2.$
3
THEOLOGICAL SEMINAKY,|
Princeton, N. J. ' ^
From the PUBLISHER. ' >^
LIBRA.RY
Theological Seminary,
PRINCETON. N.J. ' .
BV 4500 .M45 1847
Meikle, James, 1730-1799.
Solitude sweetened, or.
Miscellaneous meditations
MJXJVn/m
c, J
SOLITUDE SWEETENED,
OK,
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS
ON VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS SUBJECTS,
WRITTEN IN DISTANT PARTS OF THE WORLD.
BY JAMES MEIKLE,
Late Surgeon at Carnwath.
PsAL, cxxxix, 9, 10, If I take the wings of the morning, or dwell in the
uttermost parts of the sea ; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy
right hand shall uphold me.
PsAL. CIV. 34, Of him my meditation shall be sweet.
NEW YORK:
ROBERT CARTER 58 CANAL STREET,
AND PITTSBURG, 58 MARKET STREET.
1847.
RECOMMENDATIONS.
The volume entitled "Solitude Sweetened; or, Mis-
cellaneous Meditations," by James Meikle, is a work
which cannot fail to give much pleasure to the pious mind.
The author discovers a very happy talent in deducing from
the phenomena of nature, and from the ordinary occurrences
of life, much religious instruction, which he conveys in an
animated and pleasing style. We should be glad to see an
American edition of this work, and are persuaded, that if its
worth were known, such an edition would meet with general
encouragement.
SAMUEL MILLER,
JOHN B. ROMEYN.
New-YorTc, December 18, 1809.
Cincinnati, April 5, 1832.
GeNTLE3IEN —
We are much gratified to learn that you design republishing
the excellent work entitled "Solitude Sweetened," by Jabies
Meikle. We consider this a book of uncommon interest and
excellence. The warm spirit of living devotion which
breathes through it cannot fail to please and profit the chris-
tian who will give it an attentive perusal.
James Gallaheb, Pastor Sd Ch. Cincinnati.
Asa Mahan, Pastor 6th Ch. do.
Tho3Ias Brainerd, Pastor Ath Ch. do.
John Thomson,
Wm. G. Gallaher,
A. T. Rankin,
Elijah Slack,
F. Y. Vail.
Messrs. Roff <Sf Young.
"Meikle's Solitude Sweetened," would now need no
recommendation in the atlantic states. It has been long
known and highly approved by the pious there ; and I doubt
not the western reader will coincide in this favourable
judgment.
3
( !■•:
The sentiments of the work are e\'angelical throughout;
and these are presented in a way so experimental and prac-
tical as must commend the character of the author to all true
christians of every name. His improvements of the ordinary
circumstances of life, and of those situations in which the be-
liever must not unfrequently find himself placed, are gene-
rally very happy, and always edifying. The style of the
work is clear, simple, and, for the most part correct.
B. P. AYDELOTT,
Pastor Christ Church, Cincinnati
Messrs. Roff S^ Young.
Cincinnati, March 30, 1832.
Messrs. Roff &l Young: —
I am gratified to learn that you are about to republish the
[^Solitude Siveetened'''' of Mr. James Meikle. Of his valua-
ble writings, this is decidedly the best. His Meditations are
short, frequently original, and always evangelical. A holy
unction pervades his thoughts; and the christian, while read-
ing, finds his faith encouraged, and his affections elevated.
1 have derived more spiritual benefit from this author, than
from any other not inspired, and therefore, with confidence,
recommend it to the friends of Zion.
Wishing you a liberal patronage,
I remain, yours, respectfully,
S. W. LYND
PREFACE.
The Meditations now offered to the PubHc appear in
consequence of the very favourable manner in v^hich
the Author's "Selct Remains" vi^ere received. They
are written in the same style, and breathe the same
spirit of ardent piety with the Remains; but they em-
brace a greater variety of subjects, are in general com-
posed with greater care, and will, the Editor is persua-
ded, be found entitled to an equal, if not a superior
degree of acceptance.
The greater part of them were written in the years
1757 — 1760, in the most unfavourable circumstances
which can easily be conceived for study of any kind,
and especially for religious meditation; not, like the
" Monthly Memorial," and the " Secret Survey," amidst
the quiet and comforts of home, in the retirement of the
country, and during the intervals of leisure from the
regular duties of his profession; but at sea, amidst the
noise, and bustle, and confusion of a man of war. A
book written during hostilities, on board a ship of war,
may be considered as a literary curiosity; but this is
perhaps the first book of devotion ever composed in
such circumstances. It may justly excite surprise, how
the good man could find opportunity, or command
composure of mind, in the cock-pit of the Portland, for
writing not only the greater part of the present volume,
but another series of Meditations, entitled. The Travel-
ler; and it must be particularly pleasing to pious minds,
a2
Vi PREFACE.
to observe his steadfastness in the faith unshaken, and
the ardour of his devotion undiminished, during a period
of several years spent in a state of exclusion from the
ordinances of religion, and in the society of persons ig-
norant of God. How "his righteous soul was vexed
from day to day, in seeing and hearing, with their un-
lawful deeds," and to what ridicule he was exposed
from his ungodly companions, on account of his religion,
are apparent from many expressions in his meditations;
yet he persevered in his course, frequently seized, when
other opportunities failed, the midnigbt-hour for prayer
and meditation, and "out of the belly of hell cried unto
his God."
Two manuscripts have been found of the meditations
composed at sea, both written by the Author's own
hand. The first, which is the original draught, and
which, owing to the rolling of the ship, and other incon-
veniences of his situation, is not very legible, is entitled
by him, " A Mirror to the Sons of Affliction, by one who
finds by experience, that it is better to go to the house
Df mourning than the house of mirth." — The second,
which has been chiefly followed in this edition, is a
transcript of the former, but in a fairer hand, and with
such corrections as occurred to the Author in his pro-
gress. This he appears to have begun in the year
1769, some time after his settlement in Carnwath;
and having altered the title to that which the volume
now bears, continued to add, during the remainder of
his life, such meditations as appeared to him to corres-
pond with the general title.
In a note perfixed to the manuscript, the Author says,
" Fond of being at sea, he engaged to go in a ship
that had a long voyage in view; but the scheme misgave,
which gave him pain, and made him write Med. XI.
The disappointment turned out a piece of kindness. O
PREFACE. vii
how blind is man! O how kind is Heaven! In the
Royal Navy, in time of war he wTote several of them.
A groundless slander, hurtful to him, though not of an
immoral nature, was the occasion of his writing Med.
XVIII. As what has happened to him may befal oth-
ers, he iiopes these few meditations, written for his own
use, may be useful and acceptable to serious souls."
The Editor, entertaining the same hopes, recom-
mends them to the blessing of God, and to the accep-
tance of saints. He hopes that the reception of the
present volume will give encouragement to the speedy
publication of the other series of meditations, styled,
The Traveller; to which, if God will, shall be pre-
fixed, a Memoir of the Author's life, collected chiefly
from the numerous manuscripts which he has left be-
hind him.
JAMES PEDDIE.
Edinburgh, >
Mv. 25, 1803. 5
CONTENTS.
Medit. Page,
I. On meditation, - - - - - 13
II. Christ the Rock in a weary land, - - - 14
—III. If God give Christ, what can he withhold, - - 15
IV. Submission, _ _ _ - - 17
V. Comfortable conclusions, - - - - 18
VI. Resignation, ----- 20
VII. Feeble nature, - - - - - 21
VIII. Worldly losses and misfortunes universal, - 23
IX. Providence, - - - - - - 24
X. True greatness, ----- 25
XI. Disappointments, - - - - - 26
XII. Experience, - - - - - 28
XIII. Contentment, - - - - - 29
XIV. Death, ------ 30
XV. Communion with God, what it is, - - - 33
XVI. The disposal of Providence always best, - - 35
-^ XVII. Love in its fourfold extension, - - - 36
XVIII. Slander, 37
XIX. Fear and other passions, - - » - 39
XX. Universal improvement, - - - - 41
y^-" XXI. The soul's enlargement on high, - - - 41
XXII. Affliction the lot of saints below, - - 43
XXIII. Private experience, - - - - - 46
XXIV. All plenitude in Christ, to answer all the wants of his
people, ----- 47
XXV. Prayer and praise, - - - - - 49
XXVI. On a blind beggar, - - - - 51
-~ XXVII. Love in saints, - - - - - 52
XXVIII. Love in God, 56
XXIX. Dissolution, ------ 59
XXX. The death of the wicked, - - - - 60
XXXI. The Traveller, 62
XXXII. Grace in the blush, sin not ashamed, - - - 64
XXXIII. Going to a fair, ----- 67
XXXIV. After sickness, - - - - - 68
XXXV. Frames of soul variable, - . - 70
XXXVI. The unconcerned spectators - - - - 72
XXXVII. Death a blessing to good men, - - - 73
XXXVIII. Mercy going before God, makes meeting him a mercy, 74
XXXIX. The necessity of afflictions, - - - - 75
XL. Saints nnknown, stars unseen, - - - 77
XLI. The excellent happiness of the blessed, - - 78
XLIL Only a rumour heard of the triumphant state, - 80
X CONTENTS.
Medit. Pagf.
XLIII. Philosophy, - - - - 81
- XLI V. A wicked thing to depart from God in the least, 84
XLV. Who the great man is, - ... 86
XLVI. We should sleep no longer than to refresh the body, 88
XLVII. Our only joy in the world to come, - - - 89
XLVIII. On the scriptures, - - - - 91
XLIX. True joy, 93
L. One fruit of affliction, - - - - 94
LI. From the depth of afflictions we see stupendous things, 96
LII. Prayer, 97
LIII. Little known of the bliss above, - - - 98
LIV. The divine lover, 100
LV. Eternity, 101
^LVL On loving God, - - - - - 103
LVII. W^rath, 104
LVIII. Sensible communion with God sometimes enjoyed, 105
LIX. Brevity of life, 107
LX. On the last day of the year, - - _ 108
LXI. Saints have the greatest reason to rejoice, - - 110
LXII. Indwelling sin, 11=:
LXIII. Events of providence, ... - 114
LXIV. More of God seen in Christ than in all creation, - 116
LXV. God in Christ the study above, - - - 117
LXVI. The world asleep, .... 119
LXVII. Still ignorant of God below, - - - - 120
LXVIII. Nothing can purchase Christ from the soul, - 121
LXIX. Torment, 122
LXX. The soul's growth, - - - - 123
LXXI. This life a vale of tears, - - - - 126
LXXII. The madness of the world in their choice, - - 127
LXXIII. The approaching happiness of the saints, - - 129
LXXIV. What we should expect and wait for, - - 130
LXXV. The spiritual miser, - - - - - 131
LXXVI. Contradictions, ..... 132
LXXVII. The confusion of the wicked at the general judgment, 133
LXXVIII. Mercies abused, - - - - - 135
LXXIX, The forgiveness of injuries, _ . _ 136
LXXX. The excellency of religion, - - - - 139
LXXXI. Christ, and none but he, salisfieth desires, - 140
LXXXII. The aggrandizing visit, ... - 142
LXXXIII. Causes of humility, - . - . 144
LXXXIV. Harmony in God's procedure with the church, both of
the Old and New Testament, - - - 146
LXXXV. A pleasant consideration, - - - - 148
LXXXVI. Crucifixion, 149
LXXXVII. All God's ways equal, - - - - 150
LXXXVni. Self-flatterers, - - - - - 152
LXXXIX. The heavenly vision assimilating, - . - 153
XC. Still descriptions fall short of glory, - - - 155
XCI. Saints honourable, . - - _ 156
CONTENTS. XI
^^^^'^- Page.
XCII. Mercies, though apparently delayed, come at the ap-
pointed time, - - - - _ 153
XCIII. The world deep rooted in the aflfections, - - KQ
XCIV. True riches, ------ 160
XCV. The casting of the scales or balances, - - 162
XCVI. Affliction the common lot of the saints, - - 163
XCVII. The glorious fruits of sanctified affliction, - - 165
XCVIII. God his people's inheritance, - - - - 168
XCIX. Distance diminishes views, _ _ . 169
C. Jubilee, ----_. 171
CI. God's knowledge, - - - _ . 173
CII. The Sabbath, - - - - - 175
cm. Elijah and Elisha, — a dialogue, - - _ I77
CIV. The company of the wicked corrupts, - - - 179
CV. To escape wrath should silence under all afflictions, 180
^?rYI' ^^°Pti°"» 182
L/Vll. Connexions, - - - - _ 134
CVIII. Degrees of nearness to God, - - - - 187
CIX. Unbelief, 188
ex. Our short life should not give much concern, - - IQI
CXI. Faith, - - - - 1 - 192
CXII. The three-fold state, - - - . _ 195
CXIII. Corruption, - - - _ . 197
CXIV. Grace, ----«_ igg
CXV. Love and Immortality, - - - > 199
CXVI. Extremities, ----__ 20O
CXVII. The astonishing portions, - - - . ons
CXVIII. Noah's ark, - - - - . .204
CXIX. Acquaintance, - - - - . gQB
CXX. An argument, - - - . . 2Qg
CXXI. On being ill-used, - - - - . 399
CXXII. The Bible a store-house of instruction, - - 211
CXXIII. Assurance, - - - _ . 213
CXXIV. Our meditations cramped, unless stretched beyond death, 215
CXXV. How to be rich in heaven, - - - _ 215
CXXVI. Revenge rejected, - - - _ oon
CXXVII. Whitsunday, - 224
CXXVIII. Against murmuring at misfortunes, - - 227
CXXIX. A caveat against excess of joy in prospect of any crea-
ted good, - - - - _ 228
CXXX. The joy of salvation, - _ . . 230
CXXXI. On visits, -----_ 232
CXXXII. The anguish of damation, - - - 233
CXXXIII. Sovereignty, ------ 234
CXXXI V. The victory of faith, - - - - 236
CXXXV. The necessity of afflictions while we livcj - - 237
CXXXVI. Gibeon making peace with Israel, - - - 238
CXXXVII. On the author's first using glasses, - _ . 240
CXXXVIII, On casting our care on God, - - « 242
CXXXIX. The affection of a parent, - - - - 244
xii CONTENTS.
Medit. Page.
CXL. On being created a peer, - - - 246
CXLI. Thft singular advantages of poverty, - - 253
CXLII. A journey along the sea-shore, - • • 260
CXLUI. British state lotter}', - - - .. 264
CXLI V. On the works of creation, - - - - 267
CXLV. A prospect of death, - - - - 277
CXLVI. A state after death, - - - - 278
CXL VII. A glance at the glories on the other side creation, 280
SOLITUDE SWEETENED.
MEDITATION I.
ON MEDITATION.
The heavenly meditant has the happiest life in the
world, and the most enriching commerce with the celestial
Indies, from whence he returns loaded with an unseen
store of immortal joy, and spiritual consolation. As he
continues to meditate on the great things of God, such
amazing plenitudes are displayed before his eye, that he
finds in the divine fulness sufficient subjects for meditation
through eternity itself. Meditation, like the spies sent
from Israel in the wilderness, returns with a good account
of the good land, presents some of the fruits of paradise,
and produces refreshing grapes pulled from the true Vine.
Here the weary soul retires to rest in the bosom of the
promise, in the love of God, in spite of all surrounding trou-
bles; and drinks at the river before the throne, which makes
her forget her miseries, as waters that flow away. O the
high estate of the sons of God in meditation ! They walk in
the fields of glory, associate with the angels of light, and
hold communion with God himself. Thus having been in
the mount with God, their soul is beautified; thus, their face
shines, and their conversation seems as if in heaven, nobly
opposing the base practices of the men of the world.
O my soul! while mortals are combating for crowns be-
low, meditate thou on thy crown above ; view the beauties
of the better country;' ruminate on the happiness of the inha-
bitants there; think on the fulness of the heavenly glory;
talk of the love of God, and dwell on the adorable excellencies
of the divine Redeemer. This work is its own reward, and
assimilates the soul to "the bright and morning Star." Be
ashamed henceforth to occupy thyself in meditating how to
raise thy fortune, how to make thyself famous, and how to
plan thy lot in the world ; this last commit to God, and cast
13 B
X4 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
the rest away: But let him, whose favour is better than
life, be the object of thy love, and the subject of thy medita-
tions! Thus shalt thou begin heaven, anticipate bliss, and
orepare for eternity and glory.
MEDITATION II.
CHRIST THE ROCK IN THE WEARY LAND.
Let the travellers through the parched deserts of Arabia,
tell how comforting the shadov/ of a cloud is, that diminishes
the heat in a dry place. Let the travelling companies of
Dedanim tell what it is to hide their scorched shoulders from
the burning sun in the shadow of a rock. How much greater
reason have I to boast of my Rock! for their rock is not as
our rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. From
his pierced side the fountain of life flows, that pours refresh-
ment into my panting soul. Here I have not only shadow
from the heat, but shelter from the storm, when the blast of
the terrible one is as a storm against the wall.
What is firmer than a rock? Winds may rend the cedars
of Lebanon, and tear them up by their roots : but here the
tempests beat, and are baffled; the billows dash, and are
broken; time hovers, and corrodes not the flinty mass. Ne-
vertheless, they are not proof against every invasion from
destruction and ruin. For see, the enraged thunders rend
their towering tops, and angry earthquakes toss them from
their seats, while the earth beneath opens fearful, and hides
the ponderous heaps. But my Rock shall stand fast for ever,
when the foundations of the earth are moved, and the pillars
of heaven tremble. There shall I be safe, when the hail
shall sweep away the refuges of lies ; yea, when God shall
rain on sinners snares, fire, and brimstone, in the furious
storm of wrath, I shall sing in safety, being an inhabitant of
the Rock of ages, from which I never shall remove. No
wonder, then, that the saint of God shout for joy, being an
inhabitant on high, and having for his place of defence the
munition of rocks. Sometimes, indeed, the blind world is
ready to allege, that their rock has sold them, and that if God
were their God, surely he would awake for them; and in this
they are strengthened, when they see martyrs guarded,
through bemoaning crowds, to execution; some to the gibbet,
and others to the sea-mark; some to the rack, and others to
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 15
the fire; but then their divine Comforter invisibly attends,
and he whose form is like the Son of God, walks with them
amidst the fire, and fans away the flame. This is the Rock
from which I am filled with honey, the Rock that pours me
out rivers of oil.
Do rocks defend me from blasts, from whatever quarter
they blow? So does my Rock.— Is the blast from hell?
Well, he has the keys of hell and of death. — Is it from sin?
He is my righteousness. — Is it from Satan? He has con-
quered the principalities and powers. — Is it from afliictions ?
He is m}- sympathizing and feeling High Priest. — Is it from
losses? He is my exceeding great reward. — Is it from cros-
ses? He makes all things work together for good to his
^people. — Is it from anguish? He is my joy. — Is it from
darkness? He is my Sun. — Is it from doubts? He is my
Counsellor. — Is it from deadness? He is my life. — Is it from
enemies? He is my shield.— Is it from temptation? He
is my deliverer. — Is it from false friends? He will never
leave me, nor forsake me. — Is it from solitude or banish
ment? He is every where present. — Is it from disease? He
is my healer. — Is it from death? He is the resurrection and
the life. — O glorious refuge ! O sure defence ! O everlasting
munition ! Here do I defy the worst that earth and hell can
do. Henceforth will I tabernacle, by faith, in the Man that
is made of God an hiding-place from the storm, a covert from
the tempest, and as the shadow of a great rock in a weary
land, till every blast blow over, not a threatening cloud
appear in my sky, but my heaven be beautified with ever-
lasting day, and the air in which I breathe be swept of
every storm.
MEDITATION HI.
IP GOD GIVE CHRIST, WHAT CAN HE WITHHOLD?
1757.
Are believers in the valley of tears? Is their dwelling
place Bochim and Hadadrimmon? Well, mercy outstretches
all their misery, promises of grace dispel the mental gloom,
and bear away the ponderous loads of grief, and the soft
handkerchief of love wipes oflTthe furrowing tear,- while an
inspired penman begins the glorious sentence with an un-
answerable HOW: "If God spared not his own Son, but
le SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
delivered him up to the death for us all, hoiD shall he not also
with him give us all things?" Comfort, then, ye sons of sor-
row; comfort, my soul; there is more in this verse than can
be comprehended; and there is more love in the heart of God,
than any language, or idiom of speech, can convey to finite
creatures.
If, for my sake, he has given his Son, what will he with-
hold in all the creation? Is the breath of his mouth better to
him than his eternal, co-essenlial Son? Is the work of his
hands dearer to him than his well-beloved bosom Son? And
has he given him to the death for thee, and yet will deny thee
the use of these? No. He that feeds the soul with heavenly
manna, will support the body with daily bread. He that
gives to drink out of the wells of salvation, will not fail to *
afford a cup of cold water. He that hath provided a robe of
righteousness, that the shame of my nakedness do not appear,
will also give wool in the season thereof. He that harnesses
mine inner man with all the armour of God, will put a cov-
ering on my head in the day of battle and war.* He that, in
the counsel of peace, from eternity, secured my peace, will
also shine upon my counsel, and make me decree a thing
which shall come to pass. He that hath written my name
among the living in Jerusalem, will also preserve, (this ray
faith pleads and expects,) my character, that I shall not
shame what I profess in the world. He that hath destroyed
spiritual death, will also for me unsting natural death, and
spoil the grave of its victory.
Again, how can it be possible that God should give his
Son, himself, his all, and yet deny me any thing? Will hot
he that is to crown me with glory above, strengthen me with
grace below? Will he not bless me with peace of mind, who
is to be my peace forever? Triumph, O my faith! all things
are Christ's, and Christ is God's; and God, Christ and all
things are thine. Time is his, and in it I have my numbered
years ; the air is his, and in it-I breathe ; the world, and on it
I dwell; its fulness, and I am fed; grace is his, and in it I
stand: faith, and by it I overcome the world; tribulations are
from him, and in them I glory; perfection is his, raid towards
it I press; death is his, and by it I arrive at home: heaven is
his, and there is my mansion, eternity is his, and there is my
treasure and glory.
* At this time the Author had a view of entering into the ijavy, being
time of war, as he did some time after.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 17
MEDITATION IV.
SUBMISSION.
Will any, or will I, pretend to teach the Most High know-
ledge, seeing he is excellent in working, and perfect in his
ways? Then, since I cannot direct him, why am not I sub-
missive to his disposal ? Can I predict events, or foresee
futurities? No; how then should I promise myself serenity
from a cloudless sky? or fear storms from an obscured hea-
ven ? when, as to the first, the gathering meteors may suspend
an unexpected umbra before the sun, and draw a liquid cur-
tain round the sky; or, as to the second, the gathered clouds
may scatter, and let the welcome beams refresh the weary
world. So, Lord, as from present appearances future contin-
gencies cannot be. discerned, it is my duty, and shall be my
study, to be wholly, fully, and for ever, at thy disposal,
to whom all my works, all my purposes, and all my wander-
ings, are known from the beginning.
OI how the child of God should glory in his choosing out
for him the lot of his inheritance, and be content with that
condition which Heaven accounts best for him, though not
the grandest or greatest, not the richest or happiest; yea, not
that state the most desired. I am not mine own for I am
bought with a price, and dearly paid for too, (so to speak.)
Would it not seem too daring in me to instruct God how to
garnish the heavens, ho^v to set the sun, station the moon,
place the poles, plant the fixed stars, and guide the wandering
planets? Now, I am as much his by right, (yea, in the ties
of love, more,) and as much at his disposal, as any of these
his "other creatures; and if I cannot complain of his conduct
with these, why quarrel at his providences toward me? but
another thing which ought to encourage to submission, is, that
God's way is not only equitable in itself, but profitable for
his people, for the latter end of the righteous is peace ; and
the end of the Lord is always gracious to his afflicted ones,
who chooses in the furnace of affliction, brings light out of
darkness, order out of confusion, real good out of seeming
evil ; and, finally, brings through fire and water to a wealthy
place.
b2
18 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
MEDITATION V.
COMFORTABLE CONCLUSIONS.
Dear Saviour, in thy sufferings I not only see the infinite
ness of sin, but also the infiniteness of thy love, so that,
though I have cause with myself to be angry on account of
sin, I need not despair. If the desert of my folly be death,
the merit of thy sufferings is life. If my sins mount up to
heaven, thy mercy is above the heavens. Though they
reach to the very throne to accuse me, there is one upon the
throne that will not condemn me. They in their seven-fold
abominations, can rise no higher than the throne, but the rain-
bow of redeeming love and grace is both about and above the
throne, and that in its seven-fold beauties, power, wisdom,
justice, goodness, holiness, mercy, and truth. And as all the
different rays meet in one glorious beam of light, so all the
attributes, all the perfections of God, are summed up in love.
who is graciously pleased to be called by it as his favourite
name, " God is love ! " By the mingling rays of this beau-
teous bow, all my blackness is removed, and I am clothed
with beauty.
When I look to myself and see my vileness and wants, J
am confounded with shame ; but when I look to thee, and se&
thy fulness and all-sufficiency, I am confounded with won-
der!— ^Am I weak? He is my strength. — Am I foolish? He
is made of God wisdom to me. — Am I wicked? He is mado
my righteousness. — Am I impure? He is made my sanctifi-
cation. — Am I in bondage? He is made my complete redemp-
tion.— Am I in misery? From him tender mercy flows. —
Do I falsify? Yet his promise is the very truth. — In a
word, am I enmity itself? Then he is love itself that passes
understanding. Mine is but the enmity of a creature, but hi?
love is the love of God.
Sin may raise the tempest of wrath, but can do no more •
but Christ not only calms the raging tempest, but gives peace
of conscience, flowing from intimations of peace with God,
and makes me heir of all things ; so where sin hath aboun-
ded, grace much more abounds; where misery hath sur-
rounded me, mercy hath crowned me. Sin is too strong for
me, but thy grace is too strong for sin. Why, then, so vexed
with fears, doubts, and unbelief? Because I am sinfid? On
that very account, Christ, who knew no sin, was made sin, that
I, who knew no righteousness, might be made the righteous
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. i<3
ness of God in him. — ^But I am a great sinner. Then, he is
a Saviour, and a great One. Where is boasting now soul?
See, that it is great mercy in God, great merit in Christ,
that saves a great sinner. Since rich and free grace builds
the temple of salvation, let it bear all the glory. — But I fall
often into the same sin. That is my failing, over which I
ought to mourn, and by which I should be driven out of all
conceit with mine own holiness, high attainments, and reli-
gious duties, and cry, with tears of holy joy, Grace, grace to
him that has laid the foundation, carries on the fabric of re-
demption, and will, with shouting bring forth the copestone.
Now, law, what hast thou to do with me? Turn thee over to
my Surety, Jesus. O curse I thou hast lighted on his head,
that the blessing might rest on mine ! The brandished sword
of justice is beat into the pruning-hooli of the promise, that I
may even plead justice for the blessing, as well as the per-
formance of the promise.
Though once I durst not lift mine eyes heavenward, for
fear of divine wrath, yet now I may come boldly to the throne
of grace, and claim the blessings of his purchase.
In fine, it is the interest of the Son of God that I be saved.
Though he had no concern for my immortal soul, yet he is
jealous over his own glory, and will not cast his honour away,
the honour of his equity, the honour of his love, the honour of
his merits, and the honour of his word of promise, all which
are concerned in my salvation. Nothing could hinder him
to love me ; what then shall make him hate me, seeing his
love is stronger than death? He loved me when I was in a
state of enmity ; and now, when I am reconciled, will he be
angry with me, now when I love him who first loved me?
His love found me when I was wandering from him ; and will
he abandon me now when I am looking after him that seeth
me ? When I was altogether sin, he had mercy on me ; and
will he now take vengeance upon me, when I am mourning
over sin, and grieved that I offend him? I had no claim, no
qualification that could cause his love to descend on me, and
abide with me; but love, in sovereignty visited me, and in
sovereignty will dwell with me forever; and though I sin his
presence away, I shall never sin away his love, nor his pres-
ence altogether; for he shall appear the second time without
sin imputed, and deliver me from sin inherent. Then, sin
may be my burden, but shall not be my bane. Yet shall I
never willingly let the traitor rest in my breast, that would
persuade all my soul into rebellion against my dearest Lord,
20 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
and best friend. I may have continual war with the invader,
but shall obtain the victory at last; meanwhile, I will grieve
more for offending him whose name is Love, by my sin, than
for the desertions, doubts, clouds, afflictions, and chastise-
ments that may thereby seize me.
Now, with the arms of my faith, I clasp about the promise,
and about him in the promise ; then, wherefore should unbe-
lief, like the officious servant of the man of God, come near
to thrust me away? Here will I live, and here will I die,
blessing God, who causeth me always to triumph in Jesus
Christ my Lord.
MEDITATION VI,
RESIGNATION.
What I most desired thou hast denied, yet I praise thee
On what account, I know not, yet I praise thee : Thou hast
done it J that silences me. Thy will makes it indisputable,
and renders it my indispensable duty to fall in with it. —
Hitherto I have had no complaint on the conduct of provi-
dence ; nor shall I complain till all the mazes are explained.
Do, then, all thy counsel, though all my counsels should come
to nought. Can he expect favors from God, that will not wait
God's way and time?
But what matters it how the affairs of a present world go,
if the interests of the next world are secured? The weather-
cock is whirled about with every blast, but the iron spire is
still at rest, and it is alike to it from what point the wind blows,
because it cannot be displaced. So, what avails it though
the outward man decay, if the inner man grow ? though the
temporal condition be perplexed, if the conscience be pos-
sessed of spiritual peace ? I praise thee that thou interposest
thy providence, even in disappointing my enterprises; and
dost not give me up to the blind desires of mine own heart,
and to wander at random in counsels of mine own. I can
resolve the present case into nothing but thy will ; yet I re-
joice more to fall in with thy will, and to be submissive to
thy disposal, than to have my will in every point performed.
This is the only way in my private capacity that I can
glorify thee.
If all things went as I would, I could not positively learn
the care of God; but when providence, beyond all human
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 21
probability, twists enterprises out of my hands, and well-
resolved designs out of my heart, this conduct clearly shows
to me thy condescending concern about my lot and life.
Thus thou takest the wise in their own craftiness; for when
all my schemes were so well laid, that human policy ap-
proved of, and wit itself commended; yet, when thou didst
blow upon them, how did they, like rainbows painted on the
watery clouds, when thunders break, or boisterous winds
attack, scatter into disappointments and pain ! Hence, in the
school of providence I am taught some lessons. 1. Not to
look to the appearance of things, but to the power of God,
who brings light out of darkness, and calls the things that be
not, as though they were. 2. That from probabilities impos-
sibiHties may spring, while apparent impossibilities dissolve
into easy escapes. As for the first, it was very probable that
the Egyptians might overtake and put Israel to the sword,
yet it became impossible for them to do it. And as for the
second it seemed impossible that Israel could escape ruin,
when inclosed with insurmountable hills, and swelling seas,
and pursued by enraged foes; yet, in what an easy way did
they walk to their deliverance ! 3. 1 am taught to believe, and
to give glory to the almighty power of God, when impossibili-
ties throng thick before me. 4. To see mine own finite
wisdom to be but folly, that I can neither prevent nor foresee
those events which I would not incline should come. 5. To
hold all my mercies, all my privileges from God, and not
from the certainty in which they seem to stand. 6. Not to
think that things are lost, when so they seem, as I am taught
by experience, that when I think I am most sure of some
things, they are all on a sudden rapt from me ; so when lost,
they can all of a sudden be restored. And, lastly, to see the
mutable and fickle state of temporal things, and therefore to
hold a loose gripe of the creature, however dear, however
near, and to set my affections on things that are above.
MEDITATION VII.
FEEBLE NATURE.
Oh! how do I groan in this body of clay, this clog of hu-
manity! When I would serve God with gladness, feeble
nature hinders me ; my strength is exhausted, and I must be
again refreshed with sleep. Though grace had not sin to
22 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
fight against, it has infirmity to struggle with; and I have no
way of getting comfort under my calamities of this kind,
which are so many, but by beholding with the eye of faith,
through the prospect of revelation, the glories of the world
above, when this mortal shall put on immortality, and death
shall be swallowed up of life. There my weary eyes shall
never seek to be refreshed with sleep, amidst the engaging
glories of the higher house! The mirth of this world, like
an enchantress, lulls men asleep to everlasting destruction;
but the songs of the inner temple rouse to all eternity.
With the strength of an angel shall I step along the hills of
glory, and walk over the paradise of God. With greater
ease shall I go on with the highest acts of adoration, than here
give over the ordinary acts of devotion ; for it shall be life to
my soul, and vigor to all my powers, to be so employed!
There he that pours the new wine into the saints, capacitates,
strengthens, and supports the soul, to receive the eternal
weight of glory. — Meditation shall never tire my thoughts in
tracing all the mazes of redeeming love ! Everlasting halle-
lujahs shall dwell on my tongue; and how shall I improve
in the song above, while I rest not day or night to sing,
" Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive glory, and
honor, blessings and power, dominion and praise, for ever and
ever." There the uninterrupted vision of him, to whom
when I see him I shall be assimilated, shall strengthen mine
eyes, that they shall be able to receive the images of all the
celestial glories. No weariness there, where the exercise
renders happy. No weakness, where Jehovah is my strength.
No want of subject, where the Lord God and the Lamb are
my song! Oh! shall I be able to sing over God through eter-
nity? To sing his being and attributes, his love and his
mercy, his righteousness and his truth, even a whole God,
and a full glory; a consummate happiness, and a continual
enjoyment!
Well then, what though the hours of time steal from me
unknown? I rejoice that I shall not lose one moment through
weariness, while eternity rolls. Oh! may I improve this to
prepare for that; for if eternity is not secured ere time be
spent, I am undone in both.
Roll on, thou day of love, to perfect strength in my weak
ness, and crown a poor expectant with eternal glory.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 23
MEDITATION VIIL
WORLDLY LOSSES AND MISFORTUNES UNIVERSAL.
Convene, ye mournful throng, and vent your dreary moans ;
muster all your complaints, and recite the causes of your sor-
row. Then hear royalty itself break silence first in the me-
lancholy list, and tell in tears, (but dares distress attack
the throne, and sorrow gloom within the palace-walls?) how
courtiers prove perfidious, and rebellious subjects would drive
him from his throne! how his faithful armies fly, or fall before
the foe ! while his fleets increase at once his sorrow and the
enemies' spoils. Sorrow has a lodging taken in every brow,
from the king to the beggar; and at one time or other, we
may expect to see the lodging possessed by all the gloomy
train. Hence see one sad, under the loss of his honour and
reputation ; another meeting with disappointment instead of
preferment; another seldom out of mourning, so fast his re-
lations die around him. Some have neither son nor grandson
in the street, daughter nor grand-daughter in the house.
There the affectionate wife has lost tbe husband of her
youth; and here the disconsolate mourner has interred his
lovely spouse. Here so many needy pensioners are real
mourners at the burial of their benefactors, who can be no
more concerned for them; there a tender family are weeping
at the grave of both parents. Here the packet from the dis-
tant Indies, brings the melancholy account of father, son, or
brother's death, who was long expected home, but now shall
return no more; there the list of the slain on the day of bat-
tle, fills many a sad heart with sorrov/. Here a sudden mis-
fortime snatches one away in the bloom of life ; there another
is slain by the bloody ruffian. Here the tender suckling dies
unseen in the silent night ; and there the pretty boy perishes
in the water. Here the devouring flame robs a man of his
all, while some of the inhabitants are consumed in the burn-
ing; there the fierce tempest sends the merchant's treasure
into the depths of the sea, and the crew go down together.
Here the barren wife longs to embrace a son ; and there ano-
ther bitterly bewails that ever her's was born. Here one
loses his good name innocentl)', and has no method to clear i
till the day of judgment; and there peace is taken away from
them that should live in daily harmony. Here some are op-
pressed with pinching want; there others with pinching sick-
ness. Some are banished their native country; others
24 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
condemned to perpetual imprisonment. Some are deformed
from their mother's womb; others lose their limbs by accidents.
There sits the blind begging, while the lame is carried from
door to door. Of some God has tied the tongue, that it can-
not speak; of others stopt the ear, that it cannot hear. There
some deprived of reason, neither rest themselves, nor suffer
those around them to rest, while their case is melancholy-
above description. In a word, what losses and crosses, sor-
rows and distresses, uncertainties and anxieties, do mankind
labor under! The wisdom that is from above, will lead me
to expect nothing but vanity and vexation below. But, O!
how happy is the soul that has all the treasure in heaven, all
his happiness in God I May this be my case, and then I
shall triumph in the midst of losses, distresses, disappoint
ments, and pain.
MEDITATION IX.
PROVIDEISCE.
How manifold are the mercies of God, and how surprising
the scene of adorable Providence! Here wheels revolve
within a wheel, and all the glorious spokes are full of fla-
ming eyes, signifying omniscience and wisdom. Seeming
contradictions just conduce to bring about the longed-for
blessing. Were all things silent, providence aloud proclaims
a God; and to the observing eye, the government of the
world in general, and of men and their affairs of life in par-
ticular, is not less beautiful, is not less surprising, than the
creation. What mighty mountains are removed, what stu-
pendous difficulties are dissolved, that a plain and easy pas-
sage may be prepared for the approaching good ! O how is
my soul delighted with the back look into my life, and ravished
with the sweet survey of the conduct of Providence! All
mercies are benign and comforting; but O how do some ex-
ceedingly surprise ! when I behold the instrument or hand by
which, the way and manner how, and the time when they
came. Have I not seen it from a hand I expected nothing
from, in a way and manner I never could have contrived, and
at a time when least apparent? has not holy Providence
written a blank on my wisdom and prudence, in bafiiing my
enterprises, rendering my endeavours abortive, and bringing
my counsel to nought, that he alone might be exalted? And
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 25
then, in a way out of my view, foreign to my expectation,
and without my endeavours, granted the very same request
I had sought? Sometimes seeming contradictions vex the
poor expectant, though only sent to exercise his faith in God,
and patience for the performance of the promise. I have
also seen disappointments muhipUed. Disappointments not
only bring about, but beautify the blessing. Sometimes {pro-
vidence has hindered me to embrace an offered favour, when
I knew not hoiD or why^ that to my greater advantage it
might be afterwards bestowed.
Thy path, O thou Governor of men and angels! is in the
mighty waters, and thy footsteps are not known; for who
can know the ways of him who is wonderful in working?
Therefore I approve his conduct, admire his goodness, and
where I cannot see his end, am silent, and adore.
MEDITATION X,
TRUE GREATNESS.
Many are reckoned great by the world, and are often
envied by their inferiors, who are yet ignorant of what ren-
ders man truly great. A courtier, as Ahithophel, a prince,
as Haman, and a king, as Belshazzar, may be mean and sor-
did persons,- for often in the highest stations the basest of
men are set up. Coaches and chariots; horses and hounds;
many servants, and a numerous retinue; a sumptuous table,
and fine apparel; high titles, and honorary posts; great
friends, and noble blood; rich connexions, and immense
wealth, do not constitute true greatness. It is not getting
a staff in the field, or a flag in the fleet, being made secreta-
ry of state, or sent ambassador to foreign courts, that will
render one great. It is not strength of body, natural cou-
rage, liberal education, bright parts, or sparkling genius, that
can make a truly great man. Hence this seeming contra-
diction, yet sterling truth, Great men are not always great.
Are there, then, great men any where to be found? Yes,
though they attract not much notice or regard of men. The
holy, humble, self-denied soul, is such; — he that lives above
the things of time, and has his meditation on God, and the
things of the invisible world; that is pleased with a little of
the good things of time, — can forgive enemies, — pass by af-
fronts,— forget injuries, — repay hatred with love, — rejoice
C
26 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
in tribulation, — triumph in faith, — have rule over his own
spirit, — mourn for the sins of the times, — weep over his
want of conformity to God's law, — tremble at his threaten-
ings, — depend on the promises, — bewail his omissions, —
repent daily for his sin, — wrestle in prayer, and prevail with
God, and, Enoch-like, have his conversation in heaven, and
walk with God:— This is he that is truly great in the eye of
angels, in the eye of God.
MEDITATION XI.
DISAPPOINTMENTS.
July, 1757.
How uncertain are our best-founded expectations from
created things! Nothing seemingly more sure; the time
when, the place where, and the manner how, designs were
to be put in execution, being set by the agreement and con-
currence of every one concerned! And yet, in the event,
nothing more unsure! O irresistible Providence! How dost
thou laugh at the folly of man, whose purblind eye sees no-
thing to change the face of things, till by an unexpected
revolution, and severe discipline, he is made to know his fal-
libilty and blindness! O foolish heart of man, to be fond of
this or that to excess ! Thou seest the beginning of a mat-
ter, but not the end ; thou beholdest the outer wheel of pro-
vidence, but considerest not that there is an inner wheel, even
a wheel in the middle of a wheel, which produces scenes
unobserved before, scenes which finite wisdom never could
invent.
Perhaps the present disappointment, though great and un-
expected, is a kind one,* could I with patience wait and see
the issue; and, beyond dispute, it is a just one; " for shall not
the righteous judge of all the earth do right?"
But is my disappointment in the most momentous things,
or only in matters of inferior concern? Have I got a mes-
sage from the court of Heaven, that there is no salvation for
me there ? no mercy at the throne ? no peace to be expected
from him that sits thereon? No, no. Then what ails me? Is
not eternal felicity secured, a noble panacea, and sufficient
antidote against the heaviest misfortunes of a deceitful
* Such it was, indeed, is the author's reflection, in 1778, on the particular
disappointment to whicii he alludes.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 27
world ? What avail a faithless flatterer, a falsifying friend, a
violated promise, a mob of backbiters, disappointment of a
place, a worldly loss, a broken purpose, a thv/arted enter-
prise, expectation vain, and hope, though'a long expectant, in
the issue bringing forth nothing but wind? What avail all
these, in comparison of the everlasting interests of my im-
mortal soul? But, if these afflictions make me miserable,
shall I make myself more miserable still, by handling the
coals tha.t burn me, and reading over the register of my mis-
fortunes, which will be forgot in eternity, as the waters that
flow away. IIow, then, shall I antedate eternity, and antici-
pate the felicity of the world to come, but by forgetting my
miseries in the triumph of faith ?
Moreover, these many turnings, and stupendous meanders
of my life, are all squared by the straight line of the decree of
God, with v.diom nothing is crooked. The seeming gaps
of my lot are but the fulfilment of heaven's design concerning
me, and my repeated disappoiiitments are only the accom-
plishment of the counsel of God.
Besides, who can tell what heaven has in reserve for me?
It is good to wait on God, and expect good at his hand. " Ah ! "
says un]-eUef, "nothing at present appears." Hush! thou
atheistical monster, wilt thou limit Omnipotence, or allege
that infinite wisdom is nonplussed, and Almighty power not
able to perform? I shall yet see his kindness large as my
faith, and his mercy measure with m}^ widest expectations^
May I never get the desire of my heart but with God's bles-
sing, nor the request of my lips but with his good will.
This is, indeed, consolation to me, that no sinister views
stare ghastly in mj^ face, when so many struggling thoughts
pass through my suffering heart. If my sin be a sin of ig-
norance, pardon me, and show me wherefore thou contendest
with me. But, perhaps my heart was too much set on my
favorite desire, which, though lawful in itseif, might, by that,
become unlawful. So ^sop hugged his child to death, out
of too much fondness. Then let me^ keep within the due
bounds of esteem henceforth to every thing below, and take
a loose hold of all earthly things, that when they are twisted
out of my hand, they may not torment my heart.
But why disquieted, my soul ? Why uneasy still ? Recall
thy past life, and lay it down before thee, and mark, if thou
canst, when thou hadst any reason to complain of Heaven's
procedure towards thee. Have not things, which, at their
first appearance, seemed adverse like this, turned out at last
28 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
for good? Say, when thou reviewest the whole, srj, if thou
darest, if ever God dealt ill with thee! No; every provi-
dence will prove the contrary; every mercy will aver it; yea,
every change of life, every crook of lot will seal it.
But, seeing this is thy work, O God I the effect of thine
ever-equal will, I ought not only to be dumb, but rejoice in
it, and be glad in what thou hast wrought, however it appear
to me, and wonder that thou shouldst concern thyself with
me, so as to disappoint my ignorant designs, (such may my
schemes, plans, and enterprises be.) Hence I bless thee for
all that befalls me, if I have not a sinful hand in it; and if I
have, I plead for pardon through Christ's meritorious name.
Now, I rest, and am composed, and calmly wait on thee,
resigned to heaven's determination, in every thing concern-
ing me in time, till I arrive at that better country, at that
perfect state, where there is neither disappointment nor pain.
MEDITATION XII.
EXPERIENCE.
How good is it to wait on God, and bode kindness at his
hand! When hope is gone, and all endeavours rendered use-
less, his watchful providence grants me my request, opens a
door for me, and does all that I desire. O how I admire the
kindness of his love, and the wise disposal of his providence!
When disappointments thronged thick on me, I knew not what
to think, or what to do ; but through thy grace, / waited for
thy counsel, and have not waited in vain. Thy time, thy
way, thy method, are the best, who clearly seest through dark
scenes, and knowest my frame, and better what suits it, than
the deepest penetration of my heart ever can.
Now, when I have for many years, as it were, tried the
dispensation of providence, what have I to say against it?
Nothing. For, what at first, appeared dark and intricate, in
a little, was clear and intelligible; yea, sometimes that scene
which seemed most gloomy on the outer wheel, when the
inner wheel revolved, shone most glorious, even to astonish-
ment; so that, what has in the beginning extorted desponding
thoughts from me, has in the end excited me to songs of
praise.
In the part of my life that is already past, and in the scenes
of providence that are already cleared up, I cheerfully confess.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 29
and sing, He hath done all things well. This is confirmed
to me by the experience of many years ; so that I may blush,
when I see some of the mysteries of Providence in part un-
riddled, that I have had such low apprehensions of the love
and goodness of God, measuring his wisdom by my shallow
comprehension, his power by my cramped span, his love by
my unbelief; his goodness by my evil eye, and his ways with
me by my ways with him; yea, I have been base enough, in
every new scene of providence, to fall anew into the same sin^
and subject myself anew unto the same shame and blushing.
" Experience is the schoolmaster of fools," says the proverb ;
but what a fool must I be, who will not be instructed by all 1
have seen 1 Or why should I have one hard thought of the
circumstances with which I am at present entangled ? Though
in many things I have yet the dark, and not the bright side
of the cloud towards me, yet I should not have the least hard
conclusion on the conduct of unerring Providence, but wait
till it be accomplished, and cleared up to me. But how shall
I blush, (were it possible,) and be confounded at my mean
thoughts of God and his providence, when the wandering
labyrinth that composed my life shall be unriddled in the
noon-day of glory, to my unspeakable joy, and everlasting
admiration. As I cannot recall these doubts that now distract
my breast, to convert them into acts of faith; nor these mur-
murings to hush them into silent resignation ; I should study
now to glorify God in the deepest valley of misery, and dark-
est night of adversity, by thinking highly and honorably of
him who governs both heaven and earth. Finally, how
sweet must that day be to my soul, when my experience shall
confirm and confess the kind end of every providence; and
providence shall sweetly explain and accomplish the promise ;
and all shall join in one voice for ever. Not one good thing
hath failed of all that the Lord hath spoken.
MEDITATION XIII.
CONTENTMENT.
What wouldst thou have, O my soul! to make thee content?
Thou hast much in hand, and more in hope : Thou hast the
comforts of life, and the means of salvation; the word
preached and the sacraments dispensed; an open vision, and
an English Bible. Thou hast the possession of the life that
now is, and the promise of that which is to come. If thou
c2
30 SOLITUDE SV/EETENED; OR,
art not so happy as some, thou art not so miserable as others.
If there are many in an higher and better state in the world
than thou, (and shouldst thou quarrel?) there are more in a
lower and worse condition, (and shouldst not thou wonder?)
If thou get bread to eat, and raiment to put on. any thing
with a blessing, it is much, seeing thou deservest to be fed
with the curse. It is mercy that thou art an inhabitant of
God's earth, who mightest have been a prisoner in the pit of
devouring fire. Thou hast cause of cordial exultation, that
God is not a& yet inexorable ; and it may content thee in any
condition, that God doth not contend with thee for ever. Art
thou not ashamed to wish for much, when thou hast forfeited
all? Wouldst thou have the better part here, and the
blessed portion hereafter? the nether-springs of earthly com-
forts, and the upper-springs of heavenly consolation? Must
thou be served of Mammon, that thou may st serve God? And
must thou be hired with earthly felicity, to accept of heavenly
glory ? No, liOrd, thou thyself, thy love alone, shall content
me for ever; for any thing is too much for me, who deserve
nothing; a crumb of mercy is a rich banquet to me, who am
a bankrupt at law. What matters it how T fare at a king's
gate, since I am the man whom the king delighteth to honor;
and shall in a little, with mirth on every side, be brought into
the king's palace, there to abide for ever? Surely, t^ien, his
time can never be bitter v/ho has the hopes of an happy eter-
nity; nor can crosses greatly vex that soul that is crucified to
the world, and the world to him : nor has he any loss to fear
who has his treasures in eternity; neither can misfortunes
impoverish him who is an heir of the true riches; nor the
death of friends distress him whose best friend lives for ever.
I see, then, I only want one thing vo make me happy ; and
that is, to know the precious things of my treasure, and that
I am so happy. Speak, and I am blessed for ever; speak the
heavenly word, "All things are yours, and ye are Christ's,
and Christ is God's."
MEDITATION XIV.
DEATH.
1757.
There is a lesson that concerns the v»hoIe world, which yet
few of the world lay to heart; and that is, that all men are
mortal. If I ask at the practice of the universality of mankind,
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 31
it denies it. If I return and ask at my own breast; why,
I confess I must meet with death, but conclude myself immor-
tal for the present, and so hold easy for the time being, though
multitudes drop down around me. Ah! when do I think on
death, or suppose its approach near? Many foolish pleasing
scenes of life do I act in my fancy, but how seldom the final
scene of dissolution ! When do I represent myself to myself,
laid on a sick-bed, on a death-bed, with broken groans, cold
sweats, trembling joints, languid looks, an intermitting pulse,
and all the signs of death, while friends bewail about me?
Or, when do I run through the more interesting part of the
scene, how, when I leave the world, matters may stand be-
tween my soul and God? How I shall appear before the
majesty of heaven, and stand in the tremendous judgment?
Strange! Is this the practice of one who knows, and would
fain believe, he must die? Pious kings have had their sepul-
chres hewn out long before their death, that every time they
saw them, they might, in the midst of all their pomp and glory,
see where they must shortly lie. In this even heathens shame
me, of whom some have, by their own orders, had monitions
of their own mortality made to them daily ; while others have
set the skulls of the deceased at their tables, to moderate their
mirth, and remind them of mortality.
When t look abroad in the world, scenes of sorrow are
every where to be seen. Sometimes both parents taken
away from a young famih^ of helpless orphans. At other
times, the rising pillars, the apparent support of their aged
and infirm parents, are snatched away from the grey-headed
mourners! Who shall quarrel with Omnipotence, whether
he cut down the olive plants from about the tabic, or break
the tree from amidst the dependant sprigs? Indeed, it is
hard to persuade fond affection into silence, or to attain to
resignation under the loss of a beloved friend. For when
my renewed part is prostrate at the throne of the all-wise
Disposer, then my corruption is apt to rise in rebellion against
the doings of the Most High. But whether have I most inte-
rest in my nearest relations, or in God ? Is one creature more
connected with another creature, by any tie, than the creator
of both? What do I pray for, but that the will of God be
done? And yet, if it come near my family, I take again my
word, and would have my will preferred to God's! All I am,
and have, are God's to dispose of, how and when he pleases;
who will never infringe his justice, or forget his bowels of
compassion, even in my afflictions !
32 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
Would not I glorify God in my life and in my death? and
why not also in the death of my friends ? He glorified him-
self in their life, therefore they existed ; he glorifies himself
in their death, therefore they are not. Will I pull and draw
with God? or tell him, he cannot have my friends yet, for,
though they have served their generation, yet they have not
served my fond affection? An excess of grief here bewrays
my want of love to God, to my relations, and to myself. For
if I love God, I will be glad that his will be done with me
and mine, even to death. If I love my friends, I will be
happy in their happiness; and if I love my own soul, I will
bless God for taking away friends, when like to come too
much between my love and my Beloved, and like to take up
too much of my affection from "the chiefest among ten
thousand."
Death and life, earth and heaven, time and eternity, the
footstool and the throne, are thine. Can I then bewail my
friends, of whose felicity ] have the cheerful hopes that they
are brought from death to life, translated from earth to heaven,
from time to eternity, and from the footstool to the throne?
They are above the reach of sorrow; and, on that account,
shall I be below the reach of comfort? Though carnal lies
are dissolved in death, yet the spiritual relation ceases not.
So it matters not where the family dwell; for even in heaven
they are exalted members of our exalted Head, and I a mili-
tant member of the same exalted Head ; thus, though far scat-,
tered, some in this world, some in the other world, yet all
shall be convened together in "the general assembly and
church of the first born," free from sin, free from sorrow.
Almost my anguish would convert to joy did not streams
of briny grief pollute the crystal current, and recall my
ponderous loss. But what call I loss? Absence, not loss.
They are found of God, — dwell in and with God, and in what
respects are they lost? Just I see them not. What is that
to them who are so happy ? and what should it be to me who
know them to be so happy ? I would adventure a friend far
from home, to a foreign country, there to make a fortune, if
informed by every post of his prosperity. But here I am
sure, not only of their felicity, but of its perpetuity. What-
ever my loss be, let me look to God for a supply of all. And
since I have not them fondly to talk with, let my soliloquy be
to God ; and as my love cannot penetrate into the pulverising
sepulchre, to hug their putrefying clay, nor enter eternity to
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 33
find out their disembodied soul, let it return and empty itself
alone on God.
Now I see the vanity of the world ; death when sent pities
not the life of the poor, spares not the rich, but is faithful to
his charge, and cannot be corrupted. They are happy in
leaving me, and going to God; I am happy in losing them,
and returning to God. God has broken, as Hezekiah did the
brazen serpent, the idol to whom I gave incense, only due to
God, and called it a piece of clay. But now may the sweet
hopes of a blessed immortality banish the sorrows of present
dissolution, and mitigate my grief; the more so as I need not
sorrow like them that have no hope. A little, and I am no
more ; soon my dust shall mingle with theirs, and wait that
joyful trumpet, that shall summon every happy slumberer to
immortality and bliss.
MEDITATION XV.
COlMiVIUNION WITH GOD, WHAT IT IS.
Communion with God is an expression often in my mouth,
but which sinks no further; I know the word, but neither its
blessed import, nor glorious extent. My prayers and practice
jar; for while I beg it with my lips, I study not to attain it in
my life. Ah ! what a stranger am I to that which I would
fain have flattered myself that I am acquainted with ! Alas
what know I of walking with God, — of that joy which is found
in beUeving? What know I of the lasting and abiding im-
pressions of his inexpressible love ! — What of that transfor-
ming vision, and assimilating sight which is enjoyed below,
whereby the soul is changed into the same image, from glory
to glory ! What do I know of dwelling in his presence all
the day long! What of pouring out my soul in prayer to
him! and wrestling with him for the blessing! How seldom
is my meditation of him sweet!
But union is the basis of communion ; for how can those
walk or talk together that are not agreed? O then be joined
to the Lord, and become one spirit ! But, my soul, mistake
not communion, for it lies not in a flaming profession, nor in
the performance of Christian duties, as reading, hearing,
praying, praising, though enjoyed in these ; nor in the great-
est parts, and brightest talents; nor in lofty expressions in
prayer; nor in the knowledge of divine things: What is it
then? It is just a dwelling in and with God, and God dwel-
34 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
ling in and idth the soul. It is God's love going out on the
soul, and the soul in love going out on God. God dwells in
the duty with supplies of grace, in the meditation as its sub-
ject, and in the heart as a portion and chief good. And the
soul dwells in God, as her ultimate end, dilates in his fulness,
riots in his bliss. The soul that is blessed with such a com-
mvmion, favoured with such a fellowship, knows no other
object for her love; no other subject for her thoughts; no other
employment for her faculties ; no higher degree of happiness
for her attainment, than consummate communion ; no other be-
loved for her affection; and no other end for her existence.
Nor is this all. In communion with God, the soul shares of
his fulness, communicates of his glory, drinks at his pleasures,
satiates herself with his love, participates of his communica-
ble perfections, enters into his joy, and partakes of the divine
nature. O life of angels! O paradise of love! O trans-
porting employ! O ecstacy of bliss! The soul is always
with God; now in prayer, then in praise; now in meditation,
then in ejaculation ; she has not a complaint but she tells to
God; not a grief but she makes knov/n to him; not a sin but
she mourns over to him; not a request, not a desire, but she
reveals to him. O that holy intimacy that is contracted be-
tween the soul and God! that freedom of converse, that
wrestling with God in prayer, disputing about the blessing!
Let mc go; — Twill not let thee go until thou bless me! — This
is the life of heaven on earth, God come down to man or man
taken up to God.
Now, my soul, what say est, what thinkest thou of all this?
Ah! the carnal mind is enmity against God, and against com-
munion with God. Then I must either be crucified to the
world, or cursed with the world. It is not a Sabbath-day's
devotion, a rapture in time of praise or prayer, and returning
greedily to the world. Communion is another thing than
I have hitherto taken it to be. It is constant and continual.
I should endeavour to keep my soul always in an heavenly
frame, even in earthly affairs: thus the angels, even m mes-
sages to our world, carry heaven with them. Although I
must mind the necessary affairs of this life, yet I should carry
God to the field with me, and to the closet, to the street, and to
my table. I should work, and walk, fall asleep, and awake
in his presence; and talk with him on my bed, when all
around me keep silence ; and when hurried away with vain
rovings, my soul should still return to God as her centre, as
her resting place.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 35
O the pleasure that is in this life of communion with God !
it is a young heaven, with which, in the highest degree of
perfection, all the saints in glory are blessed. — Then, Lord,
begin tliis life of communion in my soul, to which I am too
much a stranger; destroy every thing that would destroy it.
and as I would desire to live with thee hereafter, so let me
endeavour to live with thee here, and thus improve for eter-
nity, and prepare for the world to come.
MEDITATION XVL
THE DISPOSAL OF PROVIDENCE ALWAYS BEST.
Why would I still take the government of myself out of
thy hand, and choose according to my fond desires? Can my
ignorance penetrate through the thick darkness of futurity?
Who would choose a blind mad-man to guide him through some
lonely ways and intricate meanders, with which neither the
traveller nor the guide are acquainted in the least: since he
might lead him where he lists, and stab h^m as he strays? It
is surely safer to walk by faith in God, than to be led by
fancy. I choose what is most agreeable to me : but God choo-
ses what is most advantageous for me : and proves, in his dis-
posal of me, that his love to me is greater than my love to
myself. I love blindly, but he loves with the wisdom of a
God. I would have my prayers answered at my time, but
God answers them at his time, which is always the best time.
I would have my blessings in sum, but he gives them in par-
cels, because I could not bear them all at once. So the
prudent mother feeds her child, not according to the irregular
appetite of her infant, to avoid surfeits, but according to its
real necessity, to afford nourishment. In this unhappy life, it
is not the least of my happiness, that I am not at my own
direction, at mine own disposal : for a ship without pilot, and
at the mercy of wind and waves, might as well find the de-
sired port, as I attain to rest and tranquillity.
Through faith and patience it is that I must inherit the
promises ; therefore God, to make me inherit them in the way
that all the saints have done before, tries my patience, and
exercises my faith; and dare I quarrel his conduct, or be
displeased at such bright displays of his peculiar care and
loving kindness? Why, then, so many risings in my breast,
so many doubtings in my soul ? Hence I will conclude of
36 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
every contingency in my lot, however contrary to my enter
prises and designs, however crushing to flesh and blood, that
it is the very best for me, both with respect to this world and
that which is to come.
MEDITATION XVII.
LOVE IN ITS FOURFOLD EXTENSION. Epll. lii. 18.
Some things may have height as the heavens, depth as the
sea, and breadth and length as the earth; but love divine has
an height which cannot be seen, a depth which cannot be
sounded, a length which cannot be limited, and a breadth
which cannot be measured! O Lord! may I know thy love
in its depth, in bringing me out of the lowest hell; in its
height, in setting me on the Redeemer's throne ; in its breadth,
in making me an heir of God ; and in its length, in eternizing
my bliss in the regions of glory. This love, in its depth, re-
covers and restores fallen man to endless felicity; in its
height, crowns and confirms the church of the first-born ; the
inhabitants of the better country walk at liberty in its
breadth, and rejoice in its length, its eternal duration.
Thou, Lord, hast, in thy love, been my dwelling-place be
fore the mountains were brought forth ; and art my dwelling
rock while I wander in the howling desert, and wilt be my
temple when sun and moon are no more. Well does thy love
deserve a fourfold definition, that answers my fourfold situa-
tion. Thou hast loved me with an everlasting love, when in
the loins of my parents, therefore with loving kindness dost
thou draw me. Thou lovest me now, when I appear in this
world, a man composed of soul and body ; therefore dost thou
reveal thyself to me. Thou wilt love me when I exist in a
separate state, when my body is laid in the silent grave, and
my soul carried into the world of spirits ; therefore, at my
dissolution, shall I enter into the joy of my Lord. And thou
wilt love me when my soul and body are united again ; there-
fore, thou wilt pass the gracious sentence on me, in the sight
of men and angels; and, in the sight of the whole world, pre-
sent me with a crown of life, a crown of glory, which fadeth
not away. When I lay weltering in my blood, it pitied me ;
when running on in the mad career of sin, it converted me;
and now that I am reconciled, it will never leave me, but at
»ast will crown my graces with perfection.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 37
This glorious love extends to every point, to every quarter.
In the rugged path of life, it supports me ; amidst the sorrows
of life, it comforts me ; in the hour of death, it is my sun ana
shield; and at the day of judgment, shall spread an heaven
before me. This love, in its depth, answers my necessities;
in its height, crowns my highest expectations ; in its breadth,
replenishes my soul with goodness; and in its length, satiates
my most enlarged desires of mind, and suits the eternity of my
existence. In the depth of this love, the Son of God became
man: and in its height men are made the sons of God. It
locks the gates of hell, so that I shall never fall into perdition ;
it opens the gates of heaven, so that I shall enter in, to swim
in an ocean of love, whose height and depth, breadth and
length, shall be the subject and the song of the church
triumphant, round the throne, through everlasting day.
MEDITATION XVUI.
SLANDER.
March 17, 1767.
What a wicked world do we live in ! If happy, we are
envied; if miserable, we are contemned; and in every con-
dition slandered. With the psalmist of old, I may say, " the
mouth of the slanderer is opened against me." With him I
may add, " They have spoken against me without a cause."
O that, with him, I could also say, " But I gave myself to
prayer ! "
I am not the first that have suffered innocently. The man
after God's own heart, in the darkest day of his distress, (for
slander has no pity,) and in the midst of his life-guards, is at-
tacked by a subject, and has the most virulent speeches thrown
out against him, accompanied with dust; and the most bitter
reproaches, sent home with vollies of stones! David, thou
wast never more like a king, nor more like the King of hea-
ven, than now, who makes his sun to shine on the good and
the evil, and sendeth rain on the just and unjust. I read, I
admire, and would imitate : " Let him alone, let him curse, for
the Lord hath bidden him." Such patience under such ill
usage, at any other time, would not have been prudent; but
now it is like a king, like a saint, like an angel, like God.
From David, I cast mine eye to David's Lord, the God of
angels, who, by his own creatures, and to his very face is
called a devil. He whose miracles set his divinity above
D
38 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
doubt, is accused as a deceiver, condemned as an impostor,
and executed as a malefactor; yet hear his prayer; "Father,
forgive them, f jr they know not what they do." The patience
of the type, and the prayer of the antitype, let me study to
imitate.
How cautious should we be in believing detracting stories,
since nothing can be liker truth, yet nothing more untrue,
than the slander I complain of. But O- how sweet is the tes-
timony of a good conscience! It is an impenetrable shield
against all the poisoned arrows of reproach. When the soul
can call in the heart-searching God to witness its innocency,
well may it triumph, knowing that "the curse causeless shall
not come." But how difficult is it to be of a meek and for-
giving spirit, when despitefully used I To love an enemy,
and forgive an evil-speaker, is an higher attainment than is
commonly believed. Christianity in theory, and Christianity
in practice, are very different things. It is easy to talk of
Christian forbearance among neighbours, but to practise it
ourselves, proves us to be Christians indeed. The surmises
of a few credulous persons need not trouble that man who
knows his cause is soon to be tried in court, and he openly
acquitted. So the evil language of evil times need not greatly
disturb me, since in the day of judgment "my judgment shall
be brought forth as the noon-day." While I pray for pardon
to my slanderers, I also plead, that their evil speeches may
not be established in the earth.
The circumstances of David change, but not his heavenly
temper. Hence the abandoned Benjamite neither finds him
the desperado when driven from Jerusalem, nor the tyrant
when returning in triumph. 'I have sinned,' says the pros-
trate rebel; 'I pardon,' says the prosperous king. — *What!
my Lord,' cries Abishai, 'shall not Shimei be slain, that
cursed the Lord's anointed?' 'No; shall my restoration be
laid in blood ? May not I pardon, for am not I king this day in
Israel?' Thus David will not avenge his personal injury, but
as Shimei's malediction was a breach of the law of heaven,
commits the matter to Solomon, and his wickedness at last
found him out.
My passion runs in a wrong channel; for my grief should
be greater that the malicious slanderer sins against God,
against his own soul, and against the truth, in his elaborate lies,
than for all the mischief his bitter reproaches can do to me.
Every time the military man enters the field of battle, he
must either stand his ground, or come off with disgrace; so
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 39
under every trial my graces either must reap advantage, or
suffer loss. Therefore, my present duty is not to slander my
slanderers, not to meditate revenge, or rejoice when evil finds
them: But, first, to justify God in all things; then, to forgive,
pray for, and love mine enemies; thirdly, to study what I may
be reproved in, chastised for, or instructed about; and, lastly,
that every grace, (faith in God, patience under the rod, hu-
mility of mind, and meekness towards all,) may improve
under the present providences.
MEDITATION XIX.
FEAE, AND OTHER PASSIONS.
Four things I should fear; God, myself, temptation, and
sin. I should fear God for his greatness; self, for its infir-
mity; temptation, for its danger; and sin for its defilement. I
should fear God with love; myself with caution; sin with
hatred; and temptation with resolution. The fear of God
will take away the fear of man ; the fear of self will moderate
the love of self; the fear of sin will make watchful against
sin; and the fear of temptation will be an antidote against
temptation. My fear of God should be constant with cheer-
fulness; of self, constant v.ith trembling; of sin, constant
with watchfulness; and of temptation, constant with vigilance.
The first is my attainment; the second is my duty; the third
is my wisdom; and the fourth is my prudence. The fear of
sin shall fly away, when I am made perfect in holiness, and
pass into glory ; the fear of self shall cease, when self is put
off, and God is all in all ; the fear of temptation, when Satan
is trodden under my feet; but the fear of God shall endure
for ever; only the panic is removed, when love is made per-
fect, and casteth out fear; for the fear of saints, struggling
with a body of sin and death, hath torment in it; but there is
no torment in the fear of seraphic hosts, who, w^ith the pro-
foundest awe and reverence before the throne, cover their
faces with their wings. I see, then, that love, accompanied
with fear that has cast out the torment of terror, shall dwell
in every glorified breast.
Several things should be the objects of my most ardent
desire; as, the lessening of Satan's kingdom; the down-
fall of the Roman Antichrist, and Mahometan delusion; the
conversion of the Jews; the spreading of the gospel and
40 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
knowledge of God through the world; the growth of practical
religion in every breast ; and the hastening of the glory of
the latter days.
Several things I should admire and wonder at; as, the
being and perfections of God ; the unity in Trinity, and Trin-
ity in unity; the love of God; the incarnation of the Son;
the passion of Christ; the purchase of his sufferings; the
names of Immanuel; the offices of the Redeemer; the rela-
tions of the God-man; the Holy Ghost's indwelling in the
soul ; the union of saints to their Head ; the communion of
creatures with God; the justification of the guilty; the sanc-
tification of the unclean ; the glorification of man that is but a
worm ; the great and precious promises ; the excellency of
grace ; the efficacy of faith ; the nature and immortality of the
soul ; and the glories of the world to come.
Several things I should mourn over; as, the hardness of
my heart; my ignorance of God; my lukewarmness in the
matters of his glory; the prevalency of sin; my want of
love; my promptitude to revenge; my complacency in cre-
ated enjoyments; a carnal mind and tongue; and careless-
ness about the concerns of the unseen world : and abroad the
world, I should mourn over the degeneracy of the times ; the
corruption of morals; the abounding of iniquity; the tram-
pling on truth; and the adorning of the temple of error;
which, if attacked, an outcry is made. Great is the light of
nature, the power of free will, and the excellency of morality,
the goddess of the universe.
