our own hearts strictly how they stand towards God and with what sincere delight we serve him in our Devotions for the bright flaming zeal of a sincere sigh will pierce Heaven when luke-warm words uttered aloud can find no entrance nor is at all regarded by Almighty God who allows us to knock hard at Heaven gates for entrance when our groaning hearts express our desires for He loves to be pressed with violence for his favours to shew that we value what we pray for XCIX ENdeavour above all things while thy Soul is in communion with God to keep thy affection up to Him and strive not so much for long eloquent language as to be heart-wounded in thy Petitions for when thy Devotion flags thy Prayer is done We ought always to pray as if we were that moment to die which will keep our hearts intent on the great work we are about And he that in praying can adorn his sorrow for past sins with penitential tears before he parts from God will wash them off with tears of joy for that sorrow C. THere is nothing in our view more destructful to the Souls of men then the false opinion that Christianity does impose slavish Laws upon us as if Piety only consisted in heavy burthens to be poor miserable dejected Cyphers in the World made up for sorrows and sufferings with self-denial vows against all humane natural fruitions and felicities For most men being bred up in these mistaken prejudices cannot easily be perswaded that the true Christian Gospel Rules for a Spiritual life does exceed those carnal appetites we so much struggle for and the Regenerate man as much despises in comparison of his Souls continual feasting on the expectation of Heaven whose firm belief of his Eternal joy as an adopted Son of God is a felicity above all the fading enjoyments this World can afford the most ambitious luxurious person who has all that his heart can wish that way So that no man can have a more chearful Soul then he whose faith in Christ and trust in God makes participate of all the lawful pleasures this World affords and when piously used is a delight far above what the wicked can pretend to when the terrors of an evil conscience must imbitter his fruitions And this no man can so well judge of as a converted sinner become Regenerate who has tasted and forsaken the most voluptuous pleasures this World has for the present joys his Soul finds by Faith in his Eternal Bliss which shews that a good Christian lives more pleasantly in this World then a vitious man can do CI. WHen Christ has wrought his great miracle of Conversion in the hearts of the most obdurate sinners those near lost men by his grace becoming truly Regenerate such Evangelical sincerity will grow in their hearts towards God as to take more pleasure in his service then all their past carnal fruitions did afford them So that whoever is enriched with this Grace will find Divine comforts in their retirements to be alone with God such as will beget Heavenly Raptures and preserve their hearts the whole day after from Satanical assaults and by the custom of such early Morning exercise will in time beget an habitual delight to begin the day with God and never forget those high Ejaculations until they meet the Lord again to renew and confirm their commerce for Heaven But it is no wonder that men generally great sinners are so hard to be converted because they cannot set a true value on what they understand not But most wretched those who have been thus enlightned and for some moments rais'd to Heaven yet are so frail by nature and by custom prone to evil as to forsake these Seraphick joys and return to fordid Earthly fruitions rather then continue in the assured everlasting joys of Heaven by persevering in that Righteousness which they have tasted and like not CII THough David did commit some great faults he was a man after God's own heart after that and one of the best patterns in Holy Writ fit for us to imitate for his love and gratitude to God who by custom grew to such a pious friendship with his great Maker that much of his life was spent with God alone in his retirements with whom he consulted all his affairs made all his complaints to and humbly begged whatever his needs were with such a familiar trust in God as his only support and only delight So that if we now consider David's great affairs as a King full of troubles ever in Wars though glorious by his Atchievements yet in frequent dangers vexed by a stubborn People hard to govern besides the disorders of his own Family so that we may think he omitted no opportunity to be with God that hath left so many Psalms full of such high Divine Raptures extant to manifest his great piety that it is a wonder he could get so much time for so many prayers praises and contemplations By which we may learn that in what calling so ever God has set us and what troubles so ever He appoints for us we may find time to converse with God by day and night So that if we repent confess and forsake our sins with hearts as servent towards God as David did no doubt we shall be as well received though neither Kings nor Prophets We may also call to mind that David as the least considerable person of his Family had the lowest imployment to keep his Fathers Sheep yet his heart was then set high on God or he might have been devoured by that Lion or that Bear he slew if God had not been with him And we may also think that he was better acquainted with God at his Flock then Saul was on his Throne else he had not escaped Saul's surious malice and so soon ascended that Throne By which we may see that the greatest King and meanest man may learn of David to love serve honour worship and trust in God with such a delight as will grow to a friendship with his Creator and raise his Soul up unto Heaven whatsoever his imployment on Earth is and those hours and years of our life which we trifle away as a burthen to be rid of not knowing how to spend idly enough we may imploy as David did and never be alone when most alone Thus we may enjoy a happy and blessed security on Earth and have a true courage above all such accidents as make ill men tremble And thus a pioâ—â— man enjoys a present communion with God and Christ by a lively Faith to such a degree as doth assure his Soul of Eternal Bliss in Heaven and when Satan finds us always in such company he will have small hopes to get an Audience for his Addresses to destroy us So that if we can live thus like David we may hope to die in God's favour like him and as chearfully resign our Souls into God's hands who loves us more then we can love him
together have wrought this Salvation for our sick Souls when restored to such health and favour as to fall into no more desperate Relapses after we come to a true sense and shame for our dangers past and such a joy for our escape as becomes Regenerate men And then we shall know no felicity on Earth that exceeds such an expectation of Heaven as will fill the hearts of men endued with such transports from above And this great Blessedness the most illiterate man is as capable of as the most Learned for God will be found according to the sincerity of those that seek Him not for their Abilities or Qualities and Jesus Christ is ever as willing to be the Rock of our Salvation as we can be desirous to build on Him for our Foundation CXCVI. WE do too often mistake Repentance and abuse our selves with a belief that a few customary sighs will blow our sins out of Gods remembrance and his Judgments also from lighting on us but we shall find it far otherwise in the end For if by the recollecting and renouncing of our sins with zealous confessing them to God will not draw tears from our Eyes we are to heighten our contrition by a foresight and aggravation of such Eternal torments as are due unto us from our incensed God and to pray with vigorous sighs and ardent groans instead of tears until our hearts do melt within us to express the sense we have of our offences and by frequent repeating our indignation against our selves with the greatest remorse we can raise our hearts to that so we may divert Gods Judgments and convert them into Mercy and Grace through our Faith in the Bloud of Christ which only can wash all sins and all sorrows for sin from our hearts and then fill our Souls with a joyful feeling of our Reconciliation Thus by sincerity striving with our utmost endeavours to imitate and to out-do the returning Prodigal in our Repentance we may be restored and welcomed into our Fathers house and in his Arms find our Eternal Rest. CXCVII WHen long habitual sinners are call'd to repentance by Grace from above so as to become fully reconciled to God such men ought to give Glory unto his Holy Name by some eminent way of expressing their gratitude for so great a blessing and for ever after to live close up to Heaven on the strength of their new Reconciliation and in expectation that every moment they breath may be their last puff of breath which is Death in which puff their Souls expire into everlasting Bliss So that as often as they lye down to sleep and when they awake to work until they sleep again they should with all their worldly affairs mingle devout reflections on the Mercies they have received and feed on those Celestial Fruits which grow from their Divine Reconciliation such as will keep them ever watchful and ever ready for Gods call to their Eternal Rest and make them joyful at their quickest passage thither For sudden death seems only uneasie and unsafe to lookers on unto whom surprizes are most terrible but can be none unto them who every minute do expect what they know is every minute coming on and is most welcom to such Souls as the Holy Spirit dwells with by which sure marks of their Election they are ever ready and desirous to be with God which expectation is the highest felicity that man can have on Earth CXCVIII. WE do generally flatter our selves with a belief that our chief aim is to be in Heaven and to enjoy God there while we fear nothing more then going thither and it is because we do not seriously enough consider what it is to die until the moment we are dying And yet our tongues do talk so frequently of Death as if we thought of nothing else but such slight thoughts do vanish with those Airy discourses and we as soon forget to prepare for what we were talking of which makes so many men start back from the fruition of their highest wishes and are frighted from taking possession of their Eternal happiness And though dying chearfully be a Divine valour above the reach of Dust and Ashes God doth ever support those that are his with such a proportion of Holiness and Righteousness for their Souls spiritual food and nourishment as shall add courage unto all that desire to be with Him and they shall be so the moment that they die which is sufficient consolation to invite men to live so piously as to die chearfully CXCIX THough no mans Piety can attain to the purity of Angels until they become Angels yet pious mens Evangelical Righteousness may be blessed with such a degree of Angelical Holiness as to raise their Divine affections towards God so high as to delight in Him above all the glories of this World and fix such a conversation in Heaven as to be humbly assured of a joyful Resurrection to Glory with Christ and his departed Saints which is felicity enough to set mens ambitious hearts on cleansing and purifying here that they may become capable of so great honour and Eternal joy as to have Angels places in Heaven when they die CC. THough the Divine Mysteries of Heaven and the Joys there be Gods secrets undiscernible by us yet we are allowed to think that all things there must be far more excellent then our highest fancies can reach and yet by the sanctified operations of the Holy Ghost which we find in our own Souls when inflamed with elevated zeal to God in our sincere Addresses and when our hearts are engaged in Meditations above whaâ— any words can express it is evident that those Seraphick joys which are reserved until we see God face to face must needs be infinitely more ravishing delightful then what is revealed unto flesh and bloud so that it is no wonder if some men who do believe this do retire from the diverting affairs of this World to entertain their Souls with such contemplations of Heaven as may bring them unto a more frequent and nearer conversation with God when they have such a taste of those joys in Heaven as no other man can guess at unless by the same Light led And then such Meditations will be of great use to prepare such men for a chearful departure out of this World for ever which nothing can so well do as an inward assurance from above that they shall go to a better place for ever and to better company for ever and happy is that man whose Soul is feasted here with the thoughts of the joys in Heaven CCI. OUr Time is the greatest Treasure that we have which we may call one way well spent when we give it with our selves to attend on Gods Vicegerents here on Earth by his appointment to serve his Princes and Himself together and so may live eminent examples of virtue and die with the credit of our time well spent to shew others that Piety may grow in Courts and prosper
Christ praying in y e Garden â—u 〈◊〉 And there appeared an Angel c. v. 43. And when he rose up from Prayer and was come to His Disciples He found them sleeping c. v. 45. And said unto them c. v. 46. Mid-night THOUGHTS Writ as some think by a London-Whigg OR A Westminster-Tory Others think by a QUAKER OR A JESUIT But call him what they please they may find him a true PENITENT Of the Church of CHRIST London Printed for Benj. Clark Bookseller in George-Yard in Lombard-street 1682. THe Constant Meditations of a Man who for many â—ears built on Sand which every blast of cross Fortune â—as defaced But now he has â—aid new Foundations on the Rock of his Salvation which no Storms can shake and will out-last the Conflagration of the World when time shall melt into Eternity TO THE READER YOV are to know that the Author being no Scholar had no design to teach others nor other Aims by writing these his Mid-night Thoughts then by reviewing them to keep up his own heart to Heaven But by this practice he grew to such a habit of Nightly Meditations at his first waking as prov'd more pleasant then sleep and in a short time became more delightful then any other Thoughts could entertain his mind with So that without any intent to publish them they swell'd into this bulk you see and brought him such consolation that he thought it Gods Mercy to bring him this way to Heaven And if any Reader do find the like advantage by doing the like he will have as 〈◊〉 cause to thank God as the Author has who set his fancy on work this way to defend his heart from indulging such vain Thoughts as day and night did formerly invade and seduce him unto evil purposes And on this account the Author was perswaded by some Friends to transcribe these loose Papers as they were first writ and tacked together without any method of coherence observed as appears by the frequent repetitions of the same expressions in many of them yet they wish'd him to keep them as they were to shew how such unlearned men as himself might better imploy their busie fancies at all times on the serious thoughts of their Eternity then to drop into their Graves without any consideration whither they are going And the Author on the same account was some time after by the same Friends against his own Iudgment over-ruled and perswaded to permit them to be Printed without his Name who gave him such Arguments for it as he could not resist hoping that amongst so much sincere natural Devotion something of great use may be found to enrich the Souls of those who are of no more capacity then himself who knew no true felicity until he learnt to meditate on his Eternity which every man has some Talents to practice on Mid-night THOUGHTS I. MOst men do miss of the Feâ—icity they seek on Earth because the Wealth and Honours that we gain and all our joys in them are with our selves still perishing in the height of our Fruitions and in a little time must all return unto the dust we came from Yet nothing does disturb the heart of man so often and so much as pampering of it with hopes of what we seldom reach and always over-valuing what we aim at which our Fancies like Magnifying Glasses represent unto us with such multiplied Felicities as dazle our understanding and captivate our reason with an expectation of what we never find But such men as can set their hearts on God above all his creatures and delight in him and his Celestial joyes will find a constant Felicity here by an inward assurance of Eternal Glory hereafter for sâ—ch a man can never want arguments to encrease his joys on earth when his repeated sorrows for past sins do create new joys for those sorrows and every new victory over a new temptation does afford him fresh joys for such frequent conquests over Satan and himself So that if we can set our whole hearts sincerely to delight in God and his service We may have so many tasts of his Heavenly joys here and such frequent glimpses of that glory that we cannot hide our comforts in the Holy Ghost from our own hearts while we live and when we die our Souls will rejoyce to fly into Christs arms for the consummation of all our hopes all our joys unto Eternity And whoever doth observe will find that the deepest sorrows for sin does raise the highest joys for our reconciliation and will prove our fullest happiness on earth II. THe more we search into the ways of Devotion the clearer we shall see and experimentally find that true Divine Philosophy when fixed in the heart of a Divine Lover is the highest extract of all the blessedness that mans nature is capable of in this world For God may be said to delight in filling those Souls with his Celestial joys that study him and will bring a regenerate man to such a sense and contempt of his past life that he shall soon arrive at so great a degree of Felicity in his approaches and converse with him in Holy Meditations as to lament when he thinks of what joys he has lost by wandring so long from God For the felicity to love God and to be beloved of God is a pleasant Meditation to entertain a pious mans heart his whole life And will invite him to spend more time with God then with all his creatures III. WE should always pray with such intention of Spirit in that great duty unto God and with such fervent zeal as if our Souls were that moment to expire and to carry our Pardon with us to Heaven And every time that we receive the Holy Sacrament we should consider that we are climbing a step nearer to Heaven then we were before so to shew our desires to be there And whoever will have patience to read these plain Lessons and mind them so seriously as to practice them sincerely will find more pleasure therein then he can fancy before he tries if he never tried to Meditate till now because a firm fixed ratified Devotion has in all Ages been experimentally approved of for the highest delightful diversion that the heart of man can enjoy IV. DElight in the Lord and he will give thee thy hearts desire that thou maist still increase that delight more and more in his mercies and blessings in his love and thy trust therein with a comfortable peace of Conscience until he brings thee unto the supream delight of all delights to see his face in Glory and until then to entertain thy heart with the joyful assurance of that Felicity to come as the highest desire a man can have by continual improving thy delight in God for from him who is the Fountain of Mercy and Grace continual joys do flow V. WE are to seek earnestly and to pray daily for Christs righteousness as our chief treasure and not to rest until our
