throne of Egypt? And canst thou apprehend thyself now approaching to the glory of the heaven of heavens, a place and state of so infinite contentment and happiness, and not be ecstasied with joy?

There, there shalt thou, O my soul, enjoy a perfect rest from all thy toils, cares, fears. There shalt thou find a true vital life, free from all the encumbrances of thy miserable pilgrimage; free from the dangers of either sins or temptations; free from all anxiety and distraction; free from all sorrow, pain, perturbation; free from all the possibility of change or death; a life, wherein there is nothing but pure and perfect pleasure, nothing but perpetual melody of angels and saints singing sweet hallelujahs to their God; a life, which the most glorious Deity both gives, and is; a life, wherein thou hast the full fruition of the ever-blessed Godhead, the continual society of the celestial spirits, the blissful presence of the glorified humanity of thy dear Saviour; a life, wherein thou hast ever consort with the glorious company of the apostles, the goodly fellowship of the patriarchs and prophets, the noble army of martyrs and confessors, the celestial synod of all the fathers and illuminated doctors of the church, the blessed assembly of all the faithful professors of the name of the Lord Jesus, who, having finished their course, sit now shining in their promised glory. See there that yet-unapproachable light, that divine magnificence of the heavenly King. See that resplendent crown of righteousness, which decks the heads of every of those saints, and is ready to be set on thine, when thou hast happily overcome those spiritual powers wherewith thou art still conflicting. See the joyful triumphs of these exulting victors. See the measures of their glory different, yet all full, and the least unmeasurable. Lastly, see all this happiness not limited to thousands, nor yet millions of years, but commeasured by no less than eternity.

And now, my soul, if thou hast received the infallible engagement of thy God, in that, "having believed, thou art sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of thine inheritance, until the full redemption of thy purchased possession," Eph. i. 13, 14; if, through his infinite mercy, thou art now upon the entering into that

blessed place and state of immortality; forbear, if thou canst, to be raised above thyself with "the joy of the Holy Ghost," to be enlarged towards thy God with a joy unspeakable and glorious; see if thou canst now breathe forth any thing, but praises to thy God, and songs of rejoicing, bearing evermore a part in that heavenly hymn of the angels, Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might be unto four God for ever and ever," Rev. vii. 12.

SECTION XIII.

AND now what remains, O my soul, but that thou do humbly and faithfully wait at the gate of heaven for a happy entrance, at the good pleasure of thy God, into those everlasting mansions?

I confess, should thy merits be weighed in the balance of a rigorous justice, another place, which I cannot mention without horror, were more fit for thee, more due to thee; for, alas, thou hast been above measure sinful, and thou knowest the wages of sin, death. But "the God of my mercy hath prevented" thee, with infinite compassion; and, in the multitude of his tender mercies, hath not only delivered thee from the nethermost hell, but hast also vouchsafed to translate thee into the kingdom of his dear Son. In him, thou hast boldness of access to the throne of grace. Thou, who in thyself art worthy to be a child of wrath, art in him adopted to be a co-heir of glory; and hast the livery and seizin given thee beforehand of a blessed possession, the full estating wherein, I do, in all humble awfulness, attend. All the few days, therefore, of my appointed time will I wait at the threshold of grace, until my change come; with a trembling joy, with a longing patience, with a comfortable hope.

Only, Lord, I know there is something to be done ere I can enter. I must die, ere I can be capable of enjoying that blessed life with thee. One stroke of thine angel must be endured in my passage into thy paradise. And, lo, here I am before thee, ready to embrace the condition :

even when thou pleasest, let me bleed once to be ever happy. Thou hast, after a weary walk through this roaring wilderness, vouchsafed to call up thy servant to mount Nebo; and from thence, afar off, to shew me the land of promise, a land that flows with milk and honey. Do thou but say, "Die thou on this hill," with this prospect in mine eye; and do thou mercifully take my soul from me; who gavest it to me; and dispose of it where thou wilt in that region of immortality. Amen, Amen. Come, Lord , Jesus, come quickly.

