every fhifting Wind of Time, and Chance and Paffion. And yet, thus weak and veering as I am, thy helping Hand can comfort and confirm me. Thy powerful Grace, without any Humane Aids, can work Wonders in me; ftrengthen my Refolutions, fcatter my Fears, and fill my Soul with Reft and sweet Content. If, when I thirst after higher Degrees of Virtue and Devotion, or if I fly to thee for Succour in Diftrefs, when all other Succours fail me, (and all but thine will and must prove ineffectual) if then I could but abandon all other Hopes, and repofe my whole Confidence in thee_alone; then might I entertain fome Expectations of thy Favour; and wait with Joy for the cheerful Returns of Grace and Comfort from above. For all my Succeffes are thy free Gift, and I my felf a defpicable Wretch, not able to effect any good, not in a condition to merit the least of all thy Mercies.

What therefore can I have to boast of, who till I defpife and go out of my felf, am not fo much as qualified to receive Affiftance from Thee? Or how can I defire the Applause and Admiration of Men? What? Shall I pretend to glory of Weakness, and Inconftancy, and Nothing? This were a Vanity beyond Example, an Extravagance beyond Imagination. How foolish and abfurd, nay how hurtful and deftructive a Vice is Ambition, which, by undue Purfuit of Honour, robs us of true Honour, and, affecting Favour with Men, incurrs Punishment and Difpleafure from God? For He who labours to please himself, is fure at the fame time to offend Thee; and lofes true fubftantial Virtue, by coveting empty Praife. For true Honour and Virtue confifts in Glorying, not in our felves, but in Thee, O Lord; in Magnifying, not our own Attainments or Perfor mances, but thy free Grace; and in loving and delighting in nothing, but fo far only as may advance thy Ho

nour.

Not unto me, therefore, not unto me, but unto thy Name be the Praife, Pfal. 115. May Men commend and extol, not My Works, but Thy Power, which infpired, produced, and perfected them: And may this Commendation devolve fo entirely upon thy Grace, that not the leaft part of it may fall upon my Concurrence with it. Far be it from me to arrogate any thing to my felf;

for

for while I rejoyce in thee, I find nothing in my felf to glory in, but my Infirmities: and in them I will gladly glory, because the greater my Weakness is, the more vifible and eminent is thy Strength, which is fo confpicuously perfected in it. Let unbelieving Jews feek Honour one of another, but I, who profefs my felf one of the Faithful, will feek the Honour which cometh from God only, John 5. For what is all the Fame, and Refpect, and Greatness of this World, if put into the Balance with thy eternal Glory, but exquifite Folly, deceitful Bubble, and altogether lighter than Vanity it felf? All Honour therefore, and Praife, all Might and Majesty be afcribed to thee, O bleffed Trinity, my God, my Light, my Truth, my Succour and Defence, my Refuge and Comfort, for ever and ever Amen.

CHA P. XLVI.

Of Defpifing Worldly Honour.

Christ.] IF thou feeft Others grow great in Reputation and Preferment, while Thou art overlooked and despised, let this, my Son, be no Concern to thee. Look up to Me, and fet thy Affections and Hopes in Heaven, and then the Neglect and Contempt of Men will give thee little Trouble.

Difciple.] Were it not, Lord, for the Blindnefs and Corruption of Nature, which makes me fond of Vanities and Joys, I fhould have jufter Notions of thefe Matters. For he, who rightly understands himself, cannot but difcern, that it is not in the Power of any thing without to do him real Prejudice; and confequently, that he can have no reasonable Ground to complain of thy Providence, however it thinks fit to dispose of such Matters. The Consciousness of my own Sins convinces me, I have deferved, that all the Creatures fhould confpire and make War against me. To Me belongs Shame and Confufion, but to Thee only Honour and Praise is due. And thou haft taught me, that to bear Contempt, and Hatred, and barbarous Treatment with Humility and Patience, is the only Method of attaining inward Peace, and true Satisfaction; The Virtue which must recommend me to thy Favour; the best Predifpofition for Light and Grace; and the fureft, closest Band of Union with thy self. R CHAP.

XLVII.

CHA P.

Happiness is not to be bad, by the Favour or Friendship of

Men.

Christ.] HE that purposes to be happy, by the Affe&tion or Acquaintance of the beft

the

greatest Man alive, will always find his Mind unfettled and perplexed. For even the Beft and Greatest are but Mortals; and the effectual Remedy against immoderate Concern for their being taken away from thee, will be to court the Favour of an Eternal and Immortal Friend. Now the lefs Confidence any Man repofes in any earthly Comfort, fo much the more he ingratiates himfelf with God. And, the better he acquaints himself with his own Vilenefs, the lefs he is in his own Eyes, the higher he rifes in God's Efteem. But they who vainly fancy any thing that is good or meritorious in themselves, put an effectual Bar to Divine Grace. For This is given to the Humble, and the Spirit of God chufes the contrite Heart for the place of his peculiar Refidence. Would'st thou abandon Self-conceit, and wean thy Heart from all Fondness for the Creatures, it is not to be imagined what Comforts, what overflowing Joys I would infufe into thy Soul. But while thefe employ thy Thoughts and Defires, thou art diverted from all higher Objects, and by being too intent upon his Works, lofeft and forgetteft the Almighty Maker. Learn then to fubdue thy own Will, that thou may'st clearly understand, and readily comply with mine. For any other Object, tho' never fo trifling and inconfiderable in its own nature, yet, if unduly prized, and immoderately loved, corrupts the Mind, and checks its Afpirings after the Chief, the Only Good.