Several things I should prefer to others; as, the glory of
God to all; his honour to my credit; and his love more than
my own life : — and I should grieve more at the sins of others,
than for mine own sorrows, and count my sins a heavier bur-
den than my afflictions. I should esteem the promise of
eternal life more than the possession of all created things, and
inward joy more than outward peace.
And, finally, in the midst of all, several things should cause
me to rejoice; as that God governs all things; that all things
shall work for his glory, and the good of his people; that
righteousness shall dwell in the earth, and sin as ashamed
stop its mouth ; that grace shall be perfected ; conquest crown
the wrestler ; and love be blown into a flame, when eternal
life is the portion of the soul, and God is all in all in heaven,
where vision shall be without the glass, fruition above mea-
sure, communion inconceivably and divinely near, knowledge
full, and the saints, (in the highest perfection that creatures
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 41
can attain unto,) made partakers of the divine nature' Now,
what joy may it afford, that the glory of this day, the dawn-
ing of eternal glory, is not very far away ?
MEDITATION XX.
UNIVERSAL I3IPROVEMENT.
As there is not a moment of time but I must account for,
so there is nothing that happens me but I should improve.
Miseries I should improve, to remind me of my pedigree,
that my first father had sinned; mercies, in admiring the
fountain whence, and the freeness with which they flow;
prosperity, in cheerful devotion; adversity, in considera-
tion; riches, in charity; poverty, in contentment; opportu-
nity of revenge, in a frank forgiveness, and doing good for
ill ; evil company, in raising my estimate of the saints of
God; loss of relations, in loosening my affections from the
creature, raising them to the immortal world, and remem-
bering my latter end ; sickness, in preparing for my change ;
health, in a cheerful performance of Christian, relative, and
social duties ; knowledge, in trying all, and holding fast that
which is best; crosses and losses, in learning the vanity of
the world; answers of prayer, in returns of praise; delays,
in patience ; disappointment, in resignation ; changes in my
lot, in submission ; the uproar of kingdoms, in remembering
that God rules the nations, and stills the tumults of the people ;
temptation to sin, in flying to the grace of God, distrusting
self, and improving the promise ; the falsifying friend, in ado-
ring the faithfulness of God; strife and discord in church or
state, in admiring the happy state; when the adorers are one
before the throne; manifestation, in humility; desertion, in
holy diligence ; correction, in amendment: gifts, for edifica-
tion: time, for eternity: grace, for glory: and my soul in all
her faculties, for God.
MEDITATION XXI.
THE soul's enlargement ON HIGH.
1757.
Here the soul, confined to clay, is like a royal personage
in prison, whose grand attendance is not seen, because he
cannot come abroad. While this heaven-born excellency
d2
4? SOLITUDE SWEETENED ; OR,
is here below, wisdom differs but a little from folly: under-
standing is but a few degrees removed from ignorance: and
all the mental powers are feeble. But O the enlargement
of the soul on high! This map of future glories, now folded
up in flesh, shall be extended in breadth and length above.
How penetrating then shall wisdom be! how active every
power! how vigorous the flame of love! how enlarged the
understanding! and how beautiful in the heights of glory
shall the whole soul appear! Here, the child of grace, who
was glad of a seat on the threshold of the temple, and could
with joy have been but a door-keeper in the house of God,
shall not only be a pillar in the temple above, but shall be a
living temple, in which the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
shall condescend to dwell, and fill f;r ever with his glory!
O transcending bliss! to be dignified with such an inhabitant,
who will write, in letters of immutable love, "This is my
rest, here will I dwell for ever, for I desire it, and delight in
it." Yea, in fine, the soul which would be content to shine
as the least star in the firmament of glory, shall, in the vis-
ions of God, be extended to a transparent heaven, and spread
into a cloudless sky, in which all the perfections of God shall
sparkle like the stars, and the graces of the Holy Spirit, like
so many planets shall roll round the sun of righteousness,
eager to approach his assimilating beams, his vivifying rays:
while he, the sum and source of bliss, fixed in his love in the
centre of the soul, shall spread his quickening flames to every
corner of the heart. No more vexations, like vapours exhaled
by the heat of righteous indignation, shall fill my atmosphere
with the suffocating fogs of anguish, or fall in showers of sor-
row that end in streams of briny tears. Thunders and tem-
pests there no more molest, where all is tranquillity; no
eclipse, where all is light; no shadow, v/here all is illumina-
tion; no evening, where all is everlasting day.
This sky, spread out by the fingers of redeeming love, this
new created heaven, is not only beauteous like a molting
looking-glass, but shall be strong to stand for ever; and then,
and there, O how shall union be strengthened, assimilation
increased ! How shall joy heighten, wisdom grow, knowledge
ripen, communion be most free, and ecstacy and rapture
swell, fill, and overflow forevermore!
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 43
MEDITATION XXIl.
AFFLICTION THE LOT OF SAINTS BELOW.
3Iay 13 and 19, 1757.
/While I am mortal, I must taste of the waters of Mara,
drink of the cup of adversity, and swim the tempestuous
ocean. It is the perfection of angels, that they could never
know the pathos of mental disquiet, or the pangs of anguish;
and it 's the happiness of dep.arted saints, to obtain joy for
mourmng, a crown for crosses, and to forget their misery, if
not wholly, yet to remember it as waters, once swelled to a
dreadful flood, but that now for ever flow away. It is then the
misery of the sons of men, only while here, to be, as it v/ere,
a mark set up for the arrows of tribulation, and to be engaged
in constant war, and in perpetual broils; but it is the privi-
leges of the Christian soldier to wear the shield of ftiith, with
which he shall be able to quench the fiery darts of Satan,
and to ward off the sling-stones of tribulation which pelt him
from every quarter. How, then, may I triumph under all my
affliciions, I consider,
1. That they come from God, whatever be the instrument.
•'^'Thou hast chastised me, and I v/as chastised: thou hast
afflicted me in faithfulnesvs."
2. That they are out of love : " Whom the Lord loveth he
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."
3. That they are for my good: "Fathers of our flesh chas-
tise us for their pleasure, but he for our profit, that we may
be partakers of his holiness."
4. That they are for the exercise of grace, even of that no-
ble grace of fiiih: "When I am afraid, I will trust m thee;'*
hero faith is improved by affliction. "My brethren, count it
all joy when ye fail into divers temptations, knowing that the
trying of your faith worketh patience. Not only so, but"
(strange to tell!) "we glory in tribulation also, knowing that
tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and
experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, because the
love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost."
5. They are noble antidotes against and preservatives from
sin: "Ere I was afliicted, I strayed, but now I keep thy word."
6. They assimilate the saints to their glorious Head, their
sympathising and feeling High Priest, who was "a man of
sorrows, and acquainted with grief: " yea, in the work of
44 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
redemption, " (he Captain of their salvation was made perfect
through sufferings."
7. Tiiey give a general disgust of all created things, and prove
the creature to be subject to vanity; hence, says one much
inured to affliction, "I have seen an end of all perfection."
8. They teach humanity and sympathy to fellow-creatures
in the same circumstances. Israel, from their being stran-
gers, were to know the heart of a stranger, and deal kindly
with him; and in this men ought to imitate him, "who suffered
being tempted, that he might know how to succour them that
are tempted, and be a merciful High Priest to his people."
9. They make very humble, and break the haughty mind
and bring down the lofty thought: "I shall go softly all m)
years, in the bitterness of my soul ; my soul is as a weaned
child;" and God has this in view by them, to hide pride
from man.
10. They make the man rightly exercised therein, to know
himself, and think on his former ways; to resort often to the
throne of grace, go often to God, and increase, as it were, the
acquaintance between God and his soul: "In the day of my
trouble I sought the Lord.
11. They give clear and certain proof of the providence
of God, who in six troubles and in seven delivers out of them.
They preach his power, who makes his people pass through
fire and water, not to other ruin, which we might well expect,
but to a wealthy place, to heaven and to glory.
They prepare for glory, and make us fit to join the company
of those that came out of great tribulation, and have washed
their garments and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,
therefore are they before the throne of God, and enjoy him
in all his divine plenitude, world without end.
Shall I, then, despise the discipline of heaven, from which
none are exempted, no, not the Son of God? Yea, all the
heirs of glory are brought up in the school of the cross. — O
royal privilege, inestimable blessing, to be under the care of
heaven, and tuition of God ! Away, despondency, begone ;
thou wouldst cast a covering over the love of him who is my
tower in troublous days; and make me conclude hardly of
him who has thoughts of kindness towards me. — Can infinite
wisdom be at a loss to contrive, or infinite power nonplussed
to bring to pass, to bring to perfection, my relief? Till then,
I shall, I will believe; nor shall I look to means, or tie Omni-
potence to them. Brings Israel to the rock to quench their
tliirst! What! Can solid flint be converted into a cooling
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 45
stream? But, lol the aged sides divide asunder, and let this
promised springs refresh the parched hosts. Omnipotence,
rather than not perform, will stop the course of nature, and
make the restless billows rise in liquid walls, that Israel's
bondaged sons may tread the trackless sand; will bid the ra-
ven feed, with morning and evening care, the wandering
prophet; and forbid the fire to burn, or even to singe the gar-
ments of the glorious martyrs ; yea, to feed his chosen people,
he creates and rains down manna from above. Who, then,
should bound his power, or doubt his faithfulness? God will
never break his word, whatever men think, nor falsify his
faithful promise. Cursed unbelief implies, that either God
promises what he never intends to perform, or what he is not
able to perfect; both which are blasphemous; both which, O
my soul ! abhor, and rather rejoice in tribulation, which, when
watered by the dew of heaven, is so far from being a barren
soil, that it is the nursery of other graces, and brings forth pa-
tience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and
hope strong confidence, and sweet dependence on that God
whose love is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost.
Again, in affliction the saints are ascertained of the love
and care of God, when their prayers enter into his holy habi-
tation, and their requests are answered to the joy of their
soul. Hence it was sin in Israel to chide with Moses, and to
quarrel with God, when brought into difficulties and dangers
that seemed inextricable every way. Before them the Red
Sea forbids them to advance, high hills on every side hinder
their escape, and behind advancing hosts, swoln with rage,
and ravening after blood, deny a safe retreat. — Now man is
more than nonplussed; all courage fails; faith and hope are
low; fears are high; and, alasl their eye is not towards Him
who can do all things, and who did instantaneously, to mani-
fest his power, and fix his people's faith in himself, divide the
raging floods, and build the restless waters in crystal walls,
to bound their steps in ways not known before, and clothe
their rear in shady night which darted pitchy darkness in the
eyes of the keen pursuer.
Seeing Thou, O Governor of men! canst make crooked
things straight, rough places plain, and affliction even to be-
come a friend, I will rejoice in thee for ever, nor quarrel at
thy conduct. Yea, wo to them; nay, wo to me, if I use any
unlawful means, or be too anxious to set my nest on high,
that I may be deli veered from the power of evil. Agitating
affliction, like the flux and reflux of the sea, casts out mire
46 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
and dirt, sweeps its troubled bosom, refines the affections, and
purifies the soul. Take courage, O my soul! and mind that
yet a little while and sin is no more, and sorrow is no more,
and temptations are no more, and troubles are no more; and
tim.e is no more : but yet a little while, and love, and life, and
light, and liberty, and joy, and glory, rapture and delight: in
a word, God and all his fulness, are thine for evermore.
MEDITATION XXIII.
PRIVATE EXPERIENCE.
May 24, 1757.
Othe wonderful condescension of God! If he looks into
heaven, among thrones and dominions, seraphim and cheru-
bim, it is humility, stupendous humility. How much more
when he casts his caring eyes on this inferior world ! But still
most of all, when he hears the cries, and answers tlie re-
quests of one who is infinitely less than the least of all his
mercies! Thou hast heard, and I am revived; thou hast an-
swered me, and I am confirmed in my belief of thy love towards
me. O Lord! henceforth let all my love be thine and on thee
let all ray faith depend. Now I know to whom to fly, and
where it is safe to hide me. Now I know, that one day is to
God as a thousand years, and that whatever he can do in a
thousand j^ears, he can do in one day. Now, to the friend that
sticketh closer than a brother, with confidence I will cleave.
Faith could never be too large in its requests to God in prayer,
but God has many a time gone beyond faith in his returns of
mercy, and made the blessing broader than belief itself, and
more extensive than the utmost expectation.
Alas! it is night in the soul, when unbelief suggests that
God's ear is heavy, that he cannot hear, and his hand shor-
tened that he cannot save. Lord, let such a night never
spread over my horizon; but let the day star of faith spread
out the purpled morning, till the glorious sun brings in the
perfect day. Mine extremity has been, and still shall be, thine
opportunity to appear in my relief. Circumstances with me
may come to my utmost, even to my last extreme, but can
never come to thy utmost; but even though it were so, thou
canst save to the uttermost all that come unto thee. — Let others
conclude of the conduct of providence as they please; but
for my part, I approve and praise, and henceforth shall be at
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITA.TIONS. 47
thy disposal, O glorious Governor of men and angels] Do
with me as thou wilt, for thy kindness I have experienced
from my cradle, and shall do to the tomb. The world is a
stranger to the mystery of providence, and to the communion
thy people have with thee therein. They know nothing of
the prayer of faith, nor of the return of prayer. When the
soul is helped to take firm hold of God in the promise, and to
look to him alone, and nothing else, and none besides, it is a
prelude of approaching mercy. — Now if my conscious soul
can blush, let me be ashamed out of my unbelief for ever.
Blessed be thy name that thou hast not dealt with me as I have
sinned, given me mine own measure into my bosom, and re-
paid my low thoughts of God with scanty outlettings of thy
kindness. Now, O Lord ! hold me in the hollow of thy hand,
and under thy wings let me reside; while any way thou shalt
dispose of me, shall every icay delight me, till I am brought at
last beyond the line of time, where changes and mutations
shall never more take place.
MEDITATION XXIV.
ALL PLENITUDE IN CHRIST, TO ANSWER ALL THE WANTS
OF HIS PEOPLE.
May 24, 1757.
In Christ dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, that
out of his fulness I may receive, and grace for grace. Have
I destroyed myself by sin ? On him who is mighty to save
from sin and wrath has God laid help for me — Is my foolish
mind darkened, and am I a guilty, polluted, and ruined
wretch? Of God he is made to me wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. — Am I of yesterday, and pass
away as a shadow? He is the Ancient of d-ays, and endureth
for evermore. — Am I of few years, and full of trouble? He
is my life,-the length of my days, and the joy of my heart. —
Am I exposed to contempt? He shall be to me for a crown
of glory, and for a diadem of beauty. — Am I travelling
through the wilderness? He is my staif, and on him I lean
all the way. — Am I on my last journey to my long home?
He is my leader, and my rewarder. — Am I a sheep? He
is my pasture, and my green pasture too. — Am I hungry and
thirsty? He is my heavenly manna, and gives me to drink
of the water of life. — Am I weary? He is my rest and
48 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
refreshing. — Am I weak? He is strength to them that turn the
battle to the gate. — Am I oppressed and wronged? He is my
judge, and my avenger. — Am I reproached? He will bring
forth my judgment as the noon-day and the reproach of his
people he will wipe away. — Am I a stranger? He is my
shield. — Am I a soldier? He is my captain, and complete
armour. — Must I fight in the field of battle? — He is my
covering in the day of war. — Do I sit in darkness? He is
my light. — ^In doubts ? He is my counsellor. — Am I ignorant ?
He is made of God wisdom to me. — Am I guilty ? He is my jus-
tification.— Filthy? He is my sanctification. — Am I dead? He
is my life and quickens those that are dead in trespasses and
sins. — Am I poor? He is the pearl of great price, and can fill
all my treasures. Am I blind? He, and none but he, can
open the eyes of one born blind. Am I naked? He has white
raiment to cover the shame of my nakedness. Am I in the
very utmost necessity? He is a very present help in time of
trouble. Am I exposed to the hurricanes of adversity? He
is a refuge from the storm, a covert from the blast, as rivers of
waters in a dry place, and as the shadow of a great rock in a
weary land. Am I afraid of being left alone? He will never
leave me, nor forsake me. Do I wait the performance of the
promise ? He is the yea and amen of all the promises of God.
Do friends and brethren prove false? He is the friend that
sticketh closer than a brother. Am I in danger, as to my out-
ward man, from diseases and death ; as to my inward man,
from sin and Satan? My life is hid with Christ in God,
and when he shall appear, I shall appear with him, in my
body immortal, and glorious in my soul. Is my cause tabled
in the court of heaven? There he is my Advocate. Do 1
offend the Father? With him he is my Intercessor. Do I
suffer in my body, and am grieved in my mind? He bare my
infirmities, and carried my griefs. Is my mind disquieted,
and my soul debarred from peace ? He is my feeling High
Priest; and, in that he was tempted, knows to succour them
that are tempted. Am I injured in my estate, and reduced in
my circumstances? He, the heir of all things, though he was
rich, yet for my sake he became poor, that I through his
poverty might be made rich. Do I suffer in my character?
He was numbered with transgressors, called a Samaritan, a
glutton, a wine-bibber, and a devil. Do I suffer in the death
of friends, the nearest and dearest? Well, he in the fatal
night was left alone ; all the disciples forsook him and fled ;
and he, my only friend, can never die. Must I undergo death
.^
St
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIOIS S. 49
m\d be laid in the grave? He has taken avray the sting of
death, and spoiled the grave of its victory. Must I rot? He
shall be my resurrection, and raise me to immortality and
bliss. "V\'ould I go to God, and to glory ? He is my way, and
must admit me into the palace of the great King, where I
shall abide for ever.
In fine, he is my kinsman, my physician, my prophet, priest,
and king, my father, head, and husband; and hereafter, when
I shall dwell in the land of bliss, in the city of God, he will be
the light thereof; and since I am to worship there for ever, he
will be the temple of the general assembly and church of the
first-born. My wants are many, but his fulness is infinitely
more. The morning-dews and fructifying showers water the
fields, and refresh the parched furrows ; but what are they to the
exhaustless ocean ? So what is all that I enjoy below, (and yet
with thy goodness I am satisfied,) to the exuberant fulness of
the heavenly bliss? O! then, how shall my soul be replenished
when possessed of this infinite all, through eternity itself I
MEDITATION XXV,
PRAYER AND PRAISE.
3Iay 29, 1757.
Prayer and praise is the employment of the two families of
earth and heaven, the church-militant and the church-trium-
phant. Prayer is the native breathings of the heaven-born soul,
the lisp in gs of the child of grace, who, when grown to the
stature of a perfect man in Christ Jesus, and taken home to
his higher house, breaks forth into melodious strains of praise.
Prayer suits the state below, and praise the state above.
Here I am vexed with sin and temptation, with wants and in-
firmities, therefore I pray; but there I shall be blessed with
the removal of sin and temptation, of wants and infirmities;
therefore I shall praise. Here God gives all, but for his gifts
I he will be inquired of by the house of Israel, that he may be-
stow them; hence prayer is now my duty: But there he has
given all things, and for his gifts he will be acknowledged by
all the heavenly host; hence praise then is my debt. Prayer
is the soul pouring out itself to God in a state of trial ; and
praise is the soul's pouring out itself to God in a state of tri-
jmph. Now, as our life is a life of trouble, a complication of
calamities, and a scene of afiliclion, prayer is more properly
our continual exercise; for "if an}^ man is afEicted, let him
E
50 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
pray." But on high, as all is peace, perfection, purity, and
joy, praise is most properly their exercise; hence the hosts
before the throne are said "not to rest day nor night" in prai-
sing him that sits thereon for ever. Yet as judgment is mixed
with mercy, and our condition, however calamitous, has some-
thing in it comfortable ; therefore praise also waits in Zion on
the Hearer of prayer. The foundation of prayer is God's
all-sutficiency and promise, and my insufficiency; for if I
needed nothing, I should ask nothing, even at the hand of God ;
like those of old who said. We are lords, toe will come no more
unto thee; and as I must believe that God is, if I come unto
him, so I must believe that God has to give and will give
according to his promise, if I ask of him.
O divine exercise below! for while I present my supplica-
,tion, and narrate my grievances, I am sometimes transported
from these glooms of anguish, to a mental calm and tranquillity
of mind, where I am filled with rapture, while I by faith fore-
see all my requests fulfilled, and the causes of my sorrow
annihilated in his love. By prayer, the soul's embassy on
the most interesting affairs is carried to the court of heaven,
sometimes in broken sentences, devout ejaculations, pious as-
pirations, sighs, and groans. By it I reveal my mind to the
Most High, ease my burdened breast and devolve all my diffi-
culties on God, and then composedly rest. This is the
Christian's evening and morning sacrifice to God; but the
prayerless person is the profane atheist, who denies adoration
to the Author of his being. O! then, to be sensible of the
majesty of God, for fear of whom my very flesh should tremble !
O deluded Papist! why commit thy suits to angels, or de-
parted saints? Though they were concerned for thee, which
they are not, yet, seeing they attend the throne of God in the
highest heavens, they can neither know of thy complaints nor
thee, unless possessed of omnisciency, which it were blasphe-
mous to suppose? But is not God every where, and fills the
very heart? As in him thou livest, movest, and breathest, so
in him thou thinkest; and to him alone, through his beloved
Son, thou shouldst pour out all thy complaints and supplica-
tions. Friends may be removed, acquaintance taken away,
public worship without reach, liberty denied, I banished from
my native land ; yet the soul and prayer must never separate.
The royal charter is lodged within my breast, that I may be
robbed of every thing sooner than of liberty to come with bold-
ness through the blood of Jesus, to the throne of grace. The
wicked, through his pride of face, will not call upon God; but
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 51
it is my highest honour to he admitted into the presence of the
King eternal, and to have his ear open, and attentive to my
request. What is the saint's prayer book? Just affliction, and
a body of sin and death lying hard upon him, and Christ, in
all his divine offices and endearing relations. The first teaches
him for what to pray, and the last to whom. In this divine
exercise, God condescends to wrestle with his people, and in
the struggle to be prevailed upon : " Let me go," sa5-s God ;
*'I will not," says the wrestler, till thou "bless me," In
prayer God and the soul meet, and hold communion together;
then the curtain of heaven is drawn aside, that I may look in,
and see my large possessions ,• then do I get a glance of the
King in his beauty, and a glimpse of the excellencies of the
life above, so that I am filled with wonder, and desire to de-
part, and to be with Jesus. This is the well at which I drink
the heavenly water, and am refreshed and strengthened for
m)^ journey. Lord, while allowed to come into thy presence
with boldness, let secret sin, (ah! what avails it that the world
does not know?) never cause a secret shame before thee.
Meantime, may I know in whom I believe, to whom I reveal
my cause, and utter my complaint, and rejoice because the
day is approaching when I shall not need to ask any thing,
because possessed of all. O eternal triumph! when my
prayers shall be turned into praise, my complaints into ac-
clamations of joy, mourning, sighs and groans, into hosannas
and endless hallelujahs; when beams of glory shall dilate my
ravished powers of mind, and sacred plenitude overflow my
raptured soul for ever.
MEDITATION XXVL
ON A BLIND BEGGAR.
June 1, 1757.
Poor man! thou walkest in darkness, though presented on
every side with noon-day beams. T'hou must commit thy-
self to the conduct of thy fellow-creatures, and by them be
led from door to door, seeing " those that look out at the win-
dows are darkened." Who can but sympathize with thy
condition, and pity thee ? Poison unknown to thee may be
poured into thy cup ; thou mayst fall into the fire or the wa-
ter, or a ditch; mayst dash thy foot against every stone,
and have the naked sword brandished at thy breast, while
ignorant of thy danger, thou makest no attempts to escape.
52 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
How* melancholy, then, the case of the men that are spiri
tually blind, that diink the cruel " poison of asps," that fall
into every sink of sin, that run into every danger, rush "on
the bosses of Jehovah's buckler," and oppose their hardened
breast against the naked point of justice's flaming sword!
And how sad that the persons in this condition, ignorant of
their danger, should sport with wrath, and make a mock at sin !
If we heard of whole nations struck blind, and not one left
to lead another, but all perishing in this deplorable situation,
how would we feel in the tenderest manner for them ! Now,
are there not whole nations that sit in the region and shadow
of death, that grope in darkness, and never find their way to
heaven? For them, therefore, we should feel in a manner
tender above expression, from the very bottom of our souls.
To the benighted tribes, would not mankind from every quar-
ter of the globe, send to afford them all possible relief? And
should not all Christian powers exert themselves to their very
utmost, to spread the saving -knowledge of a Saviour among
the heathen? Could a man recover the blind, how would
they gratefully accept the cure, and bless the healing hand!
But, in a land where life and immortality are brought to
light, how many sit in the shade, and will not quit their
gloomy cell for all the beauties of the day? Happy those
who have the e3'es of their mind opened, and in his heavenly
hght see light clearly; who see the deformity of sin, the
beauty of holiness, the excellency of religion, the necessity
of the new birth, the preciousness of Christ, and shortly, in
the light of glory, shall see as they are seen.
4
MEDITATION XXVII.
LOVE IN SAINTS.
Love is a passion planted in the human breast, which
once was wholly a right seed, but is now turned into the de-
generate plant of a strange vine. Ere sin entered into the
world, love wholly centred on God; then the fire burnt
purely, and the soul ascended in the sacred flame to God.
Then there was sweet intercourse between heaven and earth,
and man maintained communion with his Maker. Admiring
the beauties of creation, his soul with pleasure ascended up
the streams of created excellencies, to the fountain of uncrea-
ted glory; and, ravished with the view, he saw his interest
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 53
in his Maker to be of another kind than the lower world could
claim. This was bliss, and it was this made paradise so near
akin to heaven. This, and not the blowing flowers ; this, and
not the verdant groves; this, and not the spreading streams;
this, and not the fragrant gums ; this, and not the bending
boughs; this, and not the warbling tribes; this, and not a
cloudless sky; this, and not the sight of angels; this, and not
their mutual love, made our first parents happy in their
first abode.
But man no sooner admitted sin and Satan in, than God
in justice drove him out of paradise, and from his station too;
and what tongue can tell liis sad condition now ? His love is
not only cooled towards God, but corrupted from God ; hence
he worships the creature more than the Creator, who is God
over all blessed for ever. As the lion with terrible majesty
hunts his prey through the trembling forest, while the spider,
with silent cunning, catches the fly sporting on the window,
or entangled under the web ; so, from the throne to the dung-
hill, every person pursues vanities adapted to his state, but
quite destructive to his immortal soul. O how has man gone
back by a perpetual backsliding! God punishes it in an
awful manner; for as they like not to retain God in their
knowledge, so God gives them up to a reprobate mind. They
choose their ways, and God chooses their delusions. God is
not in the counsel of their heart, and they are not under the
conduct of his Spirit. They provoke God to anger by their
vanities, and he puts them to pain with vexation and wo
But what is still more to be wondered at, is, that after God
has given the brightest manifestations of his infinite love, in
readmitting the rebel into friendship, through the sufferings
of his well-beloved Son, man should still pursue shadows, and
pour his love on perishing trifles. And art not thou, my soul,
blame-worthy here, that art busied every day about vanities,
but cold, key-cold, in love to the Perfection of beauty.' '
Surely the angels of light, and the spirits of just men made
perfect, are surprised to see the expectants of the same glory,
deluded, charmed, and enchanted with perishing vanities, and
not enraptured with the Chiefest among ten thousand. The
inhabitants of the better country despise our sin-burnt beau-
ties, and worm-eaten excellencies; yea, they would blush to
mention our delights, or to take up the object of our love in
their lips. What would a seraph care for the sceptre of a
terrestrial empire ? or a glorified saint for the government of
an earthly kingdom ? And why should I, then, care so much
e2
54 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
for less things, who in my expectations, am travelling to the
same place, and rising to the same glory.
May I, then, for a moment draw aside the curtain of time,
glance into the other world, and get a glimpse of the object
of my love. Ah me! the vision is too bright, the glory too
refulgent for my feeble sight! See all the heavens enlight-
ened with his glory; crowned with majesty divine, he fills
his lofty throne, ana sways the sceptre far through all exis-
tence. See seraphim and cherubim bow before him, and
mighty angels fall prostrate at his feet. Yea, see him in thy
nature stand and plead for thee, not forgetful of thy need,
nor deaf to thy distress, amidst his boundless glory. See ap-
proaching myriads, even the ransomed nations, sick of love,
adore him in unutterable strains. And why dost thou not
love him? Thou canst not doubt his power, for he is God;
nor his compassion, for he is man ; nor his salvation, for he is
God-man in one person. All heaven is eternally enamoured
with him; and it would be rebellion to bid them lift their
love, and lay it on any other. The Father loves him, angels
love him, saints love him ; and it is pleasant in the eye of God
that the excellency of all fulness should dvv^ell in him. Under
how many ties am I to love him! for what he hath been, what
he is, and what he will be to me ; for what he hath done,
what he is doing, and what he will do for me. Before he
made the world my salvation was secured in the sure decree ;
thus w ith an everlasting love he loved me ; and why with
loving-kindness should not I be drawn? Then he rejoiced in
the habitable parts of the earth, and his delights were with
the sons of men.
Again, I should love him for what he is. But here words
cannot express my thoughts, nor my thoughts my subject.
He is the mighty God, on my side! The creator of both
worlds, for me! His perfections are infinite, innumerable,
and eternal; he is self-existent, self-sufficient, omnipotent,
omnipresent, omniscient, unchangeable, and independent.
He is holy, just, and good, merciful, faithful, long-suffering
and compassionate. In a word, God is love; and love begets
its like in the soul of every saint, who is filled with wonder at
the person of Immanuel, who is every thing that they or I
can need. He satisfies every longing desire, performs every
endearing office, as prophet, priest, and king ; fills every ten-
der relation, as kinsman, friend, brother, father,, husband
Love shall be the subject of my song for ever.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 55
Again, I should love him for what he will be to me. Now,
he will be my God even unto death; my shield and sun in the
dark vale of dissolution. He will bring me to the palace of
the King, with joy on every side; will be my temple in the
highest heavens, and my portion through the endless ages of
eternity.
Likewise, how should I love him for what he has done, is
doing, and will do to me ! — For me he hath done great things,
whereof my soul is glad. He has, by making his soul an of-
fering for sin, satisfied justice, magnified the law, removed
my guilt, and reconciled my soul to God. For what he is
doing: He is appearing in the presence of God for me, plead-
ing my cause, interceding on my behalf, and offering my
prayers with his own incense at his Father's throne. He is
ordering all things well for me, perfecting what concerns me,
hearing my petitions, marking my requests, numbering my
groans, telHng my wanderings, and putting my tears into his
bottle; and, as my feeling High Priest, sympathizing with me
in all my afflictions. — Lastly, for what he will do: but who,
besides thee, O God ! knowest what thou hast laid up for those
that wait on thee ? Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard,
nor can the most capacious soul conceive, of that abundant
bliss, which only can be revealed in the enjoyment, and known
in the possession. O happy day ! when I shall put off mortality,
and this clay-tabernacle, and join the shining assembly of
sinless adorers, whom he feeds and feasts with the fatness of
the higher house, satisfies with his likeness, replenishing
every power with his plenitude, and ravishing the whole soul
with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Come, then, my soul! look from the height of perishing
things to the mount of God, where every soul glows with sa-
cred love, and dwells among the assimilating flames. — Didst
thou see a man of three score years chasing flies and feathers,
like the child of three, what wouldst thou think of him? And
while the world is thy chase, what, O my demitted soul! shall
I conclude of thee ? Ransack the whole creation of God, and
fiee if all its excellences together can vie with one ray of his
glory, one beam of his love : then let his love to thee constrain
thy love to him, and thus begin the work of heaven on earth.
The perfection of bliss in heaven shall consist in the perfec-
tion of love, for love is the sum of felicity. Take away love
from heaven, heaven could no more boast of its unbounded
bliss. Life, light, love, are the trinity of perfection, and the
perfection of the adorable Trinity. Of all the heavenly
56 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
graces, love only returns to heaven, without any change but
of putting on perfection, and casting out fear. To dwell in
love, and to dwell in God, cannot be separated; and the more
I dwell in love, the nearer I dwell to God below; and when
at last I rise to the highest degrees of love, I shall arrive at
the nearest communion with God.
Roll on, ye longed for days, and come, thou everlasting
dawn, that I may plunge into this sea of bliss, this ocean of
eternal love, and know what it is to love him to the full, whom
here I scarcely dare allege I love.
MEDITATION XXVIII.
LOVE IN GOD.
Love in the saints is a noble grace, but superlatively glo-
rious in God. On it angels look and admire; and I should
look, and adore. Every thing in God has the majesty of a
God. Hence his mercy is in the heavens; his truth reacheth
to the clouds; his justice is like the mountains; his judgments
are a great deep; his pity is like that of a father; his patience
great to a miracle ; he is ready to forgive ; his goodness is
abundant unto all; and his love, in height, breadth, depth, and
length, past knowledge. Although the mercy-seat that dwells
so long between the cherubim of gospel grace shall in a little
be turned into the fiery throne of judgment, and long-abused
patience into indignation and wrath; when the royal signet
that sealed the salvation of thousands, shall stamp the irrever-
sible doom of an unbelieving world; yet love in God shall
undergo no change. Here, it shines as the morning-star,
through the scattered clouds ; there, as the noon-day sun, in
the illuminated regions of glory.
"jProm everlasting to everlasting^'' is the epithet of love.
A love without beginning and without end, gives a bliss with-
out limits and bounds. This amazing love of God produces
a sweet similitude in the love of his saints; so that, as the
one measures with the existence of God, from everlasting to
everlasting, the other measures with the existence of the new
creature, from the hour of conversion to all eternity. Their
gifts shall end, their graces change, faith be turned into
vision, hope into fruition; but love shall neither end nor
change : it shall heighten and brighten in the altitude of glory,
when the drop is lost in the ocean, when the soul arrives at
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 57
its centre, and rests, with ineffable complacency, and unknown
delight in God.
A^ain, O how free is this love of God ! nothing moving him
to love. When we love, it is for something we think excel-
lent and agreeable to us : but he loves the naked child when
weltering in its blood, and as a proof of non-such love, dresses,
salts, swaddles, clothes it, and makes it comely through his
comeliness being put upon it.
Again, his love is a full love. The oceans ebb and flow;
if at one time they cover the shores, at another time they
leave their beds bare and dry; but his love is perfect in its
plenitude, notwithstanding these boundless oceans that have
watered the whole universe ; that have run in mighty torrents
among the angelic and seraphic hosts above, and in amazing
inundations among fallen men below. — Though there be re
peated manifestations of love to his hidden ones, and thousands
of his favourites feast on this heavenly food, while travelling
through the howling wilderness ; yea, though the egress of
love, through the unnumbered ages of eternity, shall be con-
tinued to the glorified throng, still its ardour and exuberance
will be evermore the same. The ocean will not be one drop
less for all the waterings of the fields of bliss. After the sun
of righteousness, through a duration in eternity beyond con-
ception, and above the reach of thought, has illuminated the
spacious continent of glory with his beams, not one ray, not
one irradiation, shall be in the least diminished.
Again, his love is efiicient, active, and an operative love.
I may love a fellow creature, or an absent friend, and yet
avail them nothing, nor they so much as know it ; but the love
of God, like the light, reveals itself wherever it is. Love
draws and we run; his love constrains, compels our love; for
a pardoned sinner cannot choose but love. Wherever the
heavenly spark falls, it sets the soul in a flame.
Again, the love of God is a fixed and unchangeable love,
and the more the soul is in sorrow or distress, the more free
and full are the communications of divine love. In the time
of need, the world's love will give us the slip; but in the
most calamitous circumstances, sacred love performs the part
of two loves, and sticketh closer than a brother. Mortal's
love, (alas ! how many can attest the truth of this !) may to-
day appear ardent, steadfast and sincere, but to-morrow be en-
tirely cooled; yea, converted into slander, hatred and revenge
But let all the sons of God know, that divine love shall be to
them what the holy waters were to the prophet, ever on the
58 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
increasej till it be an ocean to swim in for ever. Against fears
on every side this is comfort, that God will rest in his love.
Divine love is also a beneficent love. Jonathan loved Da-
vid exceedingly, but could not do much for him, nor save him
from being expelled his native country; but the love of God
is fruitful of every blessing: is the tree that bears all kinds of
fruits that nourish the soul, and feast every power. The love
of poor men can bring no advantage to the persons loved : but
when God sets his love upon a sinner, all at once, he who had
nothing of late, has all things, life, liberty, friends, riches,
glory, a kingdom; sufficiency here, and all-sufficiency here-
after; in a word, all that can be named, sought after, wished
for, or thought upon. Then, ye sons of earth ! hug yourselves
in the embrace of wealth, and bless your own condition, but
presume not that you are the favourites of heaven because
his common providence pours upon you. As for me, may I
be the object of this love, and, in spite of poverty, I am rich;
in spite of sin, I am secure, and walk on triumphing to the
better country.
But again, the love of God is an intimate love. O how the
high and lofty One reveals the secrets of his covenant, and
the sweets of his love to the soul, where he condescends to
come and dwell! When by the Holy Ghost the love of God
is shed abroad in the soul, what heavenly joy refreshes the
whole inner man! "I know thee by name," says Job ; "I
beseech thee show me thy glory," says Moses. The inti-
macy begun in time, is the bliss of eternity, and in greater or
lesser degree is the privilege of every believer. The more
our fellowship is with the Father, and his son Jesus Christ,
the more of his divine likeness we shall put on ; and in the
other world, in the different degrees of assimilation to God,
consist the different degrees of glory.
Again, the love of God is infinite ; and what that is, none
but an infinite Being knows. Ours is a spark, his the sun;
ours a drop, his the ocean.
Again, his love is uninterrupted. Not sin within us, hell
without us, nor Satan accusing us at the throne, can interrupt
his love ; this is encouragement to serve him in spite of sin,
and in the face of enemies.
Lastly, his love is eternal. Heaven and earth shall pass
away, but love will not. Time must end, but love attends
the saints beyond the grave. Death cools the love of the
nearest relations, but cannot separate from the love of God.
Love is the quintessence of bliss, the heart of heaven, the
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 59
joy of angels, the song of the redeemed, and the character
of God. O happy day! when I shall rise to enjoy love that
transcends the glory of the redeemed, and all the anthems of
angelic choirs !
MEDITATION XXIX.
DISSOLUTION.
If there is a time to rejoice, there is also a time, yea, many
a time to mourn; and God has set the one over against the
other, that men may not forget themselves. This day I have
attended the funeral of a friend, who is carried away from his
weeping widow, and fatherless children, who all bewail him;
yea, sighs may he heard, and sorrow seen in the countenances
of his acquaintance. With all the pomp of wo we attend him
to the tomb; friends gaze wistfully as the envious mould con-
ceals him from their sight. The ceremonies are concluded,
and all retire as concerned with him no more. Though sea
and land cannot separate between living friends, yet three feet
deep of earth separates betwixt the dead and the living, unties
bonds, dissolves relations and perpetuates the disjunction.
Poor woman! why dost thou weep? Thy husband is not
dead but sleepeth. His weary dust is not carried to gloomy
confinement, but laid to rest on a bed of undisturbed repose.
He is delivered from toil, and trouble and from sin. The
sword of the foe cannot affright him ; the tongue of the slan-
derer cannot disturb him; the envy of hell cannot distress
him. Fire may calcine his lifeless ashes, but cannot consume
his hope. Earthquakes may cast his body out of the grave,
but cannot awake him out of his sleep. While thus his body
rests his soul triumphant reigns; and having dropt his frail
mortality, he is now as an angel of God. — ^Reserve thy tears
for more mournful times, nor grieve for him who is happier
than thou canst conceive. Enviest thou for his sake? Wouldst
thou have him less happy, that thou mayst be less miserable ?
Though thou shouldst be drowned in sorrow, he is all song;
and not the deepest anguish of his dearest friends, though
placed in his eye, could give him one moment's pain, inter-
rupt the anthem, or mar the heavenly melody. Why should
all thy mental powers suffer in the tempest of thy soul be-
cause the gracious Pilot of souls from storms and tempests,
darkness and distress, raging seas and roaring winds, has
60 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
landed thy friend safe on life's pacific shore? A little, and a
friendly gale shall blow thee after him. Then spend not the
short, (who can tell how short?) interval in repining at his
passage, but in preparing for thine own. Indeed, a word sad
enough, thou art a widow. Well, God is the widow's judge
out of his holy habitation, and can be better to thee than ten
husbands. If faith be strong, thy refuge is not weak. Hast
thou fatherless children? leave them to God, he will preserve
them alive; and happy the orphans whose God is the Lord!
But what instructions should arise from the whole to me ?
Why, I should live above this present state, because I am
shortly to pass from it. Neither should I envy the worldling's
heaps, or the increase of his glory, which cannot descend
after him to illuminate the solitary cell. The inside of the
royal sepulchre is as dark to the interred king, as the inter-
mingling mould is to the meanest corpse ; and mortality is
preached alike from both. None have a glorious passage
through the vale of the shadow of death, but such as walk in
the light of his countenance, whose beams dispel the glooms
of death, and guide them through the darksome step to bright
eternal day !
Again, in this man, (and a few days will realize the scene,)
I see myself dead, buried, and forgot. And however fond our
friends may be of us when alive, yet when we breathe our
last, we must be buried out of their sight. O to have an
interest in that best of friends, in that sweetest love, who,
when the whole world casts us out, will receive us to himself.
MEDITATION XXX.
THE DEATH OF THE WICKED.
The wicked and the righteous live a different life, and die
a different death. Have not mine eyes beheld the melancholy
scene? — one posting into the unseen world, unprepared and
thoughtless, unless conscience, though a long slumberer, be
unwelcomely awaked at last. But perhaps he may sleep on
in carnal security, till, stripped of flesh, he plunge into the
raging flames! Have not mine eyes seen a dying person,
(methinks I see him still,) tossing and tumbling under the
gnawing pangs of some acute disease: sleep debarred from
his eyes, on whose lids sat the shadow of death, calling often,
and in a melting manner, for help from his physician, but in
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 61
vain? Every power is invaded, every part besieged, a death
denies a moments respite from the war. Yet we hear not
one word of his eternal state, of his immortal soul; nor one
request for mercy, from God as reconciled in his Son. The
world, when well, was all his care : nor can he alter, when
sick, his favourite schemes. — As he listed he lived, and as he
lived he dies. As the tree grows, so it falls. Then may I live
to God, and die in God : grow to grace, and fall to glory !
Friends and spectators are very much concerned to see him
writhing under the agonies of death, and sympathize with
every groan; but for the most part look no further, nor pity
his soul, that is in a little to fall into the hands of the living
God. But the combat is increased, the attack is visibly more
stout, and strength to resist is sensibly decayed. His friends
careful but too late, call mightily for prayer now; as if God
could be forced into friendship with the man, at his last mo-
ments, who has been all his life his foe, or heaven won for
him who never sought for it; yet prayer is our duty at the
last, but dangerous to delay to the last. — At length, amidst
insupportable agonies, he yieldeth up the ghost and is no more.
Attending friends pour out their sorrows in a flood of tears,
yet are not a little glad to see his suffering body lie at rest:
and then they dress his stiffening limbs, and wound his life-
less clay. They are fondly ignorant of the state of his soul,
and gladly hope the best. But will ye talk deceitfully for
mercy, to the injury of adorable justice? At death^ shall
heaven be his possession, who would not have a gift of it
upon earth? Shall he dwell with God in eternity, who walked
contrary to God in time, nor repented at death?
All is hushed, and those concerned are quiet again : the
tears dry up, and it is irreligious boldness to look beyond the
grave. But mine imagination follows him. Forbear, pre-
sumptuous thought, and mind thine own concerns ! Ah 1 1 must
peep into eternity, and through the telescope of revelation,
see him brought before the bar, and found to have lived and
died without God ! Oh ! his fearful doom I vengeance awakes
against him the vengeance of eternal fire, and he is thrown
into the flaming gulf of hell, where deep he sinks, below my
venturous thought. His friends refresh themselves, and com-
fort one another, till they recover their wonted mirth and
jocundity : but not a drop of water to cool his scorched tongue !
The ensuing night shall partly repay the watching and wake-
ful nights they have had about their friend : but his eyes shall
never shut, but keep open with ghastly stare, looking for the
F
62 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
wrath, however much he feel, which is still "the wrath t:
come." Their sorrow gradually abates, but his anguish is
ever on the increase. Our remembrance of him rots into
oblivion, as his clay crumbles into corruption: but wrath
never forgets its prey, vengeance never forgets to afflict.
Still my sympathy would penetrate the dark abyss, and look
with pity on my damned acquaintance. Poor soul ! where is
all thy usual mirth and merry jests? are they now forever
fled, and thine uninterrupted exercise, unceasing bowlings,
and unavailing complaints? Now thou art where sympathy
avails thee not, where pity cannot enter; no purgatory this,
through which thou shalt one time or other pass; it is thy final
doom, thy fixed eternal state. My troubled thoughts are
weary among the shriekings of the damned, nor longer can
abide among these shades of horror. Yea, now I am not
bound to sympathize with the eternal, irreconcileable enemies
of Jehovah and the Lamb. The day of grace is past, the
hour of mercy over; sin is finished, and hath brought forth
eternal death; despair is final, enmity consummate, and the
breach is wide as the sea of eternity; who can heal it?
Let me turn, then, my voice unto the sons of men. A
few moments, and your state, like his, is fixed; will ye, then,
adventure not only to sport, but to sin away your time, which
is so precious, and in which you are to make sure a happy
eternity? There are no offers of salvation beyond the grave :
there is no Godly repentance in the pit. Now your misery
has the heavenly balm of God's mercy, and here mercy re-
joiceth against judgment; but there your misery shall not,
even in its longest duration and highest degree, excite mercy,
but rather awake fiercer wrath; while in your agonies you
blaspheme the awful avenger, who in the destruction of mer-
cy-despisers shall rest satisfied. Then give your eyes no
sleep, nor slumber to your eye-lids, till you find a dwelling in
your heart for God, and a chamber in his promise, an interest
in his Son for your soul, that you may be hid in the day of
visitation, and in the desolation that shall come from far.
MEDITATION XXXI.
THE TRAVELLER.
Gentlemen of taste go frequently abroad: and it is so
much in vogue to wander over some part of the world once
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 63
in life, ihat he is hardly accounted an accomplished gentle-
man that has not spent a part of his time in climes and
countries remote from that which gave him birth: whence
he returns rich in observations, and mightily improved, hav-
ing made an accurate survey among whatever people he
came, whether as to the genius, stature, complexion, religion,
laws, government, rites, and dress of the natives : or the mer-
chandize, produce, rivers, soil, air, language, &c. of the
country. And does this render men more agreeable compa-
ny, to have glanced from head to foot, as it were, over only
one page of the great volume of creation? for what is our
earth in comparison of God's handy work?
His observations must be kw, since the shortness of his life
f jrbids him to stay long abroad, unless he intends to drop his
dust in the tour: which unhappy event has many a time sent
sorrow across the seas, for the dear youth that shall see his
native land no more.
Now, to compare earthly things with heavenly, how ac-
com])lished must the soul be, that shall be an eternal searcher
into the perfections of God, an entranced beholder of the beau-
ties of paradise : that shall take a tour through the fields of
bliss, and be a traveller in the region of glory! If this mole-
hill heap be surprising for many things found therein, as
mountains towering to the clouds, volcanoes vomiting melted
fire, extremes of heat and cold, and creatures of tremendous
shape and size, and all in this small speck of creation, what
must the numerous excellencies be of his kingdom, which is
higher than the heavens! O the beauties on the other side
creation! O the glories that beam in pure essential day! All
things in time only improve us for another in the things that
are temporal: but there the improvement is for eternity, and
the mind enlarged for God. O happy day? when I shall
rove over the extent of paradise, lost in wonder, and ravished
with delight, admidst his excellencies! O the innate beauty
of his laws, the glory of his reign, the splendor of his throne,
the mysteries of his being and subsistence, and the wonders
of his love ! O the comely proportion of the inhabitants of
the better country ! O the rivers of pleasure that water the
true Canaan ! How pure the religion of the inner temple 1
What ecstacy and ravishment shall rise from beholding all
these beatitudes, all these glories, as one interested in them all!
Travel, then, ye sons of fortune, towards every wind : rest
not in the old world, but ransack the new : Let nothing pass
unobserved, and be delighted with the productions of the
64 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
fertile Arabia, or the teeming Indies : Let the magnificence
of the opulent East attract your attention, and the curiosities
of the learned West gain your regard : Not satisfied with the
narrow appearance of this atom hung upon nothing, I wait
for the dawning of celestial day, to commence an everlasting
traveller through all the glories above. Surveying the per-
fections of God, I shall hold on my journey through unnumber-
ed ages. In my tour I shall find curiosities which could
never enter into the conception of travellers below. Let them
talk of the magnificent structure, or pleasant situation of the
metropolis of every kingdom, I shall see the city of the mighty
King, whose foundations are precious stones, whose walls are
jasper, whose gates are pearls, and the streets and city pure
gold, like transparent glass: whose laws are love, and whose
light is glory. I shall see the people that are immortal, and
cannot die: — a kingdom where every subject is a king, where
every servant has a throne, and sways a sceptre. I shall see
an assembly of worshippers, that are all priests, high-priests,
and are admitted into the holy of holies for ever. I shall see
the blessed effects of death, and the ecstacies of men that
spring from the agonies of our incarnate God. I shall see
finite and infinite dwelling in one person, children of wrath
made heirs of life, and the family of heaven married to the
family of earth, yea, to the heirs of hell 1 These are wonders
to be wondered at, mysteries to be dwelt upon, divine curiosi-
ties to be recorded on the table of my heart, and mentioned
in the grateful accents of my song. Then hasten. Lord, that
day when I shall set out for eternity, and commence my jour-
ney, my immediate journey to thy throne, there to explore
the adorable perfections of the Godhead, the mysteries of the
Trinity, and all the glories of the upper world.
MEDITATION XXXII.
GRACE IN THE BLUSH, SIN NOT ASHAMED.
It is one of the most surprising things that I have ever ob-
served. That sanctity should be ashamed to look out, but
iniquity show itself at noon. Hence it is one of the great-
est blessings promised to the lower world, that "iniquity,
as ashamed, shall stop her mouth;" which supposes, that in
bad time she has an impudent loquacity, both a whore's fore
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 65
head in refusing to be ashamed, and the tongue of a strumpet
in scorning to be silenced. Hence the company of rakes
over their bottle, are not shy to open to another the mystery
of iniquity in their most abandoned actions, and to glory in
their shame. But when do the saints of God in private con-
versations, to the praise of glorious grace, tell one another
what the Lord hath done for their souls and rejoice in his
goodness? O deplorable degeneracy! shall iniquity not only
rage, but reign; and righteousness, like the nativ^es of a con-
quered kingdom, that dare not show their countenance among
their new neighbours, lurk in secret? Is this, professors of
piety, your kindness to your friend? Shall open rebellion
against heaven be winked at by those that are maintained at
the King's table? Shall the words of sinners be stout against
God, and your words not stout against them? Who should be
ashamed, if the sons of darkness are not? Who should face
th€ broad day, if the abettors of virtue do not? Yet the one
will avow the very practice of iniquity, the other hardly the
profession of piety! The gentlemen of the army will dare, in
defiance of the laws, to swear by the sacred name, while the
ambassador of Jesus is ashamed to own his office, or avow
his message, in reproving the open breach of Heaven's
eternal law.
It is the most unpolite appearance one can make in com-
pany now-a-days, to speak any thing of religion or let it be
known that you are a Christian. Better reveal the secrets
of necromancy, and the arts of magic, than to speak of the
depravity of human nature, and the necessity of regenera-
tion. If you speak one sentence in favour of godliness, the
spiritual life or heavenly-mindedness, it is hardly pardona-
ble by the free-thinkers of the day. If you adventure to
say any thing against the more prevailing and fashionable
follies, every one will be on your top, and you will be set up
as a scare-crow in the table-discourse of all your acquain-
tance, who will pity your frenzy, and pronounce you deliri-
ous. And if it comes abroad that you live near God, and
above the vanities of time, you will forthwith be a gazing-
stock to all, who will stare at you as if you were come from
another world, and were not a fellow-creature. But if you
keep silence at sin, smile at their peccadillos, and live in
concert with the madmen of the world, you will be the best
company, and the most social men alive. Thus, by continual
scoffing, sin is grown brazen-faced, and religion wears the
blush. Yea, some well-meaning men are sinful temporizers,
f2
65 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
by keeping silence, through the fear of men, which brings a
snare, when they ought to speak.
But remember, that they who are ashamed of the Son of
man before this adulterous and sinful generation, of them,
(and how will ye like that?) shall the Son of man be ashamed
before his holy angels. Be bold, ye sons of virtue, then;
maintain the rights of heaven against the troops of hell. Take
courage to yourselves; the cause is good, and conquest shall
crown the stout contender in the quarrel of God. Wherevei
sin, in the discourse of any, vilely vents itself, expose to
shame the ugly monster. A consciousness of guilt is in it,
and guilt is always interwoven with fear and shame so that il
must surely blush; but if their seared consciences flout at
thee, pity them, and warn them of the fearful awakening that
awaits the long and thoughtless slumberer. If thou live near
God, live undisturbed, though the lips of malice exclaim
against thee as a hypocrite, as one full of ostentation, or a
brain-sick fanatic.
I know the cause of silence in many a pious soul is, lest
they should be left to fall away from what they have so zeal-
ously espoused, to the dishonour of religion and opening the
mouths of enemies to blaspheme. But beware of circumscri-
bing the grace of God, lest he measure to thee according to
thine opinion of him. Never let the fear of falling into sin
in some future time, drive thee from thy present duty; for, to
neglect present duty is present sin. If thou shalt fall from
the support of his declarative glory, he may cut off from thee
the supplies of his grace, and make that which thou unjustly
fearest, justly come upon thee. Be for God in thy day of in-
tegrity, and God shall be for thee in the day of temptation.
Exercise thy grace for his praise, and his grace shall always
be sufficient for thee.
Alas ! after all that can be said, there is still room to com-
plain; for, if this detestable taciturnity that prevails in our
day, increase as it has done for some time past, it will not be
long till there will not be a word of religion in the mouths of
the inhabitants of this isle. But, may this spiritual captivity
be turned as suddenly as streams come rushing from the south
hills, when there falls a heavy rain.
Such is the deplorable indifferency about divine things
among the sons of men at this day. O! when will matters
mend? when shall religion be openly avowed as an honour
to the rational soul, and every one speak of God, and for his
glory? Let the Spirit be poured out from on high, and the
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 57
wilderness tarned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field
rise nito a statelier forest. And let Israel take root down-
ward, and fill the world with fruit. Then shall iniquity as
ashamed, stop its mouth, and hide its head; then jud^nt
shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the
fruitful field. Such, (O to see them !) should surely be some
ot the glorious days of the Son of man.
MEDITATION XXXIII.
GOING TO A FAIR.
The heavenly mind has this advantage, that it can spirit
iialize every business, and moralize all occurrences of life
As, then, I am this day going to a fair, let me call to mind the
comparisons, or the similitude betwixt this market and the
market of grace.
1. From all quarters men come hither; so is it in the mar-
ket of grace. 2. None are hindered to come here to mer-
chandize; so IS it in the market of grace. 3. All kinds of
goods are to be found here; so is it in the market of grace
4. I'arties meet here, bargains are made, and business done-
so is It in the market of grace. 5. Numbers are to be found
here who cannot tell what brought them hither; so many
attend the ordinances from custom, to see, or to be seen.—
b. Ihe fair is by public authority; so is the market of grace.
7. Some stand all day idle; so is it in the market of grace
8 Some go home with large profits; so do all they that
lightly imi3rove the market of grace. 9. But some return
grace. 10. Thieves, tinkers, and pick-pockets, attend here
o ruin honest folk; so Satan, sin, and worldi; cares of'en
rob us of spiritual things m the market of grace. 11. Dealers
returning home, converse wholly on the course of the bu'.i'
"X. r^^ 'r/^'^^' '' '^''^ ^^'^^^ ^-^^ f-nd the true
Ino 1% r^'^/^ ^f.^^* P"^^^' "^ ^he market of grace, will
speak, think, and meditate much thereon ever after 12 This
i7c\ 'LY ""^ i"""^ '^''^' V^'^ "^^^'^^^ «^ g^^^e comes* to an
end, and people may outlive the day of grace; therefore
every one should embrace the present offbr "^^^^^^^^^
But how great the excellency of the one above the other!
L , '°o ^T ?'^ ^''' ^^'^ ^""^y^ there all things are for
me soul. ^. Nothmg here goes without money; but all
68 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
things in the glorious market of grace are without money,
and without price. 3. If I sit my market to-day, I shall re-
pent to-morrow; but the market of grace is continued to many
poor souls many years. 4. Without the one we may live ;
but wanting the other we must die. 5. It is indifferent
v/hether we buy or not here ; but in the market of grace, we
must be dealers, or we dishonour God, and sin against our
own souls. 6. To take goods here without money, is disho-
nesty; but, to offer our pelf for the merchandize of heaven, is
damnable. 7. We plead and press for commodities at a low
price here; but God importunes, and presses us to buy the
gold tried in the fire, that we may be eternally rich. But O
how are the men of the world assiduous about the affairs of
life, while they neglect the great concern ! Well do we know
what makes for our behoof, as to the things of time ; but how
careless are we with respect to the things of eternity! A
shower will excuse from walking two miles to a sermon ; but
a very rainy day will not deter us from this place of business,
though three times the distance. O corrupt nature! that
counts it a great deal of happiness to meet with merry com-
panions, to drink, rove, ramble, see, and be seen. But how
far beneath the dignity of the human soul, to forget itself
amidst the hurry of trifling concerns for a transitory life!
It is, indeed, the duty of all men to attend to their business,
and guide their affairs with discretion. They may meet,
therefore, on days appointed for that purpose; but, when the
mind gets a wrong set, by the vanities that are to be seen
there, is infected with a roving disposition, and can trifle
away time that is so precious, and must so punctually be ac-
counted for; when men continue till liquor inflame them,
how far is this beneath the Christian character? It should
be our constant care, then, wherever we go, whatever we do,
to bear the omniscience of God in our mind, that while we
manage our business with discretion, we may serve our God
with undistracted devotion.
MEDITATION XXXIV.
AFTER SICKNESS.
What shall I render unto the Lord for all his kindness unto
me! The sorrows of death compassed me about, the pains
of the grave took hold on me; my feeble joints were made to
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 69
smite together; disease attacked every part, and rapidly pre-
vailed. Mine eyes, with languid looks, spoke forth mine
inward trouble. My throbbing heart spread sense of pain
through every member, and vexing dreams disturbed my
night's repose. But what was all this to that confusion my
sympathizing soul was in? No composure there. I could
not meditate with calmness on my final change, that seemed
to await me ; nor could I enquire aright into the case of my
soul, that I thought would soon be dislodged this body, and
brought before the bar of God. Hence I learn, that health is
the proper time to prepare for sickness, death, eternity. The
new, the spiritual life, is too late in beginning, when the lamp
of natural life is about to be blown out. Yet the men of the
world postpone the most momentous business to their last
moments. O! my soul, come not thou into their assembly;
with their procrastination, mine honour, be not thou united I
But what shall I render to the Lord for adding to my days !
I yet live, yea, and am well. The canopy of the heavens
might have been converted into the crumbling clods or cover-
ing worms ; the light of the world into the shadow of death,
and time into eternity; and my broken strains of praise into
perpetual silence; for the living only can praise thee, as I do
this day. By how many ties am I thine? I am thine to all
eternity, because redeemed from everlasting wrath; and thine
while I dwell below, because redeemed from temporal death.
Many times, before I could expect it, deliverance came, and
mercy prevented me. Shall thy goodness be forgot, or thy
love seem little in mine eye? No, for should not that life be
spent to thy praise, that is preserved by thy power, restored
in thy pitying mercy, lengthened out in thy love, and covered
with thy protection? Death, with his malignant troops, is
now again discharged the field, and I almost a prisoner of the
grave, set at liberty, before I was fast locked in the irons of
corruption. Was my life precious in thine eyes, who am of
so little moment among so many millions of beings are de-
pendent on thy throne? Would I have been missed among
them, if removed? No; yet thy never-failing kindness would
not, as yet, let me drop among the congregation of the dead!
How should my love live to thee, whose love to me is so ac-
tive, exuberant, ana full 1 With the recovery of my health,
let every grace revive : and let my soul, as a watered garden
be put into a flourishing condition. And, if spared to old age,
when others fade, may I bring forth fruit, be fat and flourish-
ing. Yea, in the last decline of nature, when my outward
70 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
man decays, let my inward man be renewed day by day,
may my views of his glory be more bright, my faith more
active, my hope more fixed, my heart more established, my
affections more purified, my desires more heavenly, my long-
ing after complete fruition, and uninterrupted communion
with God, increased, and my soul set on fire of love, and filled
with heaven, till I, at last, am taken into that land, where the
inhabitant shall not say, I am sick, because the people that
dwell there are forgiven their iniquity.
MEDITATION XXXV.
FRAMES OF SOUL VARIABLE.
It is the greatest display of spiritual folly to build on ^
frame. A frame is a certain heavenly disposition of the soul.
Now, to rest on any thing in ourselves, is to destroy our-
selves; for the noble attainment is to go wholly out of ourselves
and rest only on Christ. If I do otherwise, I provoke him to
remove, by placing the effect of his presence in the room of
himself, and then my mountain, which I thought stood so
firm, is immediately removed ; God hides his face, and I am
troubled. Heavenly frames, and glorious manifestations, I
should seek, not to rest upon, but to be refreshed with. Christ
may come into a frame, but I ought to beware lest I keep the
frame, and let Christ go, who is to be sought for himself,
found in himself, in the promise, in his unchangeable love,
and not in a frame.
To have a cold, insensible heart, is a comfortless condi-
tion; but to have Christ, who always brings melting of
heart, and a revival of graces with him, is good, and is a pre-
lude of the happiness to come. When I prefer the attendants
to their prince, and hug these when I should honour him, this
is the way to make him withdraw his visits, and refuse to
come again till I confess my folly. Hence am I chastened
with so many changes in my soul; sometimes standing on
Mount Pisgah, then grovelling in the valley of Achor; some-
times walking in the light of his countenance, then going
mourning without the sun ; sometimes admitted with boldness
to his throne of grace, where he fills my mouth with argu-
ments, then finding a cloud spread on his throne, that my
prayer cannot pass through, nor I order my speech by reason
of darkness ; and all this to chasten my folly, and make me
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 71
adore his sovereignty, who comes and goes at pleasure. Of
such a place, and such a time, one may say. It was Bethel,
the house of God, and a time of love ; but neither the Bethel
of God, nor the time of love, is to be the confidence of the
soul, whatever comfort it may afford. The God of Bethel, the
God of unchangeable love, is to be the strong tower to which
every believer must always resort. To live by faith, is more
noble and more safe than to live by sense.
Now, in these things, God teaches me to esteem him more
than any thing from him ; the enriching hand that gives, more
than the gift that enriches ; yea, to depend more on his per-
manent promise, than on his passing presence. For, though
the one should be pleasant, like the voice from the excellent
glory on the mount of transfiguration, yet the other is the
more sure word of prophecy, of inspiration, to which at all
times we should betake ourselves. And this we should re
member, that the continuation of that ravishing frame of
Boul (a gale of which sometimes the favourites of heaven feel
blow through their mind,) is reserved for the happier state
above: But it should occasion the extremest sorrow, if we
Bend away our Beloved, who is willing to abide with us " till
the day break, and the shadows flee away." This I may
learn, that it is good to hold him in the promise, whatever be
the condition of my soul. O deplorable imperfection! When
he is absent, despair begins to appear ; when present, spiritual
pride is ready to spring up. But while he in wisdom comes
and goes, it keeps my soul in exercise, going forward and
backward, to the right band and to the left, in quest of him,
restless till I find him. Thus the soul is prevented from sit-
ting down on a sinful security, or falling asleep in the arms
of downy delusion, perhaps to awake no more. Yea, this ex-
ercising of my soul keeps every grace active; his coming
hinders me from falling in the low dungeon of despair, whence
[ might come up no more; and his going away prevents my
climbing the slippery precipice of spiritual pride, whence I
might fall and break all my bones.
I desire, both in temporals and spirituals, to make the dear
prophet's triumph of faith mine ! " Though the fig-tree should
not blossom; though my graces should seem languid and
low ; though darkness should sit down on my soul ; though he
should keep back the face of his throne; though my soul
should forget her prosperity ; though, when I pray and cry,
he should shut out my prayers ; though Satan should roar at
me, temptations rendezvous against me, cornaption rage within
73 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR.
me, and hell gape for me ; yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I
will joy in the God of my salvation." Yet I plead that thy
presence may cheer me in the wilderness ; for if thy pres-
ence go not up wdth me, I shall never be able to go hence.
But may thy spirit dwell within me, and seal me to the day
of redemption. Then my joy in believing shall be turned into
an ecstacy of beholding the Godman, in all his amiable per-
fection ; then frames of soul shall be sinless, holy, and screwed
to the most elevated height of rapture and delight; then 1
«»hall praise without interruption, and adore without distraction.
MEDITATION XXXVI.
TO UNCONCEENED SPECTATORS.
Sorrow is the continual attendant on human life. Every
day, to some poor sufferer, is darkened with distress, and
yet the spectators are frequently no more concerned, than
if the patient were only to set out from the city to his coun
try-seat. Were a king coming to sit in judgment on a be-
loved friend, and to examine strictly his actions upon life and
death, could we shake ourselves free from a thousand agita-
ting thoughts ? dislodge our breast of anxious fears, and many
a fervent wish? Now, when a person is pining on a sick-bed,
or expiring on a death-bed, the King of kings seems to mount
his judgment-throne, and order this arrested pannel into his
tremendous presence, where the examination will be strict,
and the trial issue in eternal life or death. And yet how
trifling often is the discourse of the attendants ! how jocular
and sportive their talk ! But, O ! if the invisible world of spir-
its would flash full in their face, if but all the disembodied
souls of their acquaintance would start up around them, how
would they stare and be distracted! though they can now
dance about the grave, and laugh amidst the glooms of death.
To this invisible world their friend seems fast going, and they,
in spite of all their stupidity, are fast following. When I look
into the bed, and see my poor fellow-creature in that humble
state, it excites my sorrow ; and when I look round the com-
pany in their apparent incredulity of a future state, it so
moves my compassion, that I am at a loss whether most to
pity the dying or deplore the living.
But my soul, be n it thou an idle spectator also. I^jiow the
sentence, that a,, m ist die, reaches thee as well as others.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 73
Pei;haps death has the summons in his hand already, or is
fining his quiver with arrows for the decisive battle,- nay, he
may be placing an arrow on the bended bow, to sink the
sickening shaft into thy heart-strings.
"Man that is born of a woman is of few days;" this all the
nations know; "and full of trouble ;"" this I daily find. "He
Cometh forth as a flower," frail and fading; "he fieeth also
as a shadow," quickly gone, and quite forgot. I carry death
in my mortal body, which, like a fiory spark concealed within,
will sooner or later lay the house to ashes.
It is but a small thing to grapple with death, to enter the
lists with the king of terrors, or be inclosed in the gloom of
the grave; but it is another thing to enter into a world of
spirits, to launch into an unknown and endless eternity, and
see God face to face. Roman fortitude may dismantle itself
of clay, defy the grave and brave death; but nothing but a
well-grounded faith can carry one calmly, cheerful!}', and
comfortably, into a fixed, a futur-e state.
The things of life are of small account at death. What
can riches do, but encumber with too much splendid care, and
troublesome attendance? What can a character do, but pub-
lish his decease? What can opulence and honour do, but
give a pompous funeral, and a costly tomb? What can friends
do, but weep about the bed, and bewail their dying relative?
But thy love, dear Lord^ can enlighten my passage through
death, and lead me safely to my Fatlier's house.
MEDITATION XXXVII.
DEATH A BLESSING TO GOOD MEN.
Why SO much complain of death? It is true, it is the fruit
of sin, for by sin came death into the world; but it is also
true that it is the finisher of sin to the gotlly, for by death sin
shall be cast out forever. Sin, conveyed to us in our conceo-
i'lon, is so interwoven with the human frame, that the tie must
be dissolved betwixt the soul and body, before a full and final
separation can take place between the soul and sin. Who
then, would fear the furnace that is only to consume the
dross, that the gold may come forth without alloy ? What can-
didate for heaven would be averse to lay down mortality; in
order to take up immortality; to put off this corruptible, in
order to pat on incorruption? to have his body sotvn in dis
G
74 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
honour, in order to be raised in honour and glory; and to have
the soul dislodged from his body, that sin might be dislodged
from his soul? Wh)', then, should I be displeased at such a
glorious exchange? To lay down frail flesh, feeble nature,
all my lusts and passions, occasions and temptations to sin,
ray infirmities and imperfections, and to be clothed with per-
fect beauty and eternal glory, might rather transport than
perplex me. Wherefore tremble at the ghastly gloom that
shall beam into a boundless noon? or startle at the dark step
that shall usher me into eternal day ? If my separation for
a few years from my friends, issue in uninterrupted commu-
nion with God, is not the change most happy ? If my distant
views, and dim glances of the land afar off, and the King in
his beauty, pass away, that the nearest approaches, most
steady views, and brightest visions, may eternally take place,
am not I a gainer to the highest degree? Then, Lord, take
away the sting of death, and at thy appointed time, through
faith, I shall fly into his arms, not dismayed at his cold em-
brace, burning with an heavenly desire to be forever with the
Lord; which is far better than all the happiness of crowns
and thrones below.
