love, thou shalt then endure the bitter ftorms of his incenfed wrath.

If thou wilt not embrace his mercy, thou fhalt exalt his juftice: "I called unto you (faith God) and ye refused to come, I held out my hand, and ye would not look towards me; therefore will I forsake you in your extremity, when your fear cometh as defolation, and your destruction as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you; then shall they call upon me, but I will not anfwer, they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me." Prov. 1. 24, 27, 28.

God's clemency and patience in this life, will asfuredly exasperate his fury and revenge, in that to come; as his mercy is unutterable, fo his juftice is intollerable, both are his divine being, and therefore both muft needs be infinite; both are to manifest his glory, and therefore both must be eternal.

From hence is that expreffion of St. Paul, “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," Heb. 10. From hence it is that wicked men are left unto their own fwing in this life, that they may be payed home with Gods wrath in that

to come.

Let this teach me, O my foul, to welcome thefe endeared motions of the gladding fpirit, to thirst for them, to rejoice in them, to think no thought too dear to be diflodged for them.

Bleffed Lord, I hear thee calling thy holy apoftle Saint Peter, and I fee him readily forfaking all to follow thee; how often haft thou called me a finful wretch, by the sweet motions of thy blessed spirit ; and I have hitherto refused to forfake the very leaft of all my fins, for thy fake, who willingly forfookeft all the pleasures of this life for mine: long haft thou waited my repentance, but I have yet hated to be reformed. Mercy hath been offered, and I have not esteemed it, Judgment hath been threatened, and I have not regarded it; thou haft not only whispered unto me by thy gracious vifits of thy blessed spirit, but thou haft even called me aloud, by thy divine hand of wholesome chastisement: by lofs of friends, by lofs of means, by loss of health, by loss of liberty, (and without thy rich mercy by the great danger of that greater lofs of thy gofpel, and thereby of thy gracious presence in this life, and thine eternal joys in that to come. All this my fins have justly brought upon me, and yet for all this, my wretched heart defires to be a ftranger to thee.

Lord, who am I that thou fo graciously invitest unto mercy? Lord, what am I that now prefume to speak unto thee? I am so deformed, and contemptible, that mine own knowledge cometh far short of mine own mifery. O how justly mightest thou for ever leave me to myself, to eat the fruit of

mine own ways, and to be filled with the falfhood of mine own devices, to poffefs forrow, and inherit fhame? but thou, O Lord, who art infinite in goodness, haft manifefted to my finful foul, that when I wretchedly forfake thee, thou readily forfakeft all to follow me; when I run from thee, thou bewaileft me, when mifery compels me to return, thou joyfully receiveft me, thou lovingly relievest me, thou then graciously accepteft of me; and now, O Lord, when I have even wearied out thy mercy and compaffion towards me, thou still inviteft me to come unto thee.

TO thee, therefore, O thou blessed shepherd of my foul, do I devote these penitent expreffions. O let those tributary tears, which are due to thy fufferings, be now plentifully poured forth for mine own fins. Lord pardon my contempt of grace, and graciously enable me to entertain these happy vifits of thy holy spirit, and patiently to bear these sweet chaftisements of thy heavenly hand, that I may have fellowship with Chrift, and peace with God.

If thou, Lord, for the fins of my prosperity, shalt think it fit to bring upon me the miseries of adverfity, for the great neglect of thy gracious visits, to deny me the sweet comforts of thy blessed anfwers, yet give me patience, and fure confidence to truft ftill in thy mercy, that fo while I am most

justly debarred of my longing defires, I may not be utterly deprived of thy loving favors.

Lord, cast me not away from thy prefence, O leave me not unto myfelf, left I perifh everlastingly; make me to fee the richness of thy love and favor towards me: quicken the motions of thy bleffed fpirit in me, renew my good thoughts, and fix them wholly upon heaven and heavenly things; Lord Jefus make me joyful in them, and for ever truly thankful for them.

Make me willing to enjoy thee, and ready to abandon all things for thee: Lord, I now feek thee but I cannot find thee, I call upon thee, but thou answerest me not: O kiss me with the kiffes of thy mouth, for thy love is better than wine.

Lord let thy left hand support me, and thy right hand embrace me, let it be outwardly, and inwardly fuftained by thee; my weakness by thy power, my rebellion by thine obedience, my folly by thy wif dom, my pollution by thy fanctification, my faith by thy fruition, that I may be grieved for thine abfence, delighted in thy presence, enamored with thy beauty, enriched with thy bounty, inflamed with thy love, adorned with thy graces, comforted with thy confolation, encompaffed with thy glory.AMEN.

CHAP. XV.

UPON THE CONSIDERATION OF GOD'S PECULIAR PROVIDENCE TO HIS CHILDREN.

LORD,

NOTHING can befal me in this life, without thy wife, and over-ruling providence: not fo much as one hair of me can fall without thy allowance, for even my very hairs are numbered; as a fparrow cannot fall to the ground, fo neither a hair from mine head without thy facred leave: and if thy bleffed providence protecteth thefe inferior creatures, if it extend itself even unto excrements, how much more fafely doft thou guard the bodies, how much more tenderly the fouls of thine ele&t? Yet, fuch is my ftupidity by nature, that I feldom Look beyond the fecond caufes; I ufually content myself with cafuals and contingencies, and often judge that merely accidental, which sweetly moves by thy commands, to thine appointment, and thy childrens good.

Thy providence is eternal, thy provifion in time; thou, O Lord, art infinitely wife, and canft therefore provide infinitely well, the end thou ordaineft to thyself, the means to thy creature; good and bad