life may be assaulted and diverted by such surprizing temptations as he cannot at first sight so resist and reject but that Satan may pursue until he drives a Regenerate Soul from all its Out-works into its Cittadel in Heaven where God does never fail to give such powerful Aids as make the invading Enemy retire and vanish LXI LEt a long habitual sinner that repents manifest his conversion to himself by frequent sincere retirements with God and then set his whole heart to raise and fix his collected thoughts on things above which will create a delight in the Lord more then in all his Creatures and by such custom he will grow to grudge all time as lost that diverts him from the pleasant conversation of this new gain'd acquaintance with his gracious God who also likes to have him wholly to Himself when he desires to be so and when this Convert doth obtain grace to arrive at this felicity of favour here he cannot rest so but will raise his ambitious Zeal to such pure Love as to hunger and thirst aâ—ter the sight of God's face in Glory For if thus enlightned by the Holy Spirit his Faith will increase and cherish such Divine flames with joy and gratitude as the surest marks of his Reconciliation and Adoption and will encourage him to proceed with vigour in his Advance towards Heaven LXII DO nothing in private in God's sight that thou darest not do in the view of all the World and own at the day of Iudgment and keep this resolution ever in thy mind and constantly pray for Grace to do so by which thou wilt avoid many sins LXIII THere is nothing more deceitfully prejudicial to a new converted sinner then to believe himself a favourite of Gods upon his first serious thoughts and inclination to Piety with some light flashes of Spiritual joys in Devotion which novelty an habitual sinner mistakes for a possession of Heaven at first sight and in too much hast thinks himself an Adopted Son which time and perseverance can only make legitimate and must also be tryed by a nice and serious examination of our hearts such as is seldom understood by new Converts who may rejoyce to find they have discarded some presumptuous sins and yet be far from a just pretence and tiâ—le to a place in Heaven For instance a man may resolve well and pray with zealous sincerity repent too with sighs and tears and have a great proportion of Faith Hope and Charity with Humility also but if he want the true Christian purity of heart the rest will not prove a full acceptable Sacrifice to God who only sets his seal on our whole hearts resigned unto Him So that if we keep a reserve but of one corner for unlawful diversions to bestow on our fellow Creatures or on carnal sinful appetites all the rest will not be accepted for God will admit of no sharer nor endure competitors So then we are to consider if the value of such a small reserve be worth the losing of the whole purchase we pretend to and next what kind of Salvation it would be if God deal with us accordingly if He should accept of so much of our hearts as we are pleased to spare Him and leave the remaining reserved part for Satan For though God designs a full perfect Eternal happiness unto all that give their whole hearts to him and affords his Divine guiding Light with power to find the way to Heaven for all those who pray to be so guided with sinceriâ—y and Faith yet the smoak of our parcel Sacrifices from our divided hearts will not ascend half way to Heaven LXIV IF we believe there is so great joy and happiness in Heaven why are we so lazie and cold in our approaches thither why do we not prefer that glorious Crown of Immortality before the perishing Goods of this World for which our hearts can have no rest until obtain'd which is a sad consideration to think how we neglect our greatest concern by delaying our reconciliation to God as if time were at our dispose either to recall or adjouâ—n and do not consider how every moment that we carelesly mis-spend carries us on to our last step inâ—o the Grave and our first step into Eternity but if we did think frequently and seriously of Heaven as we ought and that the Grave is the way thither we should not dread Death as we do nor fear to go where we desire to be but such Holy Valour does only belong to Righteous men and not to habitual sinners LXV MAny men fear to die because they are better acquainted with this World then the next which they want Faith for or else are loth to part from their beloved sins and fear God's anger for such crimes as they fear God's anger for yet will run that risque rather then forsake their sins until they die Though all men know that the best way to triumph o're the Grave is to live so well as ever to have in mind the two Eternities of Bliss and Torments to one of which Death conveys us So that it is no wonder if we tremble at the sight of Death when we prepare not for it by considering that every moment leads us on to what we so much dread and yet so much neglect And also men should consider that the youngest and most healthy do stand every minute on the brink of Eternity to perswade them to be ready for their summons thither So that unless we want Faith in Christ's merits and doubt God's promises that if we become so truly Pious as to love God so much above all his Creatures that we cannot fear to part with them to go to Him So that nothing can more concern mankind then frequent thoughts of our preparation to step into our Eternity when we all know there is no true Rest but that which is Eternal Is it not then great folly to know that we cannot live ever here and must be gone for ever and yet do still set our hearts on these moments and prefer them before that for ever Thus to fear petty troubles here and not be at all concerned for endless Torments and this for want of thinking seriously that we carry Immortal Souls within us and should have Immortal Aims and Immortal Ends when we consider that our Eternity begins with our Birth and we that moment do begin to die and so are dying until we are dead and gone for ever which words FOR EVER ought to ring ever in our ears to mind us to live ever ready for that For Ever which will make us not to fear death when we consider that we have a merciful God who when mans conversion begins His displeasure makes a period So that 't is want of Piety and Faith that makes us fear to die LXVI IF we believe all we have that is good does come from God we ought in all our enjoyments to give Him continual thanks so to keep up our hearts to Heaven
Celestial joys as the highest and most delightful entertainment he can wish for on this side of Heaven for God is the Centre of a Divine Lovers Soul it cannot move from him without some impulsive force which we should disdain to yield unto XIX HOw frail is humane Nature that can never be so much pleased on Earth as within some time not to become weary of what we most delight in And how much greater frailty is it to know how to be ever pleased and for ever happy but cannot set our hearts sincerely to endeavour for it And yet there is another frailty in some men above all the rest most wonderful that such as have on serious thoughts of their Eternity resigned their hearts to God and for some time known no joy like their transports for Heaven that such men so raised should prove so weakly fixed as boldly dare make room for Satan in their hearts again as the more welcome guest where God did sometime dwell this were a dreadful thing to think on if the mercies of God were not far beyond the reach of sinners to deface And from hence we may learn that holiness is the peculiar gift of God and that we are raised to all degrees of Piety by his holy Spirit who of ourselves can neither rise nor stand one moment in his favour longer than supported by the same Spirit thus to give us humble thoughts of our own little or no strength And yet we are not obliged to rest in such humility but ought to labour and to pray for more and more Talents of faith and grace till their encrease do raise our Souls higher and higher in ambitious zeal to become Divine Lovers and not to be content with less preferment than adopted Sons when we find the Holy Ghost thus at work within us and so may strive to raise our new affections by holy thoughts to the highest pitch of devour extasies of Devotion and by this Divine experiment to try if we can love God too much and have more zeal in prayer than he does like of or can so tire him with our importunate addresses that He will turn away his face and deny his love unto Souls wholly devoted to serve and please him But when we find our hearts full of such sincere raptures in Devotion we may assure our selves they come from God who does ever approve and accept of such flaming sacrificed hearts as are enkindled from above and are much different from any such Enthusiams as Satan can infuse only to infect those wavering hearts that do still incline to be his Vassals XX. THose who have obtained of God to become truly Regenerate do find that a sincere repentance with contrition and conversion of heart to God are rewarded with peace of Conscience and so great a delight in humble converses with God on their meditations of Heaven and their Eternal bâ—iss that all Worldly pleasures do give way to those Divine transports which flow from the Holy Ghost within them And no time so proper to meet God as when they awake at mid-night before any Worldly concerns entertain their hearts for he that chearfully recommends his Soul to God when he lyes down to rest will to his infinite comfort find God ready to receive his first waking ejaculations who begins the day with the same adoration and trusts in him that he lay down to sleep with so that our mid-night conferences with God will by custom grow more pleasant than sleep and will fix such a Divine love on our Creator as will produce great joy here and some glimpse of that glory we shall have in Heaven for God never receives our sincere Addresses without multiplying of his favours in return by such manifestations of his grace as will preserve us in his service until we meet again to pursue those holy meditations which will bring us unto Him in Heaven when we die XXI A Righteous man is a Divine Philosopher that enjoys all his heart can wish in this World by his faith in Christ Love to God Charity to men purity and humility And the Holy Ghost is the great Chymist that conveys all these ingredients into the furnace of a pious heart and there by His influence and operation produces the grand Elixir of true righteousness which preserves the Soul unto Eternal happiness And whoever finds the Holy Ghost thus working in him will find the comfort and consolation of his Salvation in this life which with the serious consideration of his future felicity will be entertainment for his whole time here and keep him always ready for his summons to Heaven and will make his passage thither as easie to the Righteous as it is terrible to an impenitent sinner XXII IT is impossible to fancy and to find any Earthly entertainment for the heart of man but Devotion that can raise his delights higher and higher by fruitions without laâ—situde unto Eternity which elevated devotion is a felicity that the Divine Lover only has and is created in his heart with his Resurrection from sin to grace by a continual succession of growing joys on the assurance he finds of his second Resurrection to Glory at the day of Judgement which is God's peculiar work in the Souls of his Beloved to make them see that He is never absent from such as are totally devoted to love and serve Him for such and only such can securely enjoy God in all his Creatures here and have him also to eternity in Heaven If then the rugged way thither be so pleasant to a Righteous man what will his Seraphick joys be there and how worthy of our utmost endeavours to live so that we may die capable to participate of those joys then XXIII MEn do generally create terrors to fright their own hearts as they do Children with ugly Vizards we represent Death unto our fancies in dismal forms as a Messenger sent from Satan to hurry us from our present delights into everlasting flames And then 't is no wonder that habitual impenitent sinners do start back from the approach of Death when so dressed But the Regenerate Man has an Antidote against this evil He summons his Celestial thoughts and sets his Soul in order as a great Prince in State incircled with Heavenly joys as his Nobility and is also attended by crouds of Guardian Angels to receive the same Death with caresses of great friendship who appears before him drest in bright gorgeous Raiments as an Embassador sent from the King of Kings to consummate a League of Amity and to give him possession of his new Conquest with a Crown of Eternal Glory long fought for and at last obtained So that we generally mistake our passage into the next World and call it death which is assured Life and that Eternal It is our faults if we be frighted at the terrors of torment there where everlasting joys do answer every pious mans expectations who looks on the pangs of his departing Soul but as the
momentary touch of a sharp Lancet that makes him bleed for future health So that men prepar'd for Heaven may change the terrible aspect of a grisly Death into a Divine Angelical form fit to be courted with a most hearty welcome who is sent by God to conduct us unto Him where every wise good man desires to be and this is a great â—ark of the Holy Ghost on the hearts of men to bring sinners to such an Evangelical felicity to live so in Gods favour as to rejoyce to ride on Deaths Chariot in Triumph into Heaven XXIV A Pious man is never alone when most alone but then takes more delight in his approaches to God then this World can afford the greatest Epicure for his devout heart is ever on the wing towards the Throne of mercy from whence his Soul is filled with Divine comforts beyond expression for God never fails to entertain a sincere Soul with high consolations XXV WAtch thy first waking thoughts which will declare thy Soul unto thy self whether Carnally minded or Spirituallized for then is thy fancy fresh unclogg'd with Worldly affairs and then the time to blow up thy flaming gratitude to God in some proportion towards what thou hast received from Him in mercies and in blessings though short in point of merit yet such holy aimes such pious ambitious contests God allows of and is well pleased to see such use made of his grace by such Divine emulations in the hearts of men who do endeavour to raise up their gratitude in competition with his benefits But this must be in such humble Addresses as doth become Dust and Ashes who can do nothing of our selves that is good nor think beyond what we receive and must thank God for the thanks we give him For it is the Holy Ghost that excites and enables us to such a frequent and free conversation with our Great Maker by which elevated zeal and sincere affection in our daily acknowledgments we â—hew that we have some taste of that joy and some glimpse of that glory here which we expect in Heaven and is some Testimony that we have not received the grace of God altogether in vain For no Man can give effectual thanks to God for his mercies until he find some assurance of his reconciliation by the Bloud of Iesus Christ which is the Fountain of all mercies and the great argument for our gratitude to the Father of mercies who forgives transgressions to raise our gratitude to Love XXVI WHoever has so much Faith as to create true notions of the Holy Trinity and Gods eternal habitation of Glory and Bliss in Heaven where he believes that Christ has purchased places for all penitent reconciled sinners that man cannot chuse but wish and indeavour to be one of that blessed number so redeemed from Hell and raised to everlasting Glory on Christs account But how to attain unto this felicity and to find in our hearts that we have attained it is our greatest work in this World and our most joyful entertainment here which is a pre-possession of Heaven as much as our frail nature is capable of with the Divine assistance of the Holy Ghost So then we must observe if our hearts are become so Regenerate as to find more pleasure in our approaches to God and our devout conversation with Him then all the fruitions this world can afford us for then we shall find an inward dependance on God in our own hearts such as will guide us by his Divine guiding Light unto the means and methods of attaining our wished salvation and within a little time certainly grow to a much more habitual delight in Piety then our forsaken sins formerly were and will hold our hearts up to Heaven ever ready to enter in when Death comes to conduct us thither and it will be great joy to pass the pangs of a Death-bed and â—errors of the Grave with an assurance that our Souls shall be with God the moment that we depart from this World if we live Righteously in it XXVII IF we give our whole hearts to God wherever we are whatever we do our minds will be fixed on Him the only Centre of our Souls intrinsick happiness 't is like a man forced from his beloved companion by some great affair he dispatches it quickly and with speed returns where he left his heart And thus we may try our hearty Love to God But when trivial objects and vain diversions do easily withdraw us from his converse and then detain us whole days in idleness so as to afford God but some few moments for our morning and evening Sacrifices we may reckon that our Love bears the same proportion with the time spent in his service we may also find on a strict search that we are mistaken in the Donation of our hearts to God by keeping of a small corner of our hearts in reserve for diversions only to gratifie some fair-faced appetites which do insensibly rob the major part until that corner have ingrossed the whole heart by which we fool our selves to think our All-seeing God will be mocked with such thin Vizards on our hearts Take heed therefore of idle diversions and pray for grace to become Regenerate to set thy heart on things above which begets true Love to God with Blessedness here and for ever which eternity can never be too much thought on nor the Lord who disposes of Eternity be too much loved or too much feared and if when we lye down to sleep we could but learn to think that we might wake in the other World we should labour to live close up to God so that Satan may find no time to come between to tempt and then such reconciled sinners would discern their conversion to be a sure Testimony of God's mercy and the Spirit of Faith fixing the foundation of true Piety by which we must ascend as the first step of that Ladder towards Heaven XXVIII IT is a stupendious thing to think how our corrupt Dust and Ashes may be exalted when the Spirit of God is at work in the heart of man when a great sinner is cleansed from his pollutions and all his past transgressions are so wiped off by the Holy Ghost in the receiving of the Sacrament that he finds Christ born within him and his Soul filled with a new kind of Divine transports which raise him in Meditations up to Heaven by such devout Addresses as grow higher and higher in ambitious zeal to be near God until he obtain to be owned an Adopted Son and while he remains on Earth by Faith to share with Angels in some degree of Heavenly joy and to perceive some beams of their Glory which he shall participate of at the Resurrection and until then be here feasted with such devout Celestial delights as will give him an assurance that these are the marks of his Election to comfort and to fix his heart on God who will guide his Soul through his Pilgrimage on Earth
