thank him that thou art not dead too. If thou haft but a little, thank him that thou haft not less. If thou haft nothing all, thank him that thou doft not think fo; because thou haft Contentment, and canft fubmit to live on the Charity of others. How foever miferable thou may'st seem to be, thank him that thou haft thy Understanding; and that thou understandest none can be miferable, who do not want his Love and Favour.

Thank him therefore in all Estates, for the Knowledge of himself; for all his wonderful Works of Wisdom and Goodnefs; for all the Experience of all his Servants, and the Examples that they have left us; for his Love in his Son; for his Promise that he will never leave us, nor forfake us; for the Hope of Eternal Life; for the Comfort of the Holy Ghoft; for the Company of his Saints; for the Affiftance and Direction of his Minifters; for the Guard, Help, and Defence of his Angels; for the Liberty of these Holy Affemblies; and the happy Leifure he at any Time vouchfafes us to recount his Favours, and meditate his Praises; for all his Spiritual and Temporal Bleffings, which he continually loads us withal: And refolve you will not lofe the Pleasure of thinking of all this, by fastning your Thoughts only on the bodily Calamities which may lie upon you. Say, Lord, it is enough. Now that I know thee, O Bleffed God, it fufficeth. What wait I for? Truly my Hope is in thee.

PRAYER

PRAYER VI.

Moft High and Holy One, who inhabiteft Eternity, and waft all that thou now art, and all that thou canst be, before we or any Creatures had a Being; and who always wilt he the fame, though we be all turned into Nothing. Thou needeft not the Songs and Hallelujahs of any of the most excellent of all thy Creatures; who only exprefs and continue their own Happiness, when they perpetually praise thee, and rejoice in thee, and fhout aloud for Joy. We cannot think of thee and love thee, but we are filled with Satisfaction; and whatfoever Trouble then arifes in our Hearts, proceeds only from our knowing no more of thee, and loving thee no better. And yet that is a pleafing Reflefnefs, and filling Hunger; because it is a longing after thee, and tends to our greater Satisfaction in a more compleat Enjoyment of thee. So that when we refpect thee, whatsoever Motions are in our Souls, they are the Increase of our Foy and Comfort When we hate that which difpleafes thee, when we love that which is acceptable to thee, when we thirst and long for that which we want of thee, when we mourn for thy Abfence, when we expect thy Divine Prefence, when we are weary of this Body of Flefh, and defirous to take our Flight to our Celestial Habitations; howfoever we are, when we are but as thou wouldst

have us, we cannot but find Delight in our Minds, and Eafe in our Hearts.

Pardon me therefore, I beseech thee, my most Gracious God, that I have no higher Thoughts of thee, and of Religion; that I have at any time efteemed my Happiness my Burden; that I have been unwilling to be filled with the most fatisfying Good; and been no more thankful to thee, for the fingular Care thou hast taken of me to make me a Chriftian, and acquaint me with the highest Blifs of Mankind. I abbor the Thoughts of ever being again fo ungrateful; and now begin to praise thee together with the reft of thy Creatures, who all confefs thy Goodness, as well as they are able, for the Bleffings thou haft bestowed on them. More efpecially I praife and thank thee, that I know thee; and that I know thee in thy Son Jefus, and understand thy admirable Love, which bath abounded to us in fo much Wisdom and Prudence; contriving Ways that we may be pardon'd, and thy Sacred Majefty not difhonour'd. I thank thee, O Lord, for all the Comforts of the Holy Ghoft, for the Example of thy Saints, for the Affiftance of thy Minifters, for the Guard of thy Angels, for the Kindness and Care of my Parents or Friends, for the Services of all thy Creatures, for all Temporal, for all Spiritual Bleffings, especially for the Bleffed Hope of Immortality.

Bleed be thy tender Mercy, who hast comforted us with fuch glorious Expectations in this State of Mifery and Mortality; and that thou haft not left us to the uncertain Guesses of our

own

own Minds, but made a Revelation of thy Will to us fo clearly, and with fuck Demonftration and Evidence of its Truth. O that my Heart may be filled with fuch Love to thee, and Joy in thee, that my Praife may be continually of thee. Enable me in every Condition of Life to he fo contented, as to give thee Thanks, and to speak good of thy Name. Fix all thefe Thoughts in me, which I have fometimes in my Mind. Make me to feel the Power of thofe Divine Truths, which thou haft acquainted me withal. Help me fo to digeft and concoct them, that they may turn into the Nourishment of my Soul, and breed a chearful and vigorous Spirit in me, to do and suffer thy Will and Pleafure. I moft heartily defire, that in all things thou mayft be glorified by me; and that our Lord Chrift may rule in me, and bring his Government to its Height in my Soul, till I be fit for his Glorious Kingdom in the other World. I would have thy Will performed by me on Earth, as it is done in the Heavens. And I wait on thee for thy Aid and Affifiance from above, to further and encourage me in well-doing; expecting thy Grace and Favour on no other Condition, than as I forgive others, and obey the rest of thy Holy Commands. Good Lord, vouchsafe me thy persevering Grace, that no Temptation in this World, nor all the Power of the Evil one, may make me back from my Refolution to do thee all Honour in this Life, in hope that I fhall at last come to give Honour, Glory, and Praife unto thee in Life everlafting. Amen.

go

SER

And having Food and Raiment, let us be therewith content.

L

ET us proceed now, if you please, to the Third General Head propounded in the Beginning: And you will fee greater Reafon in all that hath been faid, if you confider,

III. What those Things are, about which the Nature of Man is so apt to be discontented. It would fill a Book, to discourse of all the particular Causes and Occafions of our Trouble and Sadness here in this Life; fuch as are Poverty, Sickness, Deformity, Banishment, Imprisonment, the Want of Children, or the Lofs of them, Disgrace, Envy, Unkindness of Friends, Servi tude, and a Multitude more: And therefore I muft confine my felf to fuch general Confiderations, as will reach all these Cafes, if we please

to