"move upon" this barren "earth:" I am as the "earth, without form, and void ;” a deep covered with darkness, till thou sayest, "Let there be light.” Pour forth thy treasures from the throne of grace; water my heart with the dew of heaven, that the barren soil may produce good fruit worthy to be of fered up to thee. Raise my fallen soul, oppressed with the burden of sin; draw all my desire after thee; and give me such a perception of the permanent glories of heaven, that I may despise and forget the fleeting vanities of earth! O force me from myself! snatch me away from the delusive enjoyment of creatures, who are unable to appease my restless desires! Unite me to thyself by the indissoluble bonds of love; for thou only canst satisfy the lover, to whom the whole universe, without thee, is "vanity and nothing!” CHAPTER XVII. Inspection into the Conduct of others. CHRIST. "what SON, indulge not vain curiosity, nor surrender thy spirit to the dominion of unprofitable cares : is that to thee? follow thou me." What, indeed, to thee, are the words, the actions, and characters, of the idle and the busy, the ignorant and the vain? The burden of thy own sins is as much as thou canst bear, thou wilt not be required to answer for the sins of others; why perplex thyself with their conduct? Behold, I understand the thoughts afar off, and nothing that is done under the sun can escape my notice. I search the personal secrets of every heart, and know what it thinks, what it desires, and to what its intention is principally directed. All inspection, therefore, and all judgment being referred to me, do thou study only to preserve thyself in true peace, and leave the restless to be as restless as they will. They cannot deceive Omniscience; and whatever evil they have done or said, it will fall upon their own heads. Hunt not after that fleeting shadow, a great name; covet not a numerous acquaintance, nor court the favor and affection of particular persons; for these produce distraction and darkness of heart. I would freely visit thee with instruction, and reveal my secrets to thee, if, in abstraction from cares, thou didst faithfully watch my coming, and keep the door of thy heart open to receive me. Be wise: "watch and pray ;" and humble thyself continually, under the sense of thy numerous imperfections and wants. CHAPTER XVIII. In what Peace and Perfection consist. CHRIST. SON, I once said to my disciples, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you." Peace is what all desire; but the things that belong to peace, few regard. My peace dwells only with the humble and the meek, and is found only in the exercise of much patience. If thou wilt hearken to me, and obey my voice, thou mayst enjoy a large portion of true peace. DISCIPLE. Lord! what shall I do? CHRIST. Keep a strict guard over all thy words and actions; let the bent of thy mind be to please me only, and to desire and seek after no good but me; and if, with this, thou refrainest from censuring the words and actions of other men, and dost not perplex thy spirit with business that is not committed to thy trust, thou wilt but seldom feel trouble, and never feel it much. Indeed, to be wholly exempt from trouble, and suffer no distress either of mind or body, belongs not to thy present life, but is the prerogative of that perfect state, where evil is not known. Think not, therefore, that thou hast found true peace, when thou happenest to feel no burden of sin or sorrow; that all is well, when thou meetest with no adversary; neither exalt thyself in thy own esteem because thou hast felt the raptures of devotion, and tasted the sweetness of spiritual fervor : for by these marks the lover of perfection is not known; nor doth perfection itself, and man's progress towards it, consist in such exemptions and enjoyments. DISCIPLE. In what then, O Lord ? CHRIST. In offering up himself with his whole heart, to the will of God; never seeking his own will either in small or great respects, either in time or in eternity; but with an equal mind, weighing all events in the balance of the sanctuary, and receiving both pros perity and adversity with continual thanksgiving. If, when deprived of spiritual comfort, thou prepare thy heart for severer trials, not justifying thyself, and extolling thy holiness as that which ought to have exempted thee from such sufferings, but justifying me in all my appointments; then thou wilt walk in the direct path to true peace, and thy spirit will be supported with the sure hope of seeing my face again in unutterable joy. The ground of this high attainment, is an absolute contempt and forgetfulness of self; and when that is established, know that thou wilt enjoy peace in as full abundance, as it can possibly be enjoyed in this state of exile from heaven! DISCIPLE. Lord! it is the prerogative of a regenerate man, never to relax in his desire after his first state in thee; and in the midst of innumerable cares and dangers that surround him, to pass on without solicitude, not from insensibility, but by a power of liberty peculiar to the mind that is delivered from inordinate affection to the creatures. I beseech thee, therefore, O my most merciful God! to preserve me from the cares of this fallen life, that my thoughts may not be darkened and perplexed; from the importunate wants and necessities of the body, that I may not be ensnared by the love of sensual pleasure; and from all impediments to the regenerate life, that I may not be subdued and cast down by trouble and despair. O my God! who art benignity and sweetness inexpressible! turn into bitterness all such consolation, as draws my mind from the desire of eternity. O my God! let not flesh and blood subdue me; let not the world, and the transient glory of it, deceive me; let not the devil, and his subtle reasoning, supplant me. Give me courage to resist, patience to suffer, and constancy to persevere! Give me, instead of worldly comfort, the divine unction of thy Holy Spirit; and for carnal love, pour into my heart the love of thy blessed name! Behold, the care of food and raiment, which it is difficult to separate from vain decoration, and the indulgence of the sensual appetite, is grievous and burdensome to a fervent spirit. Grant me grace, therefore, to use all things pertaining to the body with moderation; and not anxiously to desire the possession of them, nor bitterly lament the want. To cast all away, the law of nature does not permit ; for na |