260 The tenth. Sign PART III. is carried away captive.' So it is with gracious Joys : They are hid- den Manna, in this Refpea, as well as others ; Rev. 2. 17. The Pfalmift Teems to fpeak of his fweeteft Comforts, as thofe that were to be had in Secret ; Pfal. 63. 5. ' My Soul shall be fatisfied as with Marrow and Fatnefs, and my Mouth fhall praife thee with joyful Lips ; when I remember thee upon my Bed, and meditate upon thee in the Night Watches.' Chrift calls forth his Spoufe, away from the World, into retired Places, that he may give her his fweeteft Love ; Cant. 7. 1 I, 12. ' Come my Beloved, let us go forth into the Field, tet us lodge in the Villages :---There will I give thee my. Love. ' The molt eminent divine Favours that the Saints obtained, that we read of in Scripture, were in theirRetirement. The principal Mani - feftations that God made of himfelf, and his Covenant-Mercy to Abraham, were when he was alone, apart from his numerous Family ; as any one will judge that carefully reads his Hiftory. Ifaac received that fpecial Gift of God to him,Rebekah, who was fo great a Comfort to him, and by whom he obtained the promifed Seed, walking alone, meditating in the Field. 7acob was retired for fecret Prayer, when Chrift came to him, and he wreftled with him, and obtained the Blefling. God revealed himfelf to Mofes in the Bufh, when he was in a folitary Place in the Defart, in Mount Horeb ; Exod. 3. at the Beginning. And afterwards, when God (hewed him his Glory, and he was admitted to the higheft Degree of Communion with God that ever he enjoyed ; he was alone, in the fame Mountain, and continued there forty Days and forty Nights, and then came down with hisFace Mining. God came to thofe great Prophets, Elijah and Elifha, and converted freely with them,chiefly in theirRetirement.Elijah converted alone with God at Mount Sina, as Mofes did. And when Jefus Chrift had his greateft Prelibation of his future Glory, when he was transfigur'd ; it was not when he was with the Multitude, or with the twelve Difciples, but retired into a folitary Place in a Mountain, with only three feledt Difciples, charging them that they should tell no Man, 'till he was rifen from the Dead. When the Angel Gabriel came to the blefl'ed Virgin, and when the HolyGhoft came upon her, and the Power of the flighktt overflaadowed her, The teems to have been alone, and to be in this Matter hid from the World ; her neareft and deareft earthly Friend yofeph, that had betrothed her, (tho' a juft Man) knew nothing of the Matter. And she that first partook of the Joy of Chrift's Refurre6tion, was alone with Chrift at the Sepul- chre ; yohn 2o. And when the beloved Difciple was favoured with thofe wonderful Vifions of Chrift, and his future Difpenfations to- wards the Church and the World, he was alone in the Isle of Patmos. Not but that we have alto Instances of great Priviledges that theSaints have receiv'd when with others ; or that there is not much in chrif- tian Converfation, andLocial and publick Worship, tending greatly to
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