ties and Powers originally infpired by my creating Spirit.

The High and Honourable, as well as Mean and Low, the Rich and Poor, all drink of this common Fountain, and the most Powerful of the Sons of Men can do nothing, till furnished with Ability from hence. This Spring is inexhauftible, and They who receive moft, and are grateful in their Returns, I water with more liberal Measures of Grace. Them that honour me, I never fail to honour and bless in a visible and eminent Manner; But, if Men glory in any Thing but the Lord, I blaft their Devices, difapoint their Hopes, make them afhamed of their vain Boaftings. For fo have I ordered Matters by my Providence; that no true lafting Satisfaction fhall ever fill that Heart which fets its Affections upon private and paltry Advantages. Croffes from without, and Perplexities from within, are the certain Confequence of Worldly Defires, and Selfish Principles.

If therefore thou haft received or done any good Thing, take care of mifplacing the Honour and Thanks due for it, upon thy felf, or any other Perfon. For this is robbing God of his Due, from whom Men receive whatever they have, or are, and stand in Duty and Equity bound, to pay him their Acknowledgments. Since therefore the whole is my Gift, when I demand the whole Thanks and Praife, I demand but the Product of my Own; and this is what, as I injure no Man in requiring, fo I refolve never to depart from.

This is the true Principle of Juftice. Neceffary to be confidered, and thoroughly fubmitted to; because it checks and utterly confounds that other moft pernicious Principle of Pride and Vain-glory, to which Mankind are fo exceeding prone. Nor is it lefs conducive to their Happiness, than to their Duty. For, where this generous Love and Regard of Me takes

2

place,

place, it does not only engage my Favour, but fecures the Man from Envy and Difcontent, Partiality and every other Paffion, that uses to torment little and worldly minded People. For this respectful Deference and fervent Love of God enlarges the Soul, and fills it with great and truly noble Thoughts. And therefore this is a certain Mark of true and heavenly Wifdom to make Me its only Joy, and Hope; For, how can He be wife, who does not fee, that God is the Perfection and Original of all Good, and that the neceffary Confequence of his being fo, is that he is to be Praised, Honoured, Admired, in, and for, and above all: Since all the Good which Men pretend to esteem, is by Communication from him; an Emanation from his Fulnefs, an Effect of that Sole, that Universal Caufe?

CHA P. XI.

God's Service is perfect Freedom.

Disciple.] I

Will again take the Confidence to speak unto the Lord; Nor ought I indeed to hold my Peace, but address my self to Thee, my Lord and God, my heavenly King, that fitteft on thy Throne far above the Skies, and thus will I proclaim thy Mercies and my own Happiness. How pure, O Lord, how sweet, how exquifite are the Pleasures thou reservest for them that fear Thee, that delight themfelves in thy Love, that are entirely devoted to thy Service. No Tongue can worthily exprefs the wondrous Joys, the Tranfports, and ravishing Extasies, which fill these pious Souls, inflamed with the Love, and employed in the Contemplation of Thee. For This is a Subject boundless as thy Goodnefs; That

Good

Goodness, which exerted it felf in commanding me out of Nothing. And, when that Being which thou gaveft was rendred liable to Eternal Mifery, a fresh and yet more valuable Inftance of thy Mercy, was that of beftowing upon me a new and better Life, when I was worse than nothing. For thou hadft Compaffion on my Weakness and my Wandrings. Thou foughteft and with tender Care broughteft back thy loft Sheep, taughteft me the right Way, helpedft me to walk in it, and didst instruct and guide me in thy Love.

O thou overflowing Spring of endless Love, how fhall I worthily magnify thee, how can I forget thee; Thee, who in my loweft Ebb of Mifery, didft condefcend fo gracioufly, fo effectually, to remember Me? Whofe Kindnefs refcued me from Death, and far exceeded all my Hopes; reftored me to that Favour, which my Sins had forfeited, and fhewed it felf a Friend to that Wretch who was become Thine, and his own Enemy. What shall I render to Pfal. cxvi. the Lord for all the Benefits he hath done unto me? If I refolve to ferve thee, yet how poor a Tribute is that, to Him whom all Created Nature is bound to ferve? This is fo far from a fufficient Return, that I ought rather to admire thy Mercy, and esteem it an Honour to my felf when thou vouchfafeft to accept the Service of fo poor, so worthless a Creature, and doft not difdain to reckon me amongst thofe, whom thou fuffereft to do thee Homage.

