tar. Thou formeft in me a white Stone, where a new Name is written, which no Man knows but he that receives it. Thou giveft me to eat of that hidden Manna, of that Food of Angels that the World knoweth not. Thou witnelleft with my Spirit, that I am a Child and Heir of God, and a FoyntHeir with Jefus Christ the King of Kings. Thou doft not only feal me the Pardon of all my Sins, but doft also purifie my Confcience from all dead Works to ferve the li ving God. Thou caufeft me to cry out, Abba Father, and imprintest in my Heart the Glorious Image of my Heavenly Father. Thou art the Seal of my Adoption, the Earnest of mine uncorruptible Inheritance, prepared for me in Heaven. Thou haft given me the infallible Affurances of a Glorious and Eternal Life, and begun it already in my Soul, granting to me its First-Fruits. Thou caufeft me to behold the Sunshine of thy Grace, and makeft it to give Light in mine Understanding. Thou doft not only vuuchlafe to me the favour of bebolding from this Valley of Tears thine Heavenly Canaan, but caufeft me to taste of its Fruits. I am not yet come to the Fountains of Waters that Spring forth to eternal Life, but I taste the Streams and Rivers that flow in me. I am not yet in thine Holy Paradife, but thou baft caufed Paradife to be in me; Thou baft given to me an unspeakable and glorious Joy, and haft bestowed upon me the Grace of God that palleth all understanding. O living and quickning Spirit, unknown to the World! thou Strengthneft me in fuch a manner, that Death fhall never be able to fright me. Thou haft united me to thy felf, by an unfeparable Union, O Prince of Life, and haft put in me a Seed of Immortality, an Infallible Principle of Glory, and a Source of unspeakable Happiness; Thou art in me to dwell with me for ever, therefore thou shalt fill up the measure of tby moft fignal Favours. My Faith, by thy Divine Affifance, barb fpied out the Kingdom prepared for me from the beginning of the World, and shortly I shall fee with mine Eyes the inexpreffisle Beauty of that Celestial Country, that flows with the Milk of the purest and fincerest Foys, and with the Honey of the sweetest and most ravishing Comforts.

Thou

Thou haft fent a fore-taste of the Fruits of the Tree of Life, but I fhall come into thine Heavenly Paradife; I shall ever have my fill of thofe delicious Fruits. Now thou haft caufed Some drops of the Dew of Heaven to fall upon mine Heart, but then thou wilt make me Drink of the Rivers of thy Divine Pleasures. At prefent, in my painful passage, in the midst of my Groans and Tears, I may gather fome Ears, but when I shall come to my Heavenly Country, Ifhall reap my Hands full with Songs of Joy. Here upon Earth 1 fee God as in a Glafs, obfcurely; but in Heaven I fhall behold bim Face to Face, and I fhall be fatisfied with his Likeness. My Lord and my God, who by the infinite Merits of thy Sufferings, haft purchased for us this Spirit of Life, and who hast given to my Soul fuch an Authentick Seal of my Salvation, and fuch a precious earnest of thine Eternal Blifs; I feel in methe motions and endeavours of this New Man that strives to leave this Body of Darkness and Death, to enter into the Light of the Living. Lord Jefus, fince thou hast granted me the Spirit of thy Grace, enlightned my Soul with thy Divine KnowLedge, and caufed me to know the way of Life; fince thou haft given me to taste of the Heavenly Gift of the Powers of the Life to come; and haft vouchsafed to me the First-Fruits of thy Glory, and that I already feel Heaven in my Soul; fince I behold thee with the Eyes of my Faith, I embrace thee with all my Affections, and that thou dwelleft in my Heart; perfect in me the work of thy Grace, and bring me at last to thine eternal Glory. Lord, now letteft thou thy Servant depart in Peace, for mine Eyes have feen thy Salvation. Amen.

CHAP.

CHA P. XX.

The Eighth Confolation, is to confider, That Death delivers us from all Temporal Evils that we Daily Suffer.

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HERE are certain Pictures with two Faces, the one represents most ugly Features, and the other beautiful and pleasant Things. This is the true Emblem of Death; for it may be painted with a fearful Countenance, a lean Body and iron Hands, that ravish us from our Goods and our Honours, and that divide our Perfons, dragging our Bodies into a loathfome Sepulchre. If we look upon Death in this manner, we cannot but tremble and fear. We may also look upon it as a powerful Deliverer, that unloofeth all our Fetters, breaks our Chains to pieces, raiseth our Souls to the highest Glory and Happiness. If we confider it thus, there is nothing more lovely than Death, and nothing more to be defir'd.