MEDITATION XXXVIII.
MERCY GOING BEFORE GOD, MAKES MEETING HIM A MERCY.
1757.
God and I must meet; there is a day appointed for it; and
surely the thoughts thereof would be like death, and worse,
were I not assured that mercy goes before his face. Why,
then, should I be afraid to meet with God, since mercy goes
before his face? Mercy means no ill, — will do no harm, —
displays the flag of peace, — proclaims the manifesto, that
" mercy shall be built up for ever." But hoAV shall I know
that mercy goes before his face ! Because truth goes hand in
hand with mercy; and the veracity of truth forbids me to
doubt the certainty of mercy. How must the heart of a guilty
rebel rejoice to find that pardon is proclaimed by his offended
sovereign! Mercy and truth are the best means of preser-
ving the kings of the earth, and when they exercise it, their
throne is upholden by mercy; but tiie King of heaven, in
every act of his administration, preserves mercy and truth,
and in them establishes his throne. The King of kings will
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 75
never go without his royal retinue, his Ufe-guards; mercy and
truth shall form the van; justice and judgment support his
throne; infinity, eternity, and immutability carry his crown:
power and omnipotence bear the robe of royalty; wisdom and
righteousness hold the regal sceptre ; graciousness, long-suf-
fering, and patience proclaim his sacred name; and love en-,
circles all the flaming train. In every circumstance, then, I
can be in, I have comfort; for, in his providence towards me,
mercy goes before him, and it works for my good; yea, even
in my afllictions, mercy goes before him, and I am chastened,
that I may not be condemned with the world. — Thus, mercy
is the precious ointment that, in all things, at all times, and
in all places, casts its pleasant scent abroad, and perfumes
his conduct towards me. And whenever, or wherever I meet
God, whether in the dissolving pang, or solemn appearance
at his bar, I shall find him a reconciled Father, and all his
bowels yearning on the son of his adoption. Neither the hour
of death, therefore, nor the day of judgment, shall terrify me.
"But I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my
mouth will I make known the faithfulness to all generations.
For I have said, Mercy shall be built up forever; thy faith-
fulness shalt thou in the sight of all the ransomed nations,
establish in the very heavens!
MEDITATION XXXIX.
THE NECESSITY OF AFFLICTIONS.
Jan. 28, 1758.
I complain without a cause, seeing it is good for me that
be afiiicted. Whatever be food to the soul, surely affliction
is physic; and if there is a necessity of the one to preserve
life, there is a necessity of the other to preserve health. Can
a much esteemed flower think that it is unkindly dealt with,
because the weeds that twisted with its roots are plucked
away with force, such force that the flower seems to be pulled
along? Just so am I displeased at severe afflictions, sent to
root out some rampant lusts, or deep rooted earthly affections,
when afflictions less severe would prove ineffectual for such a
noble end. Corruption is not totally removed, it is only sub-
dued in part; but the more I am afflicted, the more it is sub-
dued. Neither is grace perfect here; but the more grace is
exercised, the more perfect it grows. The better part never
iQ SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
suffers in affliction; for even when it is so ponderous and
crushing, that under it the outward man decays, and wastes
away, yet the inner man is renewed day by day. For very
shame, can I take it amiss, that my sins are mortified, ray
lusts subdued, my fond and foolish desires reprimanded, my
affections purged, my eager grasp of created things loosed,
and that I am, by line upon line, affliction on the back of af-
fliction, instructed of the vanity of all sublunary things?
Again, dare I be displeased, that, by various, repeated, and
uncommon afflictions, and from sinful instruments too, my
faith is tried, my patience and resignation proved, my love
and esteem of heavenly things heightened, and all my graces
improved invigorated, furbished, to the glory of God, and ad-
vantage of my own soul?
Every new trial is like a new combat set to the valiant
hero. If he comes off a conqueror, it is another trophy to all
his former victories, and a fresh display of his military skill
in the eyes of enemies and friends. There never was a tra-
veller to the throne of God, but pursued his way through the
thorny path of affliction; and yet ther« is not^ this day, one
person in all the august assembly of the higher house, that has
the least complaint upon the hardships or afflictions that befel
him by the way. Why should 1, then, so much complain of
the deep steps and rugged roads, the stormy days and dark
nights, that distress me in my pilgrimage, seeing that, when
I shall see things in the light of glor} , I shall approve of all;
and the storm of hail, claps of thunder, and midnight-gloom,
shall only add to the variety of the subjects, and multiply the
stanzas of my eternal song.
While here below, the intoxicating juice of carnal pleasure
breeds diseases; so that the bitter potion of affliction is abso-
lutely necessary to dispel those infections which threaten
damage to the soul. Since it is not my happiness to be free
from sin below, it is my happiness that I am not without afflic-
tions, which are a noble antidote against sin. I have reason
to bewail, bitterly to bewail, the corruption of my nature, but
not the correction of my corruption. Were I punished as I
deserve, instead of being washed _ with the soap of nitre of
castigation I would be swept away with the besom of destruc-
tion. What condemned criminal would rage at the loss of a
finger, who deserved to have lost his head? So, why should
I repine at a little ill, who deserve a great deal worse? In-
deed, at all times, and in every case, I should not look to the
hand of God, but into his heart; not barely look ujyon the
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 77
providence with fear, but into the promise w4th faith; where,
be the providence adverse or prosperous, to my comfort I am
told that all things work together for good to God's called and
chosen ones ; and if my fluctuating breast is composed amidst
all my sorrows, by a firm belief of the promise, that happy
moment I find the promise performed to me; and aver, with
tb3 royal sufferer, "It has been good for me that I have
been afflicted."
MEDITATION XL.
SAINTS UNKNOWN, STARS UNSEEN.
Feb. 14, 1758.
As there are stars in the sparkling firmament of heaven of
different magnitudes and glory, so there are saints of diflferent
stations in the church of God. Some like stars of the first
magnitude, point out the way to bliss; while others, like stars
of a second, third, and fourth magnitude, sparkle with an up-
right walk, and heavenly conversation, and condemn a wicked
world. All these glorify God, as it were, in an active man-
ner; but there is another class of his precious ones, who glo-
rify God only in a passive manner, compared to others.
These are the secret, private, and retired Christians; who,
like the stars that lie concealed in the amazing voids of space,
and never strike the naked eye, nor seem connected with our
systeTn, are only known to God. But as the glory of God's
creating hand, though less vissible to us, is as really displayed
among those stars that he has stationed so sublime, as among
those which he has dropped nearer to our earth, so he is glo-
rified by the private as well as the public Christian; and the
resignation of the one to the divine disposal may be as accep-
table to God as the more active labours of the other. How
is God satisfied, so to speak, to see his creature wholly at his
command; his will moulded into the will of the Most High,
his desires measured by Heaven's distribution of mercies, and
his ambition only to be like God. Here the whole man, with
his whole concerns, is wholly devoted to God. Here rebel-
thoughts are slain, and the unknown saint only waits the will
of God to fall in with fully, freely, and without reserve.
Such a heart God dwells in, and such a soul is his throne.
Nothing pleases God better, than when all he does pleases his
people. Thus the soul ripens for glory, and a sacred inter-
g2
78 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
resting correspondence is carried on between the heart and
heaven. The man rolls himself and all his concerns over on
the indisj)uted will of him that cannot err. Nothing can go
wrong with the man, because divine wisdom orders all foi
him; yea, what he thinks hard in itself, if he have no sinful
hand in it, he embraces and submits to, because of him that
sends it. He sounds God's praise loudest, who is silent before
God. While the profession of some is blazing the love of his
soul is burning. While others march heaven-ward in the
broad day, and before the wide world, this is a walk within
doors, in his own house at home. Of all things, grace grovv^s
best in retirement, and, like Jacob, ^\4len left alone, he wres-
tles with the angel of the covenant, for blessings to himself,
his family, the church, and the whole world. He is not less
circumspect that not an eye is on him, but keeps clean hands,
from a clean heart; not like the painted hypocrite, that must
be religious for credit's sake. He has his conversation in
heaven, and his communion with the Most High. Happy is
he in his life, happy at his death, for he lives with God, dies
in the Lord, and goes to be forever with the Lord.
MEDITATION XLI.
THE EXCELLENT HAPPINESS OF THE BLESSED.
Spithead, May 21, 1758.
Time is short, and eternity is long; yet, in this short time,
I must prepare for long eternit)^ O ! what a duration is before
me 1 but what an infatuation is within me, that I should mind
the trifling things of time, and forget the interests of eternity!
Truly, when I compare eternity and time, I am astonished
that eternity does not swallow up time in my concerns and
meditations. With what night visions, deceptive phantasies,
and delusive dreams, are we entertained here, in comparison
of that divine understanding, intuitive knowledge, noon-day
discoveries, vigor and acliviry of soul, we shall be possessed
of, when we awake to immortality, from all the slumbers of a
transitory life! And yet, (wo is me!) am I not more anxious
to grow in earth, than to grow for heaven? Will not the fear
of temporal losses at times outbalance the joy I should have
in believing? While God and glory have a passing medita-
tion in my heart, have not the vanities of the world a perma-
nent mansion? Does not worldly sorrow take deeper root in
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 79
my soul thin spiritual joy? And, were my thoughts counted
one by one, while vanities reap the whole harvest, sacred
tilings have scarce the tythe ! Is this, alas ! the behaviour of
a candidate for bliss, the practice of an expectant of glory?
One thinks least on what he loves least: O mournful conclu-
sion ! that I love God least, since he is least in my thoughts !
But let me rise in my contemplation, and see the goodly hosts
of the ransomed nations, dwelling in the noon-day display of
his glory, possessed of pleasures free as the fountain whence
they flow, and full as their unlimited desire. Their souls are
replenished with the most refined satisfaction, sacred delight,
and substantial joy. What an august assembly are the inha-
bitants of the better country ! wearing crowns, holding sceptres,
reigning on thrones, walking in white, exalted in their natures,
their conceptions bright, their visions cloudless, their thoughts
elevated, their songs transporting, their happiness confirmed,
their love burning, and all their powers entranced. for ever!
Seeing such, and much more, (for eye hath not seen, ear
hath not heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man
to conceive what God hath laid up for them that love and fear
him,) is the happiness of the triumphant throng, who have
the substance, marrow, and kernel of bliss, no wonder to see
the saints settling their affections on the things above, and
longing to join the happy company.
What, then, though it be a steep ascent to the mount of
God, since verdant arbours, and a blooming paradise, are on
the summit of the hill. A prospect of the heavenly state
might make me lie, without repining, in the dungeon of a pri-
son, till the very moment I were brought to the palace. —
What though I bear my cross till the day I wear the crown?
or die daily, till Christ, with whom my life is hid in God, ap-
pear, and I appear with him in glory? Should any thing below
move him who has his portion above? Should the plcxisures
of the world, which are but painted clouds, and airy appear-
ances, entice him, or the troubles of the world terrify him,
who is in a little to take his eternal farewell of both? Let
adversities keep close at his heels, heaven has an open door
for him, into which, while they must stand without, he shall
enter, and remember his misery no more. Hence, let it be
my daily study to walk in the view of a world to come, till
that happy day when (O wondrous word!) I shall enter into
the joy of my Lord.
80 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
MEDITATldiN XLIL
ONLY A RUMOUR HEARD OF THE TRIUMPHANT STATE.
Sjnthead, May 22, 1758.
This thought is now come ioto my mind, that the trium-
phant state of glory is but little understood, even after all the
divine descriptions given thereof in sacred revelation. Not
that God cannot tell, but man cannot hear; for when Paul
was caught up to the third heaven, and his ear opened to hear
the Hosannas of the higher house, he says he heard ineffable
things, which it was not fit, proper, or becoming for a man to
reveal, because the language of eternity cannot be adapted to
the dialect of time. After all the pleasing and glorious meta-
phors used to represent eternal felicity, still there is a defi-
ciency, though neither from the fulness of that felicity, nor
the divine Relater, but from us who hear. Were the definition
too refined, the relation too sublime, we should not be able to
comprehend it. Therefore, things that make up the excel-
lencies of this lower world, on which men fix their esteem,
place their delight and settle their affections, are chosen to
adumbrate it. Hence it is called a kingdom, for there the King
Eternal keeps his court j there majesty and honour, glory and
renown, are before his facej there are vast dominion, noble
privileges, SAveet society, and mutual connexions. But as a
kingdom is subject to anxiety and change, therefore it is cal-
led a crown of life, a crown of glory, that fadeth not away ;
an eternal day, where saints shine as suns; a royal palace,
where there is unceasing harmony, and divine delight; an
inheritance in light, and an house not made with hands, eter-
nal in the heavens. And as paradise, or the garden of God,
was the sum of created perfection, whence the first Adam was
driven, so the heavenly state is called paradise, being the
place where the brightest display of uncreated glory is given,
and whither the second Adam, Lord of all, as a public person,
has entered. Gems, pearls, and precious stones, which men
wear on their hands and heads, are but the metaphors of their
streets and walls, which are far more excellent than those
things that shadow them out. What, then, must be the liberty,
the privileges, the happiness of the inhabitants'. But as death
destroys all possessions, and darkens tlie brightest day, there-
fore this is a state of the most permanent bliss, immortal life,
eternal vigour, and perpetual bloom. But as to live alone is
not consistent with complete happiness, or congruous to the
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 81
human soul, that is not made to be alone ; so in the better
country there is an innumerable company of angels, the gene-
ral assembly and church of the first-born, and God, Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost, in whose presence is fulness of joy,
and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore. Rivers
of living water, and the tree of life bending with fruits of pa-
radise, set out the sufficiency, satisfaction, and redundancy of
spiritual refreshment and delight that abound there.
But still, there is something in the blessed state above which
supplies the soul with the fullest tides of serenest rapture,
ecstacy, and joy, of which all these descriptions of felicity
come infinitely short; and that is, vision and fruition of the
Lamb, participation of the divine nature, living in and with
God, and communion with Jehovah, screwed up to the highest
pitch of divine intimacy, carried on through eternity in an un-
interrupted out-going of the soul towards her supreme and
chief good, and receiving the divine emanations of all his ado-
rable perfections, breathed by the Holy Ghost into all the
panting, enlarging affections, and powers of the sanctified
soul! But what this is, who can tell? How shall finite and
infinite meet? Will God in very deed dwell with man and in
man? Shall man in very deed dwell in and with God? Shall
a finite spirit have communion with the Father of spirits? Oh !
what remains to be revealed in that exalted state, which has
not yet entered into the heart of man ! Prepare, my soul, pre-
pare for that felicity to come, which is sufficient to satisfy
with transport and delight ten thousand heavens of seraphim,
much more my shallow mind.
MEDITATION XLEI.
PHILOSOPHY.
SpitJiead, May 27, 1758.
Truly philosophy is a study much commended, and deserves
it in its various branches. Where the works of nature are
narrowly surveyed, they fill the mind with wonder and delight,
and prove that their Creator must be God.
O! says one, how the study of astronomy exalts the soul!
And then he expatiates on the starry heavens, or firmament
of suns, with their dependent planets, or worlds unseen, and
carries on his fruitful theme, till his lectures have filled the
extension of space with spacious habitations for intelligent,
82 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
though unintelligible beings. But, to leave the philosopher
to his own conceits, true or false, there is a study which as
far excels it, as it excels the ignorance of the illiterate rustic;
and rises infinitely higher in the object of its wonder, and sub-
jects of its inquiry; and this is, the sacred study of religion,
which is the wisdom that as far excelleth, not only folly, but
philosophy, as light excelleth darkness. The philosopher's
themes are high, in comparison of him who is only amused
with mean, low, sordid, and selfish things, (and if not our
highest themes, they are allowable;) but how low and grovel-
ling, in comparison of divine perfections, which entrance the
meditant, and transform the student. The philosopher, not
content with the earth to circumscribe his studies, grasps at
the extended heavens ; but the Christian, content with neither,
seeks after him whose throne is higher than the heavens;
"Whom or what have I on earth but thee? whom or what in
heaven but thee alone, O Lord?"
Philosophy describes created light; but religion leads us to
the Father of more excellent lights, and super-eminent glories.
Astronomy struggles with the laws of the stars, disclosing to
us the wonders of the sky; but divinity brings us beyond them,
to him who counts their number, calls them by their names,
and holds them in his hand. This explains the labour of his
hand, that explores the love of his heart. The one leads us
to see the palace, the other to behold Him who dwells in the
heaven of heavens, in eternity unknown. Let the philosopher
dwell all his days upon the solar beam, its vivifying and fruc-
tifying influences, its quick transition to our earth, its curious
intermixture of colours, while nothing is discernible but light;
I say, though he should spend all his time on these studies,
yet it shall never alter his countenance, or give a visible ex-
ternal lustre thereto; but Moses, when only forty days in the
mount with God, receives such a stamp of divinity on his soul,
and such a tinge of the celestial beauty on his countenance,
that the skin of his face did shine. Nor was this Moses' pri-
vilege alone, but is the privilege of every saint in every age :
*' We all, with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of
the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to
glory, as by the spirit of the Lord." An holy b'fe, or commu-
nion with God, not only changes their appearances, but the
place of their abode; for though the earthly philosopher re-
mains still below, yet the spiritual philosopher translates his
seat above, dwells on high, has his conversation in heaven;
yea dwells in love, and therefore dwells in God, for God is love
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 83
Thus the pious soul, who dwells alone, and is not reckoned
among the sensible or polite part of the people, may improve
to a miracle in divine knowledge, while the most penetrating
philosopher, unless skilled in this, must leave his studies in
the midst, that have amused the more knowing part of man-
kind, and at his end shall be a fool. — While others increase in
knowledge may I increase in love. And while they arrange
the stai*s into their several houses, may I be taken up about
the bright, the morning Star. Let them describe the heavens,
and all their signs; I will, with the boldness of faith, draw
near to him, who spreadeth them as a curtain, and stretcheth
them out as a tent to dwell in. While they see a thousand
beauties in the sky, " which is strong, and as a molten looking-
glass," I will fix the eye of my soul on a more glorious look-
ing-glass, the face of Jesus, and there see brighter displays of
much diviner glory. Let the sun be the subject of their theme,
as well as the centre of their system; but I will adore the Sun
of Righteousness, whose beams outshine created lights, and
illuminate benighted souls, though the bright lamp of day
could never pierce the eyes of one born blind. Choose you
the worlds unknown for your studies, I will choose the world
to come for my meditation,
O how is sacred love to be aspired after! As it is the ful-
filling of the whole law, so it is the attainment of all philoso-
phy; for he that loves God most is the wisest man. O! then,
ye virtuosi, while ye increase in knowledge, may I increase
in love! Let every spark kindle into a flame, and the flame
at last burn divinely bright through everlasting day. Your
nice definitions of dark things, rack and torment you; but
such studies as these improve, compose, and satisfy my soul.
Finally, when the end shall come, all your flourishing themes
shall flash flames in your affrighted faces, or tumble down,
while ye stand trembling amidst the mighty ruins ; but from
the subjects of religion, the dread catastrophe shall only re-
move the darkening veils, sweep off" the dimming clouds, and
let eternal things shine forth in all their native beauty, and
essential glory. Then, though here I have seen through a
glass darkly, I shall see face to face; and though I have been
but learning the first principles of the oracles of God, yet
then shall I be admitted to the university of angels, the col-
lege of perfected and accomplished worthies, where lessons
of divinity, worthy of the highest seraph, shall be our eternal
study, and delightful exercise above.
84 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
Now, how excellent is practical religion, for its sublime
subjects, divine virtue, and eternal duration? The subjects
that this spiritual philosophy treats of, are God, in his attri-
butes, perfections, and glories; his works and providences;
redemption, in its contrivance, finishing, and application, by
the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost; the soul, in its worth
and immortality; and the other world, in its certainty and
perpetuity. Again, religion is excellent, because it ennobles
the human soul, clothes it with a true greatness, decks it with
the beauty of eternal day, prepares it for glory and for God,
pourtrays the images of heavenly things on the inward part,
assimilates to the Son of God, and makes partaker of the di-
vine nature. And, lastly, its duration is eternal : Tongues
must cease, and thrones be cast down, but the subjects of re
ligion shall remain, and be enlarged upon for ever.
MEDITATION XLIV.
A WICKED THING TO DEPART FROM GOD IN THE LEAST.
Cancalle Bay, June 19, 1758.
The Lord is with us while we be with him, but when we
forsake him, he hides his face, and departs from us, that we
may not depart from him any more. It is dangerous to let
the soul out of the sacred set, the heavenly frame; for the
inclination being carnal, the affections corrupt, the will stub-
born, and the heart deceitful above all things, and desperately
"wicked, it is with much ado the rebel is brought back agaiifi
to obedience. Moreover, the soul above all things, receives
a tinge and resemblance of that with which it is most conver
sant: hence the carnal mind holds not with its carnality, but
even turns enmity against God; while the soul that beholds
the glory of the Lord, is changed into the same image, from
glory to glory.
Again, the nearer the soul is allowed to approach to God,
the easier it is kept with God; but the further it removes
from God, the faster it flies from him ; like a stone tumbling
down a mountain, the velocity of which increases according
to the distance it has fallen; and which at last, with amazing
rapidity, rolls to the lowest bottom of the valley. So the
defection is made by degrees. First our love cools; then
our delight in God and in religious duties languishes; then
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 85
our watch against sins and shortcomings is slackened ; then we
count the service of God a weariness; then our mortifica-
tion of lusts is superseded; then the performance of reli-
gious exercises proves a burden; then our affections grow
carnal, and our meditations vain ; then sins appear, and we
view them, first, with no great degree of abhorrence, secondly,
with a friendly eye; then we dally with them, and then turn
openly and avowedly profane. This has been the case with
some once shining professors. But when the saints have
gone back from God, though mercy will not let them fall
finally and totally away, yet what rueful thoughts, what des-
pairing groans, what melting complaints, what terrors of
conscience for a time, what penitential sorrow and breaking
of heart, what dreary back looks on their backslidings, what
anguish, remorse, and pain, what inward vexation, and
trouble of mind, to think how they have sinned against God,
thought little of his love, forgot his goodness, and buried his
mercies in oblivion, have chastised their mournful departure
from God I till their heart is swept, by the Spirit of grace
and consolation, of all these terrible storms and filled with
joy and peace in renewed acts of believing.
But, again, as the soul leaves God in sin, so God may
leave the soul in justice, and measure its way into its bosom.
He may punish sin with sin ; our going away from him, with
his going away from us, and permitting us to go further
away from him. He may justly deprive us of the mercy
which we prize not as we ought. When we will not hear
him, though he stands at the door and knocks, yea, puts in
his finger by the hole door, he may not hear when we pray
before the throne. We think little of that unspeakable pri-
vilege of being allowed to walk with God, but it is a mourn-
ful thing to walk without him, if once we know what it is to
walk with him. We should watch our ways, guard against
the beginning of our wanderings, the first straying of our
thoughts from God. For by sad experience I may say, that
the heart that fixes not on God, is tossed to and fro, up and
down, like the locust, seeking rest in many things, and find-
ing it in none. But, Oh! that when I have flown out of the
ark upon the flood of vanities, I may not, with the raven, ere
I return to the sacred resting-place sit down on dead and des-
picable objects, as corrupt in their kind as the carrion floating
on the face of the waters, but, with the nobler dove, return to
him whose arm of mercy can pull me into the ark again, and
encircle my soul with his favour, and make her rest with vast
H
86 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
delight in his unchangeable love. In thy sovereignty and
love, depart not thou from me ; and in thy mercy, let not me
depart from thee. Hold me by thy right hand, and my soul
shall follow hard after thee, till thou allowest thyself, (O con-
descendency !) to be overtaken in vision and fruition, where
I shall no more fall away from thee.
MEDITATION XLV.
WHO THE GREAT BIAN IS.
Cancalle Bay, June 19, 1758.
He that bears a commission from his king, that is, a peer,
a privy counsellor, or a minister of state, is accounted a great
man. Now, if being near the throne, and conversant with
the king, makes a man great, clothes him with renown, pro-
cures him reverence and respect, loads him with popular
applause, and encumbers him with splendor and pomp; with
how much more divine and durable honour is the saint aggran-
dized, who, though alone from the world, dwells with God ; and
though not known among the busy crowd, resides about the*
throne ! The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, gives
his royal assent to their petitions, and will not say them nay;
yea, " his secret is with them that fear him, and he will show
them his covenant." This is greatness indeed, to be in fa-
vour with him who is a terror to kings; with him to whom
kings and their subjects are less than nothing, and vanity.
How are the humble saints exalted in their privileges
above the grandees of the world ! The King eternal is not
only their Friend, but Father; and the Prince of the kings
of the earth is not only their Benefactor, but their Brother,
which relation is secured for eternit}^ Again, his gifts are
according to his divine dignity. None of the kings of the
earth can bestow on their dearest friends, and most faithful
servants, crowns and kingdoms. They may indeed divide
their own among them at their death, in some countries, but in
no country can they secure the donation, when dead, or per-
petuate the conveyance. But his favours, who lives for ever
to see them bestowed, are crowns and kingdoms, a crown that
fadeth not away, and a kingdom that cannot be moved. Yea,
his gifts enrich the s^ul, and measure with their existence.
Monarchs may cause their favourites' names to be regis-
tered in the list of their privy counsellors, and other hono-
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 87
rary rolls, but cannot prevent their being buried in oblivion;
but the names of all the saints are written in the Lamb's
book of life, and shall be confessed before an assembled
world. It is more to know God, than to be acquainted with
kings ,-7 — to be known of Gfjd, than to be commended to the
ends of the earth.
Now, what thinkest thou, O poor despised saint of God I —
that dwelle&t in a cottage which the great men would not
stoop to step into, to be so high in the favour of Heaven, that
a divine guard of heavenly angels is set about thy house,
that no ill can come near thy dwelling? Yea, the sacred
retinue, though unseen, attends the saint wherever he goes,
who walks unobserved through the world. Did the royal life-
guards of the young princes, the rising heirs of heaven,
appear in the shining livery of him who is the Father of
lights, they would terrify the inhabitants of the earth; but
there is a greater wonder, that even the Sovereign of eter
nity should condescend to be the watchman of his people,
and keep their going out, and preserve their coming in, so
that neither the moon by night, nor the sun by day, shall
smite them 1 And what comfort and security is this, that the
eternal God is diy refuge, and underneath the everlasting
arms 1 Such, O saint 1 is thy renowned state, thine excellent
glory, who perhaps art kept at short allowance of food and
raiment both, with a young and needy family sitting heavy
on thy mind ; but God careth both for thee and them. What
then, though thou hast crosses of every kind to meet with,
bitter draughts of every composition to drink, since it is well
with thy better part? Yea, afflictions capacitate thee for feli-
city, and enlarge thy soul for bliss. But I dare appeal to
thine own breast, O child of God! under all thy troubles,
falsifying friends, loss of relations, or any other grief, if thou
wouldst change thy calamity with the flourishing condition
of the wicked?
Now thou art great, (for the saints, since they live near
God, are the greatest men in the world,) and perhaps know-
est it not; but, let thy- greatness kindle thy gratitude, not
increase thy pride. To keep the saints humble, divers afflic-
tions are allotted them in this life; as a royal father, fearing
lest his son, the young prince, under his present grandeur,
and prospect of the crown, may swell beyond himself, deals
so hardly with him, that oft he fears the king intends to
disinherit him; yet so many bright displays of paternal
aflTection assure him it shall not be so; and the truth is, it is
88 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
out of love, that he may not mount the throne with unsubdued
passions, or sway the sceptre in thoughtless folly. So it fares
with the saints, who should know, in the celestial promotion,
that it comes neither from the east, nor from the west, not by
works of righteousness which we have done, but it is God
alone that exalteth. My life, then, is a paradox; I am mean,
but great; miserable, yet happy; poor, but possessing all
things ; a beggar, and a prince ; but eternity shall unriddle it,
taking away the one part, and illustrating the other.
MEDITATION XLVI.
WE SHOULD SLEEP NO LONGER THAN TO REFRESH THE BODY.
Cancalle Bay, June 20, 1758.
Long sleep in any man is blame-worthy, but in a candi-
date for glory it is a sin. I may indeed rise in time to man-
age my temporal affairs, as I am seldom behind hand with
the world; but what improvement make I for eternity?
" He that loveth sleep," though in worldly things he may sus-
tain no loss, yet in spiritual things " shall be a poor man."
When I have a long journey to go, I can get up early in the
morning, and take the day before me. Now, I am on a more
momentous, and immensely longer journey, even to eternity,
which cannot be delayed a day ; therefore, I have need to
take the day of time betimes, the day of health and life be-
forehand, ere the shadows of darkness overspread me, wherein
no man can walk, or the night of death overtake me, wherein
no man can work.
Alas! allowing that I shall number three-score suns, how
far am I already advanced towards noon ! how little of the
half do I want ! a year or two. The past time is lost, the
future uncertain; but eternity is certain and approaching.
When I look back, how many healthy hours lost in sleep,
superfluous sleep, stare in my face! And now that I am
convinced of the preciousness of time, shall I squander it
away in sleep ? Too late at the bottle, and too long in bed,
are sins of a deeper dye than either the tippler or sleeper will
allow. What will 1 think, if sickness render me unfit foi
any thing, if infirm old age confine me to my crazy bed ? How
will I look back with sorrow on vigorous youthful hours lost
in sleep ! hours which might have been improven for eternity,
and spent in communion with God. Did a friend, whom 1
MISCELLAxVEOUS MEDITATIONS. 89
dearly love, come early in the morning to visit me, would I not
rise to entertain him, not knowing how soon he might go
away? Shall I then give the beloved of my soul worse en-
tertainment than my friend? Sleep is a kind of death there-
fore, when asleep, how can I have communion with God, for
God is not the God of the dead, but of the living? He, out of
sovereignty, my speak to man in a dream, in a vision of the
night; and sometimes the dreams of his people have been di-
vine, so that, when they awoke, their sleep has been sweet;
but the duty of saints is, to seek him with all the activit)^ of
their soul, in the full exercise of all her powers; with the
psalmist, to awake themselves early, that they may praise
him ; to prevent the dawning that they may pray to him. How
am I to blame, that indulge long sleep! See the labourer go
early to the field, the hireling to his work ; and shall I lie in
bed, like one that has less to do than they? Did my dearest
Lord continue on a mount alone, all night in prayer to God
for me, and the like of me; and shall I not praise him early?
The royal Psalmist could shake himself from his midnight-
slumbers, to join in the work of heaven ; and shall not I rise
in the morning?
Thus, indeed, I think I am punished, that the more I indulge
myself in sleep, the more I would sleep. The hosts above
rest not day nor night; and I should rest only to refresh my
body, not to ruin my soul. Alas! I have not only long sleep
to lament, but that I slumber my time away, when awake,
without lifting my eyes to God. Pity, in all respects, O foun-
tain of mercy ! one that in all respects deplores himself.
MEDITATION XLVII.
OUR ONLY JOY IN VIEW OF THE WORLD TO COME.
Under sail, June 22, 1758.
Verily, O worldlings! I pity you. Now you seem to be
great and full of glory ; but, though you shine without, there
is an awful blank within. If in this life only I have hope,
I should of all men he most miserable; for the greatest thing
I could either hope for, or desire below, are .trifling in compa-
rison of the great and glorious things of eternity that I aspire
after. What good would my life do me, did I not live to die,
that T may live forever? What would my time be but a rota-
h2
90 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
tion of toils and troubles, did it not afford me an opportunity
to prepare and improve for eternity? How would every fore-
thought about this present life trouble me, did not the solid
hope of a future world sustain me !
As for my part, I would not wish a worse hell, than that my
habitation among the wicked in Mesech, with my unsubdued
corruptions and carnal affections, were perpetuated. But I
know in whom I have believed, and that he will not delay to
gather his scattered sheep together, that there may be one
Shepherd, and one flock, in the fields above. Eternity is
already begun in my soul, and my inward part is refreshed
with foretastes of fruition; hence my thoughts take wing be-
yond the bounds of time, and dwell, (though, alas! too short,)
amidst the glories of the better world. — Hence I am contented
with my present state, and would not change with kings;
hence the early beamings of that blessed day, when my Be-
loved and I shall meet, to part no more, refresh and ravish
all my soul; hence I triumph amidst all the transitory scenes
of sorrow which I labour under, and am not moved, either
by unjust reproach, or vain applause. O the emptiness of
this present world ! but O the excellence of the world to come !
Faith and hope cut down, and fetch me some of the first-ripe
fruits, some of the grapes of Eschol. Surely, this world were
a wilderness to me, did I not look on myself only as a tra-
veller through it, as a way-faring man that shall tarry therein
but for a few nights.
There is a restlessness in my breast that shall never be re-
moved till I rest in God. Yea, even now, God is the resting-
place of my soul, otherwise I should be tormented with strong
pain, and torn with agonies of mind. Yet the most pleasant
calm, and tranquillity I enjoy here, through the imperfections
of this state, and remaining corruption, is far from being com-
plete at best, and oftentimes is interrupted ; but the rest I wait
for, is refreshing, perfect, and eternal.
Hasten, then, the day when thou shalt descend to mount
thy glorious throne, and appear the second time without sin
unto salvation; when thou shalt accomplish all my desires,
fill my longing soul, admit me to the nearest communion, and
satisfy me with the sublimest bliss. For this I impatient
Wait; and in the mean time lay up my treasures in heaven,
where I dwell by hope, and have taken up my mansion by
faith in the promise, till the day of my solemn removal come,
when by the divine command, I shall be carried over to the
land of rest.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 91
Miserable they who have no joy in the prospect of a world
to come, without which I should be swallowed up of sorrow ;
who find their pleasure, and place their happiness, in the
painted trifles of a momentary life, but are tortured with the
thoughts of eternity, and put on the rack if they glance be-
yond the grave.
MEDITATION XLVIII.
ON THE SCRIPTURES.
Under sail, near Jersey, June 23, 1758
An entertaining history, or a striking description of some
famous battle will challenge our attention, and cause us to light
another candle: but a small portion of the scriptures suffices
ns; yea, some are more taken with a well w^ritten romance,
than with all the interresting truths of the word of God. This
is a lajnentation, and shall be for a lamentation.
Ah! how am I to blame that do not more value this invalu-
able book, where the style is lofty, the images striking, the
figures beautiful, the harmony conspicuous, the subjects of
infinite moment, and the glory of God the scope of all. — Here
corruption and grace are pourtra5^ed to the life, the struggles
of the old and new man set forth in an instructive light.
Here are arrows that pierce the stubborn heart, -and balm of
comfort for ths bleeding soul. Here kings are taught how to
reign, and princes how to judge; and here is an unerring di-
rectory for churches in their public, and Christians in their
private capacities, to walk by. This is the armory of heaven,
from which I may be furnished with weapons for my spiritual
warfare; for the sword of the Spirit is the word of God. Like
a kindly comforter, it stills my complaints, chases my sorrows,
cheers my sinking spirit, revives my hope, strengthens my
faith, and sets me above the hurricanes of time. This feeds
me with manna; not the manna of the wilderness, of which
all who ate are dead, but the divine manna, preserved in the
golden pot of the promise, laid up in the ark of the covenant
of grace, f)r all the chosen seed. Surely "thy words were
found of me, and I did eat them, and thy word was the joy
and rejoicing of my heart." This is the only food that can
support the strength of the traveller heavenward. This makes
my table so well furnished, and so richly spread, in presence
92 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
of my foes. With this my cup overflows ; and this is my daily
allowance from the King's table, till the day I am admitted
to sit at table with the King. " The words for thy mouth are
better to me than thousands of gold and silver. I rejoice at
thy word as one that finds great spoil." Without this sacred
book I should have no happiness here, no hope of futurity; for
it is the Christian's charter for the glorious inheritance above.
It is my directory in all conditions, at all times, in all difficul-
ties, amidst all companies, and in all places. To be con-
demned to read a human composition again and again, would
be intolerable ; but to be debarred from reading the scriptures,
would be death. They are always savoury and refreshful to
the spiritual taste; as the traveller drinks at the stream that
attends him through the desert, as often as he is parched with
thirst, and finds it always refreshful. Those truths, which at
one time we read with a belief that they are divine, come at
another time, when the spirit breathes on them with such
power, that in them we hear God talking with us, and our
heart burns within us.
Here time is bounded, and eternity brought forth : the world
set on flames, and the new creation formed ; here heaven and
earth talk together, God and man converse ; here conscience
is accosted, thoughts discerned, and secrets brought to light;
so that it is both full of eyes, and dreadful round about.
This is the light of revelation that dispels the darkness of
corrupt nature, shows me the world to come at present, sets
the judgment-throne, sounds the trumpet, gathers the nations,
passes the sentence, and brings in eternity. Yea, from this
sacred volume, I may learn on what hand I shall stand, and
what my sentence shall be in that tremendous day.
May I build for myself a dwelling in the word of promise
which shall stand when the hail shall sweep away the refuges
of lies. From this dear book will I choose my songs in the
house of pilgrimage; and will count myself happier with a
few promises from it, than if possessed of sceptres, crowns,
and kingdoms. This is the window out at which the Beloved
looks; the lattice through which he shows himself, till the
day break, and the shadows flee away. In a word, this sacred
^Dord is the beauteous day-star that gives the pleasant dawn,
till the Sun himself arise and shine in the firmament of glory
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 93
MEDITATION XLIX.
TRUE JOY.
At anchor, St. Helens, July 4, 1758.
Sometimes, indeed, I am amazed at the joy of sinners, while
those who have the greatest cause of exultation are rather,
too sad. Yea, I wonder that, on due consideration, joy of soul
bursts not my mortal frame. Though I should never think
highly of myself, yet I should never think lowly or meanly
of the manifestations of the love and favour of God. What
shall I, then, think of this quiet of mind, this peace of God
that passes understanding, pouring into my soul, and giving
me the life of a prince, while one would be ready to conclude
that I lived like a prisoner? What of this dwelling under the
smile of Heaven? this joy that I have in believing? these
transforming glances of glory, which give a sweet antepast
of the fruition to come, and make me long for the day of com-
munion? What of my daily allowance from the table of the
King, yea, sometimes my being allowed to eat at the King's
table of the hidden manna, and bread of life, and to behold
his glory with the eye of faith.
Surely, then, I ought to sing and rejoice; for as the sorrow
of the world workefh death, so the joy that is spiritual tendeth
to life. God remembers both the place and time where he
lets out his love to his people! hence, says he to Jacob, "I am
the God of Bethel;" and of Jacob to his posterity, "He found
him in Bethel, and there he spake with us; even the Lord God
of hosts, the Lord is his memorial." "I remember thee, the
kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals." Dare I,
then, despise the day of small things, or forget what God may
be pleased to remember? And if I look but a httle further
to the end of my life, which is perhaps nearer than I think
of, what a flood of glory waits to replenish my enlarged soul,
when sin and imperfection shall be put off, and perfection put
on? Should not such a happy change, secured to me by the
faithfulness of him who cannot lie, but who rests in his love,
cause a continual joy in my soul? I daily see sinners, whose
life is one scene of jovialty, one round of mirth and yet they
know not on what account they are so cheerful; and why
should I be sad, who have the truest cause of purest joy?
Neither should the outward troubles of time disquiet me more
than a king riding in his coach of state, attended with his
94 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
guards should take it ill that dust should fly around hi*
gentle shower fall on him, when screened from both; s.. ;i v . i
safe in the promise ; yea, I ride in the chariot of my Befoved
with greater security, and statelier port, than crowned heads
could ever boast of.
Hasten your flight, ye envious days, that I may see him
whom I love, for whom I long, on whom I have fixed my af-
fection, and with whom my soul dwells by faith. Now will I
joy in thee with a joy superior to theirs that divide the spoil;
and wait for the day when I shall be allowed to bring to the
throne of thy glory, the tribute of praise for all thy mercies
to me, and among the rest for this true substantial joy.
MEDITATION L.
ONE FRUIT OF AFFLICTION.
Spithead, July 14, 1758.
The world complains of affliction as the worst thing that
can befal a man, but for my part I never shall. Were it as
bad as we apprehend, how is it that from Adam to this very
day, the saints have had so large a share of it? Now, among
the many precious fruits of affliction, I shall only name one,
and that is, earnestness and importunity with God in prayer.
A gracious soul may walk with God in close communion, as
Enoch, captivated with the glory of his countenance, and lifted
above the world by the outlettings of his love; but as this is
not the ordinary attainment of the saints in general, it is their
mercy to be driven near the throne, and made earnest in their
prayers. A good man mai/ walk in the course of religious
duties, but affliction gives edge to his devotions, importunity
to his petitions, makes him draw nearer to the throne, stay
longer, and cry louder.
Of this we have examples in the practice of scripture-saints.
See how Lot, when Sodom is in flames behind him ; his wail-
ing wife and weeping daughters hanging round him; desolate
mountains before him; whither he is commanded to escape;
terror without, and trembling within: see, I say, how he
doubles his request, "It is a little one, O let me escape thither!
is it not a little one?" See another example in the case of
Jacob, who was not long escaped out of Laban's hand, till he
is informed of another and more furious foe come out against
him to cut him wholly off*. Immediately he pleads the pro
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 95
mise which God had made to him, of doing him good, and also
bidding him return unto his native land, yet confessing he
was less than the least of all his mercies : Then he makes the
most prudent disposition for melancholy consequences that he
can think on, and sets them all over the brook; but he lodges
alone that night, and when alone expresses all that grief, pours
out his soul to God : ' Didst thou not promise that in my seed
all nations should be blessed, and from my loins the promised
Messiah spring? and that my seed should be numerous as the
stars, innumerable as the sand? but where is the accomplish-
ment of the promise, the veracity of the promisor, if I and all
my seed are slain?' This no doubt, was the subject of his
prayer, and the theme he insisted on in the wrestling-night;
and, lo! the very Saviour about whose kingdom in the world
he was so concerned, appears to him in the very same like-
ness Vv'hich he should afterwards assume, and allows himself
to be wrestled with, in weeping, prayers, and supplication,
and to be overcome by the all prevalent strugglings of omni-
potent faith, till this surprising language drops between them,
"Let me go," "I will not let thee go except thou bless me;"
which was granted, and confirmed by a change of his name
from Jacob to Israel. Siu'e then, never was a sweeter night
on earth; and can it be doubted but that was a singular fruit
of a singular affliction! Here we must also admire the ear-
nestness of Moses in prater with God, in the time of Israel's
calamity, through sin : "And now, O Lord, let the power of
my Lord be great: pardon, I beseech thee, the sin of this
people." — Of Joshua, when Israel was smitten before their
enemies : " What wilt thou do to thy great name ?" Of David,
under his various persecutions — and of Hezekiah, when he
received the railing letter from the Assyrian monarch.
Not to mention any more in the Old Testament, I shall
name one in the New : Peter is apprehended by Herod, put
in prison, and the day set that he should suffer: this was a
great affliction to the church, one of her prime pillars, one
of her apostles, so near a shameful cruel death; but prayer
is made of the church unto God without ceasing, and the issue
is Peter's deliverance in a miraculous manner. O! how,
when pressed upon by affliction, do we press upon the pro-
mise, plead for the performance, and are importunate with
God! As an affectionate parent keeps back from his child
what he knows to be needful for him, that he may be delight-
ed with its little pretty arguments to obtain it, so deals God
with his people.
9(5 * SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
Then rather than that I should grow remiss in my suppli-
cations at the throne of grace, through the languor of my
love, may the weight of my afflictions add fervour to my de-
votions, and eagerness to my requests.
MEDITATION LI.
FROM THE DEPTHS OF AFFLICTIONS WE SEE STUPENDOUS THINGS.
Spithead, July 17, 1758.
Will any man think the philosopher mad for going into a
profound pit, that there he may see to more advantage the
furniture of the higher heavens, the glory of the sparkling
stars? Seeing that meaner objects being hindered to strike
his eye, nothing but what is high, luminous, and bright, beam
into the bottom of the dark abode. Even so the saints, when
shut up in the deeps of afflictions, " when set in dark places
as the dead, when hedged about that they cannot get out,"
have their eyes on God alone, who can bring them out of the
horrible pit, out of the miry clay. Then their thoughts as-
cend to heaven, and heaven shines down into their souls;
while the world, in all its glittering vanities that strike the
carnal eye, is cut off on every side. A communication is
opened between God and the soul: "To this man will I look,
even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit," a spirit bro-
ken with affliction; ye, with such he will dwell, to revive the
hearts of the contrite ones.
Again, in the dark night of adversity, there are beauties
seen, that were never seen in the broad day of prosperity.
Manasseh, all the time he reigned in Judah, though it was a
land of light, never knew God till he was taken among the
thorns, bound in fetters, and carried to Babylon, where he
prayed, was heard, pardoned, and liberated; and "then
Manasseh knew that the Lord, he was God." Thus, in the
depths of affliction, he learned maxims more sublime, and of
higher moment, than he could attain to when seated on a
throne. O desirable distress! that discloses and magnifies
heavenly excellences, and diminishes earthly vanities 1
When much of the world gets into the mind, then little of
God is there ; for " if any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him ; " but when little of the world then much
of God. Affliction is also a time of solitude, for the man sit-
MISCELLANEOUS I\IEDITAT10NS. 97
teth alone; but God setteth the solitary in a family, even in
the family of heaven, and comforts him with his own children.
In no place better than in the profound depth of affliction,
does the heir of future glory see the love, the goodness, the
mercy, and the wisdom of God,- the excellency of religion,
the beauty of divine things, the danger of prosperity, the de-
ceitfulness of riches, the vanity of created things, and the
happiness of the world to come.
But as to the illiterate man, who knov/s nothing of astronci-
my, or the laws of the celestial bodies, this pit would be a
deplorable situation, for it is only the philosopher that can im-
prove here; so it is only the spiritual mind, the heavenly
meditant, that reaps the advantage of such a situation, for the
carnal man here would be altogether miserable.
Again, as no man would pity the philosopher for being de-
prived awhile of beauteous day, while pursuing his studies,
and perfecting his knowledge; so why should the saints be
accounted cast off, when plunged into affliction for a while,
to pursue their studies of the wondrous v/ay of Providence,
and perfect their knowledge of the Most High?
MEDITATION LU.
PRAYER.
Spithead, July 28, 1758.
No sooner is the child born, than he breathes,- no sooner is
Paul converted, than, behold! he prays.
O incomparable privilege ! to be allowed to pour our com-
plaints into the ear of God, cast our cares over on him, plead
the performance of the promise, and devolve the burden of
our sorrows and necessities over on his sympathy, and all-
sufficiency! The prayer of faith has won more numerous
and more noble victories than all the mighty conquerors since
war was taught among the nations. Prayer is the furbishing
of all the other pieces of the spiritual armour, and as it were
the muster-master of all the graces. It is the key of heaven;
Elijah prayed, and it was locked: again he prayed, and it was
opened. It is the terror of hell, which will put up with any
thing but prayer; — the ambassador of the renewed soul,— '
the trumpet of faith, — the support of the weak, — the employ
of the expectant of glory, — and the daily exercise of the Chris-
tian, II is like a pulley that drav/s the soul up to heaven;
I
98 . SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
and, like a golden pipe, plunges into that river that proceeds
out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, and conveys the
blessing down into the soul below. When Job prayed, God
turned his captivity; when Jacob wrestled in prayer, he ob-
tained the blessing; when EHjah and Solomon prayed, the
fire fell and consumed the sacrifice; when Paul and Barnabas
prayed and sang praises, the prison was shaken, the doors
opened, and every one's bands loosed ; and while the church
prayed for Peter, an angel set him at liberty. By all which
it appears, that God will be inquired after by prayer, and will
work wonders for the humble supplicants.
This is the time that God will talk with men in a special
manner; — the audience-hour of the great King, when the
court of Heaven receives and answers the petitions of the
saints. And many times have.the soul's of God's people been
enlarged beyond measure, while they have, Jacob-like, been
wrestling for the blessing, weeping and making supplication
to God. Then Heaven has been pleased to pour in his joys
in the soul, so fully, that they hardly could contain ; their old
bottles being like to burst asunder with the new wine of God.
Flowery expressions, and a fine style; a multitude of words,
and many petitions; or any thing that may seem the wisdom
of man more than the power of God, — is not the prayer that
shall be heard by Him, who regards one earnest wish, and
sincere request, before all the oratory of the schools. We
should search ourselves before prayer, and know what sin is
least subdued, what duty is most neglected, what grace is most
decayed, that we may pray with understanding. Again, we
should summon our attention in the time of prayer, that we
may speak as to God ; and we should look to God after prayer
for an answer, and wait on him who is both able and willing
to supply all our need, spiritual and temporal, according to
his riches in glory by -Christ Jesus.
MEDITATION LIII.
LITTLE KNOWN OF THE BLISS ABOVE.
Off Cherbourg, Aug. 11, 1758.
I verily believe the saints here are like a stranger come
from the skirts of the kingdom to the chief city, who never
saw any thing grand or noble all his life till he came thither.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 99
When he comes to the palace of the king, he is astonished to
see the stately buildings, royal guards, grand attendance,
delightful walks, fragrant arbours, the palace-garden, and the
noble personages that are admitted in. While gazing with
wonder at the external appearance, he is filled with surprise
to think ^^'hat must be within: Rooms hung with arras, furni-
ture gilt with gold, the throne, the crown, the sceptre, and the
robes of state, and all the royal inhabitants. Even so the
saints, who are charmed with the beauties of the church be-
low, which is the house of the living God, wonder what the
palace of the great King must be. For if the ordinances of
his grace be pleasant beyond comparison, what must the eter-
nal overflowings of his love be in the land of his glory? If
the exceeding great and precious promises, and the scriptures
of truth, be better than thousands of gold and silver, what
must the fulfilment of the one, and the subject of the other, be
in the world above ? How may we, when we see the outwalks
of our God, the goings of our King in the sanctuar}', wonder
what the chamber of presence must be above!
Happy, ye that stand before him, and see him on his throne,
even face to face, not as we do, who only get a window-
glimpse, and through the dimming glass. What must the'
invisible glory of the highest heaven be, when such beauty
beams in the created firmament! What must that glory be
that supplies the absence of the sun! What must that beatific'
vision be which changes the soul at its first entrance into it !
What must those pleasures be that ravish every moment! and
those delights which surfeit not, even while eternally enjoyed !
Surely that divine bliss is too sublime for nature's light to
know about, or see into; and revelation can tell but a little of
it, because of our carnality, and shallow knowledge of sacred
things. Yea, should the happiness of the blessed be described
in the language used before the throne, it would be too sublime
to enter into a mortal ear. So that it still holds true, that ear
hath not heard, eye hath not seen, neither hath it entered into
the heart of man to conceive, what God hath laid up for his
saints. But such a portion is it that the very faith of them
makes them endure hardships, patient under trouble, silent in
affliction, joyful in tribulation ; to trample on worldly great-
ness, riches, honour, and renown, and to endure all things,
as seeing him who is invisible, and thus to wait for his son
from heaven.
/ SOLITUDE SWEETENED ; OR,
MEDITATION LIV.
THE DIVINE LOVER.
In Harbour, Nov. 1; 1758,
How many great geniuses have employed their noble tal-
ents on subjects of human love I And by their flowery ex-
pressions, screw up the imaginary bliss in these luscious
scenes to such a height, as if nothing more sublime could be
pursued by immortal souls'. And how easy such trifling
subjects gain on carnal minds, mournful experience may con-
vince us. But where is he that dwells on the Divine Lover,
and expatiates on the matchless grace, with strokes that melt
the soul with astonishment and rapture? How often does the
poet, in his encomium of a created fair, step beyond the truth,
talk at random, yea, rove about possibility itself ! But here,
in the love of the Son of God, we can never exceed. It is
higher than heaven, and brought him down from his father's
bosom to our earth: It is deeper than hell, and brought us up
from thence : It is larger than the sea, and can never be ex-
hausted: Broader than the earth, and can never be described.
How vehemently did the heavenly flame burn, even " when
sorrows of death compassed him about, when pains of hell
took hold on him!"
How has art and oratory embellished human loves! What
surprising narratives have been written of the amours of
princes! and what pages have been filled with fictitious ad-
ventures of lovers ! But what has been said to purpose of the
Supreme Lover, who loved his own to the end, in the hour
of death, in the pangs of dissolution, and amidst the keenest
sense of his Almighty Father's wrath! This is what no
mortal ever could do; for death flings another theme into
their mind, and as their breath expires, their thoughts perish.
Death, in the person loving or beloved, finishes the strong-
est affection, though their memory may be dear; but death
cannot separate from his sacred love.
There never was such disproportion between parties loving
and beloved, as here; no, not though kings should choose
their queens from the dunghill. Here the Prince of peace,
the King of kings, the flower of paradise, the darling of his
father's love, the express image of his person, and brightness
of his glory, the heir of all things, the eternal God, loves an
ugly, deformed miserable creature, a crawling worm, a con-
demned criminal, an insolvent debtor, a rebel against heaven,
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 101
a daring sinner, a drudge to hell, a slave to lust, a captive of
Satan, a prisoner of the pit'. This is love indeed, love that
will be Ihe wonder of angels, and the song of the church of
the first born through endless ages.
For shame ye celebrated bards! will ye choose such life-
less, tasteless, dying themes, and neglect the work of angels,
the employment of heaven? How ardently, O Divine Lover!
should my soul go out after thee ! Longing for that thrice-
welcome day, when I shall mourn thine absence no more, but,
admitted into thy presence, shall talk of all thy love, and feast
on all thy charms, world without end.
MEDITATION LV.
ETEENITY.
Spithead, Nov. 13, 1758.
Arithmeticians have been much puzzled with given num-
bers ; but none ever attempted eternity, or the duration of the
world to come, though they have shown mighty art in figures.
Here the finite mind has no idea of eternity but by succession
of ages, and yet succession belongs to time, not to eternity.
Though all the angels in heaven, and all the men in the world,
since their creation, had been employed in dotting down
figures, which at the end of the world were to be arranged
into one straight line, stretching through an unmeasured
space, which would give every figure ten times it force, yet
this line would not be so much to eternity, by all the dispro-
portion of comparison, as the number one bears to it; for one
bears some proportion to the greatest numbers, but the great-
est numbers bear none to eternity.
Days, weeks, and months, are nothing there ; years, ages,
and generations are lost there; hundreds, thousands, and
millions are no more there; times, seras, and determinate du-
rations are past for ever there; all is fixed, all eternal there!
There is no first and last, sooner and later, in eternity ; for
though Abel, with respect to time, was sooner plunged into
perpetuity, yet no sooner than the saints that shall be alive
at the last day, with respect to eternity. For it is like a
circle, which, desected any where, is always in the middle.
The saints are like so many guests assembling, to a feast,
some are set down, some sitting down, some standing ready
to sit down, some entering the door, and some at a little dis-
i2
102 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
tance from the house, yet all come in due time for the feast.
Adam, Enoch, and Elias, are set down at the banquet of love;
the prophets and apostles are set down at the marriage-supper
of the Lamb; some are entering the door of bliss, and many
are on their way thither; but they shall all come time enough
to the divine entertainment which shall satisfy all the guests
in the mansions of glory.
Alas', with what desperate madness am I chargeable, that
am thus taken up with transitory trifles, and neglect the rea-
lities of the everlasting world? When I consider the vanity
of earthly glory, I cannot help concluding, that such as pur-
sue after it are intoxicated with poison more dangerous than
that of the tarantula, which makes men die by dancing; as the
one affects the soul, the other only the body But though the
pleasures of this world were real and solid, yet they are so tran-
sient that they are not worthy our pursuit. O how wise for time,
but how improvident for eternity ! for what man, to appear in all
the majesty and grandeur of a king for a day, would forfeit his
estate, and spend the rest of his miserable life in poverty and
reproach? And yet for vanity, for trifles of a day, we throw
ourselves away for eternity I I look forward a few years,
perhaps a iew days, and see myself in eternity: but I cannot
look still more forward, and see myself out of eternity into
another state. O Eternity! I am to be in thee for ever; and
why shouldst thou not be in all my thoughts? Thou shalt
shortly overtake me; why then should I chase thee from me,
or fly myself from thee ?
It matters not much to him who is going but out of one
door into another, whether it be in a summer blink, or win-
ter-blast, since a few steps finish his journey; nor does it
much more concern him who comes out of the door of the
womb, and enters by the gate of death into the palace of the
great King, his mansion for eternity, whether it be under
the sun-shine of prosperity, or the bitter blast of adversity;
because the one cannot profit him, nor the other pain him
there. And our journey, from our coming into this world,
till our going into the world of spirits, though we should
reach the age of Methuselah, is performed sooner with respect
to eternity, than our going from one room to another in res-
pect of time. Now, my moments are numbered, and precious ;
but, O that blessed state when numbers are no more ! No
incursions there on the adoring soul, from the world, or from
vanity, from sin, Satan, or the flesh. No weariness there,
where mine adorations shall not be measured by minutes,
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 103
cramped by corruption, or cut short by bodily indisposition.
But when I have stood an ardent adorer before the throne ten
thousand years, I shall be as vigorous in my love, as active
in my adorations, as in the first moment I began the work of
angels, the employment of heaven. Now vain thoughts min-
gle with my contemplations, distractions with my devotions,
impertinent rovings with my most importunate prayers; un-
belief resists my faith, carnality is a clog to the heavenly
mind, corruption a dead weight on the soul, and the things of
time an hindrance to all. But then I shall be delivered into
the glorious liberty of the sons" of God. Once a great king
made a great feast to his grandees for an hundred and four-
score days; nothing less than a royal treasury could support
the expense of such an entertainment. But the King of
kings shall feast and satiate all his mighty angels, all his cho-
sen people on his own undiminished fulness through eternity
itself ! There is bliss without a blank, abundance beyond
all bounds, and possession without period! No matter, then,
what years I lose; for whenever the lamp of life expires, the
sun shall rise and shine for ever.
MEDITATION LVI.
ON LOVING GOD.
Spithead, Nov. 20, 1758.
To love thee, is my honour; that I may, is my previlege;
and in as far as I do it, so far am I happy. How is it, then,
that this divine duty of loving thee meets with so much oppo-
sition! Hell and earth bid me hate thee; sinners will not let
me avow my love to thee ; corruption within, cares and con-
cerns, without, check my love; unbelief cools my love, "for
faith works by love," and love bears proportion to faith ; im-
moderate fear, and love of any thing besides thee, is a clog to
my love ; and imperfect apprehensions of thy glorious self,
deaden my love to thee. In what a melancholy case am I!
It is death to live, and not to love ; yet I live, and cannot love
thee ! I can love my friend, and hate mine enemy ; but I can-
not love my God, nor hate mine enmity. I can love what I
think beautiful in the creature, with love more than meet;
why then not love the Rose of heaven, the chiefest among
ten thousand, who is altogether lovely, and whose love is, like
himself, unchangeable ! What makes the triumphant state so
104 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OK,
glorious, so desirable, but because love is perfect without fear,
their adorations without distractions, their conceptions bright
without misapprehensions, and their praise without interrup-
tion, their knowledge clear without confusion, their vision per-
fect, their views fixed, and all their souls strengthened in God,
replenished with God, and going out on God. Then, in lov-
ing thee, I might begin the felicity of eternity, and anticipate
the bliss above. I will love thee for thyself, and thy saints
for thy sake, for thy image shining in them. I will hate mine
enmity against thee, grieve that I cannot love thee, and feel
after thee, and wait for that day when I shall love thee as T
would, because I shall see and enjoy thee as thou art.
MEDITATION LVII.
WRATH.
Spithead, Nov. 21, 1758.
I have hitherto had faint views of divine wrath, though I
have indeed had frightful apprehensions of fire, a gloomy idea
of the bottomless pit, and shocking thoughts of the state of
the damned. But, there is one expression of our Saviour's,
which gives me a clearer view of divine vengeance, than all
the anguish of the damned can do. Observe the God-man,
in whose mouth no guile was found, in whose face no personal
guilt could stare, when suffering in our stead, carrying our
sorrows, and bearing our grief. Although he knew he should
triumph, and come off victorious, that he should see of the
travail of his own soul, and be satisfied; and that, though he
laid down his life, he should take it up again ; yet see, when
the flood-gates of divine vengeance are opening, (the overflow-
ings of whose waters were to thy very soul, O Immanuel!)
and pouring out to him, how his soul, that is exceeding sorrow-
ful, even unto death, suffer in such a manner, that the blood,
instead of keeping its wonted course, and flowing to support
his heart, as if the frame of his holy human nature had been
dissolving, breaks through the returning veins, forces a pas-
sage at every pore, and in great drops trickles down upon the
ground! while he puts up a pettition which I should never for-
get, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me I"
Which is as if he had said, ' Couldst thou be glorified, justice
satisfied, and the elect saved any other way than by my drin-
king this tremendous cup, O let it be done', yet not my will,
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 105
but thine be done.' Now, if thus the Son of God in our na-
ture expressed himself under a sense of wrath, how dreadftil,
terrible, and intolerable must it be! what are streams of
melted brimstone, floods of fire, utter darkness, the worm that
never dies, the horrid gulph, the bottomless pit, the tormenting
company of fiends and devils, but as it were vehicles to con-
vey wrath into the damned? for the wrath of the Almighty of
which the wicked must drink for ever, is something above and
beyond all these! — "Who knows the power of thy wrath?"
"Who can stand if thou be angry?" How must guilt scream,
when innocence itself cries out so! How must despair roar,
when he that was heard in that he feared, expresses himself
in such a manner!
Three things may remain my w^onder, the compassion of the
Father, the condescension of the Son, and the insensibility of
the sinner. O, then, to be wise before instructed in the world
of flames!
MEDITATION LVIII.
SENSIBLE COMMUNION WITH GOD S03IETIMES ENJOYED.
Uiider sail, Dec. 27, 1758.
Though there is not a child in the family of heaven but
what has real fellowship with the Father, and with his Son
Jesus Christ, yet there are happy times and pleasant moments
when a divine intercourse is carried on between the soul and
God. A carnal world ridicules the idea; and no wonder, for
the " natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God,
because they are foolishness to him."
Will not the saints of God confess, that communion with
him is sometimes sensibly enjoyed ; and that the enjoymont of
it is a little heaven, glory in the bud, and a foretaste of their
future felicity? Nor is this the effect of fancy, or an heated
imagination; it proceeds from a nobler cause, even the sove-
reign kindness of the Father of mercies. Have not the souls
of his people, (Oh that I could say, mine own !) been some-
times so refreshed with more than ordinary outlettings of his
love, that they have longed for the eternal uninterrupted vision
and enjo5aTient of himself? And when heaven has opened
before them to let them look in, and see the glories of the bet-
ter country, how have they trampled on the pleasures, and
triumphed over the troubles of a present life !
106 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
At three remarkable seasons God is pleased to hold commu-
nion with his people. First, before affliction, to prepare them
for it; as with Jacob in that memorable night when his angry
brother was marching against him ; — and with Paul, who was
bid to be of good cheer, for as he had testified at Jerusalem,
so he should at Rome. Again, in the time of affliction, to
support them under it; as when Moses was mourning and going
heavily under Israel's grievous idolatry, then God spake face
to face with him, as a man speaketh unto his friend ; and he
made his goodness to pass before him : — So Stephen's face,
from heart-felt joy, shone like an angel's, amidst his foes, and
near his death. And, thirdly, after some afflictive dispensa
tions, and mournful providences : So the apostles, after they
had been apprehended, examined, and severely threatened,
are filled in an eminent manner with the Holy Ghost, while
the place of their abode, as a symbol of the divine presence,
is remarkably shaken.
Though all his saints are fed at his expense, yet sometimes
they are allowed to sit in his presence, and feast with the King.
And such a banquet makes the barren desert like the garden
of God. It is only in the strength of heavenly meals, be-
stowed by the uncreated angel, that I travel to the mount of
God. Now, manifestations and communications do not enti-
tle me to bliss, but are themselves a part of my bliss; therefore
I must not build upon them, but seek my standing in the
righteousness of the Son of God: Even as a servant's being
allowed provision will not prove him to be a son, yet the son
abiding in the family of election and house of God, is always
entitled to be fed, and is sometimes admitted to his Father a
own table. If, then, heaven is pleased, according to his divine
sovereignty, to display his glory at times, in a more than ordi-
nary effulgence, why shold it be called enthusiasm and delu-
sion ? For my part, whoever be the sober wits, let me live and
die in such delusion. But if thus the life of the least saint be
like the life of an angel, in comparison of the happiest world-
lings; and if the life of one saint so excel anothers' in walk-
ing near God, (for it is thus that in the firmament of grace one
star differeth from another star in glory;) and if the life of a
saint sometimes, for a few moments, in comparison of his ordi-
nary attainments, be like the life of a seraph, what must
eternal, uninterrupted, full, and free communion be, in the
highest heavens, where the new bottles will be able to hold
the new wine of paradise ; and where the soul, capacitated
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 107
in every power, shall be replenished with all the fulness
of God?
Expire, ye protracted periods, and roll off, ye envious years,
that I may join the adorers round the throne, and commence
communion with the Highest in the holy place for endless
ages of eternity!
MEDITATION LIX.
BREVITY C^ LIFE.
Phjmouth, Dec. 28, 1758,
What is all this struggle in the world for? What mean I
by so many attempts to be something, in the sphere of noth-
ing? This is as if foatn and bubbles should contend for sta-
tion on the rapid stream, which in a moment are no more.
Now we are engaged and entangled in a war, and this is the
time for the patriot, the politician, and the hero to appear; but
how many press forward to make their appearance for the
sake of being seen! as if honour could bring happiness. —
This I see and condemn in others, yet am guilty of it myself,
forgetting that I am but of yesterday, and to-morrow am no
more. It is a shame to think so much about a few days, and
so little of endless ages. Let me look to the generations
past; then were patriots, politicians, and heroes, and some of
them the favourites of fame; now that generation is gone, this
is going; that has preceded this by ohe step, and this by ano-
ther step shall follow that. How few of our deceased ac-
quaintance are so much as remembered! and how soon, like
them, shall we also be forgotten ! Many prime servants of the
crown are this day sleeping in perpetual silence, and their
names possess almost the same repose in some antiquated
registers, that are cleared away to make room for the present
as the present in a little shall be to make room for the future.
Perhaps the names of a few, signalized by an uncommon fame,
may yet tingle in our ears ; but what is this to them who are
fixed in their final state? Could it mitigate their misery, who
have begun their everlasting bowlings, that the whole world
were ringing with their praises; or, could it add to their joy,
who have begun their endless hallelujahs, that every tongue
were employed in panegyrics to their memory; well might
we be pardoned in our pursuit of fame.
108 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
How frail is our life! a pile of grass, a withered leaf, dry-
stubble, a flower, a breath, brittle clay, fading flesh: How
swift! a weaver's shuttle, an eagle, a ship, a wind that pas-
seth away, and cometh not again: How short! a moment,
a breathing. While I bewail a departed friend, death, sud-
denly seizing me, translates the lamentation to another
tongue that is most nearly concerned in me, who also in a
little time must follow me into the silent grave, and leave
the protracted elegy to be continued by their nearest rela-
tions. Thus mourning is continued, though the mourners
are hurried away in a moment. Surely I need not be so
anxious about a life so short, a state so uncertain, and a world
so vain; where I am only a stranger, a pilgrim, a sojourner,
and posting away from every thing below. Let the world,
then, go with me as it will, this shall not trouble me, who am
daily going through the world, and shall in a little go entirely
out of the world, to return no more. How, then, shall I spend
this short life, my few winged moments, which are all num-
bered to me? Surely, in nothing better, than in looking out,
and laying up for eternity.
MEDITATION LX.
ON THE LAST DAY OF A YEAR.
Plymouth, Dec. 31, 1758.
Time is measured, and is alike at both ends; it began with
a day, and will end with a day ; hence the evening and the
morning were said to be the first day, as the general judg-
ment is called the last day. Eternity is the fountain from
which it sprang, and the flood into which it shall fall. The
most lasting duration of time is but short, and its greatest pro-
longations come to a period. A given moment is scarce known
till it is no more, a few of which make a minute, which we
but begin to enjoy when it is also gone; thus an hour flies
away, a day hastes to its end, and a year, (as this has done,)
comes to its last day. As, therefore, at the end of the year,
trading people cast up their accounts, and regulate their books,
let me ask myself. What have my talents gained these twelve
months? For whatever I may think, time itself is none of the
least of talents, and another year is added to my account.
Thousands who came into the world after me, are called
into eternity before me ; and is not this a loud call to me to
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 109
improve every moment of my time? Time is only little
thought of by those who think still less of eternity ; but if I
look into a future world, I will see of how great moment every
moment of my time is, who therein must prepare for this
everlasting fixed state. O precious mispent time, which I
never can recall! Now this year is gone, and never shall
return; what, then, have I done for the glory of God therein?
