heavy preffures of fin, under all the grievous burdens of forrow, under all the sharp affaults of satan; that can make me merry in life, and triumphant in death.

Nothing can more truly represent me to myself, and inform me that I am all earthly, than the dulness and backwardness of my thoughts to be heavenly who can ever hope to be an inhabitant of that city whofe language he cannot fpeak ? Lord, when my thoughts are more zealously affected with thy heavenly joys, I fhall then hope to be more frequently acquainted with thy heavenly vifits; by my carelefs neglect of the one, I am now justly deprived of the fweet enjoyments of the other; while I am wedded to this wretched world, my thoughts must needs favor of my corruption; but if thou, Lord, wilt once open mine eyes to be the glorious beauty of my heavenly home, I fhall then know, and joyfully confefs, that one hour thus spent, will add more comfort to my foul, more true content to my defires, than all thefe outward bleffings, and I shall then account, and joyfully confefs with thy Apoftle, that all things are but lofs and dung, in comparifon of the richness of thy love in Chrift Jefus.

FOR thou, O bleffed Saviour, art the bleffed fountain of eternal happiness, the joy of my heart, the triumph of my joy, the comfort of my life, the

fafety of my body, the rest of my foul; without thee I am far worse than nothing, and with thee I enjoy all things; for thou art in the Father, and I in thee, and thou in me; and in this happy union is contained that fruition, is enjoyed that for ever blessed vifion, in which the fouls and bodies of thy faints eternally delight themselves. O thou Sovereign of my foul's eternal comfort, how unworthy am I to enjoy thee, that have been hitherto so much unmindful of thee, how undeserving to behold thee in that glory, that am so daily guilty of thy great dishonor.

Lord raise my thoughts to immortality, and fix my foul upon the love of fweet eternity; let my chiefeft joy be, ever to contemplate thee, whe art my chiefeft good.

Pardon those wretched hours that have been loft in search of outward happiness; O make me to redeem them, by abandoning the creature, and placing my affections wholly on the beauty of the great Creator, expatiate my finful foul with daily meditations of my future joys, that I may love thee more fervently, fear thee more dutifully, defire thee mere earnestly, long for thee more heartily embrace thee more faithfully, and think of thee more joyfully, to my live's end.- AMEN.

CHAP. XXXIII.

UPON UNCHRISTIAN LIKE DEJECTEDNESS IN

POVERTY.

WHY do I excruciate myself with apprehenfions of a feeming evil? how unworthy am I of this life, which I hold from that God, whom I dare not truft? will God feed me with the delicates of heaven, and not give me bread? will he give me full draughts of the rivers of his eternal pleasures, and not afford me temporal refreshments? fhall my death be precious in his eyes, and my life ́uncomfortable in mine own? can there be any evil, and the Lord hath not done it? fhall he do it, and fhall I complain? if poverty be evil in itself, yet it is good for me; the evil of fin hath drawn upon me this evil of punishment; fo this evil is from nature, and the good from grace: by this affliction I am weaned from the world, and made defirous of my heavenly home; I am now put in mind, that my treasure being there, my heart fhould be there alfo; I am now fully affured (by my patience and humilty under this affliction, and by the quiet fruits of righteousness it daily bringeth forth in me) that I am God's child, that as I am now made partaker of my Saviour's fufferings, fo fhall I be hereafter of his glory; that I part with earthly content

ments, to enjoy heavenly comforts. Lord, when thou lendeft me thy ftaff of confolation, I fhall be well able to endure thy rod of affliction; although my body be worse, I fhall then find my foul to be much better, my present condition happy, my future bleffed.

In what state soever I am, I will think that best, because thou (Lord) haft put me there: if my calling be low, my account will be the less; if I difcharge this faithfully, I fhall not lofe my reward. Thou O Lord, lookeft not upon my greatnefs, but

my goodness, my faithfulness in thy service: A pin in thy material temple was as useful as a ftone; if I be any thing in thy fpiritual, it is enough; yet let me

not content myself with easiness and indifferency in heavenly bleffings, but labour to fupply mine out5 obtain ward wants by inward graces; fo fhall this earthly bitterness be turned into spiritual sweetness, and eternal blessedness.

Thou (O Lord) haft allotted my portion in this life, most agreeable to thy divine wisdom, most suitable to my frail condition; and why take I then thought for to morrow? fufficient unto the day is the evil thereof: thou alloweft me lawful means for increafing of it, thou forbiddeft me repining thoughts to diftruft thee in it; Lord, let me first feek thy kingdom, and the righteoufnels thereof, and then I know affuredly, that all things needful for me fhall be added to me.'

O thou bleffed Saviour of the world, who for my fake wert willing to endure the scornful poverty of this life, to purchase my redemption, teach me by thine example, and for thy fake to undervalue all these glorious pomps of these enticing vanities, that though my body be defpifed by the world, my finful foul may be accepted with thee, and both foul and body may eternally be happy where thou art.

Lord, by how much (by thy great fufferings) thou wert made the viler for me, by fo much (by thy rich mercy) let thy love be ever dearer

to me.

O give me graces fuitable to all events; let not prosperity puff me up, nor adverfity too much deject me; but for thy mercy fake, let happiness in Christ be all in all unto me; make me humble in the one, patient in the other, thankful in either, happy in both.

Grant Lord, that no ungodly care or finful forrow may disturb me, that I may with willingness, and thankfulness, and joyfulness of heart, contentedly rely upon thee.

Enrich my heart with with heavenly thoughts, give me that better part which cannot be taken