inexpreffible beauty, and all other beauties are but uxox, xxi oxia an image, nay, a fhadow of his beauty. How was holy Ignatius ravifhed with defires after Chrift, when he cried out, O how I long to be thrown into the jaws of thofe lions, which I hear roaring for me! and if they will not dispatch me the fooner, xat , I will enforce them to it by violence, that I may enjoy the fight of my bleffed Jesus. O my heart, (faith another) how is it thou art not drawn up by the very root, by thy defires after Chrift? The neceflity, and the trial of our union with, and intereft in, this lovely LORD JESUS, is the main fubject of this difcourfe. Without the perfonal application of Chrift by faith, our hopes of heaven are but deluding dreams, Heb. i. 11. "I "Tware in my wrath, oras, if they fhall enter into my reft?" What then? Nay, there is all: but it is a dreadful ApofiopeJis (as one calls it) fuch a paufe as may juftly fhake every vein of the unbeliever's heart: If they fhall enter; as if he had faid, If ever they come into my glory, then fay, I am no God, for I have fworn the contrary.

I will not be tirefome, but conclude all in a few requests to you and to God for you both. That which I requeft of you is,

(1.) That you will fearch and try your own hearts by these truths, especially now, when fo great trials are like to be made of every man's root and foundation in religion. Account that your firft work, which Bellermine calls "the first error of Proteftants," to make fure your intereft in Chrift; every thing is as its foundation is a true diamond will endure the fmarteft ftroke of the hammer, but a falfe one will fly.

It

(2.) That you be humble under all that dignity and honour, which God hath put upon you; be ye clothed with humility. was the glory of the primitive Chriftians, that they § did not speak but live great things: humility will be the luftre of your other excellencies: eftates and honours are but appendants and fine trappings, which add not any real worth, yet how are fome vain VOL. II.

B

Ο εμός έρως εσαυρώται και εκ εσιν εν εμοί το τυς το φιλουλον, αλλ υδα αλλομένον, &c. αναίμην των θηρίων, ινα τε Ιησέ Χρισέ επιτυχω. Ignatii Εpift. to cor meum quomodo non te evellis poft tantum decorem? Nieremberg. Vivere renuo, ut Chrifto vivam.

Primus Hereticorum error eft, poffe fideles cam notitiam habere de fua gratia, ut certa fide fatuant fibi remiffa effe peccata. The principal herefy of Proteftants is, that faint. may attain to a certain affurance of their gracious and pardoned eftate before God. Bellarm. de Juft. lib. 3. cap. 3.

5 Non cloquimur magna, fed vivimns. Tertul. Apolog.

They report that Bucephalus, without his furniture, would fuffer a groom on his back, but when dreffed with royal trappings and ftudded bridles, would fuffer none to mount him but the king himfelf; fo it is truly the cafe with thefe upstart nobles among us, &c.

minds puffed up with these things! But ye have not fo learned Chrift.

(3.) That you fteadily perfevere in thofe good ways of God, in which you have walked, and beware of hcart, or life-apoftacy. You expect happiness whilft God is in heaven, and God expects holinefs from you whilft you are on earth. It was an excellent truth which Toffanus* recommended to his pofterity in his laft will and teftament, from his own experience: "I beseech you, "(faith he) my dear children and kindred, that you never be "afhamed of the truths of the gofpel, either by reafon of fcan"dals in the church, or perfecutions upon it; truth may labour "for a time, but cannot be conquered; and I have often found "God to be wonderfully prefent with them that walk before him "in truth, though for a time they may be opprefsed with troubles "and calumnies.'

(4.) Laftly, That you keep a strict and conftant watch over your own hearts, left they be enfnared by the tempting, charming, and dangerous fnares attending a full and eafy condition in the world. There are temptations fuited to all conditions. Thofe that are poor and low in estate and reputation, are tempted to cozen, cheat, lie, and flatter, and all to get up to the mount of riches and honours; but those that were born upon that mount, though they be more free from thofe temptations, yet lie expofed to others no lefs dangerous, and therefore we find, "Not many mighty, not many "noble are called," 1 Cor. i. 26. Many great and ftately fhips, which fpread much fail, and draw much water, perish in the ftorms, when fmall barks creep along the fhore under the wind, and get fafe into their port. Never aim at an higher ftation in this world than that you are inf: Some have wifhed in their dying hour, they had been lower, but no wife man ever wished himfelf at the top of honour, at the brink of eternity.

I will conclude all with this hearty wifh for you, that as God hath fet you in a capacity of much fervice for him in your generation, fo your hearts may be enlarged for God accordingly, and that you may be very inftrumental for his glory on earth, and may go fafe, but late to heaven. That the bleflings of heaven may be multiplied

Obteflor etiam vos liberos, et generos cariffimos ne illius veritatis evangelice unquam vos pudeal: poteft enim laborare, fed non vinci veritas: et non femel expertus fum Dominum Deum mirabiliter adrife iis qui coram ipfa ambulant, et in fua vocatione fedulo et integre verfantur; licet ad tempus, odiis, cut fimultatibus, aut calumniis agitentur. Melch. Adamus, in vita Toffani.

