THE PRAYER. God the Holy Ghoft! 'Tis grievous unto me, to remember all my grieving of thee. Though thou art above the poffibility of fuffering any trouble from me; yet, how diftafteful " and provoking in thy holy fight must all my "aggravated fins needs make me! O give me, "Lord, I beseech thee, a humbling fenfe of it; and forgive me all the heinous guilt that I have contracted by it, and make me uneafy in myself, "till I am pleafing to my God: that it may be grievous as death to me, wilfully to offend thee, "and all my life and my joy, to will and love with thee, and to delight myfelf in the Lord, and "be acceptable to my God. Amen." C6 MEDITATION XIV. Of joy in the Holy Ghoft. My foul, there is a joy as well as forrow of the world that worketh death. The rejoicing in vanity and iniquity where will it end, but in lamentation, and mourning, and woe? when the finners that are quite out with God, and like to find the heaviest reckoning in the great day of the Lord, and can the worft afford to be fo jocund and merry of any men in the world, and had more need to weep and howl for their wretched cafe, and their approaching judgment; and by a penitent concern, and deep humiliation, to prevent their future doom and everlasting damnation; yet are all VOL. I. diffolved 1 diffolved in fportivenefs and gaiety of humour, and so pleasant and jolly, as if all their danger was over, and they were in the bravest case of any men living. Their uncouth rejoicing faddens my foul, to fee the ftupid malefactors making themselves mufic, in jingling their irons, and turning the most forrowful of all things, (even the dishonour of God and the ruin of fouls) into matter of game and merriment; never more joyful than when they have the leaft occafion, and are likely to fmart for it moft feverely. Wanton and frolic only in quenching the Spirit, and filled with no joy but what pulls them from God, and faftens them in the devil's fervice. But, my foul, there is a people that may, and fhould be a rejoicing people. Converts and renewed Chriftians that have made fuch an escape out of the damnable state; and have found such favour, and received fuch bleffings from above; they have the happiest occafion to rejoice in the Lord evermore, and again to rejoice; doubling the joy, as they have received double from the Lord's hand, even deliverance from hell, and the heavenly inheritance among his faints. Great is their joy and peace in believing, and in hope of the glory of God. Yea, 'tis a joy in God's falvation, not only as referved for them, and promised to them, but already begun in them, 'Tis a joy which ftrangers to the grace of God intermeddle not with; and which no man in the world can deprive them of. A joy in the Holy Ghoft; for 'tis a " fruit of the Spirit,' Gal. v. 22. and wrought by the Spirit of God. A rejoicing in the things, that he has wrought and done for the foul; rejoicing in his prefence with it, and his grace beftowed upon it; as alfo rejoicing within the bounds that he has fet, even in a fpiritual and godly manner. Though for a feafon, if need be, the godly are in heavinefs through manifold temptations: and fome. fometimes they throw themselves into dejections, through the failings of their faith, and the prevailings of their corruptions; yet still have they in them the ground of rejoicing. And as phyfic helps to health, even their godly forrow is in order to heavenly joy. To feel their hearts fo tender, as to relent for fin, makes them much gladder, than the fool can be that mocks at it; and the joy of a conqueft over it, O! how far does it exceed all the fatisfaction that can be taken in it? while the jovial club pity the servant of God for wanting their delights; how does he pity them, that they have no better? And finds a fweeter pleasure in defpifing the baits, than they have in fwallowing them. Prayer is a drawing with joy out of the wells of falvation; and gives a tranfport that is better felt than expreffed. But, O! who can describe to the ear that marrow and fatnefs; the angels entertainment, which raised fouls tafte, in praifing God with joyful lips! To perceive the Lord enabling me for his bleffed work, and favouring me in my pious defigns; accepting my poor endeavours, and keeping me on the way to life eternal; fhedding abroad his love in my heart, and reviving it with the witnefs of his Spirit, and the hope of his glory! after thou haft felt fomewhat of this, my foul, tell me, if the world has any joys comparable to thofe of religion. O! what joyful gladness is sown for the upright in heart, and though there is a waiting time for the crop, yet in due feafon he fhall fee it, and come again with rejoicing, bringing his fheaves with him. Many lightenings of joy he has upon the way; but fulness of joy fhall he have at the end. is But, O! my foul, how flashy and momentary all the joy and triumph of the wicked? nothing but a frothy fcum that arifes from the creatures, and what the remembrance of God, and the world to come, ftrikes into the fhadow of death. And fo at laft laft it will leave them fadder than if they had never known it. Thus the loofeft finners, that are thought to lead the merrieft lives, are really the greatest ftrangers to all fubftantial joys, rejoicing only out of God, the fountain of joy, and in nothing but what they shall not long rejoice in: yea, what shall bring them many thousand times more forrow, than ever it gave them comfort. See then here, my foul, the fpight of the devil to fright the world out of godlinefs, as a melancholy bufinefs; and make them believe, they must never fee a merry day, when once they give up themselves to be led by the Spirit, under the laws of God's kingdom; which indeed is the only way to live contentedly and comfortably, now and for ever. O! let not Satan fill thy heart with any fuch hard thoughts of that religion, which is an eternal fpring of heavenly confolation. For will not even thy own fenfe confute the flanderer! when thou findeft, that engaging heartily in God's holy fervice makes thee heartily joyful; and when elfewhere, thou art but foolishly merry, and outwardly pleased with him; thou art chearful upon the best grounds, and filled with a joy unfpeakable and full of glory. Do not then bring a reproach upon the good land of uprightnefs, into which the Spirit of God has led thee; nor difgrace religion, to make it look unlike itfelf, in thy four and heavy converfation. But as long as thou ferveft thy Lord faithfully, let it be alfo chearfully; as one that is glad of the employment, and can no where ever be better. That thou mayeft not only fhew, but endear to men, the holy way, as the most excellent way, and give them a conviction, even in ocular demonitration, that the ways of godlinefs are ways of pleafantnefs, and the kingdom of God righteoufnefs, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft. THE THE PRAYER. My God! the fountain and fulness of joy is in thy prefence: but all the creatures are "broken cifterns, where I fhall be fooner cheated, "than filled with any fatisfaction, that is indeed "worth the rejoicing in. O dull my appetite to "the alluring pleasures of this life; and inflame my longings after more fublime and worthy joys " and delights than earthly, fenfual, and finful. "Lord of love! reprefent holinefs in fuch an ami"able afpect to my eyes, as may win and charm my heart. And by the Spirit given me, shed "abroad the love of God in my heart, and make "me to experience the joy of the Lord, which fhall "be my ftrength; and that spiritual, heavenly, divine, foul-ravifhing fatisfaction, of thy likeness "and thy love; which fills the heart with joy unspeakable and full of glory, and that not for a fpurt, but to endure for evermore. Amen." MEDITATION XV. TO love God, my foul, is better felt than expreffed, and I had rather experience and perceive little, than fpeak and tell never fo great things of it. When thou canft fay, I love God above all, O how much more is that than all the fineft definitions of the fchools? yet, that I may the better understand, when I am poffeffed with it, let me a little confider of it. And what is love, my foul, but thy carneft defire and longing after a |