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panions were drawn away from them, one after another, all the interruption it gave the reft, was only for a minute or two, whilft they food peeping into that hole through which their companions were drawn, and then fell to their meat again as bufily as before; I could not chufe but fay, Even thus fur. • prizingly doth death fteal upon the children of men, whilst they are wholly intent upon the cares and pleafures of this life, not at all fufpecting its fo near approach.' Thefe birds faw not the hand that enfnared them, nor do they see the hand of death plucking them one after another into the grave. "Death's fteps as fwift, and yet no noise it makes; "Its hand unseen, but yet moft furely takes f."

And even as the furviving birds for a little time seemed to and affrighted, peeping after their companions, and then as bufy as ever to their meat again: juft fo it fares with the care, lefs, inconfiderate world, who fee others daily dropping into eternity round about them, and for the prefent are a little ftartled, and will look into the grave after their neighbours, and then fall as bufily to their earthly employments and pleasures again, as ever, till their own turn comes.

I know, my God, that I must die as well as others; but let me not die as others do, let me fee death before I feel it, and conquer it before it kill me; let it not come as an enemy upon my back, but rather let me meet it as a friend, half way. Die I muft, but let me lay up that good treasure before I go, Matth. vi, 19. Carry with me a good confcience when I go, 2 Tim. iv. 6, 7. and leave behind me a good example when I am gone, and then let death come, and welcome.

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MEDITATIONs upon B E AS TS.

MEDIT. I.

Upon the clogging of a fraying beaft.

AD this bullock contented himself, and remained quietly within his own bounds, his owner had never put such an heavy clog upon his neck; but I fee the prudent husbandman chufes rather to keep him with this clog, than lofe him for want of one. What this clog is to him, that is affliction and trouble to me; had my foul kept clofe with God in liberty and profperity, he would never thus have clogged me with adverstQmibus obfcuras injecit illa manus. Ovid.

ty; yea, and happy were it for me, if I might stray from God no more, who hath thus clogged me with preventive afflictions. If, with David, I might fay, "Before I was afflicted I went a❝ftray, but now I have kept thy word," Pfalm cxix. 67. O my foul! it is better for thee to have thy pride clogged with poverty, thy ambition with reproach, thy carnal expectancies with conftant difappointments, than to be at liberty to run from God and duty.

It is true, I am fometimes as weary of these troubles, as this poor beaft is of the clog he draws after him, and often with my felf rid of them; but yet, if God fhould take them off, for ought I know, I might have caufe to with them on again, to prevent a greater mifchief. It is ftoried of Bafil, that for many years he was forely afflicted with an inveterate head-ach, (that was his clog) he often prayed for the removal of it; at laft God removed it, but instead thereof he was forely exercised with the motions and temptations of luft, which when he perceived, he as earneftly defired his head-ach again, to prevent a greater evil. Lord! if my corruptions may be prevented by my afflictions, I refufe not to be clogged with them; but my foul rather defires thou wouldst haften the time when I shall be for ever freed from them both.

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tent upon

MEDIT. II.

Upon the love of a dog to his master.

OW many a weary step, through mire and dirt, hath this poor dog followed my horfe's heels to day, and all this for a very poor reward? for all he gets by it at night, is but bones and blows, yet will he not leave my company, but is confuch hard terms, to travel with me from day to day. 0 my foul! what conviction and shame may this leave upon thee, who art oftentimes even weary of following thy master, Chrift, whose rewards and encouragements of obedience are fo incomparably fweet and fure! I cannot beat back this dog from following me, but every inconfiderable trouble is enough to difcourage me in the way of my duty. Ready I am to refolve as that scribe did, Matth. viii. 19. "Mafter, I will follow thee "whitherfoever thou goeft;" but how doth my heart faulter, when I must encounter with the difficulties of the way? Oh! let me make a whole heart-choice of Chrift for my portion and happiness! and then I fhall never leave him, nor turn back from following him, though the prefent difficulties were much more, and the prefent encouragements much less.

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MEDIT. III.

Upon the fighting of two rams.

Aking notice how furioufly these fheep, which by nature are mild and gentle, did yet, like bulls, push each other, taking their advantage by going back to meet with a greater rage and fury: methought I faw in this a plain emblem of the unchriftian contests and animofities which fall out amongst them that call themselves the people of God, who are in scripture also ftiled fheep, for their meeknefs and innocency; and yet, through the remaining corruptions that are in then., thus do they do pufh each other; as one long fince complained, non fecus ac,

Cam duo converfis inimica in praelia tauri,

Frontibus incurrunt

Shall Christians one another wound and push,

Like furious bulls, when they together ruth?

