CHAP. XVII.

UPON MAN'S INORDINATE LOVE TO THE

CREATURE.

WHE is me that I am conftrained to live in Mesheth, and to dwell in the tents of Cedar; who is me that I was conceived in fin, that I was born in fin, and that I have fo long been captive to the power of fin: how vain am I, how wretched to beguile myself of reft and quietnefs? O how unworthy to defile my marriage-vows, to prostitute my love to these unclean and falfe embraces, of a finful world, to dig unto myself these broken cifterns of impure and empty joys, and to forfake thofe living waters of eternal life: O woeful catiff, if I well confider what I am; but far more woeful, if I feriously confider what I should be.

Lord, when I was in my blood, thou faidft unto me, live; when I was caft out, and no eye pitied me, then thou hadft mercy on me; when I was naked, thou clothed me; when I was wounded, thou healed me; nay, more, Lord, thou didst uncloath thyself for me, and by thy wounds I am healed; when I was loathfome in mine own eyes, I

was beautiful in thine, and when all this is not yet enough to manifeft thy wonderful compaffions towards me, thou feedeft me at thine own table, thou lodgeft me in thine own bosom, thou makest me partaker of thine own inheritance.

Bleffed God, what couldst thou have done more for me that thou haft not done? And yet for all this I forfake thee, I neglect thee, I abuse thee, I adulterate those many vows and promises I made unto thee. And now, Lord, when I am even afhamed to prefent myself before thee, when my false heart hath been so great a stranger to thy blesfed bofom, that I am even afraid to kneel to thee for mercy; thou graciously forgiveft me, thou bemoaneft my fin, thou hideft my fhame, thou makest love unto me, and (to the wonder of my foul) delightest still to set thy love upon me,

Thou, my bleffed Saviour haft told me, that if I were of this world, it would love me, but now I am not of this world, that the world hateth me: Lord, what madness is this in me to love mine utter enemy? to delight in her bofom, which hunteth for my precious life? to forfake thee, the pleasant lilly of the vallies, the sweet refreshments of eternity, to weary out, and wound my foul amongft the bryars of this barren wilderness? Thou Lord, haft faid unto me, arife my love, my fair one, and come away; thou inviteft me from the fhowers and tem

pests of a stormy winter, from the cares and troubles of a discontented life, to the fweet dews of thy graces, the gentle breathing of thy fpirit, the tender buds of thy love, the lovely bloffoms of thy goodnefs, the pleasant fruit of thy promifes, the joyful crop of thy performances: and notwithstanding all this I ftill cry,-yet a little more fleep, yet a little more flumber, yet a little more folding of the hands together; yet a little more fin, yet a little more fhame, yet a little more forrow.

Ah, Lord, what is there in the creature, that thus ftrangely bewitcheth me? or rather what is there not in it, that is not every minute ready to betray me, and defpoil me of those precious ornaments of foul which thou haft given me ; the cares and croffes of this life afflict me, the pleasures before me, the prophets disturb me, pride puffeth me up, and even mine own heart deceiveth me, by calling good evil, and evil good; by making that fweet in the expectation, which is bitter in the fruition: Lord, while I have fought the creature, I have loft myself, my body in diftempers, my foul in diftractions.

That precious faith which is the ground of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen, whofe end is the falvation of my foul, which is thy gift who art the God of truth, is now drowned in a fea of error, and justly given up to believe dreams.

and delufions, and doctrines of devils; to truft wholly in vanity, and to follow after lying.

That faving knowledge, by which I was formerly enlightened in thy facred truths, is now blinded with the foggy mifts of fin and ignorance: this Lord, is my great aggravation, and just condemna tion, that light is come into the world, and I have loved darkness better than light.

That glorious hope which maketh not afhamed, but expecteth an inheritance eternal in the heavens, which fadeth not away, is now become a vain and empty hope delighted with fin, rewarded with fhame.

Those blessed affections by which my happy foul was wont to walk in thy ways, and to delight itself in thy commands, are now wearied out in ways. of wickedness; and that heart which hath so often promised obedience unto thee and thy laws, hath now forfaken thee the living God, and hath made a covenant with death and hell.

Thus am I robbed and spoiled of all, and am become poor, and wretched, and blind, and naked, and miserable; my whole head is fick, and my whole heart is faint; I have fown in iniquity, and must in affliction; I am intoxicated with the wine of error, that stings me like a serpent, and bites me

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like a cockatrice: and yet, when I awake (such is the fadness of my prefent condition) I fay, I will feek it yet ftill..

Lord, he that is once out of thy path, knoweth not the length of his journey, and may well fear to loose himself for ever.

And now, Lord, what is my hope? truly my hope is even in thee; thou seeft my weakness, and accepteft my willingness: thou that knoweft it impoffible that the world should be overcome by me, biddeft me be of good comfort, because thou (Lord) haft overcome the world for me; if I fight not against thee, though I am often foiled, yet I am. more than conqueror in thee..

O let this teach me joyfully to rely upon thee, to make thee the height of my joy, the end of my de-. fires, the only happy and eternal object of my finful foul: Lord, I heartily defire thee, I thankfully em-. brace thee, and do for ever vow my foul and body, to thee.

Suffer me not to wander from thy bleffed prefence, let me not longer dally nor diffemble with my foul; O let me not think that I then love thee, when I love but myself in thee; make me now at: