Cent. H. Meditatiom 4nd J( owes, A could pleafe me oo otherwife bur by loo~iQg oa. Aad whycan I not rhlls folace my rdfe whileir is others~ . .. ) S'g An inconftant and wavering minde,as it makes a man unfit for fociery (for that there can heno a!furance of his words,or purpofes, neither can we build on them, without deceii:)fo,befides that,it makes a man ridiculous, ithinders him from ever attaining any perfettion in himfel!e, (for a rolling_ftone gathers no moffe 1 and_the minde,while it would be every thmg, proves nothtng. Oft changes cannot be Without lo!fe:) Yea, it keeps him fromenjoying that which he hatharrained. For,it keeps himever in work;building,pullingdown,felling,changing,buying,commanding,forbidding.So whiles be can be noother mansfriend,he is the leaft hisown.lt is the faB feft courfe fora mans profit,credit, and e~fe,.to deliberate long, to refolve furely; hardly to alter,not to enter upon that, w~ofe end he f~refees not anfwerable; and when be is once entred , not to furceafetlll he have attamed the end be fore-faw. So may he,to good purpofe,begin a new WOJ~, when he bath 1vell finifhed the old. 90 The way roHeaven , is like that which llll4th., ~nd his Armour-bearer pa!fed, betwixt two rocks;one Bouz,theother St11th; that JS,foule and thorny: whereto we mufr make fhift to dimbe on our hands and knees;but when we are come up,there is vu~toryand triumph. Gods _chil~r<n have thre~ fures ofapparell, whereof two are worn daily, on earth;•he th1td la1d up for them ID theWard-robe ofHeaveo: They C are ever either in black,mourning; in red,p<rfccuted; or in white,glorious. Any way fball be pleafaot to me,that leads unto fuct1 an end. It matters not,what rags,or what colours I wear withmen; fo I m1ywalkewirh my Slviour in white, and reignwith him inglory. 91 There is nothingmore eafy,then to fay Divinity by rote; and to difcourfc: offpiricuall matters from the tongueor penofothers:but to hear God fpeak it to the foul,& to fecle the power ofreligion in our [elves,& to exprefl'e it out of the truth of experi ence within,is both rare, and hard. All that we feel no( in the mlt.ters ofGod, is but hypocri!ie:andtherefore the more we profetfe,the more we !in:It will pever be well with me,till in thefe 11reatefr things I be carclelfe of othe~s cenfures,fearfull only of D Gods,and my own:till found <Xp<ri<nco havereaUy cauchifc:dmy hearr,&madcme know God,and my Saviour,otherwifcth<n by words; I will never be quiet until I can fee,2nd fed,and tafre God : my bearing I will account as only Cerving toeff<ti this and my fpeech0nly to expr<!feir. ' 9> There is no <n<my canhurt us,but byour own hands. Satan could not hurt us if our own corruption betrai<d us not:affiidions cannot hurt us withour ourown impatience:tenracions cannot hurt uswithout ou• own yecldance:death could not hurt us without the fling ofour own fins: fin couldnot hurt us,without our own impenitence~ how might I defie all rhings,iflcould obtaine not to be my own enemy~ I love my feU too much,and yet not enough. 0 God, teach me towifh my felfbut fo well as E thou wifhefr me,and I amfafe. 9! It grieves me to fee all others creatures fo officious totheirMaker in their kind:that borh winds,and fea,and heaven,and eanh, obey him ,with all readinc!fe, that each of thefe hears other,andall of them their Creator, though to the dellrudion of rhemfdves; and man only_is rebellious,imitating herein rhe eyill fpirirs, who in the receit 9fa more exc~llent k10de of reafo_n,are yet mote pervetfe: hence it is,thar the Prophet~ ~re oft tt~es fam ro tu!"" thm fpeech to rheeatth,voidofall fcnfe and life,from th_JS hvmg earth m formed wuh re~fon:rhat only which fhould make us more pliable, fltfncrh us. God could_force us,(1fh~ plrafed)but hehad rather incline us bygentlene!fe. I mufl froop ro hJSpower,whyHoe I not floopto his will~ Iris avain thing to refifr hisvoke,whofe hand we cannot refift. 94As
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