Ah I it is passed away from me as a void, though on this side
it sparkles thick with mercies, like the starry firmament. Ahl
did I say a void? nay, worse; for while his love and goodness
shone around me like the noon-day beam, my sins rose nu-
merous, like the atoms of the sun!
This is the last day of this year; and how would I value
every moment of it, did I think it the last day of my life ? Yet
nothing but presumption flatters me with another thought. 1
should count every day my last, since some have found their
last, on days they as little dreaded as I do this ; and at most,
some day soon will be my last, when perhaps this same per-
nicious expectation will not be dispelled my breast. Then it
is wisdom to be beforehand with death ; rather to wonder that
he stays away so long, than be surprised he should come so
soon ; rather triumphingly to expect him, than be terrified at
his approach. Thus I should look on every day as my last,
that when my last day comes, it may not come unlocked for,
nor overtake me unprepared.
But, alas! this year has aflforded me more mournful spec-
tacles of sin than all my life beside. I have heard the divine
name blasphemed ; seen sin in high place ; the holy Sabbath,
like Job's birth-day, disjoined from the days of the year, and
shut out from the number of the months; and all manner of
wickedness committed thereon, drinking, sporting, singing,
buying, selling every kind of merchandize thereon. O for
what trifling gain will men cast away their precious souls!
and how can I, unconcerned, look on sin in all its ugly shapes,
and the dreadful havock it makes among immortal souls !
But may the divine providence bring me from these chilling
objects, and may I through grace never forget what I have
heard and seen ! Here also patience, worthy of God, is con-
spicuous; for, when we think how much wickedness is com-
mitted all over the Christian, as well as the heathen world, —
in Protestant as well as Roman-Catholic countries, — in public
and private, — by great and small, — on land and sea; and
again, that this rebellion against Heaven was not begun j^es-
terday, but .carried on since Adam's fall, for more than five
K
110 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
thousand years; it is a wonder that the world has not long
ago been devoted te the flames. But that patience, which for
continuance is amazing, shall at last give place to justice,
which in the execution will be terrible. Might my life end,
like this year, on a Sabbath, I could be content ; but this may
comfort me, that upon whatever day I m.ay depart this life, I
shall enter into heaven on an high Sabbath-day, for Sabbath
is eternal there. ■ ^
But while I am meditating on my fleeting time, the midnight-
hour strikes, and I am already in another year. Then adieu
for ever, 1758. Yet let me remember, that by this adieu I
look on my life as drawing to its latter end, and that I am ad-
vanced another stage nearer eternity, ignorant if a day, or a
month, or a year, or two, or more, shall be bestowed on me
MEDITATION LXI.
SAINTS HAVE THE GREATEST REASON TO REJOICE.
Plymouth, Jan, 7, 1759.
No wonder that Paul doubles his admonition to the convert-
ed Philippians, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say
rejoice;" for nothing better becomes the saints than spiritual
joy, though none are greater strangers to what they have so
good a title than they. The joy of the sinner and the laugh-
ter of the fool are alike, just the crackling of thorns under a
pot, nothing but a noise, and quickly gone; but it is not so
with the saints, for there is more joy even in their penitential
groans, more consolation in their mourning, than in all the
gladness of the carnal world. What should make the children
of a King sad, the sons of such a Sovereign as he, who is
" the King eternal, invisible, immortal, dwelling in light inac-
cessible, and full of glory;" who alone hath immortality
essentially, and in the light of whose countenance saints com-
mence their journey here towards his more immediate pre-
sence, and shall hereafter hold on their journey towards his
adorable perfections for ever.
If my hope can lay hold on thee, if my faith can fasten
here, I ought certainly to be filled with more joy than I have
in believing; and, from this divine relation to him who is the
Lord of the whole creation, should be possessed of a joy that
shall be more than a match for all sublunary sorrow. In-
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. HI
dwelling sin, prevailing temptation, and tempestuous corrup-
tion only claim perpetual sorrow, and unceasing lamentation;
yet, with the great apostle, while with one breath I cry, " O
wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body
of this death ?" I may in another breath sa)^, in view of the
sure and sweet deliverance that shall come, " I thank God,
through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Does it become those to be sad who are possessed of all
things? and, O saints! "all things are your's, and ye arc
Christ's, and Christ is God's." Is it seemly for those to weep,
at whose conversion angels joy, and on whose account heaven
and earth are in harmony? "Truth springs from earth, and
righteousness looketh down from heaven." Is it like one of
royal blood to bewail the loss of a pebble, when he has a
crown set with diamonds, yea, a crown of glory that fadeth
not away laid up for him? Is it congruous for the expectants
of celestial bliss to lament the loss of time-trifles, when the
treasures of eternity are reserved for them? Is it decent in
the conjugal affection of the spiritual spouse, the Lamb's wife,
to be inconsolable at the death of a carnal relation, when the
Husband, who is better than any, than all other relatives, is
eternally alive? How mean is it in the great soul that is born
from above, to look dejected because the world looks down
upon him, when God beholds him with a pleasant countenance?
H^w foolish were it for one travelling through a strange
country to be disquieted because the children of every town
stare at his foreign dress, or the fools laugh at him in his
journey; when he is conscious th it his king is acquainted
with his character, approves his journey, and will honour on
his arrival home? In a word, how abject and base for the
Christian to complain of the whirlwinds scattering his mole-
hill of sand; when the spoils of principalities and powers, won
by the divine Conqueror in that tremendous day when he
gave his life away, the mountains of prey and treasures of
eternity, — shall enrich him for evermore!
Now I reprove my sorrow, and reprehend my sadness. —
I will rejoice in the Rock of my salvation with acclamations
and shouting; yea, sometimes I would fain emulate the cheru-
bim in their sublimest strains, did not the sight of so much
dishonour done to the divine majesty by others always, and
by myself too often, make my joys recoil, and inward sorrow
flow. Yet in thee will I rejoice, till the day dawn, when I
shall enter into the joy of my Lord, which likewise entering
into me, shall be mine everlasting strength.
112 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
MEDITATION LXIL
INDWELLING SIN.
Plymouth Sound, Jan. 14, 1759.
There is a mysterious wisdom in the way of God with his
people, to whom he grants to know but in part, and to be
renewed but in part. Were they, while here, wholly deli-
vered from sin, and had the unclouded vision of his face, and
full communion with God, there would be nothing reserved
for the day of glory. It is with them, therefore, as with an-
cient Israel, among whom God wisely left some of the devoted
nations undestroyed, even them whose land was divided by
promise, to excite their faith, and stir up their endeavours to
extirpate them, and to be a means of preserving them from
sinning with security and impunity.
Now, God has promised to subdue all our sins, and so he
does, that they shall never condemn us; but such is the cor-
ruption of nature, which is sanctified but in part, and of
creatures who know but in part, that it is rare to be holy and
humble, to be full of God, and empty of ourselves. Even the
great apostle Paul, after he had been with God, in a special
manner, and seen unutterable glories in the highest heavens,
instead of having some of the heavenly host as his compan-
ions, after his kind reception at the celestial court, had a
messenger of Satan sent to buffet him, lest he should be exal-
ted above measure with the divine vision. A humbling change
this! to come from heaven to combat with hell!
Our very critical situation in this world might keep us hum-
ble. Corrupt nature, like weeds among flowers, is ready to
spring up with every refreshing shoiver of grace, and sun-
blink of manifestation, if not acts of sin, yet into pride, seJf-
conceit, and security. When we see things above us, we are
ready, through the mists of remaining corruption, to forget
ourselves, and provoke God to show ourselves unto ourselves,
that we may not be puffed up with ourselves. For to the
high and lofty One, who delights to dwell with the humble,
nothing is more abominable than pride, and no pride more
odious to him than spirital pride. The soldier that is not
match for his enemies will always keep in the camp, and
under protection of his general ; so the believer must dwell
by faith, if he would be secure, under the shadow of the
iVlmighty.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 113
But it is impossible for us to be delivered wholly from ;n-
dwelling sin in this world. For,
1. This would be turning earth into heaven, grace into
glory, and time into eternity, before the great day of revela-
tion. We must not be crowned with victory till we come off
the field of battle ; and this we cannot leave till our enemies
are subdued before us, or we taken hence in triumph from
them. We are still in the dominions of him who is the god of
this \N orld, in the territories of the prince of the power of the
air; and he will always be seeking whom he may devour, till
the God of peace bruise Satan under our feet, till the old
serpent be bound f )r eternity, and cast into the burning lake.
2. Were there no indwelling sm, no remains of corruption
in the justified, sanctification could not be progressive. But
here "the path of the just is like the shining light, that shi
neth more and more unto the perfect day."
3. Were saints from the first moment of their conversion
set at liberty from all sin, where were the divine victories
of all-triumphant grace, by which Gcd is glorified, and the
saints prepared for the better inheritance ? Had not an ene-
my, and a giant too, defiled the armies of Israel, the power
and goodness of God could not have been displayed as it was
in killing him; so the divinity of grace, in the babes of the
heavenly family, shines in this, that they are enabled to resist
temptations from the same deceiving serpent that beguiled our
first parents in the state of -innocence ; — -that they are ena-
bled to wrestle, not against flesh and blood, but against prin-
cipalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places.
4. Were the case so with the saints, the book of life were
in effect laid open in the eyes of men, who would anticipate
the judgment which belongs to Gixl alone. But indwelling
sin, though subdued, is not slain, and therefore breaks out in
such a manner, even sometimes in eminent saints, as gives
the enemy occasion to reproach, and also makes them doubt
of their own state themselves, till God deal again with them
after his loving-kindness and tender mercies. — Now, in the
eyes of the poor penitent, a compassionate, returning, and
forgiving God, is dear, beloved, and amiable beyond expres-
sion, and divine things shine with an additional lustre. Thus,
even indwelling sin, contrary to its own nature, advances the
glory of God, and the good of the soul.
5. Indwelling sin, or the remains of corruption in the great-
est saints, makes them sympathize with others. They are
i£2
114 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
men, and not angels ; so that they are to remember, not only
them that suffer affliction, but them that are overtaken with a
fault, as being yet in the body. Yea what comfort would it
be to poor sinners, if salvation were preached to them by any
other than men of like natures, like infirmities, and like pas-
sions with themselves ? How is our consolation heightened
to hear them speak from experience, as Paul : " When I would
do good, evil is present with me ; so the good that I would, I
do not; and the evil that I would not, that do I;" in compa-
rison of angelic harangues on the beauty and excellency of
perfection and innocence!
6. Indwelling sin keeps us humble and watchful; makes
us cleave more closely to Christ, and endeavour to make our
calling and election sure; excites us to work while the day
lasts, before the night shall come, wherein no man can work.
7. It makes us go entirely out of ourselves into Christ, and
ascribe the whole of our salvation to free grace.
8. Thereby we learn the goodness of Gcxi in making his
grace sufficient for us, and his strength perfect in weakness.
Also, we are filled with wonder at the riches of his grace,
which is glorified to the highest in such patience towards
offending sons, and his repeated pardons of their daily sins.
Lastly, It makes, at least should make, us long much for
that day when sin shall case, and imperfection be swallowed
up of permanent likeness to the divine image; — when all our
failings shall pass away, while we are lost in the overflow-
ings of divine glory, and replenished with all the fulness of
God, fixed in a state from which we cannot fall, and satiated
with joys that cannot surfeit.
MEDITATION LXIII.
EVENTS OP PROVIDENCE.
Dec. 1759.
Unbelief is my worst enemy, and most disturbs my mental
quiet; and no wonder it so harass me, when it attacks the
very faithfulness of God, and concludes so harshly of his un-
erring providence. Now, my gratitude cannot be silent at
this thy so surprising, surpassing kindness. A few months
ago, matters wore a different aspect,* but I deserved worse;
yet then hope would not give up its claim to thy care, faith
*=See Meditation XI.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 115
would not quit with its interest in thy promise, in thy love,
and both are satisfied with thy goodness. Thou hast bestowed
the very same mercy, though in another way than I sought
it.* Then I thought no way like mine, but now I find no way
like thine; for as thy thoughts are higher than ours, so is thy
way better than our way. This favour which I sought from
thee with submission, let it come with thy blessing; not sig-
nifying thy displeasure, but sealing Ihy love; not only filling
somewhat my cup, but fulfilling thy promise. And as it may
moderately feed my condition, so let it feast my spiritual part;
and not prove like Israel's flesh, that while they thought to
satisfy their lust, suffocated them outright; nor like their
granted request, which was attended with leanness sent into
their soul.
In the common affairs of life, I cannot look into myself, or
sacrifice to my own drag; I cannot look about, to praise
princes, or the sons of men; but I must look up, and adore
thee as only and alone in all. Dare I henceforth sin, who
am so many ways hedged about from it? shall not thy holi-
ness dissuade me from sinning, thy power persuade, thy
majesty deter, mercy overcome, thy love allure, and thy kind-
ness bend me to obedience ? How shall I praise thee, O thou
hearer of prayers, and answerer of petitions ! Let my lips
praise thee; let my life praise thee; my meditations praise
thee; yea, let all my actions praise thee.
But how shall I behave under thy kindness? It is harder
to be the Christian in prosperity than in adversity. "When
Ephraim spake trembling, in Israel he exalted himself;"
but when he was exalted in Israel, he offended in Baal;
and when "ho offended in Baal, he died." When God
spares, it is that his long-suffering may lead us to repen-
tance; and when he punishes, it is that we may return to
him ; for it is a heavy charge, when he has cause to com-
plain against those to whom he has been a Father. In an
afilicted state humility best becomes us, because we are laid
on the dust, and where but there should we be humble? In
an exalted state we should still be humble, for Heaven can
dash us from the highest eminence to the lowest condition of
life. And as an afflicted state is not confirmed on us, that we
may have hope; so a prosperous condition is not confirmed
that we may fear. " Before honour is humility, and an haughty
spirit before a fall ;" therefore we should always follow the
* He obtained a place in the navy, after being disappointed of it in vhe
merchant-service.
116 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
one, and fly the other. As hrimility lifts us out of the lowest
condition, so it keeps us in the highest. Nor is there any
state of life but is attended with so many humbling circum-
stances, that no discerning soul has reason to be proud, consi-
dering that it is -more disgrace to fall from an high station into
a low, than never to have risen, and consequently never fall.
Ho that loses his prince's favour smarts sorer than he that
never had it: and those that fall from high preferments, or
'ose their honorary posts, may expect to have all eyes upon
them, and every tongue to dwell on them and their misfortunes.
Such, then, is our condition below, that we are always in
danger, from without and from within. — Troubles may attack
us without, or, if free from these, pride may swell within;
and the last is worse than the first. Then, contentment with
our present condition, resignation to God with respect to
unseen contingencies, hope in his mercy, confidence in his
faithfulness, and an eye fixed on .the world to come, is our
only wisdom in this world that passeth away.
MEDITATION LXIV.
MOEE OF GOD SEEN IN CHRIST THAN IN ALL THE CREATION.
Under sail, Jan. 26, 1759.
s^ There is a great noise among the wise men of our day,
' how God is to be seen and felt, as it were, in his handy-works.
True, O Lord! thou art near in every thing around me, but
nearer in thy Son. In thy heavens I behold thy wisdom; but
in thine Anointed I see thy grace, and share thy love. Thou
art near in thy sun, moon, and stars, to convince atheists, but
nearer in thy word of grace, to convert sinners, and comfort
saints. My reason tells me, that he that formed the eye,
planted the ear, and put understanding into the heart, must
see, hear, and understand all things; but thou art seen in more
noble and exalted views, in those graces which are infused
by thy Holy Spirit into my soul. Sense and reason harmo-
nize in this, that God made and governs the world; but faith
looks back to that period when time began, and that sees by
him he made the world, — and forward, when time shall be no
more, and sees that by him he also shall judge the world
Thou art near to me in the harmony of all my members, so
that there is no seism in my natural body; but much nearer
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 117
n; the union of my soul to thee, which shall never suffer a se-
paration. Yhou art to be acknowledged in every breathing as
the Goo oi my life ; but in a more glorious manner, in every
act of ruiia, ana heavenly aspiration, as the life of my soul.
Humdii philosophy cries up nature as the best glass to see
the glor;y of God in; and surely, therein he is very glorious,
for the hea\^ens declare the glory of God, and the sky preaches
his handy-woik. But revelation, which is the sublimest phi-
losoplr/, declares the face of Jesus to be the brightest mirror
in which the glory of God can be seen ; for there it appears
with a permanent and transforming lustre. In the creation
of the world, his power and wisdom are admired; but in the
redemption of the world, his love and compassion are adored.
Let others please themselves with philosophical views of
the well replenished creation ; but not despising these, let me
revolve the volume of revelation, peruse the divine page, and
dwell upon the plan of redeeming love, where a glorious
Trinity of persons appears in the grand work of man's re-
demption;— and where all the attribute and perfections of
God beam forth, with a radiance and beauty that cannot pass
through the grosser creation, but is even too bright for the
eyes of seraphim to fix upon. Here, then, I will begin to
study for eternity, and learn for the world to come.
MEDITATION LXV.
GOD IN CHRIST THE STUDY ABOVE.
Under Sail, Feb. 9, 1759.
I read with pleasure, O philosophers! your lectures, and
commend your care to make the mute creation preach the
power and wisdom of the Creator: But yet, O ye learned
commentators on the volumes of nature! I shall never agree
with you in thinking that this study, however useful and en-
gaging here, shall employ the saints above. Surely, when
carried above the material heavens, their search shall no more
descend to our revolving spheres. When admitted by the
divine intercessor into the presence of the great Creator him-
self, shall they carry the creature in its various laws to be
their theme and subject before the throne? By the creature
they may now rise to admire the wisdom, acknowledge the
goodness, and adore the power of him who made the whole ;
but when arrived at God himself in all his glory, shall they
118 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
again descend to meditate on 'even the noblest of his works,
which are but the prints of his majesty, and the traces of his
power? As the apostle speaks in another sense, "after they
know God " in that state of perfection, and are known of him
in the communion of glory, " Shall they return again to weak
and beggarly elements?" For if the law was such when
compared to the gospel, much more is natural philosophy
such when compared to glory. — Though the house be beauti-
ful, yet he that builds the house has more honour than the
house. Now, we stand and admire the palace abroad ; but
when admitted in, to converse with the royal family that in-
habits it, would we choose to leave their company, and retire
to take a view of the windows, doors, walks, and avenues be-
longing to the building, while we have the furniture, the im-
mense treasures, and precious rarities within, to behold, and
the royal personages to talk with? Even so, when we pass
into the highest heavens, and sit down before the throne to
hold communion for eternity with Jehovah in his Son, shall
we then give up with our searches into his divine excellencies
and adorable perfections, in order to calculate the return of a
wandering comet, study the laws of the starry heavens, and
explore the secrets of nature ?
It is true, every thing in which God has been pleased to
reveal himself shall the saints study wi^th delight; but as he
has revealed himself more in his Son than either in creation
or providence, so God in Christ shall be the uninterrupted,
the pleasant, the supreme study of the saints above. His in-
finite glories shall eternally engage all the ravished powers
of my mind to follow hard after God ; and I will • pursue my
study while endless ages roll. I shall be so swallowed up
of glory, so enamoured with the beauties of my divine Re-
deemer, beauties never yet beheld, and so lost in God, that
my whole attention shall be totally engrossed, and I shall not
have one recoiling thought on the then forgotten lessons of
philosophy. In a word, if ever I arrive at that blessed place
till I find no more beauty in the Rose of Sharon, no more
glory in the Sun of Righteousness, no more satisfaction in
continual feeling after God, and no jnore fulness in infinity
itself, I shall never lift mine eyes from off my object, never
change my theme.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. ug
MEDITATION LXVI.
THE WORLD ASLEEP.
Under sail, Feb. 9, 1759.
The whole world is, with respect to a future state, as it
were fast asleep. In this night of universal darkness and
ignorance, the greater part are dreaming in their sleep, and
believing themselves to be broad awake, are verily persuaded
that all is real, because their dreams are regular. Yea, like
night-walkers, they perform the actions of a busy world in
their sleep; and, confident that they are in the full use and
exercise of their reason, they wage war, they buy and sell,
they marry and are" given in marriage, and weary and fatigue
themselves in this continual dream. Now, who can persuade
us in a dream, that either we ourselves are dreaming, or those
we talk with in our dream? This is the true but melancholy
condition of the most part of mankind : — They dream, while
they think themselves to be awake, and slumber over the day
of life, while they seem to exert the greatest activity to obtain
solid and substantial good.
Alas! neither admonition nor reproof, nor the sad example
of ten thousand dreamers who have gone before, can aw^ake
individuals, till they are fed by the hand of death behind the
curtain, and made to look at once full on a world of spirits.
Nor is the general race of slumberers to be roused, till the
last trumpet sound in their affrighted ears, and eternity ex-
pand awful and unknown in their staring eyes.
There are, however, a few, (and but a few, alas!) who are
spiritually awake, and whose thoughts pierce through the
dark shadows of this dismal night, into the light of glory, and
the regions of bliss. Such look beyond the glittering tapers
and deceitful glow-worms of honours, riches, pleasures, and
applause, which are the present chase, (which should be the
shame,) and future cheat, (which shall be the sorrow,) of a
comatose* world. And yet, in this imperfect state, even they
are but like men struggling with the darkness of the night-
watches, waiting for the morning-light, and wishing for tlie
perfect day. Such, however, are the only persons who have
their loins girt, and their lamps burning, in expectation of the
Bride-groom, at whose coming the day will break, the sha-
dow flee away, and a light, seven times brighter than the
* Lethargic, drowsy.
120 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
noonday sun, shall shine for ever on them. Then, and not
till then, shall the darkness pass, and the true light without
interruption shine. While in the dark we v/ander, while in
the gloom we grope, availing for the longed-for day, we are
ready to fall asleep, and to spend our time in slumbering
thoughtlessness, in drowsy inactivity; but when the day of
glory shall spring, when the light of his countenance is lifted
upon us for ever, and the noon of uninterrupted communion
spreads round us, then, unconscious of the falling shades, in-
conscious of returning night, divine strength from the rock of
ages shall invigorate every power of mind to adore the Most
High, with all the ardour of seraphic love, an exercise as
agreeable as it shall be uninterrupted and eternal.
MEDITATION LXVII.
STILL IGNORANT OF GOD BELOW.
Feb. 11, 1759.
It was a question proposed long ago, by a great teacher,
in his divine lectures of God, " What is his name, and what
is his Son's name, if thou canst tell ?" And it remains unan-
swered unto this day : " For no man knoweth the Son but the
Father; neither knoweth any man the Father but the Son,
and he to whomsoever the Son shall reveal him." Now, this
revelation on account of our ignorance, cannot be bright; for
if, when the great Teacher told us of earthly things, we could
not understand them, how mudi less if he should tell us of
heavenly things, and least of all if he should reveal to us the
mysteries of his eternal Godhead !
Alas! am not I, in some respects, a Christian heathen, if
I may be allowed the expression, while I pay my devotions
to the unknown God? I walk in the twilight, I adore in a
cloud, and worship I know not whom. But do I not worship
God? well, what is God? Is he not a spirit, infinite, eternal,
and unchangeable ;. wise, powerful, holy, just, good, gracious,
faithful, omniscient, and omnipresent? But what it is to be
infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, I neither can conceive
nor tell. I stretch my thoughts on either hand in his infinity,
till I lose myself in the unfathomable abyss ; I revolve his
eternal duration ere time began, and when time shall be no
more, till all my thoughts are swallowed up. But when I
have done my utmost, my conceptions are only forming some
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 121
grand ideas of a creature ,• for as my thoughts of his infinity-
are circumscribed within bounds, and of his eternity come to
an end, they belong to a creature, and not to the Creator.
How, then can I repair the indignity done to his majesty by
my grovelling meditations? Only thus, by confessing, that
after all my stretch, his every perfection is still infinitely be-
yond all that I can say or think.
Hence, let me join reverence with my ignorance; holy
dread with my shallow conceptions of God,- and ardent love,
and profound humility, with all my devotions. Mindful that
the awful m5^stery could be revealed by none, because none
hath seen, none hath known God, let me be thankful, that " the
only-begotten Son, who lay in the Father's bosom, hath
declared him."
Every divine perfection, every adorable attribute, is more
than sufficient to engross the study and attention of men
and angels forever; and the more they search, and the longer
they learn, the more they see and confess God to be infinite
and unknown.
When shall that glorious morning dawn, when my igno-
rance, like the early fogs that fly the rising sun, shall be no
more, and the great Apostle and High-Priest of our profes-
sion, shall, in the light of glory, declare to me the God whom
now at best I ignorantly adore ?
MEDITATION LXVIH.
NOTHING CAN PURCHASE CHRIST FROM THE SOUL.
Under sail, Feb. 13, 1759.
"What is thy Beloved more than another beloved?" was
once asked of the spouse by those who knew him not so well
as she did. Now, worldlings! let me hear what you will lay
in the balance with my Beloved, that, in refusing your lar-
gest offers, it may appear how much I esteem my dearest
Lord, and best beloved. Will ye, then, givS me gold and
silver till I can desire, till I can stow no more? Ah! your
heaps of shining dust will not, cannot purchase him from me.
Will ye give me titles, honour, and glory for him? Ah!
empty sounds shall never take away from me, him who is
trjie, solid, and substantial bliss. Will ye give me the earth
for my possession, subjugate its kingdoms to my sway, tell
Lj
122 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
over the stars into my inheritance, and make the whole uni-
verse mine own ? This, even all this, will not balance the
loss of my Beloved; for, compared with his excellences, all
things are but loss and dung. .Finally, will ye give me ano-
ther beloved instead of him? But where can such an one be
found? In him all perfections meet, in him all glories shine;
in him all excellences reside, in him all plenitude abounds.
All I can wish for, or desire, is to be found in him; yea, more
than I can receive superabounds in him. Now, have ye any
thing in reserve to offer me for him? No I Then take up,
and remove your dust and ashes, food for worms, and fuel for
the flames. These could not purchase from me one kiss of
his mouth, one glance of his countenance, and far less the
beloved himself. But, one word of comfort to you ere you
go. Though I may not, cannot, will not sell my part and
interest in my dearest Lord, yet, on his own terms, you may
be possessed of him in all his glorious fulness, in whom alone
you can be blessed, and without whom, in the midst of all
your plenty, you must be extremely poor, and exquisitely
miserable.
But now, my soul! one reproof to thee. Thou wilt not
sell thine interest in Christ for any thing, nor exchange thy
portion for the universe: Why, then, should not Christ, and
an interest in him, be an all-sufficiency to thee? And if the
universe could not content thee without Christ, why should
not Christ content thee without the least dust of the universe?
MEDITATION LXIX.
TORMENT.
Under sail, Feb. 14, 1759.
Men, and I among the rest, have a mistaken notion of tor-
ment. I shudder to hear of protracted aigonies on the dying
malefactor; — to hear of the rack, (invented by boundless rage,
and improved by infernal cruelty,) decreed by the powerful
offended party" to torture to death my fellow-creature. —
Yea, the groans of dying mortals pierce mine ears, and make
me sharer of their pains. But what are all human inventions,
when we look beyond them? what is the glittering sword, or
sharpened axe? What the musket, with its deadly explosion?
What the gibbet, with ten thousand spectators? What the
bastinadoing clubs, the stamping elephant, the quartering
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 123
horses? What the piked barrels, the breaking wheel, the
boots and thumbkins, the suffocating dungeon, or the calcina-
ting flame? How do they all disappear before these words, —
DIVINE VENGEANCE, ETERNAL WRATH !
But how do the tormentors fall short of their designs, when
the guilty wretch, a parricide or a regicide, is condemned to
be put to the torture so long every day, and by unfriendly
intermissions of the rack, death is parcelled out in the most
cruel manner which can be invented, till justice is satisfied,
cruelty glutted, or till the sufferer, sinking under his pains,
expires, and is no more ! Now, suppose this miserable wretch,
(whom we conclude happy, because the scene no more affects
our eyes,) to die impenitent; and suppose him also to have
his choice, whether to stay in the anguish of the invisible
world, or to return to the torments he lately left. How soon
should we see him (fondly so to speak,) embrace the flames,
present his gaping wounds to the boiling oil and scalding lead,
and his naked body to the scourging steel, and weary his
tormentors! Such is the difference between the rage of man
and the wrath of the Almighty, That reaches to the body,
but this, in all its terrors, transfixes the soul. The one, finite
in its nature, terminates in death; the other, infinite in its
degrees, preys on every faculty, and swallows up the whole
soul, and in its duration measures with eternity.
How amazing tbe love of the Father that gave his Son for
sinners! How amazing the love of the Son that gave his
life a ransom for many! that sustained the burning load
of his Almighty Father's wrath, that our torments might sit
light, and that our last pangs might translate us into Uie joy
of our Lord,
MEDITATION LXX,
THE soul's growth.
Under sail, Feb, 15, 1759.
From my present ignorance, gloomy thoughts sometimes
arise, but by some considerations I shall turn this shadow of
death into the morning.
When I look back a few years, I recollect, that my
thoughts about common things were much contracted to what
they are now. "When I was a child, I thought as a child;''
for though I heard surrounding sounds, and the speeches of
124 SOLITUBE SWEETENED; OR,
all about me, yet they were too vast for me to comprehend,
nor could I convey mine ideas to them in articulate words.
Yea, when I rose a little from this infantile state, I could not
shake myself free of my ignorance, nor form any proper no-
tion of the embelting oceans, opposite poles,antipodes, and the
earth hung upon nothing. Still I knew nothing of the hea-
venly bodies, of the glorious sun, splendid moon, or sparkling
stars; of the beauteous rainbow, falling showers, and flashing
thunders. These things, then too sublime for me to think on,
are now, in some sense, both intelligible and familiar; and
this arises, not from any addition of new powers, but from an
increase of the faculties, (by whatever means,) of my soul.
Now, let me turn the page, and let my meditation stretch
its wings towards eternal bliss. It is a reviving thought, that
this soul of mine, if united to the living Son of God, the life
giving Head, shall know divine things in the light of glory.
Things which I have hardly heard of, and which, for the
grossness of my ignorance no^v, cannot enter into my heart,
shall then be my darling themes. Moreover, as sun, moon,
and stars, appear more beautiful to me than formerly, not
from any new addition of glory to them, but my clear know-
ledge of their nature and magnitude; so that I am convinced,
that if the stars were as near us as the torch of day, they
would all appear as so many flaming suns; and that, if the sun
himself were as near as the moon, whether I looked east or west,
south, or north, till my glance were terminated, still I should
see nothing but one immense, insufferable, flanging firmament
of fire! so, when translated to the paradise of God how shall
my soul be delighted with the knowledge of the Most High,
and ravished with the prospect of growing wiser and wiser
in the things of God 1 Though my soul shall then be perfect
in comparison of what she is now, and perfect with respect to
all the parts of knowledge, happiness, and bliss; yet as to the
extent of the degree, that shall always be on the increase;
for though the finite mind can never know all that is to be
known of an infinite Being, who only comprehends himself,
yet it will be the excellency, the delight, and employment of
glorified saints, still to aspire after more and more of God.
Now, though no new perfections, attributesj excellences,
or glories shall ever be found in God, being all eternally and
essentially in him, yet the longer I am in his presence, the
more glorious will he be to me, because I shall know him
more and more. And the more of him I know, the more shall
I admire and love him; and the more I admire and love him,
MISCELLANEOUS xMEDITATIONS. 125
I shall become the liker to him; and the liker to him, the lar-
ger, and more capacious will my soul become ; and the more
extensive the faculties of my soul are, the more shall I appre-
hend of God ; and the more of God is apprehended and known,
the more he is glorified. Thus, in an eternal progression of
knowing, admiring, loving, and being assimilated to God, and
of enlargement of the soul, whereby she will be enabled still
the more to love, admire, and know, be assimilated to, ap-
proach, and participate of the communicable perfections of
the Godhead, shall consist in the uninterrupted employment,
and entrancing felicity of the blessed, while, through the
whole, God is all in all.
Again, if there be such a difference between my thoughts
when I first essayed to speak, and when arrived at ten years
of age, and between them at ten years old, and those of which
I am at present capable; what shall the divine increase of my
soul be, when, in the beatific vision of Jehovah and the Lamb,
I shall have been an astonished, ravished, ardent, adorer for a
thousand years, and add to that another thousand, till num-
bers fail, and computation is swallowed up in eternity itself?
Shall I not kindle in his love, brighten in his flame, and be
assimilated to him in his eternal irradiation?
Again, when I consider the vast disproportion there is
among the mental faculties of the sons of men, so that one has
the most absurd views of all things, while another has ade-
quate conceptions of most things, and sublime though imper-
fect apprehensions of God himself, I stand amazed to find, not
only that the meanest saint, who is united to him in whom the
fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily, far outshines the wisest
men of the world, but that one saint differs greatly from ano-
ther, not only in this world, but in the world to come. In
the firmament of bliss, star differeth from star in glory, yet
every star is glorious, and full of glory. Now, this difference
of degrees of glory is begun below. " He that sows sparingly,
shall also reap sparingly; but he that sows plentifully, shall
reap plentifully" for ever. The soul that burns in the fire
of love, shall come forth an immortal phoenix ; and as beds
of gold are said to npen in the beams of the sun, so shall
they who lie most in the rays of the Sun of righteousness, ripen
into the brightest glory. Now when all are plunged into feli-
city and glory, every soul shall be perfect, and replenished
with glory; yet every soul shall preserve its attainments, keep
the happy start, and retain its growth, when the weak are as
the house of David, and the house of David as the angel of
l2
126 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
God. Therefore, the larger and more capacious the soul is,
in an higher manner is God known ; and the more God is
known, the more he is glorified; and this advantage is to be
pursued after, below. This is the seed-time for a plenteous
eternity. This is the ambition God allows, the avarice hea-
ven commends. What are kingdoms, crowns, or titles, what
riches, glory, fame, in comparison of this, to get my soul di-
lated enlarged, capacitated to receive much of God, by which
he will be glorified the more, and in which will consist the
quintessence of my felicity for ever.
MEDITATION LXXI.
THIS LIFE A VALE OF TEARS.
Feb. 19, 1759.
Why have I mistaken this thorny wilderness for a garden
of flowers? this place of danger for a palace of delight? and
this howling desert for an enchanting grove? If the world
has joys, it has none for me; they are carnal or unlawful,
mine must be pure and spiritual. If the creature affords plea-
sures, they cannot suit my soul; its honey is mixed with gall,
its sweet with wormwood, its wine with water, its gold with
dross, and all it yields with poison. The pleasures I should
seek are such as my soul may feed on without danger, feast
on without surfeiting, and rejoice in without sin.
.Again, why do I expect comfort in this world? Can I hope,
or even desire to go through the valley of tears singing? or
to dwell in the house of mourning laughing? Would I fare
better than my best friend ? While here, he was a man of
sorrows, and shall I not taste the briny cup? He was ac-
quainted with grief, and shall I be a stranger to it? Would I
be kindly entertained in that very place where he had not
where to lay his head? Would I fare like the kings of the
earth, when the King of kings fared not so well as the fowls
of heaven, or the foxes of the field? Would I go another
way to glory than the saints ever trode? Would I go through
one heaven to another, when it is through much tribulation I
must enter into the kingdom? Can the children of the bride-
chamber be glad when the Bridegroom is not with them? Can
I be easy, can I be quiet, among the enemies of my Lord the
King, where the general voice is, " Shall this man reign over
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 127
us? We will not have him for our king, we will not take
him for our Saviour."
Oh ! that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain
of tears, that I might weep day and night for the sins of my
fellow-creatures, for the slain of my fellow-sinners! Let sor-
row seize on my heart, and grief fix her iron talons there ; it
is all I can do for the honour of my Lord. I shall know no
grief but for thee, no joy but in thee; — no grief but in thee,
wounded in thy glory, blasphemed in thy name, disbelieved
in thy promises, defamed in thy holiness, abused in thy saints,
contemned in thy threatenings, slighted in thy love, and con-
tradicted in thy truth; — no joy but in thee, as my only portion,
my exceeding great reward; — no comfort but in thee, con-
quering in the everlasting gospel, and worshipped from the
rising to the setting sun.
This is the night of weeping; and though weeping endure
through the night of time, yet joy cometh in the morning of
eternity. I must fight while on the field of battle; and it is
enough to get the crown when won. I am as an hireling, and
I must not lie down to rest till the evening-shadows cover my
weary limbs. The world is too barren a soil to bear true
Joy ; for where sin loithin and round about abounds, how can
consolation triumph, which rises only as the other falls, and
falls as the opposite rises? But in this my comfort lies, that
though in the world I shall have trouble, yet in him I may be
of good cheer, because he has overcome the world. Moreo-
ver, in midst of all the sorrow that now surrounds me, I have
an inward joy that causes all my bones to sing and blossom
with the beautiful prospect of a joy coming from its divine
fountain, which, without the least fear of returning sorrow,
shall be the strength of my soul for ever.
MEDITATION LXXIl.
THE ICADNESS OF THE WORLD IN THEIR CHOICE.
Under sail, Feb. 19, 1759.
Why rejects the world the Saviour of the world? Why ab-
hor they him who is altogether lovely, and hate him who is
the best Friend of mankind? Had I the tongue of a cherub,
that has heard the language of glory, and mingled in the dis-
course of the hosts before the throne for these five thousand
12S8 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
years; or could I talk in every tongue, extend my voice to
every nation, and speak so loud and long, that the assembled
universe should hear, what should be my theme, my darling,
favourite theme? Surely the Son of God, the Saviour of the
world. How would I dwell on his divine name, and enlarge
on his transporting relations, till all the needy nations fell
prostrate adorers before the throne of their kinsman-Redee-
mer, and their God ! But if they disdained to listen to a fellow-
creature, how would my soul cheerfully pour out hersielf into
articulate thunder, or distinct echo, thereby to repeat his
praise, and convey his excellencies into the ear of thousands,
and ten thousands of attentive hearers, till they should submit
to him, bow the knee, and begin the work of heaven on
earth. — Then would I, with contentment, drop down into the
dust, mingle with my kindred clay, and be no more. — Yea,
what would it matter though I should no more exist, if ten
thousand thousand warbling tongues were added to the gene-
neral song, to extol the fairest One, the Plant of renown, for
ever? Such an insignificant nothing as I am, would make no
blank in the list of beings, or the roll of creation ; and O what
massy joy would it afford me to think of the happiness of
millions of my fellow-creatures! But to quit with my being,
I must quit with thee, my life, my love, my God, my all ! I
fly the very thought, and to my happiness shall still exist, and
to my greater happiness still, exist the friend of God !
But what shall I do for my best Beloved ? I dare not some-
times speak of him, and many times on his account I am a
derision. But, O men of the world ! what can you desire that
is not in Christ? What distress can you dread, from which he
cannot deliver you? The excellencies of earth are but his
footstool, the excellencies of heaven are but his throne; how
excellent, then, must he himself be ! His treasures are infi-
nite, and open for you: Riches, if ye are poor; honour, if ye
are despised ; friendship, if ye are forsaken ; help, if ye are
orphans; justice, if ye are injured; mercy, if ye are miser-
able; joy, if ye are disconsolate; protection, if ye are ex-
posed; deliverance, if ye are in danger; health, if ye are in
disease; life, if ye are mortal; and, in brief, all things, if ye
have nothing at all. Time and eternity are his, and he can
give you all the good things of the one, and all the glorious
things of the other. Moreover, he can deliver you from all your
fears; from sin, the worst of all evils; from self, the most
hurtful of all companions ; from death, the most awful of all
changes; from Satan, the most subtle of all enemies; from
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 129
hell, the most horrible of all prisons ; and from wrath, the
doom of all sinners.
Now, where will ye find such an one as he? Why, then,
refuse life, and seek after death? All heaven is enamoured
with his beauty; and why, then, will ye prefer a midnight
gloom before his meridian glory? The longer we look on
created gaieties, they grow the leaner and more ill-favoured ;
so that, by the time we have viewed them forty, fifty, or sixty
years, we see nothing but vanity in the creature ; but when
ten thousand ages are employed in beholding this Perfection
of beauty, still he appears more and more lovely, even alto-
gether lovely. Why will not the world awaken from its fatal
dream, let go shadows, and grasp at everlasting substance?
Alas ! I can say nothing of his excellences ; they overwhelm
my labouring thought, and are too vast for my feeble con-
ception to bring forth.
But let the world choose whom or what it will for a portion,
still, as for me and my house, and all I can prevail upon, we
will choose this well-beloved, and serve this Lord.
MEDITATION LXXIII.
THE APPRO ACHING HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS.
Feh. 23, 1759.
To escape my sorrow, and triumph in the midst of grief,
let me suppose futurity present, and eternity at hand, which
may very soon, but must ere long, be the case. May I not
then, with the eye of all-triumphant ' faith, think I see myself
walking with my well-beloved in white, along the fields of
glory, and my whole soul going out to him in a manner it
never could below! While floods of glory from his reconciled
face overflow me, and the smile of his amiable countenance
entrances my soul forever? While I join the hosannas of
the higher house, the eternal hallelujahs, and begin the song
which none can learn but the chosen number, the sealed ones !
With what transport do I mingle with the hosts of God, and,
to my extreme comfort, fear not one sinner in the heavenly
company, or any thing expressed against the majesty of the
Most High! Where all the heavenly multitudes, transforming
in his beams, kindling in his flames, and drinking at his
ecstatic rivers, are happy beyond conception.
130 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
Such is the feUcity the saints shall enter into, yea, in a
manner are entered into ah'eady. So short is the interval
between now and then, this present and that future state, that
their glory is as it were begun. Faith and hope entering like
an anchor within the veil, the saints of God rise at one step
from this vale of tears, to the hill of God, to the mount of
communion. Now, why should the noise of the rabble, or
uproar in the street, trouble me, when I am entering the very
door of my everlasting habitation, and shall soon be eternally
out of the reach of their confusion and murmurs? Henceforth,
let the near prospect of that eternal triumph blunt my present
grief, scatter my troubles, and spread serenity in my breast.
MEDITATION LXXIV.
WHAT WE SHOULD EXPECT AND WAIT FOR.
Gibraltar Bay, Feb. 24, 1759.
How are our joys heightened by hope, and that sometimes
an hope that is false ! And how vainly are our expectations
pointed at some future enjoyment, which, when it comes,
shall perhaps disappoint us in the enjoyment! Yet, for such
things we long, though, in a manner, we are hankering after
our own misery. But how much does it rather become me,
if I be an heir of God, an expectant of bliss, and a candidate
for glory, to be waiting for him who shall appear the second
time without sin unto salvation : to be hastening unto the day
of the Lord, and crying, " Why is his chariot so long in co-
ming? why tarry the wheels of his chariot?" When will
these empyrean heavens divide, to let my Lord descend?
When will these celestial doors fly open, that the exalted One
may come in all his state, in his own and in his Father's
glory, with his holy angels? When shall the starry way of
eternal communion be stretched out between the highest hea-
vens, and the new earth, wherein shall dwell righteousness?
When shall I begin to behold him in all his glory, whom eye
hath not seen, and to see thee without a cloud, who art alto-
gether lovely? When shall my soul be revived with the
smell of the rose of Sharon in the paradise of God, and sit
down with great delight under the shadow of the Tree of life,
the Plant of renown, and eat of thy immortalizing fruit, and
drink of thy refined wine ? When shall I join my songs with
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 131
the anthems of eternity, and mingle my grateful notes with
the harpers round the throne? When shall the hiding hills, the
intervening heights, be molten down by the beatific vision
of thy blessed self, and the valley of darkness, and deeps of
despondency, rise into the mount of communion ? When shall
I enter into the joy of my Lord, walk with thee in white, and
be satisfied with thy likeness? Then shall I know thee as I
expect, praise thee as I aspire after, and love thee as I would.
MEDITATION LXXV.
THE SPIRITUAL MISER,
Gibraltar Bay, Feb. 25, 1759.
Who is more an object of ridicule than the rich miser, that
goes supperless to bed, because he will not give one farthing
out of his immense sums to purchase it; being afraid to live
on what he is never able to spend, and anxious to heap up
what he can never enjoy.
Shall I, then, act the miser in spiritual things ? Shall I be
afraid to live on the all-sufficient fulness of my Lord, lest his
stores decay? Shall I spare to drink of his overflowing ocean,
lest it grow dry before my face? Heaven no less loves a
liberal receiver, than a liberal giver. Is it decorous to hun-
ger at the table of the king, or to say to the enriching hand,
Hold, thou canst not spare so much? The miser's wretched
parsimony may, after his death, advantage his heirs, and in
the mean time, accumulate his own riches ; but the case is
not so with me. My living for the present poorly and spa-
ringly on the promises, will never advantage my after-state,
nor leave any greater plenty for other saints; neither will it
make the celestial treasures any fuller, that I fetch not daily
from them. Though Daniel looked fairer than those that fed
on the polluted bread of the king of Babylon, yet my soul will
look but thin and lean, unless it feed and feast on the daily
allowance of the King of glory, whose table is covered with
an infinite plenty. All the angels and all the saints may
banquet continually without lessening the divine store, which,
as to the display and manifestation, increases, as once or
twice in the days of his flesh, among the numerous eaters,
and grows among the happy guests. Why then pine at such
a table, starve in the midst of so much plenty, and convert
132 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
divine liberality into the parsimony of unbelief ? Shall I con-
fine that bounty that is rather nonplussed where to pour its
plenitude, (because few will accept of Christ and his fulness,)
than at a loss for a superabundancy to bestow ?
Henceforth let my soul by faith live at large on the promi-
ses, and be spiritually grand at the expenses of the King, who
will not grudge it. Let me put on the royal apparel of the
Son of God, the vesture of imputed righteousness; and, as a
sign that this is the embroidered garment of my inner man,
keep clean hands, and an holy walk. Why should I creep
and grovel in the by-ways of darkness, and foot-paths jof des-
pondency, when I may ride in the chariot of the covenant,
which Solomon has built for the daughters of Jerusalem, and
paved its midst with love? Why should I walk a-foot through
fear and faithlessness, when my seat is empty there, and none
can take it up? Then, to the honour of him to whom I belong,
I will appear like one of the royal family of heaven. I will
rejoice in him always, and again I will rejoice. I will feast
my soul with his divine dainties, and suck the honey of the
promises. I will satiate myself with his goodness, and drink
at his river that gladdens the city of God. I will not dwell
in the shadow of sorrow, but come out and walk in the light
of his countenance, in the brightness of his glory. I will im-
portune his sin-subduing grace, and plead for strength to fight
the battles of the Lord, that in his name I may conquer all
my foes. I will expatiate on the opulence of my treasure,
the extent of my inheritance, and the excellencies of my Be-
loved ; and live to the glory of him who giveth me all things
richly to enjoy, according to the rank of an heir of God, ac-
cording to the grandeur of a joint heir with Christ.
MEDITATION LXXVI.
CONTRADICTIONS.
Gibraltar Bay, Feb. 26, 1759.
I am ever guilty of some folly, some unaccountable folly;
and either my faith condemns my fears, or my fears accuse
my faith of folly. If I may safely trust to God as my guar-
dian and guide, in the shadow, in the darkness of death,
where, for all my friends, where not as freely to me for the
whole world, I must walk alone; why should I distrust him
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 133
in the high-way of life, where thousands walk with me ? Dare
I commit the concerns of my soul to him, and hope for salva-
tion in his name, yet distrust him with the cares of my present
life, nor hope for its necessaries in his providence? Can I
venture my soul into his hand, and think it safe through the
intricate mazes of an eternal duration, yet doubt if I may de-
pend on his promise and providence, through the few win-
dings of a transitory life ? Or will God care for the soul, but
cast off the body ? Will he feed the raven, deck the lily, but
starve the saint? Will he give of the good things of this life,
even to superfluity, to his enemies, and withhold necessary
supplies from his people? A naked supply here is enough for
those that shall inherit all things hereafter. Can he guide
the stars in their courses, and the orderly revolution of day
and night, summer and winter, seed-time and harvest, and
not over-rule the occurrences of my life? Can he, who has
given up his Son freely for me, with him give all good things ?
Do I conceit God to be the God of the mountains of eternity,
but not of the valleys of time ; and that because his habitation
is in the heights of glory, he governs not the deep places of
the earth, which are also in his hand? How great a beast in
sacred matters am I, who can devolve my great all on him,
and yet distrust him with trifles, and what is nothing at all !
Now, as all I seek is to enter the gate of glory, not anxious
what will become of me afterward, or how the vast demands
of my enlarged soul, mine immortal powers, shall be supplied
through endless ages : even so, as I am already entered among
the numerous beings of this lower orb, all which are supplied
from his bounty, preserved by his power, and governed by his
providence, I have no cause of anxiety about my present situ-
ation, about my passing life : only in the lawful use of lawful
means, to commit all into his hand, who does all things well,
and gives to all his people an expected end.
MEDITATION LXXVII.
THE CONFUSION OF THE WICKED a¥ THE GENERAL JUDGMENT.
Gibraltar Bay, Feb. 28, 1759.
Alas ! men now sin with impunity and boldness, but when
I dart my thoughts beyond the grave, and see the sinning
multitude gathered before the awful bar, the angry tribunal,
M
134 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
the vindictive Judge, how will they look? Have I ever seen
one affronted, and put to the blush? One sentenced to infa-
my, one put into the highest throws of unruly passion, or one
condemned to death? All this is but like modesty blushing,
in comparison of the confusion of guilt, and the eternal gloom
of horror, which will take fast hold on them, when the incen-
sed Judge pronounces their sentence in these killing words,
Depart from me. Where will they hide their guilty heads,
and where conceal their shame? They will not be able to
cover with a good countenance their condemnation, as they
do now their sin which causes it. How will the ground shake,
and the earth tremble beneath the trembling multitude ! What
fearful aspects! — What rueful looks', what rolling eyes! what
frightful gestures! what lamentable bowlings! what doleful
bewailings! what preposterous complaints! what despairing
expressions! what agonizing groans! what intolerable horror!
what gnawing anguish! what starings of guilt! what roarings
of awakened conscience! and what horrible blasphemies
against the divine Judge himself, shall they be subject to, and
employed in, in that tremendous day? How will they call to
the hiils to hide them, and run to be lost in the ruins of the
tumbling rocks, but in vain?
But whence will these spectres come, these trembling ones
be gathered? From another world? Ah! they are even of
these gay and gallant ones, who now walk the round of life,
jocund and unconcerned, and ignorant of godly sorrow! but
who shall then be overwhelmed, and that forever, with a grief
too vast for language to express, too tremendous and unintelli-
gible for conception to apprehend; but such as every son of
man, in the time of hope, the place of repentance, and day
of grace, should study to escape : for even Bedlam, compared
to them, is a house of sober-witted men! Who knows the
power of thy wrath? Who knows it but the damned ? And
yet they know it not, for an eternity of torment is but teach-
ing them the agonizing lesson. — Who dares to know it, but
the bold, the blind, the headstrong sinner, who never puts
the question to himself that concerns him most, and might
awake him, "Who of us can dwell with devouring fire? who
with everlasting burnings^ How shall we escape the wrath
to come ? "
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 135
MEDITATION LXXVIII.
MERCIES ABUSED.
Gibraltar Bay, March 1, 1759.
Many are the mercies we receive from heaven; but it is
shocking to think how we convert these mercies into an occa-
sion to sin, and make them the cause of awful miseries. By
the senses of the body the soul is wounded, (and yet the loss
of any one sense is a sensible affliction;) while our eyes,
which should look right on, and by which we may search the
scriptures of truth, are full of adultery, and used only in con-
veying vain objects to our mind; while our ears, that should
hear the sound of the everlasting gospel, the words of life, take
in only blasphemies, backbitings, evil reports, impure dis-
course, vain janglings and contentions; and, alas! are enter-
tained therewith: While our lips and tongues, that should
move only to mutual edification, are employed in detraction
and slander, and dwell on profane and trifling themes; and
while our feet, that should carry us to the house of God, and
about our lawful affairs, run only to mischief, and are swift in
the ways of wickedness.
Moreover, we abuse common mercies also, turning a full
table into gluttony and drunkenness; competency into ex-
cess;— plenty into extravagance; — apparel into pride; station
into vain show; confidence into arrogance; riches into pre-
sumption ; honour into haughtiness ; and power into oppres-
sion. Yea, we also abuse mercies of a more noble nature,
while we employ our wisdom in wrangling, our parts in per-
verse disputings, our attainments in ostentation, and our know-
ledge in emulation. Finally, in every thing we offend: while
under afflictions, we are faithless; in trials, distrust the pro-
mise ; and when disappointed, despond. Of deliverance, we
are forgetful; in prosperity, secure; in sickness, sullen or stu-
pid; and in health, full of levity, and a delight in earthly
things. Thus, by the abuse of mercies, we turn the grace of
God into wantonness.
Surely the mercies of the Most High are above all his
works, and fill the earth. He continues to bestow those very
mercies on us, which we so much abuse, when he might at
once strike us blind, dumb, and deaf; when he might at once
blow upon our blessings, and cause our table-comforts to de-
cay; when he might tread us in the mire of adversity, and
136 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
cause the waters of affliction to flow over our heads ; when he
might blast our judgment, sense, and reason, and turning us
into idiots, make us objects of pity to allj and when he might
hide his countenance, and make us go mourning without the
sun. To him whose mercies know no bound, let our praises
know no end.
MEDITATION LXXIX.
THE FORGIVENESS OF INJURIES.
Gibraltar Bay, March 2, 1759.
To forgive our enemies, and forget the injuries which have
been done us, is a noble, though a very difficult duty; and
from the opposition it meets with from within, I find that it is
above the natural man to perform. Nature would make less
resistance to it, if it were less godlike and divine. There are
some men who have done me injuries in more respects thah
one; and, alas! I find that I can scarcely recollect their names
without these injuries, though done to me years ago, presen-
ting themselves as if they had happened yesterday. This
shows the rancour of my mind, and the deep impressions such
things make there, while the mercies of the Most High are
shamefully forgotten. But now.let me compose my mind, and
reconcile it to the duties of Christianity.
The whole law hangs on this, to love God and my neigh-
bour, and if I love the one, I shall love the other: but if I love
not him whom I have seen, how can I love him whom I have
not seen? Now, my neighbour is not he who does me benign
actions, for such the worst of sinners love and regard, but
every one of the human race, round about me. — Whatsoever
they do to me, that cannot loose a relation that is indissolva-
ble. When they defame me, I must speak well of them ; when
they revile me, I must intreat. Though they would starve
me, I must feed their hunger; though they strip me, I must
kindly clothe their nakedness ; though they curse, I must bless;
though they persecute I must pray ; and though they rise up
in war against me, yet when they yield themselves prisoners,
and so become suppliants for mercy, I must not slay them,
but preserve them alive, protect them, pour oil into their*
wounds, and supply their necessities. Yet this universal for-
giveness is not, by a too extensive clemency, to oppose the
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 137
exercise of justice in respect of murderers, nor infringe the
moral law with regard to those that should die. But, alas!
instead of being in danger of erring on this, I am on the op-
posite extreme; for while I should forgive what they do
against me, and pray for forgiveness of that whereby they
have sinned against God, I neither forgive them myself, nor
seek forgiveness from heaven to them.
Now, if I should thus behave with the men of the world,
how should I behave with the saints, who are the excellent
ones of the earth? However they may deal with me in this
world, that cannot loose the tie, or dissolve the brotherhood,
which is firm in him of whom the whole family in heaven and
earth is named. Can a trivial difference break a bond that
is firmer than flesh and blood ? They can never much harm
me in worldly things, who are for Christ in spiritual; and
though the old man between us should fall out, yet the new
man shall ever be friends. If the contention between corrup-
tion and corruption be so iftarp, that conversation for a time
is broken off, yet I shall talk with them in my love, and
embrace them in mine affection ; and we will only esteem one
another like friends separated for a time, who will have grea-
ter joy at meeting. Here we are in the body, and therefore
should bear one another's burdens. We cannot live like an-
gels in this imperfect state, why then should I catch like a
serpent at the failings of others? Will the hand refuse to feed
the mouth, because the foot has stumbled ? Is it comely for
the members of one body to fall a jarring with one another?
Is it comely for one to cast off* some Christian duties, because
another Christian has some failings? Would to God all the
world were the friends of Christ, though they were my foes ;
then should I love them, and delight in them : for when the
sanctified ones are all assembled before the throne, there eter-
nal harmony shall reign, concord and amity prevail ; there
differences shall be swallowed up in divine overflowings of
eternal love. Why then, on any account, should my affec-
tion be cold towards them, towards whom it shall glow fore-
ver, when they are arrayed with the divine likeness of the Son
of God? Let me therefore bury all my injuries in the deep-
est oblivion, be reconciled to my friends, however they have
dealt with me; and if ever I remember any thing they have
done amiss, let it be only to magnify the goodness of God,
who excels so far the best creatures, and outdoes in sympa-
thy and kindness the most tender-hearted friend, but not to
m2
138 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
diminish my love of them who are still the excellent one'* of
the earth.
Whether the difference be civil or religious, the time ap-
proaches, O saint! when thou and I shall forget our sharp con-
tests, as waters that flow away. When we meet on the hea-
venly Mount Zion, we shall meet as angels, and embrace as
seraphim. When we put on the perfection of the triumphant
state, we shall put off self, the narrow spirit, and uncharitable
thought. In the light of glory, we shall see eye to eye ; and
as we are all united to Christ, being one with him who is one
with the Father, so we shall be united to one another, being
all one in him. Were not shame the daughter of sin, which
therefore ceases when sin is no more, as the stream when the
fountain fails, surely we should blush that ever the thine and
mine about perishing things, should hinder us, who shall see
the whole world in flames, from conversing about that after
state, those new heavens and new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness, that perfect pleni^e that remains for both.
Come then, and let us antedate eternity, by throwing diflEe-
rences of every kind away, and becoming one in harmony
and peace. Let us crucify self, and the better part will re-
unite. It is not strange that men of such passions should fall
out, but it is strange that men of such expectations should live
and die in a difference. Let it not, then, my soul, fail on thy
side. Forgive, forget, remember injuries no more than if
they had never been done thee. Triumph in oblivion. Be
valiant in conquering pride, wrath, and revenge. Expect not
the concession on his side that has done thee wrong; but do
thou rather yield, and win him by thy gentle and Christian
behaviour under thy injuries. Fix thine eye on that future
tranquility which shall be enjoyed in heaven, and that will
instruct thee how to guide thyself now. Anger rests only in
the bosom of fools. Entertain not a disposition of mind that
thou wouldst gladly be quit of when going into eternity.
Think little of thyself, and thou wilt not take it ill that others
think the same. Strive for the highest degree of Christian
purity, gospel-perfection, attainable below. Lift up thine eye
to the other world, and in all things remember, prepare, and
look out for the coming of the Lord, who will be the joy and
peace of his people to eternity.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 139
MEDITATION LXXX.
THE EXCELLENCY OF RELIGION.
Under sail, March 4, 1759.
The world may say as it will of religion, but it is only by
•t that the human mind is exalted, and men rise into angels.
The pleasures of religion sweeten my acid griefs, and blunt
my acute pains. In this I triumph over my troubles, defy
mine enemies, and outrun my woes. Here I relish unseen
realities, taste spiritual joys, and eat of the hidden manna.
Here, in the chariot of the covenant, seated in the promise,
Elijah-like, I leave the whole creation, and wing to the in-
heritance above, where at once I am possessed of the divine
plenitude of the Eternal, bathe in life's crystal streams, and
bask in his meridian ray. Where I shall drink, (and the
time is not far distant,) the immortalizing draught, and eat
the bread of life in the kingdom of God ; where my raptured
tongue shall join its anthem with the harpers round the
throne, and never cease, and never tire: Where I shall see
him who is altogether lovely, in the brightest displays of
his glory, and hear the tenderest expressions of his everlast-
ing love : Where I shall share of his excellences, participate
of his divine nature, and put on his amazing similitude : —
Where I shall enjoy an ineffable union with my living Head,
and know, in the largest meaning of the word, that " he that
is joined to the Lord is one spirit:" Where communion between
the well-beloved and his spouse shall be full and free, to the
ecstacy of every power of the mind : Where I shall be allowed
an access so near, that it shall astonish me in my very ap-
proaches : Where I shall sit before his throne, walk with him
in white, and in his temple speak of his glory: Where I shall
launch out into the unfathomable ocean of his infinite per-
fections, and be eternally lost in the divine review : Where I
shall no more be vexed with an evil heart of unbelief in de-
parting from the living God, but have my soul immoveably
fixed on the unchangeable God : Where my body in all its
members, my soul in all her faculties, shall be holy and pure,
and go unweariedly out on God : Where the least temptation
shall not whisper in mine ear, nor the carnal speech, nor
profaning tongue, (O happy days!) grate the sanctified organ,
but loud encomiums to him that loved us, from all the hosts
around the throne, convey the harmony of eternal song, to
140 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
soothe my every power into the profoundest ecstacy, and to
excite my song to confess his essential glories in sublimest
anthems: Where I shall see the King eternal in his immacu-
late beauty, worship him without hypocrisy, serve him with-
out wearying, behold and not die, approach his throne without
terror, know him, (being relieved from misapprehensions,) as
he is, see him in all his greatness, yet not, Daniel-like, be
weakened, but strengthened by the vision; delight in him
without slavish fear, love him without reserve, and be like
him without contradiction : Where I shall see him in his robes
of state, in his essential glories, dwelling in very deed with
men, though the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, and
showing them his goings, his majestic steps in the highest
sanctuary, the holy of holies, and making all his goodness
to pass eternally before their wondering, their adoring, their
ravished eyes!
With such endearing prospects, such reviving expectations,
as these, my soul is refreshed in religion. But what is on
the other hand? What have the irreligious, who relish none
of these things, to expect, but gulphs of horror, pits of des-
pair, seas of fire, oceans of vengeance, chains of wrath, floods
of indignation, unutterable anguish, utter darkness, eternal
torments, and such a scene of agonies as chills my thoughts.
MEDITATION LXXXI.
CHRIST, AND Ts'ONE BUT HE, SATISFIETH DESIRES.
Under sail, March 7, 1759.
There is a restless, a boundless desire in the mind of
man for something which this world in all its glory is una-
ble to bestow. This irhmortal appetite, this living desire,
blinded mortals seek to gratify, some on honour, others on
pleasure, some on riches, others on empire and glory; and
need we therefore be surprised that they are never satis-
fied? Though I could trace my pedigree through illustrious
heroes, and renowned kings, back to the first foundation of
kingdoms, this would not furnish my soul with all it would
desire. Though I had the knowledge of all the sons of men
summed up in myself, so that the eastern magi and wisest
philosophers might come and learn at my feet, still my de-
sire would have its void to fill. Though I had all magnifi-
cent titles, honorary epithets, aggrandizing distinctions, and
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 141
appellations of renown, even these would not fill the exten-
sive blank. Though I had the uncontrolled dominion of the
whole universe devolved on me, so that my name were revered
in every nation, statues set up to me in all lands, and my
fame and glory echoed through the subject-kingdoms, still
would my desires be making new demands. Though Arabia,
as my possession, should present me all her fragrant gums,
the Indies, as mine inheritance, amass for me their riches,
and all kingdoms, as tributary, send me their productions;
though the earth should burst open all her silver veins and
golden mines to enrich my treasures; though my throne were
of one pearl, and my crown of one diamond; though my life-
guards were kings, my menial servants princes, and my im-
mediate subjects nobles; though the daily guests of my table
were thousands and ten thousands of honourable persona-
ges ; and though, for the entertainment of my table, my flocks
should cover every hill, my herds range over every flowery
vale, and the fowls of every wing alight round my palace,
while the fish of every fin came, when needed, spontaneousl)*
ashore ; though the fountains should flow with oil, the rivers
stream with wine, and the forests drop honey ; yet my heart
would not say. It is enough. Though perpetual summer
should shine on the place of my habitation, and storms and
tempests stand at a distance from my abode ; though, accord-
ing to the philosopher's conceits, the worlds on the other side
the sun should own my sceptre; though the sparkling stars,
the glories of the higher firmament, that rise sphere above
sphere innumerable, were added to my inheritance ; though I
had the faculties of the first sons of light, the knowledge of an
angel, and the penetration of a seraph; there would still be
something wanting, without which I could not be happy.
Though my health were never attacked by sickness, but my
family flourishing as the blooming flowers, my offspring nu-
merous as the piles of grass that clothe the verdant plain, and
never lessened by death; and though in this happiness I
should multiply my days as the eagle, and my years as the
sand; yet my desires would then be as far from being
satisfied, as when I began to enjoy this shadowy, this ima-
ginary all.
Where, then, is this all-sufficient plenitude to be found ? or
what is it that will satiate my immense desires? A triune
God reconciled in his own Son, and conveying himself in the
promise to my faith, as the spiritual riches infinite plenitude,
and eternal portion of my immortal soul.
142 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
All the gathered parts of creation, knowledge, titles, ho
noiir, riches, renown, attendants, dependants, family, friends,
connexion, dominion, health, longevity, and every other ex-
cellences, are but like a drop to my parched soul, of which 1
could swallow many, and yet be altogether faint beneath the
scorching beam. But Christ is an ocean of overflowing ful
ness. I stand on its shore, and am astonished; I look, and in
its boundless extension lose myself; I possess, and am re
plenished that I can desire no more. What a divine plenitude
is this divine one! All things without Christ cannot give sat
isfaction ; for truly without Christ all things are nothing, bu\
with him what seems next to nothing is more and bfetter thai,
the worldling's all things. Material things, however excel
lent, suit not, satisfy not the immaterial and immortal soul ,
but in Christ there is something that satiates, refreshes, and
enraptures the believing soul, even when my prospect is to-
wards that tremendous day, when nature shall be set on
flames; or further still, towards eternity, where the creature
dares not present itself as a proper portion for the soul. "In
him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; and my de-
sires are complete in him. I can go no further, I can wish
no more than he has. Then, for the present, I am happier
than the happiest worldling, having an heaven in possession,
for "faith is the substance of things hoped;" while an heaven
of rapture and delight, floods of ecstacy and bliss, are in re-
serve for me, to be bestowed at the general deal of glory to
the sons of God.
MEDITATION LXXXU
THE AGGRANDIZING VISIT.
Mediterranean Sea, March 10, 1759.
If a fellow-creature, who has gathered together more riches
than many of his acquaintance, or has attained to more ho-
nour, and has more high-sounding titles than others, conde-
scends, as they call it, to visit an inferior, or to admit an
inferior to visit him, the whole neighbourhood is astonished,
and the men that receive the compliment consider themselves
as highly honoured by it. Yet what is this person with whoso
visit they are so delighted, but a worm of the earth, a grass-
hopper, that crawls on the face of the ground ? As, however
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 143
infinite wisdom has divided the inhabitants of the world into
different classes, distinctions, and orders, for a timi;, the sons
of men are not to despise such a visit; but as it is only for a
time, the saints, the sons of God, are not to idolize it, or think
that riches and honour are the channel through which the
favour and love of God to his people is conveyed.
But how stupid are the world, that never observe the great
honour done to the saints, when the royal family of heaven
makes them an abiding visit! "Behold I stand at the door,
and knock ; and if any man hear my voice, and open to me,
I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me."
There the Creator and creature sit at one table! and God, to
the astonishment of angels, is gone to be guest with men ! —
Such a visit is to be contended for; such a guest is to be re-
ceived with open arms, and entertained with flowing love,
like that of the spouse, who said, " While the King sitteth at
his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof." Nor
is the heavenly visit a transient one, like those among the
sons of men; for, says the glorious visitant, "If a man love
me, my Father will love him, and we will come unto him,
and make our abode with him."
It is much to see a great person visit a poor man, more to
see a king enter the homely roof, but most of all, if ever after
the visit he were to keep his court at the humble cottage. —
Yet if it holds true, that " where the king is, there is the court,"
surely it is so here ; for, however meanly the saints think of
themselves, (which, for many reasons, it well becomes them
to do, though God deals kindly with them,) yet since the King
and the King's Son, even the eternal, undivided family of
heaven dwells with them, there must be the life-guards of
immortal angels, and thousands of fiery chariots, to defend
them from all dangers, to deliver them from all foes. How
happy, then, are the saints of God! how happy the select
number, whom the world think so meanly of, and count so
miserable !
But, again, great men may make a visit to poor creatures,
without changing their condition. It will not make a poor
man rich, that a rich man visits him, unless he proves a libe-
ral donor, or a generous benefactor also. Nor will it exalt a
subject, a slave to a throne, that a king comes to see him.
But it is otherwise here : Heaven is always in the visit of
the Most High ; and whatever the man has been before, he
is assuredly an heir of glory, with whom God comes to dwell ,
For as by his Spirit he dwells in and with his people for eter
144 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
nity, so by faith here, and vision hereafter, they dwell in and
with hiin for the same desirable term. O then that the saints
would think more highly of themselves, living above the
world, and its vanities, and in walking like those whom the
King Eternal honours with a visit! Should any other of
their surly and ill-natured neighbours make them sad of heart,
when the Lord of heaven and earth countenances them in so
singular a manner?
