pledges of thy Father's love. If he has done the moft, and the greatest things for thee, in remembering thee with the favour which he bears to his people: O remember thou thy duty, and be always mindful of his covenant. Know the things that are freely given thee of God; and forget not the bleffed benefits, that fet thee even above the higheft prince of the earth, who is not also the favourite of heaven. As long as thou profpereft, my foul, I can be happy, though I want all elfe which the profperous finners do enjoy. But without the divine favour, to make their fouls profper, they will be miferable for ever. Let them vaunt and huff, and fcorn, no matter; what need I care for their fa vour, when I have the favour of him that is infinitely their better? if of a rebel, the Lord has made me a fon, and of an enemy a friend; and has out of my low eftate raised me to the honour of his faints. My foul, having feen fuch good of his chofen, be joyful in thy God, and glory with his inheritance: and never leave off to blefs him for his unfpeakable gift, and all spiritual bleffings, in heavenly things in Chrift Jefus.

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THE PRAYE R.

LL my hope, Lord, is in thy tender mercy; and all my happiness comes of thy free 66 gift and bounty. Whatever elfe I have, ftill I "am deftitute and wretched without thee, and “whatsoever elfe I want; yet, I fhall do well and "be happy, if I can but attain to enjoy thee. In thy "favour is life; and what I have known of thy grace, and the tokens which thou haft given me of

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thy love, are all the ground of my hope, and all "the comfort of my life. And still do I defire to "wait upon thee, my God, for the carrying on "and perfecting of thy own gracious work in me; "which does not depend upon my frail will, and

"my

"my poor fervices; but upon thy good pleasure, " and thy mere grace which brings falvation. O "revive my foul with the fenfe of thy pardon, in "the Son of thy love: and make me to know the "things freely given me of God, that I am accept"ed, and fhall be faved through Jefus Christ. "Amen,"

MEDITATION XX.

Of praifing the Lord.

My foul, wilt thou not magnify the Lord? and fhall not my fpirit rejoice in God my Saviour? when his goodnefs, his love, his benefits, even extort it from me: and if I will but stand still and mufe well upon them; the fire must needs kindle and break out into a flame. As hard as my heart is, yet fure, if I fmite the rock, with any ftrokes of fmart and close confideration, the waters cannot choose but overflow, like the ftreams bubbling up, and running fluently from the fountain. If men praise the bridge they go over, and run out in the commendation of their kindnefs, for whom they fare the better: fhall not my God be praised by me, that still has done fo wonderful things for me, and fhewed fuch fweet and precious favours to me? Has he not regarded me in my low estate? O in how many low eftates has he looked upon me, and from thence raifed me? has he not brought me out of nothing to a noble being, among the worthieft creatures in this world? are not the toad and I fellow creatures? and what thanks to me that

I have the advantage? the potter had it in his hands, to make me a veffel of fuch, or more dihonour. And does not he still hold me in the life that he gave me? and keep the frame that he reared in fuch repair as I have it, and lengthen out my days among a thousand cafualties, that fweep away fuch multitudes before me? yea, does he give me, not only the neceffaries, but the conveniencies of life; the fat and the sweet, and those overflowings of divine bounty, that help me to live plentifully and handfomely? am I from a poor beginning, come to make fome figure in the world? and is my little brook fwelled up, to diffuse itself over the banks? when I came over Jordan, with no more than a staff in my hand. Am I become two bands? O who am I, and what is my father's house, that the Lord has brought me hitherto? was I ever brought down by affliction, even to death's door; fo that I thought myself going the way of all flesh, and was given up by others as free among the dead? and did he, that has the keys of death fetch me back, and give me a new leafe of my life? if the grave then cannot praise him, nor death celebrate him; yet fhall not I, that have been kept out of the pit, and had even a refurrection from the dead?

But has not the Lord looked upon me in a lower ftate yet, than all thefe; in a cafe worse than nothing, even in my blood to bid me live? when I lay on the brink of defperation, and even the borders of damnation: did he, with a hand stretched out from heaven, come and refcue me from the jaws of hell, and raise up for me a mighty falvation? after he had fhewed me great and fore troubles; did he turn again and comfort me on every fide, with the gift of his Chrift, the light of his countenance, the Spirit of his grace, and the joyful hopes of his glory? O my foul, here is love that paffes my

utterance;

utterance; paffes my knowledge. There is no comparison between it, and all the kindness that ever can be fhewed, to make one the moft happy man in this world. That the Lord fhould pafs by fo many, to look upon me with an eye of faving mercy! the more I roll upon it in my thoughts, the more I am rapt with wonder and joy, at the difcriminating favour; greater than to make me the highest king upon earth, or emperor of the whole world.

And shall not I magnify him, that has fo magnified me? but, O my foul, how fhall I do it? for greater than he is, I cannot make him: nay, fo great as he is, I cannot reprefent him. All that ever I can here attain, is to raife in myself, and others, fome high and glorious thoughts of him; to aggrandize his condefcenfion in ftooping, to fet up fuch a wretch; to ftand amazed at fuch pleonafms of mercy, and fo publifh abroad the ineftimable love, as to affect many with it, and engage them to make up the confort with me, in finging his praise. That we may exalt his name together: yea, to call in all the choir of heaven, to take the work off my hands, for which I am not able.

O what a faint echo of fuch received mercies are all my praises? yet muft I go as far as my strength will reach; and though I am afhamed of the poor returns, yet may I be proud of the high office, which the greatest faint or angel need not blush to be feen in. And how can I be liftlefs to that heavenly employment, which is such music to the foul, and makes fuch melody in the very heart? can I difguft marrow and fatnefs, and turn away from the joyful and pleasant thing, that fheds the fweetest perfume and relifh all over me? O here, may I even lofe myself, in the bottomlefs abyfs of moft delicious pleasure and joy in the Lord! and let me not lofe my fhare in that most ravishing entertainment,

to

to triumph and glorify in him, who is the life and joy of the world. When he has not only fitted me for it, by the Spirit given me, but alfo engaged me to it by the biggest obligations laid upon me. Let it not be only, the hollow God-be-thanked, but blefs the Lord, O my foul, and all that is within me blefs his holy name. Or elfe all the most rhetorical encomiums will make no melody in his ears, who fearches the hearts; when the praise results not from the internal fenfe, and the admiring thoughts I have of God's love, and the favour from above. My foul must be dilated, and even all in a flame, and my fpirit in a ferment and elevation, till I am tranfported even out of myself. Such are the afcenfions and heights of devotion, that fometimes raife holy fouls, till whether in the body, or out of the body, they can hardly tell; and therefore fome little preludiums of thofe glorious praises, which are to be the joyful bufinefs of the bleffed for ever.

Now, the lower I fink down in the examination

of my finful felf, the higher fhall I rife in the celebration of God's praifes. When I know how I have forfeited all, I fhall learn how to value the least drop or drachm of mercy; and then think with myself, O what manner of love is this, which exceeds even my faith, as well as my expectation! who can conprehend the length and breadth, and depth, and height of it? I know not what to fay to it, but I am unworthy: O how unworthy! and not unto me, but unto my God alone be all the glory.

My mouth, Lord, fhall be filled with thy honour, and my lips fhall praife thee. The beft member that I have fhall pay that tribute, which the dumb creatures cannot exprefs; but my heart fhall be charged with the chief concern; and my life fhall tell abroad what I feel within, that things holy and heavenly, do not make me fad and heavy: that I can be pleasant and pious both together, and hear