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fpring from the Thoughts and Contemplations we exercise about him. These are,indeed,very Divine Comforts; and fuch as will not fail to give us ease and refreshment under the most cleaving and tormenting Troubles, our Thoughts can inflict upon us.

As First of all, to begin with the first kind of Divine Comforts, the chearing and refreshing Influences of the Holy Spirit, who in Scripture is emphatically stiled the Comforter; John 15. 26. Gal. 5. 22. and one of whofe principal and immediate Fruits, is Joy. We have no reason to think any trouble of our Minds fo great, but what these Comforts of God will be able to allay: For this is that Divine Confolation, that internal and unexpreffible Sweetness and Dele&tation, that Myftical Unction, that Spiritual Taste, that Intellectual Savour, that Refectory Grace, that inebriating Wine, that extatical Joy of the Holy Ghoft; in a word, that Peace of God which paffes all Understanding, and that bleffed anticipation of Heavenly Delights; which has fo fill'd, overflow'd and ravish'd some holy Souls, as to raise them above the World and themselves too; to make them quite infenfible of all Pain and Sorrow, and to despise all the Good and all the Evil of this Life. Of this, fome folitary and contemplative Perfons have spoken very high and great things; and others of less Thought, but more Piety and Devotion, have felt greater: Witness that strange and otherwife unaccountable Appearance, the chearful and fe

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rene Behaviour of feveral old Martyrs in the midst of the Flames; who were fo far from expreffing any Impatience in their Fiery Tryals, that they were not fo much as fenfible of any Pain. We cannot here fuppofe that the Power of God miraculously restrain'd that of the Fire, (as in the cafe of the Three Children,) because it had its ufual Effect upon their Bodies; nor have we any need to fuppofe, that the ordinary Law of Communication between fuch certain Motions upon the Body, and fuch fenfations in the Soul, was by the Power of God miraculoufly interrupted : No, the account of this matter will be more fimple, and confequently more probable,to suppose, that the Holy Spirit of God (the great Comforter) did diffufe fuch a Divine Sweetness through the Souls of those happy Sufferers, (if those that felt nothing may be fo called,) as either fo withdrew their Attention from the Impreffions made upon them, that they had no fuch thing as any dolorous Sensation; or fo temper'd and qualified it, or rather out-weigh'd it,by a stronger sentiment of Pleasure, that it was not in the leaft uneafie to them; that is, in one word, it either hinder'd it, or overcame it. To fuch an high degree,are the Divine Confolations able to delight the Soul, when God is pleased more liberally to dispense them. Of these the Pfalmift may be fuppofed to fpeak, when he fays, Pfal. 23. The Lord is my Shepherd, therefore can I lack nothing. He fall feed me in a green Pafture, and lead me forth befide the Waters of Comfort; Yea, tho' I walk through

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the Valley of the fhadow of Death, I will fear no Evil, for thou art with me, thy Rod and thy Staff Shall comfort me. It seems, in the strength of these Heavenly Refreshments, he could tread the most dismal and uncomfortable Path,the Feet of Man can ever walk in; the Valley of the shadow of Death, without any concern or trouble. And indeed one Beam of this Divine Confolation, would strike a light into the fhades below; brighten the Minds of the Infernal Spirits, and make even the Damn'd in Hell forget their Miferies. But these Divine Comforts being more rare and ex- 1 traordinary, and fuch as are not fo much at our own Difpofal, as being immediate Communications of God; I fhall proceed to those that are more within our own Power; and therefore haften to confider,

2. The Joys and Satisfactions of Devotion, and a Religious Life: By which may be underftood,either that Pleasure wherewith a good Man does his Duty, performs acts of Piety and Religion; or,that Pleafure wherewith he reflects upon 2. it,when done. The former is the pleasure of the Action; the latter is the pleasure of the Review, and is the fame with what we call the Comfort of a good Confcience; and both these are very great and ftrong Pleafures; far beyond those of Senfe, which fo captivate and inflave Mankind. 'Tis, firft, a great Pleafure for a Man to do his/ Duty; he is then in a most natural state and order, and upon his most natural state and order, and upon his most natural Employment, doing

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that which best becomes him, is most perfective of his true felf, and most suitable to the original Genius and Constitution of his Soul; which is then well in Tune, and in a right state of Health, from which Pleasure is always infeparable. And fo Secondly, 'tis a great Pleasure for a Man to reflect upon his Duty done; 'tis to confider and recollect with himself, that he has made a right ufe of his Powers and Faculties, that he has acted as he ought, and lived according to the Order and Perfection of his Nature; and that thereby he has ingaged the best and greatest Being on his fide, made God his Friend; and fecured his main Point, the Intereft of his Soul to all Eternity; than which, what can be a more pleasing and more fatisfying confideration? Of the former Pleasure, that of doing acts of Religion, we may fom a general conjecture, from what the Pfalmift fays of one of them in particular, My soul shall be fatisfied even as it were with marrow and fatnefs, when my mouth praises thee with joyful lips, Pfal. 63. 6. The Figure is ftrangely bold, and the Expreffion strong and flaming, importing a fort of Spiritual Luxury, an intellectual Senfuality in the Service of God. Of the latter pleafure, that of reflecting upon our Duty performed, we may take an account from that of Solomon, Prov. 14. 14. A good man shall be Satisfied from himself; and from that of St. Paul, 2 Cor. 1. 12. "Our rejoycing is this, the testimony of our confcience, that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, we have had our converfation in the world. And

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'tis confiderable, that he speaks it after an account of fome very extraordinary Troubles that came upon him in Afia and makes this very thing to be that which fupported him under them, and to be the very Comfort and Confolation of God. For fays he, Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation; that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we our felves are comforted of God. Then a little after, For we would not Brethren have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Afia, that we were prefed out of measure above ftrength, infomuch that we defpaired of life. But we had the Jentence of death in our felves, that we should not trust in our felves, but in God which raises the dead; who deliver'd us from fo great a death. Then a little after adds, as expreffing the manner and means of his Deliverance, For our rejoycing is this, the teftimony of our confcience, &c. This, it feems, was the Comfort whereby he was comforted of God; and which held him up under, or rather above, his trouble. Here then is another Remedy of Grief, another Sanctuary for a troubled and difconfolate Soul. When Thoughts arise in thy Heart, and Troubles from those Thoughts; when thy Mind is dark and cloudy, and all the Regions of thy Soul are overcaft; then betake thy felf to thy Oratory, either to thy Closet, or to the Church, and entertain thy Soul with the Pleafures of Religion, and the Satisfactions of a clear

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