Imatges de pàgina
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fed Angels in all manner of Holiness, fince We, as well as they, are always in his Presence. To this purpofe it would be expedient, daily to renew our Refolutions of living well, and every Morning to refresh and quicken that Zeal, with which they were made at firft. To beg of God that he would help us, and enable us that Day to begin well To begin, I fay; for all that we have done hitherto ought in Lowlinefs of Mind to feem, and to be acknowledg'd by us, as nothing.

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Great Diligence and Watchfulness is neceffary, in order to discharging faithfully what we have intended, and refolved zealously. For if They, who are most fincere and vigorous in their Purposes, are yet too often weary, and remifs in their Performance, What do we think must needs become of those who purpose but very feldom, or very coldly? 'Tis true, indeed, the Óccafions of our falling off, or fainting in our Minds, are various and many; and feldom do we allow our felves in any Omiffion of Religious Duties, without even thus perceiving a very fenfible Abatement and Decay of Zeal. The Perfeverance of good Men, in the midft of fo many Difficulties and Avocations, must be afcribed to God's Favour and Affiftance, more than to any Care and Wisdom of their own. And Good Men have always this Notion of the Thing. For they depend upon God for the Succefs of all they do, even of their best and wifeft Undertakings. A Prov. xvi. 9. Man's Heart devifeth his Way, but the Lord directeth his Steps, fays Solomon: We may contrive and act as feems most adviseable But, as the very Preparations of the Heart, by which we do fo, are from the Lord; fo is the Event of our having done it, entirely in his Difpofal.

Ibid. i.

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If at any time a Religious Exercife be omitted, upon the Account of fome other Act of Piety, or fome Work of Charity at that time inconfiftent with it;

this does us no Differvice, and the Omiffion is eafily repaired. But if thro' any Loathnefs or Indifpofition of Mind, if thro' Lazinefs or any voluntary Neglect of our own, our customary Devotions be paffed over; this is from a wicked Caufe, and will not fail to have a very ill Effect upon us. When we keep our Zeal with all our might, and do our very beft, yet even then we fhall find our felves often defective. But tho' we cannot arrive at abfolute Perfection, nor conquer all our Frailties, nor prevent all our Hindrances in Goodness; yet ought not this to difcourage us from ftriving and refolving. And, when we do fo, we fhall do well not to content our felves with general Intentions, but bend our Forces againit fome particular Thing And chiefly against such, as we have found by Experience to be the greatest and moft troublefome Obftruction to our doing well. The Condition of our Affairs without, and that of our own Souls within, must be diligently confidered, and reduced into the best Order we can; becaufe both the Circumftances of the One, and the Difpofitions of the Other, contribute greatly to our Furtherance in Piety.

It may be, you cannot at all Times recollect and call your felf to Account, but certainly you cannot want Opportunities of doing fo once every Day at least. The Morning or the Evening are proper for it. In the Morning you may lay out your Bufinefs for the Day following; And, at the return of Night again you may reflect what hath paffed in the Day-time; how your Thoughts, and Words, and Actions have agreed with the Scheme of Behaviour you laid before your felf. Where you have tranfgreffed, how far exceeded or fallen short, and in what Inftances (for alas! it is but too likely that you have in many Inftances) offended God and Man. In this Scheme you for n of living well, quit your felf like a Man, in refifting the Affaults of the Devil. To this End begin with keeping a strict D 3 hand

hand over your Appetite; for when you have once attained to a rigid and masterly Sobriety, all other fleshly Defires and Temptations will be vanquished and kept under with much lefs Difficulty. To the fame purpose, beware of Idlenefs; be constantly in Action, let Reading, or Writing, or Praying, or Meditating, or Contriving fomewhat for the good of Others, employ your leifure Hours. Some Bodily Exercises are very fit to be ufed, but thefe will require Prudence in the Choice of them; for all are not equally convenient; and therefore the Nature and Degrees of them must be confidered, as well as the Temper and Conftitution of the Perfon confulted, to render them profitable.