For even in this I pay thee but thy own, fince I and all I have are thine. But why do I fpeak of ferving thee, when by a moft aftonishing Condefcenfion, even Thou, the mighty God, art pleased to serve Me. For this is the Effect of that excellently good Providence, which hath contrived and ordered Heaven and Earth, and all the Creatures in fuch a Manner, that they should be useful and beneficial to Mankind; which hath appointed Bleffed Spirits above for Guards and

Mi

Minifters to the Heirs of Salvation; And, which is moft furprizing, when Thou thy felf, for my Sake, hadst taken upon thee the Form of a Servant, and wert made a frail, an afflicted Man! When Thou didst give thy Life for undone Sinners, and ftill doft give thy felf in Grace, and haft engaged to give thy felf, even the full and eternal Fruition of thy glorious Godhead, to every fincere Believer.

O! that it were in my Power to make a fuitable Return, for Love which paffes, not my Thanks only, but even my Knowledge! O! that my Ways were made fo direct, that my whole Life might be one continued Act of Gratitude and Obedience! Nay, fuch is my Infirmity, that I must be content to wish, that any one Day of that Life might be employed as it ought in thy Service. I know, O Lord, that Thou art worthy to receive all Duty, and Honour, and Praise for ever. I am fenfible that Thou art my rightful Lord, and I thy poor Servant; That the utmoft I can do is thy juft Due, and that I ought to take unspeakable Delight in Thanking and Obeying Thee; That nothing elfe but this should give me any Satisfaction, and that, when I have laid my felf out entirely upon it, I still have done too little. This is the real Perfuafion, this is the earnest Defire of my Soul; and where my Power falls fhort of my Inclination, there do Thou, I befeech thee, ftrengthen and fupply what is wanting, by thy Grace, that my Deeds and Deportment may bear Teftimony and Proportion to my Pious Difpofition.

To be the meaneft of thy Servants is the highest Advancement; To defpife and forfake all for Thee, is true Riches and Honour. They who thus enter themfelves into thy Family, and chearfully undertake this Tafk, fhall have a glorious Reward; they will feel the Pleafures of this World, infinitely paid, infinitely outdone, by the better and larger Amends of Grace and Divine

L

Divine Comforts in exchange. They who thus bind themselves to thee, that abandon worldly Cares, and attend to the One Thing neceffary, attain to true and generous Freedom of Soul. For the strait Way of thy Commandments is the only perfect Law of Liberty. O happy Confinement! which fets Men at large from the Slavery of Sin, from Worldly Cares and Incumbrances, from the infupportable Tyranny of unruly Appetites and domineering Paffions! O bleffed Dependance! which makes us of the moft High God's Retinue, raises us up to a Level with the Angels, renders us dear to the Almighty, aTerror to evil Spirits, Conquerors over our greatest and fierceft Enemy, and recommends us to the Love, the Praise, the Imitation, of all good Men. Who would not greedily embrace fuch a Service, where the very Work is pleafant, the Encouragements paid down in hand noble and great, and the Wages promised in Recompence for our Labours, Happiness exquifite, unfpeakable, and everlasting?

CHAP. XII.

Of regulating our Defires.

Christ.] Y Things, in which thou art not fuffici

ET ftill, my Son, there are many

ently inftructed.

Difciple.] Lord, be thou pleased to let me know, and enable me to receive, and do them.

Christ.] Thy Defires must be reduced into Subjection, and my Will take Place in every Thing; Nor muft thy own private Interest, but the Zeal and Regard for my Honour, and the Obedience due to my Commands, be the governing Principle of all thy

Acti