full of storms and calms more dangerous untill He brings him unto his Glory For if we believe it to be Gospel-truth that our bodies are capable to become the Temples of the Holy Ghost dwelling in us we must also believe that He will manifest Himself so as we shall discern his being in us by such a Divine Life with such extasies of joy as no Soul can reach without his assistance which if we practise to observe we shall find will prove to be our greatest consolation that the heart of man can have XXIX WE talk of Death as we do of Eating Drinking and Sleeping and do flatter our selves too much by thinking we are as ready for the Grave without a full consideration how nice and great a preparation is fit for our appearance at the Resurrection when our whole Lives here spent in the service of God is not too high a price for the Crown of Glory we then expect And yet few men do afford the hundred part of their time to become capable to receive that inestimable Purchase which Christ has made for us by his bloudshed And nothing is more strange then that we should so much forget what we are always a doing which is dying and is God's great mercy to free our Souls from the Dungeon of this World to fix them in his Eternal Bliss XXX GOD sees our first intentional approches towards Heaven so that we cannot make more hast in our Addresses unto Him then He makes to meet and welcom our sincere devotions with Raptures and Extasies of joy to encourage and guide our frail nature to love and serve Him above the World that can in no degree afford so high delights as our Souls find when our whole hearts are offered up to Him in daily Sacrifice while that holy flame lasts XXXI OUr greatest concern is to live so Righteously as to be ever ready to die which no man can think of too often nor prepare to much for if he considers that every moment advances towards the Grave through which we must pass to Eternal joy or Eternal misery and is an argument enough not to mispend our time but Day and Night to call on God for his Divine guiding Light to shew us the way to Him XXXII SLeep is so like Death that it is no wonder if we Dream often that we are amongst the dead for though we are not now visited by Visions as of old yet such frequent conversation with dead friends when we Sleep may be looked on as kind notions from above to give us some reflections on the Grave towards which we do walk as fast in our Sleep as when we are awake so that we ought to imploy more of our thoughts on every minute that so hasts on to our Eternity then men generally do and by such Dreams we may learn to converse Day and Night with God in our humble Addresses to make us fit company for His departed Saints when we Die XXXIII IF we could attain to as great Faith as the first Martyrs had we might have as much felicity in Piety as they had who rejoyced so much to leave this World that no torments could deâ—er them from death to be with Christ. And if we could raise our Souls to fancy the Glory of Heaven as they did we should believe that nothing there is so dirty as our brightest Diamonds where the beauty of Holiness by Faith as by reflection does Eclipse all the beauty wealth honour and glory of this World in the hearts of such as are become Regenerate And if our Souls were so sanctified and advanced in Divine Love as those Blessed Martyrs were we should admit no Rivals with God in our hearts where He delights to Reign alone And then we should find our God every where with us carefully providing for all our wants and supplying all our defects as if He attended on us Dust and Ashes with his Providence to guard us while we sleep and to watch if our first waking thoughts be set on Him and to expect them as his due and his delight as if the Almighty courted us for favours more then we do him for his mercies and his blessings and when our Souls become thus enlightned by his Divine Rays from Heaven we shall find our hearts so full of Him that a Wilderness â— Prison or a Dungeon will seem a Throne and will be our Heaven here and then we shall know no joy like having God ever in our sight with hearts fixed on our Eternal Bliss already thus begun XXXIV IF we consider the extent of Miracles those we call the greatest are but as wonderful as the smallest for every thing we see all we think every motion that answers to our thoughts in every part of our selves is Miraculous as to Dust and Ashes and so in the same Ballance we may weigh our Birth and Dissolution and Resurrection to be equally Miraculous But if we consult our own consciences and throughly examine our own hearts we may be confirmed in the belief that there is no higher Miracle then when the Holy Ghost turns the hearts of men from their long habitual idolized carnal appetites into a Spiritual affection towards God with such Heavenly transports as do create the peace of conscience with such a settled joy in God's service as will accompany our Souls from hence to Heaven which Spiritual Resurrection from sin being God's work in us is a sure mark of our Adoption and by this Miracle of mercy to become thus Regenerate we may account it the highest because of highest concern to us to be so raised from Hell to Heaven And a greater Miracle to confirm the Christian Doctrine no man needs to seek after then what he may thus find in himself if thus led by the Holy Ghost and thus exalted from Reprobate Dust to be the Adopted Son of God XXXV PIety is the best policy because by it we obtain all that the heart of man can wish in this World and the next which every Pious man has a great proportion of here and the Fool only thinks he can mock God or flatter Him while he does only deceive himself in hoping to serve God and the Devil at once to satisfie vitious natural appetites and enjoy Spiritual felicities at the same time as if the way to Heaven were through Hell But if we do doubt whether Eternal happiness is preferable before short fruition on Earth we may enquire of a Voluptuous sinner when he is become truly Reâ—generate if he does not find that the peace of conscience is a more constant delight then the greatest Momentary gratifications of flesh and bloud For when he is so called to an assurance of his Sonship by his Spiritual comforts from the Holy Ghost within him and such transports as do afford Heavenly joys with some glimps of that Glory which he shall participate of at the Resurrection He will perceive it is the same gift of God beyond humane acquisition so that
mans best policy is to lead a pious Life which will fully satisfie all his ambitions and answer the highest affections his heart can fancy by having God so by whom he has all that is in Heaven and in Earth And whoever God does thus give himself to will find that he has Him and will perceive this is his Spiritual Adoption to incourage and inable him to live Righteously all his days in more honour Glory wealth and felicity then all the Empires of this World can afford without God so that Piety is the best policy to establish our happiness in this World and the next XXXVI THere can be no comfort in this World beyond an assurance of sins forgiven with a full reconciliation to God and no man can have surer marks of his Election then to find his former contempt of God turned into Divine Love of him with the Holy Ghost converting the Hell that was in his heart into a Paradice by his habitation there which is an infallible earnest of Glory for when God gives us grace to will and to do his will by the power of his Spirit we shall want no comforts here and be also filled with holy courage and a joyful Faith to turn the terrors of the Grave into a delightful desire to be with God which is a Righteous mans greatest consolation XXXVII IF a Regenerate man blessed with Divine Love do observe how the Holy Ghost works in his heart at the time of his sincere vigorous Addresses to the Throne of mercy He will find that his delight in the service of God does increase with his devotion and that his devotion is raised by that delight so that his Soul by custom in such approaches does grow higher and higher by so joyful a confidence in God's favour that no allurements can divert his Love nor storms shake that trust on which his peace of conscience is surely founded here and his salvation at the Resurrection as sure Yet care must be had that such Elevations of the Soul may not grow beyond those Gospel Rules set us to follow So that the felicity of piety may be sometimes allayed by humble recollections of our own unworthiness when at best lest Spiritual pride do puff up our hearts with such Seraphick joys as use to rise from such extasies in devotion so as to think if Angels in the presence of God do rejoyce at the conversion of a sinner what joy may that sinner have above those Angels who is so much more concerned then they are when he finds himself snatched up from the brink of Hell and become as an Angel in Heaven before he arrives there Which is a kind of Epicurism in devotion and may be too much indulged if not acknowledged from whence it comes with gratitude for so great a benefit received XXXVIII CHrist gave us a sure Rule to know and to shew our Love to God which is to obey his Commandments and not to treat Him like our fellow creatures with passionate words sighs or tears or joys but by the sincerity of our thoughts and actions to shew our obedience better thâ—n by vehement extasies in devotion though such exterior declarations from the heart do advance our zeal they may deceive us with flattering hopes of our being better then really we are for 't is not our frequent prayers nor hearing the Word preached with dâ—light nor receiving the Holy Sacrament with an elevated Faith that â—ully expresses or denotes such Love to God as He expects from us but it is our 〈◊〉 endeavours in all selfdenials towards an uniform obâ—dience to all his known Commandments an Evangelical sincerity in the duty required that manifests our Love to God and is most acceptable to Him for though our performances do prove short of our Duties God sees our integrity and esteems us for that our sincerity towards obedience is very acceptable with God XXXIX GOd sees our frailties and knows that no mans fancy can reach the felicity of Divine Love but his who is endued with it from Him nor can that man by words express those joys that his transported Soul finds in such welcoms as God affords in his Divine endearments to his true Lover by such Celestial Raptures as do make him forget that he dwells on Earth while that bright flame of his Devotion lasts and on his return from Heaven while the thoughts of that Blessed Address remains it grieves him to find that he is still on Earth so that his body cannot mount upwards with his Soul to the Throne of Glory and fix there together XL. HOw weak is our Faith in the matter of Death and how strong the frailty of our nature that makes us fear to go where we desire to be So to create terrors in the passage when there is really none or if any they are such as cannot be avoided how vain then is it to raise melancholly-Clouds to Eclipse the Glory and dull the joy we are entring into the moment that we Die XLI GReat converted sinners ought frequently to consider the wonderful goodness of God for his double mercies who does not only forgive all past transgressions on our reconciliation but on our future obedience our Faith Love and gratitude He rewards such great sinners with grace to obtain Eternal Bliss easie conditions to be admitted by God's immense goodness unto this purchase of mercy and reward on Christs account Which grace we must improve by rising still higher and higher in God's favour for the future and then we shall have a double joy in all such fruitions and diversions as we may own in God's sight here and at the day of Judgment and may now thank him for with hearts full of purity and such bright shining innocence as God delights in XLII GOd's Spirit is never absent from those that seek him sincerely and whoever observes it will find it so God Loves a Souls whiteness that flies all approaches towards sin with detestation When God delivers a penitent sinner from the slavery of Satan to rejoyce in the freedom of his service it is to shew him a glimpse of Heaven to invite him thither XLIII AS a good conscience is a continual feaâ—t and a great blessing so 't is a dangerous thâ—â—g to â—e over-much delighted 〈…〉 duties though peace be in 〈…〉 should forget from whenâ—â—â—ll 〈◊〉 pâ—â—â—ormances do come and so 〈◊〉 attribute holiness to our seâ—â—es â—â—ich is God's peculiar gift There ought also great care to be haâ— that 〈◊〉 be not mistaken to think we do enjoy truâ— peace of conscience when we have it not and that we do not flatter and abuse our own hearts with some things of fancy like more holiness then we have and so believe our vows and desires to Piety are effectual performed before our actions do justifie those good resolutions and self-denials to avoid such snares as lie concealed under innocent diversions lest we fall when we think our selves most safe So that a Pious man is to be
maintain this Christian Warfare without Thy strong supplies from Heaven for which I daily pray and by which I shall at last subdue the World and my own heart with all the Powers of Hell and Death together Then from the Grave in Triumph rise with thee my God and thy departed Saints to my Eternal Rest in thy Celestial Glory XLVIII THe uncertain certain time of death was by Divine Providence concealed from Mankind to make us live ever ready for that great concern which sets a period to our Mortality the same moment on which our Immortality depends for Eternal joy or misery yet this known truth by all believed is by our perverse nature so much neglected as if not believed or as if by our wisdom and care we could foresee or prevent the moment of our Dissolution contrary to God's decree by which blind contradiction few men do prepare for their Pass to Heaven until too late and so become wilfully surprized by an Enemy we might subdue if ready Armed and well prepar'd for the encounter for 't is we that make Death terrible who is sent in kindness to conduct unto everlasting Bliss unless we by our Impiety do compell him to lead us the wrong way into eternal Flames A near dead-despairing sinner reviving from the Jaws of the Grave can best describe its terrors and best judge of the felicity to become fit to die when next summoned to step into his Eternity XLIX THough we cannot guess at the glorious Essence of God nor fancy what Heaven is nor can tell whether the Joy or Glory there be greatest nor do know any thing whereby we may express either of them yet by our Faith in all Gospel-truths God does so enlighten and encourage those Souls that are wholly devoted to love and serve him and that approach his presence with such humble Zeal and sincere Awe as is due to His Almightiness that He sometimes descends into the hearts of such men and spiritually dwells there as in his own Temple and sometimes raises the Souls of men with such high transports of Sacred Love to Him that they are filled with Holy Air or something nameless so Divine for joy and glory while that Seraphick flame doth last it looks like Raptures and holy Extasies sent from Heaven to invite men thither by shewing them so vast a difference of delight between Heaven and Earthly fruitions so to encourage us to expell all carnal Vapours when ever they ariâ—e to interpose that nothing may Eclipse that Divine Light from shining on us by which God gives us grace to endeavour with all our power to raise up our hearts to Him as often and as high as our clogged Souls can mount with such a weight of flesh and bloud about them But when the Holy Ghost lends wings to a Divine Lovers heart in his devotions nothing can hinder his Souls ascent to Heaven and by Faith to raise his â—ancy to such a joyful conversation with God as will enrich his mind with chearful thoughts the whole day after L. IF the felicity of Piety were as generally known as it is despised there would be more Saints then Reprobates on Earth But as it is Satans chief work to amuse and abuse our frail natures with present fruitions of fallacious delights that last not so it must be our business to get better Guides that we may find our way to Heaven in spight of His diversions which the Pious man finds in a constant conversation wiâ—h God the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost in his sincere Meditations and Prayers when They are all at work within him raising his Soul to such a Divine felicity that he has no room for such contemptible delights as carnal fancies can suggest to dâ—vert him for his pious Life keeps him as much above all the fading gaieties of this World as the Reprobate is enslaved to them And if it were possible to make a voluptuous Epicure see and relish those continual joys which true peace of conscience affords to a Regenerate man it might wean him from his mistaken momentary happiness while the Pious mans felicity is founded on a sure Rock that reaches up to Heaven and shews him such a delightful prospect of his Eternal Interest there as gives him a holy courage to out-face Death when he chearfulâ—y submits unto his summons to the Grave as the only Gate to Heaven LI. THe great felicity of true Piety is only known to the Regenerate man become a Divine Lover whose Soul is ever busie in servent Addresses to his Beloved from whom he receives such welcom that his transported Soul forgets this World while that bright flame burns within him which fills his heart with such transcending joys in conversation with his Beloved as can only be expressed when two such Divine Rivals meet with pleasure to repeat the great favours that both do daily receive from the glorious object of their Love and with such Angelical affections to each other as doth raise their felicities by the holy emulation their united hearts have to joyn in a constant Adoration of their Beloved whose universal kindness does afford so great pleasure and consolation to all his true Lovers that their joys increase by the number of new Rivals which makes them invite all they can get into their Society and together sing Hallelujahs on Earth until they be added unto those Choirs of Angels already in the Glory of God LII WE all know that we are every moment dying and that Death is but the last puff of breath and though nothing else be worth the thinking on nothing is less thought on then Death which we can neither prevent nor delay and should therefore be made as easie as we can by a constant expectation of his approach because surprizes are most terrible which the Divine Lover is ever Armed for and best knows how to baffle that great Conqueror by chearful embraces as a welcom Friend who comes to conduct him to his Souls joy in Heaven which holy Valour God always provides his Lovers with at their hour of death LIII A Divine Lover has ever in mind the glorious Idea of his Beloved and remembers that he is always in His sight who doth observe all his looks thoughts words and actions how they do agree with his professed Love that is if the whole man be resigned up to study and to do the will of his Beloved with a chearsul heart as the supreme delight and fullest happiness his Soul can wish for here on Earth This Divine Lover does also take all the opportunities he can every day and night by holy Meditations and Prayers to approach the Throne of Mercy with a sincere heart so full of his Beloved as to leave no room for sin or Worldly vanities to abide there either to divert or clog his Soul when raised on the wings of servent Devotion And thus he spends his time ever striving to please and as careful not to offend his Beloved still jealous
