favors, when I am unmindful of mine own miferies, even then thou graciously providest for me, and yet for all this, I have not hitherto refolved seriously to. come unto thee.

Such, and fo many are my fins, fo great is my unthankfulness, that I now tremble to appear before thee; and yet fo tender is thy mercy to me, that thou again allureft me to comfort and contentment. Lord, into the bleffed bofom of thy love I caft myfelf for fafety and protection, and in the midst of danger, even in death itself will joyfully rely upon

thee.

FOR thou, O Lord, art my ftrong rock and fortrefs, unto which I will always refort: Lord keep me as the apple of thine eye, hide me under the fhadow of thy wings..

Strengthen my weak faith against the strong af faults of fatan; fupport and comfort me in all the fears and terrors of mine own accufing conscience; protect and keep me in this present journey; let thy holy angels be my bleffed guardians, to protect me in life, to preserve me in death, and to affift me after death.

O let me never grieve those bleffed fpirits, (which though invifible, yet more affuredly are my attendants ;) Lord, as thou haft given them readiness and cheerfulness of mind to watch my prefervation, and further my falvation, fo give me carefulness and

conftancy of foul to enjoy them in my life and converfation.

And seeing, Lord, I cannot know my hour of diffolution, O teach me so to number my days, that I may apply my heart unto heavenly wisdom; that I may obtain a sweet affurance of thy love in Chrift; unfeigned forrow for my fins, a fincere and constant heart to thy service, and a chearful readinefs at thy call. AMEN.

CHAP. XI.

CONTAINING PIOUS MEDITATIONS, AND ZEALOUS EJACULATIONS AFTER A JOURNEY.

I AM now by God's gracious providence returned fafe unto mine earthly home, but am still travelling to my heavenly: there is nothing in this life but labour and forrow, nothing in that but rest and happiness, and yet, I dote upon the one, and neglect the other.. Lord, if my treasure were with thee, my heart would be there alfo: when thou givest me more knowledge of thee, I fhall have more defire to come unto thee: when my fins have made me more fenfible of mine own mifery, thy grace, (I truft) will make me more capable of thy fweet mercy..

Lord, if this vain unquietnefs be fo refiefhing to y mortal body, how truly bleffed will thy heavenly reft be to mine immortal foul? when thou Lord, wilt wipe away all tears from mine eyes, all akings from my heart; when there fhall be no more death, neither forrow, not crying, nor any more pain; when foul and body fhall triumphantly and joyfully repose folves in thee for ever: when they fhall drink ey of the rivers of thy pleafures, and be for ever. fatished with the fatnefs of thy houfe.

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I confess myself unworthy to enjoy this outward reft in this mine earthly home, much more unworthy to enjoy that inward reft, that sweet affurance of a lively hope, to be partaker of eternal reft: howwretched is my body without this outward quietnefs? how much more wretched is my foul without thee? thou O Lord, art my fhield, to defend me, my staff, to uphold me, my food to sustain me, my wine to glad me, my beloved to embrace me, my pleasure to delight me, my joy to ravish me, my fweet and safe repofe for ever to refresh me.

Let this teach me, O Lord, to fix my thoughts on heaven and heavenly things; to use this world foberly in thee, and to thee; to view it (truly as it is) a barren wilderness, a tranfitory, vain, and empty thing, far inconfiftent with my real happiness; to defire nothing, to enjoy nothing in the creature, but only in, and unto thee the great Creator; so shall no pleasure bewitch me, no unjuft profit beguile me, no fudden forrow difmay me, no terrors of conscience affright me.

TO thee, O thou fovereign of my foul, do I devote the remnant of my finful days, to love thee, to praise thee, to honor thee, to rest in the for ever.

Lord, wean me from the fins and miferies of this life, and raife my thoughts to immortality: let the fweetness of thy heavenly joys relieve the harshness

of my worldly forrows, that mifery may be fwallowed up of mercy, and frailty of eternity.

Unite me in a blessed union with thee, that I may constantly adhere unto thee, and be for ever gracioufly accepted of thee: O give me a sweet complacency of foul in thy service, and a willing and a dutiful obedience unto thy commands.

Lord, give me a thankful heart for all thy mercies to me, for thy continual prefervation, for thy bleffed fupportation, for the enjoyment of thy needful comforts in this life, and for the glorious hopes of thofe in that to come.

Bleffed God, fo fublimate my finful foul, that I may fee the richness of thy love in Chrift, that I may soberly enjoy thy bleffings here, and faithfully expect thy joys hereafter.

Lord, all that I have without thee, is mere emptiness, and nothing, mere vanity, and worse than nothing; my glory, fhame; mine honor, ignominy; my health, ruin; my riches, poverty; my gain, lofs; my pleasure, pain; my laughter, madness.

Thou, O Lord, art all in all unto me, O grant that nothing may withdraw thy fervice from thee, that no inclining pleasure may allure me, that no distracting care, or finful forrow may disturb me, but that my foul may now and ever fafely and contented-ly rely upon thee.