many peevish narrow fouls, who have not heart to hazard anie thing for Chrift, upon which fort of Folk take thefe few Reflections.

Reflect, They who will not venture on hazards for Chrift or his precious Wares, it feems they bave not the faith of Gods fafe conduct, and protection; O Believer, fear not the most rough (welling Seas, when God is thy Pilote, fear not the molt perillous journey when God is thy guide and guard, fear not the most formidable Holt of Enemies, when the Lord of Hofts is thy Captain General, for He can de liver thee in feven dangers and alfo in eight; but if thou fainteft to face the field, alas thou believett not that the Captain of Salvation can fave to the uttermoft; if thou shake at every little blafl and billow thou mayft be jealous leaft thou haft not yet caft the anchor of hope into that within the vail, neither art thou yet firmlie perfwaded, that he who made the Seas can bound the Seas, and can by a word of his power command the forms into a calm.

2. RefleЯ. They who will not venture on bazards for Chrift or his precious Wares, it feems they have not the fenfe of their great needs and wants; necef fity will make men traverse the wide Ocean, will make them face the mouth of the roaring canon, & leap dykes and ditches, yea the Rhetorick of necef fity will perfwade and prompt to undergo, & mille pericula mortis; men who underftand they must have Christ or be damned, will not flick upon the Crofs to the bargain, they who confider they muft bay the Crown of Glory, or be debafed to the lo Hell, will run, will ftrive, will wrefile and figh

they may overcome, a man of needs, will also be a man of deeds tho amidst the most deadly dangers,

3 Ref. They who will not venture on bazards for Christ or his precious Wares, it feems they know not the worth of Chrift, but are dazled & deceived with the imaginarie worth of the World; furelie a knowing man will venture more for a Pearl than a Peeble, more for a kingdom than a cottage, fo a jaz dicious good man who understands well what the heavenlie enduring fubftance is, will joyfullie ven= ture the fpoiling of his goods, and give all the fab. ftance of his house for the poffeffion of it. H-b.10.34. Song 8,7. a Chriftian who duelie values the life of his foul, will not love his life unto the death. For the honour of the Lord of bis life spiritual and bedilie, Matth. 16, 24. Rev. 12, 11, A8, 21,13. a man who discerns the true excellencie of Chrift, will vens ture the tofs of his all to gain him, Phil. 3.7.8."

4. Refied They who will not venture on hazards for Chrift & his precious Wares, they take apother way to Heaven than the Saints of all ages, who through much Tribulation have entered into the Kingdom of Heaven,

5. Refle&. They who will not venture on hazards for Chrift and his precious Wares, it feems they are anthankfullie forgetful of what Chrift bas ventured for them, he not onlie run the bazard of, but actu allie underwent the vileft reproaches, the falfelt ca lumnies, the moft opprobrious contradictions, most pinching neceffities, yea & the curfed Death of the Crofs, and which was more horrible than all thefe, bitter Cup of the Fathers wrath,that made Him

fweat

fweat drops of blood in a forrow full agonie, and preffed Him at length to cry forth, My God, my God, why baft Thou forsaken Me?

6. Reflect, They who will not venture on bazards for Chrift or his precious Wares, I may venture to fay of fuch that they never yet cordiallie clofed with Christ on his own terms, which run in those express words, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.

7. Refle&, They who will not venture on hazards for Chrift or bis precious Wares, it will be wellwar ed that Chrift pals this juft and terrible doom upon them, whosoever deny me before men, bim will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven, Mat, 10. 33.

SECTION V.

11. Diregion. If ye meet with loffes in your ventures be not difcouraged to quite trading, but rather ufe all means and diligence to recover & make them up again,it is not all lost that is in hazard, and all loffes are not irrecoverable, many a broken fbip bas come to land, and many a broken merchant has fet up gain. Many a fallen Peter has got to his feet again, and loved our Lord Jefus after a hatefull forfaking of Him. Here I will touch at feveral confiderable Loffes that our fpiritual Merchant is in hazard to Toftain.

1. The lofs of Gods Favour and Prefence, after the brightfom fhinings of bis Face, there may be a dark Ecclipfe, none of the Saints but they fear Bone of them but whiles they feel this, and a

erciled with this case, Job 13. 14. with Job 23 8, 9. and I cannot but mention Davids notable experi ence this way, Pfal. 30., 3. The Lord lifts him up and brings him from the grave, verfe 4. Gods angry countenance calls him down, but foen doth this cloud pass away, and again his favour shineth forth, in the 5th verf, he is again in a weeping mood, but anone jay repoffeffeth his heart, verfe 6, 7. he is fo gladned, and confident of this prefent attainment, that he falls a boafting as if he could never be moved, bat ere he is aware, God bideth, which mærs his mirth; and puts him to his prayers to cry to the Lord, verfe 8, 10, till at length his fapplication is graciouflie answered, so that be ends the Pfalm with a long of praife, verf 11,12 thus we fee both from this inftance and feveral others, that this lofs is recoverable, the clouds may evanish, the furlie skyes may clear up, and the cleared Sun difplay refreshing beams, Ifa. 7. 16, 18, 19.54. 8.

Nunc pluit & claro nunc fupiter æthere fulget,

2. The lafs or decay of the exercise of grace, a great lefs indeed which often our Merchant faftains, and a lofs it is that can never enough be regrated; doth not the Believer often thus complaing alas the sweet time is gone, when I was frequent and diligent in duties, and fo made dailie additional increases of my flock? but now how seldom, how dull, how heartlefs in duties fometime a day it was the ans fpeakable comfort of my foul to entertain class in tercourfes with God in my spiritual exercises; but now it is irkfom to me to be fo employed,and many time I am before God when I am not with Gad,

Reither

neither is God with me, and yet (o infenfible, that I am little perplexed either for wanting God,or wans ting that which I feek of God, which plainlie fays, at leaft I want the exercife of grace; doeft thou not mind, Omy foul, that preachings were favourie & edifying to thee, but now how faplefs and nauseous; deft then not mind of thy being in a watchfull tender frame, fo that blafphemous thoughts were focn fpyed with horror, and abandoned with abhorren eie? yea and vain imaginations challenged & char ged to be gone; but now are not thefe coo paflings lie noticed, and but faintlie refifted: doft thou not alfo remember thy care to oppose temptations, wherein now thou art flack and foon fuccumbs: O my foul, would it not take a long time to defcant at this rate of thy former enjoyments, the which where are they now? O recount thy leffes, & be concerned to get them made up again,Rev, 2,4, 5. 2 Cor. 9 8.

3. The lofs of inward peace and tranquillitie of mind, which is a precious Pearl as we hinted before, the lofs whereof is great; It is verie hard to come by, but it is foon gone, yet may be recovered, for verie often the Saints find that by alternate courfes, they have light and darkness, peace and war, trans quillitie and perplexities; therefore, O Believer, if thy faults & daily infirmities, if Geds withdrawings, if masterfull corruptions have created thee difpeace, give thy felf no peace, and to fay lo, give the Lord no peace or reft, till thou haft recovered an eftablishe peace in thy foul, which the God of peace can for perform.

4. The loss of our good name, which to an