lest any undiscerned Rival should in some friendly disguise steal into his heart and claim a place there so to deface that Altar and defame his daily sacrificed heart entirely offer'd up to his Beloved and every night lies down to Rest with the same Zeal and inward dependance on his Souls joy with a full assurance that if he awake in the other World he shall be with his Beloved there from whence such growing comforts do arise as to confirm his Adoption and fix his Faith to live so Righteously that he enjoys God in all his Creatures here with great satisfaction Yet with holy courage is ever so ready to die that in spight of his natural aversion from the Gâ—ave he resolves to rejoyce at his summons thither where he stedfastly believes to meet his Beloved ready to raise him to his Eternal Glory For though the Hill we climb to Heaven be full of Thorns and Briars we may gather Roses and Lillies in our ascent to make it more easie if we do mind how our Celestial joys increase as we arrive towards the last step we make to enter into that Glory LIV. GOD mocks no man with a false Light that begs his guiding Light sincerely with such a dependance on Him as shews a Faith capable to receive it and to be led by it so as to embrace and welcom such Divine operations and comforts as the Holy Ghost conveys with that Light so clearly into his Soul that he must see it comes from God and which will raise his heart by this Light thus led to find such a spiritual joyful trust and confidence in his great Maker that no storms can fright him nor vain delights divert him from his constant couâ—se towards Heaven nor shake his assurance of a blessed participation of God's Glory at the Resurrection So that the greatest sinner that can obtain Grace to repent and forsake his sins so as to be thus led to live ever after in God's favour will not fail to be received into God's bosom the moment that he dies LV. IT is too true that thou art fallen into disgrace and dost deserve it thus Suppose thy heart to be a Royal Fort entrusted to thy keeping and defence by the King of Kings for so it is and is besieged by Satan with an Host of Giant sins disturbing thee with continual loud Alarms and frequent sharp Assaults yet by thy strong Guards within from Heaven sent and thy constant vigilance with holy Valour thou bravely didst repulse this mighty Enemy and hast gain'd many Victories for which thy King did promise to reward thy Virtues with a Crown of Glory But by thy success grown proud and securely confident of thy own conduct and mistaken power thou didst become so negligent of thy Out-guards and so remiss within that the subtle Enemy was encouraged to return with Stratagems and did by his insinuating Spies corrupt thy chief Ossicers who let in a few Pigmie sins sly Foes disguis'd like smiling Friends full of flattering allurements such as in short time were by thee admitted and entertaâ—n'd and so far trusted as to get an opportunity to surprize thy Fort and to lead thee in Satans Chains towards his Eternal Darkness Thus the glory of all thy first Victories are by thy prosumption and supine negligence turned into reproach and thy reward into a just punishment for being so baffled by a Conquer'd Enemy until by thy submission and repentance thou be restored to favour and deliver'd from this Captivity by a more powerful Conqueror LVI As to love God and fear Him is certainly to please him so to do neither is as sure to offend him and on this which we so little regard our present and Eternal happiness depends So that we cannot be too watchful that our own hearts do not deceive us by thinking that God only Reigns there where his Creatures have more Interest then Himself But He is not to be mocked with outward shews or formal Ceremonies He discerns our neglects when our hearts are alienated from him in the least degree and sees through all our disguises when with burning Souls we adore his Creatures joyntly with Himself if not before Him who never will admit of such Competitors as those Idols of our setting up are whom we worship love fear and delight to converse with more hours every day then we do afford Him by which 't is evident thaâ— God has not our whole hearts and so does not Reign there LVII THat peace of conscience which is grounded on the felicity of piety is such a continual feast full of such growing joys as only the Regenerate man can feel by the Divine Love he finds his own heart full of with such returns of gratitude to God as begets a kind of Raptures and Extasies in Devotion such as do invite and encourage him to a delightful sincerity in all his Addresses to his great Maker with whom he converses day and night where he ever finds access and high returns of grace from God LVIII A Particular self-denial of some darling sin may shew a good inclination to Piety but is not the perfection of that Duty which must be universal to all that God forbids and not only to forbear actual transgressions for a time but for ever else we fortifie in vain by leaving such gaps open as will invite the Enemy to re-enter by which we also hold up a dangerous Treaty and commerce with Foes that ever study to destroy those hearts that do admit them For while Satan has any part there in possession or reversion or but a hope to claim by He will disturb the whole man so that all his pretensions must be totally abolished by giving up our whole hearts to God and this for our good only that our carnal warfare may be more easie here by placing our only joy on Him And then our Pilgrimage on Earth will end in the fruition of never-fading happiness in Heaven LIX TO die is terrible when we are surprized by it but by frequent Meditations of dying custom will make it easie For if we believe Heaven to be better then Earth we must believe that we shall find better company there then we converse with below and 't is Death that only can convey us unto them And if by a Righteous life with a lively Faith we can be assured in our passage through the Grave that our Souls shall tast some degrees of that Eternal Bliss with the departed Saints the moment we expire can any thing on Earth invite us to stay longer here But our frailty is such that we generally make that the least business of our life for which our life is given us and is really the only considerable object sit for our continual thoughts so to love and serve God here that we may be capable of dwelling with him for ever in Heaven and in that hope go chearful to Him when He calls for us LX. A Regenerate man in his highest Divine course of
take us from God but what we love better And though there is no felicity to be compared to Piety nor any diversions so delightful as Devotion when we love God and serve him with sincerity yet we mind it not enough that mind it most too much no man can LXXIV WE are naturally apt to cozen our selves with thinking we believe what we do not believe and for want of due consideration of all our ways we run on in such undiscernible errors as must offend God while we think we serve him best and this by indulging many kinds of innocent diversions until they become crimes though we know that vain and idle thoughts do often grow to foul suggestions which pious men should therefore not admit of LXXV WE are often misled by thinking too much of what may be and too little of what must be in providing too much for our uncertain hope of living from year to year with too little regard â—o our assured death that must come as if our moments here were of more value then our Eternity in Heaven though we do know that nothing in this World is worthy to entertain our Immortal Souls with true delight but by making ready to go unto God with chearful hearts of which few men do think enough and none can think too much because it is the greatest felicity that our Piety can reach and a sure mark that the Holy Ghost is working in us which no habitual sinner is capable of LXXVI NO man can want a subject for Meditation nor have a more useful entertainment than frequently and seriously to consider and examine his own life by recollecting what mercies what blessings and deliverances he has had from God and to enquire of his own heart how little obedience gratitude and love he has return'd what vows made in sickness dangers and in times of trouble but never kept And above all to consider how often God has knocked at our hearts for entrance and been denied or delayed to admit of some more pleasing Guest or whenever permitted to enter how coldly received and slightly treated until thrust out again to make room for some darling sin that must be welcomed This if fully considered may bring us to a sense of our offences and shame to think how unfit we are for our Death-beds and Eternity to come with the amazing terrors to think how we can call on our so much offended God for mercy which He could never prevail with us to accept of and what hope then can such insolent contemners of God have in their last day But on the contrary this Meditation will bring comfort to a Regeneâ—ate man who has entertain'd Christ in a chearful heart with sincere integrity to such a joyful trust in God's love by his fixed Faith that no carnal affections can remove his transports for Heaven the expectation whereof is delightful to him above the terrors of death to lessen LXXVII THe sum of all the great Lessons we can learn is to shew that a faithful penitent sinner who is become so Regenerate as to forsake all his iniquities and can perform an universal obedience to all God's Laws with such Evangelical sincerity as to make a total resignation of himself with all his Interests into God's hands must be led by the Spirit of God which will keep up his heart to Heaven in a constant concern for God's favour where Satan dares not appear to tempt when he sees us so united unto Christ and this will bring a Penitent to endure his Pilgrimage through all the storms of this World and defend him from the glittering vanities also so as to know no fear nor joy to interrupt his expectation of Heaven and the happy hour to breath out his Soul into the Bosom of God which holy ambition will entertain his heart here with more present happiness than all the Worlds wealth can afford to a wilful habitual sinner LXXVIII A Prayer LOrd I beseech thee let thy Holy Spirit direct my prayers in my approaches to thy Throne of Mercy and there pray within me that so guided I may find grace from Heaven to support me in my passage out of this World unto thy habitation of Eternal Bliss And now wean me from longer wandering in the vain Labyrinths and Glories here by having ever in mind that all the greatness and various pleasures I have seen and shared in are vanished like a Dream and thereby find that nothing is so delightful to a Regenerate reconciled sinner as a retired habitation free from the noise of Worldly affairs where by thy Grace peace of conscience may encourage me to be ever ready at thy call O God! with a joyful heart to make my last step into the glorious Eternity I hope for by the Merits and Mediation of Jesus Christ. LXXIX WHen the Holy Ghost dwells in our hearts we shall find new principles of a Divine Nature producing there an universal Victory over all our carnal appetites and an universal obedience to all God's Laws with trust in his Providence and such Faith in Christ's Merits and Intercession as will assure us of all God's promises as if now actually in our possession from whence will arise continual comforts with hearty gratitude for such love and mercy to penitent sinners And by this first Resurrection from Sin to Grace be assured of our second to Glory so that to be thus sanctified by the Holy Ghost we are united unto Christ brought home to God the Father as his adopted Children and do begin to enter on our everlasting happiness even in this World by our continual Meditations and Prayers so to raise this Holy flame as high as here we can reach without presumption so to fix in our hearts the joyful practice of such a Divine Life and Divine Love to God as will produce Divine joys here and for ever in Heaven which no carnal fruitions can attain And thus we are led by the Spirit of God and do become the adopted Sons of God LXXX IF the most voluptuous sinners could discern the felicity of an Holy life what constant elevated joys the peace of a quiet conscience brings to those who can wean their minds from the fading pleasurâ—s and drudgeries of this World to fix their hearts on things above sinners would make hast to become Regenerate For if we consider right of Eternity we must know that our Immortal Souls when freed from the slavish appetites of flesh and bloud can have no transports like those immortal joys they find when settled in their Centre God's Bosom from whence they came so that our Souls can relish no felicity like the hope of Heaven nor be much concerned for any thing less then Eternal Bliss which though of our selves we cannot reach yet if we give our hearts to God we cannot miss it But if in contempt of God we live and die in endless sinning we may justly fear that our Eternity will be in scorching flames We ought also to consider
to perform our self-denials for us and to raise our Souls to such a selicity here in our Love to God and delight in his worship as will give us a tast of our Eternal Bliss when we shall see and enjoy Him as the Angels in Heaven do XC IT is no wonder to see men very devout in a time of danger sickness or any other afflictions but when the Evils are removed does our gratitude for deliverance justifie our Love to God by future obedience do we in health and prosperity approach God with the same vigour in our Prayers as in our sickness For Souls led by the Spirâ—t of God are alike devout in all changes and we being made whole ought to thank God and to sin no more lest a worsâ— thing come unto us XCI OVr greatest affair in this World is to make ready to go out of it for ever because every moment may be our last here and then how dismal an Eternity are we hasting to if not reconciled unto God before we die this is enough to perswade us to set our hearts on the Love and Service of God who will never let their devout endeavours be lost that seek how to please Him when with sincere affections they prepare to come unto Him XCII WHoever finds that the power of Divine Love with the expectation of Heaven at this distance doth create such joy in his Regenerate heart as doth bring him to delight in a Divine Life also by his frequent conversation with God in humble sincere approaches he will soon grow to such a habit of Holiness as will raise his Faith to foresee some beams of that Coelestial Light which his Soul shall shine in at the Resurrection as a reward of his inward dependance on God here And if thus reconciled and led by the Holy Ghost he shall also find this is a good Antidote to prevent relapses into sin and thus Armed with Divine joy he will be safe from Carnal temptations and will have his Soul full of such Heavenly comforts as will sweeten all afflictions and at last beget such Holy courage as will destroy the sting of Death by living ever ready to die for he that can love God above his creatures will gladly part with them to go to Him XCIII LEt no man boast of his own Righteousness for no man has any but what is given him from God yet let every man rejoyce and be thankful for such Grace as doth sanctifie and enable his Dust and Ashes to become Regenerate and learn so to welcom the Spirit of God in a chearful heart that he may make it Paradise where he is pleas'd to dwell And then that man's natural corruptions will be refined and his Body consecrated into the Temple of God and by this miracle of mercy the most incarnate sinner may become an Angel of Light but not by his own inherent Righteousness but by God's grace and mercy with Christ's Righteousness imparted unto Him XCIV AMongst all the great Lessons we have learnt Holiness is most worthy of our study to search our hearts if we can find there the Gospel-marks of our Election for when God invites us by his Holy Spirit to this sincere enquiry He will direct us by his Divine guiding Light to find and to feel when we have found the treasure that we seek by the comforts that will still grow until they fill our Souls with such Coelestial joy that we cannot miss of nor mistake what we search