Now, if it aggrandizes men, that the nobles of the earth
visit them, and that great men take any notice of them, surely
the saints are to me the most excellent of all men, with whom
the God of glory condescends to dwell. But how shall I evi-
dence that God dwells with me? By walking like one who has
been with Jesus, with an heavenly mien and divine carriage.
Then, let the King of glory visit my heart, and I shall never
seek to tread in the courts of kings. Let my conversation be
in heaven, and I shall not care, though the great men of the
world never converse with me. Between my soul and the
throne let a daily correspondence be kept up, and I shall
cheerfully live in the most complete retirement, and recluse
solitude from all mankind.
MEDITATION LXXXIII.
CAUSES OF HUMILITY.
Under sail, Str eights, March 15, 1759.
As only in night-dreams I cross impassable rivers, climb
tremendous precipices, or fly in the open air; so it is only in
spiritual slumber that I mount on the imaginary wing, climb
the height of self-conceit, and stand on the precipice of pride.
Were I truly awake, instead of being puffed up, I should
tremble at my situation. In truth, there is nothing either in
the fortune, person, or minds of the sons of men, that ought
to make them proud. We need never be proud of riches j for,
besides the disquieting nature of them, we can never be pos-
sessed of so vast a sum, but we may die beggars,- nor of
honour, for our glory may turn into disgrace, and our charac-
,er into reproach; nor of offspring, for death, like a lion, waits
only the permissive nod to devour every one of them; nor of
strength, health, or beauty, for disease lies dormant in every
part, ready to break out into the canker of corruption ; nor of
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. I45
any faculty of the mind, seeing our brightest wisdom is but
folly to God, yea, to angels; and sickness can deprive us of
the boasted possession, and render us objects of pity unto all.
I see, then, that pride springs from blindness and- inconsi-
deration; but how surprising is this, that one who has his eyes
open to the things of God, should be guilty herein ! Now, as
spiritual things are more noble and more excellent than car-
nal things, so spiritual pride is more abominable than carnal :
for the saint, of all men, should be most humble. Whence,
then, these risings of heart? whence this self-conceit, and
high opinion of myself? Is God good, and must I turn the
grace of God into wantonness? Surely, if ever I have cause,
to fear the sincerity of my graces, it is when I grow proud of
them. Grace is an humble thing; it thinks meanly of all but
Christ; it keeps an eye ever open to its own failings; and
though believingly bold, yet being conscious of its imperfec-
tion, it wears a blush before the throne.
The reasons of my mental elevation are merely imaginary,
but I have a thousand real causes of the profoundest humility.
Where are all my carnal thoughts, even in my solemn devo-
tion? Where are all my ambitious lustings, my unbelieving'-
circumscribings of the power of God? my misimprovement
of judgments and of mercies? my attachment to the things of
time, and stupidity about the things of eternity ? my ignorance
of God, and of things spiritual, heavenly, and divine? Yea,
besides all these, the daily iniquity of my heels may always
keep me humble.
Pride may advance for its ill supported plea, that one is
useful in his day and generation, for the support of religion,
and suppression of vice, and that he has exerted his brightest
talents that way, perhaps suffered persecution, or been in
danger of martyrdom. But say, my soul, if a king shall send
a nobleman as his ambassador abroad, maintaining him accor-
ding to his dignity, will he think himself obliged to that hono-
rary servant? No; he will rather think him obliged to give
his sovereign an account of the trust committed to him, and
answerable at his peril if any thing is done against the honour
of his crown. How, then, arp the saints of God ignorant, that
to whom God is pleased to give much, of them he will require
the more? Surely the saint in a private capacity, who knows
only Christ and him crucified, and is neither qualified for, nor
called to public work, but lives a life of faith upon the unseen
Son of God, is in a more happy state than many apprehend.
For when ths King Eternal comes from a far country, he
N
146 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
will call for, and count with those to whom he intrusted talents,
and though he is pleased with four from him who got but two,
yet he will expect ten from him who received five. This
may be a balancing thought to the learned rabbies, with their
shining talents; to the minister of justice, and minister of the
gospel, in their secular and spiritual trusts, that they have
their account to make, both as private Christians and as pub-
lic persons. But, my soul, thy very situation, (for thou art
yet on enchanted ground,) may keep thee humble. Though
thou wert spotless as a seraph, yet that flood of iniquity that
swells around thee may keep thee humble ; but though thou
wert in the midst of a paradise of innocence, yet there is such
a world of wickedness within thee, as might banish every
spark of pride for ever. And when these considerations fail,
and pride again begins to appear, the very appearance may
plunge thee into the profoundest abyss of humility and self-
loathing, out of which thou shouldst never rise, till raised to
the perfection of the sons of God.
MEDITATION LXXXIV.
HARMOrfY IN god's PROCEDURE WITH THE CHURCH, BOTH OP
THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT.
Leghorn, March 31, 1759.
Wonderful art thou, O Lord I and stupendous are thy ways.
The harmony that prevails, and the glory that shines in all
thy government, fill every pious soul with adoration and
wonder. All . thy subjects approve of whatever the King
does, and are surprised and pleased at once : Let me cast
together the first and last ages of the world, and compare his
conduct with the church under the law, and under the gospel,
and I shall find a beautiful correspondence and agreement in
all his wa3's.
When God would have a church to himself, he calls Abra-
ham, and blesses him: so our Saviour, when he founded the
New Testament church, called whom he chose, and blessed
them with spiritual gifts and heavenly graces. When God
made promise to Abraham, that Messiah should spring from
his posterity, circumcision was instituted: and when the
promised seed came into the world, baptism was brought
into its place. At one great occurrence, when Israel was
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 147
delivered from tyrannical Egypt, the passover was appointed*
and at another greater event, when Jesus, to deliver the true
Israel from the bondage of sin, was to suffer, the supper was
instituted. The Old Testament church had an Egypt to leave;
a land of bitter bondage: and we have the kingdom of dark
ness to come out of, a land of cruel slavery. The church of
old was composed of twelve tribes: the Christian church is
founded on the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The one, though
few at their beginning, grew into a great nation : the other,
though small at their commencement, spread through man}^
nations. By miracles that was delivered, fed, and defended:
by miracles the doctrines of this were disseminated and con-
firmed. That had a sea to pass through at its first escape : this
had a flood of afflictions at its first appearance. The former
was guided by the cloud and pillar of his presence: the
latter by his word and Spirit. The one had to go through
a vast and howling desert; the other to struggle through a
world of sin, vanity, and vexation. That tabernacled in
the wilderness forty years, and lacked nothing: this has a
place given her in the wilderness, where she is fed for many
days. Manna was the bodily or natural food of the first ; the
true manna is the spiritual food of the last. A refreshful
river out of the rock followed them all the way : and to us,
*Uhat rock is Christ." To them the typical serpent was sus-
pended on a pole, that whosoever was bitten by the fiery ser-
pents might look and live : and we have the glorious antitype
lifted up on the loftier pole of the gospel, that we may behold
and be healed of all the wounds given by Satan, the old ser-
pent. They had their feasts and solemnities: we have ours.
The Jews, after all their toils and pilgrimages, subdued the
heathen nations: the first founders of Christianity, after all
their trials and persecutions, subdued Paganism itself, and
made idolatrous nations submit to the truths of the gospel.
When the Jews were settled, and in a flourishing condition,
Jeshurun waxed fat^ and kicked, yea, did worse than the hea-
then that were around them; so, after the Christian church
enjoyed rest and tranquility, they turned to do worse than the
unconverted nations around them. When Israel fell from the
worship of the true God into idolatry, Babylon was the scourge
that brought the church into captivity and bondage : so, when
idolatry sprang up in the church of Christ, an apostatising
Rome, bloody Babylon, that great city, which reigneth over
the kings of the earth, became the cruel oppressor of the
church of the faithful. And as the destruction of ancient Ba ■
148 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
bylon preceded the church's delivery : so the destruction of
spiritual or mystical Babylon, (for the time approaches when
she shall be cast as a mill-stone into the sea, to arise no more,)
shall precede and promote the church's enlargement. As the
Jewish deliverance was by a temporal Messiah, a Cyrus!
so the Christian liberation is by the heavenly Messiah, the
Saviour of the world, who shall destroy the man of sin by
the breath of his mouth, and by the brightness of his coming.
As our Saviour's first coming was the fulfilment of the prophe-
cies, and finished the Old-Testament dispensation: so the
second coming of our incarnate God shall be the fulfilment
of the promises, and finish the New-Testament dispensation.
His first coming was as a Saviour, to take away the sin of the
world: but his second appearance shall be as a judge, to con-
demn the sinners, acquit the saints, and carry them to hea-
ven. Hasten, then, this day of glory, when all things shall
be accomplished, to the entire satisfaction of every saint,
and to the bright display of every divine, every adorable
perfection.
MEDITATION LXXXV.
A PLEASANT CONSIDERATION.
LegJiorn, April 1, 1759,
There is one consideration that may make me endure af-
fliction with fortitude, and triumph in my trouble, which is,
That what I endure to-day, I shall not feel to-morrow. Every
sip of affliction lessens the bitter cup that is put into my
hand, v/hich contains its given quantity, and is not always
kept full; so the more frequently, or the more largely, I
drink at a time, the less remains for me; and some time or
other I must drink it all, and glut down the last drop in the
expiring pang. I cannot weep over a parent dying twice, nor
can I twice attend the funeral of a friend. I cannot have the
shocking sight of my dearest relative struggling in the jaws
of death a second time. Had I a numerous offspring, I might
bury all the tender little ones once, but could not dissolve at
their funeral again and again. The afflictions I feel to-day
I shall feel again no more for ever; that is, in their first on-
set, though they may follow up and repeat the stroke for
many days.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. I49
Though the shower be heavy on me, yet, to my comfort,
the clouds shall not return after the rain, to fall in other
Bhowers. And though clouds and darkness, tempest and
storm, should fill my sky all the days of my life, yet after
death my heaven shall brighten, and be obscured no more.
My troubles diminish in the enduring, but my consolations
are of another nature ; they are a flowing spring, at which I
may daily drink, and still they overflow. Afl^iction is like
the foam of a river, that perishes as we pass over, and can be
found no more; but the divine comforts are like Israel's stream
in the wilderness that followed them all the way. The pres-
ent loss of dearest relatives, which brings most pungent sor-
row, would cease, were I assured that in a ^ew years they
were to rise again. Then, should it not cease, when I reflect
on the certainty of enjoying my relations, where spiritual
friendship is screwed up to sublime heights, never known
below, and that to endure for ever? I look a little further,
and my afflictions are no more; I look a little further
and infinite consolations are mine for evermore. Why, then,
should I suffer much from any grief that passes, never to
return, when pure joy, to comfort me, with mighty strides
approaches, never to remove or pass away ?
MEDITATION LXXXVI.
CRUCIFIXION.
Leghorn, April 8, 1759.
There is a reciprocal crucifixion which I should desire
and seek after; first, that the world may be crucified unto
me; and, secondly, that I may be crucified unto the world.
This is a noble figure representing the Christian's full and
free disentanglement from the world. To break the connex-
ion, and cut asunder the bands between two persons of the
closest, friendship, sameness of sentiment, and oneness of in-
terest enough that one party be crucified, for the other may still
have aflTections and feelings after the mangled, though once
amiable companion; but when both are crucified, all bonds
are broken, and all ties are eternally dissolved. When one
becomes noxious to society, an enemy to the commonwealth
and a rebel against just authority, then he merits such an
ignominious death as crucifixion. Well, then, the world is an
enemy to the life divine, noxious to the welfare of my soul,
n2
150 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
and a rebel against the authority of Heaven. Therefore I
should earnestly seek to have it crucified to my affections,
and my affections to it. When a person is crucified, his
friends need expect no favour from him, and his foes need fear
no harm at his hand. So, if the world be crucified to me, I
shall neither court its smiles, nor fear its frowns. I shall
expect nothing, and I shall never be disappointed; I shall
dread nothing, and I shall never be in danger. He that
would win heaven must crucify the world; for while the
world lives in the affections, it will always roll itself between
the soul and heaven. Now, what a mighty mountain, what
a steep ascent is this, the sad experience of unhappy thou-
sands can tell, who never could climb over the terrestrial
globe to the heavenly land; but, intoxicated with pleasures,
choaked with cares, and crushed with the ponderous mass, sink
down to endless wo! Again, as a crucified man, whose ex-
tremities are bored through and whose body is besmeared
with blood, and his countenance disfigured in death, is a very
moving spectacle to every feeling beholder; so the world j
crucified to the believing soul, will appear vain and empty,
vile and abominable, and loathsome foT the fond embraces of
mental affection. And.as a dead body soon becomes stinking
carrion, so a crucified world, in the nostrils of a renewed
soul, can send nothing up but an ill savour. All its per-
ishing pleasures, which are rich perfumes to carnal minds,
will be but like open graves to gracious souls. Finally I
shall be an immense gainer by this double crucifixion; for as
no man will hoard up human skulls, bones, and putrefying
carcasses, for a treasure; so the world thus crucified, and all
its vanities, shall be the object of my deepest contempt and
loathing; while things spiritual, heavenly, and divine, shall
share my whole esteem, and enrich my soul for eternity
itself.
MEDITATION LXXXVII.
Under sail, April 19, 1759.
This is a truth at all times, and in all circumstances, to be
acknowledged, that all GocVs n-ays are equal. Yea they
must be so, seeing he is infinite in his wisdom, excellent in
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. I51
counsel, free in his decrees, independent in his procedure, and
holy in all his works. When Adam was in a state of inno-
cency, all God's ways were equal in his eyes, aiid admiring the
wisdom of the Creator, he gave names to all the beasts accor-
ding to their nature; hereby showing his own wisdom, with-
out quarrelling at the size, shape, or end of their being. But
no sooner did he fall from God, and become unequal in his
way, than he complains, even in the face of God, that his
ways were not equal. "The woman whom thou gavest to be
with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat."
Such, alas! is the language of my complaining at the dis-
pensations of Providence. If adverse, I dare even go so far
as to wonder how and why God deals so and so with me, so
and so with his people. And because my unequal soul, that
is set at war with itself by sin, cannot fathom his ways, which
as far transcend my conceptions, as the heavens transcend
the earth I anon conclude them unequal. Ah! foolish, vain
conceit; can anything be crooked in the Eternal Mind? Can
any action deviate from the standard of equity in the Judge
of all the earth? Can he be at variance with himself, who
is harmony and unity? Could I glance the glorious plan in
the infinite mind, I should fall down astonished, and confess,
" He hath done all things well." His wisdom is the same,
though I cannot presume it; and his kind design the same
though I cannot comprehend it; — his equity is the same, though
I should not believe it. Although, in the death of my dearest
relations, or distress of any kind, I cannot learn why Heaven
deals so and so, and why the time, the place, and circum-
stances are such and such; yet I may be asssured, that there
is a divine equality in the spotless procedure; for he will ne-
ver depart from the rule of rectitude to afflict his people.
But, again, what condescension is it in God, to make his
people see on this side death the equality of his doings, so that
they cry out, " Now I know that thou hast afflicted me in
faithfulness ; and it is good for me that I have been afflicted."
Yet, what though such a prospect should be reserved to the
day of revelations, when the vail shall be taken down, and all
-he ways of God shown to his people? It is enough that he
does it, who is equal in all his ways, plenteous injustice, and
superabundant in goodness. And though I know not the
meaning of present dispensations, yet it ought to satisfy me,
that he who sends them is not only the Governor, among the
nations, but the Shepherd of his people, and perfects what
concerns his saints.
152 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
MEDITATION LXXXVIII.
SELF FLATTERERS.
Sailing near Sardinia, April 23, 1759.
" The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart,
that there is no fear of God before their eyesj" yet they flat-
ter themselves with false hopes, that all shall be well with
tnem, " till their iniquity be found to be hateful " by the tre-
mendous Judge in the decisive day.
The most flagitious persons flatter themselves, that they are
not in so bad a state but that they may be saved. — Truej sal-
vation is offered to the chief of sinners. But then they must
be saved from sin, but cannot be saved in sin ; which is the
error here. Some conceive such a notion of mercy as would
destroy the other attributes; as if God should trample on his
holiness, truth, and justice, to exalt his mercy in saving a sin-
ner, or in pardoning sin without any satisfacUon. But this is
repugnant to what he himself has declared. Others flatter
themselves, that as God is just and merciful, he could never
make so many rational creatures to be damned. Yet they
refuse the living way God has pointed out, by which they
must be saved. Others would fain believe that God will never
condemn them for committing some sins, which, say they, are
implanted in their nature ; and thus (O horrid blasphemy !)
they make the Author of their being the author of sin. But
God planted man at first wholly a right seed, though he be
now turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine. Oth-
ers, again there are, that through a pious education, common
convictions, knowledge of the truth, and such like, are con-
vinced that their present course of life is sinful and dangerous,
but flatter themselves that all shall yet be well; for, some
years hence, when they have wearied themselves in sinning,
they will amend their lives, repent and turn to God ; and in
this they promise themselves success, since God never refuses
the penitent. Thus they set themselves above God, making
themselves Lords of their own time, and promising themselves
years to come, who cannot boast of to-morrow; and proprie-
tors of divine grace, in thinking they can repent at the period
of their own appointment. But such fair promises to their
own conscience, v>ho dare delay to an uncertain futurity so
momentous a matter, which claims to be chief in our concern,
and to be done with all dilligence, are the worst performers
in the world. Moreover, mournful experience tells us, that
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 153
those who reserve their youthful sins to be repented of in old
age, often, alas! too often, go on as they began, and die as
they have lived. Again, there are some that conclude theirs
an unhappy situation, because they are just betw^een man and
man; and upright in their dealings : they do no man an injury
they speak evil of no man; but are friendly-hearted and frank
handed to all. But they know nothing of living a life of faith
on the Son of God. Again, there are others, who because
they have given up the grosser follies, extravagances, and
excesses, that were the game and the grave of their youth,
and live a sober, regular life, conclude themselves to be con-
verts, and to bid fair for heaven, though they never felt one
pang of the new birth, or knew what it was to be born again,
Lastly, to name no more, there are some who account them-
selves saints indeed and would not question their state for any
man, because they have been sober all their life long, have
hated the grosser acts of wickedness, commend religion, and
religious persons, and have a form of godliness ; but they
have never seen the necessity of being divorced from the law,
and denied to their best actions, as well as their worst deeds
with respect to salvation; and, however fair their character
may be, they know nothing of union to, and communion with,
the Son of God. Therefore they are dead while they live,
dead before God, though alive in their own opinion, and in the
opinion of the world. Now, how fatal such self flattery is, is
evident; yet how full is the Christian world thereof! May
their eyes be opened to see their danger, and their hearts
persuaded to embrace the Saviour?
MEDITATION LXXXIX.
THE HEAVENLY VISION ASSIMILATING.
April 29, 1759.
There are a thousand unfathomable depths in divine k)ve
Who can open the everlasting magazines, or look into these
imseen glories ? And this is not least to be admired that ever
the worms and pots-herds of the earth should be admitted into
the visions of God. Here we see something of him though
darkly, his back-part being only presented to view, and even
of that we have an imperfect glance; but in the world to
come, the saints shall see him as he is, and thereby be happy
154 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
above their highest hope, beyond their most extensive faith.
Now, how astonishing that the saints should be admitted into
the perfect visions of God I and how entrancing that this
vision should so assimilate them to him, that the soul, accus-
tomed to unremitting longings below for this crowning bliss,
shall remain eternally satisfied with her divine conformity to
God I How, then, of consequence, must the saints shine in
glory, since their conformity is not to an imperfect vision, but
first, they see him as he is, (and what that is, who can tell?)
and then, according to this clear sight, is their assimilation to
him. If here there be such an excellence in the saints, from
the imperfect views of the glory of God in the face of Jesus :
what must it be where the darkness is past, and the true light
shineth? Surely it may be said of the saints in that state,
"Ye are gods, and all sons of the highest." Nor need we
wonder that John had almost worshipped a fellow-saint, who
shone with so much amazing glory. This assimilation is in
part begun below; for "we all, with unveiled face, beholding
as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed, or transfor-
med, into the same image, from glory to glory." And it is
perfected above, when the soul is assimilated, as far as finite
can receive of communicable perfection, to hirA.who is the
Father of spirits. If a broken spirit be a burden here that
cannot be borne, surely the harmony that shall arise from a
sense that all the powers of the soul have put on the divine
likeness, shall be ineffably sweet. Thus the whole family of
heaven shall have one appearance, and prove themselves to
be of one Father; and, being like their elder Brother, shall
look like the children of a King.
Briefly, then, this blessed similitude to God consists, 1. In
being holy, as he is holy. 2. In knowing all things to their
satisfaction; as God in his infinite knowledge rests satisfied.
3. In willing, through the perfection of holiness, nothing but
what is good; as God, through the perfection of his divine na-
ture, can will nothing but what is holy. 4. In being happy
in their condition, and ravished w ith their felicity in God ; as
God is supremely and eternally happy in himself. 5. In ne-
ver being fatigued ; they rest not day nor night, and yet are
never weary; as the Creator of the ends of the earth neither
fainteth nor is weary. 6. In being made kings and priests
to God and to the Lamb, and reigning with him forever; as
God its king for ever, and of his government there is no end.
And, lastly, in being fixed in their supreme felicity, above
the fear of change, or end; as God is from everlasting to ever
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 155
lasting God. How complete must their happiness be, who
possess God in all his plenitude, in all his perfections, and
are like him in his communicable glory !
There is some difference now betwixt the saint and sinner,
though both are in houses of clay; but how vast will it be
then, when the one shall be all deformity and darkness, the
other all comeliness and glory ! For to these he shall be re-
vealed in the nearest and most naked views, in the face of
Jesus ; but hid from those in the darkest and obscurest manner
for ever, when " they shall be banished from the presence of
the Lord, and from the glory of his power for ever." This
is the excellency of religion above reason, that it reveals God
as he is! this is the happiness of the saints above sinners,
that they see something of God now, and are somewhat
like him, though imperfectly; and this is the privelege of all
saints, that, like Moses, they may seek after, and receive
repeated views of his glory. But the crowning vision is re-
served for eternity, when we shall be like him, for we shall
see him as he is.
MEDITATION XC.
STILL DESCRIPTIONS FALL SHORT OF GLORY.
April 30, 1759.
Oh! what must that happiness be that is laid up on high!
that glory that is reserved to be revealed I When God sets
forth the bliss above, it is by the metaphors, figures, and
shadows, adapted to our shallow conceptions. Thus as God
himself is said to have hands to point out his power, eyes to
show his omnisiency, and such like condescensions, so the
glory above is set out to us by the most excellent things that
come within our ken, as kingdoms, crowns, sceptres, gold,
precious stones, pearls, anthems, life, health, liberty, light,
endless day, perpetual summer, and eternal autumn. But
how dull are golden harps to the rapture of celestial song!
How dim are streets of gold to the paved walks of glory !
what are the reflections of clearest crystal, to the bright efful-
gence of unclouded glories! what the languid sparklings of
all the precious gems, to the noon-day blaze of uncreated per-
fections! what are the apples of paradise, to that spiritual
repast on divinity itself, which the saints enjoy above! what
156 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
is a tree planted on either side a stream, to him who oversha-
dows all his chosen ones! or twelve kinds of fruits yielded
every month, to the innumerable blessings of divine love!
what is a river, to him who overflows eternity, fills immensi-
ty, and is the plenitude of every ransomed soul ! in one word,
what are all things to God ! Can the creature set forth the
enjoyment of the Fountain of being?
O happy period ! when I shall plunge into the infinity of
thine excellencies, and, to mine eternal gain, be lost in the
immensity of thy glory! and enjoy God in a manner that
the noblest metaphors never can set forth, that the most ex-
alted description never can exhibit, nor the most enlarged
conception conceive. In view of this glory, unintelligibly
great, let me prepare, and in hopes of it rest till its desirable
revelation. ,
MEDITATION XCI.
SAINTS HONOURABLE.
Under sail, May 1, 1759.
Among the failings with which the saints are chargeable,
surely this is one: Too mean apprehensions of their own
greatness, though in their greatness the love of God is exalt-
ed. The poor man who has many troubles every day to
combat with, and is subjected perhaps to daily indigence,
would think it presumption in him to believe that there were
orders given in the court of heaven concerning him by na'me,
that necessary supply should be sure to him ; and that no less
than angels, who attend the throne, were commissioned to se-
cure his safety ! But since God's eternal Son condescended
to come to minister to the sons of men, " and give his life a
ransom for many," it well becomes the brightest of the ange-
lic hosts to minister unto the heirs of salvation.
Truly, O saint ! a serious consideration of thine high estate,
(for " since thou wast precious in his sight, thou hast been
honourable,") ought not to puff up thy mind with pride, but
to fill thine heart with holy admiration and wonder, and to
swell thy soul with ecstacy and love ! The men of the world
may scorn thy mean cottage, but had they but one glance of
the angelic guards that do duty there, they would conclude it
to be the palace of a king, or the gate of heaven. Elisha's
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 157
servant was of the same mind with the world ; he thought his
master was an helpless, though a holy man : " Alas ! my mas-
ter how shall we do? we are undone, for we have no power
to withstand the Syrian army." But, anon, he sees the moun-
tain shining around them with celestial guards, and covered
with the flaming chariots of the King of glory. Now, O saint !
Elisha's God is thy God, and the standing forces of eternity
are still the same, being truly the immortal legion; yea, their
employment is also the same, till all the saints are brought
safe to glory.
When on a journey thou puttest up at an inn, thou mayst
be obliged to take the worst room, while others, who have a
grand retinue, and numerous attendants, have the best lodg-
ings; but what thinkest thou of this, that not only angels
should be thy guards, but the Lord God of gods, the Lord God
of Gods! should himself be thy watchman? How secure, then,
seeing thine omnipotent Guardian neither slumbers nor sleeps !
If, under thy earthly sovereign, thou art called to the martial
plain, thou mayst pitch thy tent in the open field, while the
general of the army fixes his splendid pavilion in the centre,
yet only men encamp around him; but wherever thou pitch-
est, "the angel of the Lord encampeth round about thee." —
What, then, should thy conduct be, O thou that art highly fa-
voured of the Lord ! Thou shouldst study holiness in the high-
est degree, in gratitude to him who deals so with thee ; and
numility, that thou mayst never forget thyself, and so cease
to wonder at the heavenly condescension ! Is it thy part, O
saint 1 when so honoured, so defended by the King, to hold
disloyal conferences with his implacable enemies, self, sin,
Satan, against whom the " Lord hath sworn that he will have
war for ever?" When he, in redeeming grace, has raised
thee up to heaven, wilt thou through sin debase thyself to hell ?
Now, O saint, thou art no less happy, and thy condition no
less grand than this. Live, then above the world and its
vanities, with a greatness of soul that evidences thy divine
descent, till the day come, in which thou shalt be exalted to
that glory, of which thou art now an expectant, candidate,
and heir.
158 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
MEDITATION XCII.
MERCIES, THOUGH APPARENTLY DELAYED, COME AT THE AP-
POINTED TIME.
Alicant Bay, May 2, 1759.
How is it that thoughts rise in my mind about the promise
proving abortive? or how can I conchjcle that the delays of
Providence are ill timed and unkind? Yet, God, notwithstan-
ding all the risings of unbelief in my breast, is punctual to a
day. Hence says Moses, that God brought forth the children
of Israel in the '^self-same day'''' that he had promised, and
that their sojourning in the land of Egypt was completely ex-
pired. But what a groaning time did the poor Israelits under-
go! Their service was with rigour, their bondage was bitter,
their oppression unsupportable, and the cruelty of their foes
had arrived at that infernal pitch, as to plunge their helpless
males into the river! At length, in this melancholy time,
Moses was born; but this sad season was spun out till he was
forty years old, before he hinted to his brethren that he it
was that should deliver them. Yet this faint dawn of relief
immediately disappears; Moses is no more to be seen or heard
of in all the land of Egypt, and the night of sore affliction is
protracted for another forty years. Now, what cogitations of
heart, may I suppose, struggled all this time in the breasts
of Jacob's sons, in the breast of Moses ! Well he knew in
what deploral)le circumstances he had left his brethren, nor
knew he how their bondage might be increased in his ab-
sence; yet, in the account of their glorious deliverance, he
confesses that God was a God of truth, and that, however he
seemed to delay, still his suffering people was brought forth
from the iron furnace at the appointed time, and not a day
later than the promise.
Have I, then, any reason to complain of days and months
of delay? No; God has appointed a set time, and at the set
time will remember me ; and it well becomes me, though the
time should seem long in my view, to wait with patience for
it. God has in all ages so dealt with his people for the exer-
cise of their graces : and these trials, like the instruments of
the husbandman, breaking up the fallow-ground of their heart,
make them bring forth a plenteous crop of precious fruits,
whence accrues an increase of glory to God, and unj?peakble
joy to their own souls, tlirough the ages of eternity! and is
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 159
not this more than all that can rise from the present and spee-
dy performance of the promised blessing ?
Then sit still, my soul, and oalmly wait the end, wondering
more that justly-deserved judgments are not immediately exe-
cuted against thee, than that expected blessings are for a
while withheld.
MEDITATION XCIII.
THE WORLD DEEP ROOTED IN THE AFFECTIONS.
Sailing near Malaga, May 9, 1759.
How often, when reading the history of the children of
Israel going up out of Egypt, have I condemned their longing
for the flesh-pots, and other things wherewith they had been
entertained in the land of their bondage, when they had Ca-
naan before theml But now I may turn from them, and leave
my complaint upon myself, since guilty of the same sin. If
my hopes are fixed in eternity, why take I pleasure in the
things of time? Will I by profession seek after immortality,
yet practically pursue dying vanities? O! when shall the
world cease to allure me, cease to find reception in my soul?
When shall the beautiful field, while I behold the better coun-
try, become as a barren wilderness to me; and the fine flower
garden, as ihe top of a rock that is neither ploughed nor sown?
When shall honour be to me as disagreeable as the din and
confusion of great cities, and fame as the tumultuous noise of
an enraged mob, when the most part know not wherefore
they are come together? When shall my well-informed judg-
ment esteem riches no better than wild brier, whose single
flower a-top is attended with innumerable prickles round about
below? When shall I possess unenvied solitude, and retire
into mine own breast, counting it an happiness neither much
know, or to be known, in a vain, a transitory world? Can an
old man, who is half blind, and half deaf, be delighted with
the harmony of sounds, the neatness and richness of attire,
and the frolicsome amusements of youth? and should not the
growth of grace, (how sad my condition !) give a greater dis-
relish to the pleasures of the world, than the decays of nature?
Henceforth may I use the world as not abusing either it or
myself! How would it look in one sent express from his prince,
on matters of the last importance, to sit down by the first
160 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
pleasant grove he came to, and forget his despatch, till the
night had wrapt him up in darkness, when he could not pur-
sue his journey ? So I am on the express of salvation, by order
of the Prince of the kings of the earth, who has commanded
me to run while I have the light, and work while I have the
day; not to quit my pilgrim-staif, ungird my loins, or forego
my travelling posture, till got within the vail ; nor to let my
affections sit down on any thing below, lest the shadows of
the everlasting evening be stretched out, and thickest dark-
ness cover me ! As men look on children, in all their gay ima-
ginations and sportive jollity, with pity and disdain, so should
I look on the grandeur of the world, which is more so in com-
parison of diviner glories, of sublimer bliss.
But, when Israel came near the promised land, the plea-
sant inheritance, there was not one word of Egypt and all its
dishes ; so, as a sign that I am drawing near the better coun-
try to inherit it for eternity, let the things of this world not
once be named by me, as becomes an expectant of the vast
reserve of love. O happy day ! when all shall be tasteless
and insipid but Christ; when this struggle between my carnal
desires and renewed affections, shall issue in complete victory
over the creature and its enchanting charms.
MEDITATION XCIV.
TRUE RICHES.
Gibraltar Mole, May 20, 1759.
What, saint! dost thou complain of poverty? Dost thou cry
out of want? If thou art poor in any thing, it is in thy views
and apprehensions of thine inheritance, they are so shallow
and confined. But, as God said to Abraham of his seed, so
says he to thee of thy possessions, " See if thou canst count
them all up." Knowest thou the measure of thine inheri-
tance, or the breadth and boundary of thy kingdom? Survey
the midnight-sky, and see the sparkling orbs above, these are
all thine own; and if they can advantage thy soul, and bring
about thy good, not one of them shall be withheld from thee,
seeing thou art the King's son. Now, how rich art thou, if,
as philosophers say, every twinkling star be a sun to depen-
dent orbs that form their system? Canst thou, then, be cast
down for a foot-breadth of this world below ?
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 131
"But, Oh!" replies! thou, "you would not talk at such a
rate, did you know my troubles. Heaven is conscious that I
am daily "groaning under poverty and affliction, and that my
thoughts are divided and distracted, while fear of miseries at
one time assails me, and at another time, hope in his mercy
composes my mind: While now I would fain have confidence
in the promise, and then am all anxiety about the providence.
Now, if it were as thou sayest, why is all this befallen me?
why is it thus with me ? " .
What, saint! thinkest thou that the promises are illusive
words, or that God speaks ironically to his people? No, but
with the sincerity of a true friend, with the affection of a ten-
der father. It fares no otherwise with thee in all thy com-
plaints, than with a young heir to a great estate, who is fed
sparingly, and put under severer discipline than others who
have not such great expectations. He is not able to compre-
hend the meaning of such hard usage, till he grows up, and
then he finds himself possessed of a regular appetite, a fine
state of health, and a vigorous constitution, as well as of an
extensive inheritance, which gluttony and licentiousness in
younger years might have destroyed. So thou, O saint! when
grown up to the measure of a perfect man in Christ Jesus,
(for while in this world thou art but of yesterday, and know-
est nothing,) thou shalt see the excellent use of afflictions,
and the noble design of keeping thee at a poor table of uncrea-
ted comforts, lest the satisfying of thy carnal appetite had sent
leanness into thy soul. Then all his ways shall be made plain,
which must remain unriddled till the mystery of providence
be opened up in the light of glory. All things, then, are
yours; and the earth and the fullness thereof, sun, moon, and
starry heavens, are but the least part of thy possession, who
has a rio-ht to the bright and morning star of eternity, to the
Creator'^of the ends of the earth, to God Almighty, as thy
shield and exceeding great reward. , , .
How like the Possessor of heaven and earth art thou ! tor
as this is his footstool, so the woman, (the church in all her
members,) that is clothed with the sun, has the moon, (the
earth,) under her feet! Why, then, anxious about a posses-
sion on that which is not only God's footstool, but should be
thine? Wouldst thou appear in all thy state while in the des-
ert, the land of thy pilgrimage; since the better country,
where the King of glory has his royal pavillion and resi-
dence, lies before thee to be inherited? Thine eyes may
climb to the stars, and say. These are mine. But why ter-
o2
162 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
minate there? Faith may rise higher, and claim him who
counts their numbers, and gives them all their names. O
how at once thy possessions grow too vast to be described,
and extend infinitely on every hand! God, in all his glorious
perfections, reconciled in his Son, who is appointed heir of all
things, is yours, and you are his I Why, then be disquieted
about dust and ashes, wind and vanity, when the unseen re-
alities of eternity are before you, and shall give the purest
joy, and most refined pleasure in the eternal possession.
MEDITATION XCV.
THE CASTING OF THE SCALES OK BALANCES.
GihraUar Mole, May 26, 1759.
There is a real difference between the righteous and the
wicked, for the one is the heir of bliss, the other the child of
the curse. But O how is the appearance misrepresented and
inverted, in the eye of carnal men! The wicked are ac-
counted happy, and the saints the most miserable of all men.
But let us fight the worldlings with their own weapons. The
wicked, as the world continues not, (this they must all con-
fess,) are travelling through the evening twilight of declining
grandeur to the darkness of eternal night. But the saints, as
the world to come, for which they wait and hope, is perma-
nent, are marching through the growing beams of morning
light to the perpetual noon of glory. Truly, now-a-days, the
wicked seem to have the right hand of the just, and their rod
lies heavy on the back of the righteous ; but they shall be
found on the left hand in the day when distinctions most
avail, and over them shall the upright have dominion in the
morning. The one may go mourning, and pour out theii
complaint before God, while the others spend their days in
mirth, and rejoice at the sound of the organ : but the sorrow
of the one shall be turned into everlasting joy, while the songs
of the other shall issue in eternal bowlings.
Great men weigh valuable in the balance of the world,
while the saints are accounted as the ofTscouring of all
things; nevertheless, in the balance of the sanctuary, when
both are weighed, the sinner shall be found wanting, but " the
precious sons of.Zion shall be comparable to fine gold."
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 163
Now, dare I calculate with the world, and call them happy
whom the world counts happy? Or, more daring still, dare I
choose to he where happiness, sacred happiness, is not to be
found? However beautiful the evening be, it is soon black
night; but however cloudy the morning be, it is soon broad
day. So it was with Dives, who, dragged from his luxurious
table and flowing cups, is plunged into the lake, and lifts up
nis eyes amidst devouring flames, parched, and petitioning
for one drop of water to cool his scorched tongue; while La-
zarus, full of sores, and without attendance at the inhospitable
gate, except the kindly dogs, is wafted by an heavenly band
from all his sorrows, to the bosom of the friend of God, and
set down to banquet richly at the table of eternal love. —
Surely, then, 'my choice, shall be to live in their humble, die
in their hopeful, and rise to their happy condition.
MEDITATION XCVI.
AFFLICTION THE C0M3I0N LOT OF THE SAINTS.
Gibraltar Mole, June 3, 1759.
When I consider the conduct of Providence towards all
his saints, I should rather be astonished that I am permitted
to pass through the world not more chastised, than take it
amiss that I am chastened every morning. And surely,
were I free from afflictions, whereof all are partakers, I might
infer, that I were a bastard, not a son. Whatever be my
affliction, the wisdom of him who sends it should make me em-
brace and bear it without a grudge. Though it springs not
out of the dust, nor comes at random, yet man is born to trouble
as the sparks fly upward; and even some of his favourite ones
have, for wise ends, had the severest afflictions. The wis-
dom of God, however, in afflicting his people, is folly to the
world, who would compute love and hatred by common provi-
dences; and therefore they cry out, as the ignorant Jews of old,
to the Captain of our salvation, who himself was made perfect
through suflTering, " Let him deliver them, if he delighteth
in them."
Again, as the infinite goodness of God shines in sending
afflictions, though the scales on mine eyes hinder me from
seeing all their beauty, insomuch that I often wonder why
it fares so and so with me, and would fain essay to swallow
164 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
up all in submission and faith, believing the veracity of the
promise, that all things shall work together for good to them
that are the called and chosen of God: I say, as his goodness
appears in sending them, so the divine wisdom is conspicuous
m their variety. Abraham, the friend of God, had a trial
which would have startled the whole world of believers. —
Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise; Moses the man,
and Aaron the saint, of God ; Joshua and the Judges ; Job,
David, and his royal line ; Samuel and the prophets ; yea, the
Lamb and his Apostles, had afflictions of every kind, in sub-
stance and estate, in relations and connexions, in name and
character, in soul and body. Now, such has been the con-
duct of God these five thousand years with his church and
people; and had not this government of his house been both
for his own glory, and the good of his people, such a wise
Father, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is
named, would by this time have changed the manner of his
procedure towards his own. But who can doubt the wisdom
and goodness of his conduct, who considers, that through
this discipline many thousands are gone to glory, and are
this day happy in their joyful harvest from their weeping
seed-time ?
How happy is it for me that the world often gives me the
slip, that I may forsake the world, and look more out for the
better country: — That men often prove false to me, that 1
may rely only on the God of truth : — That wants beset me on
every side, that I by faith may set myself down at the gate
of heaven, and, in the promise, and in his fulness, find a rich
supply: — That death now and then cuts oft' a relation, that I
may more remember mine own end, the immortal world, and
him who is the resurrection and the life. Affliction ren-
ders the creature tasteless, the world barren, and dispels the
intoxicating juice of carnal pleasures and sensual delights.
It breaks the sleep of security, and awakens and rouses up to
duties. Even the saints themselves are more frequent and
fervent in their devotions, under the rod of affliction; and
many in trouble visit the throne of grace, (dear throne!
to which all have access,) and pour out a prayer when his
chastening hand is upon them, who before were utter stran-
gers both to the place and the employment. I verily believe
the whole church of the first-born are children of the cross,
and have drunk of the cup of affliction, sweetened by Christ's
drinking so largely of it. Now, would I go another way tr
heaven than the redeemed have trode in? Would I wal^
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 165
Zion-wards out of the King's high-way, out of the covenant?
However much in the dark I may be about particular provi-
dences, and singular afflictions, till all things are cleared up
above, yet, in general, I shall welcome whatever may loose
me from this world, and bring me nearer God.
MEDITATION XCVH.
THE GLORIOUS FRUITS OF SANCTIFIED AFFLICTION.
June 4, 1759.
Two things render affliction either easy or intolerable, to
wit, its kind, and continuance. If it be ponderous and crush-
ing, and withal continual ; this makes affliction break all the
bones, and wound the very spirits. But when it is light, and
over in a moment, which is the case with all the afflictions
that befal the sons of God, I wonder why or how I can com-
plain. But how astonishing beyond expression must it be,
that this light and transitory load of affliction should work for
me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory !
Truly I have no reason to cry out of my troubles and
trials, since they work more good for me than now I can
conceive. And little do I think, while grappling with my
afflictions and fears, what they are procuring for me in the
highest heavens ; God having so connected the seed-time of
tears with the harvest of glory, that they who sow weeping,
shall reap with everlasting joy. Would I grudge to carry
a stone for a day or two, if assured that when I laid it down,
I should receive a crown of gold? Why, then, repine under
my afflictions ?
But, again, what proportion is there between the cross and
the crown, the trial and the triumph, the affliction and the
comfort, the burden of grief and the exceeding weight of
glory? No more than between the glorious Giver and glo-
rified receiver. Here our afflictions own the creature as the
instrument, and sometimes have their origin in imagination ;
here they are light, and they are transitory; but the glory
above is massy and weighty, is permanent and eternal,
and is the immediate gift of God, neither by nor from the
creature.
Moreover, affliction works for our good, even here: For,
(1.) To the saints, it bears, as it were, its own reward in its
bosom, yielding to all that are rightly exercised therewith the-
166 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
peaceable fruits of righteousness. It deadens the pleasures of
sense, and gives the soul a relish for spiritual things; yea, it
divorces the soul from the creature, and draws it near to God.
(2.) There is no proportion between all that can befal the
saints in this state, and that joy wherewith they shall be com-
forted in the better life. In none of the sons of men do all af-
flictions meet at one and the same time ; Job's case came near-
est it, but at all times he had the exercise of his reason, and the
testimony of a good conscience, with an invincible faith in
God, which made him conquer even while he seemed to fall.
The afflictions, then, of saints, are verily light; but their
future glory is a weight filling every power, replenishing ev-
ery faculty, overflowing the whole soul, and satisfying every
desire. Now, in all the sons of God, the heirs of glory, every
heavenly gift, every blessing of love, every degree of felicity,
every beam of glory, centers, meets, and rests forever.
Therefore, there is no proportion between their sufferings and
their consolation. (3.) Affliction is of no continuance ; the
apostle elegantly expresses it by a moment, which of all times
is the shortest. And indeed though the affliction were severe
and very ponderous, yet this lightens it much, and that it is
over and gone in a moment, no sooner felt than fled, to re-
turn no more; but the exceeding weight of glory, to screw
up their felicity to the highest degree, is also eternal.
But some may think, How can affliction be thought either
light, or but for a moment, since, for their part, it is all they
can do to support under the pressure and weight of their
many adversities ? And as to their being over in a moment,
they rather think with Heman, " that they are afflicted, and
ready to die from their youth up;" or, with Asaph, that
they are "plagued all the day long, and chastised every
morning."
But, as to the first, no afflictions befal the saints that can
destroy their frame, though they may dissolve the union be-
tween soul and body. Yea, though the outward man be
crushed, and seem to perish, yet it is to our advantage, for
thereby the inward man is renewed day by day, and grows
up in strength unto eternal glory. And this mitigation arises
from the divine sympathy of him, who in all their afflictions
is afflicted. Mereover, how often does the joy that God pours
into the soul, in the time of affliction, overbalance and down-
weigh all the sorrow that arises from them.
And, as to the second complaint, of continuance ; as a mo-
ment bears no proportion to one's life, so our whole life bears
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 167
no proportion to the eternity of glory which shall take place,
when the hour glass of time has not a sand left, and cannot
be turned. A moment stays not, and when gone cannot be
remembered; for even millions put together make but a dura-
tion, which, when past, is only like a tale that is told. Now,
life consists of so many moments, therefore a moment bears
some proportion to our life, though very small ; but eternity is
not composed of life-time or ages, therefore the whole life
bears no proportion to eternity. That which endures but for
a while may be divided into the smallest denomination, but
what continues for ever cannot be broken down into num-
bers.— Now, is it much to pass through the shallow stream of
affliction, that can rise but to the ankles, in order to plunge
into the pleasures of his right hand, which are a great river,
even waters to swim in? Can any child of heaven quarrel
with the kindness of God, who makes light and momentary
affliction work for them a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory?
Take courage, then, my soul, and be strong; look into God's
dealing with thee, for his ways can stand the strictest search,
as through them all, even in the afflicting hand, fatherly kind-
ness and eternal love shine forth. Now I see what I never
saw befoi^e, that afflictions sanctified are indulgences, and tri-
als the special gifts of Heaven. And I do not wonder that all
the saints are, I say not punished, but privileged with them,
of one kind or another; since they here keep sin low, and for
them accumulate eternal weights of glory in the other world.
My not looking into the ways of divine wisdom, and to the
extent of the promises, has made me have very odd thoughts
of afflictions; and, concluding them to be the signs of divine
displeasure, I have been ready to question my interest in God,
and difficulted how to understand the word of truth. But now
I see, that though sometimes he sends afflictions to chastise
his saints for sin, and curb their carnal affections, (and how
kind is it thereby to punish sin, and prepare them for glory,
and glory for them !) yet, that at other times he sends them to
improve the soul, and exercise every grace in his saints.
Why, then, do not I, like the great apostle of old, glory in tri-
bulation, which, where grace is in exercise, sets all the wheels
of the soul in motion ; tribulation working patience ; patience,
experience ; and experience, hope ; and hope, being no way
ashamed to confess her confidence in him who has shed his
love abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost, gives a heavenly
boldness. — Should I then be disconsolate, because some fogs
188 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
dwell on the eyelids of everlasting morn, which, when the sun
arises, shall never more be seen? Should any shades in this
early twilight give sorrow, which are to be swallowed up in
the brightness of eternal noon? A little patience, and I am
past every one of my troubles, and possessed of all the trans-
ports of perpetual day.
Even from the vastness of my affliction and sorrow here,
solid joy may rise ; for if affliction sometimes almost crush
me, and I am sometimes like to fall under it, ought I not to
consider, that this weight of glory shall far, very far, exceed
the present burden? Now, if the one be so much, how much
more, infinitely much more, will the other be ! Yea, it shall
be such, that were I not replenished with immortality, and
upheld by the Most High, I should fall under the insupporta-
ble emanations of divine glory. But I shall be all might for
that happy state, where, to my sweet experience, I shall
learn, that my light afflictions, which was but for a moment,
wrought for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory!
MEDITATION XCVIII.
GOD HIS people's INHERITANCE.
Gibraltar Mole, June 6, 1759.
The priests in Israel were allowed to approach nearer to
God than others, and were enriched with many excellent pri-
veleges ; yet these favourite ones were to have no possession
in the land. Was this because he loved them not like the
other tribes, or would show himself unkind to his own? No;
it was because he loved them extremely, and would give them
no less than himself for their inheritance. Why, then, should
it seem hard to me to have little or nothing in this world, who
have such a possession as the Most High God, possessor of
heaven and earth?
But, replies repining Incredulity, " These priests were se-
cured of the tythe, and a certain portion their sacrifices ; now,
had I only sufficient for an honest livelihood, I would seek no
more." Ah I wicked fears, impious doubts ! Is it, not in the
power of the same Lord to furnish two tables alike? They
fed at his altar, at the table of his offerings, that they might
ever be present with him. Was not this kindness ? I feed at
the table of his providence, that I may daily make my prayer
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 169
to him, "Give us this day our daily bread," and depend upon
him. Is not this kindness? Is not the one as sure as the
other? A bad season made a thin harvest, consequently the
tythe was less. The provider is the same Lord, the promise
is the same truth, and all things are still in the same hand.
Now, how agreeable and becoming is it, that such as are a
peculiar people, a chosen nation, a royal priesthood, as all his
saints are, should be deprived of these creature enjoyments,
which might deprive them of nobler privileges, and more
spiritual possessions! It is the wisdom of those that would
dwell near God, to be divorced from the world; but since this,
in the greatness of our folly, is not our choice, it is good in
God, in his infinite wisdom, to confer such kindness on us, as
it were against our will; thus keeping us empty-handed of
worldly possessions, that we may accept of himself, the better
inheritance.
He that is not, though deprived of all things, not only
pleased, but transported with this promise, " I am thy posses-
sion, I am thine inheritance,'' has no notion of bliss, nor could
the whole world bestowed on that man make him happy.
Oh! consummate madness! so to mistake between imaginary
and real, shadowy and substantial, transient and eternal
things! for this world at best, (the experience of all mankind
will prove it,) is but a common under a curse; but the divine
inheritance contains fields of glory, paradises of bliss, rivers
of life, oceans of love, scenes of pleasures, heavens of ecstacy,
yea, in a word, the plenitude of God,
MEDITATION XCIX.
DISTANCE DIMINISHES VIEWS.
Gibraltar Mole, June 8, 1758,
Things at a distance seem vastly less than what they really
are. The lofty hill that affords a noble prospect at the foot,
lessens- so, while we recede from it, that in a little it seems
no larger than a mole-hill, and then sinks out of sight.
Now, how true does this hold of spiritual and eternal things !
What narrow notions and confined conceptions have we of
the world to come ! Nothing but the eye of faith, through the
telescope of revelation, can glance this after-state; but how
often do mists of ignorance darken the eye, and clouds of un-
belief obscure the glass ! Hence the intuition is often inter
P
170 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
rupted, and the view at best falls very far short of what it shall
be, when faith resigns to vision in the day of glory. What a
perverse opinion have we of the celestial paradise! It is so dis-
tant from our sight and affections, that we are apt to think the
garden of God no better than a barren desart, and that there
is neither fruit nor flower in all the heavenly Eden. We think
nothing of the hosannas of the higher house ; nothing of the
bowlings of the lowest hell. What unconcerned views have
we of the wrath to come: of the glory that shall be revealed!
We dwell at such a distance from the throne of grace, that
we are little benefitted by the healing beams ; and the throne
of glory is so far distant, that we behold but little of the hea-
venly splendours. Alas! like children who peep through the
wrong end of the prospect-glass, we conceive a future world
to be of no great moment, and we set death at such a distance,
that it is almost out of sight ! But, were our glances rightly
guided, we should believe the one to be all our concern, and
behold the other as always at the door. The sun that lights
the world, by his great distance appears to us only as a small
globe of fire; but, were he as near as the clouds, his vast
bulk would make an august, an awful appearance: and
wherever we should roil our eye, it would be all one firma-
ment of fire ! Even so, how little do we see of him who kin-
dled up the sun, and lighted all the stars ! Though he be not
far from every one of us, yet we see him not, who is all things
in all! But when our eye is spiritually enlightened, we shall
see him in all things, in heaven above, and on earth beneath;
in creation and providence ; in the scriptures of truth, and in
the Son of his love: in the heavenly hosts, and in the church
of the first-born : in his own perfections, and in every power
of the soul.
No wonder that religion appears ill-favoured and ugly to
the men of the world, who have never taken a near look of
her countenance and charms. But the nearer we live to the
Saviour, the more of his loveliness we shall see, and be the
more enamoured; and the more we exercise ourselves in re-
ligion, the duties thereof will still be the more amiable and
engaging. Now, if glory at this great distance, (for what can
be more removed from each other, than time and eternity,
this and the other world?) be so desirable, so divine, whose
very foresight sheds an heaven into the soul, which rejoices
with exceeding great joy, in hope of the glory of God ! what
must it be, when possessed to the full? If the numbered drops
that water the fields below be so refreshful, what must that
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 171
overflowing fulness be in the regions above, that satiates and
replenishes the soul? If the Sun of Righteousness shines so
bright in the firmament of grace, through all the clouds
where he is but beginning to arise, what must his clear, his
unclouded beams be in the firmament of glory, where his
meridian is eternal? If this bliss, this happiness, this life,
this joy and glory, be accounted by us, while little known,
immense, excellent, and infinite, what must it be, when be-
held in another light, possessed in a higher capacity, and
enjoyed to its extent!
MEDITATION C.
JUBILEE.
Gibraltar Mole, June 12, 1759.
Every thing that was written of old was written for our
instruction, on w hom the ends of the world are come. Now,
Israel, when redeemed from Egyptian bondage, had both a
sabbatical year appointed them, and the great Jubilee. The
first was every seventh year, that not only weeks but years
might have their sabbath ; and the last when a week of sab-
batical years was completed. There was also an ambulatory
release, (if I may so call it,) respecting every individual, when,
after six years service, the man-servant and maid-servant
were set at liberty. All these Israel, by divine command,
observed ; and though their deliverance from Egyptian bon-
dage was thereby commemorated, yet it respected a much
diviner and more interesting liberty. By one the land was
to rest ; by another the labourers were enlarged ; and by the
third the lawful heirs returned to the inheritance of their fa-
tliers. And may not this prefigure, that wherever the gospel
is believed, the land that reeled to and fro, that was moved
exceedingly, because the transgressions of its inhabitants
were heavy upon it, is favoured with a kind of rest and repose,
in comparison of those places where the beams of the house,
and the stones of the wall, cry out to one another? Again, is
not here prefigured the deliverance of individuals from the
slavery of sin, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God?
And, lastly, is not here shadowed out the salvation of the
whole world, from the ignorance, idolatry, and darkness, that
had overspread all nations ?
But though the Jews had both their sabbatical year, and
great jubilee, yet they could not be made perfect without the
172 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
gospel -dispensation. Therefore, all their grand epoch as were
only typical of "the acceptable year of the Lord," when the
great High Priest of God, with the trumpet of the everlasting -
gospel, proclaimed liberty to the captives, the opening of the
prison-doors to them that were bound, not only through all
the land of Israel, but to the ends of the earth. It was not
strange that the saints who lived in the times of types and
shadows, without us, should not be made perfect; but it is
strange, that the saints who fall asleep in Christ, and so have
past their week of trouble, and entered on the year of release,
on the sabbath of rest, (so graciously has God connected
things,) though possessed of all felicity, cannot, without us,
who are expectants of the same state, be made perfect ; as
their souls wait for the resurrection of their bodies, that the
whole man may exalt and enjoy him, who is very God and
very man.
Now, though the seventh year was very pleasant and di-
vir^e, yet the jubilee in all respects excelled it very far, being
proclaimed with loud sounding trumpets to the ends of the
land, inviting the captive to liberty, and the impoverished
heirs to their paternal estates. But the jubilee of the glori-
ous gospel darkens description itself, being glad tidings of
great joy to all people, and a general proclamation to disin-
herited spendthrifts and bankrupts to return^ through their
elder Brother, who has redeemed the mortgaged inheritance,
to the full and ample possession of spiritual things, of which
they shall never be again despoiled. But the grandest and
most glorious jubilee of all, is the jubilee of glory, when the
great ti*umpet of eternity shall be blown, and the saints, who
now seem outcasts in the land of death, shall hear and assem-
ble, and enter into the full possession of the everlasting king-
dom. In this great and last jubilee, all former deliverances
shall be summed up, so that there shall be no after-mortgaging
of the inheritance, as might take place among the Israelites,
no fears of being dispossessed of the land of promise, which
often vex the Christian's breast.
The blast of the ram's horn was heard all over Israel, the
sound of the gospel all over the world; but the last trumpet
shall be heard in heaven, earth, and the grave; so that the
saints in all ages shall be equal sharers in this jubilee that
shall end their sorrows and begin their joys. Then shall they
enter, not into a sabbatical year, that can be succeeded by
time, but into a sabbatical eternity, even an eternal Sabbath
of rest tliat shall never have an end.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 173
MEDITATION CI.
god's knowledge.
Under sail, June 14, 1759.
How do we admire a man that is a little wiser than our-
selves'. Yet the wisdom of all the human tribes, of all the
angelic hosts, is but folly before God! in whose infinite know-
ledge all our thoughts are laid open, all our conceptions are
swallowed up. How divinely glorious is his universal know-
ledge, that extends to all ! Man cannot know or retain every
thought that has flowed from his own heart, every word that
has dropped from his own mouth, much less those of his neigh-
bours. But it is not so with God ; not a man on either side
the globe but he has his eye on, not a thought but is brought
forth in his presence, not a whisper but poui*s into his ear, not
a work but is wrought before him; and all these things are
for ever with him. How must the mortal judge examine again
and again the criminal, and the witnesses, and yet sometimes
be doubtful what sentence to pass ! But every thing is naked
and open to him with whom we have to do. He presides over
every purpose, guides every step, terminates every action,
and governs every individual. What amazing knowledge is
this, that not only kingdoms and provinces, in their several
revolutions and changes, but persons in their particular oc-
currence and circumstances, are minutely overruled by him!
Now, how many must the actions, the words, and the thoughts
be, of so many millions of men, that are at one and the same
time acting, speaking, thinking; yet all are known to him as
clearly and distinctly as if there were but one person in the
whole world. Nor is the far greater part or number of men
that have departed into the world of spirits, some in pleasure,
some in pain, less in his knowledge. Neither do his know-
ledge and concern about the human race diminish his care
of the irrational tribes ; for he feeds the young ravens that cry
from the top of the rock, and the lion's whelps that roar from
their dens, and kindly makes grass to grow for the milder in-
habitants of the field. Every insect, which vain man in a
manner despises, is both produced and preserved by him, and
crawls in his omniscient ken, who sees and sends the juice
through every fibre of the vegetative family, gives the flow-
ers their rich variety of colours, and plants their various vir-
tues. He disposes of the infant-nations that are daily born
into the world, to supply the daily loss of that equal number,
p2
174 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
whose countenance he changes, and sends them to their eter
nal home. By him the falHng hairs of our heads are num-
bered, and the dead sparrows are not forgot before him. The
trees of every forest and every land, are green at his com-
mand; every pile of grass and fragrant flower, every bud
and blossom, every seed and root, every fruit and leaf, grows
and fades, flourishes and withers before him. Heaven and
earth are open to him, death and destruction have no cover-
ing. The drops of the clouds, and the dew of heaven, he
numbers, and the billows of the vast ocean pass under his
hand to be told.
Now, how perfect must his knowledge be, when all things
present are so perfectly known to him, and are still as clearly
in his knowledge when past and gone, as when present; as
they also were in the same perspicuity known to him from
eternity, before ever they existed. Nothing is past or to come
in his knowledge ; in an unintelligible degree of perfection,
all is forever present.
From the above shallow thoughts of his infinite know-
ledge, how should I learn to admire God, to walk as ever in
his eye, and to inscribe on all my ways, " Thou, God, seest
me;" and to rejoice, because he that sees disposes of me ac-
cording to his wisdom !
Moreover, though the heavens and their inhabitants; the
world of mankind, dead, alive, or to be born, in all their
thoughts, words, and actions; the animal, reptile, and insect
creation, in all their motions and changes; trees, plants,
flowers, and whatever else exists, were to have an addition
of other heavens, and other worlds, filled with intelligent
inhabitants, and this addition continued till space were in a
manner replenished, and conception overpowered by the tre-
mendous augmentation ; yet, even when thus thoughts, words,
actions, were multiplied almost to infinity, still every thing
would be as clearly, plainly, and distinctly known to him, as
if only one angel, one man, one insect, or one atom existed.
Hence, we may understand how infinite his power must be,
which is of the same extent with his knowledge, as are all his
divine attributes, his holiness, justice, goodness, and truth:
And, in a word, O saint! what may the joy of thy heart be,
seeing his love to thee is of the same extent and duration I
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 175
MEDITATION CII.
THE SABBATH.
Mediterranean, under sail, June 16, 1759.
God, that his chosen ones may never go too far from him,
has bestowed many privileges upon them, and among the rest
has given them his Sabbaths. Though the world regard
them not, but pollute them with all their sinful pleasures, yet
surely they are the refreshing of the serious soul; days much
to be regarded unto the Lord ; for on this day the redemption
of God's Israel from the bondage of sin, from the gates of
hell, was declared to be completed by the triumphant resur-
rection of the Lord of glory. The Author of time has digni-
fied this day with his benediction, and given us his divine
example to rest from all our labours on this holy day.
God, in all ages of the world, has honoured the Sabbath.
On it he would be worshipped publicly, and would allow
nothing to encroach on this day, which he claimed for him-
self. On the seventh day he called up Moses into the mount,
while thousands waited below, to instruct him about the
church under the Old-Testament dispensation. He was also
pleased to divide the longer extent of time into Sabbaths, that
as every seventh day was a Sabbath, so every seventh year
should be sabbatical; and, by a week of sabbatical years,
were the revolutions of the glorious jubilee marked out, which
gave gladness to the whole land. Likewise, under the New-
Testament dispensation, on this sacred day God began to
reveal to his servant John what should befal the church to the
end of the world. As he delights more in the gates of Zion
than in all the dwellings of Jacob, so he displays more of glory
on this than on any other day. For many poor souls
has he prepared of his own goodness on his own day ; and on
this day he will be waited upon, and inquired of, by the house
of Israel. This day is like the dew of eternity watering the
barren fields of time, which makes God's plantation grow;
but the wicked, who regard no Sabbath, are like the tops of
ragged rocks, on which, though softening showers descend,
and refreshful dews drop plentifully down, yet are not one
whit the better.
To rightly-exercised souls, every Sabbath is a precioua
type of the desirable resurrection; for as the body in that
rises from the dust of death to immortality and life, from a
bed of corruption to spotless perfection, and from a separate
176 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
state, (for death divides soul and body,) to perpetual commu-
nion with God in Christ, being itself united in the harmony
of all the parts and powers of the whole man, to feel distrac-
tion no more; so in this day, the soul, when kindly visited of
God, has its resurrection from the gulph of carnal cares, into
which it sinks through the week, were many rot, and never
see a resurrection ; and from spiritual death to the glorious
immortality of faith, when, with the apostle, we can say,
" We live, yet not we, but Christ lives in us ; and the life we
live in the flesh is by the faith of the Son of God." When
we thus enjoy communion with God, the soul may be said to
be, not only united to the body, but to have all its powers and
faculties in union and harmony among themselves ; but when
we depart from him, we are, divided and torn asunder with
a thousand anxieties, and, till we return to him, never become
the perfect man, the complete person j we have our bodies
among the living, our souls in the congregation of the dead;
an awful contrariety to a natural death I The Sabbath is also
a foretaste and earnest of the eternal Sabbath of rest that is
reserved for the saints above.
This divine day should be prepared for while approaching,
sanctified when present, nor forgotten when past. God, as
our Creator we should remember, who sanctified the seventh
day ; as our Redeemer, who changed it from the seventh to
the first day of the week, when he rose triumphant over
death ; and as our Judge, who, ere long, will swallow up all
these passing refreshings in an eternal Sabbath of rest. —
This day, which God has so often honoured with his appear-
ance, not only to the disciples of old, but to the souls of his
saints in all ages, should be honoured by every one that
bears the Christian name. This is the day in which Zion's
courts are thronged, and in which, in his temple, every one
talks of his glory. On this day the church-militant ap-
proaches nearest to the church-triumphant, who go up to
his house with joy, to mingle their hosannas to his exalted
name; to whom, thus, met in his sanctuary, he vouchsafes
to show his stately steps of majesty, and the manifestations
of his glory, whereby his saints are strengthened to hold on
their way through this howling wilderness, till the everlasting
Sabbath dawn, and rest eternal be their portion.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. I77
MEDITATION GUI.
ELIJAH AND ELISHA ^A DIALOGUE.
Under sail, June 17, 1759.
When the Lord would take up his dear servant Elijah into
heaven by a whirlwind, which was known, at least to all the
sons of the prophets, the pious Elisha attends his venerable
master, and, when desired by him to stay behind him, pro-
tests that he will not leave him; he says not, till death part
them, but conscious that Elijah was to ascend to bhss as
Enoch had done before, he is determined, if he may not enter
in with him, yet to attend him to the very gates of glory.
When the reverend seer sees the firm resolution of his pro-
mising pupil, he desists, and proposes what he would desire
of him as the last office of kindness he could do for him before
he should be taken from him. The one having mentioned,
the other having replied to the petition, they continue the di-
vine dialogue, and walk on in expectation of the parting
moment. And well may we conclude, that the subject was
of the sublimest nature between such great souls, and at such
a period. Might we suppose the conference thus?
Elijah. My dear Elisha, thou art now attending with joy
and sorrow mixed, thy aged master through the last stage of
life. I am not like other men, expiring on a death-bed, but
am to be wafted to the other world without the separation of
soul and body, and in a little thou shalt see me no more.
Elisha. 01 then, my master, my father, let our converse
be about the glory of the better country into which thou art
soon to enter.
Elijah. It already refreshes me: the heavenly gale blows
into my soul, and sheds a joy divine : To-day shall I behold
his face in glory; a glory so exceeding great, that I cannot
describe it, but only pant after it. — Let him come and take
me to himself.
Elisha. What, pray, are those transcendent excellences ol
the heavenly inheritance, that make thee so desire it?
Elijah. The bliss above is unbounded, pure, and perma-
nent. The joys are transporting and divine. There God is
enjoyed through his son the Messiah, who is to assume our
nature, suffer for our sins, take away our iniquities, and win
eternal life for us; whom all the sacrifices hold forth, all the
types, washings, and sprinklings represent, and put us in re-
membrance of; to whom all we prophets bear witness; and
17S SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
there our seeing him shall make us like him, and change U8
from glory to glory. — Divide, ye heavens, that I may enter in.
Elisha. Does it create no uneasiness in thy breast, to leave
the world, thy relations, and other concerns in it?
Elijah. Truly the world is to me as barren a waste, as
wild a desert, as ever the wilderness was to our forefathers :
And as to relations, as I got and found them from God, so I
give them back, and lose them in God, who is himself to me
all in all. Other concerns in the world have I none, but the
Israel, the Zion of God, to whose protection, I commit her,
who will be a wall of fire about her, and the glory in the
midst of her; to whom, (though but few in my days have been
kept from bowing the knee to Baal,) -'a seed shall do service,
and shall be accounted to him for a generation." — Yea, to
leave the world makes me leap for joy, for sinners shall no
more create me sorrow, and I myself shall henceforth cease
to sin. There I shall join the church of the first-born, those
that are written among the living in Jerusalem; and then, O
how shall I sing to the eternal name, and never cease and
never tire! My bhss shall know no bound, my rapture no
restraint, my gladness no alloy, my day no night, my sky no
cloud, my light no shadow, my glory no decay, my praises no
interruption, my delight no cloy, my strength no weariness,
my subject no diminution, my pleasures no period, and my
eternity no end. — Eternity! let it just now begin.
Elisha. O how should I rejoice to enter with thee, though
through the dark passage of death, into that triumphant state.
Elijah. A triumphant state, indeed! where God dwells in
the full display of his glory, and where, (not as below,) the
holy of holies stands eternally open for all the worshippers
of God, who with freedom enter in. Trouble is debarred the
seats of tranquillity, and pain the regions of immortality. No
passion disturbs the soul, and perfect love casts out all fear;
and there the glories of Immanuel enlighten the unbounded
extent of paradise. My dear Elisha, in a little you would not
know your aged friend Elijah! Now I am wrinkled with age
and sorrow, as you know I have been jealous for the honour
of my God, who is now about to translate me to his ineffable
glory; but then a smile, known to none but the inhabitants of
bliss, shall sit on my countenance for eternity, and make my
face shine as an angel of God. O the hidden treasures of
eternity, that glorified saints possess ! O the vastness of that
glory which eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, nor the
heart of man conceived, that waits to be revealed! I stand
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 179
on the borders of the heavenly Canaan, on the confines of
eternity, and glance at all that glory which in a little shall be
mine. With transport I shall enter his temple, where every
one eternally talks of his glory. I pant for the approaching
opportunity to prostrate myself before the highest throne,
wholly dissolved in love.— Let the hour shorten into a minute
the minute into a moment, and the moment be no more!— It is
done! The heavens divide, the fiery chariot quick as* li^ht-
mn^ rolls :— My blessing on Israel, on Zion, on thee, my dear
Lhsha.— Welcome, my only Lord God:— Heaven opens round
about me, glory overflows me, and the transforming beams
infold and bear me hence to everlasting day.
Elisha. " My father, my father, the chaViot of Israel, and
the horsemen thereof! "
MEDITATION CIV.
THE COJIPANY OF THE WICKED CORRUPTS.
