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GOD be merciful to me; and deliver me from the way and from the end of the men "of this world. Let me not make it the business "of my life, to make provision for the flesh; to fe"cure and increase my worldly effects; and to get ❝in, and lay out, what makes for my lucre or plea"fure, as if I had nothing elfe to do upon earth, but "only to gather wealth; or to spend it on my lufts. "But keep me, Lord, in thy fear and love; and in "continual care, that I be not overwhelmed and loft, in the midst of all my stores. And when I "abound in the world's good, O make me alfo to " abound in good works, and in the better service "to my God. And let nothing in this world ever please me fo much, as to be pleafing in thy fight, through Jesus Christ. Amen.'

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MEDITATION IX.

Of the great things which God has done for me.

WILL not engage in a task impoffible; to enumerate and celebrate every good gift, and particular kindness, for which I am the Lord's debtor. For who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord; or fhew forth all his praise? Pfal. cvi. 2. So many are his wonderful works that he has done, and his thoughts which are to us-ward; that they cannot be reckoned up in order to him. If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered, Pfal. xl. 5. But where I cannot undertake to

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caft up the whole account; nor am able to travel through every paffage, in fuch a world of mercies: yet would I go as far as my present thoughts, (in this narrow compafs,) will carry me, to make a few notes upon fome remarkable particulars, like the fpecks and cyphers, and diminutive figures in maps; that ftand for caftles, woods, and towns, and great cities. But O how many, (my foul,) muft! leave to be fuppofed, that are here unmentioned! where I referve to myself, what belongs to my calling; and am not here to meddle with the peculiar circumftances of my life: (which are a fair and fpacious field, wherein to entertain my private meditation :) but only to recite, what lies in common to me; with the whole generation of God's children throughout the world.

To begin then at the beginning; my very being here, how much more is it than was owed me? And if I had flept for ever in my firft nothing, what wrong had been done me? but O how much more am I a debtor; when I am not barely the Lord's creature (as are even the worst and vileft,) but fuperior to all the reft in the world about me; a creature capable of knowing him that made me; of lov ing and adoring him here, and of feeing and enjoy. ing him for ever? that I have a body, fearfully and wonderfully made, not crawling along the ground, but erect and pointing at heaven: and a foul, that raises me almost to an equality with the angels of God; fit to wait upon the King of Heaven; to find dear communion with him; and to receive the highest favours from him: O how much has he done for me; after his own bleffed image, fo to make me!

And that he still holds my foul in that life, for which a man will give all that he has, when fo nice and curious is the vital clock-work; depending upen fo many minute requifites, to keep it in due

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frame and motion: and when fo often ventured and endangered, by my own diforder and extravagance; O how much to be admired is the mercy, that extends it to fuch a length! and that I had not long a go expired, by a hundred cafualties, which have taken off fuch multitudes! yea, that God fhould not only preferve the frail creature; but endure the grievous finner! when he has been fo highly provoked by me; that he should forbear to deftroy me, when fo many have been fent to hell, in my time, for ought I know; that deserved no more than me, to be there! O who would nourish and cherish the wicked enemy, lying at his mercy? no man would fo do it. But he that is God, and not man, has done it; and ftill goes on to do it. Admire then, my foul, and adore, and magnify the patience of God: that I have not been cut off in any of my provoking fins, and that I am not now bewailing thee, for loft, in remedilefs pains.

But the Lord's mercies to me lie not all in fuch negative; nor does he only bear with me, and keep off deferved evils from me, but fo kind and indulgent is he to me, as to make all well and eafy about me, and things to fucceed commonly to my wishes, and not unoften above them: and fill remembers and regards me, who fo much do forget and defpife him yea, ufes me like the dearest friend, who have carried towards him, even as the worst enemy.

And though at any time, he bring me low in the world: yet if withal he gives me but a contented mind, and sweet fatisfaction in my poor condition : even thus then, has the Lord done more for me; than for many of the richest and greatest above me; and given me fomewhat better, than all their wealth and height. Yea, though he fends a crofs upon me, and turns it for good unto me, how much better then has he done by me; to roufe me out of my fins, and scare me off the way to hell; than if he

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had let me alone, to run on fmoothly, upon endless mifery! O then, how greatly am I beholden to him, for the profit of that chastisement, which made me well, by making me ill, and cured my foul of worse diftempers, than any that ailed my body!

Have I health and peace; credit and liberty; plenty and variety, friends and favourers, new mercies daily; fresh bleffings continually? O how marvellous is all this in my eyes; when I know myself to be less than the leaft of all God's mercies! but here am I oppreffed with the multitude, and how fweet foever be the reckoning, yet muft I let innumerable bleffings pafs untold, where there is no ending.

But that which takes in all, redeeming love, I muft ever admire and extol above all. O what has the gracious God done for me, in giving his Son; and with him, all things to me! his Son, to take not only my nature, but my fins, and my forrows upon him, is an unfpeakable and everlafting obligation. laid upon me. To have the word of falvation fent to me; and the way of falvation fet open before me: and after the forfeiture of my blifs, to be put again in fuch a hopeful cafe; that I fhall not perish, unlefs I will defperately throw myself away; yea, not only to be called outwardly, by the preaching of his gofpel; but inwardly too, by the working of his Spirit to have my eyes opened, to fee my fin and ruin, out of Chrift; and to fee my help and falvation in his hands: to have my heart turned from the old bent and way; from the reign of luft, and love of the world; to live godly in Chrift Jefus, and feek the things above, to be made a convert, a believer, and (by regenerating grace,) a new creature: here,O here, are great things indeed, of the Lord's doing; the greatest of all, on this fide heaven, that ever can be done; but only, to increase in me, the faving grace bestowed upon me. This is more than all the world

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could do for me: and that, without which the very best fruitions in the world, would fignify nothing

to me.

O my foul, let not all the kindness now be thrown away, upon a stupid wretch: but know thy friend, and confider what thou haft received; and how much thou art obliged. Never let me fpurn at my bleffed owner, and bountiful provider: left it prove fad to me, that ever fo well he used me. But may I fhew the ingenuity and good manners, of one that carries as a dear child, to the best of fathers. Olet me conclude and resolve with myself, that he who has been fo kind to me, and done fuch great things for me, fhall be my God; and I will love him, and ferve him, and bless him, and praise him, and joy in him, and live to him, all my days, and with all my powers.

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THE PRAYER.

ND what fhall I render to thee, O Lord, for all thy benefits! I can but acknowledge them, "and admire them. For there is nothing that I "can give or do, in any way of recompence for "them. O the mercies, the patience, the preferva"tions, the deliverances, the fupplies, the bleffings, "the comforts; the favour, the kindness, that 1 "have found! O the goodness, and the love! my "life has been filled with it: I ftand amazed at it.

My God, give me an affecting, grateful sense of "it and make it a powerful and continual obliga❝tion upon my heart, to carry in all becoming duty, and cheerful pleasingness to the Lord of love, "all the days of my life. Amen."