Numb. 2~, to. upon C:od; Who mull: wainhcn? mull God wait, or man wait? It wa~ the ."\pollles quell:10n, W•lt thou now reftore the Ktngdom of1Jracl; to whon1 our Saviour anfwcrcd, It ts not fo~yo~t to k,tzcnv tbe times and(u'fons; as who lhould fay, liands tjf, it is fer you ~o wa•t, and to expetl: mercy, It IS not for you to know. If you begin to wrangle and fay, How long, Lord? When, Lord ? And why not now, L"·d? Why not 1, L ord? now check thy own heart, and fay, It u not for me to k,:1oJV; it is for meto be humble, ·abafeJ> and ro wait for mercy. Setl:. 4- A dejire afmChrift. W Hcrt the fou! is humbled, and the eye opened, then he begins thus to reafon 0 happy I thatfoe mercy, but miferable' I, if I come tofoe this, nlld never lun:e a, ]hare in it! 0 1VhJ not 1 (Lord) whynot myfins pardoned? and why 1/()f mycorrupticm:; fiebdHed? my Jolfl now thi{./leth after thee, tlS a·tbztlfy Land) my affiUtons non~ hmlJ,O" after righteoufne!Je, both infnfed and imput<d; l\vw this dejirt is beggotcn thus : When thefoulls come fo far, that after a through-,·onvictionuf fin, and found humi– liation undcrGods mi~hty hand, it hath a timely and feafonablc rcvclauun of the glo– nous myllcnes of Chnfl; of his cxccllcnCics, IllVItanons, truth, tcndcr-hcartcdncffc &c. of the heavenly fplcndor, and riches, ofthe pearl of great price; then doth the fuut conceive by the help of the Holy Gho!l:, this dejire, and vehement longing: Ancl (!ell: any couzen thcmfdvcs by any mifconceits abuut it, as the notorious finncr, the meer civil man, and the formal Profeffor) it is then known to be faving. r. When it is joyncd with an hearty willingnefs and unfeigned refolution, tofill a/!, to p.art with all fin, to bid adieu for ever to our darling-delight; it is not an c~e{t or felf-love, not an ordinary wifh of natural appetite (like fla!aams N~tmb. 23. ro.) of thofe who dejire to be happy, but arc unwilliog to be holy ; whu would gladly be faved, but arc loath to be fantl:ified; no, if thou dejireft earnell:ly, thou wilt work ac. cordingly; for as the dejire is, fo will thy endeavour be. 2 . When it is carne!l:, eager, vehement, extr~amly 1hirll:ing after Chriil:, as the See the Pre· parched eartb for refrcfhing fhowers, or the hunted Hart for the water-brooks. \Ve faccwritrea read of a Scottifh Penitent, who a little before his confellion, f' eciy conf effed hisfa~tlt, by G. Abbot, so theJhame (as he faid) of himfelf, and to theJbame of th< Dev il, but to tiJeglory of God; D,D, before heackzwwledgcd it to befo heinous, and horrible, that h4d he a thoufand bves,411d could ~~~i~~·o~i-J he die Ten thoufand deaehs, he could not mak.g f atu[aflzon. Notwirhftandin<~ (fa~th he) Geortt Sprat, Lord, thou hajf left me thzs comfort m thy J¥ord, that thou haftJaid, Come 1-tnto 'VI~ ·aft )'e p. 2 J. that are weary and heavy-laden, find I will rcfrcfbyou : Lord, I t1m 1ve..-wy, Lord~ 1 am Nztth· 11.28. heavy-laden with my fins, which arG innumerable~ I am ready to Jin/z., LO'Id} even intqhelL unle(fe thou in thy mmy put to thine /qandand deliver me: Lord, thou haft promifed by thine own Word otttof thy own mouth, that thou wiltrefrcjluhe WMryfotd: And with that he thrull: out one of his hartds, and reachin~ as high ash<; cvuld towards heaven, with a louder voycc and !l:reincd, he cried, I c·hallcnge the{, Lo,-d, by that J1(qr-;l, lt/'ld by that prwzife which thou haft made, that thou .f<>fimm and malts it goori to me, tl;at ca/J for cafe, a11d mercy at thy hands, &c. Proportionably, when heavy-heartedneffe for fin hath fo dried up the bones, and the angry (ountcnancc of God fo parched the heart, that the poor foul l;legins now to gafp for gra_cc, as the thirjly l"nd f •r drops of rain; then tbe poor !inner (though dull: andafhes)' \V.ith auholy humilitY' thus fpeaks unto Chrill:, 0 lll/fCijul Lord Gad, Thou art Alphaand Ol;Ilcga, the beginning a11d the. end; Thou{ayeftitis done, of thtngf that ar~yet to come ; f of aithful and true ar.e thy; D<n:ees and Ptomifes, that thou hajf promijed by thine olvn,Word out af rhy o>Vn mo¥th,that rmto,him that is athirft, thou wilt give him of thefountain of the water of lif e freql;x. 0 · Lord, I thirft, I faint, I languijb,_1 longfor M C drop ofmwcy ~· As the Harteant,cthfcr the wattr-br 0 okJ, {o P"nteth myfo;d after thee, 0 Got}, a11d af lcr they_carnmg .bowels of thy wont,cdcompajfions: Had I now in pofJejfion theglorY,, $he lV~a!th, a•ri plcafuru of th< whole"~~Jorld; nay, had !Ten thoufand hvcs, joy[tilly woztl"d Tl~y th~m all do1~11,amt part with them, to have this poor tremblingfoul ofmine received irJ!• t~e bleeding armcs of my blrjfed Redeemer•. 0 Lord~ my Jpirit JVithin meris mclr~d i;n,6 rett'fSrof blood., uty hear-tH jhivered into pieces; om of the wry place of Dragons andJhadow ofdeath, do 1 l1f1 up. my thoughts heavy andfad before thee; the remembrance of my former vtmiticJ rmd pollutHms, ir Avery vomit to my foul, 1m~ it isforely wounded JVith the grie11ous ?·eprtjMttU icn thtrcof;, · The
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