to be the laft, if thou live longer among Men. And what is not new or ftrange, ought not to furprize thee. I know thy Courage and pretended Bravery, while Danger keeps its Distance. Thou canft difcourfe like a Philofopher and a Christian, and give excellent Advice to thy Friends when they labour under any Diftrefs; but when their Cafe happens to be thy own, and fome unexpected Calamity comes home to thee, thy Prudence, and Refolution forfake thee quite, and thou ftandeft no less in need of the Counfel and Support, which thou wert wont fo freely to impart to others heretofore.

Let this Experiment remind thee of thy own Frailty, which, by fuch Inftances, appears not to be Proof against the slightest Misfortunes. For even these Inftances are greatly for thy Advantage, and bring thee to a right and perfect understanding of thy own Condition. Grow wifer at leaft at thy own Expence; and as thy calmer Reafon fhews they ought to be, fo let thy Behaviour manifeft, that these tender Refentments of temporal Evils are banished out of thy Mind. If thou canst not entertain Adverfity with abfolute Indifference, yet let it not drive thee to Defpondency and wicked Diftruft; and however the firft Onfet may dif turb thee, yet rally quickly, and let it not long overpower thee. And tho' perhaps thou art not arrived at that Perfection of counting it all Joy when James i. thou falleft into divers Temptations, thou canft not be excufed from undergoing them with Meeknefs, and Refignation, and Patience. If thou art not yet got even thus far, but fome indecent Reflections rise up in thy Mind, yet let not this fecret Indignation break out into irreverent Expreffions, but fet a Watch upon thy Tongue, and keep the Door of thy Lips. Refolve at least that thy Mouth fhall not offend; and though thy Heart be hot within thee, yet let not any paffionate Complaints burst

Pfal. cxli. & xxxix.

out,

i

out, which may caft Imputations upon the Honour of God, impeach the Juftice and Goodness of Providence, or give Offence to thy weaker Brethren. For, by thus manning and guarding well the Outworks, thy inward. Commotions will in Time be compofed; thy Sorrow by Degrees fhall turn into Joy, and the Favour and Mercy of God be inclined to relieve and comfort thee, in recompence to thy Reverence and Submission to his good

Pleasure.

As I live, faith the Lord, I will help thee speedily, and comfort them who earnestly seek me, who put their Trust in my Salvation. Call up thy Chriftian Fortitude, and fink not under thy Burthen, but prepare for greater Trials. If thy former Troubles have overwhelmed thy Spirits, prevailed over thy Temper and thy Virtue; let not the Remembrance of your former Trials difcourage thee. The Lord knoweth whereof thou art Pfal. ciii: made, be remembereth that thou art but Duft : A Man, and not God; Flesh, and not Angel, or unbodied Spirit: How canft thou then expect to continue in an undisturb'd State of Goodnefs? How fhould thy Virtue be above the Shocks and Shakings of Temptation, when even the Angels kept not their first Eftate, and Man in Paradise fo foon fell from Innocence? I am thy fole Protection, who raise the Souls dejected with Sorrow, preferve thofe who acknowledge and bewail their own Weaknefs, and glorify with myfelf the humble Chriftians, who are afhamed of their Follies and Miscarriages.

Difciple. Bleffed be thy Mercy, for the gracious Words, which drop from thy Mouth, foft as the gentle Dew, and sweeter than Honey and the Honey-comb. What would become of me, in the Extremity of my Diftrefs and Anguish of my Soul, did not thy Promifes and feasonable Instructions refresh and comfort me? But be it as thou wilt; for I cannot think it any great Matter, how long or boisterous my Voyage, fo thou

at

at laft conduct me fafe to that peaceful Haven, where good Men are at reft. Let my Afflictions be ever so great, fo thou grant a happy Iffue, and turn my Sufferings to good Effect. Be my Condition in this Life Adverse or Profperous, no Profperity will profit, no Adverfity harm me, but in Proportion to the State in which I die. And if I go well out of the World, my Continuance in it cannot be fo troublesome, that I fhould have Caufe to repent or complain. Order my Affairs then as thou pleaseft; but always, O my God, remember me for good. Lead me in the right and ready Way to thy Kingdom, difpofe my every Action towards the Attainment of Salvation, and let me so pass through Things Temporal, that I finally lofe not the Things Eternal. Amen.

