BLUSH and be ashamed, O my Soul, that thou art such a Stranger to a Heavenly Life: That thou should'st be so careful and sollicitous about the things of this World, and so re­gardless of the affairs of Heaven, and the concerns of Eternity. Dost thou believe thou hast a Treasure [Page 4] in Heaven, why then is not thy Heart there also? How is it that thou dost so seldom think on it? but thy mind is continually run­ning upon Earthly Vanities. Dost thou pretend to be a Stranger and a Pilgrim on Earth, and yet art thou for building Tabernacles, and wilt thou say (or at least think) It is good to be here? Dost thou pretend to be travelling to a bet­ter Country, and wilt thou never think whither thou art going, nor spend a thought on thy Journey's end? Dost thou believe that Christ is gone before to prepare a Mansion for thee, and would it not do well by a Holy Contemplation to go and see whether thou shalt like thy Dwelling? Surely it would be worth the while to ascend the Mount and take a view of the [Page 5] Heavenly Canaan. How would it make thee long to be there, and be willing to do or suffer any thing so thou maist have a part in the Inheritance of those that are san­ctified? How would it make thee despise the World, and all the Ho­nours, Profits, and Pleasures of it? How little would they then ap­pear in thine eyes! How light would all Afflictions seem when thou knowest that they will work out for thee such an exceeding weight of Glory? How patiently would'st thou bear them, and be fully satisfied with this, That Hea­ven will make amends for all.

LORD bring me out of this worse than Egyptian Slavery and Bondage; this bondage to Sin and Satan; this Sodom, out of which I am so loath to depart; and let [Page 6] me escape to the Mountains. Let me no more long after the Flesh-pots of Egypt, but let me tast the sweetness of Spiritual Manna. Oh that I could sometimes go (with the Spies) to search the Promised Land, and cut down a Cluster of Grapes at the Brook Eshcol, which would make me long for the full Vintage. Lord help me to set my affections on things above, and not on things on earth. Alas! what is there here that deserves a heart? And what heart does not owe all its Love to thee? Lord grant that I may say from my very heart, Whom have I in hea­ven but thee, and there is none up­on earth I desire in comparison of thee. Be thou my Portion, and the Lot of my Inheritance, and I may well say, The lines are fallen [Page 7] to me in pleasant places, and I have a goodly heritage. And grant that now at length I may lay up for my self a Treasure in Heaven, and then my Heart will be there also.

WHAT is there in this World that should make us so loath to leave it? Is Vanity and Vexation of Spirit so Desirable? And there is nothing else to be found here. Nothing but cares and troubles, wants and losses, crosses and disappointments to be met with [Page 8] in this Life. That which we call Contentment, how often do we seek and hunt after it in vain? And no wonder, since we seek for it where it is not to be found. We are apt to think 'tis in such or such an En­joyment, and all our endeavours are bent to gain that, and we fondly think, Oh if we had but such a thing, then we should be happy! Whereas if God be pleased to grant our desires, we often find those very Enjoyments which ap­peared so Charming, to be empty of that Comfort we expected in them, or else so many Crosses do attend them, as imbitters all the sweetness that is in them. And after all this, we must part with them, and the Grief and Sorrow which attends the Loss of them is usually greater and longer than [Page 9] the pleasure we enjoyed in them.

WHO then would set their hearts upon the Comforts, the empty, fading, perishing Comforts and Enjoyments of this Life, and not rather desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better? The Joys of Heaven are real and substantial, full and satisfactory, pure and unmixed, constant and immor­tal. There all tears shall be wip'd away from our eyes, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away and be heard of no more for ever. There we shall be free from all pains and sicknesses of body, and all trouble and perplexity of mind. There we shall be free from all the tempta­tions of the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. There we shall be free from all Sin, and the fears of God's displeasure for it. There we shall [Page 10] meet with all our Friends and Re­lations that are gone before us; there we shall meet and never part again. But above all, there we shall be with Christ, which is far better than all, and in him enjoy unspeakable, unconceivable Bliss and Happiness to all Eternity.

