion into a mere Thew and formality, burn in Words, and freeze in Deeds; and, like that Son in the Gospel, fay, 1 go, Sir, but he goes not.

From the Premiffes, we may easily guess what to think of other fins, viz. that the great cause of them, is want of Confideration; and therefore the holy Ghost likens Men that live in any fin, or indulge themselves in any tranfgreffion, to a Horse that rushes into the Battel, and confiders not what he doth, ventures among Swords and Arrows, and the greatest. dangers, without recollecting what will be the

iffue of it, Jer. 8. 6. Confideration is the Bri dle, that must govern our sense and appetite; take that away, and the Beast runs away with the Rider and haftens him into a thousand inconveniencies.

CHAP. VI.

Of the various advantages of ferious Confiderati on; it's that which makes a man Master of all Chriftian Duties; it helps a man to improve fublunary Objects into Heavenly Contemplations. It's the greatest fupport under afflictions; dif poses a man to be a worthy Receiver of the Lord's Supper: Prepares him for an Angelical life on Earth; makes him prudent and discreet in Secular affairs and bufineffes.

T

Hough in the preceding Chapters, we

have already, in a great measure, dif cover'd what Men may hope for from Confidera tion, and of what ufe it is to a truly, ferious, and Christian life; yet we must not leave so rich a Subject thus, without giving an account of fome other pofitive advantages, which do render it very defirable to a rational Man} And,

I. It hath most certainly a very great influ. ence upon all Christian Duties; The Celestial Luminaries have not a greater influence upon Z the

the Bodies of Men, and Beasts, and Plants then Confideration hath upon thefe Spiritual endowments; whatever qualification Christ or his Apostles require, or recommend, it's by Confideration of the excellency and dignity of that Duty, that Men must expect to arrive to it.

The first and great Commandment is, Thou fhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy foul, and with all thy mind. But he fhall never be Mafter of this Duty, that doth not frequently and seriously confider the immenfe and stupendous love of God to him and indeed then I may hope to be acquainted with a fincere and cordial love to God,, when I give leave to fuch Confiderations as these to impregnate my understanding. O my God, Can I think of fo great, fo holy, fo infinite, fo merciful, fo munificent a Being, and forbear to be enamour'd with thee? Thy greatness over-awes, thy holiness directs, thy infinity fupports,thy mercy charmes, thy munificence invites thy poor unworthy Creatures: Whence are all my mercies but from thee? thou art the Spring, the Fountain of them all. What ever bleffings are convey'd to me by the hands of Second Caufes, they come originally from thee, and thou mov'st and ordereft those SecondCaufes, to come in to my affiftance. By thee have I been upheld ever fince I was born; when I lay in the fhades of nothing, thou didst awake me into a Being, gaveft me a Rational

Soul,

me,

Soul, a Soul capable of admiring, adoring, and worshipping thee, and ever fince thy Mercies have follow'd me; and thou hast been a pillar of a Cloud unto me by day, and a pillar of Fire by night; what parts, Gifts, or Abilities I have, they are thy Gifts, and Characters of thy Compaffion, thou order'ft my steps, thou art about my bed, and about my paths, and dost preserve me in all my ways; many a time fhould I have ftumbled, and fallen, and perish'd irrecoverably, but that thou haft supported me, and given charge to thy holy Angels to be my Guardians; I had been a barren Wilderness, if thou hadst not rained fhowers of grace upon and made me fruitful. I had brought forth nothing but death if thou hadst not shined upon me. I had continued lying in the mire, if thou hadst not pulled me out, and must have remained in the horrible pit for ever, if thou hadst not fet my feet upon a Rock. I had continued blind, if thou hadst not open'd mine eyes; Deaf to thy Admonitions, if thou hadft not unleck'd my ears. I could never have risen, if thou hadst not lent me thy helping hand; I must have funk, if thou hadft not supported me, and perish'd, if thou hadst not guided, and directed me. I had committed greater fins, if thy reftraining power had not kept me, and what could have hindred me from running with others into excess of riot, if thou hadst not removed the fnares, which were laid for me, to catch me into ruZ 2

ine,

ine. It is thy doing, that I have not done so. That I have abstained from these evils, thy affiftance is the cause; and that I have believed thee, I am beholding to thy Mercy. O my God! how often have I defery'd thine anger? and yet in the midst of thy wrath thou thinkest upon Mercy. What judgments might st not thou have inflicted on me for my wilful fins? but thou haft lent none as yet, and all to magnifie thy Mercy. Every morning thy Mercies are renew'd upon me, and with the Natural, there rifes upon me the Sun of Righteousness, with healing under his wings. Thou profper'st my endeavours, giveft fuccefs to all my law ful undertakings, thou preferveft me from those difafters which befall other men. How wifely doft thou order my affairs? How often doft thou bring light out of darkness, and turnest my affliction into the greatest joy? How wonderful are thy Providences to me and mine? How often have I fear'd fuch an accident would be my ruine, ruine, and God hath turn'd it into the greatest good? How wifely haft thou many times denid me temporal mercies, because thou hadst a mind to enrich me with fpiritual Bleffings in Heavenly places? What Friends, what Benefactors haft thou rais'd me? How miraculously haft thou turn'd the hearts of men fome times into mercy and compaffion for my good? How often haft thou heard my Prayer, and granted me the request of my lips? When I have been in the greatest straits,

How