205. A man indeed is never overcome, let him be never so vexed in the world by any, till his conscience be cracked. If his conscience and his cause stand upright, he doth conquer, and is more than a conqueror.
206. Partial obedience is no obedience at all. To single out easy things that do not oppose our lusts, which are not against our reputation, therein some will do more than they need. But our obedience must be universal to all God's commandments, and that because he commands us.
207. In every evil work that we are tempted unto we need delivering grace, as to every good work assisting grace.
208. That Christian who is privy to his own soul, of good intentions to abstain from all ill, he may presume that God will assist him against all ill works for the time to come.
'^ That is, ' fundamentally wicked.' — G.
208 DIVINE MEDITATIONS
209. "We should watch and labour daily to continue in prayer, strength- ening and backing them with arguments from the word and promises, and marking how our prayers speed. When we shoot an arrow, we look to the fall of it; when we send a ship to sea, we look for the return of it; and when we sow seed, we look for a harvest ; and so when we sow our prayers into God's bosom, shall we not look for an answer, and observe how we speed ? It is a seed of atheism to pray, and not to look how we speed. But a sincere Christian will pray, and wait, and strengthen his heart with promises out of the word, and never leave till God do give him a gracious answer.
210. Take a Christian, and whatsoever he doth he doth it in fear. If be call God Father, it is in fear. He eats and drinks in fear, as St Jude speaks of them that eat ' without fear,' ver. 12. The true servant of God hath fear accompanying him in all his actions, in his speeches and recrea- tions, in his meat and drink. But he that hath not this fear, how bold is he in wicked courses, and loose in all his carriages! But mark a true Christian, and you shall always see in him some expressions of an holy fear.
211. The relation of servant is of great consequence to put us in mind of our duty. If we will be God's servants, we must make it good by obedience, we must resolve to come under his government, and be at his command, or else he will say to us, as to them in the 10th of Judges, * Go to the gods whom you have served,' x. 14. Therefore empty relations are nothing to purpose. If we profess ourselves God's servants, and [do] not shew it by our obedience, it is but an empty title. Therefore let us make our relations good, at least in our affections, that we may be able to say, ' I desire to fear thy name,' Ps. Ixxxvi. 11.
212. In reading of the Scriptures, let us compare experiments* with rules : Neh. i. 8, 9, ' If you sin, you shall be scattered ; and if you return awain, I will be merciful.' We should practise this in our lives, to see how God hath made good his threatenings in our corrections, and his promises in our comforts.
213. Those that have had a sweet communion with God, when they have lost it, do count every day ten thousand till they have recovered it again ; and when Christ leaves his spouse, he forsakes her not altogether, but leaves something on the heart that maketh her to long after him. He absents himself that he may enlarge the desires of the soul, and after the soul hath him again, it will not let him go. He comes for our good, and leaves us for our good. AVe should therefore judge rightly of our estates, and not think we are forsaken of God when we are in a desertion.
214. When men can find no comfort, yet when they set themselves to teach weaker Christians by way of reflection, they receive comfort them- selves, so doth God reward the conscionablet performance of this duty of discourse, that those things we did not so sweetly understand before, by discourse we understand them better. This should teach us to be in love with holy conference, for besides the good we do to others we are much bettered ourselves.
215. We may use God's creatures, but not scrupulously, nor super- stitiously, singling out one creature from another, nor yet may we use them as we Hst. There is a difference between right, and the use of right. The magistrate may restrain the use of our right, and so may our weak brother in case of scandal. So that all things be ours, yet in the use of them we must be sober, not eating nor drinking immoderately, nor using
* That is, ' experiences.' — G. t That is, ' conscientious.' — G.
AND HOLY CONTEMPLATIONS. 209
anything nncliaritably, whereby others may take offence ; for albeit we have a right to God's bounty, yet our right and use naust be sanctified by the word and prayer.
216. Many men fall to questioning, Oh that I had assurance of my sal- vation ! Oh that I were the child of God ! Why, man, fall to obedience. Ay, but I cannot ; for it is the Spirit that enables. But yet come to holy exercises, though we have not the Spirit ; for many times in the midst of holy exercises God gives the Spirit ; and therefore, attend upon the means until we have strength to obey. Wait upon God's ordinances till he stirs in thy soul. All that love your souls, attend upon the means, and have a care to sanctify the Lord's day : Rev. i. 10, ' John was ravished in the Spirit on the Lord's day.'