LORD grant that as I do, or at least ought to desire to depart, so I may be also ready, that when­soever thou comest, thou maist find me watching, and say unto me, Well done! Enter into thy Master's Joy.

WELL might the Disciples wonder at this condescen­ding and distinguishing Love of their Lord and Master. And yet his Promise immediately before (as also his Prayer afterwards) was not design'd to respect them only, but all that shall believe in him through their word. He that hath my Commandments, (saith he) and keepeth them, (whosoever he be to the World's end) he it is that lo­veth me; and he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father, and I [Page 12] will love him, and will manifest my self unto him. I will shew him my Glory now in some measure, and I will pray the Father that he may be with me and see my Glory hereafter. I will not only Love him, but I will manifest that Love to him, and let him see and feel it, and the happy effects of it. And is this the manner of Men to deal so familiarly with their Ser­vants? And is it not much more wonderful that the Lord of Life and Glory should so far condescend as to reveal himself to poor despi­cable Worms! Have we not reason to cry out with the Psalmist, Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

But this is not all; for this is a peculiar favour to his Chosen. [Page 13] He is pleas'd to manifest himself to them, and not unto the World. Unto them he turns the bright side of the Cloud, while others, like the Egyptians, are in darkness. To you (says he) it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to others it is not given. Oh, how may we admire this distinguishing Love of our Divine Redeemer! and how may we (how can we but) rejoyce in it! As he once said to his Disciples, I have meat to eat which ye know not of; So may we say to the World, We have Spiritual Com­forts to feed and feast our Souls with, which you know not of. No, our Joys are such as Strangers do not intermeddle with. 'Tis not only Propriety, but Peculiarity which adds sweetness to all our [Page 14] Enjoyments, and both are here. We are thine, thou never barest rule over them, they were not called by thy Name, Isa. 63. 19. He hath not dealt so with any Nation, and as for his Judgments they have not known them, Psal. 147. 20.

And why then are we not sa­tisfied with our Portion, but are ready to envy the enjoyments of the wicked? If we have Joys which they do not intermeddle with, why should we desire to intermeddle with theirs? Are not ours better, or would we change with them? Surely no: why then are we not abundantly contented with our Lot and Portion? If the Lord be our Portion, then surely we can­not but say, The lines are fallen to us in pleasant places, and we have a goodly heritage. And how can [Page 15] we be sad or troubled? Does the Sun of Righteousness shine upon us, and can we hang down our Heads? Does our dear Redeemer smile up­on us, and can we be sorrowful in any condition? May he not say to us, as Elkanah did to Hannah, Why is thy countenance sad? Am not I better to thee than ten Sons, than ten Friends? Could Micah say of his Idols, Ye have taken away my gods, and what have I more? And do ye ask what aileth me? And may not we better say, Ye cannot take away our God, but we have his comfortable presence with us, and what can we have more, or how can we ail any thing? Could Dio­genes, being ask'd by Alexander, (who it seems stood betwixt him and the Sun) what he would re­quest of him, and he should have [Page 16] it, could he answer, Nunc quidem paululum à Sole absis. At present only stand out of my Sunshine? Ci­cero. And can we desire any thing more than the warming comforta­ble beams of the Sun of Righte­ousness? And would it not better become us than it did him to re­fuse and contemn all those vain Pleasures, Profits, and Honours, which would obscure the light of God's Countenance, and hide his Face from us?

Oh Lord! Lift but thou up the Light of thy Countenance upon me, and it will put joy and glad­ness into my Heart more than when Corn and Wine (and all other Comforts) increased.