June 19, 1759.
Under the law he was polluted who did touch any dead
carcass, or even his bed who had a running sore, and was to
wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean
until the even Now, if thus that which only represented
sm defiled under the ceremonial law, how must sin itself
the source of all uncleanness, every where defile ! Alas ' I
have reason to fear, that its pollution be more permanent th'an
for a day. And as he who was every whit sound himself was
rendered unclean, if he had but touched, though unawares, the
bed whereon he who had the running issue lay; so am I de-
filed, not only by sin rising in mine own breast, but by hear-
ing and seeing the sin of others. For the corruption of my
nature is so great, that I am ready to catch the contagion;
and if I do not detest, hate, and abhor it, as I should, then am
I polluted by it.
How pernicious, then, the presence of the ungodly! How
are these spiritual, these greatest fools to be avoided, whose
companions are sure to be destroyed ! How gloomy that com-
pany, and how disagreeable to enter into it, where God never
comes, where his glory never shines! Surely grace rather
needs oil to support its flame, than water to extinguish its fire-
but water is all I can expect from the wicked. O! miserable
man, who hast no other to walk with thee by day, no other to
1«0 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
talk with by night, none else to deal with abroad, or to dis-
course with at home! Yet, out of the world we must go, un-
less we have intercourse with the men of the world. Let that,
however be only in the common affairs of life, let it be dis-
patched with little expense of precious time, and without
contracting an intimate acquaintance with them, unless in
view of doing good to their immortal souls ; and still, may the
saints, the excellent ones of the earth, be the chosen compa-
nions of my life.
Hitherto, alas I I have been ignorant of my danger; for the
wicked are ever casting arrows, fire-brands, and death, in
their sporting with religion, and trifling with a world to come,
and among such madmen must I not be wounded? Hence,
let me every day that the filth may not cleave to me, bathe
myself in the righteousness of the Son of God by faith j and
purge my daily walk, (which, like the flesh under the law, is
apt to receive the infection,) by sincere repentance ; that, at
the evening of my life, I may not lie down polluted in the
grave, and rise in the morning of eternity with the putre-
faction of sin.
. MEDITATION CV.
TO ESCAPE WRATH SHOULD SILENCE UNDER ALL AFFLICTIONS.
June 20, 1759.
When I revolve a thought or two in my mind, I wonder that
ever I can have a downcast countenance for all that can befal
me in the world. To be delivered from wrath, and destined
to glory, is a composing, a silencing thought. When I have
the tooth-ache but for one night, and keep tossing and tum-
bling from side to side with the excruciating pain, how long
the night appears! But what, then, must the everlastiug
night of wrath be, that eternity of wo? Had I a due sense
of divine vengeance, I should think myself happy in the midst
of my bitterest afflictions, if I might entertain the sweet hopes
of being delivered from the wrath to come. Dare I, then,
complain of the chastisement of a Father, who have made
myself obnoxious to the irrevocable sentence of an angry
Judge ? Am I displeased that in providence he sits as a refi-
ner, when in justice he might be a consuming fire to me?
Can I cry out of passing through the fire and water of afflic-
tion, when he might set me up for his mark, cause his arrows
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 181
to enter into my soul, and the poison thereof to drink up my
spirits through eternity? Should I complain of trouble and
pain, who deserve to be tormented day and night for ever and
for ever? Dare I be disconsolate under the loss of relations,
who might have been chained through all ages with the frater-
nity of devils, with whom I had joined in rebellion against
God ? Alas I what shall I say ? I own that I cannot condemn
myself according to my guilt. What can come upon me that
I can complain of, when delivered from the wrath to come?
Could I look into the burning lake, and see the tortures of the
damned, how should I bless the most miserable condition of
the world, and embrace the bitterest afflictions, if sweetened
with the hopes of escaping that place of torment? But, if
faith, divinely bold, on solid grounds, can even refuse to quit
with her claim to the heavenly inheritance, what in the world
can make me miserable? To be delivered from everlasting
flames, should afford me a lasting joy in the midst of every
sorrow. Has Jehovah dealt so kindly with my eternal dura-
tion, and wilt I, dare I, for very shame, quarrel with his con-
duct of my few moments of time? The griefs that vex are
short lived, but the anguish he has rescued me from is ever-
lasting. Under all my temporal adversities, it should make
me silent, that I shall not roar out under his avenging hand
for ever. And it should turn my murmurings here into a
song, that I shall not howl hereafter. He that escapes out of
his house when on fire, will not much mind stumbling on a
stone in his flight, so if I escape the wrath to come, no matter
though my way lie over thorns of trouble, and briers of ad-
versity. The soul that is delivered from the pit of cor-
ruption, should with pleasure walk the rough way of afflic-
tion towards the paradise of God. Moreover, he that brings
out of hell, and bears to heaven, cannot but bless by the way ;
he can even bless with crosses, (flesh and blood cannot believe
this, benefit with adversities, enrich with losses, and nourish
with disappointment and pain. Therefore will I, without re-
serve, roll over on him the transient moments of my life, to
be distributed as he pleases, since he has rendered my eter
nity happy, that passeth not away.
Q
182 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
MEDITATION CVI.
ADOPTION.
Under sail, June 23, 1759.
Every true Christian is a free-man ; and while tlie rest of
e'ne world are very slaves, the saints are kings and priests to
God and the Lamb. They are all sons of the Highest, and
no relation comes up to that of sonship ; for though the servant
may remain long in the house, yet he "abideth not in the
house for ever, but the son abideth for ever." Noble proge-
nitors are the pride of the world, while everyone boasts of his
high birth, and great blood, as Pharaoh's counsellors of old:
"I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings." But
when, in Christ, we can say, "Now are we the sons of God,
and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know,
that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall
see him as he is," then we may boast an heavenly descent.
No beggar would refuse to become the adopted son and heir
of a rich man • but none so poor as men in their natural state,
and none so rich as God. What a non-such blessing, then,
for foundlings and outcasts to be made the sons of God, for
bankrupts to be made the heirs of bliss! But, what madness
in them to contemn the heavenly privilege! What are all our
contendings about rank and pedigree, which must end in cor-
ruption, and terminate in dust? It will nothing avail us, though
royal blood run in our veins, unless the spirit of adoption be
sent forth into our souls, whereby, with the voice of faith, we
may cry, Abba Father; and know, as a fruit of this divine
privilege, what it is to go with freedom to so near and com-
passionate a relation, who, being both wise, good, and tender-
hearted, will never give evil things to his children.
But, O! how should the adopted one, the son of God walk,
and behave according to the character of the divine family,
whereof, in free grace he is made a member! The cross
events of our terrestrial pilgrimage will often scatter a family
far and wide: but once a son, always a son in the celestial
and invisible society, and always in the Father's presence. —
When adopted into this relation which aggrandizes, the ho-
nour is not only divinely glorious, but the privileges ineffably
great. Though they come not within the glance of the carnal
eye, yet they are not, on this account, the less real. Posses-
sed of them, the poor saint, whom the world perhaps disdains
%o notice, may survey, with grateful songs, the extent of his
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 183
felicity, the vastness of his bliss; and may tell with triumph,
"God is my Father, Christ my Elder Brother; afflictions and
chastisements the signs of my Father's love and care; heaven
my reserved inheritance; glory my future portion; life and
death, things present, and things to come are all mine."
What empty sounds are all honorary titles to this, " sons
of God 1" How poor to be the heir-apparent of a crown, to
the solid expectation of eternal life ! Surely the child of adop-
tion is the happiest man in the world. Angels, these superior
beings, are even ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation;
and whoever injures them is said to "touch the apple of God's
eye t" a figurative, but most expressive speech, as there is no
part so tender as the eye, and no .part of the eye so precious
as the pupil, or apple, which we defend from danger with the
greatest care. Such an one has a right to all the privileges
of the sons of God; and what privileges will not such a Fa-
ther, whose afiection is infinite, and his power unbounded,
bestow on his sons? Whoever rises against them, offends the
whole, family of heaven; for, "he that despises you," says
Christ to his disciples, "despises me; and he that despises me,
despises hiin that sent me." And if the command is given to
guard one chosen soul, suddenly is he surrounded w^ith the
chariots of eternity, and horsei of heaven, terribly glorious
in their fiery majesty !
It is true, that now the adopted sons of God are like gran-
dees dv/elling incognito in a foreignland. Their pedigree is not
known, their grandeur is not seen, and therefore their station
is neither admired nor coveted. Bat, there is a day coming,
when all the sons of God shall make their glorious appear-
ance in one majestic throng, in the sight of an assembled
world, who shall be ashamed that ever they spoke so highly
of the men that were but sprung of the earth, and so meanly
of those that were, born from heaven. What beauty shall
shod itself round about them! They shall be clothed in robes
of glory, w^ith palms of victory in their hands, and the char-
ter of the covenant, containing all the privileges of adoption,
spread before them, and an august proclamation shall be
made, in the hearing of men, angels, and devils, " These are
the sons of the living God."
Now^, if I be received into the royal family of heaven, let
me break off correspondence with the King's enemies, sin and
vanity, and show the great soul, the refined sentiment, and
elevated thought, in hating what he forbids, however sweet
to tho carnal mind, and in choosing what he commands, how-
184 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
ever cross to flesh and blood. If he is my Father, let me
honour and reverence him, who will never be terrible to me
as a Judge. Let me receive correction at his hand, and the
law at his mouth; and let me prove myself to be one of the
celestial family, by speaking the language of the better coun-
try, and having my affections fixed above ; to be adopted in
truth, by loving every one that seems to be adopted. Let me
remember my former deplorable condition, and be humble ;
my present privileges, and be thankful; and my future hopes,
and be holy in all manner of life and conversation. And let
me daily wonder at that love, and adore the sovereignty of
that free grace, that puts hellish brats among the sons of God,
and enriches them with so many privileges ; privileges which
contain not only what is good in this world, but the glories
and felicities of the world to come.
MEDITATION CVII.
CONNEXIONS.
June 24, 1759.
Ignorant mortals are always rash in their conclusions on
the conduct of Providence, being blind in their views, and
impatient under woes. But, to compose my combating
thoughts, and make me wait the issue of all things with pa-
tience, let me look into some remarkable scripture-narratives,
and see the fair sun-shine of kindness, after the storms of
trouble and clouds of indignation are gone.
First, then, let me look into that which befel the friend of
God. Think what joy filled the patriarch's breast when pro-
mised a son in his old age, and how this joy was increased
when the promised seed was born, circumcised, and grew up
to be a pretty boy, the joy of both his parents. But, look
again, and see the amazing temptation, the tremendous scene
that ensues! The promised seed must be sacrificed, and that
by the hand of a most aflTectionate father! Yet, see his aged
joints tremble all the way to Mount Moriah, to offer up his
beloved Isaac, as it were resigning the promise again to God,
trusting God to make it out some other way, though it were
by raising him from the dead. Now, let us view the begin-
ning of the trial of his faith ; how dark and gloomy, how oppo-
site to reason, affection, and religion too; but, let us connect
the latter end with the beginning, and all at once is beauti-
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 185
fui and bright. There his faith is tried, here it triumphs;
there God commands, here he commends his obedience : There
he requires, here he restores Isaac : The voice of God at first
seems to strike at his former promise, here it confirms all with
new promises, enlarged blessings, and this glorious name su-
peradded, " The father of the faithful." Abraham comes home
full of gladness and gratitude; and we have the divine ac-
count, to teach us to wait the end before we draw our conclu-
sions of God's providential way.
The second is the account of Joseph. In the first part of
the scene, see his young heart ready to burst and break with
bitter anguish! Hear his many, but fruitless supplications to
his cruel brethren! How melting are his cries, while his hard-
hearted brethren draw him out of the pit, to sell him for a
slave! Nothing can save him; compassionate Reuben is not
within the reach of his cry. The price is agreed upon, the
money is paid, and away he must go; and neither his parting
importunities, his piercing cries, nor piteous back-looks, can
move them to relent. Moreover, after a little advancement
in Egypt, he is thrown from the liberty of a servant into the
confinement of a prison. This at first sight is a melancholy
scene ; but if we look to the sufferings of a tender-hearted fa-
ther, it is heightened to the highest pitch. All his sons and
daughters gather around the grey-headed mourner, to comfort
him, but in vain ; for still he thinks he sees the wild beast
tearing his beloved Joseph to pieces, who screams out for
help, but none to help is near; and then he is like to faint
through the excess of sorrow. Now, this is the first part of
the providence, which indeed has a very dejecting aspect, and
if we had never heard more of the matter, we would have
concluded them both very miserable ; but let us see how the
dear connexion stands. Jacob, who had mourned many years,
is at last overflowed with tides of joy. Joseph, the lost, the
long-lamented Joseph, is still alive ! The youth who was sold
into Egypt as a servant, has all Egypt at his service ! He who
had his feet hurt with fetters, may now bind princes at his
pleasure, and teach senators wisdom! He who lately drudged
about in a dungeon, to attend prisoners, becomes a father to a
king ! His brothers, who envied him for his dreams, bow be-
fore him, as the accomplishment of those very dreams which
bred their envy ! He whose life they so little valued, saves
the lives of thousands; and at his word, whose supplications
his brethren would not hear, all the land of Egypt is governed !
q2
186 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
The long separated relations meet, and melt in kindness on
one another's neck!
We have, (not to name others,) a similar instance in the
great apostle Paul, and by his own observation too, in his
epistle to the Philippians. This great man, after his singular
conversion, preacheth Christ unweariedly in many trials and
sufferings; till, at length he returns to Jerusalem. There by
the enraged and unbelieving Jews he is set upon, and would
have been slain, had not the Roman captain rescued him; but
he is so persecuted with their cruel rage, malice, and under-
hand dealings, that he is compelled to appeal to an heathen
emperor. Now the great apostle of the Gentiles, to the great
grief of the church, is a poor prisoner; hence says he, " I Paul,
the prisoner of Jesus Christ." He is a long time confined
in Judah, then sent to Rome, where, though shipwrecked in
his passage, he arrives, and is kept two years a prisoner at
large. But, says he to the Philippians, " I would not that ye
should be ignorant, brethren, that the things which have hap-
pened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of
the gospel, so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the
palace, and in all other places. And many of the brethren
in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more
bold to speak the word without fear." How noble the con-
nexion ! Paul intends to visit Rome at his own expenses, to
preach the gospel there; but Providence, on the Emperor's
expenses, brings him to make converts, not only in the royal
city, but in the very palace. The Jews think they have suc-
ceeded to their very wish, when they have thus got rid of a
pestilent fellow, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes ;
but they could not have fallen upon a better method to spread
his doctrine, and support his cause. To appearance his suc-
cess must end, when his imprisonment begins : but it is quite
the reverse; not only Paul persists in preaching the gospel
without prohibition, but the brethren wax bold.
What reason, then, have I to complain on the first part of
providence, while the outer wheel is only seen? Should I not
wait, till the inner wheel turn round, and I can read plainly
the last connexion? And what though that should be reserved
for eternity? There every providence shall be completed to
mine everlasting comfort, and all things concerning me con-
nected in the most beautiful harmony. There shall not be
the least gap in my lot or life, when time is no more ; but all
things shall be made up to me in Christ Jesus, to the entire
satisfaction of my soul.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 197
MEDITATION CVIII.
DEGREES OF NEARNESS TO GOD.
Under sail, June 25, 1759.
There are different degrees of nearness to God, which the
saints enjoy. One of these is essential to the very beino- of
religion in the soul; namely, when the alien to Israel's com-
monwealth IS brought near to God, through the blood of Jesus,
and, of a foreigner, made a fellow-citizen with the saints, and
of the household of God. feut, another and higher step is the
special indulgence of Heaven to some saints, and but at some
times. In the nearness of faith, (for none that have true
faith can be far from God,) I walk with God in the duties of
religion: In the nearness of sense, he walks with me in spe-
cial manifestation of himself, of his love, and his glory. The
one is sure and satisfying; the other is sweet and comforting.
Without the approaches of faith, I cannot expect sensible
communion; but I may have the first, when the last is with-
held from me. The one is my daily allowance from the
Kmg s table, without which I could not live, but the other is
my sitting down at the table with the King, to the feast made
by him, for the joy of his chosen. The one makes me ob-
tain the victory over the world; the other makes me weary
of the world.
The former is the King's highway to heaven? and in the
latier, I walk on it in the sun-shine of his presence. The
one gives a continual relish of spiritual things; the other, a
refreshful foretaste of heaven, a prelibation of glory. In the
first, I have access to God in all my perplexities, that I may
not despair; but I am favoured with the last only at times,
that I may not presume. The joy of the first excels the
worldling's gladness from all his abundance, as far as light
excelleth darkness; but the joy of the last is a kin to the jov
of saints in glory. In acts of lively faith, the world is to me
but dung and loss, for the excellency of the glorious object;
but in near access to, and communion with my Lord, I would
fain put off corruption, put on immortality, and become an
inhabitant of the world above. O how does a beauty beam
on my soul, in the few moments of communion, as if heaven
opened before me, and eternal day shone full in my face.'
What sacred joy prevails within, and how am I refreshed in
every power! Though the Christian must not build on them,
since without them his soul may live, yet they are not, as
188 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
scoffers would affirm, delusion, enthusiasm, and such like,
for always after this divine intercours, Christ is dearer to me,
self more loathsome, sin more odious, the world more vain,
rehgion more pleasant, my affections more refined, my desires
more on spiritual things, and heaven more desirable.
But now, if a pleasure so great, of which we can only con-
ceive while we enjoy it, spring from a few moments com-
munion in a more glorious way than usual, (for every saint
has communion with God,) how divine is a religious life!
And what a tragical scene is the most pleasant life of the
happiest sinner, compared to this! And, in a word, what
must the life of glory be, where communion, of another na-
ture than ever known below, shall be the privilege of all the
heavenly family! where God shall shine in all his glory, and
shed abroad his love in every glowing heart! and where it
shall be the ineffable bliss of every ardent adorer, to see more
and more of his goodness, and approach nearer and nearer to
God, in the uninterrupted freedom of rapturous communion,
through an endless evermore !
MEDITATION CIX.
UNBELIET'.
Lying to, off Toulon, June 29, 1759.
Few, I believe, read the history of Israel's deliverance
from Egypt, passage through the Red Sea, and daily mira-
culous provision in the wilderness, on the one hand, with
their doubts, quarrels, complaints, murmuring, and rebellion,
on the other, but are ready to cry out, O heard-hearted Jews !
O unbelieving Israelits, to doubt in the midst of such a glo-
rious display of divine goodness; Well, then I verily believe
that no Christian ever lived any while below but one time or
other had providences exercised towards him in such a man-
ner as forbade him any more to doubt. Therefore, we may
convert our cry against the Jews into a complaint against
ourselves, and condemn our own unbelieving hearts, that can,
in the midst of so many exceeding great and precious promi-
ses, under the sun-shine of so much tender mercy and loving
kindness, cry out, I perish, I perish!
How horrid, how hateful, and how hurtful a sin is unbelief
It spits in the face of the promise, and accounts the faithful
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 189
ness of God a lie. It forgets all the great things which God
lath done before, and despairs of ever seeing again the like
displays of divine power. It heightens the calamity, doubles
•he distress, and concludes deliverance impossible. As the
prayer of faith opens heaven, so the despondence of unbelief
shuts it. It starves the soul, and disturbs sweet tranquility
of mind. It musters fears, multiplies enemies, and says, like
Solomon's sluggard, " There is a lion in the way, I shall be
slain. As strong faith glorifies God most, so great unbelief
dishonours him to the highest degree. It binds up the very
arm of God, who cannot, who will not do many mighty works
where unbelief prevails. It draws death out of the book of
life, by gathering up the threatenings, and passing over the
promises. — As the most perfect degree of faith, which is as-
surance, is heaven begun below, so the highest degree of un-
belief, which is despair, is hell begun in time. How daringly
does it contend with God, and dispute the matter with the Most
High! Says God, "put me in rememberance," to wit, of my
promise ; but says unbelief, " Thou hast forgotten to be gra-
cious, and in thy wrath hast shut up thy tender mercies."
Says God, "Remember what enemies consulted against thee,
and what enemies answered, that thou mayest know the right-
eousness of the Lord;" but says unbelief, " This evil is of the
Lord, why should I wait for him any longer?" Says God,
" I have blotted out your sins as a cloud, and your iniquities
as a thick cloud;" " No," says unbelief, " they are marked be-
fore thee in a book, for time to come, for ever and ever."
Now, shall I harbour such a monster in my breast, that
would turn my whole soul into confusion ? Shall I circum-
scribe that power that has often displayed its glory in my de-
liverance? Shall I deny the merits of the sufferings of the
Son of God, or the virtue of his blood ? Shall I be afraid that
his grace be not sufficient to strengthen me for the perfor-
mance of every duty to which he may call me? It is not only
ungenerous, but sinful, to entertain thoughts so detracting
from the glory of God, and so destructive to mine own soul.
Henceforth, let me be strong in the faith, giving glory to
God. Let me lift mine eyes from growing difficulties of every
kind, on every hand, and look to God; so shall the mountain
become a plain, and over the stream of affliction I shall go
dry shod.
But why condemn Israel and not myself? The God that
did those wonders, is the same with whom I have to do. — As
I believe them to be true, I am as much bound to believe him,
190 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
as they were who saw them, seeing he changes not, nor
faints, nor is weary, and since his care over his church and
saints is the same in all ages. And though I am not to expect
miracles, by which he confirmed the church to himself in
those times, yet I am with as great confidence to depend on that
God, to whom miracles are as easy as the common course of
nature, as if I were governed by the interposition of miracles.
Let me not, then myself commit what I condemn in others,
but learn spiritual wisdom from spiritual folly ! Yea, how egre-
giously guilty shall I be if I retain a transgression in my right
hand, for which I have seen, in the sacred records, men so
awfully punished, and with which God has shown himself so
highly displeased! And no wonder, for unbelief strikes
against God; whatever the language of other sins be, still
this speaks against God, even in every murmuring whisper!
Against his faithfulness, as if his promise might not be depen
ded on, nor his record received; against his power, as if it
could not perform and bring to pass ; his wisdom, as if he could
not foresee: his providence, as if he could not protect, defend,
provide; his counsel, as if he could not direct; his mercy, as
if he had no compassion; his conduct, as if he could err; and,
in a word, against all his glorious perfections, as if he were
not God.
If my unbelief respects my sin, I look more to the demerit
of my transgression, than to the dignity of the divine Re-
deemer, that taketh away the sin of the world. Now, as the
Creator is infinitely greater, so the Saviour, who is Imma-
nuel, God with us, is infinitely above the sinner, and from
eternal wrath can save to the uttermost all that come to God
through him. It is but cruel unbelief at the bottom, however
1 may pretend to put honour on the holiness of God, when I
say that my sins are too atrocious to be satisfied for by the
death and sufferings of our incarnate God, too black to be
washed away by the blood of the Lamb of God.
Again, if mine unbelief respects the affairs of this life, I
measure omnipotence by my weakness, infinite wisdom by
my folly, and God by myself. So, when I am nonplussed, I
think that God is so too, else why should I be disquieted in any
condition, were not my thoughts of this detestable stamp,
seeing he can redeem out of all distress? Then let me look,
in all cases and afflicting circumstances, beyond the appear-
ance, above the probability, yea, above apparent impossibi
lities, to God alone, and I shall never repent my confidenc
nor be ashamed of my hope.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 191
MEDITATION CX.
OUR SHORT LIFE SHOULD NOT GIVE 3IUCH CONCERN.
Gulph of Lyons, July 3, 1759.
My mind is like a piece of ground, which, being over-
run with weeds, no deligence can render quite clean, no
care can keep them from appearing again, even after they
have been plucked away. Surely so it fares with me and
my sinful anxieties. They are ever springing up anew and
troubling me, and nothing will utterly and entirely destroy
them, till the ground be turned up by the plough of death,
and left fallow till the resurrction. Yet that 1 be not alto-
gether barren and unfruitful in the work of the Lord, let the
busy hand of faith be ever plucking up the base weeds of
noxious unbelief.
Again, why am I so much concerned about a world I am
so soon to leave? Were my possessions to fall on this side
Jordan, and I to inhabit here for ever, what more could I do
than I have done, and am doing? Yet I am but a stranger, a
sojourner, and a pilgrim; here to-night, but gone to-morrow,
to return no more. Yea, this night, what dare I boast of to-
morrow, not knowing what the silent watches of the night
may bring forth ? and if not of one day, far less of many, may
I boast. It is but a look, and I have lost sight of this world
eternally; why then set my heart on that which shall one
time or other so terribly deceive me? A few moments, and
my eternal state is begun, and I am naturalized in the world
of spirits, and dashed out of the roll of the sons of Adam,
yea, out of the remembrance of all my nearest relations! —
Should I, then mind much what entertainment I meet with
by the way, if I may make an happy journey's end? The trav-
eller ought to think more on his home, than on his usage in
his way home. Surely, one should be ready to think, that
men carried their riches to eternity with them, yea, and were
more welcome on that account, or why these unwearied en-
deavours, and perpetual bereavings of rest, to obtain them?
0 folly! O fear! O faithlessness! Folly, that I concern my-
self with moments and neglect eternity: Fear, that I should
be distressed about a day, which scarce has dawned till done,
and dwell not with joy on ages to come: Faithlessness, that
1 should doubt the promise, yea, the appendix to the promise;
for salvation from sin, and eternal life, is the promise, and all
things that respect this life are only appendixes thereto; as
.^-
192 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
if he who is faithful in one thing, and the only thing, could
falsify in trifles.
Now, though my whole life were one continued scene of af-
fliction, yet the very shortness of it might sweeten it. Though
it be a vapour, a shadow, a wind that passeth away, surely
the attending calamities can be of no longer continuance,
than that duration upon which they attend. Nothing can
pass from this world to that, but my disembodied immortal-
ity ; yea the painful remembrance of my troubles and pre-
sent distresses, shall cease when I am swallowed up of ever-
lasting joy. I see, then, that my concern turns on a wrong
hinge, and my care terminates on a trifle. AH my concern
should be, not to provide for the few moments of a transient
life, but to improve for the glorious ages of endless eternity.
And that care which in despondency I expend on the vani-
ties of time, how to be possessed of them, I should lay out in
piety, on the treasures of uncreated glory, how to prepare for
the divine possession. Well may I commit to him the bear-
ing of my charges, by the way, who has adopted me for his
son, and made me an heir of his kingdom, to which I am
travelling home.
My time is become less since I began to write, and soon it
will be wholly gone; how foolish, then, to give myself pre-
sent disquietude about time to come, which I may never see!
But I am certain of eternity. Therefore, into grateful ad-
miration at those approaching glories which I shall there pos-
sess, I should convert my ungoverned lamentations over the
present gloomy aspects of time, and keep silence in the com-
posing exercise of faith; remembering that he had never
a bad day, who had a good night; nor a miserable life who
died the death of the righteous; nor his time full of agony and
grief, which ended in an eternity of glory !
MEDITATION CXI.
FAITH.
Gulph of Lyons, July 7, 1759.
Faith is a divine grace, and the very life of the soul be-
low ; hence we are said to " walk by faith ;" and if our lives
are spiritual, it is by the faith of the Son of God that we live
the spiritual life.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 193
It is a strange definition of fliith given by the apostle to the
Hebrews, yet divinely true, "Now, faith is the substance of
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen ;" that is,
though we can only hope for those fehcities and glories which
are future, yet faith, in its glorious acts, can suck the honey
and marrow out of them, so as to supply the soul even in the
present time, with the substance of that which is still future;
and by refreshful foretastes of bliss, bring the brightest evi-
dences of celestial excellences, which are not visible to flesh
and blood. Thus by the first-fruits of glory, the soul is ascer-
tained of entering into the land of promise. Faith is begun
vision, or seeing things at a distance, and through a glass:
Vision is faith finished or perfected, and seeing things at
hand, and with the naked eye. It is the bond of union be-
tween God and the soul, which can never be broken by all
that can beflill us in the world; "for this is the victory that
ovcrcometh the world, even our faith," And he that believes
in God endures all things, as seeing him who is invisible, and
waits for the brighter, the diviner views of glory.
Faith is a mutual inhabitation. It is Christ in the soul;
hence says the apostle, "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me," and the soul in Christ; hence we are said to "put
on Christ," and, being dead to the world and to sin, to have
our spiritual life hid with Christ in God. Faith brings to God
the greatest honour, and to the soul the greatest happiness;
as unbelief does the opposite of both. Faith accounts him
{"ii hful who has promised, and composes all within; while
unbelief makes the God of truth a liar, and sets the whole
soul, in all her powers and faculties, in an uproar. Faith has
won its victories, wrought its miracles, and done wonders in
the world; "for to him that belie veth, all things are possible."
And a warrantable faith never fell short of its expectation;
yea, often has the goodness of God gone beyond the faith of
his saints.
Every thing for which I pray in faith shall be granted, and
mountains become a plain, and seeming impossibilities dis-
appear. Yet I am not to pray for impossibilities; for though
to God all things are possible, yet I could not pray in faith,
(;ind whatsoever is not of faith is sin,) for things I am con-
vinced I have no warrant in the word of God to seek or ex-
pect; such as, for the sun to stand still, water to flow out of
a rock, seas to divide, and rivers to part asunder; though all
liieFe things have been done. Again, I am not to pray for or
expect things to be done in a miraculous manner for me,
194 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
when in the common course of providence, whatever I want
can be bestowed on me. I am not to expect the heavens to
drop down manna to supply my daily necessity, or that my
clothes should wear forty years without waxing old; but I am
to believe, in the midst of my wants, that I shall be every day
supplied in a greater or lesser degree, as seems meet to God,
by the same liberal hand that showered down the manna in
the wilderness; and perhaps in a manner that shall convince
me of his special care, and confirm my belief of his singular
favour, as much as if the drops of rain were turned into bread
for me. His exercising his providence in providing me in
raiment anew, should be as endearing to me, as if he exerted
his power in keeping what I had from waxing old. But, if I
am shut up in some circumstances, where, as far as I can see
nothing less than a miracle can deliver, then faith is to be-
lieve the miracle, rather than doubt the promise, or distrust
the power of God, as if any thing were too hard for him.
But, how comfortable is it, that when I pray, with submis-
sion to the divine disposal, only for warrantable things, in
faith, I may be assured that I shall both be heard and an-
swered', but, if I doubt, then unbelief overturns all; and this
is the reason why I cannot prevail. How terrible, amidst my
petitions, to doubt if God be able and willing to perform my
request, when he has declared himself in the affirmative in
both I When I do so, I turn the great God into a mere feeble
creature, in denying his power, and (O horrid !) into a liar, in
thinking that he has no intention to perform his promise. I
see, then, that I should make my petitions with submission,
leaving it wholly to God, what he will refuse, what he will
choose for me; but that to doubt his love, his power, his faith-
fulness, is a henious sin ; — his power to perform to the extent
of the promise, either*as to spiritual or temporal things; — his
faithfulness, that he will perform whatever he has promised; —
or his love, which, so to speak, waits and longs for the fittest
opportunities when his glory and my good may be most ad-
vanced in performing the promise for me. Now, as his glory
rises, so should my felicity, as I should count it all my hap-
piness to have his glory set on high.
Faith, then, is a triumphant grace. By it wrestling Jacob
prevailed, and Jacob's wrestling sons still prevail with God.
It always wins the day, secures the blessing, is never sent
away empty; will not, cannot be said nay. And by this
boldness and confidence of faith, which is the gift of God,
God is greatly glorified. Faith looks above created opposition.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. I95
dwells in eternity, and hangs en the omnipotent arm of God.
It wraps itself up in the promise, and cannot be divided from
it till it be performed in every respect. It is not terrified at
storms, nor disquieted by disappointments, but looks beyond
the storm, above the disappointment; rests on the compassion,
and fastens on the faithfulness of its glorious Author and
Finisher. Faith stretches beyond the narrovv^ confines of time,
and takes broad views of the world to come ; takes a tour
through the land of bliss, the Canaan above, and converses
with eternal ages. Faith, looking to the Promise, sees the
w^ay of duty plain ; while fear cries out, " There is a lion in the
streets, I shall be slain ; danger and difficulty in the way, I
cannot go." Surely, to him that believeth, all things are possi-
ble; but to him that doubts, a mole-hill becomes a mountain.
In after ages, I shall be ashamed of my fears and unbelief,
but never of my faith. — Henceforth let me be strong in the
faith, with submission; — make my requests with resignation;
— pray in the confidence of being heard; — and believe all
things with patience and composure.
MEDITATION CXII.
THE THREEFOLD STATE.
Gulpli of Lyons, July 8, 1759.
Three changes go over the natural world, the black and
dark night, the fair and beauteous moon-shine, and the bright
and noon-day beams: The same also prevail in the rational
world; there is the black and dark night of the natural state,
in which the unconverted nations sit; and there is the fair
moon-light of grace, in which the saints walk till admitted into
the eternal sunshine of glory in the highest heavens. Night
sat on the face of the deep at first, till God said, " Let there
be lightj'Vand scattered the eternal darkness with his manifest-
ing ray. So every soul is not only in darkness, but darkness
itself, till made light in the Lord; and this darkness would be
eternal, did not the divine beams break in upon the soul, and
dispel the awful gloom.
There is a vast disproportion betwixt those nights which
are overcast with thick and heavy clouds, when the moon
shines not, and not a star appears, but the angry heavens open
in tremendous thunders, as if about to convey our destruc-
tion from the chambers of the sky, while the glaring light-
196 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
ningSj only like so many torches, flash, to make our funeral
more solemnly dismal, and those nights when not a star is
hid, but the beauty of the full-faced moon, which sheds a day
in comparison of the former night, through the serene sether,
on the silent earth, where not the least breath of wind is felt,
nor the least confusion heard. But the disproportion is still
greater between those that remain in their natural state, and
those that are renewed in the spirit of their mind. For the
poor sinner is in perpetual fear of being consumed by the
angry thunders, and devoured by the wrath of the Almighty;
nor is his case less deplorable by his insensibility, for he shall
at last be awakened with a vengeance, when he shall find his
misery consummate, without any possibility of redemption.
But the happy saint has a whole heaven shining on him, all
the divine perfections smiling in his face, every thing around
him quiet, and every thing within tranquil ; nor can aiHictions
of any kind, or of any quantity, or any continuance, deprive
him of this peace that passeth understanding.
Now, we have this pleasant moon-light properly from the
sun, being part of his emanations received by her, and re-
flected on us : So all the beauties and excellences of grace
are like so much divine glory seen through a glass, or re-
flected on us from the word of truth, the ordinances, and
sacraments, by the operation and blessing of the spirit of
all grace.
Again, if we only enjoyed nights, beauteous by the un-
clouded moon and transparent sky, and knew that this light
was from the sun, how would we long for day, to be delighted
with beholding that bright orb! Yet I very much question if
we could conceive of the sun according to that transcendant
brightness whereby he illuminates the extensive sky. We
might conceive him to be beauteous like the moon, and a vast
deal larger, but could never form any just idea of his fiery
beams, insufferable rays, and sparkling effulgence, too bright
to be beheld by our weak eyes. Even so, while so many ex-
cellences, and so much beauty, are to be found in sacred
things, in religion, in the ordinances, in the sacraments, in the
church, and in the saints of God, here in this day of grace,
which is all but a part of ImmanuePs glory reflected, how di-
vinely bright must the Sun of righteousness shine above!
What amiable beauty! what assimilating beams! what adora-
ble perfections! what august emanations! what entrancing de-
lights! what majesty and splendour shall pour from him
above ! Our thoughts recoil on us, and our apprehensions
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 197
fail, when we think on his infinite glory. This created sun,
which we so much admire, would disappear in the presence
of one of his remotest rays, as happened when Paul was
converted.
What brightness, what effulgence, what emanations, where
he sheds around all his glory ! No cloud, no eclipse, no mist,
no decline, no setting, to lessen his eternal blaze ! Surely,
now our thoughts are in the dark about this Sun of righteous-
ness, and Fountain of glory. When admitted to perfect vision,
we shall find, that our clearest apprehensions and brightest
uptakings of him below, differed but a degree from ignorance.
How ineffably, how unconceivably glorious must he shine
above ! when on the blessed beholders round the throne, life
descends in every ray, assimilation in every beam, trans-
port and delight in the eternal emanations of all his divine
perfections !
How is it, then, that when I have seen something of the beau-
ty of grace, I have not more desire to see all the excellences of
glory? — to turn about from the reflective glass, and see him
face to face? — to scale the wall behind which he stands, and
see him as he is? — to change the transient glance into an
eternal intuition of him in his glory ? — How is it that I do not
watch with more anxiety for the morning-light, and look out
more eagerly for the dawning of eternal day? Is night to be
preferred to noon ? or created joys to the pleasures that overflow
in the divine presence? Finish, then, thy work with me, and
glorify thyself by me, before I go hence and be no more.
Then, through the same grace shall I say, and with tne same
sincerity as it was at first spoken, " I have a desire to be dis-
solved, and to be with Christ, which is far better."
MEDITATION CXIH.
COKRUPTION.
Gulph of Lyons, July 9, 1759.
Happy they who have put off, not only mortality, but sin
and have put on, not only immortality, but perfection, and, in
triumph, trample on the neck of all their enemies, having
neither foe without, nor foe within. But my daily complaint
may be» "O wretched man that I ami who shall deliver me
from the body of this death?" Satan watches and way-lays
nae; temptation attacks without, and corruption rises up with-
r2
198 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
in, and alas! too often I offend him who is all love, mercy, and
goodness. O for the happy day, when I shall cease to sin,
and to offend the best of friends, the Saviour of my soul 1 when
my whole soul shall be pure and holy, and not one seed of sin
be left within; when Satan shall tempt no more, and I yield
no more to the temptation ; when my bitter complaint against
corruption and sin, shall be converted into sweet encomiums
on redeeming grace : " To him that loved me, and washed me
from my sins in his own blood, be glory, and honour, might,
and dominion, for ever and ever."
In view of that blessed day will I rejoice; and, confiding in
all-sufficient grace, I will travel to the mount of God with
courage; and, leaning on my Beloved, I will journey up
through the wilderness undismayed. For it is when I go in
mine own strength, or walk alone, that I stumble into sin, to
rectify my mistaken notions, spoil my vain confidence, and
make me depend on God alone.
MEDITATION CXIV.
GRACE.
Gulph of Lyons, July, 1759.
Heavenly grace implanted in the soul, is the divine philo-
sopher's stone, that turns every thing in our possession into a
more excellent nature, and greater value. It is storied of the
one, that it turns iron into silver, and silver into gold. But it
is true of the other, that for " brass it brings gold ; and for iron,
silver; and for wood, brass; and for stones, iron." Shedding
divine contentment through the soul, it turns our water into
wine, our pennies into pounds, our poor cottages into splendid
palaces, bare supply into abundant plenty, and every thing
into sufficiency, because our satisfaction is the same in this,
as if possessed of that. It diminishes distress, magnifies, mer-
cies, lessens grief, enlarges love, contemns vanities, breathes
after future bliss, rectifies our desires, subdues our corrup-
tions, regulates our inclinations, restrains our ambition, raises
and refines our affections, removes the present world, and pre-
sents the world to come. By it we are refined in affliction,
triumph in our troubles, in all our conflicts we are more than
conquerors, and turn the battle to the gate. By it we listen
to rebuke, are instructed by the rod, submissive under cros-
ses, silent under losses, patient in tribulation, meek under
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 199
reproaches, humble, though exalted, forgetful of injuries, mind-
ful of benefits, faithful to our trust, merciful to our enemies,
and friends with the whole world.
By it we tremble at judgements, rejoice in mercies, observe
providences, wrestle against our unbelief, are grieved at our
ingratitude, and struggle against our daily failings.
By it our souls taste divine joys, and loathe the light food
of worldly vanities. It sweetens our sorrows, mitigates our
misfortunes, pierces the shadows, and seeks after unseen re-
alities. Where it is implanted in the breast, every thing
turns out to the advantage of the soul. The way of life,
to others thorny, is flowery, and our path to our latter end
is peace.
What to the carnal world is a curse, is to the possessors of
this precious gem a blessing. By it our pains are banished,
our pleasures are purified, expectation honied, burdens light-
ened, weakness strengthened, storms scattered, and harmony
diffused within. What a noble thing is grace, or Christ by
his spirit dwelling in the soul! No wonder, then, that such a
glorious change is made, and all to the better, so that we can
look towards eternity undismayed, expect the awful judge-
ment with unshaken faith, meet the king of terrors with un-
daunted courage, and have hope in the expiring pang.
Let gold be a portion to the misers, honour to the ambitious,
pleasures to the voluptuous, but let grace be mine; for thus
my afflictions are sweeter than the prosperity of the wicked,
my reproaches preferable to the applauses of a giddy world,
and my very death more desirable than the life of the most
splendid, if impious monarch.
MEDITATION XCV.
LOVE AND IMMORTALITY.
July 15, 1759.
Welcome change, that waits to begin my happiness, and
put a period to my complaint and pain. When this languor
and lukewarmness shall be turned into immortality and love,
I shall be all life and vigour, and this vigour shall be all love
and praise. Now corruption is a counterbalance to my love,
and mortality a clog to my devotion ; but then every power
shall be life, every faculty active, every thought winged, and
every motion heavenly. I shall praise with transport, and
OQO SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
sing with rapture ; I shall adore with ecstacy, and love with
delight, and all this, day and night, without ever ceasing, or
being exhausted, being then perfect in every grace, and im-
mortal in every power. Receiving my fulness from the divine
plenitude, as a pipe supplied by the vast ocean, I shall pour
out perpetual streams of praise, and torrents of love, and be
more and more capacitated, enlarged, and replenished, by
this eternal employment.
Such is the happy state my hope claims, and to which, one
time or other, I shall attain. Then shall my love be wholly
a vigorous immortality, and my immortality exercised in no-
thing but love. On the Sun of Righteousness, divinely bright,
tremendously glorious, I shall fix mine eyes, which shall be
strengthened as they gaze, and never cease to behold and
admire the divine object. I shall emulate the seraphim, and
strive, not out of self-conceit, but from the glowings of sacred
gratitude, the prevalency of divine love in my breast, to sing
as loud, and love as intensely as they, the exalted One, whom
I can call my Brother, my Husband, and my God. I shall
go out, in all the faculties of my soul, to Him, without one
moment's intermission; and yet mine eyes shall never be so
satisfied with seeing, as to shut them on the glories above, nor
mine ear fatigued with hearing the hallelujah's on high.
Sleep shall be as foreign to my mortal perfection then, as it
is impossible for my immortal frame to subsist without it now.
There is no comma in the hosannas above ; no night in the
years of the right hand of the Most High ; no interruption in
the warbles of eternal noon; no surfeiting on bliss, or loathing
of divine love. No distractions shall disturb the adorers be-
fore the throne, where perfect love casts out fear, where
bliss is as boundless as their wish and measures with eter-
nity itself.
MEDITATION CXVI.
EXTREMITIES.
Gibraltar Bay, August 6, 1759.
God has in all ages been pleased to let matters come to an
extremity before he sent the deliverance; thereby teaching
his people patience, and to hope unto the end; thereby also
making the deliverance more glorious, and his care of them
more conspicuous, than otherwise it would have been. Where
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 201
fore then magnify I every difficulty in mine eye as a moun-
tain that cannot be removed, and distrust that divine power
that can do all thmgs, and at the last extremity ?
J\ow to dispel these dark and dismal clouds^hat han-over
my mmd, to my great uneasiness, let me glance at his divine
down tZ "f '" ''""^^ ^"' P^^P^^' ^-- ^he days of od
down through many ages.
vpfr? 'hT''!'' ^"'^""^ *'' '"'''*''"' i^ oW and ^ficken in
lo^ll'f r"'"' "^ ''", "'"^ ^"^l* ""«'■ 'he manner of
vomen before the promised seed is born. Yet that extremity
LtL " "Pf'umty; for he is born, in whose seed the nations
thoruy.tobe offered for a sacntice, and that bv none other
than his aged, his affectionate father! Nor are ^the amazino-
orders eountermanded till the ahar is reared, the wood la"d
n order, the stripling bound, and laid upon th^ wood, and the
hand stretching out the knife to give the fatal wound Now
what an extremity of extremities was this! but not too late
thewttlns '"■ r-, ^g^.i"' ^^andering Hagar sees not
the well as s(,on as the bottle is spent; but after she had laid
down the parched boy, and forced herself a good distance
from him, that she might not hear his mournful cries, nor see
um struggling with the pangs of death, God opens her eyes,
scatters her fears, and removes her sorrows. Also, iust Lot
m^kes lis escape out of ScKlom only on that veiy day in
whiehit was destroyed; and it was destroyed early in the
,hLl. ""™"'/^«fP'' indeed! Perhaps the heavens were
beh nd r^ ™1"', ?^<^'" ''""' 'he brimstone and fire falling
behind him while he fied; yet he was safe enough under his
protection to whom extremity is the noblest opportunity. Let
me also look at Jacob when returning home: He is distressed
at his brother's meeting him in such a hostile manner to
when he has arranged his little company for flight, or meeting
the armed bands, the kindly embrace removes the doubtrand
cheers his very soul.-Joseph is to be exalted, but he i first
sold by his brethren, then sold again as a slav'e, then a priso
ner, which was like the very reverse of what was so near-
but, at the last extremity, when he could be brought no lower'
Et-eT^o hi" ' f r i' T'' =•= ■' "--' be raisfd no h|h:r:
i-yen .so, his aged father's sorrow, which had all this time
mmged his other comforts with bitterness, is heightened by
the story of his sons, about the rough dealings of the man
that was lord over Egypt: But from this very dungeon of
wo, he IS m a moment set mto a palace of delight, when he
202 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
hears, that, that same governor is his own son, his own be-
loved, his long lamented Joseph. — Again, the promise is, that
Israel shall be delivered from Egypt, and possess the prom-
ised land; but see how subtilely their enemies deal with them,
and what murdering designs are formed against them! yea,
when the deliverance begins to dawn, their task is doubled,
and their bondage rendered next to intolerable. Such was
their extremity before they were brought out with an high
hand. Nay, after this, their danger seems to be greater than
ever, while, pursued by enemies, on many accounts more en-
raged than ever, they had seas before them impassable, and
hills on every hand inaccessible ; yet then Omnipotence is at
no loss to deliver, so that seas divide, and are the defence of
his people, but the destruction of their foes.
This divine way of procedure, delivering in the greatest
extremity, shines also in the whole history of the Judges ; in
the narrow escapes of flying David ; in the siege of Samaria,
when a lord, of the same temper with my unbelieving heart,
spoke also in a style I am too often guilty of; in the case of
the widow of Zarephath, whose provisions were almost spent,
before the blessing was bestowed that muhiplied them : in the
case of her son afterwards, and the Shunamite's, who appear-
ed beyond all possibility of help, when restored to life ; in the
sudden deliverance of Hezekiah and Jerusalem, from the be-
sieging Assyrians, whose mighty men and leaders a mightier
angel slew in one night, to an amazing number; also in the
astonishing story of the three children, who are apprehended,
bound, brought to the furnace, now seven times more heated
for their reception, and thrown into the flame. What can
help them now? Yes, in the midst of the furnace, they walk
at liberty, in the presence of a glorious person, whose form
is like the Son of God. Such was the remarkable deliver-
ance of pious Daniel from the lion's paw, when cast among
their bloody jaws, and left a whole night to the mercy of the
fierce devourers : And of Jonah from the swelling deep, and
the fish's belly, which to him was as the belly of hell : And,
in fine, of the Jews from captivity, who went even to Baby-
lon, and there were delivered. All these being brought to
an extremity, perished not in it, but were delivered after a
most glorious manner.
This was the way he dealt with his church and people un-
der the Old Testament dispensation, for many hundred years ;
and it continued under the New. Hence see how our Lord
delays his going to Lazarus, that he might not only relieve
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 203
him from his disease, but raise him from the dead, which was
a more glorious display of his divine power. Such was his
way also with Jarius' daughter, and the widow of Naim's
son, who seemed to be the captives of death, till the Lord of
life commanded their release, and that at a time when, for hint-
ing at it, he was laughed at as proposing a thing impossible
to be done. — See how also, in the utmost extremity of danger,
he rescues his apostle Peter, by an angel from heaven, who
awakes the sleeping prisoner, guides him through the guards,
and leads him on, before whom the doors and gates open of
their own accord, and let him pass into perfect liberty.
What, then, is difficult for God? What extremity is be-
yond the reach and strength of his arm? Yea, since he is
pleased to delay blessings and deliverances to the last, it is my
duty to wait on him till the last, and to wait with hope, and
in patience to possess my soul.
MEDITATION CXVIL
THE ASTONISHING PORTIONS.
Gibraltar Bay, August 10, 1759.
The treasures of kings have sometimes been so vast as to
pass into a proverb. And yet, what were they but gold or stones
dug out of the bowels of the earth, which, amassed to ever so
great a sum, could neither give contentment, ensure health,
nor lengthen life? But there is a portion of a diviner nature,
and infinitely more excellent, which falls to the share of every
saint of God; and he himself is this stupendous portion. "The
Lord is my portion, saith my soul."
Now, the astonishing wonder here is, that God, in all his
perfections, should condescend, through his Son, to be the
portion of his people. But this wonder is not alone, but is
joined with another, that is in a manner more surprising still,
expressed in these words: "The Lord's portion is his people,
Israel is the lot of his inheritance."
We know how highly we esteem that which we account
our portion. And the pious breathing of the saint is, " Whonr;
have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth
that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth,
but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."
Then, may we not see what value he sets upon his saints,
204 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
that he, who possesses all things, and has all perfection in
himself, should call them " his portion."
A rich man may condescend to be the prop and friend of
a poor man, but will scarcely allow him to be of great ac-
count to himself; but here it is otherwise, to the praise of
glorious grace, which is not less astonishing in receiving than
in giving. He gives the treasures of eternity, which enrich
for ever; and receives the cyphers of time, which cannot
profit him at all. He gives himself to be ours in his infinite
excellences for ever, and receives us, in all our wants and
infirmities, to be his for evermore. Whether is he most glo-
rious in accepting the lispings of faith " Thou art my God,"
or in returning the mutual claim, " Thou art my people?"
Because God is the portion of our soul, we have hope; and
because he sees the travail of his soul, he is satisfied. O
what condescension is this, not only to bow down to give him-
self away to usj but to take us up to himself! Let philoso-
phers dream on of ten thousand inhabited worlds, yet, among
them all, the Lord's portion is his people, and Israel his inhe-
ritance. The heaven is his throne, the earth his footstool,
but his portion is dearer to him than both, purchased at an
amazing price, and preserved by almighty power, to an im-
mensity of bliss. Precious and costly things are in the pecu-
liar treasures of kings; how noble, then, and excellent must
Jacob be, (the choice makes it so,) whom the eternal King
of kings hath chosen to himself for his peculiar treasure, for
whom he will give men, and kingdoms for their ransom! —
Again, a treasure is that which is laid up for time to come;
then God will never cast off his own inheritance, give up
with his portion, or throw away his treasure, but reserve all
to eternity. Finally, if God be the portion of his saints, why
such a struggle to fill their coffers with perishing things ? and
why so disquieted if they do not succeed ?
MEDITATION CXVIII.
noah's ark.
Under sail, Aug. 31, 1759.
When the ark, which had floated many a day on a fearful
flood, rested on the happy Ararat, and Noah, and the nume-
rous creatures which were to replenish the world again, had
the pleasant sight of spacious fields, just delivered from a
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 205
dreadful deluge, how vast must have been their joy I And
with what transport must they have gone forth into unbounded
liberty, called the earth their own, and appropriated the
whole world, without any to dispute the amazing possession!
So, when the ark of the covenant of grace, built by a greater
than Noah, and wherein is contained the seed of the new cre-
ation, shall rest on the heights of glory, how shall all the
happy ones go forth with transport into the liberty of the sons
of God, to possess a paradise of pleasure an heaven of ecstacy,
and a world of bliss! And though they shall never go out
of the covenant through eternity, yet, so to speak, they shall
spread abroad to people the heavenly Canaan, and possess
ihe many mansions that are in their Father's house.
Here, in the covenant, we are borne above the floods ; for the
curse, like a deluge, overspreads the whole world, so that all
are in a perishing condition, but such as are got within the
ark! and in a little, when the great deeps of eternity
shall be opened, the floods of vengeance swelling high shall
sweep the whole unbelieving world into oceans of eternal
wrath. It is true, indeed, our safety is the same, being inte-
rested in him whom the Father has given for a covenant
to the people, whether the ark be floating on the waters, or
set down on the stable mountain's top; but there is a diffe-
erence between fluctuating on the waters of adversity, and
sitting down on the mountains of bliss, in the presence of
Jehovah and the Lamb.
Again, as their safety was secured, and their provision
plenteous in the ark of old; so, in the New-Testament ark,
we are secure, being hidden in him who sits on the floods,
and governs in the storms, and who will never let the deluge
overthrow his own, but cause them to swim safely amongst
the rending billows, and walk securely, as Israel of old,
amidst devouring deeps. And our provision is not only
plenteous and profuse, but spiritual and divine.
Besides, in this ark, by the eye of faith, even while the del-
uge is not wholly gone, we get, which Noah could not boast
of^ reviving views of the tops of the eternal mountains and
gladdening glances of the heights of glory.
Again, when the flood of wrath shall be at the highest with
all the wicked world, our ark shall sit down on the celestial
Ararat. Then, as Noah sacrificed to God when he was gone
forth of the ark, which he could not do while in it ; so, in that
triumphant state of glory, we shall worship him in a manner
to which we never could attain in the militant state; and, to
206 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
our eternal joy, shall look up and see the " rainbow about the.
throne," in its most beauteous colours, showing, as it shines,
that the flood of divine wrath, which once pursued the human
race to swallow up all who had not fled to the sacred ark
for safety, shall never return again to swallow up the ran-
somed nations. Then, dwelling in that land where " there is
no more sea," we shall walk at liberty, enjoying beatitudes
unlimited as our thought, and extensive as conception itself;
and through the unnumbered years of his right hand we shall
proclaim the compassion, and dwell upon the love of him who
was himself our divine, our glorious ark, that bare us above
the waves of vengeance, (though, to perform that kind ofiice,
he himself for a while was carried "into deep waters, where
the floods overflowed him,") and brought us into his presence,
where rivers of pleasures flow evermore.
MEDITATION CXIX.
ACQUAINTANCE.
Spitheadj Sept. 25, 1759.
We are fond of contracting acquaintance with great and
famous men, and sometimes lament the death of some before
we were born, and our distance from others while we live.
What pleasure would it afford me, had I known the first wor-
thies of the world! To have had an hour's company and
conversation with the first man, the father of us all; to have
been acquainted with the divine Enoch, who was wafted
deathless to glory; with Noah, the preacher of righteousness ;
with Abraham, the Father of the Faithful! with Moses, the
man of God , with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of one and the same
promise; with the deeply depressed, and highly-advanced
Joseph; with Elijah and Elisha; with Samuel, JDavid, and
Solomon; in a word, with all the prophets, apostles, evange-
lists, and martyrs, and all the New-Testament worthies down
to the present times : I say, to have been acquainted with all
these great men, what secret pleasure would it aflEbrd! What
instruction from their conversation, and what joy to behold so
many sparkling graces in each of them! But this is what
can never happen; yet there is one thought that abundantly
supplies the loss. That all those who are united in the living
Head shall meet together in the general assembly and church
of the first-born.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 207
There shall I see Adam, not in that melting anguish he
sustained wJien driven out of the terrestrial paradise, but
with a fulness of joy proper to one entered into the heavenly
paradise for eternity; There shall I see Enoch walking in
very deed with God, and enjoying eternally and uninter-
ruptedly that communion he delighted in below: There shall
I see Noah, not preaching to an inattentive world, but prais-
ing in concert with all those that in the ark of covenant were
saved from the flood of wrath that swept away the wicked:
There shall I see Abraham, not travelling to the mountains
of Moriah to offer up his son, but dwelling in the mount of
God to offer up his song, his sacrifice of praise, possessed of
greater glory, and more noble blessings, than even his strong-
est faith ever could expect: There shall I see Isaac and Ja-
cob, not so-journing in a strange land, but dwelling in Imma-
nuePs land, without anymore removing to and fro: There
shall I see Joseph, not in that anguish of spirit he was in
when sold for a slave, but in a nobler condition than when
governor over Egypt: There shall I see Moses, not strug-
gling with a rebellious Israel in an howling wilderness, but
triumphing with the true Israel, in whom iniquity is not be-
held, and entered on the possession of the heavenly Canaan
for eternity: There shall I see, also, Samuel the reformer,
David the upright, and Solomon the wise, with all the pro-
phets and apostles, the evangelists and martyrs, shining with
additional lustre, and inconceivable glory. Yea, not one of all
the saints of God, though the . names of thousands of them
were never heard of in the world, but I shall be acquainted
with, and know all about them that can set forth the glory of
God, and the praises of redeeming love. I shall know who
and what they were in the world, whence they came, and
what they suffered for his name's sake.
Had I been acquainted with them in their imperfect state,
either corruption in them might have restrained my regard
toward them, or corruption in me might have deadened my
affection for them; but my acquaintance with them shall be
when they and I also have put off all corruption, and are
spotless as the angels of light. How is it, then that I have
concluded all the worthies of the old world as gone from me
for ever, when, in a little, I shall come into their company,
into their assembly, to depart to more? Further, what will
sweeten all, is, that my acquaintance with them shall be in
and through Christ, in whom all his saints are one; and my
delight in them will spring from their resemblance to Christ,
208 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
and rise according to the degree of that. Then, like so many
stars, they shall reflect the glory of the Sun of Righteousness ;
and he that reflects most glory shall be the brightest star.
Besides, as the Lamb is the light of the holy city, so he shall
be the fulness of the higher house, replenishing all the inha-
bitants, who shall have Christ in them, once "the hope," but
then the harvest "of glory," and with them as such shall I
be acquainted. Hence shall Christ be to every one all in
all, even in their delight in, and acquaintance with, one ano-
ther; because, loving him that begets, supremely and eter-
nally, they cannot but love them that are begotten after the
same divine likeness.
What a friendly office, then, (though to the greater part
unwelcome,) does death, in the hand of Christ perform to his
chosen, in convening the saints together from remotest cor-
ners, scattered kingdoms, and distant ages, and, with a smiling
countenance, ushering them, not only into the presence of one
another, but into the presence of their Lord.
On the other hand, how miserable must the wicked be,
whose acquaintance with the great, of which they are now
so proud, at the hour of death shall cease for ever! for beings
in torment can he no entertainingcompanyto one another but,
by being once companions in sin, shall mutually screw up
their horror, and whet their anguish for ever.
MEDITATION CXX.
AN ARGUMENT.
In harbour, Oct. 3, 1759.
Would a man of any spirit be cast down for an extremity
of distress, enduring but for a day, if assured, that his whole
after-life should be felicity and peace? Though for this short
time he were hungry, thirsty, naked, im.prisoned, reproached,
reviled, envied, hated, contemned, ridiculed by flatterers,
abandoned by friends, insulted by foes, and made the gazing-
stock of all ; yet, would not the certain knowledge of so sud-
den a change in his favour take oflf the edge of all? Would
not the forethought of the sumptuous table at which he should
ever sit, and the generous wine that should go around, abate
his hunger, and allay his thirst? — Would not the idea of his
genteel dress take away the shame of his rags? and his uncon-
fined liberty render supportable his few. hours confinement?
MISCELLANLOUS MEDITATIONS. oqq
and that renown, love, and respect, which he should in a little
be possessed of, take away the anguish that might arise from
the opposite msults?
Now, O saint! thy case at the worst can be no worse th.nn
this, to suffer, through the short day of thy life, much tribula-
tion, and many afflictions; much distress, and many troubles-
yea, though some singular distress, as war, persecution, or
pestilence, should bring thy death along with it, yet thy state
>s secured, and thine exit is into eternal glory.— What' should
poverty make any impression on thy mind,^who art an neir
of God, and joint-heir with Christ; who shalt walk on streets
of gold, nor regard the sparkling pavement? Should impris-
onment trouble thee, who Shalt walk at liberty in the para-
dise of God through eternal day?— Should shame produce a
blush in thy countenance, who shalt be confessed by thy di-
vme Master before his heavenly Father, and all his holy
angels? Should wa«t of any kind affect thee, who art com-
plete in Him m whom the fulness of the Godhead dwells?
fchould disappointments, repeated, aggravated disappoint-
ments deject thee, whose assured friend governs the universe
and never will forget, never will forsake thee? In a word!
should any cross events in time distract thee, who hast an
eternity of felicity before thee, where thy happiness shall
stretch beyond thy most extensive thoughts?
Take the scales and balances, then, and sit down and
weigh the lightness of thy troubles, the transitoriness of thine
afhictions, (even allowing them to harass thee through thv
whole life, which is not one day, one minute, or one moment,
to eternity, and that boundless, ineffable bliss, that awaits
thy better life, thine immortal state in the invisible world,
and say, if that ingenuity, which should be inseparable from
an expectant of glory, be in thee, whether fits of despondency
for any thing that can befall thee in this world, or songs of
praise for that nameless immense all that is reserved for thee
in the world to come, be most proper to thy present state?
MEDITATION CXXI.
ON BEING ILL USED.
Spithead, Oct. 18, 1759.
Purely I forget myself, and the place of my abode, else 1
should no take it in beta part to be ill used in such a world
as this. Would I have at once the smiles of Heaven and
s2
210 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
the caresses of the earth? It is very fair that I get through
the enemy's country with the Hfe, though now and then I
suffer loss. I must not be surprised that I suffer, though inno-
cent ; for none were ever so innocent as our blessed Lord,
yet none suffered more than did the prince of innocence. —
" It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and
the servant as his Lord. If they have called the master of
the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them
of his household?" Why am I astonished at an usage which
my Lord not only met with himself, but assured all his dis-
ciples that they should experience? How is it that I have
fallen into this fond delusion, dreaming that nothing should
hurt me while I was endeavouring to walk uprightly with
him before whom are all my ways, and forgetting that often
the saints have suffered for following after what is good ? —
I am yet in the world, and the god of this world is not my
God, nor the men of this world my brethren ; therefore no
wonder that the world hate what is not its own. For shame !
have I taken it amiss, that a few drops of that shower of mal-
ice and envy which poured in full flood on the glorious Head,
should fall on an unworthy member? How have I forgotten
to imitate the divine pattern of humility, who, when he was
reviled, reviled not again: when blasphemed, replied with
meekness, interceded for his murderers, and prayed for his
most flagitious foes ! O to be more and more self-denied ! —
If once I thought as little of myself as I ought, I should not
think much of being treated with indignity, and used con-
temptuously by others.
Though I may have recourse to the law for my protection
and defence, yet surely it is often my duty to say, like hum-
ble David, " Let him curse, for the Lord hath bidden him."
How divinely sweet is the inspired advice, "Dearly beloved,
avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath!"
Ah I says corrupt nature must I tamely see myself abused,
and not resent it? Must I not stand on my own defence, and
return his wickedness on his own head? No, says the apos-
tle; vengeance belongeth not to you; "for it is written. Ven-
geance is mine, saith the Lord, I will repay;" therefore let
the matter alone, leave it to God, who knows when and how
to plead thy quarrel against thine adversaries; and show
thou the excellency of the Christian religion, by feeding thine
enemy when hungry, and giving him to drink when thirsty,
till thou hast won him from his spleen; but, if he still retain
his inveterate malice, thy kindly acts will heap coals of fire
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 211
upon his head. Then let my behaviour be such as is here
enjoined, while, with the psalmist, I say, " Let them curse,
but bless thou;" keeping ever fixed in thy mind this maxim,
That a greater pleasure springs from a free and frank for-
giveness of injuries to the sanctified soul, than the most cho-
leric breast can feel in the most sanguine revenge.
Has not the sun often shed his cloudless beams on them
who blasphemed their Maker? Have not the clouds many a
time watered their fields who never acknowledged the divine
munificence? And has not all nature poured forth her riches,
times innumerable, to those who walked contrary to the God
of nature ? Came these things by chance ? No. — They were
the effects of this unbounded goodness, which teems divinely
free and vastly full on all, in spite of the ingratitude of the
wicked, in spite of the daring impiety of the unjust; no less
showing himself God in his conduct with the world, than in
his creation of the world. Copy, then, my soul, this amiable
perfection. Deal with the whole world, as if every one were
thy brother, or thy friend; and though they may forfeit the
name, let them never forfeit thy kind regard. As the sun
changes not his course, though bursting clouds and bellowing
thunders fight below; so, if thou move in the celestial sphere
of practical religion, thou wilt never omit the duties of a
Christian to any, though all should commit the hostilities of an
heathen towards thee. Let not the distress of thine enemy
afford thee delight, nor the misfortunes of thy inveterate foe
infuse a secret pleasure. — Sympathise with him in his cala-
mity who could laugh at thine; and, as far as is consistent
with truth, preserve his good name, who, to the wounding of
truth, has robbed thee of thine. Remember benefits, forget
injuries, forgive reproachful tongues, overlook affronts, wish
well to every individual, pray for all for whom prayer ought
to be made, and be a child of God in temper and conduct, in
spite of corrupt nature, earth, and hell, aiming at perfection,
as thy father which is in heaven is perfect.
MEDITATION CXXII.
THE BIBLE A STOREHOUSE OF INSTRUCTIOIVS.
Quiberon Bay, Jan. 23, 1759.
Man is not only a worm as to his extract, but a beast as to
his knowledge; hence the most sagacious of Adam's sons
212 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
would be but fools in things that concern them most, without
this divine monitor, the Scripture. Here I am informed wlien
the world began, and who was my first parent, the grand re-
presentative and federal head of all his offspring; how sin
and death entered into the world, and how ])olh are done
away. Hence the mystery of a three-one God shines with
awful effulgence; while the glorious, amiable, and divine work
of redemption, darts comfort and surprise on the enraptured
inquirer. By the scriptures of truth, the concerns of a future
world are clearly presented to me. — Would I be a member of
Christ, and have his righteousness made mine? Well, they
tell me how I may become the one, and be clothed with the
other. Would I flee from the wrath to come? Here the way
lies plain, and the place where I can be safe. If sin press
hard upon me, they show me where to cast my sins ; if short-
comings and weakness vex me, whence to draw my strength^
and in whom I am complete. They counsel me in my doubtSj
and shine upon my darkness. Not a calamity can I be in,
but they can cheer. Not a step I need to take, but they car.
direct. Am I a son of Zion ? Then I am to seek her peace,
her welfare, and prosperity. — ^Is the church in distress? I am
to give God no rest till he establish her, and make her a praise
through the whole earth. — Does he hide his face from mel
Then I am to seek, nor cease to seek him, till I find the Be-
loved of my soul. — Do I pine by his blow? Yet at the work
of his hand I am to be dumb. — Does he remove my relations
by death? Still I am to hold my peace, and even subscribe
Amen. — Am I injured? That I am to forgive. — Am I re-
proached? This I am to pass by. — Do men despitefully use
me ? For them I am to pray. — Must I remove from this world ?
Then I am to pass my time only as a sojourner, not a fixed
inhabitant. — Do I enjoy human society? That is to be im-
proved in speaking on divine things. Am I among sinners?
Then I am to reprove. — Among saints? These I am to imi-
tate.— Have I an house? It is to be a place of righteousness.
— Have I a family ? They and I, whatever others do, are to
serve the Lord.
Again, am I sorrowful? I am to pray. — Am I in severe
afflictions ? Yet then in patience I am to possess my soul. —
Am I in a warfare ? I am to take to myself the whole armoui
of God. — Have I tribulations? In and under them I am still
to rejoice. — Am I poor? I am to seek for my riches that trea
svire that is eternal in the heavens. — Have I riches? In then,
I am not to trust, but in the living God, who gives me ali
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 213
things richly to enjoy. — Do I rejoice? It is to be only in the
Lord.— Am I merry ? I am to sing psalms.— Have I affections ?
They are to be set on things above. My conversation is to be
in heaven, and my soul a temple for the Holy Ghost to dwell
in. Here parents and childen, masters and servants, and
every relation, are clearly instructed in their relative duties
to one another. Here the king is taught how to reign, and the
subject how to obey; the judge how to conduct every trial,
and how to pass sentence ; the sinner how to become a saint,
and the saint how to grow in every grace.
Here I am instructed what company to choose, what to
shun; whom to esteem and delight in, whom to pity, and for
whom to pray. Here I am admonished j;iow to behave as a
public or private person towards men of every rank, in peace
or war, as victor or vanquished. Here are the infallible rules
whereby I may know the state of my soul, and if my claim
for future bliss be well grounded, or founded on delusive
dreams. Here I learn for what to care, and how to estimate
created things, and all the gaudy pomp of time. In a word,
here I am taught how to have my conversation in heaven
while on earth, to ripen for glory, and enlarge for God.
MEDITATION CXXIII.
ASSURANCE.
Should not the folly of the world teach me wisdom? — They
provide for lime, and shall I not provide for eternity? But,
how shall I secure endless felicity, and know my interest in
unchangeable love?
