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not all one, as if a Woman should entreat het Husband, to let her enjoy the pleasure of an unlawful Bed? the Hufband doth fhew great mercy to her, in that, when he might punish her more feverely, he only removes the Adulterer; and fhall I count that mercy an injury? In wishing for the Riches and Greatnesses of this World, I do as much defire God to give me that, whereby I do offend him. Shall I be angry with a Chirurgion, who, to prevent the fpreading of my Cancer, cuts off a member to preferve my life? And fhall I take it ill of God, for wounding my Flesh, to draw out the Arrows that stick in my heart, and would fefter, and kill me, if not pull'd out betimes?

How fhall I be crown'd, if I strive not; How shall Istrive, if I have no temptation? I cannot strive without an enemy, and without ftriving there can be no victory; the Work-man doth not pull the Gold out of the fire, till fufficiently refined, and shall I murmur, that God lets the Fiery Tryals continue upon me, when it is certain; that my Gold is not yet fit to be received into the Sanctuary? I am full of dangers, but my greateft danger is fecurity. Men fear, and quake, and tremble, if they are in the midft of an hundred enemies. I have all the Devils in Hell against me, and a whole Army of

Lufts

Lufts bent to ruine me, and am not afraid. And when there is nothing can rouze me from my fecurity, but affliction, ought not I to kiss the rod In the greatest troubles I may be affured, that God loves me, and that it is not his Anger, but his Love, that follows me with chastisements; and, Why fhould I fret under the yoke ? especially, when fretting and struggling to fhake it off before God's time, doth but make my neck more fore, and the yoke far more uneafie ? brought the caufe of fuffering with me into the World, which is fin, and, How can I expect I shall be freed from fuffering, till I am freed from fin? God might have placed me in Heaven immediately upon my coming into the World, without any of thefe outward troubles: he could as eafily produce Bread out of the Earth, as he doth the Ears of Corn; but, that Man may fweat and labour, and relish his Bread the better, he causes only the Ears of Corn to fpring, and of them Bread must be made; fo, by labour and fuffering, God leads me unio Glory; that I may the better relish his bounty, and liberality, and my rest may be the sweeter after my toil and tempefts here. Affliction, I know, cannot hurt me, for my Saviour hath been my tafter; there can be no bitterness in thefe herbs, when my God hath feafon'd them. Why should I love God lefs than dogs do their Masters? These poor

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Brutes

Brutes are beaten, and ftruck, and chid, and pelted with ftones, and yet the more they are beaten, the more they love their owners, and cringe, and bow, and humble themselves before them; Shall I be worse than a Beast, and shall I carry a rational Soul in my Breast, and kick against those pricks which God hath fet to guard me from Eternal Flames? All my forrows and bitterness will fhortly be poured out into an Ocean of fweetness, and, How little of it shall I perceive then? it will then be all loft in a Sea of Glory, and I fhall forget that I was poor, and wretched, and naked, and miferable, when I fhall be eternally enriched with Gods Bounty, enamoured with his Perfection, decked with his Majestick Robes, comforted with his Confolation, delighted with his Love, enriched by his Wisdom, and satisfied with his Beauty, in whofe Prefence there is fulness of joy, and pleasure at his right hand for evermore.

These are some descants upon that Picture of Retirement; with fuch confolations can he that retires, refresh himself, while the man that wearies himself with the vanities of this World, finds no folid peace, and when he comes to die, must look back upon his former life with hor rour and anxiety. But,

II. Another

II. Another great help to Confideration, is Prayer, this is the Ambaflador that must go to Heaven and fetch the affiftance of God's Spirit from thence. Confideration fhews me my danger, and my happiness, but it's the Spirit of God muft blow upon my affections, that they may actually fhun the one, and reach after the other, and this Spirit must be had by Prayer, not by Lip-labour; not by Prayer, unto which the heart is a stranger, and knows not what the Tongue means in making such a noife, but by Prayer, which Exprefles the real defires of the heart; by Prayer, that flows from a deep fense of the abfolute neceffity of the Grace of God, and hath fire and flames enough to bear it up into Heaven. For if you which are evil, can give good gifts unto your Children, how much more fhall your Heavenly Father give his holy Spirit to them that ask him, faith Christ, Luk. II. 13. and what kind of asking this is, appears from the Parable immediately preceding; For which of you, faith Chrift, v. 5. Shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come unto me, and I have nothing to fet before him; and he from within shall answer and fay, Trouble me not, for the door is now fout, and my children are with me in bed, I cannot rife and give thee: 1 fay

unto

unto you, though he will not rife and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rife, and give him as many as he needs. And then it follows immediately, Ask, and it fhall be given you, i. e. Ask for Gods Holy Spirit, with the fame importunity, with the fame fervency and earneftness, that this Man did the Loaves; follow God with inceffant cryes, refolve not to be denied, and it shall most certainly be given you.

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The truth is, importunate and fervent Prayer, fhews, a Man is in good earneft, and that he doth not come to God out of Formality, or meerly to satisfie the motions of a fearful Confcience, but that a great fenfe of the goodnefs and mercy of God, and of his Spiritual wants and neceffities, puts him upon Prayer, and fuch Prayers God cannot defpife, caufe he hath promised to hear them ; and of this the Evangelift gives us a very illuftrious example in the Woman of Canaan, crying unto Chrift, Lord, help me. The Answer is rough, It is not meet to take the Childrens Bread, and give it unto Dogs: yet this doth not terrifie her, the doubles her cryes, and feems to catch our Saviour in his own words, Truth, Lord yet the Dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their Mafters Table. And now God can hold no longer, but from his Mouth drops the joyful word, O Woman, great is thy

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