heaven and earth, from all eternity, out of thine ●wn gracious goodness, without all poffibility in me (when I was not) either of defiring, or deferving this inestimable love of thine, electing me in Christ (of whom thou hadst no need, from whom thou couldst receive no benefit) unto holiness and happiness in this life, and unto bleffednefs in that to come; and as I find this love of thine to be purely, simply, and admirably, and eternally great, fo it is alfo truly, neceffarily, fufficiently and permanently good.

If it were not truly good, it could never make me truly happy; if not neceffarily good, I might then enjoy happiness without it; if not fufficiently good, my happiness enjoyed by it, could not afford me fatisfaction by it; if not permanently good, what I enjoy in fatisfaction, I may want in perfection, by being fuddenly removed from it.

But thou, O Lord, haft graciously afforded me all thefe degrees of happiness, that I might be truly and eternally happy, that I might be happy in thee, because there is no attaining happiness but b thee, that I may be happy in fou, and happy in body, happy in life, and happy in death, happy here, and happy hereafter.

Thou, O my blessed Saviour, art fweeter unte

me than all fweetness; thou art that bleffed Allfufficiency, by which I am both fully, and for ever fatisfied? thou art my fafe repofe, my inviolable peace, my rich reft, my safety in life, my comfort in death, my glory after death.

By thy patient fufferings, I am more than conqueror of fin, of forrow, of death, of hell; by thy glorious refurrection I have affured hope of immortality; by thy bleffed afcenfion of eternal glory; by the one thou haft powerfully defended me against the rage and malice of devils, by the other thou haft graciously exalted me in thy bleffed union with me above the nature of angels; thy peace thou haft left with me, thy peace thou haft given unto me, even that bleffed peace of confcicnce which the world cannot take from me, and that eternity of peace with thee in thy kingdom, which thou, Lord, in thy rich mercy haft prepared for

me.

O that I might now lofe myself with contemplation of thine endless love, that I might be ravished into extacy, with apprehenfion of my present fafety of my future glory; that all my faculties of foul might be but one entire and pleasing facrifice of thankfulness unto thee; that as thou (O my Saviour) and the Father are one, so I may be one with thee, to magnify thy gracious prefence here, and

to be for ever where thou art hereafter, to fee thy great glory, and enjoy mine own endless felicity.

From this for ever bleffed fountain of eternal happiness do plentifully flow those pleasant streams. of comforts to the fouls and bodies of the faints, even in this life, by which they are fecurely quieted, and joyfully contented, even in the very worst of times, which either man's malice, or the devil's cruelty, can study to inflict upon them; if they receive injuries, they return prayers, they entertain them with a "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do, Luke 23. 24. and Lord lay not this fin to their charge, A&s 7. 60." And fo while they lofe outwardly, they gain inwardly, (and godliness is great gain) for by patience they poffefs their own fouls.

Their courage is undaunted, for, the righteous is bold as a lion, able to encounter the fierceft affliction, ready to withstand the ftrongeft tempta tion; if the world frown upon them, they can cheerfully fay, and faithfully believe, that a fmall thing which the righteous hath, is better then great riches of the ungodly, Piai. 37. 16. if it smile, tat they can account all things but iofs and dung in compare of Chrift Jetus; if outward bieflings be preient, they are humble under them, and thankful

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for them; if abfent, they can patiently tarry for the Lord, for they know he is their help, Píal. 33. 14. and that no good thing will be withheld from them that love him, Pfal. 34. if fickness fieze upon

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them, the Lord is about their bed, and about their path, and fpieth out all their ways (their ways of fin and their ways of sorrow) yea, he maketh their beds in their fickness, by eafe to their bodies, comfort to their fouls; if famine threaten them, they have God's promise to maintain them, for the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, and upon all those that put their trust in his mercy, to deliver their fouls from death, and to feed them in their time of fecurity, Pfal. 33. 17, 18. if fudden danger approach them, they have heavenly fuccour to defend them, for the angel of the Lord tarrieth about all them that fear him, to deliver them; yea even death itself is an advantage to them, and therefore no ways able to affright them, for precious in the fight of the Lord is the death of his faints, and therefore, though the Lord kill them, yet will they truft in him, Job 13. 15.

Lord, if thy mercy be thus great unto me, while I am yet in my finful flefh, how unfpeakable fhall I find thy love, when my body is become fpiritual, my joy eternal ?

From thefe outward enjoyments, may well be

derived their inward contentments, but by their inward refreshments is enjoined that incomparable, inconceivable, unutterable fweetnefs, that bleffed peace of God, and joy in the holy Ghoft, which paffeth all our understanding, God's holy fpirit witnessing with their spirits, that they are his children, and most precious in his fight, and they are now fully perfuaded, with his blessed apostle, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things prefent, nor things ta come, nor heighth, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be ever able to feparate them from the love of God, which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord, Rom. 8. 37, 38.

How full of folid comfort is this bleffed affurance? how are our fouls ravished with apprehenfion of the sweetness of our prefent comforts, of the fulness of our future joys? these bleffed earnests of that ever bieffed fpirit, are the faithful pledges of his future embraces, far above the reach of malice to disturb, or devil to destroy; Hence it is that our faith is precious, our hope lively, our joy glorious, our lives fafe, our deaths bleffed, and from hence arise those many and those rich endowments of the faints, their zeal burning, their love wonderful, their defires earneft, their longings infatiate, their petitions for enjoyings importunate: Lord