Hea'l!en upon Earth. A talkina with him in our fccret invocacions;by hearing his conference with us; •nd by mutua'h enteminmenr ofeach other in the fweet difcourfes efour daily meditations. He i'a fu\len and u~fociable friend,rhar wanrs words.God fhal rake nopleafure inus ifwe be filenr. The heart that is full oflove,cannot but have a bufie tongue. All our ralke with God is either Suites or Thankes.In them the Cbriftian heart powres outit fdfro his Malcer;and would not change ~his priviledge for aW?rld. !\11 his a.nnoiances, all his wants all his diflikes are powred mto the boforne ofhss snvsfible fnend; who likes usftill fo much more as we aske more, as wecomplaine more. Oh the eafie and happy recourfe that the poore foule harh to the high thr?ne ofHeaven ! .we ftay not for the holdingour ofagolden fcepter,towarne ouradmst!ion,befote whschour prefence {]1ould be prefumprion and death.No houreis unfeafonable,no perfon too bafe, no words coo homely,no fachoo hard,no importunity too great. We fpeak familiarB ly,we are heard,~nfwered, comforted. Another while God interchangeably fpeakes unto u' by the fecret voice of hi~ fpirit;or.bythe audible found o~ his word;we heare, adore,anfwer him; by both whiCh the msnde fo commumc..ces "felfe to God, and h>th God fo plenrifully com~unicared un.ro it, that. hereby st growesro fuch •nhabir ofheavenlinelfe,as that now st wams nothsng,bur dsffohmon,of full glory. SECT.XXIII. OUt of this maine ground once fetled inthe heart (like as fo many rivers from one common fea) llowrhofe fubordiaare refolutions, which we «quire ~s c necelfary to our peace,whether in refp~lt ofour altions,or our eftare.For our aClions, there mull: be a fecret vow palled in the foule, both of conftant refraining from whatfoever may offend rbat Majeftywe reil: upon; and above this, of true and canonicall obedienceto God,without all care ofdifficulty, and in fpight ofall concradiClions ofnature.Not out of rh~ confidence ofour owne power; impotent men,who are we,that we fhould either vow or performerBut as htfaid; Give what thou bid!<, and bidwhat thou wilr.Henc< the courage of M•{ts durft venture his hand to takt up the crawling and hifling Serpent. Hence Peur durft walke upon the pavement of the waves. Hence that heroical! fpirit of L•th"(a man made ofmetal! fir for fo great a worke) durft refolve and profdle to enter into that fore-warned Cirie, though there bad brene as many Devils in their ftreers as tiles on their houfes. Both thefc vows as weeoncefolemnly made by others 1 fo, for our peace we mull: renew in our fdves. Thus the experienced minde both knowing that it harh met wirh a good friend,and D withall whatthe priceofa friend is, cannot but be cacefull ro retain him, and warie ofdifpleafing,and rhecefore to cur offall dangers ofvariance,voluntarily takes adoubleoath ofallegeance of it fdf to God; which neither benefit !hall induce us ro break,ifwe might gaine a world,nor feare urge usthereto, though we mull: lofe our felves.The wavering heart that finds continuallcombars in it felte betwixt Pleafure and Confcience, fo equally marched that neither gees the day,is not yer capable of peace; and whether ever overcommech,is rroubled bothwith rcfiftance and vittory. Barren Rthrc" found morecafc,then when herewins ftruggled in her wombe.lf IAC~b hadb«n there alone, the had not complainedofthat paintull contention :One while Pleafure holds theFort,and Confcienco alfaulrs it ; which when it hath encred at !aft by flrong hand, after many batteries of judgementsdenounced ; erelong Plea!isre <ither corruptsthe watch,or by fome cunning ftraragem, finds way to recover her firft hold. So,one part is ever attempting, and ever refifting. Betwixt boch, the E heart cannot have peace, becaufe it refolves not. for while the foule is held in fufpeoce,ir cannot enjoy the pleafure it ufeth;becaufe it is halfe taken up with feare; only a ftrong and refolure repulfe ofpleafure is truly pleafanr:forcherein the Confcience (filling us with heavenly delighr)makech fweer triumphs in it felfe;as beingnowthe 1 Lordofhis owndominions, and knowingwhat to truft to. No man knowes the plea1 fure of this thought, I have done well, but he that hath feltit : aod he that harh \ felt it, conremnes all pleafure to it.It is a falfe flander raifed on Chriftianity, that it makech men dumpifl1 and melancholicke:for thereforeare we heavy,becaufe we are not Thefilboi·din~re rules of T unquilliri~. 1, Foralhon.s.
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