"continual nearness to me, and thy narrow infpec❝tion of me; how thou art, wherever I am, and "confcious and privy to whatever I do; that I

may order my converfation with the greateft cir"cuinfpection, and keep my very heart with all diligence, to approve myself pleasing in thy fight, "through Jefus Chrift. Amen."

TH

MEDITATION V.
Of God, as our chief good.

HERE are none in the world, but do defire and love that which is good; or at least, that which appears to them as fuch. Every one is for that, which he takes to be good for him. But, alas! my foul, how many do mistake evil for good? or take up with fome inferior goods, far fhort of the fupreme as if they had found out fomewhat better than God himself. 'Tis that, however, which pleases them better that, for the fake of which, they think meanly of him, and postpone him; as if he had not fo much worth, and goodnefs, and invitation in him, but they could mend their markets, and do better without him. And canft thou not remember the time, my foul, when I have been entangled with the like temptation? when nothing would ferve my turn, but fuch a creature, for which, I could have been content to part even with the bleffed Maker? and it carried fuch charms, to dazzle my eyes, and inveigle my heart, that I bound up my foul, and my blifs in it; and thought, if I might but freely enjoy that creature, I should be in heaven, and need feek no further. But this my way, O! was it not my fhameful folly, as well

as

as my hateful impiety and idolatry? How was I then bewildered and loft, and ran away, (with the prodigal,) out of my father's house, to feed upon the fwines hufks! I fee the cheat: I am fo far come to myself, as to be fenfible of the madness. And bleffed be the God, who has opened my eyes, to make the discovery, and now brought me to look upon him as all; and the most promifing fruitions out of him, as nothing. For what is there but God, originally, and perfectly, and eternally good? Every other good, even the beft, is but derivative, and borrowed from him, and has but some small drops and crumbs of the infinite goodnels, that is in him, and holds that little at mere courtesy, only as long as it pleases him. This world's good, dreffed up in its pomp, makes fuch a figure in carnal eyes, that it is courted as the only good: when, alas! all lies in the drefs, and there is little or nothing in it, beyond that appearance: nothing at all connatural to the heavenly foul: nothing that it can feed upon, or fatisfy itself in: and the worldly portion alfo is still in a confumption; and that small good, which the broken cifterns have in them, will foon leak out, and all be dried up. Only he, that has fcattered among the creatures fome fprinklings, poffeffes in himself, the fulness, the perfection, and eternity of good. He cannot make the creature, that is better than himself. Nay the whole creature good put together, comes infinitely fhort of the eternal goodness that is in God bleffed for ever. let me have him, and I have enough, though I have nothing else but let me have all elfe without him, and I have nothing: nothing that will ftand me in ftead, to do me any real good. I may foon fee to the bottom of all, that ever creatures can do for me. But the goodness of God is an unfathomable depth, never to be exhaufted. It cherishes all the creatures at prefent, and it will fatisfy and make

happy

O how much of this

happy all his people for ever. ever-overflowing goodness, runs out even upon the defpifers of it! how many live upon it, that give him small thanks for it! yea, that rebel against him in the very use and ftrength of it! for he is good even to the evil; and all do fare the better for him. But he is the faving and foul-fatiating good of his chofen; who will be for ever bleffed in the enjoyment of him.

See then here, my foul, how to direct thy choice; and of all the forts of good, which to fix upon, and to acquiefce in. Wouldft thou have fhadows or fubstance? polluted puddles, or the fountain of living waters? Is not the All-fufficient enough for thee? wouldst thou have more than all? when having this good, every good elfe fhall be to thee for good: nay, he will make even evil things work together for thy good. Now put the cafe thus to thyfelf; either God is a complete happiness to my fatisfaction, or he is not: if he is not, then he is not God and why should I feek and ferve him? But if he be fo full and absolute; would I have any thing beyond perfect and eternal blifs? O that I may not lie fhort of it; but get up to the fountainhead and there quench all the wideft and biggest of my defires! O defires! O my foul, be friends with thy own happiness. Away with all thy difparaging thoughts of it: fee where it lies, and long for it, and pant after it. If thou art indeed for happiness, do not take up with fuch a defire, as is but a bare would be: but pursue it in earnest and leave all, for that which is worth infinitely more than all befides. Take not a false aim at blessedness; to do worst of all for thyself, when thou thinkeft of doing the best. O feek not the living among the dead: never think to be happy in the fictitious paultry goods here; which will fooner abuse and spoil thee, than ever fill and content thee. Look through them, and beyond them all and put on here a generous pride,

and

and indulge to the afpiring humour. Where neceffity is in the case, to ftimulate; and thou must have all, or thou wilt lofe all; O be happy in the chief good, that thou mayeft not be miferable for ever. For, if thou miss of this, thou wilt be undone, notwithstanding all that any other goods can do for thee. O look upon all feeming good then but as real evil, that would divorce and pull thee from thy good fupreme. And fall in with no other goods, any further than they may ferve as ladders to raise thee up to the top of all thy wishes, in the enjoyment of that highest good, which is the only good that can quiet thee, and stay by thee, to answer eve ry defire, and to do thee good for ever.

THE PRAYER.

LORD, my God! thou art infinitely good; yea, thou art very goodness and love. All "good is derived from thee, and no good will do "us any good without thee: nor does any thing "deferve to be called good at all, compared and "fet in competition with thee. O give me fuch "convictions of the empty and tranfitory condi

tion of all the creatures, which would entangle 66 my affections and also make such ravishing dif"coveries of thyfelf, in thy infinite fulness and "goodness to my foul, that I may not dote on any "the vain perishing trifles of this prefent time; "but may leave all for thee, and fix my heart upon "thee, my God, and fet up my reft in that fub"ftantial, permanent good and dig for the true "treasure: which alone is foul-filling, and ever"lafting. Amen."

VOL. I.

E

MEDIT A.

1

TH

MEDITATION VI.

Of the Trinity.

HAT there is but one living and true God, is the voice of nature, as well as of fcripture. And never abide that doctrine, my foul, which would destroy the Unity of the Deity, and goes about to establish a plurality of gods. For I am fure it must be the most foul and wicked abfurdity to hold, that there is any other God, but the FATHER Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. The Socinian tenet then, that would make Christ another God, different from the Father, to be worshipped with divine adoration, how canft thou, my foul, but reject and deteft? because it fets up more gods than one.

Yet am I as fure, that the one God, in holy fcripture, is represented under three relations, or three ways of fubfiftence: which, (because each is an intellectual effence,) are called divine, infinite perfons; diftinct, though not feparate, from one another. And, 1 John v. 7. "There are three that bear record in "heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy "Ghoft: and these three are one," obliges me as much to believe the three, as the one. And they that cavil at the creeds, may as well make their outcries at the text. Nay, of this pofitive affertion, there was even a fenfible demonftration, Matt. iii. 16, 17. when our Lord Jefus had the Spirit of God, like a dove, defcending, and lighting upon him: and the voice of God from heaven declaring, "This " is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

So