for to assure our Election for God will not be hid from such as he sees does seek Him with their whole hearts and that do hunger and thirst after Holiness and when we do obtain Grace to discern such marks of our Spiritual Filiation we may in great humility rejoyce and sing Hallelujahs unto God with the Angels in Heaven to shew the highest Adoration our hearts can express in gratitude for such mercy afforded unto men on Earth And by thus entertaining our selves within our selves avoid temptations and set our hearts above the power of all vain objects to divert us from the prime end and felicity of our Christian calling which is our Resurrection from sin to grace as the chief mark of God's favour to assure our reconciliation for Grace accepted and persevered in is the infallible earnest of Glory because Christ has made the Kingdom of Grace here all one with the Kingdom of Glory Which is much talked of by many that prepare not for it because most men in health do think themselves ready to die and do not find they are not until the Bell tolls them to their Graves hoping to jump from Hell to Heaven at once but the ascent is high steep and very hard to climb XCV THough the great art and mystery of self-denial to subdue all carnal appetites is the most difficult part of our Christian calling yet the same Holy Spirit that invites us to it will impower our hearty endeavours by diligence and custom to gain so absolute a Victory over our Tyrant fancies which before enslaved us as will raise our Souls by constant self-denials to much greater Spiritual delights even here on Earth which the Regenerate man can only judge of XCVI A Prayer O Lord prepare my heart to pray and bless me with contrition and repentance proportionable to my sins that my Love and my Obedience may now be as great as my crimes and my neglects have been who never thought on Thee in all my ways nor of my Souls Eternity till now being led by thy Holy Spirit to pray for Grace to set my heart continually on Thee my God that I may know no joy on Earth like my humble Addresses unto Thee in my retirements by which I can only judge of my new love and gratitude for thus turning of me from mine Iniquities and by this miracle of Mercy and Grace hast snatch'd me up from Hell into this Heavenly prospect of thine Eternal habitation of Glory Lord let these Divine transports in my approaches unto Thee wean me from the World that the remnant of my days may be spent in preparing of my Soul for thy summons to Heaven that the terrors of the Grave may not divert my frail nature from coming with joy unto Thee my God when thou art pleased to call And I beseech thee make this Holy flame burn still brighter and brighter when I draw near to pray that my heart may melt with joy for this my Reconciliation and comfortable hope of Eternal happiness in Heaven and that I may be so strong with Divine valour as to welcom Death that only can conduct me thither XCVII WHen God delivers a penitent sinner from the slavery of Satan to rejoyce in the freedom and felicity of his service it is to shew him a glimpse of Heaven to invite him thither How great a crime will it then be for such a man to turn Reprobate again after such mercy shewn XCVIII NOthing does ruine more Souls then not frequently examining
no Conversation no diversions can come into competition with a Divine Life and Divine Love to God So to fix our Interest in this world and the next for we shall fall as we live and shall rise to everlasting Judgment as we fall For though Christ came into the world to call and to enable the greatest of sinners to become capable of this Felicity here and Salvation after We must repent and forsake our Iniquities or can have no part in him CX WE cannot make too strict a Covenant with our Eyes and Hearts to waâ—ch the deceitfulness of Sin And observe how every look and every thought is naturally apt insensibly to convert innocent intentions into evil before we discern the subtle enemy undermining of our Souls with the fair appearances of harmless diversions if too much indulged until they become destroying Snares CXI GOd often treats his professed Lovers as we do one another when we find that a professed friend has some concealed Jewel that he prizes above his professions though he offer up all the rest which we desire not we reject his Complement and still desire to have that reserved beloved Jewel which he values above our Favours And so God rejects all our Complemental Services until our reserved darling Lust be offered up to him as the Jewel we most prize and the only sacrifice he will accept Then in return of our whole hearts he will give himself to us for ever CXII LEt him that thinks he stands most fixed in Heaven take heed lest he fall and remember that David and Solomon both of them Gods Favorites could not stand longer then by his Grace supported nor were our Saviours beloved Disciples all free from stumbling by which and many more examples we are taught not to presume on our own righteousness but to look on our Frailties as inherent to us lest Dust and Ashes should presume on our own performances without continual Addresses to God for such Supplies as we do every moment need And we may also think that God permits some good men to some relapses to awaken and quicken them to the frequent duty of his Worship so to own him that no man may hope to serve him as he ought without him For Satan is most busie and ambitious to reduce a Convert out of Christs flock to become his slave again rather then to continue his Celestial freedom such a victory he accounts his Master-piece so to subdue careless men who too much trust unto their own Integrity and take no heed how they stand lest they fall CXIII WE cannot Pray too often because frequent sincere Prayers do bring down Blessings from Heaven but when we makâ— negligent Addresses they shew such a disrespect that the Glorious Majesty we approach turns from us in contempt of such careless Petitions For when we are excited to Divine Worship by the Holy Ghost God looks for such intention of Spirit with vigour in our Devotion that shews how much we value what we pray for He admits of our frequent zeal at all times though he sees our unworthiness and never fails to cherish an humble contrite Spirit when he rejects a presumptuous Babbler So that when we approach to Pray our first Petition should be for Grace to prevent all diversions from Satan and our selves who where his publick temptations fail is ever busie to disturb our Devotions with frivolous or foul suggestions CXIV HOw can we think that God doth believe the frequent Professions we make that we love Him above all things when we forsake him so often for trivial and vain fruitions for though no man is free from such Frailties as we ought to Watch and Pray for amendment of by Grace from above For to be absolutely perfect is impossible because our Nature will not admit of such Angelical perfection yet no man ought to question his sincerity because he cannot do that which is impossible for men to do CXV WE spend much of our time in laying foundations for Happiness on Earth when our Happiness is that we have none here but what we can raise from our Hopes to find in Heaven which we are seldom inclined to think on but when we find we are not so well provided for here as we Hope to be there CXVI ALl men know that every moment of our Lives every step we make does advance us towards the Grave but we do not seriously enough consider of this our greatest concern while we march on with merry hearts towards our Eternal Habitation of Rest and happiness in Heaven as we think but in our careless journey thither do entertain our Souls with such worthless Vanities or such known Wickedness for our Diversions that we do often mistake the way if not quite lose it and so arrive at a dismal Habitation of Woe before we see whither we are going CXVII WE cannot Love or Fear God too much we cannot Thank Him or Trust in Him too much nor Think of Him too often from whom we have all that we enjoy and on whose free Mercy our Eternal Doom depends and this Moment may be that Doom to every one of us So then he is the most Happy man in this World that Lives ever the most ready to Die With a sincere desire to be with God which is a sure mark of his Reconciliation and Adoption To love God thus and to be thus beloved of Him will bring us to delight in God above all his Creatures which is the highest Felicity our Pâ—ety can aim at CXVIII A Prayer LOrd Enrich all Hearts with Divine Love that desire it and inflame their Souls with such desires towards Thee as to Live Righteously and to value such enlightning Comforts as flow from those Transports thou doest afford unto Reconciled sinners become Regenerate so to encourage them to Inform and Reclaim such as go Astray by seeing the vast delights that do attend thine Adopted Sons in their way to Heaven And by that bright Light from above to judge of thy Celestial joys prepared for them there CXIX NOt to think at all is impossible and to think too much of what we ought not to think of is too Natural to us but to think of the Everlasting Torments in Hell comparatively with our peâ—ty short Pains here will Fright us into some Care not to offend God so as to send us thither Puâ— to think of the Ioys of Heaven as we ought and by our Faith in Christ to bring us thither with our Love to God our Christian Charity our Purity of Heart and our Humility to God and Man Which is the Divine Lovers part who is ever thinking on his Eternal Bliss and how to please God most so to prepare for Heaven which he sees every moment is at hand and the joyful expectation of that Happy Hour is his Souls continual Consolation as those will find who do Sincerely labour for it CXX IT is one of the Devils chief Arts to cheat men into a belief that it is a
Melancholly thing to be Religious But a man truly Regenerate will need no other arguments to convince the contrary then what he finds in his own Heart of Delight when the Holy Ghost has taken possession there and when his Retirements with God will furnish him so fully with his Loving Kindness and those Enlightning Gifts those Beatifying Graces and Refreshing Comforts those Divine Manifestations of his presence creating such a Ioy with such Peace of Conscience that no Carnal Appetites nor all the Malice of Men and Devils can remove him from his firm Station of Bliss which he participaâ—es of in this prospect of Heaven only But no man can believe this nor guess at the Felicity of a Pious Life until he do obtain Grace to become Regenerate CXXI WHoever considers that his day of Death is his day of Judgment for his Eternal Being will find that his time yet to Live is little enough to ask God Pardon for the time he has mispent Whoever doth closely and seriously set to this great work of Conversion will find that his Sighs and Tears will produce more Joy in his Latter-days then re-acting his former Crimes would be when the two Eternities are put into the Scales CXXII LEt us not please our selves with presumptuous Thoughts That we are the Temples of the Holy Ghost till we have examined our Hearts strictly to find if we are free from all Habitual Sins in Thought Word and Deed for God will not dwell in a Polluted Temple We must next examine what proportion of Divine Ioy the Holy Spirit â—ills our New Hearts with to Confirm and Sanctify our Souls in the Love and Service of God thus dwelling in us And then observe what a new kind of entertainment it is to Delight in God with the peace of a quiet Conscience which by frequent Meditations will hold us up above the reach of any storms that Satan can raise or the malice of Men can contrive against us And then we are to fix all this Happiness by worthy receiving of the Holy Sacrament So as Christ may be Born within us and be so Vnited unto us as to confirm our Spiritual Filiation Thus qualified we may look on our selves as Temples of the Holy Ghost In all humility rejoycing to be so Blessed when we are so CXXIII WE ought to enter Caveaâ—s in â—ur Hearts against the approaches of such sorts of Temptations as we fear most and on all occasions to search the Register of our Vows made to God to see if we do not stand pre-ingaged to Him to resist the Temptation then Assaulting us and if so how unworthy shall we be so to break our Word with God upon Record and how dangerous to provoke his anger by such a Contempt thus we may destroy many designs from Satan and our selves oftentimes the worse Devil of the two CXXIV WE are too often abused by flattering diversions as if Holy Meditations were not more pleasant and more durable then vain delights Which rob us of our real Essential Joys for shadows of Pleasures that ever abuse us CXXV WE ought often to consider of how little value all is that we have on Earth which we must for ever depart from when we die and should therefore set our selves to secure a Blessed Eternity where we go And which God invites us to on the easie terms of repenting our past sins and forsaking those Crimes which we have been so often cloyed with CXXVI LEt thy Spiritual Resurrection from sin which is Gods works within thee assure thy reconciliation and confirm thy Election so as to fill thy heart with bright flames of a sincere Evangelical Devotion that thou mayest live and serve God chearfully until thy time comes to die And then with a Holy valour pass through the Grave with a lively Faith to participate of His Glory at the Resurrection For by a ready submission thou wilt Conquer that great Tyrant Death by a foresight of those Celestial joys that raise thy Soul to know thou shalt be with God the moment that thou diest CXXVII WE ought to Pray continually for the Holy Ghost to dwell in us to inform and enable us to do our duty in all things with the Spirit of Faith which will improve our zeal and to contemn this Worlds Glories and will fill our hearts with higher thoughts for a joyful expectation of a Crown in Heaven prepared for those who value it CXXVIII WE should always have in mind when the Spirit and the Flesh contest within us That our Will is the Judge between those two Solicitors and that God leaves the option of our Eternal Bliss or Eternal Woe to us that is whether we will become Spiritual Disciples or Carnal Sinners for no Temptations can make us guilty unless we consent to sin CXXIX THe greatest argument against Despair and for a Pious Life is very short That if we do repent and forsake our sins with a sincere universal obedience for the future we shall be as certain to partake of Gods promised Mercies as if we had never gone on in those former sins Though great and frequently repeated which is great comfort unto all such as Hope to go to Heaven CXXX THe generality of mankind do spend most part of their Lives on the delightful Acquisition of Wealth Honour Learning or the like and are but unskilful Merchants that purchase Rich Jeweâ—s with more hazards and at higher Rates then their intrinsick value will afford them to be gainers by when obtained And for which we pay most part of our precious time that is the only Treasure we have and of much more worth then all we can purchase in this World by the profuse expence of that time on such glistering Triâ—les as must perish with us if not before us When a tenth part of our mis-spent time would procure Eternal Wealth Hoâ—our and Ioy beyond expression for our Immortal Souls if we would devoutly Traffick for Heaven But we are naturally inclined to set our hearts on present Fruitions more then a hundred times their value in reversion because Heaven is or may be far off and we have time enough to think of that when we have nothing else to do though this minute we may be called to our Eternal Doom and too late find the difference between a Reprobate and a Regenerate Life CXXXI A Man truly Regenerate will not admit of the least contest from Carnal Appetites his heart being so fixed on Heavenly joys that he detests all approaches to divert him as below the pleasure he has in his Conversation with God in private Who he believes will assuredly bring him to Heaven if he prefer his Service before the fading Bubbles of this World CXXXII OF all the Blessings that God bestows on men There is none greater then the Peace of Conscience which a Pious man finds when he is dying with great comfort And which ought to invite all men to live Divine Lives with assurance that God sees our sincerity