'TIS an amazing thing to consider the perverseness of men, that nothing can beat them off from expecting Rest and Hap­piness in this World, nor perswade them to seek it in a better. Tho' they have been told over and over of the Experiences of all men, in all states and conditions, and in all Ages, how they have been cross'd in all their pursuits after Happi­ness, and disappointed of all their hopes of finding Rest and Satisfa­ction in any thing here below; yet such is the incredulity of men, [Page 18] that they will not believe the At­testations of those that have gone before them, but they must needs try themselves before they will be convinced of a Truth so univer­sally owned and acknowledged. And it were well if even that would satisfie them, but alas it will not; for tho' they have made the Experiment themselves again and again in vain, and have met with nothing but crosses and disappoint­ments all their days hitherto, yet will they not say, There is no hope, but will lay the fault on the ma­lice of Enemies, or unfaithfulness of Friends, or their own Impru­dence, or any thing but the Vanity of the things themselves, which one would think so much dear-bought Experience might suffici­ently convince them are uncapable [Page 19] of affording them that Comfort and Satisfaction they expected from them. And this were still more excusable if they had never heard of a place where this Rest is certainly to be found, nor had ever been shewn the way to obtain it. But even those that know this, and pretend to believe that Heaven is a place of perfect Rest and Happiness, and seem to make it their business to walk in the way to it, and to endeavour to qualifie themselves for the obtaining and enjoyment of it, yet even those are unwilling to arise and depart, unwilling to be where they are sure to be perfectly and eternally Happy.

BUT why (O my Soul) dost thou thus accuse others, as if thou wert clear in this matter, when [Page 20] alas! thou art equally involved in the same guilt with other men? Notwithstanding thou hast met with so large a Portion of Afflicti­ons, which might have weaned thee from this World, and make thee desirous of a better. But alas, how little of those Effects have they produced in thee? How lit­tle hast thou chang'd thy Opinion of those earthly things? Some­times indeed thou makest sad Com­plaints of the emptiness of Earthly Comforts, and of the vanity and vexation that attends all worldly enjoyments, but this is only in a pet, upon some great Cross and Disappointment, when the afflictive sense of it is worn off a little, thou presently returnest to thy old course, and renewest thy vain pur­suits after that which has always deluded thy expectations.

Why dost thou still follow that which always flies from thee? Nay, which is not in Nature.

Why then dost thou not arise by a Contemplation of Peace, and Rest, and Happiness, which if rightly sought will never deceive thee, will never frustrate thy ex­pectations, but abundantly satisfie them and exceed them? Thou pre­tendest to seek a better Country, even an Heavenly, but how is it then that thou art so little con­cern'd and sollicitous about it? that it has so little room in thy [Page 22] heart, so small a share in thy thoughts and desires? And why then art thou for building Taber­nacles here? Is a strange Land so desirable to thee? Are there such Charms in a Foreign Savage Coun­try, in a barren Wilderness afford­ing nothing but Briars and Thorns, Serpents and Scorpions, as to make thee careless and undesirous of the Heavenly Canaan, a Land flowing with better than Milk and Honey? A place of uninterrupted Peace and Rest. Here thou hast no continu­ing City, and while thou art here thou meetest with nothing but la­bour, and toil, and trouble, but

Here thou art always perplexing thy self with vain hopes and fears, [Page 23] and canst not quietly enjoy those little Comforts thou might some­times have, for thinking of what may come hereafter, but there

Here thou art perpetually tost on a restless Sea of trouble and dis­quiet, but

Thou pretendest to be Heir to a Kingdom, but how forgetful art thou of thine Inheritance? And what need hast thou to be awakened with an

Awake then, O my Soul, lie not groveling in the Dust, but arise and flie away, at least in thy thoughts and desires, to thy Inheritance, thy Kingdom, thy Country, thy Rest­ing place. For as God never rested till he had made Man, so Man will never find true Rest till he come to enjoy God.

LORD, raise up my thoughts above this tempestuous and tumul­tuous World, and grant that all those Crosses, and Disappointments, and Troubles, and Afflictions I meet with here, may at length suf­ficiently wean me from this world, and make me weary of it, so that I may heartily desire, Oh that I had the wings of a Dove, then would I flie away and be at rest.