Behold, Lord, I have, by thy providence, dwelt in this house of clay more than double the time wherein thou wert pleased to sojourn upon earth; yet I may well say, with thy holy patriarch, "Few and evil have been the days of the years of my pilgrimage," Gen. xlvii. 9; few in number, evil in condition; few in themselves, but none at all to thee, with whom " a thousand years are but as one day." But had they been double to the age of Methuselah, could they have been so much as one minute to eternity? Yea, what were they to me, now that they are past, but as a tale that is told and forgotten?

Neither yet have they been so few, as evil. Lord, what troubles and sorrows hast thou let me see, both my own and others! what vicissitudes of sickness and health! what ebbs and flows of condition! how many successions and changes of princes, both at home and abroad! what turnings of times! what alteration of governments! what shiftings and downfalls of favourites! what ruins and desolations of kingdoms! what sacking of cities! what havocks of war! what frenzies of rebellions! what underminings of treachery! what cruelties and barbarisms in revenges! what anguish in the oppressed and tormented! what agonies in temptations! what pangs in dying! These I have seen, and in these I have suffered. And now, Lord, how willing I am to change time for eternity! the evils of earth for the joys of heaven! misery for happiness! a dying life for immortality!

Even so, Lord Jesus. Take what thou hast bought; receive my soul to thy mercy; and crown it with thy glory. Amen, Amen.

A HOLY RAPTURE,

OR

A MEDITATION ON THE LOVE OF CHRIST.

SECTION I.

The Love of Christ how passing Knowledge; how free of us, before we were.

WHAT is it, O blessed apostle, what is it, for which thou dost so earnestly bow thy knees, in the behalf of thine Ephesians, unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? even this, that they may know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge," Eph. iii. 19.

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Give me leave, first, to wonder at thy suit, and then much more at what thou suest for. Were thine affections raised so high to thine Ephesians, that thou shouldest crave for them impossible favours? Did thy love so far overshoot thy reason, as to pray they might attain to the knowledge of that which cannot be known? It is the love of Christ, which thou wishest they may know; and it is that love, which thou sayest is past all knowledge. What shall we say to this? Is it that there may be holy ambitions of those heights of grace, which we can never hope actually to obtain? Or is it rather, that thou supposest and prayest that they may reach to the knowledge of that the measure whereof they could never aspire to know?

Surely so it is, O blessed Jesus. That thou hast loved us, we know; but how much thou hast loved us, is past the comprehension of angels. Those glorious spirits, as

they desire to look into the deep mystery of our redemption, so they wonder to behold that divine love whereby it is wrought; but they can no more reach to the bottom of it, than they can affect to be infinite; for surely no less than an endless line can serve to fathom a bottomless depth. Such, O Saviour, is the abyss of thy love to miserable man. Alas, why do we poor wretched dust of the earth go about to measure it, by the spans and inches of our shallow thoughts? Far, far be such presumptions from us! Only admit us, O blessed Lord, to look at, to admire and adore that, which we give up for incomprehensible.

What shall we then say to this love, O dear Jesus, both as thine, and as cast upon us? All earthly love supposeth some kind of equality, or proportion at least, betwixt the person that loves, and is loved. Here is none at all: so that, which is past wonder, extremes meet without a mean : for, lo, thou who art the eternal and absolute Being, God blessed for ever, lovedst me that had no being at all: thou lovedst me, both when I was not, and could never have been but by thee. It was from thy love, that I had any being at all; much more was it from thy love, that when thou hadst given me a being, thou shouldest follow me with succeeding mercies. Who but thou, who art infinite in goodness, would love that which is not? Our poor sensual love is drawn from us, by the sight of a face or picture; neither is ever raised, but upon some pleasing motive: thou wouldest make that which thou wouldest love, and wouldest love that which thou hast made. O God, was there ever love so free, so gracious, as this of thine? Who can be capable to love us, but men or angels? Men love us, because they see something in us, which they think amiable; angels love us, because thou doest so: but why dost thou, O blessed Lord, love us, but because thou wouldest? There can be no cause of thy will, which is the cause of all things. Even so, Lord, since this love did rise only from thee, let the praise and glory of it rest only in thee.