and gives sufficient grace accordingly at the hour of Death CXXXIII A Great Reprobate by the Grace of God become Regenerate can experimentally judge how much the felicity of Piety doth exceed his former Epicurisms Men in this World without putting Eternity into the Scales against moments and observes that the continual tranquility of a quiet Conscience is much more pleasant then all his past unlawful Fruitions attended with such Terrors as a guilty Soul is loaded with CXXXIV EVery Pious man that has forsaken his sins for fear to offend God who he pretends to love also does begin well And when God sees his sincerity to obey him in all things He will not let him rest there but adds Faith and Grace till his heart longs for a nearer Communion with Christ in Heaven and by a daily custom of such elevated Meditations God will bring this Pious man to despise this World and to overcome the Terrors of the Grave by his expecâ—ation of Heaven where his Soul longs to be CXXXV WE must not desire to die to be rid of affliction here But if we can obtain Grace for so Divine a Love to God as to be glad to go to Him when He calls for us That will be enough and such holy courage at the hour of death will bring great Joy to our expiring Souls CXXXVI THe Souls of Righteous men are said to be with God the moment they expire But to what degree of Bliss they are admitted before the Resurrection is not revealed unto men But it is enough for us to believe that God takes care of those Souls that served and trusted in Him as well as for his departed Saints We need to desire no more then to be with them CXXXVII THe Design of Reading the Scriptures Preaching Praying and Fasting is to bring us to lead such Pious Lives as may shew our Faith and Love to God And so to divert our hearts from Worldly vanities by constant Meditations on the Ioys of Heaven to invite us thither And also encourage our timerous Souls with grace from above to contemn the Grave where they shall not rest one moment Which if well considered our Holy Resolutions would scorn to fear and shrink back from the last step we must make to take possession of the Crown we seem to labour for which will shew that we have but cold desires to be with God CXXXVIII NO Regenerate man can be mistaken in Gods Service who sets his Hâ—art sincerely to that workâ— for God who sees our hearâ—s throughout will not lose such a Votarrâ— but will Sanctify his zeal and make hâ—m see that an humble contriâ—e heart is the Sacâ—ifice He likes And will shew by his 〈◊〉 of Comfort and Consolation to such a man that his Soul will be transported with Raptures of joy in his Divine Contemplations when he finds such inward assurance of Godâ— favor that he cannot doubt of his Reconciliation when thus enriched with Grace and thus led by the Holy Ghost his devout heart will rise higher with bright flames of Love aspiring to get into Christs bosom CXXXIX WE should in our Meditations often reflect on the unquiet and uncertain wealth and Honours of this World and how unworthy such fleeting fruitions are to be preferred before Eternal felicities that so we may not set our hearts and spend our time on such vain acquisitions when immortal happiness will be had on easier and more certain terms and we surely become the Sons of God CXL THe greatest business of our Lives is to learn to die with holy courage and not to start from the Grave nor repine at such means and methods as our kind God appoints to make us willing to come to Him and by such gentle corrections to withdraw us from the World that our hearts may be always working up towards his Throne of Mercy where Christ has purchased places for converted sinners amongst the Angels and has appointed his Holy Spirit to invite and conduct us thither by his inward comforts which grow from the Gospel-promises and is the Christian Faith that repented sins forsaken shall not be charged on us in this World nor the next which is the foundation of Divine valour in a dying convert CXLI THe generality of mankind are naturally inclined to love those who love them and to judge of Friendship and Hatred by the assisting or crossing our designs in this World and the universal object herein is Death So then we are to consider the real effects of this great Monarchs power that controuls the World and see whether he be a more general Friend or Enemy to mankind For as he cuts down some in their first Buds others in the prime Blossoms of their youth and surprizes many of ripeâ— years by hurrying them into unexpected destruction from such Wealth and Honours as their carnal hearts were most delighted with yet the same Death is kind to the most of men who are oppressed with various sorts of Agonies both of mind and body beyond the cure of the best Remedies until by Death released from all degrees of maladies and miseries Now if all this be well considered we may bring our selves to such an acquaintance with this mighty Monarch Death by a daily conversation and preparation for our submission to his unresistable command so as to rejoyce when we are freed from future evils and by Death conducted to our Eternal Rest. And the same moment that our Souls expire we shall conquer Him who conquers all the World and for ever Triumph over his Victories over us So that 't is our weak Faith and frail Nature that makes Death seem so terrible an Enemy unto unrighteous men only CXLII THe true joy of a good Soul in this World is the very joy in Heaven only there 't is superinvested with Glory which a Righteous man enjoys that moment he dies without any stop by the way CXLIII THere is nothing more worthy of our continual thoughts our utmost endeavours and hearty prayers then to obtain the Blessedness to become Regenerate For when the Holy Ghost sanctifies the heart of such a man with the comfortable marks of his Reconciliation and Adoption that man will soon find the continual feast of a good conscience while he lives to be more pleasant then all other things which this World affords and at his hour of death the felieity of his Adoption will fill his Soul with holy valour and accompany him to his Everlasting Glory Which joy no mortal fancy can conceive and is the highest works of our strongest Faith to think on and to prepare for CXLIV HE that can upon examination find such comfort in his Soul as to be ever ready and willing to appear at the day of Judgment must be enlightned and guided by the Holy Ghost and sanctified by a Spiritual Resurrection from sin to grace and from all worldly temptations so as his chief delight will be in a Divine conversation with God by frequent approaches for the continuance
of such mercies as have so raised him from the terrors of Hell unto the joys of Heaven CXLV THe truly Pious man is always blowing up his smoaking Flax to flaming Love for those daily mercies and blessings he receives from God so to teach others the felicity he finds therein to invite them to Heaven CXLVI TO hear to read to wâ—ite and meditate and to pray often are the means to understand our Duty unto God as also to â—ix our Faith But if we do not live and practise accordingly our great knowledge will aggravate our crimes and provoke God's anger against us for slighting those Divine Instructions which the Holy Ghost inspires us with and for which God expects an account from us CXLVII HE that can make a total resignation of himself with all his Interests into God's hands has made a great advance towards Heaven and may trust in God so the foundation of his Trust be laid deep in a fixed heart on a Spiritual Resurrection universally cleansed from all known sins and so Reconciled that God will accept of the Trust But we are too apt to mistake such Resignations and to flatter our selves with Peace of Conscience on that account without a due Examination whether all our actions and affections do justifie such a Resignation as we offer up to God without which it is a great presumption to pretend to Trust in God CXLVIII TO be Regenerate does include all Blessedness that we are capable of in this World with a joyful prospect into those Eternal felicities we shall have in Heaven and is a sure Testimony of our Reconciliation CXLIX THere is nothing more clear then that Holiness is the foundation of true Happiness even in this World and cannot be doubted in the next for whoever lives a Divine life will have his heart full of Divine love to God and then will soon find the felicity of Piety to be so much more pleasant then all other Diversions that he will take all the opportunities he can both day and night to approach God in Holy Meditations and humble Prayers as the most delightful entertainment his Soul is capable of on this side Heaven and will find God's favour confirmed to him by Grace sufficient to support his contented heart through all the Storms this World can raise and fill him with joyful thoughts of his Salvation at the hour of death which is our highest Aim by the perfection of Piety to obtain CL. A Prayer LOrd give us Grace to discern the bottom of our own hearts that we be not deceived by too slight a search for Divine Love there nor flatter our selves with hopes of being Favourites in Heaven while we prefer thy Creatures before Thee and see it not Lord guide us by thy Divine Light and make us see that true Devotion is the most satisfying diversion we can have and will enrich our hearts with desires to be with Thee in Paradise and will create courage to pass chearfully through the Grave so to â—ustifie our Faith by our last step out of this World into a glorious Eternity with Thee our God CLI IF we consider how many times we have stumbled in our Christian course and how many times fallen and by what small Rubs been overthrown we should take more care to stumble no more at such Straws but pray for Grace to enable us to run over all Mountainous temptations if they cross our way to Heaven and when God sees a vigorous sincerity to serve love and trust in Him He is then ready to support us through the whole course of our lives which no man can doubt of that observes how God admits of our many risings after so many great and wilful falls as most men make and yet He still invites us to repair past Evils by running out our new course better with a due prospect to our last step into the Grave from whence we must arise to claim the Crown we run for And this will raise all devout hearts to the brightest flame of Faith and Love that men are capable of when we consider that every moment of our life may be that last step by which we must gain or lose the Crown we run for CLII. BEcause Angelical obedience is a perfection of Holiness above the capacity of Humane Nature God does make allowance for sincerity in performance of Duties bâ—t Himself holds the Scales to see that our sincerity be full weight according to the grains He allows us And the Holy Ghost within us has a continual Treasury where those grains are so reposited as to be ever ready to supply our sincerity and to turn the Scales for our advantage according to every mans utmost endeavours which will never be rejected for want of weight CLIII LEt no man despair of the forgiveness of his sins if he do confess them to God and do turn from them to Him with sincere contrition and repentance devoutly practised for the future in Obedience Love and Faith trusting in Gods Mercy and Grace with our reliance on Christs Righteousness imparted unto us on which assurance we may live with comfort and die with joy And whoever doth entertain himself with such frequent Meditations will find them to be the most delightful diversions he can have to consider that though we may fail in our best endeavours Gods Mercy and Christs Righteousness can never fail can never be exhausted on our sins by supporting sincere Penitents until brought unto Heaven so that in this high expectation of future Eternal Bliss we ought to be contented with our Lots on Earth whatever they be trusting in Gods free Mercy and Christs Merits without despairing of our Salvation if we can repent past crimes and forsake them for the future But if we have not a Resurrection from sin in this World we shall have no Resurrection to Glory in the next World CLIV. PIety and Faith include all Christianity but we often mistake Praying Preaching and Godly talk for Piety which are but steps towards it for we are obliged to do Righteousness or else we are not of God and so it is with those who think their Faith sufficient that can Parrot-like repeat their Creed when 't is our active Faith that is required to do what the Gospel teaches So that if a due regard to Faith and Piety be settled in our hearts we should find more time for Meditations on those great concerns whatever our Callings or Imployments be for our Bodies cannot be so engag'd to labour or in any Courtcrouds so imploy'd but our Souls may be raised up to God in â—ervent Ejaculations without any Tongue-noise or Facediscovery to inform God who knows our hearts better then our selves do So that by Faith and Piety we may converse with God here and begin our Eternal happiness on Earth CLV IT is a wonder to see that all mankind should be loth to leave this World where so few are truly happy or that think themselves so as to be contented The weak
Old sick man would live on in pains the strong and healthy Youth the Rich the Poor the great in Titles and Commands the Mighty Princes and their Slaves all of all sorts are subject to repine to Envy and to Malice Revenge and Avarice to Ambition or some other discontent that robs their hearts of peace and yet all desire to live on though our days if justly divided we should find three parts of four allotted unto cares fears troubles and sorrows and the remaining part entertained with shadows of delight to mock our senses rather then such real pleasures as can affect our Souls and yet no time no arguments no examples nor our own daily experience can divert our frâ—il Natures from this infelicity which was created with us by a mighty Providence to shew that our time of Sojourning here must not afford any thing of value to divert our hearts from aiming at our Eternal habitation of Rest where we are to expect more felicity then we now know how to wish for But this the Regenerate man can only understand who knows the felicity of Piety and finds there is no security on Earth but in loving fearing and serving God which assures him of a place in Heaven and gives him a comfortable passage thither CLVI IF men did consider their Christian calling and the miraculous Plantation of the Gospel of Christ by twelve illiterate men who were taught by the Spirit of God for the conversion of the then Heathen World we should now have more active Faith then generally appears by the lives of men for though we are not called to a severe bloudy Martyrdom as in the Primitive Age to justifie our Faith by Torments unto death But by the great mercy of God our required Martyrdom is now so gentle in comparison of their sufferings that we are only called to Obedience and Faith only to own what those Blessed Martyrs died for So that if we prefer Gods Glory and his Service before our own Carnal Appetites we shall resist all temptations to Lust and Vanities which offend God and destroy our present felicity also When this easie happy Martyrdom of sin is only required of us to repent past crimes and forbear to repeat them we shall receive in lieu thereof Gods favour here and Eternal Joy in Heaven CLVII A Frequent consideration of our state towards God shews us the best prospect towards Heaven and doth teach us the way thither and begets holy desires on the expectatâ—on of our future joys and such consideration also gives us the prospect of those everlasting flames that attend us in Hell if we run on in sinning and will terrifie our hearts with the expectation of future Torments if we neither value Gods promises nor fear his threats So that nothing can be more concern to mankind then frequent and serious consideration of all we say do and â—â—â—nk CLVIII TO fear to die is a contradiction to our Faith and all the zeal we profess to God when we fear to be with Him in Glory and by which we undervalue Christs purchase of a place in Heaven for us by preferring our abode here before Eternal happiness with Him which we can nâ—ver obâ—ain but by dying CLIX. NO considerate man can pretend to fear God and do what he is sure will offend Him nor can he think that he loves God when by committing wilful known sins he contemns his Laws nor can he believe that he has any argument to trust in God who does neither love fear nor serve him as he ought nor can pretend to any parcel of Divine Graâ—e or comfort in death if he live and die in his habitual course of sinning CLX WHy do Christians fear to die but because we do not live after Christian Principles which neglect begets infidelity and makes us doubt to go unto Christ else we could not fear to be with Him who sits at Gods right hand in Heaven and where we may participate of his Eternal Glory if we live after his Gospel Rules here by which we shall scorn the terrors of Death and make our days on Earth also as happy as long But if we go on in Voluptuous Iniquities pamper'd up for the day of Slaughter 't will be no wonder that we tremble at our Dissolution and the approach of the terrible day of Judgment But if we live ready to die and fit to step into Eternity the Grave will prove easier then a long life if compared with the short pleasures of our best Worldly enâ—oyments that keep our hearts from Heaven CLXI FRequent consideration of our Eternity does beget a due examination of our hearts whether God be there to direct and support us in our way to Heaven or if Satan governs what a dismal Eternity we are hasting to so that to have God always in our sight by a frequent examination of our hearts we may check the first appearance of Evil with the thought of Eternal condemnation but if Goodness inhabit here then to cherish such thoughts as will blow the holy Fire into flaming Zeal and declare an Interest in Christ And by a daily custom thus to retire and consider of our Salvation will â—ill our hearts with such a pleasing habit of Holiness as will bring God home to us who will not permit a wicked thought where He is pleased to dwell CLXII IF we did duly consider that our transparent hearts do shew our most secret thoughts to God we should not so often provoke him to Anger by putting our evil thoughts into action this would be of great use if by practices we can bring our hearts to be as transparenâ— to our selvâ—s as they are to God and would in a little time obtain Grace to cast out wicked fancies as fast as Satan can suggest them or our own fancies create them which then would leave no stings behind to poison hearts so strongly guarded CLXIII WE ought to be ever mindful that true Religion is to lead a Divine Life and will beget Divine Love in our hearts to God and to endeavour to endear our selves so as to become capable of his Love to us though we can never be worthy of it we shall not fail to have it if we sincerely desire it CLXIV THe Gospel says that our Saviour died to satisfie God for the sins of all mankind that truly repent and amend and do stedfastly believe that if we do so all our sins how many and how great so ever shall be forgiven us We must then enquire of our own hearts for the truth of our repentance whether we shall find Arguments to doubt or to believe our selves to be in the number of them that Christ came to bless by turning us from our Iniquities and then it will be our Duties as an effect of our Faith to believe we are amongst such penitent sinners as Christ has Redeemed with his Bloud and will be no presumption to think we shall have places in Heaven on His account if we come
