of conscience mark out the corruption, wherein your danger mostly lies.

6. Let all that profess religion be uniform and steady in the profession and practice of it, without politic reserves and by-ends.

O take heed of this Laodicean neutrality and indif ferency which Christ hates! Be sure your ground be good, and then be sure you stand your ground. The religion of time-servers is but hypocrisy. They have sluices in their consciences which they can open or shut as occasion requires. Every fox will at least have two holes to his den, that if one be stopt, he may escape at the other. The hypocrite poises himself so evenly in a mediocrity, that, as it is said of Baldwin, “Let Antony win, let Ausustus win, all is one;" so let Christ win, or let Antichrist win, he hopes to make every wind that can blow serviceable to waft him to the port of his own in

terest.

The hypocrite has always more of the moon than of the sun, little light, many spots, and frequent changes. It is easier to him to bow to the cross, than to bear the cross; to sin, than to suffer.

Our own history tells us of a poor simple woman who lived both in the reign of queen Mary and queen Elisabeth, and would constantly say her prayers both in Latin and English, that she might be sure to please one side or the other; and "Let God," said she, "take which likes him best." What is noted as an act of ridiculous simplicity in her, the time-serving hypocrite accounts a point of deep policy in himself.

The times under Dioclesian were Pagan; under Constantine, Christian; under Constantius, Arian; under Julian, apostate; and under Jovian, Christian again; and all this within the space of seventy years, the age of one O what shifting and shuffling was there among the men of that generation! The changes of weather show the unsoundness of men's bodies, and the changes of times, the unsoundness of their souls.

man.

Christian, if ever thou wilt manifest and maintain thine integrity, be a man but of one design, and be sure that be an honest and good design, to secure heaven;

whatever becomes of earth; to hold fast integrity, whatever thou art forced to let go for its sake. Take heed of pious frauds. Certainly it was the devil that first married these two words together, for they never did nor can agree betwixt themselves, nor was ever such a marriage made in heaven.

Never study to model religion, and the exercises thereof, in a consistency with or subserviency to your fleshly interests. If your religion be but a mock religion, your reward shall be but a mock heaven, that is, a real hell.

O the vanity and inutility of these projects and designs! Men strive to cast themselves into such modes, and stint themselves to such measures of religion, as they think will best promote or secure their earthly interests: but it often falls out, contrary to their expectation, that their deep policies are ridiculous follies; they become the grief and shame of their friends, and the scorn and song of their enemies. And often it fares with them, as it did with him who placed himself in the middle of the table, where he could neither reach the dish above him, nor that below him; and, which is the very best of it, if earthly interest be accommodated by sinful neutrality and a Laodicean indifferency in religion, yet no good man should once feel a temptation to embrace it, except he think what is wanting in the sweetness of his sleep may be fully recompensed to him by the stateliness of his bed, and richer furniture of his chamber; I mean that a fuller and higher condition in the world, can make him amends for the loss of his inward peace, and the quiet repose of a good conscience. These by-ends and selfinterests are the little passages through which hypocrisy creeps in upon the professors of religion.

O let this be your rejoicing, which was Paul's, "the testimony of your conscience, that in all sincerity and godly simplicity, not in fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, you have had your conversation in this world," 2 Cor. i. 12. Let that be your daily prayer and cry to heaven, which was David's, Psal. xxv. 21, "Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait on thee."

7. Keep your hearts day and night under the awe of God's all-seeing eye,

Remember that he beholds all your ways, and ponders all your thoughts. How covertly soever hypocrisy may be carried for a time, all must and will out at last, Luke xii. 3. Secresy is the main inducement to hypocrisy, but it will fall out with the hypocrite, as it did with Ottocar the king of Bohemia; he refused to do homage to Rodolphus the emperor, till at last, chastised with war, he was content to do him homage privately in tent; but the tent was so contrived by the emperor's servants, that by drawing one cord, it was taken all away; and so Ottocar was presented on his knees doing homage in view of three armies.

Reader, awe thy heart with God's eye; know that he will bring every secret thing into judgment. Thus did Job, and it preserved him, Job xxxi. 1, 4. Thus did David, and it preserved him, Psal. xviii. 21, 22, 23. Thus do thou also, and it will preserve thee blameless and without guile to the day of Christ,

DIVINE CONDUCT;

OR,

THE MYSTERY OF PROVIDENCE.

ABRIDGED BY THE REV. C. BRADLEY.

PREFACE.

TH HERE are two ways whereby the blessed God condescends to manifest himself to men, his word and his works. Of the written word we must say, No words like these were ever written since the beginning of time. This is the most transcendent and glorious medium of manifestation. But the manifestation of God by his works, whether of creation or providence, has its value and glory. The prime glory and excellency of his providential works consists however in this, that they are the very fulfillings and real accomplishments of his written word. By a wise and heedful attendance hereunto, we might often clear the mysterious occurrences of Providence, by reducing them to the written word, and there lodge them as effects in their proper causes. And, doubtless, this is one of the wisest methods men could pursue against atheism, to show how providences concur in a most obvious tendency to confirm this great conclusion, "Thy word is truth." Many thousand seals has Providence forced the very enemies of God to set to his truth, which greatly tends to our confirmation therein; but especially to see how the word and providences of God enlighten each other; and how not only the promises of the word are faithfully fulfilled to the church in general, in all her exigencies and distresses, but, in particular, to every member of it. O how useful are such observations!

And as the profit and use, so the delight and pleasure resulting from the observation of providences, are exceeding great. It will doubtless be a part of our entertainment in heaven, to view with transporting delight. how the designs and methods were laid to bring us hither; and what will be a part of our blessedness in heaven may be well allowed to be a prime ingredient in our heaven upon earth. To search for pleasure among the due observations of Providence is to search for water in the ocean; for Providence not only designs to bring you ultimately to heaven, but to bring, by this means, much of heaven into your souls in the way thither. How great, a pleasure is it to discern how the most wise God is providentially steering all to the port of his own praise and his people's happiness, whilst the whole world is busily employed in managing the sails and tugging at the oars with a quite opposite design and purpose! to see how they promote his design by opposing it, and fulfil his will by resisting it, and enlarge his church by scattering it, and make the rest of his people come the more sweet to their souls by making their condition so restless in the world. This is pleasant to observe in general; but to record and note the particular designs of Providence upon ourselves, with what profound wisdom, infinite tenderness, and incessant vigilance it has managed all that concerns us from first to last, is ravishing and transporting.

O what a history might we compile of our own experiences, whilst with a melting heart we trace the footsteps of Providence all along the way it has led us to this day! Here it prevented, and there it delivered Here it directed, and there it corrected. In this it grieved, and in that it relieved. Here was the poison, and there the antidote. This providence raised a dismal cloud, and that dispelled it again. This straitened, and that enlarged. Here a want, and there a supply. This relation withered, and that springing up in its room. Words cannot express the high delights and gratifications a gracious heart may find in such employment as this.

O reader, if thy heart be spiritual, and well stocked with experience, if thou hast recorded the ways of Pro