once soundly detesting sin, loath the means that induced him to commit it. Contrarily, who withstands a man in his prosecution of a sin, while he doteth upon it, bears away frowns and heart-burnings for a time; but, when the offending party comes to himself and right reason, he recompenseth his former dislike, with so much more love, and so many more thanks. The frantic man, returned to his wits, thinks him his best friend, that bound him, and beat him most. I will do my best to cross any man in his sins: if I have not thanks of him, yet of my conscience I shall.

XVII.

God must be magnified in his very judgments. He looks for praise; not only for heaven, but for hell also. His justice is himself, as well as his mercy. As heaven, then, is for the praise of his mercy; so hell for the glory of his justice. We must, therefore, be so affected to judgments, as the Author of them is; who delighteth not in blood, as it makes his creature miserable, but as it makes his justice glorious. Every true Christian, then, must learn to sing that compound ditty of the Psalmist; Of mercy, and judgment. It shall not only joy me, to see God gracious and bountiful, in his mercies and deliverances of his own; but also to see him terrible, in vengeance to his enemies. It is no cruelty to rejoice in justice. The foolish mercy of men is cruelty to God.

XVIII.

Rareness causeth wonder, and more than that, incredulity, in those things, which, in themselves, are not more admirable, than the ordinary proceedings of nature. If a blazing star be seen in the sky, every man goes forth to gaze; and spends, every evening, some time in wondering at the beams of it. That any fowl should be bred of corrupted wood resolved into worms; or that the chameleon should ever change his colours, and live by air; that the ostrich should digest iron; that the phoenix should burn herself to ashes, and from thence breed a successor we wonder, and can scarce credit. Other things more usual, no less miraculous, we know and neglect. That there should be a bird, that knoweth and noteth the hours of day and night, as certainly as any astronomer by the course of heaven; if we knew not, who would believe? Or that the loadstone should, by his secret virtue, so draw iron to itself, as that a whole chain of needles should all hang by insensible points at each other, only by the influence that it sends down from the first; if it were not ordinary, would seem incredible. Who would believe, when he sees a fowl mounted as high as his sight can descry it, that there were an engine to be framed, which could fetch it down into his fist? Yea, to omit infinite

examples, that a little despised creature should weave nets out of her own entrails, and in her platforms of building should observe as just proportions as the best geometrician, we should suspect for an untruth, if we saw it not daily practised in our own windows. If the sun should arise but once to the earth, I doubt, every man would be a Persian, and fall down and worship it: whereas now, it riseth and declineth without any regard. Extraordinary events each man can wonder at. The frequence of God's best works causeth neglect: not that they are ever the worse for commonness; but because we are soon cloyed with the same conceit, and have contempt bred in us through familiarity. I will learn to note God's power and wisdom, and to give him praise of both, in his ordinary works: so those things, which are but trivial to the most ignorant, shall be wonders to me; and that, not for nine days, but for

ever.

XIX.

Those, that affect to tell novelties and wonders, fall into many absurdities; both in busy enquiry after matters impertinent, and in a light credulity to whatever they hear; and in fictions of their own, and additions of circumstances, to make their reports the more admired. I have noted these men, not

so much wondered at for their strange stories, while they are telling; as derided afterwards, when the event hath wrought their disproof and shame. I will deal with rumours, as grave men do with strange fashions; take them up, when they are grown into common use before: I may believe, but I will not relate them but under the name of my author; who shall either warrant me with defence, if it be true; or, if false, bear my shame.

XX.

It was a witty and true speech of that obscure Heraclitus, That all men, awaking, are in one common world; but, when we sleep, each man goes into a several world by himself; which though it be but a world of fancies, yet is the true image of that little world which is in every man's heart: for the imaginations of our sleep shew us what our disposition is awaking: and, as many in their dreams reveal those their secrets to others, which they would never have done awake; so all may and do disclose to themselves in their sleep those secret inclinations, which, after much searching, they could not have found out waking. I doubt not, therefore, but as God heretofore hath taught future things in dreams, which kind of revelation is now ceased; so still he teacheth the present estate of the heart, this way. Some dreams are from ourselves, vain and idle, like ourselves: others are divine, which teach us

good, or move us to good: and others devilish, which solicit us to evil. Such answer, commonly, shall I give to any temptation in the day, as I do by night. I will not lightly pass over my very dreams. They shall teach me somewhat: so neither night nor day shall be spent unprofitably: the night shall teach me what I am; the day, what I should be.

XXI.

Men make difference betwixt servants, friends, and sons. Servants, though near us in place; yet, for their inferiority, are not familiar. Friends, though, by reason of their equality and our love, they are familiar; yet still we conceive of them as others from ourselves. But children we think of, affectionately, as the divided pieces of our own bodies. But all these are one to God: his servants are his friends; his friends are his sons; his sons, his servants. Many claim kindred of God, and profess friendship to him, because these are privileges without difficulty, and not without honour: all the trial is in service the other are most in affection, and therefore secret, and so may be dissembled; this, consisting in action, must needs shew itself to the eyes of others. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you: friendship with God is in service, and this service is in action. Many wear God's cloth, that know not their Master; that never did good cheer in his service so that God hath many retainers, that wear his livery, for a countenance; never wait on him; whom he will never own for servants, either by favour, or wages. Few servants; and, therefore, few sons. It is great favour in God, and great honour to me, that he will vouchsafe to make me the lowest drudge in his family; which place if I had not, and were a monarch of men, I were accursed. I desire no more but to serve; yet, Lord, thou givest me more, to be thy son. I hear David say, Seemeth it a small matter to you, to be the son-inlaw to a King? What is it then, oh what is it, to be the true adopted son of the King of Glory! Let me not now say as David of Saul, but as Saul's grand-child to David; oh, what is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?