is a continual Inquisition on our own hearts to consider all our thoughts how they work towards a good or a bad end and then to cherish or suppress them as they arise for some appear in forms at first fight so ugly they cannot be too soon smothered and some so disguised in pleasing shapes as may deceive a careless heart if not acquainted with the marks the wearâ— and that way Armed and well warned by former harms so as to avoid new wounds from Enemies so dangerous that we must not Treat nor dally with but make them Retreat by a brisk Charge and bold Defie We are also to study to discover another sort of Foes more dangerous then all the rest who lye in close Ambush until some opportunity do call them forth for an Assault and are of form so lovely and so innocent in shew that Charity her self would warm their cold Limbs in her own Bosom and not discern the danger until these cunning Serpents bite beyond resistance and then declare for the Supremacy over the whole man and then muster up all his senses and all his faculties against himself and thus steal a Victory by corrupting those Guards that were given for his defence So that by a long negligence we grow so ignorant of our selves that every assault from Satan shakes the whole man until at last he Roots him up for ever But if our Eternal Being is considerable we should allow some tiâ—â—le to study our own natural inclinations and affections to good or evil and to learn such Rules as may rectifie our senses to submit unto our more rational Souls when led by Grace to work upward towards God which will teach us the wisdom of Salvation and raise our Faith to such dependance on Christ as no worldly Learning can contest for the priority Let us then imploy our time so as to learn to know our selves and our duty unto God in which our everlasting happiness is most concerned CLXX THere can be no better Arguments for frequent Meditations then to think seriously of our sins of Death and our Resurrection to Judgment as we ought and to prepare for so great a concern at a minutes call to step into Eternity so ready that we may so love God and fear Him as to serve him with delight here and to have Celestial joy when we expire CLXXI. NO man ought to think himself above the reach of temptation for when Satan finds us but a little relaxed in our Devotion or any thing cold in our affection to God he can dress an old forsaken sin so like to an Angel of Light as to surprize a young Divine Lover at first sight when his Guards are withdrawn but when his Beloved sees him in such danger He will by His Divine guiding Light unmask the disguised Fiend and so reclaim his near lapsed Lover unto his devout Addresses as before and make him see by such Assaults that he can stand no longer in favour then by his Grace supported But he that is become a well-settled Regenerate man so as to stand ever on his Guard with holy courage to repell all approaches from Satan as fast as they appear will make such frequent Victories his chief delight and when our common Enemy sees that all his attempts on such a man are in vain he will desist who only watches opportunities for his attempts on those he finds remiss and who is often belyed by some men who do invite him to such easie Victories on those of his own complexion as black within and as great Devils as himself CLXXII ALas poor man dost thou complain because thou canst not sleep ten hours every night when Nature doth require but five Thou fearest to die Yet wouldst be dead near half the time thou hast to live for sleep is so like death that we cannot distinguish wherein they differ until we awake But thou art tired for want of entertainment in long Nights Alas poor man that is a sad grievance indeed and worthy of pity for thy Saintship has no sins to confess nor pardon to ask of God no cause to wash thy Bed with tears Heaven and Hell with Eternity to come are not worth thy thinking on until the Bell toll thee to thy Grave and then too late thou wilt wish for some of thy time lost in sleep then to watch and pray and to lament in Sackcloth and Ashes While the Regenerate man finds no time so fit to raise his Soul to Heaven as when he awakes at Mid-night nor any consolation so great as in those hours borrowed from sleep to converse with God in holy Meditations which fills his heart with present joy and peace of conscience that lasts the whole day after and is a good remedy to prevent such fancies as do invade the drowsie Souls of lazie men when they cannot sleep CLXXIII ARt thou fallen by a surprize who has not or may not fall so But if these falls be frequent there is much danger in such Relapses and though not fit to cause despair yet worthy of great care for the future lest thy surprizes grow into a habit and prove but an excuse when thy self betrays thy self so often which will find no credit at the day of Judgment to procure a pardon from the Almighty searcher of our hearts whose Omnipotence is affronted if we think by a trick to hide from Him those crimes we are commanded to confess bewail and forsake CLXXIV WHen God gives us grace to make holy Vows for self-denials with power to perform them He fails not by his Holy Spirit to assure us of his acceptance thereof by the joy our hearts will feel after every resistance of Satanical assaults which will in little time encourage us to take more and more delight in those Victories over our selves who are the greatest Enemies we have CLXXV IT is no easie work for men in health and prosperity to think so often and seriously of Death as is requisite for our preparation to the Grave though no other time is so proper for it For when pains and sickness dâ— distract our minds we are only diligent to seek remedies for cure and often find none but do die with a short prayer sighed out as if Lord have mercy on us were a charm to redeem threescore years mis-spent in sins and vanities without any thought of our Salvation all that time as if Heaven were too melancholly a business to trouble our idle heads with while Youth in vigour reigns which seldom affords any credit for the felicity of Piety and such Romance discourses as they understand not while a Righteous man knows no joy on Earth like his expectation of Heaven and living ever ready to die in hope to be with God there CLXXVI WHen God endows the hearts of men with Holiness it is a sure mark of his especial favour to give us a free admission into the Court of Heaven to be with Him there as often as we please in our Meditations
and if we can improve this Holiness so as to become Divine Lovers of Him we shall be admitted as it were into the Bed-chamber of the King of Kings to enjoy all the Priviledges and Immunities that His departed Saints have there To know this and to do thus is to enjoy Heaven on Earth in which felicity the Atheist and the Hypocrite can have no share with a Divine Lover who is ever ready to be snatch'd up into Heaven while he is meditating of his going thither CLXXVII IF we have joy in Earthly fruitions what will our happiness in Heaven be and if the hope only and expectation of Heaven in pious hearts be pleasure above all our enjoyments here what transporting joy will the possession of Eternal Bliss be when we shall see God and participate of his glory as the Angels do and if we be so Regenerate as to believe this and do take delight in such contemplations it is a sure sign that the Holy Ghost is at work within us and will beget such holy courage in our hearts as to pass us through the Grave with chearful Souls to be with God And if we love and trust in Him as we ought there can be no Diversions so delightâ—ul as such Devotion is to a Divine Lover who converses day and night with God that is never absent from them who do sincerâ—ly delight in Him CLXXVIII WE are taught to pray against sudden death that is to perswade and lead us on to be always so prepared that no kind of death may be too sudden but that we like Eliah may every moment expect to be snatch'd up into Heaven by a fiery Chariot or taken up in a flaming zeal of Divine Love by an Apoplexy or some other accident of as quick an ascent as his Chariot was But generally our mistake is to pray for lingering long sickness only to gain time for terrors to awake our sleepy Souls with sighs and tears to move God to mercy then which we valued not before But the Regenerate man who has so cleared his accounts with God at the Holy Sacrament as to have Christ new born within him and is so led by the Holy Ghost as to sâ—nctifie his future life that he lives ever ready and willing to die That man will find the most sudden death to be God's mercy and a favour to free him from the Agonies of a tedious sickness for we too often do mistake such sudden dissoluâ—ions for God's Judgments to see men fall so when themselves feel a joy to be caught up into Heaven without pain to take possession of their Eternal Bliss Now God grant that all men may be so well prepared for all kind of deaths as none may be too sudden for any who call on his Holy Name CLXXIX A Prayer O Holy Ghost Lord God the Comforter who art never absent from those that desire thee with sincerity vouchsafe I beseech thee so to enter my heart that I may find thee there consecrating of it for thy Temple by thy abode therein and now direct me how to welcom so great a Guest with gratitude and joy for such Divine comforts as flow in hearts where thou inhabitest and where Satan dwelt before Lord keep possession against Him and all invading Enemies for I cannot defend my self without Thy aid nor of my self know when or how to approach the Throne of Mercy unless my Addresses be so guided and so sanctified by Thee as God will not reject them CLXXX A Prayer O Lord God I beseech thee give me Grace to imploy the great fancy thou hast given me on my greatest concern to obtain thy Mercy and Grace with Christs Righteousness to work out my Salvation that I may no longer mis-spend the time which every moment hasts on to my Eternity but with diligent zeal to pray for Faith in Christ such as will be the foundation for a Divine Life to shew my love to Thee my God by an universal obedience with purity charity and such humility as will raise my heart unto the highest pitch of Divine Love that my conversion may be now more eminent then my crimes have been And now O God! I beg thy Grace to confirm and fix my Soul in the assurance of my Reconciliation and Adoption by receiving â—he Holy Sacrament this day with such faith and due preparation as to put off the Old man for ever And so to eat and drink the consecrated Bread and Wine as the Body and Bloud of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ with all his benefits as He himself gave himself to his Disciples here on Earth that I now by thy Holy Spirit led may like them walk after Him And let thy mercy O Lord supply my defects in the peâ—formance of this great Duty according to the sincerity of my heart entirely offer'd up to Thee my God in this days Sacrifice so as the Records of my sins may be cancell'd in Heaven and my Name be now writ in thy Book of Life amongst thy reconciled Sons on my Saviour Jesus Christ's account CLXXXI TO spend our time on idle thoughts is like pursuing of vain waking Dreams a folly so much less then nothing that only Mad-mens fancies can delight in and is a shame for sober men to imitate whose Souls refin'd by Piety may be ever on the wing towards Heaven filled with felicities above the reach of any worldly hearts to guess at which is the Pious man's continual entertainment and delight so to pass his time with his Creator here on Earth as to find his heart full of something so Divine that he does think himself in Heaven while that Celestial flame enlightens him CLXXXII IDleness is the fountain of all evil the Devil directs his chief Emissaries on Earth with Addresses to an idle person who is then fit to take impressions from all sorts of temptations when God is absent 't is such men that invite Satan to steal by degrees into their empty hearts in such disguises as He well knows suits best with their idle fancies so to divert them from all Holy purposes with some Idea's of past delightful objects until they quite forget their sacred Vows to have God ever in their sight which secure them from all such assaults And it is but a slight Argument which many men use to excuse their time spent in idleness because they want Learning and the use of Books for their diversion when all Ages shew that Piety is not nor ever was confined to Learning 'T is not our Wisdom nor our Eloquence but our Faith and our saâ—ctified affections that is most acceptable to God and such sincere affections will never want devout entertainment to keep our hearts so fixed on Heaven and our concern there as will bassle Satan with all his Arts as often as He attaques us CLXXXIII TO be really contented is an Epicurism seldom thought on and so far from being understood as but little valued by the most of men who are over-busie in
labouring to change our conditions still aiming to get what we have not though the last acquisition rarely brings more satisfaction then what we had before Whereas a contented man has all that he desires and enjoys what he has because allotted to him by the Divine Providence who doth chuse better for those that do relie on Him then we can for our selves CLXXXIV WE ought not to repine at crosses nor to murmur at sickness or any other affliction whatever because they are God's Cordial Antidotes to repell the poison of such sins as He sees do use to infect our Souls with malignant diseases such as create a despairing conscience when we die and hazard Eternal Torments in the next World we are therefore to kiss the Rod that works so great a cure and that Hand that smites us in Love to make us fit for his Mercy by repentance and conversion from being great sinners to become his Adopted Sons and so above the venom of future biting afflictions for He only hath perfect peace whose mind is stayed on God the Rock of our Salvation CLXXXV NO man can do all that he should do but all men may do as much as they can do and God requires no more to obtain his Love here and Salvation hereafter But we are naturally so prone to flatter our selves in this point that when we think our hearts most safe we are often surprized by a forsaken sin and shamefully subdued by it For when we make a Covenant with our Eyes and Hearts not to go astray though we cannot hinder the first look or thought that is amiss we may so check them at first appearance as they shall not invade us a second time nor bite on to harm us so that if we do stumble heedlesly we may prevent wilful tumbling into Relapses and wallowing in them for which there is no excuse CLXXXVI IT is worthy of observing how some men by a long customed and settled habit of living ill have so Naturalized their sins to themselves and themselves to the Devil as in time they grow to think it a point of honour and conscience to be constant to that profession and are asham'd to quit Satans black Livery which they prefer before their first engagement to God in Baptism I have heard a Gentleman say that when he had lived many years in great Iniquities it pleased God by a long sickness to beget such remorse in his heart as upon his recovery to become a Convert But for a long time after he did conceal this change as asham'd to practise his conversion by a publick new course of life so much out of fashion and did many times in conversatioâ— seem to like what he liked not to avoid being thought an Hypocrite until he consider'd how much greater a shame it was to serve God in a corner so to smother his highest Act of Mercy towards him in not daring to own the thoughts of his Salvation and how unworthy he was to become an Adopted Son of God while he feared to declare his Hope of so high an Advancement On which account he did take courage to profess his Conversion which he thought not fully to manifest until the hour of his death By which we may see how dangerous it is to run on in habitual sins until we grow ashamed to forsake them CLXXXVII IT is a wonder to consider that mankind should be so universally bred up from our Infancy to study and by laborious callings to imploy our Talents of Sense and Reason in the acquisition of such perishing goods as the World affords and generally so late begin to inform our selves of our Souls intrinsick value being created for a participation of God's Glory when ascended into Heaven how unworthy an exchange then do we make who believe this and yet do violently labour for the short-liv'd vanities and indeed the nothingness of this World in comparison with Eternity at the immense price of our Immortal Souls loss and our Eternal joys in Heaven for everlasting flames in Hell And this because we do not consider that God did not make the World to mock man with fallacious delights in the enjoyment of his Creatures but intended it for our entertainment and diversions in our Journey to Heaven and therefore has given us rational Souls such as by living virtuously we may enjoy the World and Him together and so advance our selves by gratitude and love here to a confirmation of a full â—ruition of Him at the Resurrection Thus if we would sincerely study virtue and set a true value on the perfection of Righteousness we might enjoy this World with double pleasure and have Heaven hereafter with all its Glory also CLXXXVIII WE do mistake nothing in this World more then our pleasures which we do compell our fancies to comply in and do often take more pains to justifie those vanities then any delight we find in such short-liv'd fruitions Whereas if our hearts were set on God and our Souls raised to serious thoughts of our Eternal Bliss such Divine entertainments would grow to a continual feast â—ull of surprizing joys and such Heavenly delights that we should with pain suffer and with remorse endure our vain diversions and lament to see that our Nature does require such frequent relaxes from our most rarified and ratified Devotions CLXXXIX WE cannot want Arguments for Meditation if we call to mind our Christianity that is diligently examine if we do participate of Christs Righteousuess to such a degree that our conversion from sin and our natural corruptions be changed into such an Evangelical habit of Holiness as to manifest our Spiritual Resurrection and Election to our own hearts for then nothing can engage us unto higher gratitude and love then a true sense of so great a benefit received which when seriously considered will mount up our Souls to frequent extasies of blessed Joy by our devout approaches in Adoration of God the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost who are all three always working us up to our Salvation Then which nothing can be more worthy of our Meditation and sincere examination that we may be ready for the day of Judgment which no man can be that does not live so as to be chearfully ready to die for it is a much greater business to go out of the World then to live in it CXC NO other man can cozen us so much as we cozen our selves in what we like because we naturally raise fallacious reasonings against true reason to justifie our unlawful desires and do very easily perswade our selves to comply with our most idle fancies and eagerest appetites to what we know is against all Reason and Religion too thinking that our frailty is excuse enough to follow our blind inclinations to evil and do also indulge our aversion to goodness on the same account so long as our endeavours do prosper in wickedness But when we are Thunder-struck by some surprizing affliction then we can begin to think and
