Lord, this hath been my manner from my youth, may the carnal- minded man say ; I have been labouring for the meat that perisheth ; disquieting myself in vain, full of designs and projects for the world, and unwearied in my endeavours to compass an earthly treasure ; yet therein I have either been checked and disappointed by Providence, or if I have obtained, yet I am no sooner come to enjoy that content and comfort I promised myself in it, but I am ready to leave it all, to be stript out of it by death, and in that day all my thoughts pe- rish : But, in the mean time, Avhat have I done for my soul ? AVhen did I ever break a night's sleep, or deny and pinch myself for it ? Ah ! fool that I am ! to nourish and pamper a vile body, which must shortly lie under the clods, and become a loathsome carcase : and, in the mean time, neglect and undo my poor soul, which partakes of the nature of angels, and must live for ever. I have kept others vineyards, but mine own vineyard I have not kept. I have been a perpetual drudge and slave to the world ; in a worse condition hath my soul been, than others that are condemned to the mines. Lord, change my treasure, and change my heart : O let it suffice that I have been thus long labouring in the fire for very vanity : now ga- ther up my heart and affections in thyself, and let my great design now be, to secure a special interest in thy blessed self, that I may once say, " To me to live is Christ."
JL HE face of man impressed and stamped on goldj With crown, and royal sceptres, we behold. No wonder that a human face it gains, Since head, heart, soul, and body, it obtains. Nor is it strange a sceptre it should have, That to its yoke the world doth so enslave,
248 A XEW COMPASS FOR SEAME^^ ; oily
riiarm'd with its chinking note, away tliey go*
Like eagles to the carcase, ride and row.
Thro"* worlds of hazards foolish creasures run,
That into its embraces they may come.
Poor Indians, in the mines, my heart condoles,
But seldom turns aside to pity souls,
Which are the slaves, indeed, that toil, and spend
Themselves upon its service. Surely, friend,
They are but sextons, to prepare, and make
Thy grave, within those mines, whence they do iv
And dig their ore. Ah ! many souls, I fear.
Whose bodies live, yet lie entombed there.
Is gold so tempting to you .'' Lo ! Christ stands,
W^ith length of days, and riches in his hands.
Gold in the fire try'd he freely proffers.
But few regard, or take those golden offers.
Millions of creatures in the seas are Jed : Why then are saints in doubt of daily bread f
HERE are multitudes of living creatures in the sea. The Psalm- ist saith, there are in it, " Things creeping innumerable, both " small and great beasts," Psal. civ. 25. and we read, Gen. i. 9,0. that when God blessed the waters, he said, " Let the waters bring '' forth abundantly, both fish and fowl, that move in it, and fly about " it." Yet all those multitudes of fish and fowl, both in sea and land, are cared and provided for, Psal. cxlv. 15, 16. " Thou givest " them their meat in due season : thou openest thy hand, and satis- '* fiest the desire of every living thing."
If God take care for the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, much more will he care and provide for those that fear him. " When " the poor and needy seeketh water, and there is none, and *' their tongue faileth for thirst ; I the Lord will hear them ; I the " God of Israel will not forsake them," Isa. xii. 17. " Take no " thought for your life, (saith the Lord) what ye shall eat, or what " ye shall drink ; or for the body what ye shall put on:" Which he backs with an argument from God's providence over the creatures, and enforceth it with a [much rather^ upon them, Matt. vi. 25, 31. God would have his people be without carefulness^ i. e. anxious care, 1 Cor. vij. 32. " And to cast their care upon him, for he careth for " them," 1 Pet. v. 7. There are two main arguments suggested in tlie gospel, to quiet and satisfy the hearts of saints in this particular :
NAVIGATION SriRITUALIZED. 24^.
the one is, that the gift of Jesus Christ amounts to more than all these things come to ; yea, in bestowing him, he has given that which vir- tually and eminently comprehends all these inferior mercies in it, Rom. viii. 32. " He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him " up for us all ; how shall he not with him freely give us all things .^" And 1 Cor. iii. 22. " All things are yours, and ye are Christ's, and " Christ is God's." Another argument is, that God gives these tem- poral things to those he never gave his Christ unto, and therefore there is no great matter in them ; yea, to those which, in a little while, are to be thrust into hell, Psal. xvii. 14. Now if God clothe and feed his enemies, if (to allude to that, Luke xii. 28.) he clothe the grass, which to-day is in its pride and glory in the field, and to- morrow is cast into the oven, into hell : how much more will he clothe and provide for you that are saints ?
This God, that feeds all the creatures is your Father, and a Father that never dies ; and therefore you shall not be as exposed orphans that are the children of such a Father. " For he hath said, I will *' never leave you nor forsake you," Heb. xiii. 3. I have read of a good woman, that in all wants and distresses was wont to encourage herself with that word, 2 Sam. xxii. 47. The Lord Vivetli. But one time, being in a deep distress, and forgetting that consolation, one of her little children came to her, and said, ' Mother, why weep ye ' so .^ What ! is God dead now T Which words, from a child, shamed her out of her unbelieving fears, and quickly brought her spirits to rest. O saint, whilst God lives thou canst not want what is good for thee.
How sweet a life might Christians live, could they but bring their hearts to a full subjection to the disposing will of God .^ to be content not only with what he commands and approves, but also with what he allots and appoints. It was a sweet reply that a gracious woman once made upon her death-bed, to a friend that asked, ' Whether
* she were more wilhng to live, or die T She answered, ' I am plea- ' sed with what God pleaseth.' ' Yea, (saith her friend) but if God ' should refer it to you, which would you chusc.?' ' Truly, (said
* she) if God would refer it to me, I would refer it to him again."* Ah ! blessed Hfe, when the will is swallowed up in the will of God, and the heart at rest in his care and love, and pleased with all his appointments.