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have in their abfolute Dominion, and full Advancement in their Kingdom of Glory?

$10. Compare the glorious Change thou shalt have at laft, with the gracious Change which the Spirit hath here wrought on thy Heart. There is not the smallest fincere Grace in thee, but is of greater Worth than the Riches of the Indies; not a hearty Defire and Groan after Chrift, but is more to be valued than the Kingdoms of the World. A renewed Nature is the very Image of God; Chrift dwelling in us; and the Spirit of God abiding in us: It is a Beam from the Face of God; the Seed of God remaining in us; the only inherent Beauty of the rational Soul: It enobles Man above all Nobility; fits him to understand his Maker's Pleasure, do His Will, and receive His Glory. If this Grain of Muftard-Seed be fo precious, what is the Tree of Life in the Midft of the Paradife of God? If a Spark of Life, which will but ftrive against Corruptions, and flame out a few Defires and Groans, be of fo much Worth; how glorious then is the Fountain of this Life? If we are faid to be like God, when we are preffed down with a Body of Sin; fure we shall be much more like God, when we have no fuch Thing as Sin within us. Is the Defire after, and Love of, Heaven fo excellent; what then is the Thing itfelf? Is our Joy in foreseeing and believing fo fweet; what will be the Joy of full Poffeffion? How glad is a Chriftian when he feels his Heart begin to melt, and be diffolved with the Thoughts of finful Unkindness? Even this Sorrow yields him Joy. O what then will it be, when we fhall know, and love, and rejoice, and praife, in the higheft Perfection? Think with thyfelf, "What a Change was it, to be "taken from that State wherein I was born, and in "which I was rivetted by Cuftom, when thousands

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323 " of Sins lay upon my Score, and if I had fo died I "had been damned for ever? What an aftonishing "Change, to be juftified from all these enormous "Crimes, and freed from all these fearful Plagues, " and made an Heir of Heaven? How often, when "I have thought of my Regeneration, have I cried "out, O bleffed Day! and bleffed be the Lord that 66 ever I faw it! How then fhall I cry out in Hea"ven, O bleffed Eternity! and bleffed be the Lord "that brought me to it! Did the Angels of God. "rejoice to fee my Converfion? Surely they will "congratulate my Felicity in my Salvation. Grace "is but a Spark raked up in the Ashes, covered "with Flesh from the Sight of the World, and "fometimes covered with Corruption from my 66 own Sight; but my everlafting Glory will not "be fo clouded, nor my Light be under a Bufhel, "but upon a Hill, even upon Mount Sion, the "Mount of God."

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ONCE more, compare the foys which thou halt have above, with thofe Foretaftes of it which the Spirit hath given thee here. Hath not God fometimes revealed Himfelf extraordinarily to thy Soul, and let a Drop of Glory fall upon it? Haft thou net been ready to fay, "O that it might be thus with my Soul continually!" Didit thou never cry out with the Martyr, after thy long and mournful Expectations, "He is come, He is come?" Didft thou never, under a lively Sermon of Heaven, or in thy retired Contemplations on that bleffed State, perceive thy drooping Spirits revive, and thy dejected Heart lift up the Head, and the Light of Heaven dawn on thy Soul? Think with thyfelf, "What is this "Earneft to the full Inheritance? Alas, all this 63 Light that fo amazeth and rejoiceth me, is but a P 6 "Candle

"Candle lighted from Heaven, to lead me thither "through this World of Darkness! If fome godly "Men have been overwhelmed with Joy, till they "have cried out, Hold, Lord, flay thy Hand; I can "bear no more: What then will be my Joys in Heaven, when my Soul fhall be fo capable of feeing and enjoying God, that though the Light be ten "thousand Times greater than the Sun, yet my Eyes fhall be able for ever to behold it?" Or if thou haft not yet felt thefe fweet Foretaftes, (for every Believer hath not felt them) then make use of fuch Delights as thou haft felt, in order the better to difcern what thou fhalt hereafter feel.