to find how much better and pleasanter it is to delight in God and by our utmost endeavours to improve that delight by frequent and fervent Addresses until we obtain new Celestial joys which soon discard all our old Carnal fruitions by a constant fixing of our whole hearts on Heaven so as to be really offended at the most necessary diversions when they interrupt our Divine communication with Christ for the hastning on of our preparation towards that Eternal Glory he has purchased for us Which is the most joyful expectation of a Regenerate man who sees the difference between momentary Vanities and everlasting Bliss and sets him on fire to desire above all things to fix his heart on God and to delight in Holiness as his supreme felicity on this side Heaven CXCI. WHoever has the patience to read and the Piety to practice these plain Lessons if he observe it will find that his felicity does increase with his Devotion and that his days will grow fuller and fuller of tranquility in the midst of Worldly Storms and feel them not Let him also observe with what security he sleeps with what joy he awakes at all hours to find his heart at work with God before his Eyes are quite open giving God thanks for all his Mercies and above all the rest for thus turning him from all his Iniquities before it be too late that he might not trust unto the uncertain security of the best Death-bed Repentance but to live and die so reconciled to God as to manifest his pre-conversion by a chearâ—ul Righteous life and a joyful Resignation of his Soul unto Christ when he expires will be joy indeed CXCII JUdge not the serious looks of every pensive man as if his heart were oppressed with discontents who may that minute be conversing with God in Meditation and triumphing over the Glories of this World which thou enjoyest with all its delights and which he may have had as high as mortal man can fancy fading happiness But now as tired with busie Crouds and cloyed with glistering Vanities He entertains his Soul with inward elevated joys for so great a Victory over himself which thou seest not and dost therefore pity or condemn what thou wouldst admire if clearly understood CXCIII IF the Spirit of Divine Meditation were wâ—th sincere affection fully improved by the diligent practice of raising our Souls as near to God as our mortal fancies can reach the Holy Ghost would at such times assist us with such increase of Piety and such growing joys in our near approaches to the Throne of Mercy as would shew us some bright Rays of that glorious Majesty we adore to affect our Souls with such transporting thoughts as would set our hearts on fire with eager desires to be amongst those Angels that do attend on the Majesty of Heaven whose love and goodness in mercy admits us Dust and Ashes so to converse with Him as a clear Testimony to our own hearts of our Adoption by which pious practising to fix our affections on God we shall so delight in Him as now to conquer all those Imperious Appetites that have so often conquer'd us and may soon learn the Celestial Military Art to subdue all temptations that assault us and from their Ruines raise fresh Trophies every day most acceptable to God and so beneficial to our selves that we may discern our Souls mounting up to Heaven thereon CXCIV WE ought to look on Death as chief Goaler on Earth God's prime Officer by Him intrusted only with the custody of our imprison'd Bodies in the Grave until the great Goal-delivery at the day of Judgment when Death must deliver up our imprison'd Dust at a moments warning to meet our Souls at God's Tribunal where his Office ends with Himself who is then no more So that instead of quarrelling with Death for doing of his duty let us make peace and get a Reconciliation with his great Master that we be not lodged in Deaths Dungeon amongst the impenitent Malefactors but may be placed in his best Apartment with the Reconciled sinners by God's Grace become Saints and pray that we may with them appear in their glorious Resurrection with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. CXCV. I That write my own thoughts only to review them for my own satisfaction must say again and again that whoever seeks God with sincerity will certainly find him and shall find that he has found him And though early seeking and early finding be best as most safe because no man can promise himself one minute longer to seek God then his first call to it yet if he find favour to be called again and be sent to work in God's Vineyard at the last hour of his day and God see that he works then with such vigour in that last hour as if he would equal or out-do any that came in to work before him the Lord of the Vineyard observes his endeavours and rewards him equal with the first comers Though no man ought to trust unto a Death-bed Repentance on this Argument Because the best Rule is to remember thy Creator in the days of thy Youth the next best is to remember Him in the time of full Manhood in the strength and vigour of thy Age but if not then the next best is to remember him in thy Old Age before thou hast quite forgot him lest it be too late for though it be last and worst yet then is not too late with God if we answer whenever He calls He will give us Gâ—ace to do whatever he calls for And to give him then our whole hearts bathed in peniâ—ential tears full of contrition for all past offences he will accept thâ—m and make us see that his Mercy has â—ollowed us through all our wild insolent conâ—empts of the highest nature which aggravates repeated sins after pardons upon pardons begged So that when God doth not forsake but follow and watch over such Reprobates and does snatch them from the brink of destruction it is to bring them to a Reconciliation and such a Resurrection from sin as will support them for ever after by his Holy Spirit which shews that his Mercy and his Grace are beyond the power of our sins to deface for if our Repentance and Contrition be His own work within us the operation of that Grace will testifie that his Mercy endureth for ever Let no man then despair of Gods Mercy or think it too late to repent if he can forsake his Iniquities so as for the future to love and serve God as he ought for above all things we must believe that God does abound in Mercy and Grace more then we can do in sins and that Jesus Christ is the Lord our Righteousness and when we find that the Holy Ghost dwells so in our hearts as to create an effectual application of God the Father and the Sons work within us we may comfort our selves with an humble assurance that all three the whole Trinity
there Though it sometimes happens that some men fail and that some mens most lawful acquisitions by honest industry obtained may be torn from them by Envy and undue means who may also undergo such severe censures as they deserve not from the misguided tongues of malicious men who see not the true cause of every Ruine which often does proceed from Gods Justice for some concealed past sins to punish us by such means for such crimes as we have hid from men but cannot hide from Him So that we may charge our punishment for sin on the perverse nature of our own improvident selves who do neglect the Redeeming of our mis-spent time while we may and by Repentance obtain Gods pardon on which depends our present happiness with our future Eternal Bliss or Eternal Woe not enough thought on to make us Redeem our time in time And hereon we may with shame consider of and guess at what the fallen Angels would give if they had whole Worlds to dispose of what would they not do how many thousand years with joy suffer the Torments they are in to have the time we value not allowed them to be admiâ—ted unto a possibility of repentance and pardon by Redeeming their mis-spent time of their Rebellion in Heaven before they fell from thence to Hell While we careless men do pamper our viâ—ious frailties so as never to value the time we have until it be gone beyond recall unâ—il the despairing terrors of a Deaâ—h-bed state do let us see that God in Justice gives us over unto perdition because we would not Redeem our mis-spent time and seek His Mercy before the Evil day overtakes us which we all know is every moment hasting on ready to swallow us up into everlasting flames But to such men as the terrors of Hell cannot fright nor the joys of Heaven invite to Redeem their time in time nothing more can be said but Lord have mercy on them who will not have mercy on themselves for no misery can be greater then when miserable men will not commiserate their own misery but will hope from a Death-bed to jump up into Heaven at once But they will find the ascent too high too steep and too hard for those to climb up in such hast who never learnt to know the right way thither CCII. WHen a Soul is in fervent conference with God about its Eternity the Holy Ghost will be working that Soul up to see that Eternity gives an addition of joy to the joys in Heaven and those joys do also increase the Glory of Eternity all which Eternity Joy and Glory there Christ has purchased for penitent sinners become Regenerate and reconciled unto God by Faith in his Bloud and as our proportions of Faith do increase our desires will increase to be with God as often as we dare remember that we must die and are every moment dying Although we cannot attain to be inspired Prophets like David nor reach the first Rank of Saints with St. Paul we may become Penitents and Divine Lovers in some degree like them though not to shine so eminently on Earth as they did yet we may follow their steps here so as to share in the â—ame Glory with them at the Resurâ—ection when converted reconciled sinners are invited to the same Eternal happiness as the departed Saints enjoy there And what can be more wish'd for to encourage us to live piously and die chearfully then to be with God in Glory CCIII WE should avoid many great crimes if we could dâ—scern the deformity of sins through the Devils gay Curtains always drawn close to hide them until Death displays them in their true colours which then will fright us into despair at the sight of such griâ—ly Aspects as we so joyfully embraced for prime felicities But if we can learn the pious skill to draw such Curtains timely those Fiends behind them will vanish on a full view not able to endure the Test of such a discovery CCIV. DId we believe Heaven to be what Heaven is we could not prefer this World before it and if we did love God better then his Creatures we should not forsake Him so often as we do for them and if we did think of Eternity as we ought we should grudge every moment that diverts our hearts on trifles when every minute may be our last here and the next may crown us with Eternal Glory So that we should set our hearts to raise our thoughts on frequent and full consideraâ—ions of our Death-beds and think seriously how the terrors of unrepented sins will bite then and what a joyful passage our Souls will have if reconciled before and then we should need no other Arguments then such thoughts to perswade us to live so Righteously as to be ever ready on the shortest summons to step into that Eternity of Bliss CCV IT is said in Scripture that as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God which is a sure foundation to raise high structures on by which we may climb to Heaven in a constant conversation with our great Maker in most delightful Addresses for if we can by frequent practice follow this Divine-guiding Light we shall learn that Celestial Road so perfectly that we may travel day and night safely without mistaking of our way or failing of our happy Rest at our Journeys end which we shall more then guess at here by the present joy we find in our way thither And if we observe our sleeps also our very Dreams will entertain our Souls with pleasure above the reach of any waking fancies and by all this we shall certainly find something from above that will beget a consolation in a purified heart to testifie that it is Gods work within us who mocks no mans sincere ardent desires with false hopes of a felicity he shall not find for by a righteous life and lively Faith His improved Grace will bring our natural frailties to die so chearfully that we shall leave no pleasures behind us so great in this World as we shall have by going out of it to Him CCVI. A Dream of Heaven THough sleep Deaths Image be I have been now I know not where convey'd I know not how Where something did appear so dazling bright I could not see its Glory for the Light My Soul surpriz'd with wonder and amaze Methought I pray'd and did forbear to gaze Frighted and pleas'd at what I lik'd and fear'd I found it was a Dream of Heav'n appear'd Which waking fled but did my fancy fill With bless'd Idea's which abide there still With such transporting joy that I can weep To think of what I had and could not keep CCVII. HE that would improve the pleasure of Piety is to consider how his Body does every moment descend towards the Grave which will invite him to excite his Soul to mount much faster towards Heaven by such a continual devout contest which shall move fastest that he will
remission of all our sins and Reconciliation to God CCXXII AN habitual sinner that perseveres in his wickedness unto the end of his days seems to think that his Baptismal Vow was to serve the World the Flesh and the Devil and to forsake God and all his Commandments CCXXIII. IT is not to be thought that any man can die chearfully that does not believe he is then going to God and no man can believe that he is then going to God but he that loves God and fears to offend Him so that he only can be truly happy here who can so fix his heart on God as to find that his highest Happiness in this World is in preparing to go out of it but most men in health are too apt to think themselves ever ready to die and do not find that they are not until the Bell tolls them to their Grave CCXXIV. IF there be one sin more predominant then all the rest that by its frequent Victories over thy frail Nature is now grown too strong for thy controul stand always on thy Guard hereafter to watch its first Assault and be so well Arm'd against surprizes as to have time to call in Aid from Heaven to assist when such an Usurping Enemy appears as thy own strength cannot resist But let not thy new courage fail fight bravely on to thy last gasp and rather die then yield never submit never comply with such a known Enemy for when it cannot compell thee to consent as formerly 't will quit the Field asham'd to be so baffled by its Slave so frequently subdued before And thus by a stout resistance thou wilt find inward unseen Aids to humble that Triumphant sin that has so often Tyrannized over thee CCXXV. TO die while we are dying is not strange But to be so unwilling to exchange Our anxious days in a distracted time For an Eternal Rest and joy sublime Is want of Faith or value for our God To shun his presence and embrace his Rod Pretend to Heav'n but still do from it fly Because we will not dare not learn to dye Though we can only when our Souls expire Obtain long life which we so much desire Could we divide a moment to the Eye We should see Life the moment that we dye And Faith does fully that defect supply For though my Body dies it is not I. CCXXVI POSTSCRIPT THe conceal'd Author doubting that he may be too soon known does think fit to make some Apology for exposing so many loose Lines unto the censure of the World and does only hope that all good men will in charity look on his Mid-night Thoughts as rough Oar found in a rich Golden Mine from which they may wash away the Soil and lay up the pure Gold for use FINIS CCXXVII NO man can guess at the felicity of holyMeditations but those who constantly converse with God that way and who have obtained grace to be admired at all times to such near aproaches that their souls seem to be entertained amongst the Angels in Gods presence while those Divine Addresses last by which God also seems to manifest his Mercy unto the souls of men in shewing them some glimps of that Eternal glory they shall share in at the Resurrection to fill our hearts with blessed Ideas of his Celestial Joyes CCXXVIII HE that would know true joy on Earth must secure his Eternal Bliss unto his own heart not only by confessing bewailing and forsaking his known sins in hope of pardon but must express his Love to God and his gratitude for that pardon with a true value of it by improving his peace of conscience thereon with a Continual Conversation in Heaven for the future and thereby raising his soul to such a delightful Love of God as to find that the prime entertainment of his heart is to be so retired with his Creator and Redeemer that he may observe how the Holy-Ghost is ever present with them to improve his delight in them unto as high joy as man is capable off on this side of Heaven And whoever can obtain grace thus to make his Devotion his prime pleasure on Earth will perceive a new kind of felicity by such an exaltation in his soul as will raise his affection to God above all other Divisions And then if such Meditations do shew him such a prospect of his Eternal Bliss as doth create a Faithful expectation of Heaven so delightful here He may presume that he shall not want Divine Valour to die cheerfully when he is called to take possession of that glorious purchase which Christ had made for him there CCXIX. IT is worthy of observation and our most serious Meditations to see how much all men of all humors and all conditions Young and Old are generally of one mind in our great Journey through this world Where we are humbled together and tossed and tumbled in rough rugged ways up and down steep Hills full of hopes and fears still entertained with more storms than shun-shine and never free from such dangers as do fill most mens hearts with unquiet thoughts through their own Journey though some good men well Armed can smile and sleep it out with patience while others sighing groan and weep the whole way through And too many there be in this great Caravan who Laugh and sing and merrily pass their whole time without a thought of whether they are going until their turn comes to be tumbled out into the Pit with as little regard as they went thither But almost all are all the way of the same mind to Linger on in their uneasie passage rather than once heartily to wish to see their Journeys end and very few there are that do entertain any joyful thoughts of their arrival there at Last So that till Time by Day and Night of course transports them thither though tied and Cripled by various hardships in their long travels very many do wish they might return the rugged way they came to endure another age of sorrows pains and troubles rather than to alight from their Woren-out Waggons to rest a while in their own Homes though they know there is no other way to pass unto Eternal Bliss But when they find the wheels and Axel-trees that bore them up do crack under their heavy burdens past all hope to carry them any Longer on then to late they flatter themselves with vain hopes to flatter God as if they did desire to be with Him When they do know that God doth see that nothing could by them be done to keep them longer from Him For which great frailty in Mankind the only sure cure is to think of and prepare for our journeys End all the way we travel thither And then the expectation of that joy and that Glory we march towards will sweeten all we suffer on our way to God And happy are those men that can obtain grace to travel so to Heaven as to get such a tast of those Celestial joys in their