Well then, may not I, in the language of faith, argue my-
self into a firm belief of eternal bliss? and, without delusion,
fortify myself against the attacks of sin, and sallies of unbe-
lief?— Is not Christ come to seek and save the lost? and am
not I among the number, and willing to be sought and saved?
— Is not the call to all the sons of men without exception?
Why, then, not obey it without contradiction? — Am not I com-
manded to believe and be saved? Then, have I never believed
as yet, or am I determined never to believe? No; "Lord, I
believe, help thou mine unbelief" — Further, has my faith
the marks of true faith? Is it a faith that purifies the heart,
and aims at holiness of life? Have I accepted of Christ on his
own terms, of a whole and complete Saviour? Then true
214 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
faith can never be disappointed, nor the true believer fall
finally away, for " faith is the gift of God," and " the gifts and
calling of God are without repentance.'"'
Now, from the foot of the ladder I ascend, and climb the
sacred steps, till T reach the throne of God, and read the secrets
of eternity, the records of redeeming love. Hence, if my daily
burden be indwelling sin, and if I strive against the tyrant
raging in my breast, in such a manner, that what I do I allow
not, this is a sign of the new nature ; for light and darkness
cannot dwell together in perfect peace, but darkness and
darkness struggle not together. Now, will not this say, that
I am partly sanctified; and if sanctified, that I am justified;
and if justified, that.I am predestinated; and if predestinated,
that I by name am foreknown in the decree of election ? Now,
am I not as sure of salvation, as if I were in heaven already?
Can the purpose of God be disannulled ? Can the faithfulness
of God fail?
I may doubt, and be in the dark again, respecting my clear
ness to my claim, but he will never deny himself. — Heaven
and earth may, yea, shall pass away, but his purposes of love,
and promises of grace, shall stand. Can I not trust God in
time for the completing of my promised happiness when time
shall be no more, as well as trust him for the continuation of
my consummate felicity in heaven, through eternity itself?
Can times and dates, periods and seras, make any change on
God! No, all is eternity with the unchangeable Jehovah;
flying time only respects frail and dying creatures, such as I
am. If, then, I have an interest in his love now, I shall
have it for ever; for though death tears my soul and body
asunder, it shall not touch m}^ state, nor separate me from
his love. Now, what would faith, nay, what would sense
have more?
But, there is another security given to mine eternal bliss;
for I am elected "in the Beloved." Now, heaven and eter-
nity would look strange to the believers, if their best friend
were not there; and empty to Christ, if his costly purchase
was not there. Yea, my happiness is, as it were, connected
with the happiness of the man Christ. Now, the Son is eter-
nally united to the human nature, as Mediator; and there is
no jarring betwixt the human and divine natures, in the per-
son of the Son. There being, therefore, a sacred oneness
between the glorious Head and all his members, there is also
a commonness of felicity, among them; so that the glory
which the Father gives to Christ, he gives to his disciples,
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 215
and into the very joy of their Lord all .lis followers enter.
Therefore, in and with an exalted and glorified Jesus, I shall
be eternally blessed. Now, unless I be afraid that Christ
mystical can be divided, the divine attributes set a jarring, the
hypostatical union dissolved, the covenant of grace disannulled,
and the eternal decrees broken, I may rest in the sweetest
assurance of divine favour, in spite of all the blasts that earth
and hell, and sin and unbelief, can raise.
MEDITATION CXXIV.
OUR MEDITATIONS CRAHIPED, UNLESS STRETCHED BEYOND
DEATH.
1761.
Would any man envy that person's situation as superla
lively happy, who were confined to a garden, beautified indeed
with all the varieties of nature, and decorated with all the
ornaments of art, if its walls were high to heaven, so that he
could not cast a look beyond them, but must remain a stran-
ger to the whole world, except his own family, not being in-
dulged with a single glance of the spacious plains that border
on him, the shady forests, and the murmuring streams, the
mighty oceans, and magnificent kingdoms, scattered on the
face of the globe, and so could neither exult in the felicity,
nor sympathize with the affliction of any tribe of men? Yet
this man would be far more happy, (as here he might remem-
ber his latter end,) than he that dares not look beyond death,
thnt will not think on a world to come.
How is he cooped up, that can only reflect on the few
scenes that are past, or revolve in his mind those which are
expected to take place during a present, but transitory life!
How is he straitened in his acquaintance, though a courtier,
though a king, who only knows and is known among the per-
ishing sons of clay, but never lets his thoughts penetrate into
the world of spirits, or rise to the Father of lights ! Such a
man, whatever he be in this world, is to be deplored, not imi-
tated; pitied, not envied.
If the dissolving pang sets a bound to my meditations, I am
of all meditants most miserable ; but if I can transpierce the
shadows of death through a well grounded faith in Christ, and
rise into the broad day of eternity, to breathe there as in a
native air, then every thought triumphs, and my whole soul
216 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
is joyful and serene; for thus/I may smile in the face of im
oending ruin, knowing that my treasure is on high. Thus
may I, undisturbed, stand the overthrow of thrones, being as-
sured that the throne of God my Saviour is established of old,
and stands for ever sure. Thus may I get foretastes of the
bliss, prelibations of the banquet above.
Now, my state must be either thus happy, or else of such
a terrible extreme, that when I look towards death, I am
troubled; towards judgment I am terrified; towards God, I
tremble; and towards eternity, I am lost in astonishment and
anguish. But happy condition! if I can look on this world as
my pilgrimage and prison, and on death as the door through
which I shall enter into the glorious liberty of the sons of God;
and if even now, by meditating on the exercise that em-
ploys the church of the first-born, the divine communion they
are admitted to, the beatitudes they enjoy, and the glories^
they behold, I familiarize the unseen world to my soul, and
contract acquaintance in eternity itself.
MEDITATION CXXV.
HOW TO BE EICII IN HEAVEN.
Sept. 25yl7Q8.
If it IS prudent to provide for the time to come, how much
more so to provide for eternity! While to be rich in this
world is the passion of thousands, to be rich in the next be
mine. An appetite after earthly grandeur, bewrays a mean
spirit, and a base soul; but an ambition to be great in heaven,
is worthy of an heir of God, of an expectant of glory : For
it is to the honour of the supreme Potentate, that all his sub-
jects be nobles, be priests, be kings.
In this short lifetime is the foundation laid of things of eter-
nal moment, and the wisdom that is from above will teach
me to send all my treasures thither. It deserves little or no
pity to be poor in this world, but poverty in the other is de-
plorable beyond the reach of compassion. — Temporal losses
may distress me; but such is the brevity of life, that while I
complain I expire, and then I am possessed of all the trea-
sures of glory, of all the fulness of God. And yet, according
to the capacity of glorified saints, shall the same undiminished
fulness be possessed in greater or lesser degree.
MISCELLANSOUS MEDITATIONS. 217
"How rich died he?'" is the speech of fjols at the decease
of an acquaintance or friend. But none ever die rich but tho
saints; for, how can that man be said to die rich, when the
very moment of his dissolution robs him of his all.
"Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven," is the admo-
nition of the dear Redeemer. Let me, then, lay down an
imperfect plan to myself, how to be rich for eternity.
1. Then, presupposing that I am in a gracious state, I must
have a Christian contempt of the world. No man ever filled
his coffers with sand; no monarch ever wore the pebble in his
crown : so the soul that lays up his treasures in heaven, will
not concern himself with perishing trifles. If my affections
are not weaned from the creature, and set on things above, I
shall be but poor in the world of spirits.
2. I must be watchful in all things. The man that is
anxious to be rich will not waste a penny; so must I Avatch
mine actions, my thoughts, my words. Again, I must watch
f)r God.^ against all my sacret sins, and afso to reprove the
transgressor. A bold and sincere reproof of sin, is a stroke
against the enemies of the King, from which a palm of vic-
tory shall spring in the world of glory.— I must also speak in
commendation of the good land, that others may be en-
couraged to set out for the land of promise. And could I
bring the whole world with me, I should be more welcome to
the seats of bliss. — Again, I must watch against carnal sor-
row. Should the heir of a crown lament the loss of a feather?
What can death do in his family who is the resurrection and
the life? It may separate them a little while, but it is only
to meet again forever. — Worldly riches give their owners joy,
but joy in the Lord increases spiritual riches. So I must
guard against carnal delight ; none of the gay things of tim.e
must be objects of my affection. It wou4d be mean for a no-
ble personage to be charmed with a stable, who has a palace
prepared for him; mean for an heir of God to sit down and
feed on the refuse of the creation.— Again, I must beware
of carnal company.- These are bankrupts that will spend
at my expense, and whatever loss I make by them, yet in
their company I shall never be able to add a mite to my
celestial treasure. How can I be safe among robbers? They
may rob me of a good frame, wound my conscience, and at
last leave me with a bleeding heart, which may pain me many
days.
3. To grow rich for the world to come, I must study
to be heavenly minded, not by fits and starts, but in on©
T
218 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
constant, steady, holy frame of spirit. Thus every duty will be
my delight; prayer and praise, like my daily food, always
pleasant; attendance on the public ordinances, like walking
in the King's palace-garden ; reading the Scriptures, like con-
ferring with the dearest friend; and self-examination, like the
merchant from a far country, counting over his rich jewels
and precious gems, inspecting his gold and silver, that it have
the king's stamp, and so be sterling money; that his graces,
his duties, his attainments, are approved by Scripture and
conscience.
4. Holy meditations will mightily augment the spiritual
riches. To find God in all things, and at all times, in all
places, and in all providences, will enrich my soul for eternity.
To find his power in this, his wisdom in that, and his goodness
in all, will greatly improve my inquiring, my admiring soul.
Meditating much, meditating often, meditating with delight,
on him in whom are hid the treasures of wisdom, }s a noble
way to enrich me for a future world.
5. To be rich in the better country, I must heartily study
to approve of all the dispensations of Providence; though not
insensible when he frowns, or when he smiles. When the
soul of the Christian, with a filial resignation, acquiesces in
the conduct of his Almighty Father, however cross to flesh
and blood, and, in the midst of all commotions, reposes him-
self on his unchangeable love, he takes deep root for eternity;
while fear and unbelief toss the unstable, like a rolling thing
before the whirlwind. It is proper only to children, not to
men, to be peevish tor toys and trifles; so let the men of this
world lament the loss of worldly things, but let the heirs of
God, the joint heirs with Christ, rejoice that the treasures of
eternity are theirs.
6. To be rich unto God, and for eternity, I must act strong
faith on the Rock of ages ; for it is from the spoils of battles
won by faith, that I amass riches for the invisible world.
Faith relying on a reconciled God in all his attributes and
perfections, on Jesus in all his offices and relations, on the
Holy Ghost in all his graces and operations, must remove
mountains of difficulty, pluck up trees of corruption, pull
down strong-holds of sin, wrestle against principalities and
powers, and be more than conqueror at last, through her all-
glorious Author and Finisher.
7. I must also redeem time, and improve time; redeem
time from this world, and improve it for the world to come.
The man of business will be loth to lose a change-hour for
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 2VJ
any trifling amusemant,- and the soul that would be busy for
eternity, should look on every hour as his last hour, and
should avoid excess of sloth and slumber. Vain amusements
impertinent employments, are cruel moths of time; and time
is to be husbanded, though worlds should be squandered away
As the Jeweller deals with gold, so must I with time; he is
careful about the filings, and loses nothing— so should I about
the smallest divisions of time, the hour, the minute, the mo-
ment. It never made a dying person's bed thorny, ihat by a
bad bargain, he lost such and such a sum; but mispenf
time has made the dying moments of many dismal beyond
expression.
8. To be rich in the world to come, I must have an intense
love towards God and heavenly things. The men that love
the world, pant after the dust of the world, and spare no pains
to be rich in the world. A man will never toil himself to
gather what he despise; so, unless I prefer heavenly things
to earthly, I shall never seek to fill my treasure witli invisi-
ble excellences. " He that loveth silver," savs the wise man,
"shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abun-
dance with increase." But he that loveth God shall be
satisfied with God, and entranced with the exuberant fulness
of the covenant.
9. To be rich indeed at last, I must endeavour to maintain
communion with God. To have fellowship with the Father
and with his Son Jesus Christ, in ail his divine fulness, his
glorious perfections, and his gracious ways, is the most en-
rich mg course that I can carry en below. Every moment of
divine intercourse would be sinking another sum in the bank
of heaven, so that I should be wondrous rich at last. He that
quits the Indies for Europe, sends his treasures before him-
then, though he be poor at his departure from the one country!
yet he is rich on his arrival at the other; so, well were it
with me, if I could detach my thoughts and meditations, my
care and affections, my joy and delight, my hope and expec-
tations, from this perishing world, and centre them on the
invisible world.
_ 10. In a word, to abound in all things in the better country,
I must make God my all in all, and just sit down and won-
der at the overflowing treasure, till my mouldering clay let
my immortal soul fly hence to commence immensely rich in
heaven, in the possession of his infinite self, world without
end.
220 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
MEDITATION CXXVI.
REVENGE REJECTED.
Oct. 12, 1771.
Such is the corruption of human nature, such is the weak
ness of grace in this imperfect state, that, though the most
part of Christians can act the Christian in some things, it is
rare to find the man who can act the Christian in all things.
When we are only spectators of the conduct of others, it is
easy to prescribe, like an apostle, and enforce the golden rules
of the gospel; but, when it toucheth our very selves, we are
troubled. A beam can lie concealed in our own eye, while
a mote is clearly seen in our neighbour's. I am a man, a sin-
ner; and to guard against sinful sallies of passion is the de-
sign of this meditation; since, being a man, I must expect to
suffer from one hand or other; and being a sinful man, under
my sufferings I may sin.
The malice I have an eye to is causeless, cruel, riveted,
and unrelenting, so that my natural spirits boil at the remem-
brance, and breathe retaliation to the guilty. But the
character of the Christian is meekness, and the person who
expects to arrive at heaven, must have his conversation in
heaven, even while dwelling on the confines, and contending
with the fire brands of hell.
The precept and example of the King of saints shall ever
be my pattern in the militant state. "Love your enemies,"
says the non-such Teacher; and 'let me heal his ear, that
lost it while leading on the unhallowed crowd to apprehend
me as a thief,' says the divine Redeemer. These are lessons
worthy of a God to give, and worthy of all the sons of God
to imitate. The military hero, under the eye and by the
command of his prince, scales walls,^akes cities, runs in the
face of danger, and defies death itself; and so the Christian
hero, prompted by the presence and the precept of Heaven,
should study to conquer self, and all is won. "liOve the
brotherhood," says an apostle; I hear all the saints add Amen,
for " we know that we are passed from death to life, because
we love the brethren." But " love your enemies," (I feel cor
rupt nature reluctant!) is the J ^ay of the great Apostle and
High Priest of our profession; and to do so would prove, not
only that we are passed from death to life, but that grace is
very lively.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 221
It is a shame for me to take so far amiss, or dwell so much
on, what a fellow-creature, who is on the same level, or only
a little superior to me, has done to me, and yet never reflect
on my offence against God, who is infinitely exalted above
me, beyond conception and thought. If I am injured the law
is broken; if the law is broken, God is dishonoured; and that
God is dishonoured, and not that I am injured, should be the
cause of my sorrow, and the burden of my soul. He cannot
greatly offend against me, though he should spue out his bit-
terest malice ; for it matters not though the potsherds of the
earth, while striving with the potsherds of the earth, should
go all to shivers; but I shall greatly offend against God, who
is over all blessed for ever, if I render evil for evil, since he
has expressly forbidden it.
How often have I wasted precious time, by revolring in
my mind all the aggravations of my injurious treatment, for-
getful that every day I have offended God in a much greater
degree! forgetful, also, that I have daily received from him
such tender mercies as mioht make me forget all the mischief
that my fellow-creatures could do to me. That malice must
owe its birth to hell, that could wish the hated persons con-
demned to everlasting flames; and I aver that there is not a
saint on the footstool, but can wish his greatest enemy a share
in the common salvation, and a mansion, in the highest
heavens. How mean, how inconsistent, then to wish him a
kingdom and a crown, and 5et that he may have a thorn in
his foot, (trouble in person, family, character, or estate,) while
travelling thither.
"Follow peace with all men," enemies not excepted.
Though some individuals break this command with respect to
me, yet I am not less bound to observe it towards them.
Moreover, why should I, who have peace with God, through
our Lord Jesus Christ, peace of conscience, and shall shortly
enter into an eternity of peace, have an uproar of war kin-
dled in all the powers of my soul, by the impotent bravadoes
of a worm? Suppose there is nothing engaging, nothing
amiable about my opponent, that can make me love him for
his own sake, yet I am to love him for God's sake, because
by God commanded so to do. " God is love ;" this the whole
creation knows, while his sun shines on the evil and on the
good, and his rain falls on the just and the unjust; and "he
that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God." Shall any tempta
tion, shall any unjust usage, provoke me from my high abode
to sit down on the dunghill of anger and revenge? whenever
t2
222 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
I cease to dwell in Iqve, and to be all love to friends and foes,
(no matter how they have used me,) then I cease to dwell in
God. And this is as if a royal personage should descend from
his throne, and wade to his arm-pits in a puddle to pursue a fly,
or kill a frog. With what a strange appearance would he
again ascend his throne! And how shall I return from a
worse situation to my divine dwelling-place?
Again, have I never received any favours or benefits from
him? or, have there never been acts of friendship between
us? Why, then, is all this forgot in the heat of my wrath?
It should be my study, and would be my glory, never to for-
get a kindness, never to remember an injury. This may be
called a mean spirit by the world, but I am sure it is the spirit
of Christianity. Moreover, can I suppose myself so perfect,
as to receive so much ill usage, and return none? Then, if
I have said or done aught amiss in the excess of my passion,
as no doubt I have, should not I make some allowance for this
in the folly of my friend ? especially if incendiaries come be-
tween, who always represent things in the worst light.
I may be apt to think, that, had my haters the least appear-
ance of the grace of God about them, I could then frankly
forgive them. But, would not this be the cruelty of a fiend?
If they have no interest in God, are they not doubly the ob-
jects of my most tender compassion? If a man has lost a
hand, will I pity him? but if he has lost eyes, legs aiid arms,
will I storm in cruel rage against him? In offending brethren,
I must pity the error, and forgive them; but, in offending sin-
ners, I must commiserate their very state, and pray for them
And, indeed, this would be the only v/ay to render love for
hatred, and good for evil. Henceforth, therefore, I will carry
my bitterest enemies to the throne of grace, and implore the
best of blessings on my most flagitious fjes.
If a man uses me rudely or injuriously in the rage of a fe-
ver, I feel nothing for mine own maltreatment, but a real
concern for my frantic friend, and hope the crisis of the fever
will restore him to the use of his reason; or, if another per-
son would gnaw his own flesh to do me a mischief all the
year round, then, with deeper compassion, I consider my un-
happy acquaintance as a confirmed lunatic, or miserable
bedlamite. Even so I should look on the man that uses me
ill in a fit of passion, as in a mental delirium, and pity him —
and on him that maltreats me from month to month, and from
year to year, as a mental lunatic, and commiserate his
mournful situation from the bottom of my soul.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 223
If I will not forgive a fellow-creature a hundred pence,
(about poor three pounds!) how can I daily plead with heaven
to be forgiven my ten thousand talents, (twenty-two millions
Sterling!) and yet, unless I am daily favoured with richer
pardons than the remission of any given sum, I am undone
for ever.
As it is noble to prevent the needy with our charity, and
not wait till importuned, so it is truly noble to forgive injuries,
though neither desired to do it, nor thanked for it. When an
offending person confesses his fault, and begs pardon, it is
praiseworthy to pardon, and yet we can do no less, because
we are victorious over him in his submission. But it is much
more noble, from a sense of duty, to forgive stubborn offen-
ders, because then we obtain a victory over ourselves, which
is the best of all conquests.
To indulge rancour and revenge may gratify my unrenewed
part, but cannot benefit ray better part here or hereafter; but
to f jrgive and forget enemies and injuries, will be no grief of
mind to me when I arrive at the heavenly state, mingle among
saints and angels, and dwell in the presence of God.
April 6, 1777. — Alas! my meditation is not finished till
my antagonist is no more ! O how few years bring us to our
latter end ! and why should we keep our anger for ever and
our contentions while we live? It is comfort to me, that
some years ago we were reconciled ; and O how feeble is the
wrath of a mortal, who cannot defend himself from a mo-
ment's sickness ! Now he is taken up with the great concerns
of the world of spirits, and that for eternity; and in a little I
shall also arrive at my fixed state, and be taken up with eter-
nal things, O that the precious time, and precious thoughts,
which I employed on what I accounted ill usage, had been
spent in heavenly meditations ! then I had brought meat out
of the eater, and sweetness out of the strong. May this be a
caveat to me in all time coming, that whatever maltreatment
I may get from a fellow-creature, quite to overlook it, and to
acknowledge Heaven in all, and to meditate on heaven for
all: Thus shall I behave like a child of God, and a candidate
for glory. O how foolish is it to fear a worm or a grasshop-
per, as if the Most High did not rule over all the children of
"len!
To live in view of eternity would make me think little of
love or the hatred, the affection or aff*ronts, of my fellow-crea-
tures, since in a little they shall go from me, or I from them,
into the invisible world , and I cannot tell how soon.
224 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
MEDITATION CXXVII.
WHITSUNDAY.
May 28, 1775.
From every season of the year, from every period of time,
natural or artificial, we may learn something. At iliis time
then, the landed proprietors set the whole country in motion,
and there is a mighty stir to answer their demands. Some
wealthy farmers care not a farthing for this critical day, be-
cause they are prepared for it ; others hath plenty both of mo
ney and chatties, but their money lies so scattered in the
country, that they cannot command one shilling, and they
cannot convert their stock into cash, so that for the time their
credit is like to break, notwithstanding all their plenty. But
the poor farmer finds term-day overtake him, and he knows
not what to do, or where to turn. Well, let this remind the
landlord and the tenant, that a day of accounts will come,
when the lease of life expires, and the great Proprietor of
heaven and earth will reckon with them for all they have
enjoyed. Some saints are so clear respecting their interest
in Christ, so rich in his imputed righteousness, so full of hea-
venly assurance, that they rather rejoice than tremble at the
day of judgment; others, though in a gracious state, are so
encumbered with worldly cares, are so beclouded with des-
ponding thoughts, that they cannot collect their evidences for
the better country, and are afraid that, when they stand in
the judgment, they shall be condemned. But the sinner, who
is poor towards God, and has nothing provided for eternity,
not the least evidence for heaven, well may tremble and be
horribly afraid for the judgment.
Again, every other creditor will be staved off, and delayed
for a time, that the landlord be not disappointed of his rents.
O that we were thus wise in spiritual things ! first to have
matters between God and our souls on a comfortable footing,
and then all other things shall run in a pleasant channel.
Being to clear with the landlord, occasions an universal
clearance with one another. Even so, in the day of judg-
ment, not only the sins committed directly against God, but
injuries against one another, whereby he also is offended,
shall be condemned in his presence.
The thoughtless and improvident tenant makes no dili-
gence till the very term-day comes, and then what running
trom person to person, to borrow but for a few days! but in
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 225
vain, since the same term has overtaken them all, as well as
him. Even so the foolish virgins, in that awful day, will find
no oil to buy, but must be shut out from the heavenly mar
riage, forever to dwell in darkness and despair.
Again, some may think themselves richly provided for this
day, and able to answer all their landlord's demands, but how
are they confounded to find their bank-bills refused, as being
forged or insufficient, or their cash cast back as being foreign,
counterfeit, or too light. Just so, alas ! many presumptuous
hypocrites will find all their feigned righteousness rejected,-
proud legalists will find their good works, when weighed, mis-
erably wanting; and all who depend on any thing but
the perfect righteousness of Jesus, will find themselves
eternally lost.
Again, whether we look to town or country, we will find
the confusion universal; people removing from place to place,
houses left without inhabitant, and some families thrown out,
that can scarce find a house to go to; masters changing ser-
vants, and for a few days with scarce a servant to attend
them; servants going to new masters, and some thrown alto-
gether out of a place; and even young infants, that know not
whither they are going, are subjects of the general confusion.
May not this remind iis all, whether masters or servants,
householders or lodgers, landlords or tenants, that we must
all soon, how soon we cannot tell, remove from this to the in-
visible world? Wo to the inhabitant, whether he dwell in a
palace or in a cottage, who must quit his clay tabernacle,
without any hopes of being admitted into the mansions of
glory! Wo to the man who has all his life-time been the ser-
vant of sin, and shall find, at the awful hour of death, that
eternal death shall be all the wages of his service! The man
of gray hairs, who is half-dead to this world, and the infant
of a span long, who knows nothing of a world to come, must
go together to the silent grave.
Would he not be an arrant fool, who, though warned away
from his farm, and from his house, should let the period ex-
pire without providing himself in another, and thus be cast
out into the open fields at last? Such exampels are rare, but
instances of a more consummate folly are fearfully abundant,
while numbers who know that they must very soon drop this
mortal frame, and quit with all below, give themselves no
concern, and take no thought how or where they shall dwell
through an endless eternity.
226 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
Though a time of removal be expectedj and provided for
too, yet when it comes there is always some unexpected hurry
and confusion along with it. Just so, though we expect
death ourselves, or on some of our family, yet we may expect
to be surprised at last, and taken at unawares ; therefore it
will be our wisdom not to delay the great work of making our
calling and election sure, till sickness enfeeble every nerve,
and death sit down on our eye-lids.
The poor farmer, who tugs and sweats to gather his mas-
ter's rent, thinks such gentlemen are the only happy persons
on the face of the earth; not considering that many men of
fortune find it difficult to keep their incomes and expenses on
an equal balance ; that others are still more extravagant than
opulent; and a third sort the worst of all, spend their estates
to ruin their souls. It is rare to find in the world those that
can use it, and not abuse themselves or it; therefore a golden
mediocrity has been the wish of all wise men in all ages.
At this time some monied men have it in their power by
helping a poor friend, or an indigent neighbour to win a bles-
sing to themselves, and lose nothing at the latter end. What
blessings, then, should an elect world ascribe to Jesus, that
best, that none-such friend, who for them answers all the
demands of law and justice, and has got their full, their final
discharge at the court of heaven, from his Almighty Father's
hand, so that they have no claims, no condemnation to fear,
either in this world, or in that to come!
Lastly, when those who had to remove are snugly accom-
modated in their new houses; when masters have got home
their servants, and servants got to their places ; when debtors
have cleared with their creditors, and farmer's got their land-
lord's discharge ; then what a sweet calm, serenity, and joy
succeed to the late tumult of thought and whirlwind of anxi-
ety! Even so, when the saints arrive at the mansions of
glory, are acquitted by the judge of all the earth, and finally
discharged from sin and death, then shall they forget their
afflictions as the waters that flow away, then joy shall crown
their heads, and songs shall fill their mouth, and they shall be
satisfied with their own felicity, exult in his salvation, and be
ravished with his goodness forever.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 227
MEDITATION CXXVIII.
AGAINST MURMURI?,-G AT MISFORTUNES.
May 4, 1776.
If Providence is pleased lo crush my comforts of any kind,
shall I make my situation less comfortable by complaining?
If God chastises me as a son, shall I make myself an enemy,
by rebelling against the discipline of my Father's house?
If heaven sends affliction on me, shall I make the sad addi-
tion of sin to my sorrow, by quarreling at my sufferings? If
I am noi so happy as I would choose to be, I should still study
to be holy, humble, and content, and I shall never be very
miserable. It is only in the things of time that I am disap-
pointed; and what else can I expect where infinite wisdom
has pronounced all to be vanity and vexation of spirit? He
that lets God go for the creature, may well expect storms and
tempests to blow around him, he that promises to himself
happiness in any thing under the sun, shall every day of his
life have one lesson or other to rectify his mistake. He that
seeks not God in all things, and prefers not God above all
things, and is not satisfied with God in the room of all things,
may expect vexation in every thing, and shall be happy in
nothing. To fathers of our flesh we have given obedience,
even when their own pleasure was the rule of their conduct;
and shall we be less submissive to the Father of our spirits
when our profit is always in his heavenly plan? In our
choice of good things, in our requests for blessings, we may
be mistaken, but in his bounty he cannot err, whether he gives
much or little, this or that, any thing or nothing. Surely, I
can never think or say that my wisdom could have made the
world, or myself; how, then, can I think that my wisdom
could rule the world or myself? That cannot be called a mis-
fortune that makes me wiser, or a cross that makes me better,
or a loss that makes me richer in heaven, or a disappointment
which makes me quit with every creature, and cleave to God
alone. If a burden is tied on my back, which I must carry to
such a place, the more 1 fling it from me, it falls down with
the greater weight, and instead of getting free of it, it becomes
a greater burden still; but, if I go on calmly, my burden
grows gradually lighter, by my patience and submission, till
I get quit of it at last altogether.
Not stupid, but submissive, not dejected, but resigned, not
combatting the means, nor quarrelling the instrument, but
228 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
confessing the first cause, and adoring the sovereignty of
Heaven, is my present duty, and will be my peace both now
and in time to come.
There is not an angel of God, nor a saint in glory, but ap-
proves of the whole conduct of Providence; and therefore,
though so imperfect in comparison of angels and glorified
saints, yet, through grace, I would wish to say, " Thy will be
done on earth as it is in Heaven ;" and, to all that thou hast
done, art doing and wilt do concerning me, "Amen."
MEDITATION CXXIX.
A CAVEAT AGAINST EXCESS OF JOY IN PEOSPECT OP ANY
CREATED GOOD.
July 24, 1776.
Such is the corruption of human nature, even in the best,
that while we receive the good things of this life, we forget
the Giver, and idolize the gift. On the one hand we are to
think highly of every blessing, who deserve to have our very
blessings cursed; and we ought to receive with humble grati-
tude, every favour, who have forfeited all ; but, on the other
hand, we are always to bear in our mind these few following
reflections, which will help us to rejoice with moderation.
1. Created good is always greater in the prospect than in
the possession; while the heavenly bliss, like Solomon's
glory and wisdom, appears still the greater the nearer it is
approached.
2. No worldly felicity can enrich the soul ; and many a
time the happiest men, with respect to the world, have the
greatest leanness in their soul, and, as their outward man
flourishes, their inward man decays.
3. Nothing that we receive in the world can keep us a mo-
ment longer in it; but many things which we may possess,
as riches and relations, make us both unwilling and unfit to
leave the world.
4. There is always a want in the most perfect, and a thorn
in the most pleasant, of earthly enjoyments.
5. Have we a good name? Lying tongues may ruin it.
Have we riches? These, however well secured, (mind this,)
may make themselves wings as eagles and fly away. Have
we relations, beloved, deserving and endearing? Death may
deprive us of them all, and leave us to mourn alone. — Have
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS 229
we children? They may die young, and set our hearts a-
bleeding; or they may live long, and by their irreligious life
break our very hearts, when we are bowed down with years.
6. He makes a poor exchange, who takes the creature
for God, or gives God less room in his mind, in his medi-
tations, in his affections, that his enjoyments may have
the more.
7. Tranquility of mind, and a smiling conscience, are the
gifts of Heaven ; and no enjoyment can bestow them, or com-
pensate the loss when gone.
8. Carnality will spring up at every corner, come in with
every good thing, and, like Satan among the sons of God, in-
trude itself amidst all the graces of the Spirit; so that we have
need to be always on our guard.
9. The brevity and uncertainty of human life, as it should
dry the tears of the mourner, so it should moderate the joys
of all the children of men.
10. According to the talents put into our hand, according
to the gifts of Heaven to us, so must we account to the sove-
reign Judge of all ; and our aptness to misgive in every thing,
should keep us humble at all times, and in all places.
11. Since infinite wisdom has seen meet to bestow very
little created good, or earthly felicity, on the greater part
of his people, this should teach us to possess the good
things of this life with fear, and to rejoice in them with
trembling.
12. To be dispossessed of our possessions, to lose our re-
lations, to be dismissed from our posts and employments, and
to be bereft of all our enjoyments, is more galling and irk-
some, than never to have had possession, relation, post, or
employment.
13. Created good things we can neither carry with us to
another world, draw comfort from in the hour of death, nor
secure to our heirs in this world, when we are no more; there-
fore it is only our vitiated imagination that pictures out such
scenes of pleasure in a thing of nought.
14. Confidence in the creature too often accompanies the
possession of the creature ; yet this is the cut-worm at the root
of all our enjoyments; for it is in God, the Giver of all, that
all our confidence should rest.
15. The favour of God is our best inheritance, the provi-
dence of God is our richest possession ; the one can make us
happy, in spite of all misfortunes, while we live, and the
other can attend our posterity, when we are no more.
230 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
1(3. Finally, our wisdom is to seek to enjoy God in all
things, to see him in all things, and in all things to glorify
him; to prefer him above all things, and to be fully satisfied
with him alone, in the room of all things, relations, riches,
good name, peace, prosperity, health, and life, or whatever
we enjoy below.
MEDITATION CXXX
THE JOY OF SALVATION.
Aug. 25, 1776.
What must the joy of the benighted traveller be, that has
lost his way, and walks every step in terror of his life, through
the roaring of lions, and yells of wild beasts around him,
when the light of the morning scatters his fears, and the rising
sun sends the beasts of prey again to their dens? What must
the joy of the mariner be, that has sustained a terrible tem-
pest, while the heavens above opened in thunder and light-
ning, and the ocean raged around in high swelling surges, till
his vessel was a very wreck, and he expected to be buried in
every returning billow, when at once the storm is changed
into a clam, his native country appears in sight, and he ar-
rives safe at his desired harbour! What must the joy of that
person be, who banished into cruel exile, has a long time
dwelt with savages, or beasts of prey, when recalled by a
royal edict, and invited to dwell among his brethren, and in
his father's house? What must the joy of an indigent man
be, who, oppressed with poverty, could never call aught his
own, when he finds a treasure so rich, so immense, that
thenceforth he shall be accounted the most opulent man in
the country? What must the joy of the rebel be, who, being
outlawed, and a price set upon his head, skulked in continual
fear, and trembled at every breath of wind, when the royal
pardon gives him his life, restores him to favour, and admits
him to his sovereign's presence? What must the joy of the
valiant soldier be, who, having stood long in the field of bat-
tle, engaged troop after troop, till faint and fatigued almost to
death, yet conquers all his foes at last, clears the field, and
returns in safety to the spoil? What must the joy of that man
be, who has been chained to strife and contention for many
years, when blessed with peace around, peace in his own
house, peace in his own mind ? What must the joy of those
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 231
affectionate parents be, whose only son is delivered from the
jaws of death? of that loving husband, whose amiable wife
is as it were restored to him from the dead ? What must the
joy of the prisoner be, who has long been confined to a loath-
some dungeon, a stranger to the light of day, the sweets of so-
ciety, and the visits of his friends, when set at perfect lib-
erty, to walk in the light, and enjoy himself with his friends?
What must the joy of the stranger be, who has walked wdiole
days over burning mountains, around terrible craters of thun-
dering volcanoes, trembling, lest he sink amidst the latent
flames, or perish by some sudden eruption, w^hen he finds
himself safe on the fragrant plain, and charmed with the vine-
yards that spread around him? What must the joy of the
bankrupt be, whose generous friend pays all his debts, brings
him out of jail, and allows him a fund that he shall never
want again ? What must the joy of the infirm, bed-ridden pa-
tient be, who has long turned his face from the world, and
toward the wall, beheld the grave as his solitary lodging, and
taken his farewell of the children of men, when raised from
his bed of languishing, his health recovered, and his youth
renewed as the eagle's? What must the joy of the criminal
be, who, guilty of some atrocious crime, has been condemned
to lose his life, and, on the appointed day, amidst assembied
thousands, is led forth to execution; when lo! a post, swift as
the wings of the wind, arrives with the royal pardon, that
swells his breast with transport and surprise, and saves him
from death? What must the joy be of persons beseiged, and
«50 straitened, and reduced to famine, that they are compelled
almost to eat the flesh of one another, or their own, when the
siege is raised, and plenty pours in at every gate? -What
must the joy be of one journeying over burning sands, scorch-
ed with the sun, and parching with raging thirst, till like to
fall down dead, when a crystal fountain, or flowing stream
appears before him? What must the joy of a beggar be,
when admitted heir to a wealthy prince? What must the joy
of a slave be, who, though loaded with chains, has often felt
the rod of correction, when he sees his fetters knocked oflT,
his vile raiment taken away, himself clothed in scarlet, a
crown put upon his head, a sceptre in his hand, and himself
proclaimed a king? Such, and much more, is the joy of sal-
vation, where sinners are made saints, worms rise into angels,
and men are made like unto God.
232 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
MEDITATION CXXXJ.
ON VISITS.
Sept. 5, 1776.
To make and return visits is both friendly and fashionable;
but it is sad, that too often, when we commence the visitant,
we drop the Christian. How melancholy that it cannot be
known whether we be Turks or Christians, but by our posture
at table ! Where the entertainment is remarkable for nothing
but noise and nonsense, loud peals of laughter, puns, and buf-
foonery, it is a poor welcome we give to our guests, and a
shameful return we make to our host. If at one table we find
profanity, at another folly, he that visits least will suffer least.
A whole day spent in mirth, and not one word in any dis-
course about religion and not one thought of God in any heart,
is an awful blank and a sad waste of time.
Though at a friendly feast, or social entertainment, we do
not meet to preach, we yet should always meet to improve
one another in useful knowledge; and a serious "word fitly
spoken " might shine " like apples of gold in pictures of sil-
ver." Such a conduct might, at some times, though not often,
produce the laugh against us; but the approbation of Heaven,
and the testimony of a good conscience, will easily balance
this. If our company be such, that we can get nothing seri-
ous introduced, let us rejoice that they cannot prevent our
ejaculations to God, and, in our meditation, let us now and
then retire to converse above.
In how many houses, at how many tables, may Ichabod be
written. Religion is not here; the glory is departed! Whate-
ver table our Saviour, when on earth, sat at, he was sure to
enrich it with some heavenly dishes, and fed his audience
with sacred truth; so it should be our constant endeavour ne-
ver to come away the worse of any company, but the better;
never to leave any company the worse of us, but the better.
Why should not our grace, as well as the impiety of others,
like the rich perfume, bewray itself, whether we will or will
not? Every where, and every time, at home or abroad, whe-
ther we eat or drink, receive or return visits., and in every
company, we should do all to the glory of God; who gives us
all that we enjoy below, and will at last make us sit down at
the marriage-supper of the Lamb, where the converse shall
enlarge, delight, and ravish evermore!
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 233
MEDITATION CXXXII.
THE ANGUISH OP DAMNATION.
Oct. 15, 1776.
How must their breasts beat, and hearts throb, wlio are
cast into a den of lions, while the savage monsters tear off
their flesh, and break their bones in pieces ! How bitter must
the cry of Egypt have been in that memorable night, when,
in every house, the first-born of man and beast lay breathless,
and the doleful lamentation was echoed from border to border,
and from one end of the land to the other! What must the
consternation of Sodom's inhabitants have been, when fire
and brimstone was rained from those heavens that used to
send down refreshful showers, and where fields of blue ether
delighted the eye! How great must the astonishment have
been of the surviving Assyrians and their king, when in the
morning they found their mighty army only a multitude of
dead corpses! — What must the sorrow of that man be, who,
falling under his sovereign's displeasure, is banished from his
nearest connexions, and dearest friends, into perpetual soli-
tude, or the society of monsters and savages ! What must
the pangs of those parents' hearts be, while their tender off-
spring are shrieking, groaning, dying, by cruel deaths, under
the bloody ruffians! What must the sister, the mother, the
wife, feel on the shore, while the ship that carries the brother,
the son, the husband, dashes on the rocks below, and they
perish, as it were, in their presence ! .What must the horror
of the devoted wretch be, who stands and sees the fire kin-
dling which is to consume him to ashes! What must the
terror of a city taken by storm be, when, in every street,
young and old, man and woman, perish by the sword, and the
air is filled with screaming, lamentation, and groans ! What
must the amazement of that devoted village be, while from
the burning mountain the dreadful lava rolls irresistibly down,
and covers and consumes whatever stands in its way ! What
paleness of countenance, what trembling of limbs, what
faintness of heart, must attend the carnage of a field of bat-
tle, by an inexorable, but victorious foe! What must the
inhabitants of a city feel, when awaked at midnight with the
sound of fire in every quarter, when all they have blazes be-
fore them, and some of their dearest friends roar for help,
but perish in the flames, while the conflagration is succeeded
by a terrible earthquake that shakes the world to its founda
tj2
234 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
tion, so that the ground cleaves asunder, swallows up inhabit-
ants and city, and closes her mouth, that they are seen no
more? Such, and ten thousand times worse, is the anguish
of damnation, when all the Christless multitude shall be
punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of
the Lord, and from the glory of his power!
MEDITATION CXXXIII.
SOVEREIGNTY.
MarcJi 23, 1777.
To God, who rules in heaven and earth, belongs a supreme
power, and undisputed sovereignty over men and angels. He
who is the Creator and Preserver of all, may certainly dis-
pose of all as he pleases. And because we have a near and
dear interest in some things, it can never supersede God's
better right both to them and us. He bestows blessings on
us, at that we do not quarrel ; but he removes them, and at
this we murmur; yet his right to take is the same as to give.
We may smart, but we can never suffer injustice under his
hand. Much of our pain, and most of our disappointments
in the world, rise from our circumscribed views of heavenly
sovereignty. We think that heaven should follow that plan
of government that pleases us best. And yet he gives no -
account of any of his matters, and still he does all things
well.
Moses begins to deliver his brethren, and smites an Egyp-
tian; yet sovereignty sends him forty years to a strange
country, and adds forty years heavy bondage to the Israelites.
The kindness of God sends Joseph into Egypt, to preserve
his father's family alive; yet sovereignty sends him in such
a way, that old Jacob seems to go mourning to the grave, and
he that had been favoured with the most heavenly dreams,
dreams not a word all this time of his beloved son. Jeph-
thah conquers his foes, but Providence meets him with a
sharp trial in his only daughter, who, at best, must never be
married. The favour of heave»ji v^iiriches Job, but sovereignt}'
permits Satan to spoil him of all. David is anointed king,
but ere he comes to the throne, he is sometimes driven almost
to despair of his life. The Jews have liberty to rebuild their
temple, and yet, through the malice of their foes, it is retard-
ed a long time. John, our Saviour's forerunner, after
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 235
oaptizing thousands, loses his head through the malice of a
woman. Josiah, one of the best kings, is slain in battle in
the prime of his life. Zechariah is stoned to death for re-
proving, in God's name, the transgression of his law. And
the apostles, who were the salt of the world, were hungry,
thirsty, naked, buffeted, without habitation, made as the filth
of the world, and the offscouring of all things! And all these
things were ordered by divine sovereignty.
We allow that death must separate friends some time, but
sovereignty will take from one parent the child of a span
long, from another the weaned child, from a third a pretty
boy, from another the promising youth, and from another the
comfort of his hoary hairs. Into one family death never en-
ters, but it flourishes up to manhood, and wholly survives the
aged parents; into another, death thrusts his iron hand, and
carries one away; from a third, he snatches a complete half
of the dear little ones; and of a fourth he takes them all but
one; while from another he takes one and all. But to give
and take health and wealth, friends and relations, blessings
and mercies, at his own time, and in his own way, is a part
of the plan of God's government of the world. Therefore, we
should always expect to he deprived of what we possess, in a
moment, or to be prevented with blessings suddenly, as
streams of water in the south. Could we commit all we
have, all we are, and all we wish, into his sovereign hand, to
do with them as he pleases, our concerns should be as secure,
and our souls much more tranquil.
If in sovereignty God has passed by some, and chosen me
to a crown and kingdom, which in a few years I shall be pos-
sessed of for ever, what though he pass by me, and bestow on
those the comf jrts of this life, which in a few years they must
be dispossessed of for ever? Though thy providence should
both perplex and pain me, I will never complain. I may sin
in my desires, but thou wilt not injure me in thy determina-
tion. It shall please me that thou dost all thy pleasure, and
my will shall be swallowed up of thine. I have forfeited
every felicity; how then, can 1 expect to begin heaven on
earth? The prospect of heaven may make me triumph over
every trouble, every trial, every disappointment in time. In
a little I shall be so happy that I shall almost forget that ever
I had less felicity. Such is my confidence in thy wisdom,
such my dependence on thy powerful arm, such my expecta-
tion from thy fatherly kindness, that I acquiesce in all thou
doest, and desire to be wholly at thy disposal in all I am, in
236 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
all I have, and in all I desire. What I know not now, why
at such and such a time I lose a friend, why I meet with such
and such a disappointment, why such and such a cross is laid
on me, I shall know hereafter, one time or other; or I shall
know one time or other that it was good for me that I have
been afflicted; and when time is no more, I shall know thai
he hath done all things well.
MEDITATION CXXXIV.
THE VICTORY OF FAITH.
Sept. 30, 1777.
'' To him that believeth, all things are possible," said he
who cannot lie. Why, then, have I so many fears about
many things? Would I not cheerfully commit the lot of my
friends to the providence of God? Why, then, not commit
the hearts of my nearest and dearest relations to the grace of
God? Cannot he who commanded the light to shine out of
darkness, shine into their hearts, to give the light of the
knowledge of his own glory in the face of Jesus? Is God
more niggardly of the graces of his Spirit, than of the good
things of his providence? Does he prevent with his common
kindness the creatures he has made, and cannot he prevent
with his special grace the souls he has created? To him on
the throne of his power every creature may look up for pro-
tection and supply; but to him on the throne of his grace, we
may come with boldness, for grace, the best of blessings, to our-
selves, our friends, our acquaintance, to our enemies, to all. To
act strong faith in the most important matters, glorifies God
most; and the salvation of mine own soul, and the souls of my
dear friends, is of all matters the most important. While I seek
the salvation of my friends, I seek the glory of God, for in
their salvation he is glorified. Then, with all the eagerness
of desire, with all the importunity of a poor supplicant, with
all the boldness of faith, I plead, I wrestle, I implore, that the
souls of these my dear friends may believe in the Saviour,
who came to seek and to save the lost.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 237
MEDITATION CXXXV.
THE NECESSITY OF AFFLICTIONS WHILE WE LFV^E.
Aug. 29, 1778.
This very subject, twenty years ago,* has employed my
pen; and, whether I write or not, I expect afflictions of one
kind or other while in the body. Our afflictions may put on
different appearances, according to the different periods of our
life, but they will attend us as close as the shadow does the
body. As long as I dwell in Mesech, I may expect wars ; as
long as I attend on sin and vanity, vexation and trouble will
attend me. As I cannot be perfect in holiness while out of
heaven, so I cannot be perfect in happiness while absent
from God. I smart in my sufferings, I feel in my afflictions ;
but that I should sin before I suffer, offend befojre I am
afflicted, should make my inmost soul to smart. I have rea-
son to fear that I am a very stubborn son, that I need so
much correction; but it affords me comfort that I am not dis-
owned as a bastard, but endure chastisement as a son. He'
that has no long journey before him, but sits still in his own
house, may escape the tempest, and hide himself from the
storm ; but he that sits out for another country, cannot expect
always to walk on the flowery champaign, or in the pleasant
sunshine, but shall find a river to cross, and a mountain to
climb; shall have darkness around him, and thunders roaring
above him, the tempest attending his steps, and the storm
dashing upon him; and perhaps enemies waylaying him: So
it is with the traveller heavenward, for through much afflic
tion, and many tribulations, we shall enter into the kingdom.
Again, affliction is as necessary for the health of the soul,
as exercise for the health of the body. — Lay a man down upon
his bed, and let him never lift his head but to eat and to drink,
how soon would he become good for nothing, yea, and lose
his own health? Just so, let the saint have no afflictions, and
his graces shall soon grow languid, and his soul sick and
feeble ; but affliction raises us from our sloth, makes us run
to God, call in the divine assistance, see the vanity of the
creature, and long fir the heavenly states. " The wicked have
no changes;" well, is their heart filled with glowing gratitude
to the God of their mercies? No, but, strange to teW,^' there-
fore they fear not God l" On the other hand, the saints are
* See Meditation XXXIX.
238 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
afflicted, and they cleave to God, and keep his statutes bettei
than before.
Corruption is so interwoven with our frame, that in every
station, and toward every relation, we may offend ; but Pro^
vidence has so ordered it, that, in every station, and from
every relation, afflictions of one kind or other will come; and
if they correct us where we err, and mortify our corruption.,
we ought to welcome them.
The school of the cross is the school of light, and there
must all the children of God be taught in their non-age, to
fit them for the perfect state of glory. An ignorant person
that sees the mariner heaving such a weight of ballast aboard
his ship, would suppose he intended to sink her at sea; just
so, whatever the world may. think, the troubles and trials of
the saints shall never sink them, but keep them from being
overset by every squall, that they may arrive with safety at
the haven of rest, having their anchor fixed within the v-ail.
MEDITATION CXXXVI.
GIBEON MAKING PEACE WITH ISRAEL.
Nov. 8, 1779.
When Israel came out of Egypt to take possession of the
promised land, every thing about them was marvellous and
instructive. They approached the land of promise in the
time of its greatest plenty, to wit, in harvest, but at a time when
Jordan seemed to forbid their entrance, by overflowing all his
banks. But the same power that divided the Red Sea when
they came out of Egypt, divides Jordan that they may enter
Canaan. Just so it shall fare with the Israel of God. Death
shall not keep them from their Father's house; and when
they enter their heavenly inheritance, they shall find all ful-
ness, even an eternal harvest of glory.
The devoted nations might think themselves secure from
the armies of Israel, while Jordan, bursting over his banks,
remained such a mighty barrier; but what madness seized
them, to combine for battle against a people before whom
Jordan's rapid stream recoiled back, and let them pass over
dry shod! This madness is only equalled and exceeded by
sinners who defy Omnipotence amidst the bright displays of
his power, challenges the Eternal to combat, and run on th*
thick bosses of his buckler.
MIS('ELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 239
When, then, men of such an insignificant city as Ai put
iree thousand of the conquerors to flight, and made them
«ave thirty-six of their heroes dead behind them, it might
/■•erhaps raise the drooping spirits of the Canaanites, and con-
rtrm to them, that their foes were not invincible. But, when
they hear that Ai is smitten, all the kings on this side Jordan,
in the hills and valleys, of every people, and from every
quarter, forget their former animosities, and jarring interests,
and unite against the common foe ! This has been the case
in all ages of the world, that the powers of the earth have
combined against the people of God, and, in slaying the
saints, like Herod and Pilate, have been reconciled among
themselves.
But, while this league is forming, Gibeon, a royal city,
makes peace with Joshua. Here I speak not of the cheat with
respect to the children of Israel, but of the change with res-
pect to the Gibeonites, full of noble lessons and instructions.
The inhabitants of a free, a royal city, are made hewers of
wood, and drawers of watej", for the house of God. But the
meanest employment in the palace of a king is honourable;
how much more in the house of the king of heaven! Better
serve in God's hause, where there is safety, than enjoy the
freedom of Gibeon, that ends in destruction.
Though the men of Gibeon seem chief in the embassy, yet
they forgot not three other cities, where their countrymen
dwelt, and all are included in the league. So those that seek
mercy for themselves at the throne of grace, will not forget
their friends, their acquaintance, their fellow-creatures. In
the prayers of every Christian, the salvation of souls, and
the prosperity of Zion, will find a place.
The same tidings came to Gibeon, and the kings, but had
different effects; the kings prepare for war, but Gibeon sues
for peace. Just so, the gospel softens some, and hardens
others; is to one the savour of life, to another the savour
of death.
When the kings hear that Gibeon has made peace with
Israel, they resolve to attack Israel in their new allies, per-
haps under pretence of breaking the league, and deserting
the common cause. Thus, when a soul leaves the service of
sin, the men of the world, and the powers of darkness, imme-
diately set upon him, and attack Christ in his members.
Gibeon is no sooner in safety by being at peace with
Joshua, than she is in danger by the kings around her. So,
when a soul has peace with God, he may expect persecution
240 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
from the world, and through much tribulation to enter into the
kingdom.
The kings make war against Gibeon, and Gibeon, who a
few days before, was among the accursed Canaanites, can
now send to Joshua, " Slack not thy hand from thy servants,
come up quickly, and save us." This is a surprising change
of circumstances, but disappears before that change, when he
who was lately of the family of hell, can send the cry of
faith to heaven, and say to Jehovah, ' Slack not tliy hand
from thy servant, from thy son, but come and save me.'
Joshua and his chosen warriors attend, and deliver their
new allies from their formidable foes; and, in destroying the
five kings that intended to sack Gibeon, a mighty wonder
takes place; the sun stands still in the midst of heaven, and
lengthens out the day, to complete the glorious work. But,
in the work of our redemption, the Son of God comes down,
and shines the Sun of Righteousness in our hemisphere, and
will shine through all the gospel-day, till our spiritual enemies
are cut off, and we put our feet on the feet of all our foes.
Then shall we dwell securely in the land of promise, and
serve for ever in the house of God.
MEDITATION CXXXVII.
Feh. 27, 1780.
Now those that for me look out at the windows begin to be
darkened; a sure presage that they shall shortly be closed in
death. It is time now that the things of this world should
lose their charms, when I must look at them through glasses ;
and high time that heavenly things should ravish me, since I
am so near a future state.
Though my sight needed no such assistance, I might soon
sleep in death. But by my growing blindness, I may see,
that 1 must soon cease to behold man, with the inhabitants of
the earth. When the ear grows deaf, the taste dull, the limbs
weak, the grinders few, and the eyes dim, to be still charmed
with sensual things, is a case melancholy beyond description.
The young and strong, since they know that they are mortal
at every period of life, should never be surprised by death;
but, for an old man, whose senses begin to fail, to be taken at
unawares by death, is consummate folly.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 241
In proportion as my sight fails, I must hold objects more
distant from me, in order to collect the rays, and view them
distinctly; which may admonish me, that the longer I live in
the world, the things of time should be seen as standing at
greater and greater distance from me; that a final separation
between us must ere long take place; and that therefore my
meditations should be directed towards another state. If my
eye has not been satisfied with seeing good, by this time it
may be fatigued with scenes of vanity and sin, and has cause
to long for nobler prospects.
Instead of being struck wholly blind by my advance into
years, T am only deprived of so much sight, to teach me to
prize and improve what is left, and prepare me for losing the
remainder in death. While I bless Heaven for this invention,
which makes old age so comfortable, I bewail the wastes of
my youthful per^d, which I cannot now recall; but, could I
call to the youth of every station, and of every land, I would
say, read much, read seriously, read for eternity, while your
sight is in its prime. It is affecting to carry mine eyes in my
head, and my sight in my pocket, since, if I go abroad with-
out my glasses, I cannot read a word in the book of life till
I return; but then, let me have my memory stored with the
word of promise, the words of the Holy One.
Such is the vanity of our mind, that we study to conceal
our decline in life from our. fellow-creatures, who suffer in
the same decline, and perhaps are also struggling to conceal
it; but, by our use of glasses, we proclaim to all, our walk-
ing on the margin of the grave, and that we are grown old.
If accustomed to glasses a while, I may perhaps forget
these reflections, and the growing frailty of my frame; but
let ine never put the glasses on my nose, without minding that
death will shortly lay his hand on mine eyes, and close them
up for ever. O! then, as the eye of my body grows daily
more dim, may the eye of my soul grow daily more bright,
and f "rbearing to look on the things which are seen, which are
temporal, fix on the things which are not seen, and which aie
eternal. And when the day comes in wjhich I shall take the
last glance of created things, the parting look of all my
friends and relations, however near and dear, may my soul,
in the broad day of eternity, in the noon-day beams of glory,
lift up her unclouded eye, and feast on all the perfections of
God, on all the beauties of the Lamb, and be like him for
ever, because she sees him as he is.
X
242 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
To some old men their sight returns aojain, but their youl'i
is departed for ever: So is it this day with me; my youth is
gone, and I am well advanced in life, and, in the view of a
better life, would bid farewell to this, and welcome old age
and death.
The various periods of life that are marked with decline,
are but like the stages and mile-stones by the way that tell
me how near I am to my journey's end, to my Father's house;
and this o^ which I now write, is one of the last stages. But,
no matter how frail this body grow, which is to be fashioned
like Christ's glorious body, and made spiritual, incorrupti-
ble, and immortal ; no matter how dim this eye grow, that
is soon to see God in mine own nature, and, thus strengthened,
gaze with growing wonder, and unabating vigour, on all the
glories of the higher house; no matter how these limbs
totter, that are to stand eternally before the throne. O how I
triumph in the decline of nature, and, amidst the storms of
winter, sing of eternal summer from the smile of God ! The
horrors of the grave, the pangs of my last sickness, and the
groans of death, are all but shadowy, imaginary evils, com-
pared with those substantial glories that wait to be revealed on
the back of them. No matter, though troubles and trials,
though men and devils, though earth and hell, like an army
of enraged enemies, attend me to the very gate of glory.
Omnipotence shall defend me while in the enemy's country;
and, when admitted into bliss, over the wall of heaven, I shall
bid defiance to all the furies of hell, and, entering into the joy
of my Lord, I shall join in the endless hallelujahs of the hosts
of the redeemed.
But when the sinner's sight begins to fail, what can he ex-
pect? when his eyes are shut in death, what can he hope for,
but to see all the horrors of the pit, all the sad spectacles of
damnation, and all the storms and tempests of God's wrath,
pouring upon him through an endless evermore?
MEDITATION CXXXVIII.
ON CASTING OUR CARE ON GOD.
April 16,1780.
Daily, by my anxious cares, how do I discredit these soul-
comforting, soul-composing truths, that God cares for his pea
pie, that their concerns are his, and that he keeps them as the
C-
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 243
apple of his eye? Did a kind-hearted Samson go aloncr the
way with me, and take my burden from my back, and bear it
on his robust shoulders, would it not be impertinent to run up
every now and then, to bear up the burden, though forbidden,
and convinced that he could carry me above my burden?
Just so, God has commanded me to cast all my care on him,
with this sweet assurance, that he careth for me.— And he has
no more need of my care joined to his care than he has need of
my assistance to support the pillars of the world. Thouo-h rol-
ling my burden on the Lord doth not supersede a moderate
care, and the use of lawful means, yet I am so to cast my
cares on God, as if I had no more concern with them. O how
unlike a child of God, an expectant of glory, to have so many
anxious cares, and disquieting forebodings, about the things
ot time, under the pleasing hopes of a happy eternity! Mv
cares may multiply my concerns may grow, but can never
be too many for God.^He has borne the cares of his church
and people through many generations, and well may I cast
all mine on him.-^God's care of me is always productive of
good; but my distrust avails nothing, but gives present pain,
and future disappointment. When God kindly claims it as
his province to care for me, why should I encroach on his
province by caring for myself? He is a Rock, and his work
IS perfect without my anxiety. The stronger my faith is in
God, 1 will have the less care about myself When I care for
myse.t, 1 am distracted with doubts and unbelief,- but when I
cast my care on God, in the actings of a vigorous faith, I
nave peace and composure of soul.
Did the king of Great Britain send me a message, ^Make
yourself happy, for I will provide for you and yours,' should
not 1 rely on the royal promise, and think myself secure?
1 hen, IS the promise, the compassion, the treasure, and the
faithfulness of the King of heaven, less to be depended on than
of any earthly king? His care has been extended to a numerous
race of my ancestors, since Japhet left the ark, and through
ragan darkness, and Popish delusion, has brought me to a
clear light of the gospel,- and to this unerring care, both with
respect to soul and body, I may well commit my posterity to
the end of time. His care fashioned me in my mother's
womb, and will not forsake me, now that I am near to be laid
m the bowels of the earth.
I know not how far I should extend my care, because I
know not how long I shall live. Now, my cares are mostly
tor events and times to come, and yet I cannot boast of to-
244 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
morrow; therefore, as no time is mine but the present, so I
should have no anxieties for the future.
If I should eat the flesh off my bones with care, it would
not alter the plan of providence towards me ; therefore, strong
faith and entire resignation to the disposal of Heaven, are
both my indispensable duty, and will be my best wisdom.
" Be careful for nothing," is a command as large and ex-
tensive, as it is kind and gracious; that is, have no anxious
concern about future period, or apparent losses, about friends
and relations, about wife or children, widow or orphan,
house or home, food or raiment, poverty or reproach, sickness
or death.
So often has mine own care produced nothing but pain and
disquiet, that it is high time for me to be ashamed of it, and to
give entirely up with it. And so often has the heavenly care
done wonders for me, watched over me for good, and done all
things well, that on him I may cast my every care with con
fidence and joy.
MEDITATION CXXXIX.
THE AFFECTION OP A PARENT.
Aug. 17, 1780.
Now that I am a father, and know the affection of a parent,
would I not defend from every danger, would I not bestow
every good thing, would I not implore every blessing, on my
tender offspring? Would I not rear and cherish their infant
state, correct and educate their childhood, inspect, reprove,
admonish their manhood ? Would I allow the dear little crea-
tures to play with sharp pointed knives, to sport on the brink
of a rapid stream, or dance about a pit's mouth ? Would I
permit them to hold in their hand the berries of the deadly
night-shade, or to put a cup of poison to their tender lips?
However indulgent, would 1 suffer them to refuse my com
mands, or spit in my face? And, if they labour under any
disease that threatened their precious life, what pains or ex
penses would I spare to procure them relief? If assured
that a physician lived somewhere, that could heal them with
out fail, would I not send to the uttermost corner of the land?
would I not travel to the ends of the earth?
But, hear me, O parents ! and let me hear myself; if oui
affection end here, we are monsters of cruelty. Would w<a
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 245
pluck them from fire and water, and yet permit them to plunge
into the fire of hell, and lie under the billows of Jehovah's
wrath? Will we snatch from them sword, pistol, or knife,
and allow them to wound themselves to the very soul with sin?
Will we chastise their impertinence to us, and wink at their
spitting in the very face of God, by open acts of sin? Are
we fond to have them early well bred to men, and yet let
them live in the neglect of prayer, which is the highest disre-
spect that can be put on the Author of our being? In a word,
is this the sum of our kindness, is this the height of our am-
bition for our dear children, to see them happy in time, flour-
ishing in the affairs of this life, though they should be miserable
beyond description through eternity itself? Will their bodily
pain excite our sympathy, and we will do all in our power to
have their diseases healed, and yet feel nothing, though their
souls pine under sin, and they siifier all the pangs of *the se-
cond death, nor bring them in our prayers to the Physician
of souls, to the Saviour of sinners?
Then, were my children ever so many, I have but one re-
quest for them all, and that is, that they may fear and serve
God here, and enjoy him forever. No matter though they
sweat for their daily bread, (this is entailed on all mankind,)
but let them feed on the hidden manna ; let them toil and spin
for their apparel, but let them be covered in the Surety's
righteousness. How would I count my house renowned, and
my family ennobled, if there sprang from it, not ministers of
state, princes or kings, (let potsherds of earth strive for
earthly things,) but pillars for the temple of God in glory, and
such as should stand in the presence of the Prince of the kings
of the earth, when time is no more.
Again, whatever bowels of compassion I feel .towards my
tender offspring, such pity will the Lord show towards those
that fear him. And though I will not give my child every
thing it cries for, or is fond of, yet as I will give it what I
know to be good for it, so will our heavenly Father deal with
us; why, then, are we so often on the fret?
Again, how does a child confide in his parents? To them
he makes all his complaints ; he has not the least doubt of their
affection ; he boasts of their protection to his play-fellows, and
thinks himself safe in their presence. Why, then, should the
children of our heavenly Father, the sons of adoption, not bring
all their complaints to God, rely on his love, boast of his pro-
tection, and conclude themselves safe under the conduct of
his unerring providence?
x2
246 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
MEDITATION CXL.
ON BEING CREATED A PEER.
Feb: 21, 1782.
My readers, no doubt, will be surprised at my singular ex-
altation,- and no wonder, for I stand astonished at it myself;
the more so when I reflect, that I have never rendered to king
or country any remarkable services, that can claim this as a
reward. But it is not the first time that the poor have been
raised out of the dust to high honours, and lifted from the dung-
hill to sit with princes.
A peer of Great-Britain, then, is a great man, and takes liis
seat in the house of Lords; — has access, free access into the
king's palace, and into the king's presence; — has a vote in
the affairs of state, — and letters post-free. — Nor can any cre-
ditor arrest him, being a member of parliament, for any debt.
— He has rank and precedence according to the time of his
creation* — His king may visit him without any stain to his
majesty. — And his children have rank among the children of
other nobles.
The world will now count me extremely happy? but I
must swell their wonder, and raise their astonishment still,
while I tell them, that my peerage is spiritual, heavenly, and
divine. My heart would not greatly beat with joy for a Bri-
tish peerage, but here I have cause of endless exultation ;, far
henceforth,
1. I take my seat among the saints of God, among the an-
gels of glory; being come to the city of the living God, a
place infinitely more noble than the house of Lord to an innu-
merable company of angels, and to the general assembly and
church of the first-born.
2. I have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of
Jesus, and palaces of kings are too often sinks of sin ; yea,
to bring all my petitions to this King of heaven on his throne
of grace, who in the time of trouble, (and what is human life
but a time of trouble?) shall hide me in his pavilion, and at
last admit me into his royal palace with gladness and rejoi-
cmg, there to abide for ever.
3. A vote in the affairs of state! This sounds like blas-
phemy, had not the king of heaven himself said it : "Ask me
of things to come, concerning my sons, and concerning the
works of my hand, command ye me." And to Moses, "Let
me alone, that my wrath may wax hot ;" as if God would not
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 247
be wroth, without permission from a praying saint. And in-
deed, at last as assessors with the supreme Judge, we shall
judge the world and angels.
4. Promises come all free from Heaven, and petitions and
prayers are all sent free to Heaven, through the hands of the
glorious Intercessor. Our requests of our friends, though re-
moved to the ends of the earth, can be answered, when our
friendly correspondence is often interrupted and uncertain.
5. I shall never be arrested by law or justice, because my
debts are all discharged; and the son having made me free I
am free indeed. Even death, that king of terrors, and ser-
geant at arms, that takes nobles, princes, and kings into cus-
tody, shall never arrest me; for he that has ennobled me has
promised that I shall never see death, never feel the sting of
death, never be hurt of the second death. How many prin-
ces and kings would give their crowns at their last moments
for this heavenly privilege!
6. Though once poor and grovelling on the dunghill, yet
since, by my spiritual peerage, the new birth, I am become
precious in his sight, I shall be honourable, — be set with prin-
ces, and made to inherit a throne of glory. Some nobles have
been their sovereign's favourites, but none were ever their
chief ornament, their crown ; but I shall be, (astonishing to
telll) a crown of glory to the Lord, and a royal diadem in the
hand of my God. And no wonder I be so high in his esteem,
who has given more than Egypt for my ransom, than Sheba
and Ethiopia, for me ; more than men for me, and people for
my life, even his beloved Son to the death for me.
7. The King of kings, consistently with his majesty, may
visit me ; for the high and lofty One, who inhabits eternity and
dwells in the high and holy place, also dwells with the hum-
ble and contrite soul; and, says the divine Redeemer, " If any
man serve me, him will my Father honour; and if a man love
me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him;
and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."
Nothing on earth bears a shadow of this honour; though
crowned heads should visit cottagers, beggars, the condescen-
sion disappears before this heavenly kindness.
And, 8. The children of believing parents are federally
holy; and though grace does not go by nature, yet in the sight
of heaven and earth, the seed of the saints are esteemed-
Even the envious Jews, who were enemies to the Gentiles,
because the gospel was preached to them, yet, touching the
• election, were beloved for their fathers' sakes. — How pleasant
248 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
when a person can say, " He is my father's God, and I will
exalt him," "I am thy servant, the son of thine handmaid."
And even a king that was butchered, had burial bestowed
on him by his very murderers, " because," said they, " he
is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all
his heart."
In these particulars, there is some similitude between a
British peer and me, comparing earthly to heavenly things,
though the advantage is all on my side; but in what follows
there is no comparison at all.
1. What boundless generosity, and unmerited kindness, ap-
pear in my creation! I can plead nothing on the piety of my
progenitors; For my first father hath sinned, and so was an
Amorite, and my mother an Hittite, and I myself a transgres-
sor from the womb. Though pages, and mean-born persons,
may have been raised from the dung-hill, and made ministers
of state, yet what is that to my attainment? For his mercy
is great toward me, and he has delivered my soul from the
lowest hell, and, in my spiritual peerage, exalted me to the
highest heavens; so henceforth through all generations I shall
be blessed.
2. Some have been ennobled for their real services to their
king and country; but the king of Heaven needs nothing at
my hand, yea, before my spiritual promotion, I was an alien,
an enemy, a rebel to his goverment and glory. Now, though
a rebel has now and then been reprieved and pardoned, yet
never was a rebel, who had spent his whole past life in acts
of rebellion against his sovereign, taken immediately into fa-
vour, and ennobled. O the depth of divine wisdom! O the
riches of grace!
