I

may

.

Storms and Surges may arife in the tempeftuous Ocean of this tranfient World, ftill fix the Anchor of my Hope and Happiness in Thee, who art the Source and Spring of all Bleflings, and without whom no Evil or Calamity cou'd ever befal me.

་

And as the Promifes of GOD, upon all thefe Accounts, are to be the Object of my Hope; fo are his Threatnings to be of my Fear and Averfation: As the former are of excellent ufe to raise and revive the most drooping Hearts, fo the latter are of weight enough to fink and depress the stouteft and most undaunted Spirits, and make them lick up the Dust of Horror and Defpair. Not to mention any thing of the exquifite and eternal Miseries denounc'd against the Wicked in the next World, with which the Scriptures every where abound, there is one Punishment threaten'd to be inflicted here, which is, of itself, fufficient to do this; and that is in Mal. 2. 2. If ye will not bear, and if ye will not lay it to heart to give glory to my Name, faith the Lord of Hofts, I will even fend a Curfe upon you, and I will curse your Bleffings, dreadful Sentence, which none that confider aright can be able to read without Trembling and Aftonifhment. : Alas!

Moft

if GOD fhou'd curfe me, where fhou'd I feek for Blefling, fince He is the only Fountain from which it flows, and by which it is convey'd and communicated to me? And if He thou'd curfe my very Bleflings, what cou'd I hope for, but Mifery and Defpair? My Health, my Wealth, my Preferments, my Relations, nay, my very Life itself, wou'd all be accurfed to me: And what is yet worse, even my Spiritual Exercifes and Performances, upon which I chiefly build my Hopes of Happiness, my Preaching, Praying, and Communicating, wou'd all become a Snare and a Curse to me: Yea, and Chrift himself, who came into the World to blefs and redeem me, if I walk not in his Fear, believe not his Gospel, or give not Glory to his Name, will himfelf be a Curfe and Condemnation to me. So that I may fay of every thing I have, or enjoy, or expect, all thefe GOD has made Curfes to me, because I have not bless'd and glorify'd Him in them. Oh! who wou'd not tremble and be wrought upon by these Threatnings? Who wou'd not fear Thee, O King of Nations, who art thus terrible in thy Judgments? Who wou'd not love and obey Thee who art To gracious in thy Promifes. Teach me,

I befeech Thee, fo to place my Fear upon

the

upon

the former, that I may ftill fix my Hope the latter, that tho I fear thy dread ful Curfes, yet I may never despair of thy tender Mercies. ed of

RESOLUTION VI.

I am refolved, by the Grace of GoD, to arm myself with that fpiritual Courage and Magnanimity, as to prefs through all Duties and Dif ficulties whatsoever, for the advancement of God's Glory, and my own Happiness.

ts degout Eri

Hriftianity is well termed a Warfare, for a Warfare it is, wherein no Danger can be prevented, no Enemy conquer ed, no Victory obtain'd without mach Courage and Refolution. I have not only many outward Enemies to grapple with, but I have Myfelf, my worft Enemy, to Encounter and Subdue. As for thofe Enemies which are not fo hear me, by the afliftance of GOD's Spirit, I can make pretty good shift to keep them at the Sword's Point. But this Enemy that is gotten within me, has fo often foil'd and difarm'd me, that I have reason to fay, as Q David

David did of his Enemies, It is too ftrong for me; and as he faid of the chief of his, I shall one day fall by the bands of Saul; fo have I too much occafion to fay, I fhall fall by myself, as being myself the greateft Enemy to my own Spiritual Interest and Concerns. How neceffary is it then that I fhou'd raife and mufter up all my Force and Courage, put on my Spiritual Armour, and make myself ftrong in the Lord, and in the Power of his Might? I know I muft ftrive before I can enter in at the freight Gate; I muft win the Crown before I can wear it, and be a Member of the Church Militant, before I be admitted into the Church Triumphant. In a word, I must go through a folitary Wildernefs, and conquer many Enemies before I come to the Land of Canaan, or elfe I must never be poffefs'd of it. What then, fhall I lofe my Glory to baulk my Duty? Shall I let go my Glorious and Eternal Poffeffion to fave myself from a feeming Hardship, which the Devil would perfwade me to be a Trouble and an Affiction? Alas! if Chrift had laid afide the great Work of my Redemption, to avoid the undergoing GOD's Anger and Man's Malice, what a miferable Condition had I been in? And therefore whatever Taunts and Reproaches I meet with

from

from the Prefumptuous and Profane, the Infidel and Atheistical Reprobates of the Age; let them laugh at my Profeffion, or mock at what they are pleas'd to call Precifenefs; let them defraud me of my juft Rights, or traduce and bereave me of my Good Name and Reputation; let them vent the utmost of their poisonous Malice and Envy against me, I have this comfortable Reflection ftill to fupport me, that if I fuffer all this for Chrift's fake, 'tis in the Cause of One, who fuffer'd a thoufand times more for mine, and therefore it ought to be matter of Joy and Triumph, rather than of Grief or Dejection to me: Efpecially confidering, that these my light Afflictions, which are but for a moment, will work out for me, a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory. Upon the profpect of which I firmly refolve, notwithstanding the growing ftrength of Sin, and the overbearing prevalency of my own corrupt Affections, to undertake all Duties, and undergo all Miferies that GOD in his Infinite Wifdom thinks fit to lay upon me, or exercife my Patience

in.