Hence also should the gracious soul reflect sweetly upon itself after this manner : And is the world so full of trouble .^ O my soul ! what cause hast thou to stand admiring at the indulgence and goodness of God to thee ? Thou hast hitherto had a smooth passage, compara- tively to what others have had. How hath Divine Wisdom ordered my condition, and cast my lot ? Have I been chastised with whips ? others Avith scorpions. Have I had no peace without "^ some have neither had peace without or within, but terrors round about. Or have 1 felt trouble in my flesh and spirit at once "^ yet have they not been extreme, either for time or measure. And hath the world been a Sodom, an Egypt to thee ? AVhy then dost thou thus linger in it, and hanker after it .? Why do I not long to be gone, and sigh more heartily for deliverance .? Why are the thoughts of my Lord's coming no sweeter to me, and the day of my full deliverance no more panted for .? And why am I no more careful to maintain peace with- in, since there is so much trouble without .? Is not this it that puts weight into all outward troubles, and makes them sinking, that they fall upon me when my spirit is dark, or wounded .?
My soul, art thou besieg'd
With troubles round about ; If thou be wise, take this advice,
To keep these troubles out. Wise men will 'keep their conscience as their eyes ; For in their conscience their best treasure lies. See you be tender of your inward peace. That shipwreck'd, then your mirth and joy must cease : If God from you your outward comforts rend, You'll find what 7iced you have of such a friend. If this be not by sin destroyed and lost. You need not Jea?', your peace will quit your cost. If you'd know how to sweeten any grief, Tho' ne'er so greats or to procure relief Against th' qfflictimis, which, like deadly darts, Most fatal are to men of carnal hearts ; Reject not that which conscience bids you chuse ; And chuse not you what conscience saith, refuse. If sin you must, or misery under-lie, ^
Resolve to bear, and chuse the misery.
NAVIGATION SPIRITUALIZED. 221
In the vast ocean spiritual eyes descry God's boundless mercy^ and eternity.
HE ocean is of vast extent and depth, though supposedly mea- surable, yet not to be sounded by man. It compasseth about the whole earth, which, in the account of Geographers, is twenty-one thousand and six hdndred miles in compass ; yet the ocean environs it on every side, Psalm civ. 35. and Job xi. 9- Suitable to which is that of the poet *.
'' He spread the seas, which then he did command, " To swell with winds, and compass round the land."*
And for its depth, who can discover it ? The sea in Scripture is called the deep^ Job xxxviii. 30. the great deep, Gen. vii. 11. the gathering together of the waters into one place. Gen. i. 9. If the vastest mountain were cast into it, it wolild appear no more than the head of a pin in a tun of water.
This, in a lively manner, shadows forth the infinite and incompre- hensible mercy of our God, whose mercy is said to be over all his works, Psal. cxlv. 9- In how many sweet notions is the mercy of God represented to us in the Scripture ? He is said to be plenteous, Psalm ciii. 8. abundant, 1 Pet. i. 3. rich in mercy, Eph. ii. 4. then, that his mercies are unsearchable, Eph. iii. 8. " High as the heavens above " the earth," Psal. x. 4. which are so high and vast, that the whole earth is but a small point to them ; yea, they are not only compared to the heavens, but to come home to the metaphor, to the depths of the sea, Mic. vii. 19. which can swallow up mountains as well as mole- hills ; and in this sea God hath drowned sins of a dreadful height and aggravation, even scarlet, crimson, i. e. deep dyed with many in- tensive aggravations, Isa. i. 18. In this sea was the sin of Manasseh drowned, and of what magnitude that was, may be seen, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 3. yea, in this ocean of mercy did the Lord drown and cover the sins of Paul, though a blasphemer, a persecutor, injurious, 1 Tim. i. 13. " None (saith Augustine) more fierce than Paul among " the persecutors, and therefore none greater among sinners :" To which himself willingly subscribes, 1 Tim. i. 15. yet pardoned. How hath mercy rode in triumph, and been glorified upon the vilest of
* Tumjreta diffudit rapidisque tumescere venlis Jussit, ^ ambit<e circumdare littare terrae. Ovid,
^22 A KEW COMPASS FOR SEAMEN ; Oil,
men ! How hath it stopped the slanderous mouths of men and devils. It hath yearned upon " fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, " covetous, drunkards, rcvilcrs, extortioners ;" to such have the sceptre of mercy been stretched forth, upon their unfeigned repen- tance and submission, 1 Cor. vi. 9. What doth the Spirit of God aim at in such a large accumulation of names of mercy ? but to con- vince poor sinners of the abundant fulness and riches of it, if they ^vill but submit to the terms on which it is tendered to them.