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Some religious Exercises the Community is concerned in, and they must be attended to in Publick. Others are Perfonal, and these will be best performed in priThis Diftinction is of great Ufe, to keep Men from acting improperly; for even a good thing may lofe much of its Gracefulness and Commendation, by being done out of due place and time. Another neceffary Caution, which many good People ftand in need of, is, That you fhould not be fo zealously bent upon any private Devotions or Duties, as for their fakes to flight or difufe the Publick; for thefe require at leaft an equal degree of your Efteem, and Care in the Attendance of them. But when you have discharged your Duty in that Point, and done all that your particular Station, or the Commands of your Superiors, require from you; Then is the proper Season, and then you will do well, to return into your own Breaft and employ the remainder of your Time, as Piety and Religious Purpofes fhall direct. And here again a prudent Choice is needful; For all forts, even of Religious, Entertainments, are not fuited alike to our Spiritual Advantage. Some Difference arifes from the Confideration of the Perfons, and another very vifible one from the different Times and Seafons of ufing them. Some

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are more proper for Holy-days, others for Common Days; fome for Feftivals, others for Fafts; fome for a time of Temptation and Affliction, others for a peaceful and ferene State of Mind: Some to Perfons in Grief, or under calamitous Circumstances; others for Profperity, when the Spirits flow gayly, and our Hearts rejoyce and fing for the Goodnefs of the Lord. Particularly it will be convenient in an efpecial manner to renew and raise our Souls, by very frequent and folemn Acts of Piety and Devotion, at the conftant Returns of all the Chriftian Festivals. For thefe fhould reprefent to our Minds the eternal uninterrupted Festival of Joy and Thanks, celebrated by the Saints in Heaven. And this fhould put our Souls upon the Wing, inflame our Devotion, mount us up thither, and make us act even beyond our felves; more chearfully, more vigorously; as if we were juft then going to receive that Glorious Reward of our Labour, which these glad Seafons bring fo lively Ideas of to our Thoughts.

And, if the Time of our receiving that Reward be ftill delay'd, let us be fo thankful for a longer Time given us here, as at the fame time to be humbled by that very length of Life, which the generality of the World are apt to esteem the greatest happiness that can befal them. Let us endeavour to do God still better Service, but let us fufpect, that we have not ferved him yet as we ought. For, if we had, he would not have put off our Recompence to a farther Day; and probable it is, that he does not tranflate us to Heaven as yet, because we are not fit for it. And let us therefore double our Care to qualify our felves for that Glory which in his own appointed time shall not fail to be manifested in us. Come he moft affuredly Lake xii. 37. will, and Bleffed is that Servant whom his Matth. xxiv. Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. 47. Verily I fay unto you, be will make him Ruler over all bis Goods, and Partaker of the Joy of his Lord.

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CHA P. XX.

Love of Solitude and Silence.

Eferve a convenient Proportion of your Time for Privacy and Converfing with your felf; and let this be fpent in frequent and thankful Reflections upon the Mercies of God; and in reading good Books. Among which I advise you by all means to let alone nice. Difputes, and unprofitable Speculations; and keep to fuch Subjects, as may be proper for the exciting your Zeal and quickning your Affections, rather than fuch as may employ the Subtilty of your Wit. Never fear that you fhall want leifure for thefe good Purpofes. For if you will prevail with your felf to abate the mere Impertinences of Life, the unneceffary Converfations, the Time fpent in hearing and telling of News, in enquiring after, and fpreading about idle Reports, and fuch as are either faulty or frivolous Waftings of your Time, you cannot want fufficient Leifure, and great Opportunities, for cherishing and improving holy and heavenly Meditations. Thus did the most eminent Saints induftriously avoid Company and Bufinefs, and chuse to converfe with God in private, as much, and as often, as poffibly they could.

'Tis a good Reflection, which the Philofopher made of himfelf; That he never was in other Mens Company, but he came out of it lefs a Man than he went in. And this is what we may frequently confirm by our own Experience, after a great deal of Difcourfe hath pafs'd. Tis certainly much easier for a Man to reftrain himself from Talking at all, than to enter into Difcourfe, and not fay more than becomes him: Infinitely eaffer to live at home and fee no Body, thàn to go abroad into Company, and return innocent. A Man therefore, who makes inward and fpiritual Per

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