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living. Thou that boughtest heaven for me, guide me thither; and, for the price that it cost thee, for thy mercies' sake, in spite of all temptations, enlighten thou my soul, direct it, crown it."

CHAPTER XXXIV.

7. A cheerful Confidence of obtaining what we have requested and enforced.

AFTER this enforcement doth follow confidence, wherein the soul, after many doubtful and unquiet bickerings, gathereth up her forces, and cheerfully rouseth up itself; and, like one of David's worthies, breaketh through a whole army of doubts, and fetcheth comfort from the well of life, which, though in some later, yet in all is a sure reward from God of sincere meditation.

"Yea, be thou bold, O my soul; and do not merely crave, but challenge this favour of God, as that which he oweth thee. He oweth it thee, because he hath promised it, and, by his mercy, hath made his gift his debt. "Faithful is he that hath promised, who also will do it." Hath he not given thee not only his hand in the sweet hopes of the Gospel, but his seal also in the sacraments? Yea, besides promise, hand, seal, hath he not given thee a sure earnest of thy salvation in some weak, but true graces? Yet more, hath he not given thee, besides earnest, possession; while he that is the truth and the life," saith," He that believeth, hath everlasting life, and is passed from death unto life?" Canst thou not then be content to cast thyself upon this blessed issue-if God be merciful, I am glorious. I have thee already, O my life. God is faithful, and I do believe. "Who shall separate me from the love of Christ?" from my glory with Christ? Who shall pull me out of my heaven? Go to then, and "return to thy rest, O my soul?" make use of that heaven, wherein thou art, and be happy."

Thus we have found, that our meditation, like the wind, gathereth strength in proceeding; and, as natural bodies,

the nearer they come to their places, move with more celerity, so doth the soul, in this course of meditation, to the unspeakable benefit of itself.

CHAPTER XXXV.

The CONCLUSION of our Meditation, in what Order it must be-1. with Thanksgiving.

THE Conclusion remaineth, wherein we must advise, like as physicians do in their sweats and exercise, that we cease not over-suddenly, but leave off by little and little. The mind must not be suffered to fall headlong from this height, but must also descend by degrees.

The first whereof, after our confidence, shall be a hearty gratulation and thanksgiving; for as man naturally cannot be miserable, but he must complain and crave remedy, so the good heart cannot find itself happy, and not be thankful; and this thankfulness which it feeleth and expresseth, maketh it yet more good, and affecteth it more.

"What shall I then do to thee for this mercy, O thou Saviour of men? What should I render to my Lord for all his benefits? Alas, what can I give thee, which is not thine own before? O that I could give thee but all thine! Thou givest me to drink of this cup of salvation ; "I will therefore take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name.' And, since here thou beginnest thy heaven, begin here also that joyful song of thanksgiving, which there thou shalt sing more sweetly, and never end.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

2. With Recommendation of our Souls and Ways to God. AFTER this thanksgiving shall follow a faithful recom

mendation of ourselves to God; wherein the soul doth cheerfully give up itself, and repose itself wholly upon her Maker and her Redeemer; committing herself to him in all her ways; submitting herself to him in all his ways; desiring, in all things, to glorify him, and to walk worthy of her high and glorious calling.

Both which latter will be done, as I have ever found, with much life and comfort, if, for the full conclusion, we lift up our heart and voice to God, in singing some versicle of David's divine psalms, answerable to our disposition and matter; whereby the heart closes up itself with much sweetness and contentment.

This course of meditation, thus heartily observed, let him that practiseth tell me, whether he find not that his soul, which at the beginning of this exercise did but creep and grovel upon earth, do not now in the conclusion soar aloft into heaven; and, being before afar off, do not now find itself near to God, yea, with him and in him.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

An Epilogue, reproving the Neglect and exhorting to the Use of Meditation.

THUS have I endeavoured, according to my slender faculty, to prescribe a method of meditation, not upon such strict terms of necessity, that whosoever goeth not my way, erreth. Divers paths lead ofttimes to the same end, and every man aboundeth in his own sense. If experience and custom have made another form familiar to any man, I forbid it not; as that learned father said of his translation, "Let him use his own, not contemn mine." If any man be to choose and begin, let him practise mine till he meet with a better master. If another course may be better, I am sure this is good. Neither is it to be suffered, that, like as fantastical men, while they doubt what fashioned suit they should wear, put on nothing; so that we Christians should neglect the matter of this worthy business, while we nicely stand upon the form thereof.

Wherein give me leave to complain, with just sorrow and shame, that if there be any Christian duty the omission of which is notoriously shameful and prejudicial to the souls of professors, it is this of meditation. This is the very end God hath given us our souls for: we mis-spend them, if we use them not thus. How lamentable is it, that we so employ them, as if our faculty of discourse served for nothing but our earthly provision! as if our reasonable and Christian minds were appointed for the slaves and drudges of this body, only to be the caters and cooks of our appetite!

The world filleth us, yea, cloyeth us. We find ourselves work enough to think, What have I yet? How may I get more? What must I lay out? What shall I leave for posterity? How may I prevent the wrong of mine adversary? How may I return it? What answer shall I make to such allegations? What entertainment shall I give to such friends? What courses shall I take in such suits? In what pastime shall I spend this day? in what the next? What advantage shall I reap by this practice? what loss? What was said? answered? replied? done? followed? Goodly thoughts and fit for spiritual minds! Say were there no other world, how could we spend our cares otherwise? Unto this only neglect, let me ascribe the commonness of that Laodicean temper of men, or, if that be worse, of the dead coldness which hath stricken the hearts of many, having left them nothing but the bodies of men and vizors of Christians; to this only let me ascribe it, they have not meditated. It is not more impossible to live without a heart, than to be devout without meditation. Would God therefore my words could be in this, as the wise man saith the words of the wise are, like unto goads in the sides of every reader, to quicken him up out of this dull and lazy security to a cheerful practice of this divine meditation. Let him curse me on his death-bed, if, looking back from thence to the bestowing of his former times, he acknowledge not these hours passed the most happily in his whole life; if he then wish not he had worn out more days, in so profitable and heavenly a work.

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MEDITATION OF DEATH

ACCORDING TO THE FOREGOING RULES.

THE ENTRANCE.-And now, my soul, that thou hast thought of the end, what can fit thee better than to think of the way? And though the forepart of the way to heaven be a good life, the latter and more immediate is death. Shall I call it the way, or the gate of life? Sure I am, that by it only we pass into that blessedness, whereof we have so thought, that we have found it cannot be thought of enough.

THE DESCRIPTION.-What then is this death, but the taking down of these sticks, whereof this earthly tent is composed? the separation of two great and old friends, till they meet again? the gaol-delivery of a long prisoner? our journey into that other world, for which we and this thoroughfare were made? our payment of our first debt to nature? the sleep of the body, and the awakening of the soul?

THE DIVISION.-But, lest thou shouldest seem to flatter him, whose name and face hath ever seemed terrible to others, remember that there are more deaths than one. If the first death be not so fearful as he is made, his horror lying more in the conceit of the beholder than in his own aspect, surely the second is not made so fearful as he is. No living eye can behold the terrors thereof. It is as impossible to see them, as to feel them, and live. Nothing, but a name, is common to both. The first hath men, casualties, diseases, for his executioners; the second, devils. The power of the first is in the grave; the second, in hell. The worst of the first, is senselessness; the easiest of the second, is a perpetual

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