XXII.

I am a stranger here below: my home is above; yet I can think too well of these foreign vanities, and cannot think enough of my home. Surely, that is not so far above my head, as my thoughts; neither doth so far pass me in distance, as in comprehension and yet, I would not stand so much upon conceiving, if I could admire it enough; but my strait heart is filled with a little wonder, and hath no room for the greatest part of glory that remaineth. O God, what happiness hast thou pre

:

pared for thy chosen! What a purchase was this, worthy of the blood of such a Saviour! As yet I do but look towards it, afar off; but it is easy to see by the outside, how goodly it is within: although, as thy house on earth, so that above, hath more glory within, than can be bewrayed by the outward appearance. The outer part of thy tabernacle here below, is but an earthly and base substance; but within, it is furnished with a living, spiritual, and heavenly guest: so the outer heavens, though they be as gold to all other material creatures; yet they are but dross to thee. Yet how are even the outmost walls of that house of thine beautified with glorious lights, whereof every one is a world for bigness, and as a heaven for goodliness! Oh teach me by this to long after, and wonder at the inner part, before thou lettest me come in to behold it.

XXIII.

Riches, or beauty, or whatever worldly good that hath been, doth but grieve us that, which is, doth not satisfy us: that, which shall be, is uncertain. What folly is it, to trust to any of them!

XXIV.

Security makes worldlings merry and, therefore are they secure, because they are ignorant. That is only solid joy, which ariseth from a resolution; when the heart hath cast up a full account of all causes of disquietness, and findeth the causes of his joy more forcible; thereupon settling itself in a stayed course of rejoicing: for, the other, so soon as sorrow makes itself to be seen, especially in an unexpected form, is swallowed up in despair; whereas this can meet with no occurrence, which it hath not prevented in thought. Security and ignorance may scatter some refuse morsels of joy, sauced with much bitterness; or, may be like some boasting housekeeper, which keepeth open doors for one day with much cheer, and lives starvedly all the year after. There is no good Ordinary, but in a good conscience. I pity that unsound joy in others; and will seek for this sound joy in myself. I would rather weep upon a just cause, than rejoice unjustly.

XXV.

As love keeps the whole Law, so love only is the breaker of it; being the ground, as of all obedience, so of all sin: for, whereas sin hath been commonly accounted to have two roots, Love and Fear, it is plain, that fear hath his original from love; for no man fears to lose ought, but what he loves. Here is sin, and righteousness, brought both into a short sum; depending both, upon one poor affection. It shall be my only care, therefore, to bestow my love well, both for object and measure. All

VOL VIII.

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that is good, I may love; but in several degrees: what is simply good, absolutely: what is good by circumstance, only with limitation. There be these three things, that I may love without exception, God, my neighbour, my soul; yet so as each have their due place: my body, goods, fame, &c. as servants to the former. All other things, I will either not care for, or hate.

XXVI.

One would not think, that pride and base-mindedness should so well agree; yea, that they love so together, that they never go asunder. That envy ever proceeds from a base mind, is granted of all. Now the proud man, as he fain would be envied of others, so he envieth all men. His betters he envies, because he is not so good as they he envies his inferiors, because he fears they should prove as good as he; his equals, because they are as good as he. So, under big looks, he bears a base mind; resembling some Cardinal's mule, which, to make up the train, bears a costly port-mantle stuffed with trash. On the contrary, who is more proud than the basest, (the Cynick tramples on Plato's pride; but with a worse) especially if he be but a little exalted? wherein we see base men so much more haughty, as they have had less before, what they might be proud of. It is just with God, as the proud man is base in himself, so to make him basely esteemed in the eyes of others; and, at last, to make him base without pride. I will contemn a proud man, because he is base; and pity him, because he is proud.

XXVII.

Let me but have time to my thoughts; but leisure to think of heaven, and grace to my leisure; and I can be happy in spite of the world. Nothing, but God that gives it, can bereave me of grace; and he will not: for his gifts are without repentance. Nothing, but death, can abridge me of time; and, when I begin to want time to think of heaven, I shall have eternal leisure to enjoy it. I shall be both ways happy; not from any virtue of apprehension in me, (which have no peer in worthiness,) but from the glory of that I apprehend; wherein the act and object are from the author of happiness. He gives me this glory: let me give him the glory of his gift. His glory is my happiness: let my glory be his.

XXVIII.

God bestows favours upon some, in anger; as he strikes other some, in love: (the Israelites had better have wanted their quails, than to have eaten them with such sauce :) and, sometimes, at our instance removing a lesser punishment, leaves a greater, though insensible in the room of it. I will not so much