§ 12. (II) I am now to fnew how heavenly Contemflation may be preferved from a wandering Heart. Our chief Work is here to difcover the Danger, and that will direct to the fittest Remedy. The Heart will prove the greateft Hinderance in this heavenly Employment; either,by Backwardness to it; or, by trifling in it;or, by frequent Excurfions to other Objects;or, by abruptly ending the Work before it is well begun. As you value the Comfort of this Work, thefe dangerous Evils must be faithfully refifted.

§ 13. (1) Thou wilt find thy Heart as backward to this, I think, as to any Work in the World. O what Excufes will it make! What Evafions will it find out! What Delays and Demurs, when it is ever fo much convinced! Either it will queftion, whether it be a Duty or not; or, if it be fo to others, whether to thy felf. It will tell thee, "This is a Work for Miniflers that have nothing elfe to ftudy; or for "Perfons that have more Leisure than thou haft." If thou be a Minifter, it will tell thee, This is the "Duty of the People; it is enough for thee to medi

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<tate for their Inftruction, and let them meditate on what they have heard." As if it was thy Duty only to cook their Meat, and ferve it up, and they alone must eat it, digeft it, and live upon it. If all this will not do, thy Heart will tell thee of other Business, or fet thee upon fome other Duty; for it, had rather go to any Duty than this. Perhaps it will tell thee," Other Duties are greater, and therefore "this must give Place to them, because thou haft no "Time for both. Publick Bufinefs is more impor 66 tant; to ftudy and preach for the faving of Souls, "must be preferred before thefe private Contempla"tions." As if thou hadst not Time to care for thy own Salvation, for looking after that of others. Or thy Charity to others were fo great, that it obliges thee to neglect thy own eternal Welfare. Or as if. there were any better Way to fit us to be useful to others, than making this Proof of our Doctrine ourfelves. Certainly Heaven is the best Fire to light our Candle at, and the best Book for a Preacher to study; and if we would be perfuaded to study that more, the Church would be provided with more heavenly Lights; and when our Studies are divine, and our Spirits divine, our Preaching will also be divine, and we may be called Divines indeed.

Or, if thy Heart have nothing to say against the Work, it will trifle away the Time in Delays, and promife this Day, and the next, but ftill keep off from the Bufinefs.Or, it will give thee a flat Denial, and oppofe its own Unwillingness to thy Reafon. All this I fpeak of the Heart, fo far as it is ftill carnal; for I know, fo far as it is fpiritual, it will judge this the sweetest Work in the World.

$14. WHAT is now to be done? Wilt thou do it, if I tell thee? Wouldst thou not fay in a like Cafe, What

"What should. I do with a Servant that will not “work? or with a Horse that will not travel? Shall "I keep them to look at?" Then faithfully deal thus with thy Heart; perfuade it to the Work, take no Denial, chide it for its Backwardness, ufe Violence with it. Haft thou no Command of thy own Thoughts? Is not the Subject of thy Meditations a Matter of Choice, especially under this Conduct of thy Judgment? Surely God gave thee, with thy new Nature, fome Power to govern thy Thoughts. Art thou again become a Slave to thy depraved Nature? Refume thy Authority. Call in the Spirit of Chrift to thine Affiftance, who is never backward to fo good a Work, nor will deny His Help in fo juft a Caufe. Say to Him, " Lord, thou gaveft my Reafon the "Command of my Thoughts and Affections; the "Authority I have received over them is from thee; " and now behold, they refufe to obey thine Autho"rity: Thou commandeft me to fet them to the Work of heavenly Meditation, but they rebel, and "ftubbornly refuse the Duty. Wilt thou not affift

me to exercife that Authority which thou haft given "me? O fend down thy Spirit, that I may enforce "thy Commands, and effectually compel them to

obey thy Will!" Thus thou fhalt fee thy Heart will fubmit, its Refiftance be overcome, and its Backwardnefs be turned into chearful Compliance.

15. (2) Thy Heart will also be likely to betray thee by trifling, when it should be effectually meditating. Perhaps when thou haft an Hour for Meditation, the Time will be spent before thy Heart will be serious. This doing of Duty, as if we did it not, ruins as many as the Omiffion of it. Here let thine Eye be always upon thy Heart. Look not fo much to the Time it fpends in the Duty, as to the Quantity and Quality

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