I have hitherto endeavour'd to fhew how a Be liever may ftrengthen and comfort himself against the Fears of Death. But now I fhall add fomething more, with Heaven's Affiftance. I fhall labour to Prove, not only that Death is to be expected without Apprehenfion, but to be receiv'd with an holy Joy; that 'tis not at all Dreadful, but rather is to be earnestly defir'd. I fhall no longer give, to speak properly, any Confolations against the Fears of Death; for I hope to make it plain, That Death itself is to be look'd upon as the greatest Confolation and Comforter.

That I may attain my Purpofe, I fhall fhew as in a Picture, a fhort View of all the dreadful Miseries, of which Death delivers us, and then I fhall endea

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vour to paint out in the brightest Colours, or rather, I fhall chalk out unto you the Bleffedness and Glories into which it ufhers us.

Man's Life and Mifery, are Twin-Sifters that are born at the fame time, and own Adam for their first Parent; they die together at the fame inftant in true Believers. We all know that Man begins his Life Weeping and Crying, and ends it with Sighs and Groans. We come into the World all cover'd with Blood, and we go out all over with a cold Sweat. If the Child cries not fo foon as it is born, we judge that 'tis Dead; and when the Sick Body ceafeth to Groan and Sigh, we fay, that he is paft Hopes. So that our Crying is a token of Life, and the end of our Sighs is likewise an infallible sign of our Death. Wretched Man! How miferable is thy Condition? Thy beft Friends rejoyce at thy Crying, and they Weep and Lament when thou ceafeft to Sigh and Groan.

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All the reft of thy Time between thy Cradle and thy Grave is no Happier. 'Tis but a continu'd Chain of Mifery, a Mixture of Pains, a Succeffion of Evils, and a Sea of Bitterness. As one Wave falls upon the back of another, one Evil is no fooner gone, but another follows and threatens us. One Depth calleth another, and all manner of Floods and Storms pafs over our Heads, Jobs. As the Sparks rife out of the Fire to fly up, Man is born for Mifery and Pain; and as the Wifeft of Kings fpeaks, His Days are nothing but Pain, and his Imploy ment but Trouble, in the Night his Heart refted not, ECT clef. 3. There are fcarce any Dwellings, but Meffengers of ill News arrive fometimes as they did to that of Job, chap. I.

By GOD's unchangeable Order and Appointment the Days fucceed the Nights, and divide the Year into two equal parts. For if the Nights are longer in one Seafon, fo much the fhorter are they in

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another. But the Nights of our Afflictions are fo long, that they feem to laft feveral Ages, whereas the Days of Profperity are fo fhort, that they are gone in a Moment. So that we may juftly fay with the Prophet Mofes, The best of our Days are but Labour and Sorrow, fo foon doth our Life pass away, and we are gone, Pfal. 90. 'Tis as eafy a Task to number the Stars of the Firmament, and to reckon up the Grains of Sand upon the Sea-fhore, as to make an exact Examination of all the Evils that happen to us as Men belonging to a Civil Society, or as Members of GOD's Church, and his Adopted Children. Therefore old Jacob had caufe to complain, That the Years of his Life had been fo fhort and evil; but ours are fo evil, that they cannot be too fhort.

I fhould Compofe many Volumes, if I fhould undertake to defcribe perfectly all the Infirmities and Diseases that undermine the Body, all the cutting Pains and cruel Tortures that torment and

rack us.

The moft languishing Sickneffes, and the moft violent Pains that afflict and difturb this Body, are nothing in comparison of the exceffive Sadnefs and mortal Anguish that feize upon our Souls, and fill them full of Gall and Bitterness. I think there is no Man upon Earth that can boaft of having pafs'd but one Day without fome Difpleasure, either inward or outward. For we either feel prefent Evils, that ftrike thro' our Hearts as fo many Darts, or the remembrance of former Griefs troubles us, or else the fears of future Mifchiefs vex and fret us. I may juftly fay, That the Devil is not fo cruel to himself, as we are to our own Perfons; for this evil Spirit cares not to be tormented before the time, whereas we anticipate the Evils by unquiet Apprehenfions, and wilful Vexations entertain'd in our Minds. The Fear of Mifery makes us far more Miferable; and

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