from the contemplation of this virtue, and of the conquests it makes, and the power of making them which is received from above, to cry out again and again, he that is mighty hath done for me great things, and holy is his name?

BY

CHAP. XIV.

The Benefit of a holy Hope.

Y being enabled to vanquish temptations, I am put into a condition of escaping eternal death; but it is yet a farther instance of mercy, that the Lord my God affords me such grace, as may qualify me for inheriting the blessings of eternal life. And this I take chiefly to consist in three things; the hatred of past evil, the contempt of present good, and the desire of that good which is to come: which desire is also supported and inflamed by another precious gift of God, the hope of obtaining that future blessedness. Now there are likewise three considerations, which uphold and strengthen my heart in this hope: and that so firmly, that no want of desert, on my part, not even the lowest and most mortifying thoughts of my vileness and unworthiness, nor the highest and most enlarged notions of the excellence of that bliss in heaven, can cast me down from this high tower of hope. No, my soul is rooted and grounded in it, past the power of being shaken with any melancholy misgivings. And the foundations that bear me up in all this firmness of mind are three. First, I consider the greatness of God's love, expressed in my adoption. Secondly, the truth of God, which hath promised this blessedness. And, thirdly, the power of God to make good whatever he hath promised to the uttermost. Let then my foolish desponding heart raise scruples to confound me, and object

never so importunately-" Vain man, consider what thou art, and what thou fondly imaginest thou shalt one day be; what canst thou see in thyself, a creature so little, so polluted, to think that ever thou shouldst attain to a state of such purity, such excellent glory? canst thou discern any proportion at all between a finite creature and infinite happiness? or art thou able to discover any such extraordinary merit to ground thy hopes upon, as should incline God to exalt thee so much above what nature seems to have qualified thee for? these difficulties I am in no degree terrified by, but can with great assurance return this answer to them, and rest my soul upon it, I know whom I have believed, and am verily persuaded, that God would have adopted me for his own child, had he not loved me exceedingly; that he would never have promised, had he not resolved to perform; and that if these things could be supposed greater than really they are, yet the putting me in actual possession of them cannot exceed in his power, because I am sure he can do whatsoever pleaseth him, both in heaven and earth. And therefore I can never love God enough, for inspiring and comforting me with this hope, and putting me into the way of attaining the bliss, he hath encouraged me to expect at his merciful hands. And great encouragements I have from those earnests and antepasts of his future goodness which he vouchsafes me even in this world. For such, I reckon, are his following after, and overtaking me, when I fled away from him; his controuling and banishing my fears by the charms of meekness and kindness, cherishing and frequently reviving my hopes, when I lay languishing in despair; his even constraining me to better obedience, by heaping on fresh benefits, notwithstanding my ingratitude for those I had formerly received; his giving me a better sense of things, and

enabling me to relish the sweetness of spiritual joys, when my palate stood to none, but such as were impure and merely sensual: his bursting my bonds asunder, and setting me at liberty, from the bondage of evil habits, which I had not the power to break; and his receiving me with so much tenderness, when by his help I had weaned my affections from the world, and forsaken all to follow him. He would not have done thus much for me already, had he not intended to do more hereafter; and therefore I will trust his word for this fulness of bliss in reversion, and dare depend upon the full accomplishment of it to his servant (though of myself most unworthy,) since I have such grounds of assurance from the many precious pledges of an inviolable love exhibited, and paid me down in hand.

CHAP. XV

The many Instances of God's Bounty, notwithstanding our Sins, and the Thanks due to him upon this Account.

P

ROCEED then, my soul, in these most pleasing contemplations, and sustain thyself against all desponding thoughts, by recollecting those many other proofs of the Divine goodness, which have been so peculiar, so secretly conveyed to thee, that none but thyself could be privy to them. Think of those retired pleasures, which thy Lord entertains thee with in secret, upon thy retreat from the world, and private conversation with him; what delicious food he hath provided for the satisfying of thy spiritual hunger : what inestimable treasures of mercy he hath given thee richly to enjoy ; what secret longings he inspires thee with, and how plentifully thou hast been made to drink of the ravishing cup of his love.

Was it then not a noble condescension, a most astonishing instance of compassion, that he left me not destitute of spiritual comforts? me, I say, who was a slothful and ungracious servant, a fugitive, a rebel, and one who never had returned to him and my duty, if he in mere, in boundless pity, had not called nie home? for thou canst not sure but remember, my soul, that if at any time I was under sharp trials, he interposed with seasonable supports: if I was ready to be overpowered by dangers, he presently fortified me against them: if I was dejected with grief, he sustained my spirits; if I was wavering in my duty, he strengthened and kept me steady: if I grew dry and heavy, fearful and faint, he poured in the refreshments of his holy Spirit, and gave a grateful relish to my devotions. O I never can, I never ought to forget, when I have been reading, or hearing, or praying, or meditating, in private or in public, how often he hath shone in upon me, and, by a ray of heavenly light, guided my mind to a right understanding of his holy word, opened mine eyes that I might see the meaning, the wondrous hidden things of his law; collected my scattered thoughts, put a stop to my wanderings; and made them all to centre in himself, with a desire too intense to be expressed: how often he hath drawn off my mind from earthly objects, and raised it up to heavenly delights; and fixed it there, and entertained me with those pleasures, which are the portion of the blessed above. These and many more expressions of his mercy I have felt and rejoiced in; more than I can, more than perhaps would become me to mention particularly, lest I should seem to exceed the bounds of modesty, to insinuate an opinion of some more than common worth in one so highly favoured, and arrogate to myself a part of that glory which is entirely his. For, according to the vulgar notions of these mat

ters, the grace of the giver, and the privilege of the receiver, are so closely connected, that he who ought alone to be praised, is seldom praised alone; for the person who is so signally happy in the gift, is generally admitted into a share of the value and commendation due to it. But, alas! what share hath any of us, even the best of us all which he hath not received? and what applause can belong to him, who received all the powers of doing well freely, as if this receiving were in any degree meritorious? to thee, therefore, O Lord my God, to thee alone, be the praise, the glory and thanksgiving: but to me, I am sure, belongs nothing but shame and confusion of face, for the numberless evil things I have done against thee, and the numberless good things I have been blessed with from thee.

And indeed my thanks are by no means what they ought to be, except these articles be both taken in. For, though the consideration of thy goodness be by itself just matter of gratitude and wonder; yet it is still more engaging, more astonishing, when that of our offences and grievous wickedness is added to it. For, if it be a commendation of bounty, to give largely where the receivers have deserved nothing; how shall we find ideas large enough to represent, and worthily extol that kindness, which returns good and evil, and bestows liberally where men have been as liberal in their injuries and provocations? what strange bowels of a fatherly affection are those, which the most insolent, most perverse, most undutiful children cannot harden against themselves? And yet, my soul, this is directly the state of the case between God and thee. Many things there are, which he in mercy forgives, many that he forgives most readily, and in great abundance. But then we must remember, that the evils he forgives are entirely ours, and the good things he bestows