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By a timely and singular coincidence, the author has, when arrived just at this break, unexpectedly fallen, in the course of his reading, upon these choice and appropriate passages in Howe. Mindfulness of God is the living-spring of all holy and pleasant affections and deportments towards him; sets all the wheels agoing; makes the soul as the chariots of Aminadab....We cannot move towards God, but with an open eye, seeing him and our way towards him. If we close our eyes we stand still, or blindly run another course, we know not whither.... ....What a hell of wickedness are we brought into in the twinkling of an eye! We are without God in the world; as if a man wink, though at noon-day, he hath as it were put out the sun, it is with him as if there were no such thing. When we have banished God out of our sight and forgotten him, it is with us as if there were no God. If such a state grow ha bitual to us, (as we know every sinful aversion of our eye from God tends thereto) what wickedness is there that will not lurk in this darkness? . . . . . . Are not their sins wont to begin with forgetting God? Did they eye God more, would they not sin less frequently, and with greater regret? You his saints that have made a covenant with him by sacrifice, that profess the greatest love and devotedness to him, and seem willing yourselves to become sacrifices and to lay down your lives for his sake; what, is it a harder thing to give him a look, at thought? Or is it not too common a thing, without necessity, (and then not without injury,) to withhold these from him? Let us bethink ourselves, are not the principal distempers of our spirits, and disorders yet observable in our lives to be referred hither? As

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to enjoined services; what, should we venture on omissions, if we had God in our eye? or serve him with so declining backward hearts? Should we dare to let pass a day, in the even whereof we might write down, nothing done for God this day? Or should we serve him as an hard master, with sluggish, desponding spirits? The Apostle forbids servants to serve with eye-service, as men-pleasers; meaning they should eye men less, and God more. Sure, as to him, our service is not enough eye-service. probably eye men more than we should; but we do not eye him enough. Hence such hanging of hands, such feebleness of knees, such laziness and indifferency, so little of an active zeal and laborious diligence, so little fervency of spirit, in serving the Lord. Hence also such aversion to hazardous services, such fear of attempting any thing (though never so apparent important duty) that may prove costly, or hath danger in it. We look not to him. that is invisible. And as to forbidden things; should we be so proud, so passionate, so earthly, so sensual, if we had God more in view? Should we so much seek ourselves, and indulge our own wills and humours, drive a design with such solicitude and intention of mind for our private interests? Should we walk at such a latitude, and more consult our own inclinations than our rule, allow ourselves in so much vanity of conversation, did we mind God as we ought? And do not we sensibly punish ourselves in this neglect? What a dismal chaos is this world while we see not God in it! To live destitute of a divine presence, to discern no beam of the heavenly glory; to go up and down day by day, and perceive nothing of God, no glimmering, no appearance; this

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is disconsolate as well as sinful darkness. we make of creatures, what of the daily events of providence, if we see not in them the glory of a Deity; if we do not contemplate and adore the divine wisdom, power and goodness, diffused every where? Our practical atheism and inobservance of God, make the world become to us the region and shadow of death, states us as among ghosts and spectres, makes all things look with a ghastly face, imprints death upon every thing we see, encircles us with gloomy, dreadful shades, and with uncomfortable apparitions. To behold the tragical spectacles always in view, the violent lusts, the rapine and rage of some, the calamitous sufferings, the miseries and ruins of others; to hear every corner resounding with the insultations of the oppressor, and the mournful groans of the oppressed, what a painful continual death were it to be in the world without God! At the best all things were but a vanishing scene, an image seen in the dark. The creation, a thing, the fashion whereof passing away, the whole contexture and system of providence were mere confusion, without the least concinnity or order: religion an acknowledged trifle, a mere mockery. What! to wink ourselves into so much darkness and desolation, and by sealing up our eyes against the divine light and glory, to confirm so formidable miseries upon our own souls! How dreadfully shall we herein revenge our own folly, in nullifying him to ourselves, who is the all in all! Sure there is little of heaven in all this. But if now we open our eyes upon the all-comprehending glory, apply them to a steady intuition of God, how heavenly a life shall we then live in the world! To have God

always in view as the director and end of all our actions; to make our eye crave leave of God, to consult him before we adventure upon anything, and implore his guidance and blessing: upon all occasions to direct our prayers to him and look up to make our eye wait his commanding look, ready to receive all intimations of his will; this is an angelic life. To be as those ministers of his that are always ready to do his pleasure to make our eye do him homage, and express our dependance and trust; to approve ourselves in every thing to him, and act as always in his presence, observing still how his eye observes us, and exposing ourselves willingly to his inspection and search, contented always he should see through and through us: surely there is much of heaven in this life so we should endeavour to live here.... Thus let us then stir up our drowsy souls, open our heavy eyes, and turn them upon God, inure and habituate ourselves to a constant view of his (yet veiled) face, that we may not see him only by casual glances, but as those that seek his face, and make it our business to gain a thorough knowledge of him." The reader will easily believe that it was not easy to stop the pen after once commencing such an extract.*

VIII. Frequent examination must also be considered an appropriate and powerful auxiliary. In a matter where principle, motive, and moral aim are so concerned, stern and repeated self-scrutiny cannot but be of singular use. So far as we are mistaken and self-deceived as to what does really form the end we seek, this faithful inward inspection will

*Howe's Blessedness of the Righteous,

detect and expose to ourselves our delusion. So far as we unworthily mix our ends, this self-investigation will help to distinguish and to separate the precious from the vile. So far also as we may at any time have declined from our high purposes, this exercise will tend to restore us, and by the salutary humiliation it effects, possibly bring us up beyond the point from which we had fallen back. So far moreover as we have attained it will encourage, and so far as we have failed, it will reprove and stimulate us. In proportion as we adopt honestly this severe, but valuable expedient, we shall imbibe the convictions, and act upon the principle of the apostle : "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren I count not myself to have apprehended but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." * Let us make wise and diligent use of this means of improvement. Let us not too easily take it for granted that things are as they should be. We must remember that if not looked to, the probability is that they will soon get out of order. We must not forget how liable, if not watched, some wheel is to be displaced or injured, and thus the whole machine disordered and the whole result damaged. We must not yield to the proud and cowardly folly of shrinking from the discovery of suspected error or deficiency. Our reluctance to

*Phil. iii, 13. 14.