prove a marvellous ftrengthening and refreshing of thy patience. For in recompence of that fhort violence, which thou voluntarily offereft to thy own will now, thou shalt enjoy thy will for ever in Heaven. For there thou fhalt find whatsoever thou willeft: Whatfoever thou canft poffibly defire. There thou fhalt have the full enjoyment of all good, without the fear of lofing any part thereof. There thy will being always one with mine fhall covet nothing out of me, nothing private or particular. There thou fhalt meet with no refiftance, no complaints against thee, no contradictions, no obftacles: But all the things thou wifheft. fhall be prefent at once, and fhall content the whole defire of thy heart, and fill it even to the brim. There will I render glory, for ignominy patiently born; the garment of praife, for the fpirit of heaviness, for the lowermost seat, an everlasting Throne. There the fruit of obedience fhall appear, the labour of penance be turned into joy, and hnmble fubjection be exalted to a Crown of glory.

VII. Now, therefore, humble thy felf under the hand of all: Nor trouble thy head who it is that bids or orders this or that.

But make it thy principal care, to take all in good part, and to perform and accomplish with a hearty good will whatfoever is enjoin'd, or even hinted to thee, whether by thy fuperior, thy inferior, or equal. Let one man feek this, and another that; let him glory in this thing, the other in that, and let them be prais'd and extoll'd by millions of tongues: For thy part, do thou neither glory in one thing, nor another, but place thy whole fatisfaction in the contempt of thy felf, and in my good pleasure and honour alone. This ought to be thy with, that whether by life, or death, Gop may be always glorify'd in thee.

CHAP. L.

How a Defolate and afflicted Perfon ought to refign himself into the Hands of GOD.

I.

'L

ORD GOD, Holy Father, blessed be thou now and for ever; because as thou willeft, fo is it done; and what thou doft, is good. Let thy fervant rejoice in thee, not in himself, nor in any other: Because thou alone art the true joy: Thou art my hope, and my Crown: Thou art

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my rejoicing, and my glory, O Lord. What hath thy fervant, but what he hath received from thee, and that without any merit of his? Thine are all things whatsoever thou haft given and whatsoever thou haft made. I am poor and in mifery, even from my youth up; and fometimes my foul is forrowful, even unto tears: Sometimes alfo it torments and difquiets it felf with the henfion of threatning evils.

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II. I long for the joy of peace, I earnestly crave the peace of thy Children, who are fed by thee in the light of confolation. If thou give peace, if thou infufe holy joy, the foul of thy fervant fhall be filled with gladness, and devoutly overflow in thy praifes. But if thou turn away thy face, as thou art often wont, he fhall not be able to run the way of thy commandments but rather he boweth his knees, and in the anguifh of his foul beateth his breast, because it is not with him, as it was yesterday, and the day before, when thy lamp fhined upon his head, and under the fhadow of thy wings he was bid, and prorected from the affaults of temptations.

III. O righteous Father, and ever to be

• Pfal. Ixxxviii. 17. b Pfal. cxix. c job. xxix. 3. Pfal. vii. §.

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praised, the hour is come for thy fervant to be tried. Dearest Father, meet it is, that in this hour thy fervant fuffer fomething for thy fake. O evermore adorable Father, the hour is come, which from all Eternity thou forekneweft would come; wherein it is expedient for thy fervant to be afflicted and mortify'd for a fhort space in the outward Man, being nevertheless always alive with thee in the inner Man. Let him be defpifed a-while, let him be humbled, and be abafed before men, let him be bruifed and broken with fufferings and infirmities; that he may rife again with thee in the Morning of a new day, and be glorify'd in Heaven. Holy Father, fo haft thou ordained, and fo will'd; and this is come to pass, which thou thy felf hadst appointed.

IV. For this is a demonftration of thy peculiar grace and favour to thy friend, to let him fuffer, and be in tribulation in the world, for the love of thee, how often, and by what hand foever thou permitteft it to fall upon him. Without thy counfel and Providence, and without a reason, nothing is done upon earth. It is good for me, O Lord, that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy ftatutes, and dif

e Pfal. cxix 71.
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card all proud elevations of heart, and prefumptuous confidences. Profitable it is for me, that shame hath covered my face, that I may have recourfe to thee, rather than to men, for comfort. I have learnt alfo from hence, to tremble at thy unfearchable Judgments; who afflictest the just together with the righteous, but not without equity and justice.

V. I render thanks unto thee, for that thou haft been nothing fparing of thy afflictions, but haft furrowed my flesh with bitter fcourgings, inflicting pains, and purfuing me with diftreffes and anguishes within and without. There is nothing can comfort me of all things under Heaven, but thou my Lord GOD, the heavenly Phyfician of fouls: Who woundeft, and healeft; bringeft down to the grave, and raifeft up again. Let thy chaftifement be upon me; and thy very rod fhall teach me wif dom.

VI. Behold, dearest Father, I am in thy hands, under the rod of thy correction I bow my felf: Smite my back and my neck, fet right my crooked, perverfe will, and bring it to an abfolute conformity to thine.

Pfal. Ixix, 7.

g Pfal. xviii 35.

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