Hermanus, when dying, bewailed that he had beftowed more time and pains on his palace than on the temple of God, and encouraged the luxury and wickednefs of the court, which he ought to have reftrained: Thus, with much grief for fin, his hope of mercy from God greatly wavering, by-ftanders being filled with great horror, and himself doubtful of his ftate, his foul entered into eternity. Hift. Bobem. lib. 11.

upon you both, and your hopeful fpringing branches; and that you may live to fee your children's children, and peace upon Ifrael. In a word, that God will follow these truths in your hands with the bleffing of his Spirit; and that the manifold infirmities of him that minifters them, may be no prejudice or bar to their fuccess with you, or any into whofe hands they fhall come; which is the hearty defire of

YOUR MOST FAITHFUL FRIEND,

1

AND SERVANT IN CHRIST,

JOHN FLAVEL.

E

THE EPISTLE TO THE READER.

*

OVERY creature, by the inftinct of nature, or by the light of reafon, ftrives to avoid danger, and get out of harm's way. The cattle in the fields, prefaging a form at hand, fly to the hedges and thickets for fhelter. The fowls of heaven, by the fame natural instinct, perceiving the approach of winter, take their timely flight to a warmer climate. This naturalifts have obferved of them, and their obfervation is confirmed by fcripture-teftimony. Of the cottle it is faid, Job xxxvii. 6, 7, 8. "He faith to the fnow, Be "thou on the earth, likewife the fmall rain, and the great rain of "his ftrength; then the beafts go into dens, and remain in their "places." And of the fowls of the air it is faid, Jer. viii. 7, "The ftork in the heavens knoweth her appointed times, and the «turtle, and the crane, and the fwallow, obferve the time of their "coming."

But man being a prudent and profpecting creature, hath the advantage of all other creatures in his forefeeing faculty: "For "God hath taught him more than the beafts of the earth, and "made him wifer than the fowls of heaven," Job xxxv. 11. "And a wife man's heart difcerneth both time and judgment," Eccl. viii. 5. For as there are natural figns of the change of the weather, Matt. xvi. 3. fo there are moral figns of the changes of time and providences; yet fuch is the fupinenefs and inexcufable regardlefnefs of moit men, that they will not fear till they feel, nor think any danger very confiderable, till it become inevitable.

We of this nation have long enjoyed the light of the glorious gofpel among us; it hath fhone in much clearness upon this finful ifland, for more than a whole century of happy years: but the longeft day hath an end, and we have caufe to fear our bright fun is going down upon us; for the fhadows in England are grown greater than the fubftance, which is one fign of approaching night, Jer. vi. 4. "The beafts of prey creep out of their dens and coverts," which is another fign of night at hand, Pfal. civ. 20. "And the "workmen come home apace from their labours, and go to reft," which is as fad a fign as any of the reft, Job vii. 1, 2. Isa. lvii. 1, 2. Happy were it, if, in fuch a juncture as this, every man would make it his work and bufinefs to fecure himself in Chrift from the ftorm of God's indignation, which is ready to fall upon these finfül nations. It is faid of the Egyptians, when the storm of hail was coming upon the land, Exod. ix. 20. "He that feared the word

Plip. 1. 18. c. 25. Virg Georg. l. 1.

" of the Lord made his fervants and cattle flee into the houses." It is but an odd fight to fee the prudence of an Egyptian out-vying the wifdom and circumfpection of a Chriftian.

God, who provides natural fhelter and refuge for all creatures, hath not left his people unprovided with, and deftitute of defence and fecurity, in the moft tempeftuous times of national judgments. It is faid, Mic. v. 5. " This man (meaning the man Christ Jefus) "fhall be the peace when the Affyrian fhall come into our land, "and when he fhall tread in our palaces." And Ifa. xxvi. 20. "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy "doors about thee; hide thyfelf as it were for a little moment,; " until the indignation be overpaft."

My friends, let me fpeak as freely, as I am fure I fpeak seasonably. A found of judgment is in our ears; "The Lord's voice crieth un"to the city, and the man of wisdom fhall fee thy name: hear ye "the rod, and who hath appointed it," Micah vi. 9. All things round about us feem to pofture themselves for trouble and diftrefs. Where is the man of wifdom that doth not forefee a fhower of wrath and indignation coming? "We have heard a voice of trem"bling, of fear, and not of peace. Afk ye now, and fee whether "a man doth travail with child? Wherefore do I see every man "with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces "are turned into palenefs? Alas, for that day is great, fo that "none is like it; it is even the day of Jacob's trouble, but he shall "be delivered out of it," Jer. xxx. 5, 6, 7.

Many eyes are now opened to fee the common danger, but fome forefaw it long ago; when they faw the general decay of godliness every where, the notorious profanity and atheism that overspread the nations, the fpirit of enmity and bitternefs against the power of godliness wherever it appeared: and though there feemed to be a prefent calm, and general quietnefs, yet thofe that were wife in heart could not but difcern the diftrefs of nations, with great perplexity, in thefe feeds of judgment and calamity: but as the ephah fills more and more, fo the determined wrath grows more and more vifible to every eye; and it is a fond thing to dream of tranquillity in the maidit of fo much iniquity. Indeed, if thefe nations were once swept with the befom of reformation, we might hope God would not fweep them with the befom of deftruction; but what peace can be expected, whilft the higheft provocations are continued?

It is therefore the great and prefent concernment of all to provide themfelves of a refuge before the ftorm overtakes them; for, aş Auguftin well obferves, Non facile inveniuntur præfidia in adverfitate, que non fuerint in pace quefita. O take up your lodgings in the attributes and promifes of God before the night overtake you; view them often by faith, and clear up your intereft in them, that