Matth. vii. and xv.

When thou feeleft thy Heart burn with Love and Devotion, return thy Thanks to God for kindling thefe holy Fires. I did it, not because thou art worthy of fuch Grace, but because I had Compaffion on thy Weaknefs and thy Wants. When thou findeft thy felf cold and infenfible in Religious Duties, double thy Diligence and thy Prayers, lament thy Deadnefs, and continue knocking. For if thou perfevere, and wilt take no Denial, thou shalt not ask in vain, but be fed, at leaft with the Crumbs that fall from thy Mafter's Table. Thou ftandeft in need of Me, but I have none of Thee. It is for thy Benefit, not my own, that I vouchfafe to meet thee at this Sacrament. Thou comeft hither to be filled, and ftrengthened, and fanctified, to return better then thou cameft, to receive Increase of Grace, to be one with me, and dwell in me; and thofe, who come fincerely difpofed to receive me, and amend their Life, I will in no wife fend empty away. Do not then neglect thofe precious Opportunities; Do not abfent, or come carelefly; but make me room in thy Heart, and let it be a clean and fit Reception for fo pure a Guest, and He whom thou loveft, will go home with thee to thy House.

But then obferve, that there is the fame Neceffity of Care and Watchfulness after this Sacrament, as of Prayer and Preparation before it. For a conftant virtuous Life, and ftrict Guard over a Man's felf, are best and most effectual Preparation to every Sacrament, and the fureft Means of obtaining more and greater Degrees of Grace. A Man, who prefently returns to the World, and gives himself a loose to the Liberties and Affections, the Business and the Pleafures of it, undoes what he hath taken Pains to do before; and defeats the good Effects of his moft folemn Preparation. Be not fond of Variety of Comand Diverfions; nor lavish and unwary in thy pany

Di

Difcourfe; but rather chufe to retire into thy Chamber, and converse much with God in Solitude and Silence. When thou hast Him, thou haft a Treasure which nothing can take from thee. I am worthy of thee all, and I expect thee all. Divide not thy felf between Me and the World, but let Me be thy Love, thy Joy, thy Defire. So fhall thy Life be hid Colof. iii. with Chrift in God; and, tho' thou can't not live in thy Self, yet thou fhalt live in Me; full of Tranquility and Peace, far above the diforderly Paffions, and ruffling Cares, of fenfual and earthly-minded

Men.

CHAP. XIII.

The Soul's Defire of Union with Christ.

I

Difciple. Hear thy gracious Words, my dearest Lord, and easily believe the inexpreffible Happiness of Them, whofe Souls thy heavenly Prefence fills. But how, O! how fhall I attain that Blifs? How fhall I feek and find my God alone? How open my Heart to entertain thee, fo as to ex clude all other intruding Guefts? O! that no Man, no Creature, might from henceforth find place in my Affections and Defires, fo as to interrupt my Converfation with Thee! When fhall I break loofe from Company and Care, and Enjoy and Talk with Thee alone, in Language free and kind, as that of deareft Friends; and foft and tender, sweet and charming, as the unreferved Retirements and endearing Whispers of the moft paffionate Lovers? This is my earnest Wish, This my conftant Prayer, that my Heart may be knit entirely to Thee; and, weaned from every earthly and fenfual Delight, learn to tafte heavenly and eterY

nal

Book VI. nal Joys, by frequent Returns to thy Holy Communion• Ah when, my God, fhall I be wholly thine, regardlefs of my felf, fwallowed up quite in a blissful indiffoluble Union with Chrift? Thou, Lord, in Me, and I in Thee; and thus may we con tinue One for ever!

John xvii.

"

Thou verily art my Beloved, my Chofen, the Chiefeft among Ten Thoufand, the Friend of my Bofom, with whom I defire to dwell all the Days cf my Life. Thou art my Peace, and only Comfort; Without thee I find nothing but Labour and Sorrow, Vexation, and Torment, and Mifery infupportable. Thou art a God, that hideft thy felf; Not dealing thy Bleffings promifcuously, but, with wife and just Distinction, satisfying the Humble and Meek with the Pleafures of thy Word, while thou concealeft thy Counsel from the Wicked, and leaveft them to groan and howl, in the Anguish and Horror of their guilty Souls! O how great is thy Bounty! how fweet thy Mercy who refrefheft thy hungry Servants, with the delicious Bread, which came down from Heaven; that thy Faithful might eat thereof and Surely there is no Nation under Heaven, which hath God fo near to them, as the Lord our God is unto Us, in all that we call upon him for. For he healeth the broken in Heart, be bath respect unto the Lowly; he lifteth the Simple ont of the Duft, and raiseth the Needy from the Dunghil, to fet them with Princes, to equal them with Angels; nay, to give them his Flesh for the fatisfying their Hunger, and, when they are thirsty, the Wine of his Blood to drink.

