He cuts me down to make me up,
And empties me to fill my cup (1).
I never can myself enjoy,
Till he my woeful self destroy;
And most of all myself I am,
When most I do myself disclaim (m).
I glory in infirmities (n),

Yet daily am asham'd of these (0);
Yea, all my pride gives up the ghost,
When once I but begin to boast (p).
My chemistry is most exact,
Heav'n out of hell I do extract (q);

us up. After two days will he revive us, in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. PSAL. cvii. 9. God satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. LUKE i. 53. And Mary said,-He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away.

but whoso

ROM. viii.

(m) LUKE ix. 23. 24. And Jesus said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it; ever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 13. If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 2 COR. xii. 10. See letter (i).

(n) 2 CɔR. xii. 9. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

(0) PSAL. lxxiii. 15. 16. If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children. When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me. lxxvii. 8. 9. 10. Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah. And I said, this is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.

(p) Is. xlv. 24. 25. Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come, and all that are insensed against him, shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all theseed of Israel be justified, and shall glory. PSAL. xliv. 6. I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. v. 8. In God we boast all the day long: and praise thy name for ever. Selah.

(q) JONAH ii. 1. 2. Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out

This art to me a tribute brings
Of useful out of hurtful things (r).

I learn to draw well out of woe,
And thus to disappoint the foe (s);
The thorns that in my flesh abide,
Do prick the tympany of pride (t).

By wounding foils the field I win,
And sin itself destroys my sin (u);

of the fish's belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto
the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou
heardst my voice. v. 4. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet
I will look again toward thy holy temple. MATTH. xv. 26. 27. 28.
But Jesus answered and said [unto the woman of Canaan], It is not
meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she
said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their
master's table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman,
great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her dangh-
ter was made whole from that very hour. PSAL. xlii. 6. 7. 8. O my
God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee
from the land of Jordon, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.
Deep calleth unto deep, at the noise of thy water-spouts: all thy
waves and thy billows are gone over me.
Yet the Lord will command
his loving-kindness in the day-time, and in the night his song shall be
with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

(r) ROM. v. 3. 4. 5. See letter (i),

(s) MICAH vii. 8. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light

unto me.

(t) 2 Cor. xii. 7. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

(u) Roм. viii. 35. 37. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us. PSAL. lxv. 3. Iniquities

prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away. 2 CHRON. XXXii. 24. 25. 26. In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the Lord: and he spake unto him, and he gave him a sign. But Hezekiah rendered not again, according

My lusts break one another's pate,
And each corruption kills its mate (v).

I smell the bait, I feel the harm
Of corrupt ways, and take th' alarm.
I taste the bitterness of sin,

And then to relish grace begin (w).

to the benefit done unto him: for his heart was lifted up; therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem. Notwithstanding, Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, (both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem), so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

(v) ROM. vii. 7. 8. 9. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. v. 11. For sin taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. v. 13. Was then that which is good, made death unto me? God forbid. But sin that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. Where you see the sight and feeling of sin kilied self. JOHN ix. 39. 40. 41. And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world: that they which see not, might see; and that they which see, might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him, heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. PSAL. lix. 11. Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield. MATTH. XXVi.

33. 34. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. v. 75. And Peter remembered the words of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

(w) ROM. vi. 21. What fruit had ye then in those things, whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. PSAL. XIX. 11. Moreover, by them [the judgments of the Lord] is thy servant warned and in keeping of them there is great reward. lxxiii. 17. 18. 19. Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their

:

I hear the fools profanely talk,

Thence wisdom learn in word and walk (x);
I see them throng the passage broad,
And learn to take the narrow road (y).

SECTION XIII.

The mystery of the saint's adversaries and adversities.

end.

A Lump of woe affliction is,
Α

Yet thence I borrow lumps of bliss a);

Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thon castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. JER. ii. 19. Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see, that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts.

(x) JOB xxi. 13. 14. 15. They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. Therefore they say unto God, De- . part from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.

What is

the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have if we pray unto him? EPH. iv. 20. 21. 22. But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. Chap. v. 6. 7. 8. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes in darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light. v. 11. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

(y) MATTH. vii. 13. 14. Enter ye in at the straight gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

(a) HEB. xii. 11. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness, unto them which are exercised thereby. JAMES i.

Though few can see a blessing in't,
It is my furnace and my mint (b).

Its sharpness does my lusts despatch (c);
Its suddenness alarms my watch (d);
Its bitterness refines my taste,

And weans me from the creature's breast (e).
Its weightiness doth try my back,

That faith and patience be not slack (ƒ);
It is a fanning wind, whereby

I am unchaff'd of vanity (g).

A furnace to refine my grace (h),

A wing to lift my soul

apace (i);

12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

(b) Is. xxxi. 9. And he [the Assyrian] shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.

(c) PSAL. xlv. 5. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.

(d) MARK Xiii. 35. 36. 37. Watch ye therefore (for ye know not when the master of the house cometh; at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning), lest coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you, I say unto you all, Watch.

(c) JER. ii. 19. See letter (w) forecited. Chap. iv. 18. Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee, this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.

(f) JAMES i. 2. 3. 4. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

(g) Is. xxvii. 8. 9. In measure when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it; he stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east-wind. By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, and this is all the fruit to take away his sin.

(h) MAL. iii. 3. And he [the messenger of the covenant] shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

(2) PSAL. cxliii. 9. Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee anto thee to hide me.