if I fhould feem to have any good thing in me! O how profoundly ought I to humble and abase my self, under the amazing view of the abyfs of thy Judgments, O Lord! in which I find my felf to be nothing else, but nothing, yea, purely nothing: Oweight immenfe! O boundless unfathomable Ocean! wherein I find nothing of my felf, but only this, that I proceeded out of nothing, and am entirely and throughout nothing. Where then is the place but for the fhadow of glory to lurk in? What is become of all prefumption, and falfe confidence upon conceit of my own virtue? All vain glorying is fwallowed up in the depth of thy Judgments

over me.

my

IV. What is all flesh in thy fight? Shall the clay exalt it felf against the potter that fashioned it? How is it poffible for that man to be lifted up with vain applaufe, whofe heart is truly fubjected to GOD? No, the whole world fhall never be able to lift him up, whom the Truth hath fubjected to it felf; nor fhall the praises of all mouths in the leaft move him, who hath fix'd and eftablish'd his whole hope in God. For even they that speak, behold they alfo are all of them nothing; for they fhall pass away

with the found of their own words. But the truth of the Lord endureth for evera.

I.

CHAP. XV.

How we ought to ftand affected, and in what manner we should address our felves to God in all our Defires.

SON

JESUS-CHRIST.

ON, let this be thy language upon every occafion: "Lord, if it be thy pleasure, grant me this request. If this conduce to thy glory, be it done in thy holy Name. Lord, if thou feeft that this " is expedient for me, and will turn to my advantage, then grant it me, and with it grace, to use it to thy honour. But if "thou knoweft it will prove hurtful to me, "and that it is no furtherance to the good ❝ of my foul, remove from me fuch a defire:

For every defire is not from the Holy Spirit, tho' it may seem right and good in a man's own eyes. It is difficult to judge certainly, whether thou art acted by a good

■ Pfal. cxvii. v. 2.

or

or an evil Spirit, in defiring this or that; or whether thou art not push'd on by thy own inclination, and fome private refpects. Many in the end have been deceived, who at first thought themselves under the influence and conduct of a good Spirit.

2. Whatsoever therefore prefents it felf unto thy mind as defirable, the fame must thou defire and ask always in the fear of GOD, and with humility of heart: And thou must be fure to leave the whole matter, with an entire fubmission of thy own will, to my difpofal, and to fay: "Lord thou knoweft "what is beft; Let this, orthat thing be "done, even as it feemeth good to thee. "Give me what thou pleaseft, and as much " as thou pleaseft, and when thou pleaseft. "Give me fuch things, and in such mea"fures, and at fuch times, as thou thy felf pleasest. Deal with me, as thou knowest " is convenient, as it feemeth best to thy "divine will, and is most conducive to thy own glory. Place me where thou wilt, ❝and difpole of me in all things at pleasure. "I am in thy hand, turn, and return me, " from place to place, from fortune to "fortune. Behold, I am thy fervant, ready prepared for all things; fince I de"fire not to live unto my felf, but unto my thee:

"thee: And O that I could do it worthily "and perfectly!

A Prayer for Grace to do the Will of God.

G

III Rant me, fweetest Saviour, the grace of thy Spirit; that it may be prefent with me, and labour with me, and persevere with me even unto the end. Grant me ever to defire, and to will that, which is most acceptable, and best pleafing unto thee. Let thy will be mine, and my will always follow thine, and perfectly agree with it. Let me have the fame likings, and diflikings with thee; nor let it be poffible for me to like, or diflike any thing, but what thou likeft and diflikeft.

IV. Grant me to die unto all things, that are in the world; and for thy fake to welcome fcorn and contempt. But grant me above all defires to reft in thee, and to repose my heart in thy peace. Thou art the true peace of the heart, thou the only reft; out of thee all is trouble and difquiet. In this Peace, for that very end, that is, in thee, the one Sovereign Eternal Good, I will lay me down, and take my reft. Amen.

Wifd. ix. 10.

CHAP.

CHAP. XVI.

That true Comfort is to be fought in GoD

1.

W

alone.

THE SOUL.

Hatfoever of comfort I can poffibly either defire or conceive, I expect not here, but hereafter. And had I alone all the comforts, and could I enjoy all the delights the world can afford, certain it is they could not last long. Wherefore thou canst not, O my foul, be fully comforted, nor perfectly delighted, fave only in Gop the comforter of the poor, and fuftainer of the humble. Wait a little, my foul, wait the divine promife, and thou fhalt have an abundance of all good things in Heaven. If thou covet inordinately the prefent enjoyments of this life, thou fhalt lofe those that are eternal, and heavenly. Use thefe temporal things, but defire only those that are eternal. Thou canst not be fatiffied with any temporal good, because thou waft not created for the enjoyment of fuch.

II. Tho' thou wert poffefs'd of all created goods, yet couldft thou not be happy and Eleffed but in GOD, the Creator of all Q 2

things