every day look into thefe, praying for the fpirit's teachings, and mixing faith with what you read.

4. Let all your ordinary or worldly business of the day be done with integrity of heart, and a refpect to God, whofe fervant you ought to be in all things. Pfal. Ixxviii. 72. Do all things as to the Lord, as in his eye, and according to his will; and your whole day's work will be as it were a religious worship: This refpect will make all holy.

5. Have a care every day that nothing put you into a paffion: Do nothing with an over eagerness of mind; and be ever upon your guard against fudden accidents. And this can never be obtained but by committing yourself, and your affairs, into God's hand and care every day; believing that he governs all things wifely, and will ever do that which is beft for you.

The power, wifdom and goodness of divine providence, muft every day be believed by him that would live every day in peace and tranquility of foul.

6. Every evening to your prayers again, and to your praifes for that day's mercies: The Jews were appointed their evening facrifices, as well as morning, Exod. xxx. 7, 8. Twice a day is as little as can be allowed to those who are com

manded to pray continually, Phil. iv. 6. 1 Thefs. V. 17. And every prayer fhould have its praifes in it, Pfal. xcii. 1, 2. It is good to give thanks unto the Lord-to-fhew forth his faithfulness every night. A child will afk his earthly father's bleffing at morning and night; and it is better manners and to better purpose, to afk our heavenly father's bleffing as often. We are ever in want, and

God is evergiving; prayers therefore, and praifes, are eversuitable and becoming.

Let no day go without obfervation, and review of God's carriage towards you, and of and of yours towards him; of mercies and afflictions; and of your duties, and the frame of heart in them; of your fins or inclinations to fin; and fo likewise of any special or remarkable providence of God related to you by others, or feen or read of by yourfelf. And let God have the glory of what is good. In afflictions be humble, be ashamed and grieved for fins; and confider what God's fpecial providences speak to you.

Chapter IV.

Containing fome decafional reflections, directions, means and figns of grace, &c.

PROPER REFLECTIONS FOR POOR SAINTS.

OUTWARD good things are no

figns of God's fpecial love. The fitn of profperity thines upon the brambles of the wilderness, as well as upon the flowers of the garden and the fnow of affliction falls upon the garden as well as upon the wilderness.

What though the ftreams of creature comforts runs low with thee, fo thou haft the more from the fpring-head? There is more comfort in one drop that dillils immediately from God, than from tenthoufand rivers that flow from creaturé delights.

God doth fometimes on purpofe fhew us the

creatures emptinefs, that we may go to his fulnefs. He makes us fee the creatures to be broken cifterns, that we may know him to be the fountain and that we may feed more largely upon spiritual dainties, he may deny us carnal

ones.

What though God deny the earthly jewel, if he give thee the heavenly crown?-If thou haft no portion here thou fhalt have a kingdom hereafter; and God is thy portion here, and fo long thou shalt not want any good thing. Creature comforts at the beft, are only delightful, not fatisfying; pleasant, not gainful!

What if all thy friends forfake thee, fo long as God (who is better than all) ftand by thee?Whatever enjoyment friends afford, that God does much more. Do they love thee? He died for thee. Do they pity thee in thine afflictions? In all thy afflictions he is afflicted, Ifa. lxiii. 9.What wouldeft thou have a friend for? For converfe? O tafte and fee how good and plea. fant a thing it is to have communion with God! hear (if thou canft, and not be ravished) the fweet voice, I am thine and thou art mine. O! feel the pantings of his heart, and hear the founding of his bowels !-Wouldst thou have a friend to pour out thy breaft into ?-O! who is fo fit for that as God? He will bear part of thy burden if thou art laden or he will add new ftrength to fuftain it.-His love, his converfe, his fociety, is life itfelf; and fuch a life is made up of nothing but fweetnefs and delight.

The Mystery of a Chriftian.

1. He lives in another, Gal. ii. 20. He is wife in another, 1 Cor. i. 30. He is righteous in another, Rom. x. 4. He is strong in another, Ifa. xlv. 24.

2. He is very low in humility, but very high in hope. He knows he is undeferving of the leaft mercy, yet expects the greatest, Gen. xxxii. 10,

12.

3. He is in the world but not of the world, ***John xv. 9. In the world as a pilgrim, but not

as a citizen. His habitation is below, but his converfation above.

4. He is meek, but vehement; meek in his own caufe, yet vehement in the caufe of God. (As Mofes, who was dead to affronts, deaf to re. proaches, and blind to injuries.) He will comply with any thing that is civil, but with nothing that is finful. He will stoop to the neceffities of the meanest, but will not yield to the finful humors of the greatest.

5. He works out his falvation with fear and trembling, yet believes in Chrift without fear and trembling, Phil. ii. 12, 13. He does much for God, yet counts himself an unprofitable fervant. He works as if he was to live here always, yet worships as if he was to die to-morrow.

xii. 10.

6. When he is weak then he is strong, 2 Cor. When he is moft fenfible of his own weakness, and moft dependent on Chrift's ftrength then he ftands the fafeft.

7. When he is moft vile in his own eyes he is most glorious in the eyes of God. When Job abhorred himself then God railed him, Job xlii. 6. When the centurion thought himself the mof

F

unworthy, Chrift faid, I have not found fo great faith, no not in Ifrael, Matth. viii. 8, 10.

8. He is content with his condition, yet longs and prays for a better, 2 Cor. v. 4.

9. His loffes are gains; (as Job's, Job xlii. 12.) His falls are rifings; (as Peter's Job. xxi. 17.) His afflictions are promotions; (as Jacob's, all thofe things are against me, faith he, Gen. xlii. 36, yet all thofe things were for him.) His dif appointments are preferments; (as Mofes's; tho' he did not go to Canaan, as he defired; yet he went to heaven, which was better, Deut, xxxiv. 4, 5)

10. He cannot fin, 1 John iii. 9. yet he can, not but fin, 1 John i. 8. He cannot fin habitually, and with full confent of will; yet he cannot but fin actually through weakness.

11. He faith, O wretched man that I am, who Shall deliver me? Rom. vii. 24. Yet he faith, O bleffed man that I am, who fhall condemn me? Rom. viii. 34.

12. He grieves, yet rejoices under the ftrokes of his heavenly father's hands. He grieves that his father's hand ftrikes him, yet rejoices that it is the hand of a father, Heb. xii. 6, 7.

13. He knows there is no abfolute perfection in this life, yet is continually reaching after it. Phil. iii. 12, 13, 14.

14. The lefs his burden grows the more he feels it. The lefs fin he hath the more fenfible he is of fin; not that fin grows, but light, holiness, and tenderness is increased, 1 Tim. i. 15.

15. He is content to live, yet willing to die. He defires to ferve Chrift here, yet defires more to depart, and to be with him in heaven, Phil. i. 23.