MEDITATION LXXIX.

FISHERS.

Gibraltar Mole, May 31, 1759.

HERE, on the shore of this vast sea, where innumerable creatures are, I stand, and am entertained to see the various methods fishers try to entangle the finny tribe; some with the hook and bate suspended on the water, others with the bait sunk quite to the bottom; some use the insignificant earth-worm, and succeed therewith, and what they catch with it they make a bait for larger fish; others use all sorts of nets, and spread the sail, and ply the oar in pursuit of the prey, and thus catch some of all kinds.

The ocean is the world, where all the sons of men swim, every one pursuing his own game; and it holds truer of them than of the scaly family, that though they too often devour one another, yet they have their common enemy, the old serpent, the blood-thirsty dragon. Now, of those whom satan makes a prey, some are taken with baits of pleasure, others in the snares and nets of temptation, at first as it were against their will, through the reproofs of a natural conscience, or the effects of a religious education, but in a little are taken captive by him at his will. Again, how does satan make use of one man to ensnare another, and draw him to hell! How often do evil communications corrupt good manners, and companions of fools are destroyed! Therefore how careful should we be to shun the company of the wicked, for no sooner has satan made a prey of one soul, than he makes him a bait for others; and whomsoever this old serpent stings, he instils such a poison into them, that they can do no

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thing but sting others to death,though they themselves be mortally wounded. This may look strange, because some men, though they have no religion, appear very sober,but attend them a little,and you will find nothing but carnality, deadness, earthly-mindedness, breathe through all they do and say.

At shore and at sea fishers are busy to unpeople the waters, fowls from above feed on them, and fishes through the whole deep prey upon one another; but man's condition is still worse, for, though he has enemies behind and before, dangers on every hand, and satan watching at all points, he is also his own enemy.

But, on the other hand, O that the waters that issue out of the sanctuary would come into the great sea, to heal the waters, whither the curse has already come, that every thing might live. Let the gospel, that contains this flood of life, spread through the world with healing to every creature; and let men of all ranks and conditions be taken in the net of the gospel. Let the fishers stand all along the banks, and be successful in catching souls, and winning them to Christ, out of every tribe and tongue under heaven.

MEDITATION LXXX.

IN A SOUTHERN CLIMATE.

THESE southern climates certainly, as to fruitfulness, have the better of our northern isles; and when the traveller tells the entertaining account of spreading vines, and shady fig-trees, the beautiful pomegranate, and nourishing almond, the fragrant orange, and cooling lemon, with every other rare and useful produc

tion, it kindles a desire in others to possess them, and makes them bless the inhabitants of such fine and fruitful countries. But were the relation full, and the account faithful to every particular, it would make them bless their situation in a land, where the mountains are sometimes covered with snow, and the waters concealed in ice. Did they rehearse the dangers and difficulties found there, where the lion roars after his prey, where bears and tygers range for blood, where scorpions instil torment with their poison, and serpents sting to death; yea, where, though free from all these misfortunes, the scorching sun fatigues even to faintness, and the beautiful day by extreme heat becomes a burden; I say, were the delights weighed with the dangers, the fatal incumbrances with the fruitful productions, it would cast out ambition, bring in contentment,and make us settle with pleasure in what we might call the barren spot. This is a real truth,and an interesting inference may be drawn from it, whereby we may regulate our wrong notions and blind opinions of rich and great men. Like the fruitful countries, they are only happy in our esteem, because they seen to lie under the meridian of worldly felicity, and sun-shine of prosperity; yea, we are confirmed in this opinion, because the better part of their condition only is told us, as travellers do of the fine, but foreign fields. With them, however, it too often fares as with these fertile lands; for worldly grandeur has the roaring lion of unbridled lust often let loose on it,with all the train (more destructive than the tyger, bear, and other beasts of prey) of unruly passions, besides the unnumbered swarms of poisonous thoughts crawling over all the powers of mind. Now, though prosperity of itself brings not forth sins, any more than the heat of these climates creates hurtful creatures, yet there they grow,

and find large pasture; while sanctified affliction, like a cold and northern climate, has none of these incumbrances.

Were the life of great men, to their secret thoughts, laid before us, they would appear far from being so happy as we suppose. Their ambition, their emulation, their jealousies, their projects, their disappointments, their cares, their company and confusion, hinder them to enjoy themselves as men; yea, should all these remove, the abundance of their wealth will not suffer them to sleep; and, take them in the general, whatever they may be in this world, they are, a few excepted, far from being happy with respect to the world to come.

The world, then, is like a great body which God has made, and tempered so that there should be no schism in it. He has lessened the pleasures of the sweetest climes by some real disadvantages, and sweetened the most disagreeable spots by some noble accommodations; that man, who is but a pilgrim, may be pleased with every place where God may cast his lot, and neither boast of his own country, nor despise the native places of others.

Again, the same is in the world of mankind, the rational body, that there should be no schism there. Hence the poorest man has as much sweetness in his condition (bodily health, exercise of reason, peace of mind, obedient children, &c.) as blunts his grief; and the greatest man has as much gall, (corroding anxiety, insatiable appetites, broken constitution, pensive thoughts, peevish temper, inward disquiet, &c.) as acidulates, or embitters his joys. This should render men content with that station God has placed them in, and not to expect perfect felicity below; for every man thinks happiness is in another, not in himself, which

proves that there is not one possessed of it on earth; but he comes nearest it who is most content with his own condition and present circumstances in every respect, not either murmuring at crosses when they come upon himself, or envying others who seem to be exempted from them; and keeps his mind on the better country, where all glorious beatitudes shall be enjoyed without any thing to lessen the felicity, or abate the bliss.

MEDITATION LXXXI.

ON A COURT-MARTIAL.

Gibraltar Bay, August 8, 1759.

EVERY law is made to restrain from vice, and bind to duty, and every nation has its own code of laws, military and civil. The martial law is accounted severe; and there is a necessity for it, because mutiny and disobedience to orders, cowardice in the time of action, and desertion to the enemy, would have the most fatal effect. But whatever be the offence, a few considerations would not be improper at such a time for the members of the court-martial.

1. To do to the pannels, in their circumstances, as they would wish to be done to themselves if in these very circumstances.

2. To mind that an example and admonition to others is costly when at the life of an individual.

3. To pass no other sentence on the meanest than they would do on the highest for the same fault.

4. To consult how they can answer to their conscience and to God, for their decisions, deaf to every thing but justice and humanity.