Against Prying into Things too high for us, and pretending to fathom the Depths of God and Providence.

Chrift.Do not, my Son, take upon thee to dif pute, or determine any Thing concerning abftrufe and difficult Points; nor too curioufly enquire into thofe myfterious Difpenfations, which God hath purpofely concealed from thee. Concern not thyself about the amazing Distributions of Grace or Providence; why one Man is forfaken and in Dif favour with God, another fo furprizingly indulged by him; This Perfon exercifed with Actions and Sorrows, or that fo gently dealt with, fo unaccountably exalted. Thefe are Things out of thy Sphere : And all the Parts and Penetration, the acutest Wit, and acquired Improvements of Man, are much too

fhort

fhort and feeble, to enter into the Reasons of the Divine Counfels. If therefore fuch Curiofities return upon thee, look upon them as the Suggestions of the Devil, by which he labours to difquiet and unfettle thee. If Men, impertinently bufy, require a Solution of fuch Difficulties, content thyfelf with that general Answer of the Prophet: Righteous art thou, O Lord, and just are thy Judgments; The Jer. xii. 1. Pfal. xix. Judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether; His Righteousness ftandeth like the ftrong Mountain, fix'd and immoveable, eminent and confpicuous; And his Judgments are like the great Pf. xxxvi. 7. Deep: A vaft and dark Abyss, such as

we cannot fee to the Bottom of, or fathom with the fhort Line of a Finite Understanding.

My Methods and Dealings are to be admired and had in Reverence, not faucily criticized upon, by my own Creatures. For no Creature can have a Capacity proportioned to them; and what Men cannot comprehend, they should not prefume to take into Examination.

As little ought they to enquire and dispute concerning the Merits or the Preference of Good Men: Which of the Saints excels in Virtue, or is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. For these are Questions, in which Men are no ways concerned, fuch as engender Strife and Debate, and turn to no good Account. They cherish Arrogance and Pride, Envy and Faction, while Men break into Parties, and each contends for the Pre-eminence of Him, whofe Order and Patronage he is devoted to, or whom his own Vain Imagination inclines him moft to honour. The Effect of this is very visible, and the Mischiefs, that spring from fuch an impertinent Zeal, exceeding numerous and lamentable ; The Controverfy, neither poffible to be decided, nor worth deciding, if it were. And, if thofe Saints have any Knowledge of what paffes here below, this indifcreet

and

and partial Zeal cannot but be highly difpleafing to them. For I am not a God of Contention and Faction, but of Order, and Peace, and Love. And these are the genuine Products of true Modefty and Humility, fuch as efteems others better than itfelf; but inconfiftent with that bold affuming Temper, which is restlefs and difcontented, if any other be preferred before it. It may be, Affection and honest Zeal may dispose fome Men to be more liberal in their Refpect on this or that Side of the differing Parties; but, do not such confider, that fuch Affection is not the Effect of Grace or Religion, but merely of Human Infirmity? These are fuch Prepoffeffions as I can never be capable of; for all the Saints are equally mine. My Hand made them Men, my Affifting Grace made them Saints; I enriched them with Virtues, and crowned them all. with Glory. I know what each have done, what Occafions they had, what Improvements they made. I foreknew them before Time was; they chofe not Me, but I them; and fingled them out of the Common Crowd. I drew them with the Cords of Love and Mercy, conducted them thro' great Variety of Trials and Afflictions; fuftain'd them with uncommon Comforts and Recruits, enabled them to perfevere, and rewarded the Conftancy myfelf had given. I know the first and last; and my fatherly, my inexpreffible Affection extends to them all. For all are Inftruments of my Praise and Glory, fo many Monuments and Eternal Trophies of my Goodness; freely advanced to what they are, by my Bounty and Favour, without any Right or antecedent Merit of their own. He therefore, who defpifes the leaft of thefe, is guilty of Disrespect to the greatest; for this Contempt reflects at last on Me,` the Author of their Virtues and their Happinefs; and therefore in Me alone fhould all the Honour, pretended to be paid to Them, center. Their Interests and Properties are no longer feparate; for Charity hath