whatever respect and credit thou may'st have from the World, God and his holy Angels look upon thee as darkness; thy understanding, which is that part, which properly looks towards Heaven, lofes all its brightness; and no marvel, for God alone can fatisfie it, and he being gone, that patt muft needs be perfect night; and no wonder, if upon this darkness, thy love inclines vigorously to the World, and thy affections are altogether carried out after the drofs and dung of this tranfitory Earth, if thy thoughts are all engaged about the World, all thy Speeches employ'd about the World

and

thou becom❜ft wife for the World, and lofeft all thy Wisdom for God, and for Salvation, and thou art Night to the fpirits above, and day to

Men below.

O my Soul, canft thou look upon the Sun and Moon, and not remember how differently God deals with triumphing Saints in Heaven, and his Militant Church here on Earth? they enjoy a perpetual Sun-fhine, we are allow'd no more but Moon-light; we fee, as it were, through a glafs, darkly; they, face to face ;: their light, like that of the Sun, never leffens; ours, like that of the Moon, is fometimes greater, fometimes lefs, and fometimes we have none at all. How often doth the afflicted Believer walk in darkness? God hides the light of his countenance from him, and he is troubled: fometime he is all joy, by and by all darkness again; fometimes he is like St. Paul, wrapt up

into

into the third Heaven; fometimes like Men that fee God's Wonders in the deep, he goes down again to the depths, and his Soul melts because of trouble; how clear are the apprehenfions fometimes he hath of the love and mercy of God! and he seems to be able to comprehend with all Saints, what is the depth and breadth of the love of God? How often, on the other fide, is a veil drawn over all these bright conceptions, and he groveling in the duft? What floods of Consolation doth God fometimes pour out upon his Soul? whereas at other times those comforts come down in drops which used to come in fhowers; How great fometimes is his ftrength against temptations? How weak is his courage at another? How like the great Jefus can he fometimes rebuke the Winds, and Waves, and make the Sea calm, and at another time how ready is he to faint with the Disciples, and to look upon himself as loft! How chearfully fometimes can he cry out, I can do all things through Christ who ftrengthens me? How mournfully is he forced to exprefs himself at another, I fee a Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the Law of fin.

Behold, O my Soul, the vaft number of the Stars and Lamps of Heaven, how wife, how powerful is that God that made them? who can look upon thofe curious Lights, without admiring their Creator? Behold, they rife and go down at his command, and do not fail one

minute of their appointed time; how should this teach thee obedience? How chearfully shouldest thou run at the command of thy God? These glorious Stars, though their number be vaftly great, yet they never clash, or difagree one with another; How fhould this engage thee to unfeigned charity and peaceableness? How should this put thee upon promoting peace," and concord, and agreement among thy neighbours? And do not these Stars put thee in mind, how ere long thou shalt fhine as the Stars in the Firmament for ever? Happy hour! Bleffed day! when thou shalt be cloathed with fplendor and immortality, when thou shalt fee night no more, and fhalt need no candle, neither light of the Sun but the Lord fhall give thee light, and thou shalt reign with him for ever.

Come down lower, Omy Soul, I have not done yet with God's wonderful works; reflect upon the Air, in which all Senfitive Creatures breathe; without this Air, the whole Creation would die 'tis this that keeps Men, and Beafts, and all Plants, and Herbs alive; see how all creatures, when ready to be fmother'd, upon letting in of Air, do all revive, and live again; and is not the holy Spirit of God, O my Soul, the very fame to thee, that the Air is to all Creatures; without this Spirit of God to enlighten, to move, and to direct thee, thou haft the name that thou liveft, but thou art dead; it's this Spirit muft give thee life, it's he that must warm thee into a practical love of God;

It's

It's he that muft live in thee, that thou may'st not fulfil the defires of the Flesh; it's he must teach thee how to pray; it's he must help thy infirmities; and bear witness with thy fpirit, that thou art a Child of God; beg this rich gift at the hands of God, and thou shalt have it ; feek it, and thou fhalt find it; knock at Heaven Gate for it, and God will open, and grant thee thy hearts defire.

Behold, O my Soul, how vain and foolish those Men are, that will not believe the Being of Angels, or of Spirits, because they never faw any; can they fee the Air; And why do not they question whether there be fuch a thing as Air or no? This Air fupports all Creatures, fo doth thy God much more. He fends the Springs into the valleys, which run among the hills; they give drink to every beaft of the field, the wild Affes quench their thirst. He watereth the bills from his chambers, the earth is Satisfied with the fruit of his works. He caufes the grafs to grow for the cattel, and herbs for the Service of Man, Pfal. 104. 10, II, 13, 14. When this Air yields to all grofs bodies, and lets them pafs without oppofition, how doth it read to thee Lectures of Patience and Humility in that flexibility, thou may'ft fee the finfulness of thy inexorable temper, the odioufnefs of thy revengeful defires, and reviling again when thou art reviled, and giving the of fender as good as he brings; the Air reproves thee when thou art deaf to all entreaties to be

recon

reconciled to him that hath injur'd thee, when thou wilt not not yield to the humble fupplication of diftreffed creatures, and when thou opposest thy own humour to all the rational fwafions of wifer Men than thy felf.

per

Look upon the Fire, O my Soul, and behold how differently it acts upon Bodies it meets withal, how it confumes the Hay and Stubble, and cleanseth and purifies Gold and Silver; Doft thou not fee here, as in a Glass, how thy God deftroys the workers of iniquity, and advances, and increases, and purifies the defires and affections of a devout and religious Soul? thou feeft how hard and black Iron is, when it is not near the Fire and how bright and tractable it becomes in the Fire; and is not this the true Picture of a finner? While he is a Stranger to the Law of God, he hardens his heart as Flint and Adamant, no threatnings pierce him, no promifes prevail with him, no judgments fright him, no providences move him, no mercies melt him; put on the whole Armour of God,and fight against him; His fins stand stiff, his lufts remain unfhaken; he feeds upon God's bleffings as Swine do upon Acorns without minding the hand that throws them down; he hears Sermons, but they awake him not; he is intreated, but flights the invitation; he is reproved, but laughs at the reprehenfion, but when that holy Fire, the love of God, enters into his heart, how flexible, how tractable doth he grow? How doth the love