'an Ecclefiaftical Commiffion might produce in the Church. I find our Church-men ex'pect it. Our Civil Officers depend on the King's Pleasure; among the reft, my self. I hope there is a happy time coming, of weeding the Church of England, and had rather, if it please God, bear my share in Suffering, than that any fcandalous Perfons,fhou'd make it part of their Character, to be of a Church fo truly resembling the Primitive, ' if it might be made happy with a quickening Difcipline.

All that Reign, his Thoughts were very much employ'd in arming himself against thofe Dangers which he faw approaching, and preparing for the fevereft Tryals. His Private Papers are full of excellent Prayers and Meditations, proper for a Devout Christian in times of Difficulty and Distress. And he seems to have then labour'd more, than at any time of his Life before, to difengage his Affections entirely from this World, and bring his Mind to fuch an Indifferency to it, that he might not be at all folicitous about his Fate here, but ftill be ready and willing to remove upon the first Summons. It was then his daily work to fortify his Soul, with a noble Faith in God, with true Chriftian Courage and Bravery, and the firmest resolutions of Sacrificing All, even Life it felf, to God and his Duty, fhou'd he be call'd to it.

And that he was thus employ'd, the Two following Meditations (among many others of the fame kind, which might be here Infert

ed)

ed) Compos'd in the Year 1687, will fufficiently fhew.

• The Wicked(fays he) flies when no Man purfueth, but the Righteous is bold as a Lion. Grace reforms and changes Nature: It makes ' the Proud Man Humble, The Furious Man Meek and Patient; The Luxurious Man Temperate and Mortified: But can it alfo make a Coward Valiant? This feems to be fo deeply rooted in our bodily Frame, that without molding us a new, it cannot ad'mit of any alteration. And on the other hand, Men that are naturally Stout, tho' never fo Vicious, ftill retain their Courage. • How then shall we understand this fentence ' of the Wifeman? Either we must conceive 'it of Wicked and Righteous Men, who have naturally equal Degrees of Courage; and 'then in Cafe of Terror, fee who is the Bra

6

veft Man: Or else we must take it in cafe ' of Publick Calamities when God vifits; then 'the Wicked tremble as a Leaf, but the Righ'teous is bold as a Lion. Fear is a great Sin

..

in a good Man; for why fhou'd He fear, ' who has the Lord of Hofts for his Shield, ' and most fure Protector? His Heart ftand'eth fast and believeth in the Lord; his Heart ' is establish'd and will not shrink; he is not afraid of any evil Tidings; nor of any Terror or С Amazement. Tho' the Earth be mov'd, and 'tho' the Hills be carried into the midst of the 'Sea, yet will he not fear. These are the Cha'racters of the good Man. Faith that removes Mountains, works this change alfo;

• and

and makes Women and Children out-brave 'Death and Tyrants in their cruelleft Forms.

It is only want of Faith, of believing in the 'Lord, that makes good Men fear.

Peter who had ventur'd out, where never Man C went before, when he faw the. Waves arise, C was afraid. Our Saviour gives the reason,

O Thon of little Faith, Wherefore didft Thou • Doubt? I believe that except the Lord keep the Houfe, the Watch-man waketh but in vain; I believe that God is my keeper in the way of my lawful Calling, and abode; If I Fear, leither do not believe, or do not believe enough. If it be his will to give C me up to the violence of evil Men, where'fore thou'd I fear his Will? We fear only for fomething we are fond of: The good Man has given up all his earthly Concerns. · to God. If I am ftill afraid for any of These, and think this Fear, only an innocent and unavoidable Infirmity of my Nature, I miftake; for it is a certain proof, C that I am still fond of what I pretend to have given up to God; It is a contradiction to my Profeffion, and a manifeft Sin. But if (as I faid) it be the Will of God, to give me up to the violence of evil Men; my Body, my Goods, or my Life: why shou'd I be afraid of the Will of God, which is full of goodness and kind Intentions towards me? If it be not his Will, I know all the Powers of Earth and Hell cannot hurt me. I will lay me down therefore in Peace, and take my rest, for Thou, O Lord, only makeft : me

me dwell in fafety. I will repofe my self < under the fhadow of thy Divine Pleasure, ' and in it will I find a fure retreat, tho' my 'Body and all my Earthly Concerns be given up to violence.

The other Meditation is as follows.

In time of Wealth and Profperity God requires us to watch and be fober; to keep the World at a distance from our Affections; to live in it, but not to live to it; to be reasonably pleas'd with it, but not to dote on it. But there is a time, when he requires us to be utterly eftrang'd from it; when the dif C pute is not about enjoying it more or less, but about quitting it altogether. When we are to have the loins of our Minds girt up, as the Ifraelites had their Bodies, the Night they were to go out of Egypt; when we are to be as indifferent to Life, or this World, < as they were to the Land they were leaving;

when we are to put our Lives into our 'Hands and not love them to Death: And this time is when fuch a cafe happens, as we find mention'd in the 13th of the Revelati

ons when we have our choice to Worship or 'Die, no way to efcape Death, but by a finful compliance; when none but they whofe "Names are Written in the Book of Life, and have Ears to hear, of all that dwell upon the Earth, fhall refuse to Worship the Beaft, or his Image. • When power is given to it, to fight against the Saints, and to overcome them, then is the time

• for

ever.

for the Patience and Faith of the Saints. This < is a time when there is to be no parlying with the World; it must not come into our thoughts; we muft either refift bravely,and fave our Lives by lofing them, or Dye for We may obferve more fevere, and lively expreft Punishments, denounc'd against fuch finful compliance, than against all the Immoralities and Sins reprov'd in holy Writ. Thus Rev. 14. 9, 10, 11. If any Man Worship the Beast and his Image the fame fhall drink of the Wine of the Wrath of God,which is poured out without mixture, in the Cup of his Indignation; and he fhall be tormented with • Fire and Brimftone, in the presence of the Holy Angels, and in the prefence of the Lamb: And the Smoke of their Torment afcendeth up for ever and ever; and they have no reft Day and Night And the reason is, because the Temptation is greater to this, than any other Sin; and therefore it is ballanced with greater Ter.. rors, to Arm us against it. The Difpute

here,is not about resisting some little Temp<tation, from which we might hope to recover our felves again, and Repent; but about refifting a Sin, that can never be repented of; about parting with Life and All at once, or Falling for ever. And on the other hand, as the Terror is great; fo God stands by, heartning his own Soldiers, and encouraging them to quit the World refolutely, and Die bravely. Verf. 12, 13. Here is the Patience of the Saints, here are they that keep the Commandments of God, and the Faith of Fe