profited? If thou wouldest have peace of heart, and true union with GOD, thou must throw all other things behind thee, and keep thy felf only in view.

III. Thou shalt therefore profit much, if thou keep thy felf free from the care of all temporal things. On the other hand, thou wilt lofe ground exceedingly, if thou value any thing that is temporal. Let not thing appear to thee great, nothing high, nothing pleafant, nothing worth defiring, but purely. GOD, or the things that be of GOD. Count it all vain, whatfoever confolation cometh from any creature. Ai foul enamour'd of Gop, defpifeth all things fhort of GOD. The eternal and infinite GOD alone, that filleth all things, is the comfort of the foul, and true joy of the heart.

I.

CHAP. VI.

Of the Joy of a good Confcience

T

HE glory of a good man, is the teftimony of a good confcience.

a Keep

a good confcience, and thou fhalt ever have

joy. A good confcience is able to bear a great deal, and is very chearful in the midft of croffes and afflictions. An evil conscience is always full of fear, and difquietude. Thou fhalt enjoy a fweet repofe and tranquillity of fpirit, if thy heart reproach thee not. Never rejoice, except only when thou haft done well. The finner hath never any true joy, nor taste of inward peace: Because there is no peace to the wicked, faith the Lord". And if they fhould fay, we are in peace; there fhall no evil come upon us; and who ball dare to hurt us? believe them not; for the fury of the Lord fhall rife up all of a fudden against them, and all their devices fhall vanith like fmoke, and their thoughts fhall perish with them.

II. To glory in tribulation, is no difficult thing to the lover; for fo to glory, is to glory in the cross of our Lord Jefus Chrift Short is that glory, which men give and receive from one another. The glory of the world is always accompanied with fadnefs. The glory of good men lies in their own confciences, and not in the mouth of men. The joy of the juft is from GOD, and

Ifa. Ivii., 21.

Rgm. v. 3.

Gal, vi. 14.

in GoD: And their rejoicing is founded upon truth. The man that defireth true and eternal glory, values not that which is temporal. And the man that feeketh temporal glory, or that defpifes it not from his heart, gives a fufficient proof of his not loving, as he ought, that which is heavenly and eternal Great peace and tranquillity of heart is the portion of that man, who is moved neither with praifes nor difpraifes.

III. The man whofe confcience is clean and pure, is contented in any condition; and calm and compofed under any treatment. Thou art not the holier, for being praised; nor the less valuable for being vilified. What thou art, that art thou; neither can the world make thee greater, than what thou art in the fight of God. If thou attend to what thou art in thy felf inwardly, thou wilt not care what men day of thee. Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the beart. Man confi dereth the action, but Gon weigheth the intention. To be always doing well, and to think meanly of his own performances, is an argument of an humble foul. To refufe

1 Sam. xvi. 7.

to be comforted by any created thing, is a mark of fingular purity, and of an internal affurance.

IV. The man that feeketh not any outward teftimony for himself, gives a manifest proof of his having committed himself wholly to Gov. For not he that commendeth himself, is approved (faith bleffed Paul) but whom the Lord commendeth. To walk with GOD inwardly, and not to be taken up with any defire or affection outwardly; this is the state of the internal man.

I.

CHAP. VII.

Of the Love of Jefus above all things.

Leffed is the man that understandeth what it is to love Jefus, and to defpife himself for the fake of Jefus. Thou muft quit whatever thou loveft for this Beloved; because Jefus requires us to love him alone above all things. The Love of the creature is deceitful and unftable: The Love of Jefus is faithful, and eternal. He

C

e 2 Cor. x. 18.

that

that cleaveth to the creature, fhall fall with that which is fubject to fall: He that embraceth Jefus, fhall stand firm for ever. Love him, and keep him thy friend, who, tho' all the world leave thee, will not forfake thee, not fuffer thee finally to perish, Thou must fome time or other be feparated from all, whether thou wilt or no,

II. Keep clofe to Jefus, living and dying: And commit thy felf to his faithfulnefs, who, when all fail, can alone help thee. Thy Beloved is of fuch a nature, that he will not admit of a rival or competitor with him, but will himself have the fole poffeffion of thy heart, and fit as King in his own throne. If thou couldft empty thy felf entirely of all created things, eJus would willingly come and dwell with Whatsoever Love or regard thou fhalt allow to any thing out of Jefus, will be found in a manner perfectly loft and thrown away. Truft not to, nor lean upon a reed fhaken with the wind: For all flesh is grafs, and all the glory thereof Jhall wither away as the flower of the field bon

'thee.

III. Thou wilt quickly be deceived, if