that is so cold and backward in thy love, and almost grudge it a dwelling in my breast! Alas! when love should be the life of prayer, the life of holy meditation, the life of sermons and of holy conference, and my soul in these should long to meet thee, and delight to mention thee, I straggle, Lord, I know not whither! or sit still and wish, but do not rise and run and follow thee, yea, I do not what I seem to do. All is dead, all is dead, for want of love! I often cry, O where is that place, where the quickening beams of heaven are warmest, that my frozen soul might seek it out! but whither can I go, to city or to solitude, alas, I find it is not place that makes the difference. I know that Christ is perfectly replenished with life, and light, and love divine; and I hear him as our Head and Treasure proclaimed and offered to us in the Gospel!" This is thy record, that "he that hath the Son, hath life!" O why then is my barren soul so empty! I thought I had long ago consented to thy offer; and then, according to thy covenant, both head and life in him are mine! and yet must I still be dark and dead!

Ah, dearest Lord, I say not that I have too long waited! but if I continue thus to wait, wilt thou never find the time of love? and come and own thy gasping worm? wilt thou never dissipate these clouds, and shine upon this dead and darkened soul? Hath my night no day? Thrust me not from thee, O my God! for that is hell, to be thrust from God. But sure the cause is all at home, could I find it out, or rather could I cure it! It is sure my face that is turned from God, when I say, His face is turned from me. But if my life must here be out of sight, and hidden in the root (with Christ in God), and if all the rest be reserved for that better world, and I must here have but these small beginnings, O make me more to love and long for the blessed day of thine appearing, and not to fear the time of my deliverance, nor unbelievingly to linger in this Sodom, as one that had rather stay with sin, than come to thee! Though sin hath made me backward to the fight, let it not make me backward to receive the crown; though it hath made me a loiterer in thy work, let it not make me backward to receive that wages, which thy love will give to our pardoned, poor, accepted services. Though I have too oft drawn back, when I should have come unto thee, and walked with thee in thy ways of grace, yet heal that unbelief, and disaffection, which would

make me to draw back, when thou callest me to possess thy glory! Though the sickness and lameness of my soul have hindered me in my journey, yet let their painfulness help me to desire to be delivered from them and to be at home, where (without the interposing nights of thy displeasure) I shall fully feel thy fullest love, and walk with thy glorified ones in the light of thy glory, triumphing in thy praise for evermore. Amen.

But now I have given you these few directions for the improvement of your solitude for converse with God, lest I should occasion the hurt of those that are unfit for the lesson I have given, I must conclude with this caution (which I have formerly also published), That it is not melancholy or weak-headed persons, who are not able to bear such exercises, for whom I have written these directions. Those that are not able to be much in serious, solitary thoughtfulness, without confusions and distracting suggestions, and hurrying, vexatious thoughts, must set themselves for the most part to those duties which are to be done in company by the help of others; and must be very little in solitary duties for to them whose natural faculties are so diseased or weak, it is no duty, as being no means to do them the desired good; but while they strive to do that which they are naturally unable to endure, they will but confound and distract themselves, and make themselves unable for those other duties which yet they are not utterly unfit for. To such persons, instead of ordered, well-digested meditations, and much time spent in secret thoughtfulness, it must suffice that they be brief in secret prayer, and take up with such occasional abrupter meditations as they are capable of, and that they be the more in reading, hearing, conference, and praying and praising God with others; until their melancholy distempers are so far overcome, as that (by the direction of their spiritual guides) they may judge themselves fit for this improvement of their solitude.

END OF THE DIVINE LIFE.

THE

DIVINE APPOINTMENT

OP THE

LORD'S DAY,

PROVED;

AS A SEPARATED DAY FOR HOLY WORSHIP, ESPECIALLY IN THE CHURCH-ASSEMBLIES: AND CONSEQUENTLY THE CESSATION OF THE SEVENTH-DAY SABBATH.