"with me, and never leave me nor forfake me, till "thou haft brought me to be ever with the Lord. "Amen."

MEDITATION XVII.

Of delighting in God's Word.

WHAT a fweet and fpacious field is the holy fcripture, my foul, in which thou mayeft tra verfe about, and entertain thyself with the greatest variety of wonders and delights! this letter of love from heaven, thou canst not perufe too often; but mayest make some of the beft employment of thy time, to meditate in it day and night. There thou fhalt find the noblest histories, the greatest remarks, the wifeft counfels, the fublimeft truths, the most furprizing paffages, the moft momentous concerns, the exacteft rules, the holieft precepts, the weightieft warnings, the most precious promifes, the highest of all encouragements. Away then with all the impertinent writings, the ftained papers, that do but abufe, if not debauch the readers. O dear book of all books, that has God himfelf for the bleffed author and eternal falvation, (with the way to it) for the fubject matter! nothing comes with fuch power upon the heart: nothing gives fuch fatisfaction and affurance to the mind: when it is, thus faith the Lord, it is beyond all the sayings, and confidence of the greatest men in the world. To this teft, I bring all that I hear or read elsewhere: and in this centre, I fix, and find fure footing. Amidst all the uncertainty and contradiction of fentiments

in the world, I am eafy that I have the divine oracles by which I can safely abide.

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"I rejoice, Lord, at thy word, as one that finds great fpoils," Pfal. cxix. 162. Every time I go into it, I make fome new difcovery, and get fome rich booty. That which has more foul-refreshing fweetness than honey and the honey-comb, and more real worth than gold; yea, much fine gold. Of which well might the Rabbies fay," turn it over, and again turn it over, for all is in it." If I mifs of the treasure, it is not because it is not there; but because I am dull, or out in the fearch. There I have not only the mind, but even the picture of my foul's Beloved. In the dark hiero glyphics of his works, I bungle, and feel after him: But in the clearer glafs of his word I fee him; yea, I hear, and know his voice from all the voices of ftrangers.

I will search the fcriptures, for in them, I think, I have eternal life; yea, there I have the charter of my heavenly hopes, the deed of conveyance and fettlement; what I have to fhew, for my everlasting glorious inheritance: for if God hath faid it, doubt not to build upon it. What is naufeous then to fome, and an eye-fore to others, I will dearly affect and lay it next my heart. And though the wisdom is too high for a fool, yet what the angels defire to look into, I fhall ever think it worth my while most earnestly to inquire after; for it is the wisdom of God that will make me wife to fal vation; and written, that I might believe in his Son, and believing, might have life through his

name.

But, my foul, thou must not deal in God's word only to please thy curiofity, but to learn, and know, and do thy duty. Thou must study his law and love it, and fet thy heart, and bend thy mind to go by it. Nor count it well with thee, till thou canft VOL. I.

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delight

delight, particularly, "in the law of the Lord, "and finds his ftatutes rejoicing thy heart," Pfal. i. 1. and xix. 8... Yea, delight greatly in his Com"mands," Pfal. cxii. 1. And how harsh foever laws and commands found in moft ears, (be they never fo holy, juft, and good,) 'tis no piece of folly, but the most rational thing for me to delight even in God's laws and commands. When, as in truth, they do enjoin me nothing, but what may make me eafy now as well as happy for ever. That is, to know the Lord, which is to contemplate and view effential goodness, original beauty, and love to ftand in awe of him, whofe fear will keep us from hell. To love him, that is love, and altogether lovely. To call upon him, that we may ask and have; to trust in him, that under his fhadow we may be safe from all which threatens us. To recount his loving kindness, and fing his praife, that our fouls may be refreshed as with marrow and fatnefs. To do right to all, that we may have peace at home, and fair quarter in the world. To extend pity and kindness to the miferable and needy: that we may feel a godlike pleasure within us now, and lay up for everlafting rewards hereafter: to abftain from the fordid, unnatural, and excessful pleasures; which, inftead of gratifying, do but put us to fhame and pain to keep us off the rocks of those corroding paffions, and the gulfs of those foolish and hurtful lufts, which, (indulged) will never let us be fafe and quiet, and comfortable.

And if fuch as this be the work, which the law of God cuts out for us: away then, my foul, with all thy filly mistakes of this righteous bleffed law, and all thy groundless prejudices against it. Find fault with thyfelf a thousand times, before ever thou offer to cenfure it once. Look upon it with other eyes now, as moft friendly to thy nature, and no enemy neither to thy true pleasure; thy preferva

tive from mifery; thy way to glory; and not only be reconciled to it, but in love with it, and blefs God for it, and go on chearfully with the business it puts thee upon; and run the way of his commands with an enlarged heart; never thinking thou canst mend thyfelf elsewhere, or find out any better way in the world.

TH

HY Word, O Lord, is good, and I have reafon to love it, above all the good of this world; for, O! what here can give fuch light " and fatisfaction to my mind; fuch ease and joy "to my heart, as that holy fcripture, which is the "kindeft letter from my dearest friend; the guide "of my way, the refolver of my doubts; the "quieter of my fears; the charter of my hopes; "the inftrument of my pardon, and the records "of my falvation? O Lord, incline O Lord, incline my heart to "it. Fix my mind upon it, and make and keep "me fo in love with it, that I may never be weary "of it; but give my thoughts and ftudies to it, " and take the greatest delight in it, and esteem "the words of thy mouth more than my neceffary "food, and be no where fo pleased with any en. "tertainments in the world, as with the heavenly "food of thy word, and the joyful news brought "by the gospel of Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen."

MEDITATION XVIII.

Of Boldness in our God.

OR poor creatures to forget the distance be tween themselves and the glorious Majefty of heaven, and for vile finners to rush in upon the moft high and holy God, as if they had done nothing against him, or were even equal with him; like fome rude fellows, at a public entertainment, not called, intruding before their betters, without any recommending, but the ftrength of their elbows. This is an intolerable faucinefs and prefumption. When audacious wretches can fo forget God and themselves, and count it their valour, and their ftrong faith to trample down confcience, and fear nothing, nor ever regard what is faid by preachers or fcriptures; but hope on ftill, not only against the Word of God, but againft all the reafon in the world. When they fancy, only as they would have it, and are thus affuming, they know not why, but because they will be fo; fuch kind of affurance calls for the judgment of the great day, to dafh and confound it. For then they that so proudly bear up, thall learn to know themfelves, and be utterly confumed with terrors; not finding the great Judge fo easy to forgive them, as they have been forward to clear and fool themfelves.

But though this impudence, and carrying on wickednefs with fuch a high hand, will meet with confufion, and the bigger condemnation; yet, my foul, there is a boldness that well becomes the chil dren of God; teaching them to cry, Abba, Father, and to entertain confidence towards God; when