thou utter one complaint of the evil of thy state? Is any labor too painful to be undertaken, any affliction too severe to be sustained, for eternal life? Is the gain or loss of the kingdom of God an alternative of no importance? Lift up thy thoughts and thy desires, therefore, continually to heaven. Be· hold, all who have taken up the cross, and followed me, the Captain of their salvation, in resisting and conquering the evil of this fallen state, now rejoice securely, and shall abide with me for ever in the kingdom of my Father!

DISCIPLE.

O most blessed mansions of the heavenly Jerusalem! O most effulgent day of eternity, which night obscureth not, but the supreme truth continually enlighteneth! a day of perennial peace and joy, incapable of change or intermission! It shineth now in the full splendor of perpetual light, to the blessed; but to the poor pilgrims on earth, it appeareth only at a great distance, and "through a glass darkly.” The redeemed sons of heaven triumph in the perception of the joys of this eternal day, while the distressed sons of Eve lament the irksomeness of days teeming with distress and anguish. How is man defiled with sins, agitated with passions, disquieted with fears, tortured with cares, embarrassed with refinements, deluded with vanities, encompassed · with errors, worn out with labors, vexed with temptations, enervated with pleasures, and tormented with want!

O when will these various evils be no more? When shall I be delivered from the slavery of sin?

When, O Lord, shall my thoughts and desires centre and be fixed in thee alone? When shall I regain my native liberty? O, when will peace return, and be established; peace from the troubles of the world, and the disorders of sinful passions; universal peace, incapable of interruption; that "peace which passeth all understanding?" When, O most merciful Jesus! when shall I stand in pure abstraction from all inferior good, to gaze upon thee, and contemplate the wonders of redeeming love? When wilt thou be to me all in all ? O, when shall I dwell with thee in that kingdom, which thou hast prepared for thy beloved before the foundations of the world?

Soften, I beseech thee, the rigor of my banishment, assuage the violence of my sorrow! for my soul thirsteth after thee; and all that the world offers for my comfort, would but add more weight to the burden that oppresses me. I long, O Lord, to enjoy thee truly, and would fain rise to a constant adherence to heavenly objects; but the power of earthly objects, operating upon my unmortified passions, keeps me down. My mind labors to be superior to the good and evil of this animal life, but my body constrains it to be subject to them. And thus, “ wretched man that I am,” while the spirit is always tending to heaven, and the flesh to earth, my heart is the seat of incessant war, and I am a burden to myself!

O, what do I suffer, when raising my soul to thee, a crowd of carnal images suddenly rush upon me, and intercept my flight. "O my God, be not far from me! Put not away thy servant in anger!

Cast forth thy lightning, and scatter" the illusions of the enemy; "shoot out thine arrows, and destroy” his power! Call in my wandering thoughts and desires, and unite them to thyself; efface the impressions of worldly objects; give me power to cast away immediately the imaginations of wickedness. O Eternal Truth, establish me in thyself, that no blast of vanity may have power to move me! O 'immaculate purity, enter the temple of my heart, and let all that is unholy be driven from thy presence!

In merciful compassion to my infirmity, pardon me, O Lord, my wandering thoughts in prayer. I confess that my distractions are great and frequent; and, instead of being present in spirit where I stand or kneel, I am carried to various places, just as my roving thoughts lead me. Thou, O Truth, hast expressly declared, that "where the treasure is, there will the heart be also." And accordingly I find, in the various revolutions of my changeable heart, that when I love heaven, I take pleasure in meditating on heavenly enjoyments; when I love the world, I think with delight on its advantages, and with sorrow on its troubles; when I love the flesh, my imagination wanders among its various pleasures; when I love the Spirit, my faculties are with holy joy devoted to spiritual exercises. Whatever I chiefly love, of that I delight chiefly to hear and speak; and I carry home with me the diversified images of it, even to my most secret retirement.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

The Desire and Promise of Eternal Life.

CHRIST.

My son, when thou perceivest the heaven-born desire of eternal life rising within thee, open thy heart wide, and with all the eagerness of hunger, receive this holy inspiration. Without any mixture of complacency, and self-admiration, let all thy thanks and praise be faithfully rendered to the sovereign goodness, which so mercifully dealeth with thee, so condescendingly visitest thee, so fervently exciteth thee, and so powerfully raiseth thee up, lest, by the propensity of thy own nature, thou shouldst be immovably fixed to the earth. For this new principle of life within thee is not the production of thy own reasoning, and thy own efforts, but is the fruit of divine grace, and redeeming love, to lead thee on to holiness, to fill thee with humility, to sustain thee in all conflicts with sinful nature, and to enable thee to adhere to me with all thy heart.

The fire of devotion is often ardent, in thy heart; but the flame ascends not without smoke. Thy desires, while they burn for the enjoyment of heaven, are sullied with the dark vapors of carnal affection; and that which is so earnestly sought from God, is not sought wholly and purely for his honor. That cannot be pure, which is mixed with self-interest. Make not, therefore, thy own delight and advantage, but my will and honor, the ground and measure

of all thy requests; for if thou judgest according to truth, thou wilt cheerfully submit to my appointment, and always prefer the accomplishment of my will to the gratification of thy desires.

I know thy desire, and thy groaning is not hid from me. Thou wouldst this moment be admitted into the glorious liberty of the sons of God; thou longest for the immediate possession of the celestial mansions, and the unfading pleasures of the heavenly Canaan: but thy hour is not yet come. Thou wishest now to be filled with the sovereign good; but thou art not yet capable of enjoying it.

Thou must be proved upon earth, and exercised with various troubles. Some measures of consolation shall be imparted, to animate and sustain thee in thy conflicts; but the plenitude of peace and joy is reserved for the future world. "Be strong, and of good courage," therefore, in doing and in suffering; for thou must now "put on the new man," with new perceptions, will, and desires.

While this important change is making, thou wilt often be obliged to relinquish thy own will, and do that which thou dislikest, and forbear that which thou choosest. Often the designs of others will succeed, and thy own prove abortive; what others say shall be listened to with eager attention, but what thou sayest shall either not be heard, or rejected with disdain ; others shall ask once, and receive; thou shalt ask often, and not obtain; the tongue of fame shall speak long and loud of the accomplishments of others, and be utterly silent of thine; and others shall be advanced to stations of wealth and honor, while