Quality of the Work that is done. You can tell by his Work, whether a Servant hath been diligent. Ask yourself, "What Affections have been yet exercised? "How much am I yet got nearer to Heaven?" Think not, fince thy Heart is fo trifling, it is better to let it alone: For, by this Means, thou wilt certainly banish all spiritual Obedience; because the best Hearts, being but fanctified in Part, will refift, fo far as they are carnal. But rather confider well the Corruption of thy Nature; and that its finful Indifpofitions will not fuperfede the Commands of God; nor one Sin excufe for another; and that God has appointed Means to excite our Affections. This Selfreasoning, Self-confidering Duty of heavenly Meditation, is the moft fingular Means, both to excite and increase Love. Therefore ftay not from the Duty, till thou feeleft thy Love conftrain thee; any more than thou wouldst stay from the Fire, till thou feeleft thyfelf warm; but engage in the Work, till Love is excited, and then Love will conftrain thee to further Duty.

$16. (3) Thy Heart will also be making Excurfions from thy heavenly Meditation to other Objects. It will be turning afide, like a careless Servant, to talk with every one that paffeth by. When there fhould be nothing in thy Mind but Heaven, it will be thinking of thy Calling, or thy Afflictions, or of every Bird, or Tree, or Place thou feeft. The Cure is here the fame as before; ufe Watchfulness and Violence. Say to thy Heart, "What, did I come hither to "think of my worldly Bufinefs, of Perfons, Places, "News, or Vanity, or of any Thing but Heaven, "be it ever fo good? Canft thou not watch one Hour? "Wouldst thou leave this World, and dwell for ever "with Chrift in Heaven, and not leave it one Hour "to dwell with Chrift in Meditation? Is this thy

"Love to thy Friend? Doft thou love Chrift, and the "Place of thy eternal, bleffed Abode, no more than "this?" If the ravening Fowls of wandering Thoughts devour the Meditations intended for Heaven, they devour the Life and Joy of thy Thoughts: Therefore drive them away from thy Sacrifice, and ftrictly keep thy Heart to the Work.

§ 17. (4) Abruptly ending thy Meditation before it is well begun, is another Way in which thy Heart will deceive thee. Thou mayft eafily perceive this in other Duties. In fecret Prayer, is not thy Heart urging thee to cut it short, and frequently making a Motion to have done? So in heavenly Contemplation, thy Heart will be weary of the Work, and will ftop thy heavenly Walk before thou art well warm. But charge it in the Name of God to ftay, and not do fo great a Work by Halves. Say to it," Foolish

Heart! if thou beg a while, and goeft away before

thou haft thy Alms, is not thy Begging a loft La"bour? If thou ftoppeft before the End of thy Jour"ney, is not thy Travel loft? Thou cameft hither "in Hope to have a Sight of the Glory which thou

muft inherit; and wilt thou ftop when thou art "almost at the Top of the Hill, and turn back be"fore thou haft taken thy Survey? Thou camest

་་

hither in Hope to fpeak with God, and wilt thou go before thou haft feen Him? Thou cameft to bathe thyfelf in the Streams of Consolation, and to that End didft uncloath thyfelf of thy earthly "Thoughts, and wilt thou only touch the Bank, "and return?. Thou cameft to spy out the Land of

Promife; go not back without one Clufter of Grapes,

to fhew thy Brethren for their Encouragement. Let "them fee that thou haft tafted of the Wine, by the "Gladness of thy Heart; and that thou haft been "anointed with the Oil, by the Chearfulness of thy

❝ Coun

329 << Countenance; and haft fed of the Milk and Honey, by the Mildnefs of thy Difpofition, and the Sweetnefs of thy Conversation. This heavenly Fire "would melt thy frozen Heart, and refine and spi

ritualize it; but it must have Time to operate." Thus purfue the Work till fomething be done, till thy Graces be in Exercife, thy Affections raised, and thy Soul refreshed with the Delights above; or if thou canft not obtain theie Ends at once, be the more earneft at another Time. Bleffed is that Servant, whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find fo doing.

CHAP.

CHA P. XVI.

Heavenly Contemplation exemplified, and the whole Work concluded.

1. The Reader's Attention excited to the following Example of Meditation. § 2. The Excellencies of heavenly Reft; § 3. its Nearness, § 4. dreadful to Sinners, $5. and joyful to Saints; § 6. its dear Purchafe; $7. its Difference from Earth. § 8. The Heart pleaded with. $9. Unbelief banished. $10. A careless World pitied. § 11-13. Heavenly Reft the Object of Love, §14-21. and. Joy. $22. The Heart's Backwardness to heavenly. Joy lamented. $23-27. Heavenly Reft the Object of Defire. 28. Such Meditation as this urged upon the Reader: $ 29. The Mifchief of neglecting it: $30. The Happiness of pursuing it. § 31. The Auther's concluding Prayer for the Success of his Work.

§ 1. A

ND now, Reader, according to the above Directions, make Confcience of daily exer cifing thy Graces in Meditation, as well as Prayer: Retire into fome fecret Place, at a Time the most convenient to thyfelf, and laying afide all worldly Thoughts, with all poffible Serioufnefs and Reverence, look up toward Heaven, remember there is thine everlafting Reft, ftudy its Excellency and Reality, and rife from Senfe to Faith, by comparing heavenly with earthly Foys: Then mix Ejaculations with thy Soliloquies; till hav ing pleaded the Cafe reverently with God, and seriously

with

with thy own Heart, thou haft pleaded thyfelf from a Clod to a Flame, from a forgetful Sinner, and a Lover of the World, to an ardent Lover of God, from a fearful Coward to a refolved Chriftian, from an unfruitful Sadness to a joyful Life: In a Word, till thou haft pleaded thy Heart from Earth to Heaven, from converfing below to walking with God; and till thou canst lay thy Heart to reft, as in the Bofom of Chrift, by fome fuch Meditation of thy everlasting Reft as is here added for thy Affiftance.

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$ 2. Reft! How fweet the Sound! It is Melody to my Ears! It lies as a reviving Cordial at my Heart, and from thence fends forth lively Spi rits, which beat through all the Pulfes of my Soul! Reft, Not as the Stone that refts on the Earth, nor as this Flesh shall reft in the Grave, nor such a Rest as the carnal World desires. O blessed Rest! When

we reft not Day and Night, Jaying, Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty! When we fhall reft from Sin, 'but not from Worship; from Suffering and Sorrow, but not from Joy! O bleffed Day! When I fhall reft with God! When I fhall reft in the Bofom of my Lord! When I fhall reft in knowing, loving, rejoicing, and praifing! When my perfect Soul and Body fhall together perfectly enjoy the most • perfect God! When God, who is Love itfelf, fhall 'perfectly love me, and reft in His Love to me, as I fhall reft in my Love to Him; and rejoice over me with Joy, and joy over me with Singing, as I fhall rejoice in Him!"

$.3. • How near is that most bleffed, joyful Day! It comes apace. He that fhall come will come, and • will not tarry. Though my Lord feems to delay His coming, yet a little while and He will be here. What is a few hundred Years, when they are over? How furely will His Sign appear? How fuddenly