John vi.
Deut. iv.

not die.

Pfalm cxlvii, cxxxviii,cxiii.

1

What Society of Men can boast of Privileges, worthy to be named with thofe of the Chriftian Church? What Creature is there under Heaven, whofe Excellence and Happiness is comparable to that of the Pious and Devout Soul, where God takes up his Refidence,and

2

fuftains

fuftains the Heart that entertains him, with his own glorious Body? O Grace unspeakable! O Condefcenfion most amazing! O Love unmeafurable! Lord, what is Man, that thou fhould'ft thus vifit him? Or what can he render unto his God for thefe ineftimable. Benefits? Alas! I have no Return to make, but a poor worthless Heart. And this is yet a farther Inftance of thy Goodness, that thou expecteft no other Teftimony of Gratitude, but my felf, and my fincere Affection. Thus haft thou made our Duty our greateft Happiness: For then fhall my Soul be glad, and all that is within me leap for Joy, when my Heart is perfectly united to my God. Then halt thou fay, If thou wilt be mine, I will live and dwell with thee for ever: And I with humble Joy reply, Difdain not, Lord, this mean and homely dwelling, for I most willingly, most thankfully embrace the Offer. Lo I am thine intirely from this Moment, and, above all things, wish, and pray, That the Intimacy and Friendship thus contracted, may continue firm -and inviolable, that nothing may abate our Love and the ·Delights of it, or ever part our Perfons any more.

CHAP. IXIV.

An Act of Exciting Devotion by the Example of Others.

Difciple.]

How plentiful is thy Good

nefs, which thou hast laid Pfal, xxxi. up for them that fear thee! When I reflect with what ardent Piety, with what affectionate Devotion, with what an eager Zeal, thy Saints approach this heavenly Supper Shame and Confufion overwhelm me quite, confcious of my own, but lukewarm at the best, and too often perfectly ftupid and frozen, Heart;

Y 2

with

"

with what Indifference and Coldness I approach thy Myfteries, and how unaffected with thy Mercies, how unprofitable under the gracious Difpenfation, I return, What a Reproach is it, that my Heart fhould not be all inflamed with the Excefs of thy Love; that I fhould have no Senfe, no Apprehenfion, of my greateft Happiness, no Hungrings and Thirstings after it? But, notwithstanding the moving Examples of many excellent Perfons, should still continue void of all Impreffions; fo fcandaloufly unlike thofe pious Souls, whose Zeal overflow'd in Tears of Joy, whofe Hearts, as well as Mouths, drink greedily at this Fountain of Life, whofe Appetites were fo ftrong as never to be fatisfied, till they had filled themselves with thy bleffed Body, and fed liberally, and with a fort of holy 'Luxury indulged, at the Celeftial Banquet.

A Faith fo eager, fo exalted, plainly confefs'd they felt thy gracious Prefence; and, that their Lord was known to them, as heretofore to the Disciples at Emmaus, in breaking of Bread. The burnLuke xxiv. ing of their Hearts within them was an irrefragable Teftimony of it. But how far fhort, alus! do I come to their Zeal and Devotion? Look mercifully, Lord, upon my Infirmities. And, if an equal Portion of thy Grace be too great a Favour for thy poor unworthy Servant; yet grant me fuch a Degree, fuch a Sense of thy Goodnefs and wonderful Love, that I may be as fincerely, tho' not fo ftrongly, affected with it. If Raptures and Extafies of Delight may not be my Portion, yet deny me not Improvement. But let my Faith be ftrengthened, my Hope confirmed, my Love fo war med with this Sacrament, that, after having once tafted this heavenly Manna, I may never more defire the Onions and Garlick of Egypt, nor in my Heart turn back from fo good a God.

I know thy Mercy and thy Power, to which nothing is impoffible, nothing hard. I know thou canft,

and