CHA P. XLVIII.

Against vain and pompous Learning.

Christ.] Do not, my Son, fuppofe, that the Excellence of a Man confifts in Subtlety of Wit, or Quaintnefs of Expreffion: For the Kingdom of God does not lye in Elegance of Speech, or Fineness of Parts, but in Innocence of Life and Good Works. Let my

Words

Words be thy principal Study; for these awaken At tention, enlighten the Understanding, kindle a holy Zeal, provoke true Contrition, and heal the Wounds they make, with the Spiritual Balm of Grace and Solid' Comfort. Let not the growing Wifer and more Learned be the End thou propofeit to thy felf in Reading but read, that thou may'it be qualified to practice, and let thy Knowledge be feen by fubduing thy Vices and Paffions. For this is Improvement indeed, and will turn. to better Account, than the nicest and most distinguishing Skill, in all the Controverfies and difficult Points, that ever employed the Tongues and Pens of wrangling Logicians, Philofophers, and Divines. And when thou haft run through the whole Compafs of Learning, yet all will turn at laft upon one fingle Point; and the whole Profit of thy Pains lyes in a narrow room.

If thou wilt be knowing indeed, learn of Me; for I am the only Master that teach Men Knowledge; I give more perfect, more fublime Understanding to Babes, to the Humble and Sincere, than all the celebrated Sons of Art have ever been able to do: And those whom I inftruct grow truly wife, are prefently enlightned and refined, and by an aftonishing Proficience in Virtue, out ftrip all the admired Schemes of Morality. Moft wretched are thofe vain Men, who with infinite Toil and Time, lay themselves out upon the unprofitable Curiofities of: Humane Wisdom, and take no Pains to inform themfelves in their Duty to Me. The Hour, alas! draws on apace, when their Mafter Chrift fhall come with terrible Pomp, and call each Man to ftrict Account, and found every Confcience to the bottom. Then fball Ferufalem be fearched with Candles, Zeph. 1. then fhall the hidden things of Darkness be brought to light; and no Man's Eloquence or Subtlety of Arguing fhall do him any Service before that All-feeing Judge. I raise the Meek, and Man of mean Senfe, in an inftant, and teach him at once the Grounds of Eternal Truths, better than a Courfe of many Years fpent in laborious Study, and the most exquifite Methods of Schools and Univerfities. I bring Men to right Apprehenfions of Things without any Noife of Words, without the Formality of Systems, or vain Oftentations of cavilling Sophiftry, or regular Difputing. Of Me alone Men learn to defpife the

R 2

World,

Book III: World, to think things prefent below their Pains and Care, to love and feek those that are heavenly and eternal; to decline Honours, to bear Injuries and Affronts, to truft and hope in me alone, and to wifh for nothing but my Favour, and to efteem all things but Drofs and Ding, fo they may win Christ, Phil. 3.

Some Difciples of mine have made fuch wonderful Improvements under me, as even to speak things above Humane Comprehenfion; and grow wifer in Solitude and Cloysters, than any Converfation of learned Men, or Volumes and Libraries never fo carefully perused, could have made them. But this is not every Man's cafe ; for I do not communicate to all alike. Some I inftruct in common Matters, others in abftrufe and peculiar Notions; And as the Measure and Quality of the Matter, fo the Manner of Imparting it, is very different. To Some I fhew my felf in Figures and Parables, Dreams and myftick Reprefentations; to Others I reveal the most important Secrets in the most clear intelligible Method. Books fpeak alike to all, but all are not qualified to be taught by them alike. But I, instead of dead Letters prefented to the outward Senfes, perform my Business within. I fill the Mind with Truth, fute my felf to each Man's Genius and Capacity, fearch every Corner of the Heart, understand their moft retired Thoughts, infpire good Defires, promote and finish thofe Defires by bringing them to Action, and deal to every one the various Gifts of my Spirit, in fuch kinds and proportions, as I see most useful and feafonable.

CHAP. XLIX.

Of Meddling with the World, as little as may be. Christ.] IN many things, my Son, content thy felf with being ignorant, and choose to live as a Man dead, while among the Living; One, whose Thoughts and Affections are crucified to all the World; and all the World to Them. Many things are to be overlook'd, as if you faw them not: Thy Mind drawn off from the distracting Variety of Objects, and faftened clofe down to the things that make for thy Peace and Salvation. In controverted Points, 'tis generally

much