the paffion will by degrees die away. In folitude, the pleafures and glories. of the world no longer ftrike upon the fenfes, and folicit the affections. The foul, therefore, in this fituation, like one efcaped out a battle to a place of fecurity, hath leifure to reflect upon her condition, and to provide for her future fafety. By looking into herself, the perceiveth how much the ftandeth in need of mercy and grace; and then the is naturally led to look up to heaven, as the only place from whence they are to be obtained. The former of thefe profpects filleth her with compunction, and caufeth her to mourn for her firs with that godly forrow which worketh a repentance never to be repented of; the latter encourageth

her to pour forth herfelf in continual prayer to the God of her falvation, until he have mercy upon her. St. Peter, when reminded of his offence by the crowing of the cock, and the affectionate look of an abjured Mafter, went out from the high prieft's hall where he was, and in folitude, with ftrong crying and tears, niade fupplication for pardon and peace. In retirement it is, that we find ourfelves beft able to practife all the holy arts of abftinence and felf-denial,' fo needful for the perfecting repentance by mortifying the whole body of fin.

WHEN men cannot be induced voluntarily to take this courfe, they are often forced into it by Providence vifiting them with fome heavy cala

mity, which by a ftroke, like the amputation of a limb, fevere but falutary, feparating them at once from the world, thall oblige them to converfe firft with themfelves, and then with God. Thus was Babylon's haughty monarch driven, in an extraordinary manner, from fociety, to learn humility in the fields and woods, until he acknowledged the power and the righteoufnefs of the King of heaven. And thus the idolatrous and fuperlatively wicked Manaffeh became a fincere and hearty penitent in the folitude of a Chaldean prifon. Nor can we but admire, upon this occafion, the wife dom and goodnefs of God in fending fickness, as a preparative for death. Sickness takes a man, as it were, out

of

of this fcene of things, to fit him for, another. It draws the curtain be-, tween him and the world, fhutting out all it's cares, and all it's pleafures. It puts away his idle and noify acquaintance far from him; and having thus fecured his attention to the one thing needful, gives him ideas of the nature of fin, and the importance of death, the vanities of time, and the glories of eternity, to which he was before an utter ftranger. Now appear to him, in their proper colours and natural deformity, the diabolical nature of pride and envy, the brutality of intemperance, the folly and torment of lafcivioufnefs, the wretchednefs of avarice, and the ftupidity of floth. Now he hath no longer any unlawful defires, and grieves that he

ever had fuch. Now he is what he always ought to have been, and what retirement, at proper feafons, fhould and would have made him.

In morality, as in husbandry, the preparation of the foil is a great step towards the production of a plentiful harveft. If carnal defires are dead in us, all things belonging to the Spirit, will live and grow in us. If the affections are difengaged from things on earth, the difficulty of the work is over; they will readily and eagerly lay hold on things above, when propofed to them. If the fnare of concupifcence be broken, and the foul be delivered out of it, the will presently fly away, on the wings of faith and charity, towards heaven. They who have duly prac