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PRAYER VIII.

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Eternal God, who art the first and the Fountain Good, from whom all other Things flow. I and all Men elfe are but as So many little Drops from thee; yea, the whole World is but as the Drop of a Bucket, and the Small Duft of a Balance, in Comparifon with thy Greatnefs. Thou art our only Hap pinefs, the true Foy and Reft of our Souls; and fo we should feel, and not only fay, were we well acquainted with thee. O what Delight! What Height of foy would it create in my Soul (did I but apprehend what thou art to think that thou who art fo great, and needeft not any thing, wilt offer thy felf unto us, fuch poor Things, to be our God, our Portion, and our exceeding great Reward! If my Mind was deeply fenfible of thee, it would be as hard to draw mine Eyes from thee, as now it is to turn them towards thee. I should never love to be abfent from thee: I should figh and mourn after thee: O how would my Soul languifh in Defires to enjoy more of thee! But now in this dark and ignorant State wherein we are, alas! I can think but feldom of my Happiness. And when I do, my Thoughts

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are fort, and raise me up but to Small Glances of thee. My Méditations are as Dreams, that foon vanish, and are prefently forgotten. O what a dull and cold Image of thee do they leave upon my Heart! How foon doth all that Warmth of Love and Joy, which I at any Time feel, expire and faint away! I adore thy unspeakable Goodness, O most Bleffed for evermore, that thou wilt accept of fuch poor Love, and Praife, and Service, as I am able to tender unto thee. And it is the unfeigned Defire and Study of my Soul, to prefent thee with an Heart more devoted to thee, and poffeffed with a Holy Senfe of thee, and conftant Delight in thee. I bless thee with my all, my Soul, for all the Ways and Means, whereby thou bringeft thy felf to our Notice, and to our Remembrance, and provokeft our Love and Affection to thee, who haft the most abfolute Title to it.

Thy Wife and Fatherly Providence is to be acknowledged, even in all the Troubles and Afflictions of this Life: And when thou chastneft us, we ought to confefs thy Love is great, which makes the most diftafteful Things to be friendly to us, and the Inftruments of our Eternal Good. We are extremely indebted to thee, if thou wilt by any means be pleafed to bring us more acquainted with thee, our chiefest Foy; and accordingly ought to fubmit our felves to whatsoever thou wilt order for

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with humble, meek and contented Spirits. I will never murmur, O Lord, nor repine at any thing that befals me: I will never question thy Care of me; but always fay, It is the Lord, let him do as feems good in his Sight. Join my Heart in a clafer Affection to thee; give me but to taste and relish more the Words of Eternal Life; lead me but more and more into the Knowledge of my felf, and all things bere; carry me but above this World, and make me like my Saviour; and deal with me as thou pleaseft.

I fee the Benefit I may receive, even by the Lofs of any thing in this World. Lord, vouchSafe me the Grace, that I may ftudy to improve in Goodness, according to my Knowledge. And though my Nature may be apt to be impatient of many Troubles, of Reproaches offered to me by my Enemies, or Unkindness from my Friends; yet enable me to reap much Good by fuch evil Means, and not to think so much of what I fuffer, as of what I have enjoyed, and of what, through thy Grace, I may fill enjoy, and never lofe. Difpofe me, O God, I again befeech thee, by all Afflictions to be better acquainted with thy felf; to learn to feek my Happinefs in the other World, (of which I beseech thee to give me a ftronger Taste) to see what is amifs in my own Soul, and to amend it; to improve in the most excellent Virtues, by entire Submiffion to thy Fatherly Providence. O that Death

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by this means may grow more familiar to my Thoughts; and that while I live, I may use all the Pleasures of this World difcreetly and thankfully, and do the more good with that which I must fhortly leave; and that when thou callest for any thing I have, I may return it back willingly and chearfully, faying, The Lord gave, and the Lord bath taken away; blessed be the Name of the Lord from henceforth, and for ever.

Amen.

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And having Food and Raiment, let us be therewith content.

T is time now to come to the other Three General Heads, from whence we may derive Arguments for Contentment of Spirit in every Condition: In which I shall stay the fhorter time, because I have dwelt fo long upon the foregoing.

IV. Let us confider then, the Frame of this great World, which is fo ordered and contrived by the Maker of it, that he who understands even but a little of it, will fee there is no Reason he fhould be displeased at what passes in

it.

I. For first of all, that Almighty Goodness which brought it forth of its Womb, hath dif

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