:

The fighting of thefe fheep doth in two refpects notably comport with the finful practices of contending Chriftians, 1. That in this fight they engage with their heads one against another and what are they, but thofe head-notions, or oppofition of fciences, falfely fo called, that have made fo many broils and uproars in the Chriftian world? O! what clafhings have thefe heady opinions caufed in the churches! Firft heads, and then hearts have clafhed. Chriftians have not diftinguished betwixt adverfarius litis, et perfonae; an adversary to the opinion, and to the perfon; but dipt their tongues and pens în vinegar and gall, fhamefully afperfing and reproaching one another, because their understandings were not caft into one mould, and their heads all of a bigness. But, 2. That whic hcountry-men observe from the fighting of fheep, That itprefages foul and Stormy weather, is much more certainly confequent upon the fighting of Chrift's fheep. Do thefe clafh and pufh? Surely it is an infallible prognostic of an ensuing storm, Mal. iv. 6.

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MEDIT. IV.

Upon the catching of an horfe in a fat pasture.

HEN this horfe was kept in poor fhort leas, where he had much scope, but little grass, how gentle and trac table was he then? He would not only ftand quiet to be taken,. but come to hand of his own accord, and follow me up and down the field for a cruft of bread, or handful of oats; but

fince I turned him into this fat pafture, he comes no more to me, nor will suffer me to come near him, but throws up his heels wantonly againft me, and flies from me, as if I were rather his enemy than benefactor. In this I behold the carriage of my own heart towards God, who the more he hath done for me, the feldomer doth he hear from me; in a low and afflicted state, how tractable is my heart to duty? Then it comes to the foot of God voluntarily. But in an exalted condition, how wildly doth my heart run from God and duty? With this ungrateful requital God faulted his own people, Jer. iii. 1. teachable and tractable in the wilderness, but when fatted in that rich pafture of Canaan, "Then we are lords, we will come no more to thee." How foon are all God's former benefits forgotten? And how often is that ancient observation * verified, even in his own people?

"No fooner do we gifts on fome bestow,

"But prefently our gifts grey-headed grow."

But that is a bad tenant, that will maintain a fuit at law against his landlord with his own rent; and a bad heart, that will fight againft God with his own mercies. I wish it may be with my heart, as it is reported to be with the waters in the kingdom of Congo, that are never fo fweet to the tafte, as when the tide is at the highest.

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MEDIT. V.

Upon the hunting of a deer.

HE full-mouthed cry of these dogs, which from the morning have hunted this poor tired deer, which is now no longer able to ftand before them, but is compassed round with them, who thirft for, and will prefently fuck her blood; brings to my thoughts the condition and state of Jefus Chrift, in the days of his flefh, who was thus hunted from place to place by blood-thirsty enemies. Upon this very account, the 22d Pfalm, which treats of his death, is inscribed with the title of Aijeleth Shahar, which fignifies the hind of the morning, and fully imports the fame notion which this occafion prefented me with; for look, as the hind or deer, which is intended to be run down that day, is rouzed by the dogs early in the morning, fo was Chrift, in the very morning of his infancy, by bloody Herod, and that cruel pack confederated with him. Thus was

* Μετα τ δοσιν τάχιςα γκράσκει χαρίς. Poft munera cito confenefcit gratia.

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he chafed from place to place, till that was fulfilled which was prophetically written of him in ver. 16. of the forecited Pfalm: For dogs have compaffed me about, the affembly of the wicked have inclofed me; they pierced my hands and my feet." And canft thou expect, O my foul! to fare better than he did, or escape the rage of bloody men? Surely, if the Spirit of Christ dwell in thee, if his holinefs have favoured thee, thefe dogs will wind it, and give thee chafe too; they go upon the fcent of holinefs ftill, and would hunt to deftruction every one, in whom there is aliquid Chrifti, any thing of Chrift, if the gracious providence of the Lord did not fometimes rate them off: for it is no less a pleasure which fome wicked ones take in hunting the people of God, than what † Claudian the poet obferves men ufe to take in hunting wild beafts..

"Whilft weary huntsmen in the night do fleep,

"Their fancies in the woods still hunting keep."

Lord! fhould I with the hypocrite decline the profeffion and practice of holinefs, to efcape the rage of perfecuting enemies, at what time they ceafe, my own confcience would begin to hunt me like a blood-hound; let me rather chufe to be chafed by men than God, to flee before purfuing enemies, than be dogged from day to day with a guilty conscience.

MEDITATIONS upon TREES.

MEDIT. I.

Upon the fall of blossoms, nipt by a frosty morning..

Bholding in an early fpring, fruit-trees emboffed with

beautiful bloffoms of various colours, which breathed forth their delicious odours into the circumambient air, and adorned the branches on which they grew, like fo many rich jewels, or glitteri.. pendents; and further obferving, how these perfumed bloffoms dropt off, being bitten with the froft, and difcoloured all the ground, as if a fhower of fnow had fallen; I faid within myself, these sweet and early bloffoms are not unlike my fweet and early affections to the Lord, in the days of my first acquaintance with him. O what fervent love, panting defires, and heavenly delights beautified my foul in those days! The odoriferous fcent of the sweetest bloffoms, the + Venator defeffa thero quum membra reponit, Mens tamen ad fylvas, et fua luftra redit...... VOL. VI,

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