3. A nobleman, on his creation, assumes a new title; and
whatever his name be, he henceforth is called, and subscribes
himself by his new title, and this is known through the whole
kingdom : So, on my spiritual advancement, I am called by a
new name, which the mouth of the Lord has named; old
things are passed away, and all things become new. But in
this I excel all earthly peers, in obtaining a white stone, and
a new name, which no man knows but the happy receiver.
O! then, to walk like one on whom the name of an incarnate
God is called; like one who, though he cannot name the very
day on which he was ennobled, yet knows, that although he
once lay among the pots, yet now he sits with Christ in hea
venly places !
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 249
4. A peer also takes to himself a coat of arms, and a suit-
able motto. Mine may be a cross and a crown, and the motto,
"Holiness to the Lord." But here, again, I exceed all earthly-
peers, for their coats of arms are only lifeless figures painted
on their carriages, engraven on their plate, &c. but in my
creation, I am arrayed in complete armour, as my peerage is
a military order, and I am no sooner taken into favour, and at
peace with the Trinity of heaven, than I commence war, inve-
terate and unremitting war, with the trinity of hell, sin, Satan,
and the world ; therefore I am completely armed, having on
my head the helmet of salvation, the breast-plate of righteous-
ness, the shield of faith, my loins girt about with truth, my
feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. David could
not move nimbly in Saul's brazen helmet, and coat of mail;
but in mine I walk freely, I fight safely, and sleep softly; nay,
so far is it from being an encumbrance, that, if stript of my
armour, I would be all inactivity and langour, assaulted on
every side, and foiled by every foe. But I observe that I
have no defence for my back, for such a man as I must never
flee ; and, besides, this spiritual armour inspires me with such
a heavenly boldness, that I rush on enemies, and cry out, "I
am more than conqueror through him that loved me."
5. When one is made a peer, he must be of an independent
fortune to support his rank : But, before my creation I was
such a naked beggar, that I had not a rag to cover me ; but
now I am arrayed in br^;idered robes, robes of needle-work;
all glorious without by his imputed righteousness, all glorious
within by his imparted grace. Besides, to support my dignity,
there is a royal pension settled on me, and in such a manner,
that I may spend like a prince, but cannot squander it away.
I have a right to all the treasures of grace, to all the fulness
of God. Now is the time of my minority, during which I dif-
fer nothing from a servant, though lord of all : But when the
day of glory comes, I shall enter on the full possession of the
riches and treasures of glory and bliss, above the conception
of the human mind. And, in the mean time, I shall have
what is necessary to bring me home to the King's palace.
Great men here may have diamond buttons, and buckles set
with diamonds ; but the city of my King, where he and all
his courtiers dwell, has foundations of precious stones, gates
of pearls, and streets of gold.
6. As mine is a military order, and all the powers of dark-
ness are in arms against me, I have a noble guard appointed
250 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
me; not only thousands of angels strong, but God, Father, Sres
and Holy Ghost, in all his divine perfections. How safe am
I, then, though in the land of enemies, though fighting my way
through a dark and howling wilderness ! Yea, with such a
guard I might march through the midst of hell without harm,
and bid defiance to all the fiends and furies of the bottomless
pit! This guard is both around my house and my person, so
that no ill shall come near my dwelling, and I am always in
safety; and, though invisible, is not less august, is not less
secure.
7. Peerage among men respects only that kingdom to which
the peers belong. A peer of Great-Britain is but a private
person in every other country. He has no right to sit in
state-affairs among their nobles, or to vote among their sena-
tors; yea, he may not be known by name in the court of Per-
sia, or of the Great Mogul. But I am a peer of the universe.
Go where I will, my peerage is in force, my pension is con-
tinued, and my privileges remain. Though cast into prison,
or banished to some desolate isle, still I am clothed with my
embroidered robe, appear in complete armour, and am atten-
ded by my royal guard. When the king of England creates
a peer, he brings him to equal rank with the other peers, (and
sometimes there is a mighty opposition against it, as just now,
that it is a stain to the dignity of peerage to confer it on such
an unworthy person,) but he never adopts them for sons.
Then, sure am I^ never was one more unworthy than I, and
yet I am not only made a peer of heaven, but an heir of God,
and a joint heir with Christ, being first adopted as a son; for
if once children, then heirs.
8. Sometimes the same king that has raised a person to the
dignity of peerage, has been so incensed against him, that by
his positive orders, a prosecution has been carried on against
him, and he deprived both of honours and life. But in spiri-
tual things it is not so; "for the gifts and calling of God are
without repentance." When I offend my heavenly Sovereign,
he may be angry, reprove, rebuke, correct me, but he will
never take his kindness from me, never deprive me of life
or honours; and this divine security, instead of emboldening
me to rebel, will fill me with the noblest gratitude, never to
offend him.
9. The king of Great Britain may raise a Baron to a Vis-
count, a Viscount to an Earl, an Earl to a Marquis, and a
Marquis to a Duke ; but 1 look at lengthy (and am not accused
of ambition or madness,) for a kingdom and a crown ! an ever
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 251
lasting kingdom, and a crown that fadeth not away; a crown
of life, a crown of glory! There is no comparison, then, be-
tween the peers of any realm, the princes of any empire,
and me, who am made a priest, a king, and that to God, and
through eternity itself.
10. Though peers have access into their king's presence at
some times, yet it would be improper if they had it at all
times ; it would degrade royalty itself, if they might intrude
mto their presence any hour of the day, any watch of the
night, at their own pleasure. Then, stand still, and wonder
O my soul I at the condescension of the high and lofty One,
who inhabits eternity. I may present myself in his presence
at the stated seasons of public worship, the hours of private
and secret prayer, the retired moments of meditation, and in
every company, and on every occurrence, by ejaculation.
Yea, what time soever I awake, I may be with God, and rise
at midnight to hold communion with him. Now, though the
strength of corruption, the weakness of grace, and the cares
of this life, are distractions that daily drag me from the hea-
venly presence, yet the time is coming when I shall dwell
with the King in his palace, behold his beauty, and have the
most intimate communion with him through all evermore.
11. In this, again, I surpass all the peers of Great-Britain ;
for, though their dignity is both to themselves and heirs-male,
my peerage is personal, and cannot descend to another, (but
why should it?) since this heavenly honour secures immortal-
ity to me. What a struggle is made for this rank; with what
avidity do they grasp at this grandeur, though in a few years
they must be stript of all, and laid in the silent gravel But
could it confer immortality, or lengthen life to a thousand
years, would not the great men turn the world upside down,
and barter all they had to obtain it? Here, then, are a bles-
sed immortality, and boundless joys before you. No costly
ceremonies, no expensive fees here; only kiss the King's
hand on your promotion ; kiss the Son, and be ennobled for
ever; kiss the Son before his wrath burn against you, for
your disobedience, like the fiery oven.
12. In this the spiritual peerage infinitely excels every peer-
age on the face of the earth ; for though my peerage can gq
to none of my relations, yet my parents, my brothers and
sisters, wife and children, may all be made peers and peer-
esses. Yea, several of my ancestors and dearest friends
have already taken their seats in the upper house, not of a
British senate, but of an heavenly assembly: And this is the
252 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
grandeur of which I glory; this is the nobility of which
I boast. No matter though their names be not so much as
known on the footstool, if they shine before the throne. And
it is no arrogance to plead for the same privileges for our
relations, our friends, that the King eternal has bestowed on
ourselves.
Now, when one is created a peer, however mean he was
before his advancement, he is expected to behave suitably to
his high rank and station ; and many eyes will be on him, the
eye of his sovereign, the eye of the peerage, the eye of ene-
mies, and the eye of the vulgar, from among whom he is
taken. Just so, if the heavenly favour has chosen me from
the scum of Sodom, and the blackguards of Gomorrah, to such
rank and dignity, my mind should be humble, but my walk
should be holy. I must break off with my former connexions
in sin, and forget even my father's house and mine own peo
pie. How circumspect in all things should I be, who have
the eye of God, of saints, of sinners, and of Satan, on me!
Again, though a peer is not always at court, yet his beha-
viour should always be courtly. He should act the nobleman
in common things; and so should I in all things act the chris-
tian and adorn the doctrine of God my Saviour, though not
always actively engaged in the duties of religion.
Moreover, a peer is to attend to his dignity in his company.
Though he is never to be deaf t^o the cries, the requests, com-
plaints and wants of his fellow-creatures, yet he is not to asso-
ciate with the low and mean. What appearance would it
have for him to come from the royal presence, and sit down,
and quaff and carouse with chairmen and porters ? still worse,
to make bosom friends of the king's enemies, and give and
receive visits from outlawed rebels. Thus, the carnal are
too mean company for me ; but to associate with profane and
open sinners, and to make bosom-friends of such as avow
their rebellion against Heaven, is not the spot of a child of
God. The more we are admitted into the heavenly pres-
ence, the less will we give our presence to those that know
not God.
Again, a peer should not speak the vulgar style of the rab-
ble, but the language of the Court, which should be the stan-
dard of language. So nothing can look worse than for a
candidate for glory to speak profanely, obscenely, or in oaths
and imprecations, or in excess of passion, or insipid trifling,
since his speech should always be with grace, seasoned with
salt, to the use of edifying.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 253
Again, he should never be slovenly dressed, but appar-
elled according to his station. So I, on whom the divine
Father has been pleased to put the best robe, should study to
be holy in all manner of life and conversation ; to keep clean
garments, and clean hands, and to keep myself unspotted
from the world.
Yet, again, a peer should be of a noble turn of mind. —
He should not stoop to mean, though profitable employment
— he should not trouble himself because some envy his high
station, and others pay not that respect to him which is his
due ; he should be liberal to the needy, and ready to forgive
injuries, and scorn to avenge himself, seeing the laws of his
sovereign will take cognizance of every insult offered to him
in due season. So I should be of an heavenly turn of mind,
and scorn to be greatly concerned about earthly things, who
have the treasures of eternity before me. How little should
I regard the applause or dispraise of a passing world? Ac-
cording to my ability, I should do good to all, especially to
those that are of the household of faith ; but I should be frank
in forgiving injuries, and repaying ill with good. Under the
most injurious treatment, I may commit my matters to him
that will bring forth my righteousness as the noon-day. In a
word, though reproach and poverty, sickness and death, rob
me of all my present comforts; yet so vast is the heavenly
bliss, and so rich the treasures that are secured to me in hea-
ven, that in the very prospect I desire to lose my present
pain, and, in the midst of every grief to rejoice in the hope
of the glory of God.
Finally,"^a peer inspired with gratitude, will exert himself
constantly to advance the glory of his king, and the good of
his country ; so, since exalted to this heavenly honour, the
glory of God, the good of his church, and the salvaticu of
souls, will be my daily request, my heart's desire, my daily
prayer, and, according to my station, the struggle and endea
vour of my whole life.
MEDITATION CXLI.
THE SINGULAR ADVANTAGES OF POVERTY.
Dec. 30, 1782.
The very title of this meditation may perhaps provoke, at
least surprise, many a pious soul. — 'What advantage can it
254 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
be, (may they say,) to be reproached, despised, oppressed,
and in pinching straits, all which are concomitants on a state
of poverty?' But 1 beg their patience a little, before they
conclude.
" Labour not to be rich," is an inspired direction, but quite
disregarded by saint and sinner, by professor and profane ;
for the unwearied labour of all is for independence, opulence,
and grandeur; and repeated disappointments never stop the
pursuit but only vary the plan, and multiply the schemes to
attain it.
When Heaven is pleased to bless with abundance, my hu-
mility, gratitude and holiness, ought to be conspicuous; but
when he is pleased to appoint poverty to attend as invariably
as the shadow does the body, then entire approbation of the
conduct of Providence is incumbent on me.
The case of the Jews under the Old-Testament dispensa
tion will not apply to Christians under the New ; for as their
service was more carnal, so their rewards were more of a
temporal nature, and both were typical of the more spiritual
worship and rewards under the New ; yet directions, cautions,
promises, and consolations, suited to the poor and needy,
sparkle through all the Old-Testament writings, like stars in
the firmament of heaven.
Riches cannot give tliat felicity which is expected by all
that are in the keen pursuit of them; and persons in very
moderate circumstances enjoy all the comforts of life as well
as the rich, and with a much better relish; So that the advan-
tages on the side of riches are rather imaginary than real.
We shall view some of the advantages of poverty, by glan-
cing, first at the hurt that riches often bring to immortal souls.
1. They make men confident in themselves: "We are
lords, we will come no more unto thee." There are few that,
like Job, can say, " If I have made gold my hope, or said to
the most fine gold. Thou art my confidence: For it is very
natural to trust in uncertain riches; therefore the apostle
dehorts from it. The rich man is apt to swell in his own
opinion ; his word must go far, his smile be esteemed a fa-
vour, and his very look a condescension ; yea, while the poor
man's wisdom is despised, his wisdom is genuine and sterling.
2. Pride is often attendant on riches. It is curious to ob-
serve how some men's spirits rise and fall with their fortune.
Is he in affluence — he is haughty, reserved, and overbearing:
Is he in indigence — he is polite, and humble, aflTable, and
even cringing. Nothing is more odious to God than pride,
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 255
and "the proud he knoweth afar off;" and "them that walk
in pride he is able to abase." Again,
3. Dependence on self is another concomitant on riches.
Here men sacrifice to their drag, and burn incense to their
net. One depends on his own genius in literature, another
on his fertile invention for some new thing in mechanics; one
builds on his own industry in agriculture, another on his appli-
cation to business in the mercantile line; and another blesses
his good fortune; but in all these things God is neither seen
nor acknowledged; and can any other rock be like our Rock,
even the rich themselves being judges?
4. Earthly-mindedness is too often a fruit of riches; and
there is a deceit in riches that insensibly draws aside from
communion with God. When Israel walked in a land that
was not sown, he was holiness to the Lord; but when Jeshu-
run waxed fat, he kicked.
There is, I confess, a variety of cares attendant on poverty;
but the cares with which riches are encumbered, are of a
more dangerous nature. The cares of the needy naturally
point heavenward, and there is a voice in them, that implores
the pity, pleads the promise, and claims the protection of God;
but the cares of the rich are about their growing sums and
worldly affairs; insomuch that Solomon says, "Their abun-
dance will not suffer them to sleep."
5. Distractions, and a multiplicity of affairs, attend on
riches, as the shadow follows the body. Generally speaking,
the rich are strangers to retirement and solitude, to mental
ease and tranquillity. Slill eager to possess greater and gi-eater
sums, they pursue their worldly affairs with unabating ardour.
Perhaps, in the midst of their career, they lose a round sum,
and then resolve, if they had made up this loss, that then they
will retire from business, and turn religious in their old age.
But one event after another continues their chase of created
good, postpones their designs, and gives their resolutions the
lie ; so that they retire from business and life at once, and are
no more.
6. The rich have a very hard task to discharge their duty
to all around them. They are but stewards over their own
riches, and have no allowance to consume aught of it on their
own lusts, or on their luxury. The naked have a claim on
the fleece of their flock, the hungry to be fed from their table,
and the stranger to be lodged under their roof As much is
committed to them, so not only men, but Heaven will expect
the more. They must give an account according to their
256 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
talents; and, being in high station, their example must have
influence on others around them;, therefore it is incumbent on
them, not only to behave well themselves, but to act well to
others, in a maimer which cannot be expected from the poor.
7. The rich are exposed to snares and temptations, various,
and well suited to corrupt nature. Instead of naming them, I
bid my readers cast an eye on the lives of the rich in gene-
ral, (though here and there some of this class are to be found,
who serve their God in the abundance of all things,) and they
will see how riches procure fuel to the fire of every corrup-
tion, and drown men in endless perdition. Stealing has gene-
rally been set to the account of poverty; but the real poor,
the truly needy, are not the thieves that infest the kingdom;
and some, not only in easy, but in opulent circumstances, have
been more infamous for knavish practices, than the poorest
beggar from door to door, while they have not the least pretext
of necessity for their crime. In a word, it is grace, not
riches, that can keep men honest from a right principle ; and
stealing is rather to be placed to the account of depravity
than poverty.
I shall now name some of the positive advantages of poverty,
that the poor may rejoice, rather than despond.
1. Conformity to Christ in his state of humiliation, who
though heir to all things, had not where to lay his head. —
Though we are not to refuse what Providence bestows on us,
and, like some of the orders of the church of Rome, make a
profession of voluntary poverty, from a fond conceit that thus
we shall be like to, and accepted of him ; yet we are not to
murmur or complain, since we, who have forfeited all, are in
no worse condition in this world, than the Former of all things
was when in our world. Can we call no house our own, but
must sleep in a borrowed bed, subsist on a homely, coarse, or
scanty meal? Have we small incomes, little cash, and no
credit, and depend entirely on the charity of others? Well, so
was the Captain of our salvation, who was made perfect
through sufferings ; and, if we are rightly exercised, our graces
shall grow more and more perfect under the various pressures
of an afflicted lot.
2. Poverty gives a claim on the compassion of God. None
could ever go to a throne of grace, and say, I am rich and pros-
perous, therefore hear my request. Indeed, chief favourites,
and great noblemen, have their requests granted in the courts
of kings ; but the King eternal " looks to the man that is poor
and of a contrite spirit," and who can plead, " But I am poor
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 257
and needy, make haste unto me, O God." And well may the
poor plead with that God, who, by his prophet, has said, "I
will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people,
and they shall trust in the name of the Lord ;" and says the
apostle, " Has not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in
faith?" O the vast odds between heaven and earth, between
God and men ! — Here " the brethren of the poor go far from
him, he follows them with words, but they are wanting to him."
Thus " the destruction of the poor is his poverty." But what
a sweet relation commences between God and the poor! He
is their help, their shield, their kind provider; so that, both
in a temporal and spiritual sense, " When the poor and needy
seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for
thirst, I the Lord will hear them; I the God of Jacob will not
forsake them." He puts himself down as surety in the poor
man's bond, and declares, that " he that giveth to the poor,
lendeth to the Lord ;" and as a good surety he will not fail to
repay him. Now, if this noble connexion, and divine relation,
will not balance all the perplexity, pain and reproach, atten-
dant on poverty, to the pious soul, what will do it? In a
word, at the general judgement in the great day, the final
sentence to the righteous and the wicked will be awarded,
though not for, yet according to the kind or unkind usage of
his poor, needy, and persecuted followers in the world.
3. The poor have a daily dependence on God ; and if their
provision were more, their dependence might be less. The
rich man in the gospel, forgetting the heavenly favour, builds
for futurity on the plenty he had amassed ; but his folly is cor-
rected, by his soul being demanded of him in a moment. A
servant does not expect that the provision of a week, a month,
or a year, should be set in his sight at every meal; he depends
on his master, is content with his food, and attends to his service :
Just so, w^hy should God's poor despond? It is enough if
they are fed from hand to mouth; when the hand of God is
seen in their supply, their wants are relieved, and their faith
feasted. He is a master whose servants need have no anxious
care for futurity. In feeding them from day to day, they have
a daily communion with him in his providences, as well as in
his ordinances. The 102d psalm is called "a prayer for the
afflicted;" so the fourth petition may be called a petition for
the poor, and properly belongs to them; for though we may
seek spiritual blessings for all the ages of eternity, yet we are
to seek temporal good things only from day to day. And as
this petition directs us to be moderate in our requests for
y2
258 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
created good, so it informs us after what manner, generally
speaking, God will provide his people, that it will be only from
day to day. — Hence it becomes absolutely necessary for a
saint in poverty, to depend on God at all times, and to depend
on him alone. And, by this needy dependence, he puts honour
on the power, on the compassion, on the promise, and on the
providence of God: nor shall he ever be disappointed.
4. They have a sweet submission to the will of God. In-
deed it is grace, not poverty, that can produce this heavenly
temper; but when the poor see such a display of all the divine
perfections in their daily supply, such condescension, such
care of God concerning them, they approve of their lot, and
submit, cheerfully submit, to the divine disposal. The poor
not only have good cause to be submissive, but thankful, since
to those who improve poverty aright our Saviour has said, in
his sermon on the mount, "Blessed are the poor in spirit;"
and, in another sermon on the plain, " Blessed are the poor "
in state; as appears by the contrast, as he says to those that
take riches for their portion, " Wo to you that are rich, for ye
have received your consolation,"
5. Humility is another attendant or fruit of poverty ; and in-
deed, a pool- proud person is as great a contradiction in nature,
as to say a sick strong man, or a swift lame man. — Pride is
so hateful to God, so hurtful to the soul, that poverty is a cheap
cure for such a distemper. And humility is so lovely in the
eyes of God, and pourtrays such a beauty on the soul, that
God condescends to dwell there; while from the proud he not
only stands afar off, but knows them afar off. Affluence and
prosperity are the soil where corruptions are most luxuriant
in their growth; while poverty and affliction are the soil
where graces thrive best. It is so natural for the best men to
forget themselves, when brought to riches and honour, that
infinite wisdom, who knows best what is in us, sees a state of
mediocrity, or even of indigence, most proper for the heirs
of heaven. And the very word, " an heir of heaven !" is
enough to balance all that can be perplexing, afflicting, or ca-
lamitous, in our lot below. When Israel walked after God,
in a land that was not sown, then he was holiness to the Lord;
but when Jeshurun waxed fat, he kicked, and grew forgetful
of God that formed him.
People in pinching circumstances may be apt to think it im-
possible for them to abuse a state of opulence, would Heaven
bestow it on them. So Hazael, servant to Benhadad king of
Syria, stood astonished at the prophet's prediction, that on his
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 259
advancement to royal authority, he should become a monster
of cruelty, and exclaims, " Is thy servant a dog, that he should
do this?" But no sooner does the servant commence a sove-
reign, than the man becomes a dog. So, oft-times, no sooner
does the poor become rich, than he becomes proud towards
man, and impious towards God, to such a degree, that fre-
quently the change is greater in his conversation than in his
circumstances. In this respect God deals with the greater
part of his people, as a prudent parent does with his child;
give him no sharp weapons to play with, lest, in spite of the
parent's admonitions, and the child's fair promises, he might
wound himself with them. It is true, some eminent saints, (I
say but some,) are both rich and in high station ; but then
grace is given to them, suiting to that very station they are
in. — And when I find myself in straitening circumstances, I
may conclude, that this very state is absolutely necessary,
either to suppress some sin that might otherwise sprout up, or
to exercise some grace that otherwise might lie dormant, and
thus is most conducive both to God's glory, and mine own
good.
6. Poverty calls to the exercise of certain graces, which
Christians in opulence cannot so properly be actually engaged
in, though every saint has every grace in the habit. The
rich cannot depend on God for their daily bread, in the same
manner that the needy do. And when the poor, in their
pinching straits, and repeated trials and disappointments, are
enabled to let patience have her perfect work, to a full resig-
nation to, and approbation of the disposal of providence in
their lot, and have a sweet recumbency on the faithfulness
and kindness of a reconciled God; thereby he is glorified, and
their souls enriched for a world to come.
Again, the saints in poverty have a sweet display of a spe-
cial providence towards them, and the small things, and petty
sums they receive, have a relish to them, above the vast and
yearly incomes of the rich ; because these come as it were
from the immediate hand of God, are the answer of their-
prayers, and the fruit of their faith. As in an indigent state
wants daily return, so faith is daily necessary; and the daily
actings of faith on an all-sufficient God, of all Christian graces
glorifies God most, putting honour on all his perfections, on
his truth and faithfulness, his power and immutability, his
wisdom and mercy! And the soul that in the highest degree
glorifies God in time, shall be glorified in an higher degree in
heaven; for the seeds now sown with weeping shall yield
260 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
sheaves of comfort then, and the happy reapers shall rejoice
for ever. Now, though the men of the world only connect
one time with another, because they have no hope for eter-
nity, yet the saints connect this and the eternal state; there-
fore it matters not how much we suffer here, if God may
thereby be more glorified on earth, and we more glorified in
heaven. If, then, poverty with the divine blessing, promotes
this noble end, can any deny its singular advantages? If the
soul goes out towards God, has the world crucified to him,
and is crucified to the world; if he esteems the heavenly
bliss .a sufficient portion, looks not at the things that are
seen, commits all to God, welcomes every cross that comes
from God, approves of that lot which he appoints, and in every
thing depends, relies, confides on God, for himself and his
children to the latest posterity; and if he has his little allow-
ance, (for he does not wish for much,) insured in the bank of
heaven, (and after generations shall observe it safe, while the
great sums amassed by worldly-minded men and misers, are
often in a short time so entirely consumed, that their heirs
have nothing:) Is he a loser by poverty?
Finally, what though God lead me through a terrible wil-
derness, and feed me in the wilderness in a manner which
the rich know not, since it is to humble me, and prove me,
and do me good at my latter end, even to do me good world
without end?
MEDITATION CXLII.
A JOURNEY ALONG THE SEA-SHORE.
Sept. 2, 1783.
1. At the commencement of my journey, I must take a
passage-boat ; and how noble the contrivance, thus to be waft-
ed from shore to shore! Let me see divine wisdom shining
in the devices of men.
Here I find old and young, male and female, men of differ-
ent stations and various employments; and in the safety of
the vessel we are all equally interested. This is a picture
of human society; for, in the felicity of a family every mem-
ber should share, in the happiness of a nation every indi-
vidual should rejoice, and in the peace of Jerusalem all should
triumph.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 261
The sea is a stormy element; the winds roar, the waves
rage, and some of the passengers are both fearful and very
sick, though others are cheerful and courageous. Thus is
our voyage through human life; tempests attack us, various
afflictions rage around us, and inward grief and vexation make
us sick at the very heart; but some have a more pleasant
passage through life, and others, by a steady faith in God, re-
main tranquil and serene. W^ meet other passage-boats and
with the same wind we pass them, and reach opposite shores ;
so saints and sinners, whether prosperity or adversity fill their
sails, steer for opposite shores.
2. I find, in some parts on the shore a scarcity of good
fresh water; and yet an ocean of water swells before therti.
So, some men, in the midst of all abundance, never taste of
true joy, or solid consolation. And the whole creation, to an
immortal soul, will prove but like salt water to a thirsty man,
never able to allay his drought, or ease his grief.
But the inhabitants having other conveniences, put up with
this; and, alas! shall not we often put up with greater losses
for trifles ? How many sit still under erroneous preachers,
rather than forego the least conveniency to hear an evangelical
minister?
3. Travelling along the coast, I come among some very
sinking sands, which makes my journey both painful and te-
dious; but, when I reach the sands that are often washed with
the sea I walk with ease and delight. So it is safer and
sweeter to walk in an afflicted lot, that is often washed with
the briny wave of adversity, than in the wealth and ease of
the worldling.
4. I find cloth laid down within the sea-mark, to prepare
for whitening, and left to be covered by the waves, and so
secured, that when the sea retires, the owners find all safe.
Even so, afflictions and trials shall prepare the saints for glo-
ry; and though, in their own eyes, and in the eyes of others,
they may seem drowned in distress, and cry out, "All thy
waves and thy billows are gone over me,"' yet well does the
heavenly Owner know how to preserve, in the midst of great
waters, his own, and at last to deliver out of all trouble, and
present them faultless before his presence with exceeding joy.
5. It is now tide of ebb, and, though the waves roll with
fury, and threaten to recover what they have lost, still they
retire, till all the shore is left dry; so, O saint! so, O soul I
shall it be with thy corruptions ; they may rage and threaten
to return, but still they shall lose ground, till they shall never
262 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
more be seen. Though corruptions should seem as strong us
ever, yet the time of their continuance is daily growing
shorter; and this may be comfort to many a poor soul, that,
though sin should rage never so fiercely, still it is but the last
efforts, the desperate struggles of a deadly wounded enemy, —
But the tide of flood calls to mind the melancholy case of sin-
ners ; for, though the waves seem often to recoil and relin-
quish what they had gained, ^till every succeeding billow
advances further than the former, till the briny surge pos-
sesses all the shore; so, whatever checks of conscience, and
partial reformations may take place, still the wicked proceed
from evil to worse, till the soul is drowned in sin, and lost in
perdition.
6. What abundant variety of all things does the sea produce !
The ground that lies along the coast is enriched with sea-
weeds, and is very fertile; our tables are supplied from the
deeps; and sometimes, when the crop ha& failed, the ocean
has poured in its plenty and supplied the poor. — Such is the
divine goodness. It is an ocean that supplies all our wants,
and still overflows. From him come all our comforts, from
him our blessings flow; and still they overflow. He gives
grace, and he will give glory : He gives himself, and that is
all in all.
7. Fields enriched with every grain, and verdant pastures
stored with flocks and herds, are not far off, but my hap is to
walk along a barren shore, and to have the foaming billows
my attendants; many a traveller has gone this way, and a
new road is not to be made for my fancy and pleasure : So
must the sons of men, so must I, walk in that very path Provi-
dence has appointed me, however rugged, however afflicting
it may prove! It is the way, and no other, that will lead to
our better country, to our Father's house. To be running
every now and then in quest of a more pleasant way, will
only add to my toil, and lengthen my journey; just so, to fret
under affliction, and to be discontented with our condition,
may make us more miserable, and add edge to our anguish,
but can do us no good. It is comfort, though the road be rug-
ged, that it leads me to the house of my friend; so, if I arrive
at last at my heavenly Father's house, who is a friend that
sticketh closer than a brother, I ought to put up with every
disaster by the way.
8. I have walked a good way all alone, but I have had com-
pany for some miles, but such company, that I welcome my
solitude again. Let this be a caution to be slow in choosing
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 263
companions; and how happy they who have agreeable, godly
companions, along the crooked road of life, whose pious collo-
quies will brighten the day, shorten the way, and cheer each
other to their journey's end.
9. Sands that were lately covered with the tide, by a strong
wind are now blown in my face; a sudden change indeed!
And how soon do people that have been in deep affliction for-
get themselves, and turn frothy! Our natural vanity and
levity is so great, that none but the Searcher of hearts can
know it.
10. I find a man sitting in something like a centry-box, and
take him for a criminal; but how surprised, on inquiry, to find
that he is a kind of judge, and determines disputes on shore.
More surprised shall thousands be at the great day, to see the
saints, who have been held as criminals, and as such have
been banished, beheaded, and burnt, sit judges on the world,
and on angels.
11. By nature and art, I find doves dwelling securely in
the rocks; the ocean foams before them, the tempests roar
around them, but they are safe at home; and, on their nimble
wings, fly where they will : So, safe are the saints who dwell
in the Rock Christ, in the rock of ages ; and on the wing of
faith they fly from all surrounding ills, to the heavenly rest,
the land of promise, and paradise of bliss.
12. A fine shower falls from heaven, and falls on the salt
sea with the same abundance that it does on the fruitful field,
or pasture-ground. This seems a waste, for the sea cannot
become a whit fresher by all the rain that it receives; but
who knows but a ship, too long on her voyage, and grown
scarce of water, is catching on her sails the kindly shower,
and preserving alive many persons? To how many has the
gospel been preached that have never believed the heavenly
report? Among thorns, by the way-side, and on stony ground,
has the good seed been sown, which came to nothing; but
Heaven will be sovereign in his kindness to all, and sinners
inexcusable who perish in their unbelief.
13. Innumerable creatures sport in the main, and a variety
of water-fowl fly along the shore. There is an element for ev-
ery creature, and every creature loves and lives in its ele-
ment. Then, am I an expectant of heaven, and a candidate
for glory, and yet wallow in earthly things? If born from
above, I shall find delight in spiritual things, and desire to
be above.
264 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
14. When come in sight of, and not far distant from the
house to which I go, a little rivulet presents itself, through
which I must go, or be disappointed of the pleasure I promise
myself on visiting my friends. I learn there is a bridge for
foot-passengers, but neither for horses nor carriages, built by
some friendly hand over the stream; but many a traveller
knows nothing of this bridge, and so must take the stream,
whatever may ensue. This minds me of death, which stands
between me and my Father's house, and presents itself at the
end of my journey. However terrible it may appear, the
prospect of communion with God may make me leap through
all dangers. Christ, indeed, has built a bridge for his chosen
to pass over; but over this bridge we can carry neither hon-
ours, nor riches, nor relations, but, stript of all, must walk
alone, under the conduct of our heavenly Guide. But, alas!
how few know of this bridge, how few find it, and how ma-
ny perish in the stream!
15. At last I reach the dear house for which I undertook
my journey, and find a hearty reception from all my kind
and much esteemed friends. So at last shall all the saints,
and so may we, arrive at the house of the living God, and be
blessed with the society of saints and angels and ravished with
communion with God and the Lamb. When arrived at this
state of everlasting rest, I shall forget the dangers of my jour-
ney, and the troubles of my lot; I shall I e filled with unspeak-
able joy in his presence, and feasted with the fatness of his
house for ever.
However happy here, a short time must finish my visit,
and I must return the very same way that I came; but the
bliss above is everlasting. I shall never quit the society of
saints and angels, I shall never go out of his temple, I shall
never rise from his banquet, I shall never depart from his
throne, never cease to behold his glory, nor be silent in hi?
praise, but my whole soul, in every ravished power, shall be
full of God, and go wholly out on God for ever.
MEDITATION CXLIII.
BKITISH STATE-LOTTERY.
March 8, 1786.
I shall not here attempt to discuss how far state-lotteries
are lawful, or not; but so well does government suit the bait
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 265
to the ambition or avarice of men, by some capital prizes, that
there is alwe^ys a world of adventurers; and as among them
there may be some well-meaning persons, I shall drop a few
thoughts for their consideration.
1. We should have a firm belief of a divine, over-ruling Pro-
vidence, and no dependence on blind chance. Therefore,
such persons are reproved, who, to secure success, rather
purchase a share in several tickets, than one whole ticket;
but the wheel of providence can turn up sixteen blanks as
well as one.
2. We should never adventure from a principle of avarice;
for we cannot ask from Heaven what we have no use for;
and it is not safe to have any thing under the sun but from
the kind hand of God; so, when we adventure, we should
have the call of providence by some pressing circumstances
we are in at the time.
3. We should never buy deep, but such a share as will
neither hurt our circumstances, nor ruffle our temper, though
it turn out a blank.
4. If we be rich, and will support government by purcha-
sing in the lottery, if it turns out a prize, the greater part
thereof should be laid out in pious and charitable uses. What
good might thus be done to numbers of needy families, and
unfortunate persons!
5. Our expectations should never be high. Often even
a capital prize has done more ill than good to the receiver.
The provision of kind providence is better for our children
than any sum; and there is a blessing on that which is got
with honest industry.
6. If, after waiting some time, and expecting a little sum
to help us out of some pressing strait we only get a blank,
yet, let us still consider, that Providence is neither exhausted
nor non-plussed; and that though this, and that, and the other
scheme fail, he never fails his people.
I shall next give a caution or two.
1. If a prize is drawn, (1.) Talk not of good luck, but
acknowledge Providence, for nothing comes by chance. —
(2.) Be rather humble than high-minded, more afraid of hurt
to your soul, than assured of advantage to your state. —
(3.) Infer not from your good success that you are the fa-
vourites of heaven, for " no man knoweth love or hatred by
all that is before him." (4.) Implore the blessing of Heaven
to come along with it to you and yours. Without this how
many have suffered very much by the sudden accumulation
Z
266 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
of wealth? They have been taken out of their proper sphere,
turn giddy-headed, and squander away what they possessed,
till, with shame and anguish of mind, they sink to that station
from whence they arose, or lower. (5.) Do not think much
of what heaven thinks so little of, for often riches are bestow-
ed on the basest of men, and are employed to the worst of
purposes; they can procure no quiet to a wounded conscience,
cannot avail a person tossing on a death-bed, a sinner trem-
bling before the judgment seat, or an immortal soul through
eternity. (6.) Keep a memorandum of your resolutions, both
as to the frame of your mind, and your bounty towards pious
and charitable uses, which often read over, and never depart
from.
2. If a blank or a trifle is drawn, (1.) Acquiesce cheer-
fully. You may be in the wrong in attempting to be rich in
such a manner. But, should conscience acquit you, still give
God the honour of his sovereignty, who does whatever he
pleases, and gives no account of his ways. Give him also
the honour of his wisdom, who knows best what is best for
you, and do not prescribe to Omnisciency himself. (2.) Con
sider, that often those children do best that have no large
sums from their parents. Now, it is often more for our chil-
dren than for ourselves that we seek riches; yet, how often
have the riches of the parent been a means to ruin the
character, the morals, and the very constitution of their
children !
But now, to compare earthly with heavenly things, — can
we be so happy in the mere expectation of a prize, where we
may be readily disappointed, and not exult in the heavenly
treasures, which can never deceive us? Can we find such
pangs of joy in a prize of 20,000Z. which we may spend to a
farthing, and must leave behind us, and yet our hearts not
beat with rapturous joy at the heavenly gift, at the pearl of
great price, being eternally our own? If a little of this world
place us in such easy circumstances in life, how enriching
the treasures of glory! Let me accept only, and the bank of
bliss will bestow, not the trifling sum of a few thousands, but
durable riches and righteousness. There is no blank here to
stab our expectation, and sadden our countenance; no, but a
kingdom and a crown, endless bliss, and endless glory. The
greatest sum now cannot prevent me from becoming a bank-
rupt; but, instead of spending my celestial stores, they cannot
so much as be counted or told ; but a few figures will contain
all the sums that were ever lost or gained in every state-lot
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 267
tery, in every land. How poor the richest mortal! how rich
the meanest saint! Earthly things only please an earthly
appetite, but here the joys of paradise, the bliss of angels, and
all the perfection of God, feast and ravish for ever.
Had this lottery no blank, how numerous would the ad-
venturers be! but the heavenly liberality has no blank, none
shall be dissappointed, but have prizes large as wish, and
boundless as desire.
Here, if a person gets a prize, or a share in a capital prize,
it is the most that he can expect; but those who will accept
of the heavenly bounty, shall have every enriching prize,
(not for the short period of sixty, eighty, or an hundred years ;)
he shall have pardon of sin, peace with God, growth in grace,
joy in believing; in a word, heaven, and all the joys of
paradise; endless life, and all the glories of eternity; and
God and his infinite fulness, world without end.
MEDITATION CXLIV.
ON THE WOEKS OF CREATION.
Jan. 20, 1790.
Before I enter on this meditation, I premise a few things :
1. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the best,
the noblest of all knowledge. 2. Many a pious soul has
gone, and many may go to heaven, that knows but little of the
theory of the starry firmament. 3. The belief or disbelief
of these things is merely indifferent with respect to the con-
cerns of salvation. 4. As our salvation depends nothing upon
such a knowledge, we can expect no account thereof in reve-
lation. 5. By way of analogy, however, comparing that part
of creation which we know not with that part which we know,
I have as firm a belief of these things, as of any thing else
that comes not within scripture-authority, mathematical de-
monstration, or historical narrative. 6. Great philosophers,
surveying the works of creation, may have their heads full
of shining knowledge, and yet at last arrive at the darkness
of eternal night.
Every thing is full of God. How is our earth replenished,
air and seas crowded with inhabitants ! Every blade is cov-
ered with life, and every liquid abounds with animalculse; so
that we have an endless field for admiration, gratitude, and
wonder, on our terraqueous globe.
288 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
• But why should we think our earth the only planet in our
system that is peopled? If we are not so near the sun as
some of the other planets, we are attended by a moon, while
some that are more distant still have four or five moons, and
are of tremendous magnitude, compared to our globe. Why,
then, should one primary planet only of seven, and it neither
the least nor the largest, neither the nearest to the sun, nor
the most distant from him, be inhabited, and all the rest deso-
late and empty? Philosophy can give no reason, and reve-
lation does give none. Now, to a mind that v/ould admire the
glory of the Creator, what a noble prospest is our system!
So many worlds of intelligent creatures, living on his provi-
dence, and paying him the tribute of praise 1 the philosophers
in every planet inferring, that the rest must be inhabited as
well as theirs, and with growing wonder adoring the supreme
Creator of all !
Moreover, at immense distances on every hand, beyond all
the planets of our system, we see a great many fixed stars
with our naked eye, and, by the help of telescopes, millions
more; and the better the glasses are, still more distant and star-
ry firmaments, rich treasures of creating power, are brought
into view, and astonish every beholder. How vast the sur-
vey may still grow, as glasses may be further and further
improved, I shall not dare to conjecture. Let us, then, sup-
pose their present number, as is by some supposed, to be se-
venty millions, and that every star is a sun, as big and as
bright at least as our sun. As our sun, which is but a star
to them, is the centre of a system, and affords light and heat
to all the planets that roll round him; so these globes, which
are no more than stars to us, are suns to their own systems.
That never a planet in any of these systems has been seen, or
can be seen, is an argument against their existence, since some
of the planets in our own system have escaped every astro-
nomer till of late; and who can tell but that more worlds still,
in some future period, may be found to belong to our system?
And, considering that they are at such a vast distance, that a
sun appears but a star, how can planets, that shine with a
reflected light be seen? Now, if we suppose every system,
like ours, to have seven primary planets, what an immensity of
worlds this! Four hundred and ninety millions of worlds,
all inhabited with rational creatures! And if, again, we sup-
pose the inhabitants of every planet to be as numerous as in
oul' earth, here calculation is baffled, and conception fails!
If the king's honour be in the multitude of the people, what
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 269
aonour must belong to the King of kings, who not only can
claim the cattle on a thousand hills, but the inhabitants of
millions of systems, and ail the angels of light?
It is calculated, that seventy or eighty thousand die day by
day in our earth; but let us suppose that only a thousand
daily are translated from every world, yet thus the number
that arrive at the world of spirits for one day, is four hundred
and ninety thousand millions! No arm but an omnipotent
can support such legions, no eye but an omniscient can sur-
vey the whole. Well may we, with astonishment, join Bildad,
and cry, "Is there any number of his armies? and upon
whom does not the light" of his glory "arise?"
In contemplating such a plurality of worlds, a pleasant pros-
pect opens, that perhaps sin is only known in our earth, but
that all these continue in that state of innocence in which
they were created. Often have we been difficulted to see
tlie goodness of God over all his works, while we behold such
multitudes of human souls going dow^n to the chambers of
death; and understand, that for ages the worshippers of the
true God were confined to tlie nation of the Jews and a few
proselytes; and even in the more extensive spread of the gos-
pel, to so few nations is the Christian name hitherto confined,
that it may be said the world lieth in wickedness ! But how
pleasant to reflect, that while, in sovereignty, the sinners in
our globe shall fell the wrath of a tremendous Jehovah, all
these millions of inhabited worlds, retaining their primitive
innocence, walk in the light of his countenance, and sing the
praises of their adored Creator! Now, though our whole sys-
tem were both sinful and miserable, how small is it among so
many! But when sin is known only in one planet, and but
a part of the inhabitants of that planet left under its fatal
influence, we may infer, that all the sons of perdition are but
like the small dust of the balance to the totality of happy
beings !
Should it be objected. How do we know but that sin has
made its way into many, or into all these worlds? I answer
From the holiness and goodness of God, who will never suffer
sin to take place where it cannot be counteracted. As God
is the first cause and last end of all, so he cannot but make all
things for himself, all things for his own glory.— Now, sin can
never be for his glory, (for, as it is sin, it strikes against his
holiness, and, as it' plunges his creatures into eternity, it
^ strikes against his goodness,) except where, by permitting it,
^ z2
270 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
he can manifest the glory of all his divine perfections, in con-
demning sin, and saving the sinner by a Saviour.
Should it be further objected, That sin entered among the
angels, but those of them that sinned have no Saviour, I an-
swer, 1. That but a certain number of them sinned; and 2.
That their sin is connected with the sin of man; hence Christ
is said to be "manifested to destroy the works of the devil."
Now, as sin could be taken away by nothing less in our w^orld,
than by the sacrifice of our incarnate God, so sin could be
expiated by no other sacrifice in any other world. But Christ
cannot be personally united to more than one nature, for union
to a plurality of natures, souls and bodies, would be confusion
in the person of the Son; therefore he cannot be the Saviour
of any more worlds than ours. So, if sin entered there, they
must all perish for ever which is contrary to his goodness;
hence we conclude, that they, like our first parents, were cre-
ated in holiness, and confirmed in their innocence, like he an-
gels that kept their first estate. — From this view of creation
we may infer,
1. How great must the Creator be, in the hollow of whose
hand so many millions of inhabited worlds do roll! How pro-
lific every hour of the six days creation ! What multitudes
of holy angels admiring these works worthy of a God ! To
fallen angels we cannot give a number, though it is probably
very great, as we find a whole legion in one man; but in Rev.
v. 11. we read of an hundred milHons of angels round the
throne ; and how many more they are, none can tell, as this
is only a definite for an indefinite number.
2. Hence we may see the beautiful connexion that takes
place through the whole creation. All these suns, though
very remote from one another, shine to the nearest systems as
stars ; thus each of them has a primary and secondary use,
to shine as a sun to their own system, and as a star to the
systems around them.
3. What madness would it be in the sinners of our earth
to marshal themselves in battle-array, and declare war against
all the inhabitants of all these worlds, (supposing they could
meet,) since every individual would have to encounter mil-
lions and more? But they are chargeable with more despe-
rate madness still, who, by their sin, challenge to combat the
Lord of hosts, the Lord of the armies of universal nature,
and run on the thick bosses of his buckler, whose arm is
omnipotent whose blow is irresistible, and whose displeasure
is death.
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 271
4. Suppose but one million of these suns collected into one
constellation of stars, one cluster of burning orbs, what a tre-
mendous effulgence, what a deluge of light, and blaze of glory,
would it give : Unless at a very great distance, no human eye
could behold it. Yet how would all this insufferable bright-
ness disappear before heavenly glory 1 When the Judge shall
at last descend, attended with millions of angels, I make no
doubt but the glory of every angel would darken a sun ; what,
then, must the light of the New Jesusalem be, which the
glory of God shall lighten, and whereof the Lamb shall be
the light!
5. How mean is it in a saint of God, in an expectant of
glory, to have his temper ruffled, or his countenance saddened,
by a few ill-natured and malicious neighbours ! to forget the
meekness of the gospel, by the ill-usage of sinners! since in
so short a time he is to join so sweet a society, where there
shall not be one waiting for his halting, nor a jarring opinion
in all the millions of glory !
6. What must be the power that made, and the wisdom that
governs all these worlds! In what a blaze of glory must the
Creator appear, who has kindled up so many millions of suns,
and kept so many millions of planets regularly rolling around
them, and even wandering comets, so that not one, through
so many ages, has mistaken its course! Kingdoms and
churches, and families, may dwell secure under the sceptre
of such a King, the providence of such a God; and every
individual of the human race may commit his way to him,
without an uneasy thought, an irksome murmur, or an
anxious wish.
7. When sinners on every side create us sorrow, let us re-
flect, that even from this earth at last the ransomed of the
Lord shall be a great multitude, which no man can number.
What, then, must the heavenly assembly be, the people of so
many millions of worlds, and all the hosts of holy angels, all
in the presence of God and the Lamb, and all shouting his
praises through an endless evermore !
8. Creation is the admiration of men, of philosophers; but
redemption is the wonder of angels, the ne plus ultra, the fur-
thermost that God can go. Had he pleased, he could have cre-
ated still more and more worlds ; but he could give nothing bet-
ter, nothing more than his Son. In creation, his wisdom, his
power, and his goodness are manifested; but in redemption,
his manifold wisdom, his mighty power, his spotless holiness,
his unbounded goodness, his inflexible justice, and his invari-
272 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
able truth, shine forth, and will shine, while the ransomed
sing before the throne. And here the astronomer and philo-
sopher are reproved, that survey the whole creation, but stop
short of God; or are filled with wonder at the works of his
hands, but never have their hearts filled, with gratitude at his
love and grace in redemption.
9. However God may shine in the works of creation, still he
shines with uncommon, unrivalled, unparalleled lustre in the
work of redemption; for, to save one soul is more than to cre-
ate all these worlds. He spake, and it was done; he com-
manded, and it stood fast: he said, Let it be, and light and suns,
and systems, replenished part of the mighty regions of space ;
but nothing less could ransom sinners, than his own eternal
Son, united to human nature, and sustaining unutterable ago-
nies, the acutest sense of divine wrath, and thus expiring on
the accursed tree 1 O astonishing price of our redemption!
Though all the millions of angels round the throne, and all
the sinless inhabitants of these four hundred and ninety mil-
lions of worlds, had been sacrificed for the salvation of one
soul, that soul, notwithstanding such a sacrifice, must have
perished for ever; for it is impossible tliat the blood of bulls
and of goats could take away sin. — And on a level stand, all
creatures here, from the highest angels, through every rank
of intelligent beings, because all are creatures still. I see,
then, that my Redeemer must be a divine person, (and there
is not greater and lesser, no semi-divine in deity,) that he
must be the supreme, the self-existent Jehovah. And shall I
cast away my soul for ever, a soul of such value, for phan-
toms, for shadows, for nothing?
10. How should an immortal soul rise superior to all the
trifles of creation, the pageantry of high life, and the splen-
dours of royalty, and expand every power of the soul, every
mental faculty, to the improving society of those holy multi-
tudes that daily arrive at heaven, to the fellowship of millions
of angels, and to eternal communion with God !
11. What must the wicked feel at last, when in the presence,
(for aught we know,) of all these assembled worlds, in the
presence of men and angels, they shall be loaded with infamy,
condemned to the abodes of horror and despair, and thus
punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of
the Lord, and from the glory of his power, displayed in the
grand work of redemption, and in the creation of that vast
multitude of worlds ! Not only cut off" from this dear society
of holy angels, and happy innocents, from all these worlds,
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 273
but banished the divine presence, and pursued with burning
wrath for ever.
12. What a noble prospect opens beyond death to every
saint, who by nature is a social creature ; for grace destroys
not nature, but purifies and exalts it! In the celestial levee
among immortal grandees, in the court of the King of kings
they shall enjoy the divine presence! Though now the
presence of one sovereign is courted with avidity, yet to be
admitted into a congress of all the kings and potentates of
this world, would be but a lean honour, and unsubstantial
glory, (though no individual ever attained to it, nor probably
ever will,) compared to that renown that attends admission
into the general assembly and church of the first-born. As
all these systems were created at one and the same period in
the beginning of time, so at one and the same period time
may end to them all, and eternity begin. And then, how
august the assembly! how delightful the song! and how vast
their felicity, none can tell ! Again, though all these worlds
can claim a covenanted God, yet the redeemed from among
men can claim an incarnate God, and have notes in their ho-
sannas which neither angels nor any other can imitate.
How the blessed will be employed in eternity, we cannot
say; but as God is every where present, so they will find
heaven every where; yet, where the God-man, God in our
nature, shall dwell in the bright eff*ulgence of his glory, there
shall the redeemed from among men assemble; and wherever
they go, or whatever they do, they shall enjoy God in a man-
ner that will make them happy above conception or thought.
I offer a few thoughts more, and leave them with the reader.
1. The divine essence, filling immensity alike, wherever
he manifests his glory, and communicates his goodness, there
is heaven. Thus the angels, being blessed with uninterrupt-
ed vision and fruition of God, though employed on messages
to our earth, are always in heaven, and yet earth is not
heaven.
2. It seems to be the general opinion of divines, that nei-
ther sun, moon, nor stars, nor our earth, shall be annihilated;
but the world" at last shall be purified by fire, and appointed
for some noble use by the supreme Disposer of all things.
3. If in this new earth righteousness, (that is, the saints
or righteous ones,) shall dwell, who, like the angels that come
from the realms of bliss, shall, though inhabiting the earth,
dwell in the very heart of heaven ; so, after the general judge-
ment, the inhabitants of all these worlds shall dwell in their
274 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
distinct globes; yet all these numerous worlds shall make but
one heaven, one commonwealth of bliss, and be for ever
blessed with the vision of God's glory, with the communica-
tions of his goodness.
4. Who can tell but that in eternity there may be some
grand festivals, some august solemnities, when the inhabitants
of all these worlds shall assemble to worship him in universal
chorus, who truly is the Lord of hosts, and to pay special
honours to the man Christ, who, because he humbled himself
to the death, the death of the cross, has a name given him,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every
tongue confess, through heaven and earth, and universal na-
ture: even as in the church below, several congregations
may meet at one sacramental solemnity. — What a glorious
sight will this be in the eyes of every adorer! and how will
the redeemed from among men rejoice to see their incarnate
God exalted as Head over all ! And what a field of wonder,
what a flood of ecstacy will pour into these innumerable
millions, when the mystery of redemption is revealed to them,
which things the angels, bending down from their heavenly
orbs, desire to look into! But with what wonder, astonish-
ment, and holy indignation, will they be filled, when informed
that there are some intelligent beings that once boldly im-
pugned the Deity, and denied the divinity of the Son, the
second person of the ever-adored and undivided Trinity! and
that the miscreants should be not only of that world he conde-
scended to save, but of that very society that did bear the
Christian name.
5. Though they can never retire from the presence, the en-
joyment of God, yet they may retire from this congress of
systems, this assembly of worlds, with an increase of know-
ledge, of love, and felicity, and improve for the next convoca-
tion which may be made by solemn peal, rung by archangels,
or the sound of a trumpet; for if the sound of a trumpet can
awaken the dead, it may well assemble the living.
6. When the inhabitants of all these worlds assemble again
around the heavenly standard, with what additional lustre
will they shine to one another! Even in Heaven wisdom
makes the face to shine; and as their researches into God are
unremitted, so their growth in knowledge will be constant.
And though all are employed in studying God, yet some may
have some sweet display of one divine attribute, others of an-
other, which they may communicate to each other, to their
mutual joy and increase of knowledge; just as ministers of
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 275
tne gospel now, though their search may be after all truth,
yet ojie may have a bright discovery of one truth, and another
of a distinct truth, and so on, by which they may improve and
edify one another. Thus, every time they assemble, it will
be with additional degrees of knowledge, felicity, and glory.
Moreover, the angels, these heavenly courtiers, that have
explored the God-head for many thousand years, will commu-
nicate their knowledge to all the happy adorers : for, in the
world of spirits, every intelligent being can freely converse
with one another. But, above all, Jesus, who has been the
prophet to his church in the militant state, will continue to be
her prophet in the triumphant state, and, as far as his divine
wisdom sees fit, will unfold to them more and more the mys-
teries of grace, the magazines of glory, the arcana of Deity,
the secrets of God.
7. As all these worlds are but like the cities of one king-
dom, the states of one republic, the members of one family,
and the servants of one God, may not the inhabitants, being
nimble as the angels of light, visit one another? But O how
different from the visits below! Ablaze of heaven will shine
around them wherever they go, the praise of God fill every
mouth, and his glory shine in every countenance. Thrice
happy guests! They will set out from world to world, swift;
as angels, or quick as thought; and to hear, and speak, and
learn still more and more of God, will be their constant em-
ployment, and soul-refreshing theme. If the sweets of society
and friendship be esteemed among the sons of men, how shall
the sweets of sacred friendship and sinless society be esteemed
among the sons of God!
8. May not we suppose poor sinners, who are shut up in
the gulf of hell, to be like state-prisoners, who hear their of-
fended sovereign passing in triumph, attended by his loyal
nobles, and happy favourites, but no ray of hope for them;
who, therefore, gnaw their very chains in the anguish of des-
pair, and, with redoubled bowlings, and severest remorse,
bewail themselves banished for ever from the glory of his
power, that shines in such an assembly, that beams brightly
in redeeming love; and shall feel the super-added sense of
divine displeasure teeming into every power and faculty of
the soul for ever. Oh ! how must the torments of sinners, the
anguish of damnation, be heightened, sharpened, and screwed
up to the highest pitch, by this sad reflection, that their state
is fixed, and their misery shall endure to all eternity, in the
276 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
fullest meaning of the word, in spite of all that witless vota-
ries for hell have said to the contrary !
9. Wherever the saints, the ransomed of the Lord, may
dwell, it must be in heaven, and they shall be blessed with the
presence of the man Christ; for he is their Head, and they
are his members. Angels, and all the happy worlds, are related
to him as their Creator and supreme good, but the saints claim
him as tlieir Brother, their Husband, their Head; and, by this
relation, have an honour superior to any other created intel-
ligence ; for " he took not on him the nature of angels, but the
seed of Abraham."
10. Whatever delight and satisfaction all these intelligent
beings may find in searching into the wonders of creation,
into that astonishing variety that may prevail among the inha-
bitants of the numerous systems, (since even among the angels
that are all immaterial beings, we find thrones and dominions,
principalities and powers, angels and arch-angels, cherubim
and seraphim;) yet, every happy adorer will join the pslamist
of old, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none
upon the earth," none in all the systems, none in any world,
" that I desire l3esides thee." And though the students on di-
vine subjects shall be innumerable, yet every divine perfec-
tion, being infinite, shall afford them ample scope for their
searches. For I am of opinion, that their knowledge shall be
so acute and comprehensive, that the motions, laws, and uni-
versal connexion that the systems have with one another, shall
be familiar and easy to them. But, with what growing won-
der, and holy delight, shall they admire that Power that pro-
duced such numerous worlds from mere nothing, pure nonen-
tity! and called such mighty spirits as the angels into being
with a word! And how will the most penetrating geniuses
of angels, or of men, or other intelligent beings, find them-
selves lost in searching into his self-existence and essence !
His is so infinite, that it defies, and will for ever defy, their
researches, and, compared with him, all these millions of
angels, and millions of worlds, with their inhabitants, are but
as an atom to space, or a point to ubiquity ! In this infinite
essence, the happy inquirers, will find glories forever new !
Moreover, hovr will they be completely ravished to think,
(though no creature can understand how,) that this great God,
in three consubstantial, co-equal persons, must have existed
from a necessity of nature, from a necessary perfection, and
must have existed with all the necessary attributes of infinity,
omnipotence, omniscience, an immutability, as well as holi
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 277
ness, justice, goodness and truth, from all evermore! Like
wise, the works of providence in every world, and respecting
every individual, will be a noble theme to the heirs of felicity;
and among these works, the salvation of sinners, by the incar-
nation, sufferings and satisfaction of the Son of God, will be
the wonder of all the glorious intelligences, as well as the
song of the redeemed.
Finally, the Lord shall rejoice in all his works, and his
glory shall continue forever; while to millions of millions he
communicates of his goodness through eternity! compared
with whom, what a small handful shall underlie his burning
indignation forever! But, O melancholy thought! perhaps my
dear acquaintance, my daily companions, or my near rela
tions, maybe among the unhappy persons! O that they may
be made to flee from the v/rath to come !
To add no more, how dark are our views, and how igno-
rant are we of the world to come ! But this may fill us with
solid joy, that it is wholly in his hand, who will make his
j>eople happy in and with himself for ever, whose presence
is fulness of joy, and to be at whose right-hand is pleasure
evermore.
MEDITATION CXLV.
A PEOSrECT OF DEATH.
A dispute has long subsisted between my mortal frame and
death ; and though I have long maintained the struggle with a
life subject to disease and pain, I must at last yield to the uni-
versal conqueror, and be led to the house appointed for all
living. In a little, the king of terrors will advance toward me,
harnished to slay, and I shall not always escape the keen de-
stroyer. But here is the comfort of a Christian, that he may
die, and yet not be hurt of the second death ; yea he may en-
ter undismayed the lists with him who is the terror of kings,
as with a conquered foe, and with cheerfulness view the silent
grave; for though his dust rot, yet his hope shall flourish for
ever. O what an unspeakable privilege is an interest in the
Son of God, whereby that which sets the secure world a trem-
bling, fills the believer's mouth with songs of triumph! — Hap-
py would the wicked be, if freed from the fears of approach-
ing death ; but this advancing day, when he is dissolved, to be
with Jesus, kindles joy in the believer's breast.
2A
278 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
Reluctant nature, indeed, ma}^ struggle in the last pangs,
but disclosing glories shall scatter every gloom. My rela-
tives may weep about me, but my soul shall be all harmony
within. My body may toss and tumble on a death bed, but
my hope shall be fiexd within the vail. Mourning, and weep-
ing may attend my decease, but my departed soul shall soar
to everlasting song; and, while my sad friends inter my life-
less clay, my immortality shall enter into the joy of my Lord.
Such views as these refresh the expectant of glory ; and what-
ever clouds may darken his evening sky, yet his stale is
secure, and he shall never walk alone, through the dark sha-
dow, the solitary valley of death. The same divine Saviour,
who has been a cloud and a shadow to him all the days of
his life, will also be the shining of a flaming fire to him in
the night of his death. Hence dissolution itself, like the
cloud of old, when kindly interposed between flying Israel
and pursuing Egypt, though it be terror and darkness to
depraved mortals yet it is joy, light, and transport to adopt-
ed sons.
If, on the approach of the decisive moments, fierce disease
will allow my soul so much tranquility as to think, with what
delight will I bid the world adieu, how will my joys swell to
see myself on the brink of an eternity of glory! And, if I
can use my tongue, how shall my dying breath speak of the
excellences of my divine Redeemer, and commend religion to
the sons of men 1 How shall I expatiate on the bliss, the en-
trancing' joys found in his presence, even below, when the
soul dwells with great delight under his shade, and eats his
fruits, while paradise blooms around him! How shall I also
endeavour to set forth a little of that triumphant state that is
before the throne ! Then, taking my last, mine eternal farewell
of all created things, I shall fix my soul on all the boundless
bliss, and everlasting glory, that is in his presence, and, while
he graciously begins to shed eternal noon about me, shall
breathe my soul out among his beams, and rise in his irradi-
ation to the very throne.
MEDITATION CXLVI.
A STATE AFTER DEATH.
Indeed, the most part of men live as if there were no futu-
rity, no hereafter ; as if they should altogether drop out of being
tlie moment they drop their mortal frame. — But, notwithstand
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 279
ing the confined views of depraved mortals, a noble prospect
opens beyond death, the hope of the heaven-espoused breast.
Surely, as the prisoner, long detained in the dreary dungeon,
when allowed to pass the envious door, to be possessed of lib-
erty once more, looks with delight on unbounded fields of day,
and, with a kind of greedy joy, glances the whole surrounding
skies; so, when my soul, through the door of death, shall es-
cape from this clay prison, in which I daily groan, and pass
through the confines of time, I shall rise at once into eternity
itself, look round on fields of light, on floods of glory, and,
with the overflowings of an holy joy, see felicity, in its infi-
nite plenitude, measure with eternity above.
What matter, then, though my dust mingle for a while with
the earth, and my memory perish among the sons of men, if
mine immortal soul, all activity and life, be going out unwea-
ried ly in praising the Fountain of glory, and well spring of sal-
vation? If my death be happy, mine eternity shall be bles-
i^ed; if his beams dispel the darkness of death, I shall walk
in the light of his countenance for ever. In that state of
bliss, all my bliss shall be according to the state of the King.
I shall live in his smile, and be ravished with his emanations;
I shall walk in his light, and be conformed to his likeness. I
shall drink of his pleasures, put on his strength, and partake of
the divine nature! O how every power of soul shall burn in
his beams, brighten in his glory, and kindle in his love!
Then will this dying worm begin to live after the manner of
angels; then shall this luke-warm soul love in a degree a-kin
to seraphim, and join in the raptures of the harpers before
the throne. Here, in his sanctuary, have 1 seen some of
his steps of majesty, but there shall I behold him in all his
glory, and my soul shall have, through his own amazing con-
descension, such refined apprehensions, such a clear and
lively knowledge of him, that I may be said to "see him face
to face, and to know as I am known." There I shall walk
in white in the presence of the undivided Trinity, and shall
enjoy .communion with Father, Son, and Holy Ghost for ever.
I shall admire all his dazzling glories, adore all his divine
perfections, and be possessed of pleasures large as my wish,
pure as the bliss of angels, immortal as my own soul, and
liberal as the bounty of the glorious Giver. Again, whate-
ver glorious things and sacred bliss I am possessed of, this
adds to its excellency, that it is eternal; while my toils shall
all dissolve in endless rest, my griefs in everlasting joy, and
my sorrows m eternal songs.
280 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
Surely, when I see such a state before me, I am astonished
that my state below, whatever it be, should trouble me, more
than a bad day or dirty way should incommode a king going
to his coronation ; and that happiness of which I am an ex-
pectant as much transcends his, as his does that of the most
wretched gallay-slave. Then, at that day when the world
shall say of me, He is no more, I shall begin to be what will
crown my highest aim, and satisfy my whole desires, even an
abiding inhabitant in the world above, where I shall enjoy
God, the inconceivable good, in an inconceivable manner,
through endless ages. Then, a few moments, and in this
world I am no more; and again, a few moments, and, if my
hope deceive me not, I am there for evermore.
MEDITATION CXLVII.
A GLANCE AT THE GLORIES ON THE OTHER SIDE CREATION.
All at once I find myself in an unbounded flood of bliss,
a spacious sea of glory; lost in wonder amidst ineffable
divinities, and transported with the raptures of seraphic
harmony.
The first and reigning glory is, that Jehovah keeps his
royal court in person here. His dwelling-place is enriched
with the richest profusion of his love, with the brightest dis-
plays of his goodness; and, while all his saints rejoice in his
excellent glory, what ardour glows in every soul, what rap-
ture swells in every song! O the adorable displays of his
perfections! the manifestations of his goodness, the outlet-
tings of his love! and the intercourse that is between him
and his hidden ones ! The fulness of the Father, treasured
up in the Son, dispensed by the Spirit, is the crown-charter
of the kingdom above, where the royal privilege of every
inhabitant carries him to the utmost extent of communicable
glory.
What buildings are these? They be the palaces of the
great King, the mansions of our Immanuel, of which there
are many in his Father's house; and they are all magnifi-
cent, founded in grace, and furnished with glory: "The
beams of our house are cedar, and the rafters are fir." Age
shall never enter here, and nothing shall decay: — "The
King is held in the galleries." What a beautiful city is the
New-Jerusalem, the mother of us all! of which the Lord God
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 281
and the Lamb are the light! How glorious are its gates,
where pearls of essential beauty sparkle ! and all the attributes
of God blaze divinely bright!
There trophies of eternal victory lie beneath Immanuel's
feet. He is our elder brother, our near kinsman, and our
husband. This is the relation from which our grandeur
springs, our being married into the high and honourable fa-
mily of heaven. What a blessing is it to be brethren to the
Son of God, and hear him to us in that capacity declare his
Father's name! O the assimilating beams of glory that dart
from his eyes, and shoot likeness with the ray! We see him.
and are like him ; we are like him, and love him, and are
eternally happy! No wonder that the world was such a
waste and howling wilderness, such a dry and thirsty desert,
such a land of heat and drought, compared to the heavenly
Canaan, where the rivers of pleasures overflow their banks
for ever.
Why did we expect joys on earth? Our mortal frame
could not have borne the transports of eternal day; yea,
here it is all we can to bear the brightness of his beams. O
love! O rapture! O ecstatic joys! O everlasting heaven!
The general assembly, now met on the holy Mount Zion,
the joy of the whole heaven, is an assembly of gods, all sons
of the Highest, and the Lord God of Gods, the Lord God of
gods, dwells among them! O ineffable glory! to dwell for
ever in the royal pavilion of heaven, in most intimate commu-
nion with the King eternal, immortal, and invisible !
What rapturous notes are these I hear? The song of
Moses and the Lamb. My soul dissolves in praise, my spirit
pours out in sweet hosannahs, all heaven is melody, angels ac-
cent the song. O the charming anthems of glory! O the high
strokes of the harpers round the throne! The song of the re-
deemed is the song of songs. We will sing to thee while we
live, while we have our being we will bless thee. Weeping en-
dured for a little, through the short night of time, but joy is come
in the morning of the resurrection; and we have a song in this
solemn assembly, and gladness, being come into the house of
the Lord. Our happiness shall utter hallelujahs, our glory sing
thy praise, and never be silent. Sing ye inhabitants of eter-
nity, shout from the mountains of myrrh, and hills of frank-
incense, where ye rest, and are refreshed for ever. And
shall these ravishing hosannahs never end, these songs of
love never cease? O life of angels! O warbles of eternal
noon! for we rest not day nor night to sing all thy glory
2a2
282 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
Say, was I ever sad? What although? since now my
sackcloth is loosed, and I am girt with gladness. Here, to the
glory of the bounteous Giver, we have all things common.
This God, this glory, this up-making all, my fellow-saints,
without my loss, is yours, and, without any prejudice, to you,
is also wholly mine. Here we drink at life's immortalising
stream, and with eternal joy draw water out of the wells of
salvation. From the rivers of thy pleasures, O God ! thou
wilt make us largely drink: "Eat O friends! drink, yea,
drink abundantly, O beloved! for in my presence there is
fulness of joy, and at my right-hand are pleasures for
evermore."
O thou that art as my brother, I have found thee; not
within thy promise, not in the ordinances, as in the days of
my flesh, but without, in the most ample displays of thy eter-
nal love, in the open fields of glory, and shall kiss thee and
not be despised. I have found thee, and shall hold thee, and
not let thee go through eternity.
Here we receive out of his fulness, and grace for grace
and glory for glory. Our possession is worthy of our liberal
Giver. We have a kingdom which cannot be moved, an in
heritance undefiled, and that fadeth not away; a city that
hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. We have
garments of glory, a crown of righteousness, a crown of life ;
the tree of life to feed upon, the fountain of life to drink of, and
the garden of God to walk in. W^e have life above the reach of
death, health secured from sickness, and pleasure without pain.
Our bodies are immortal, our souls immaculate, our senses
sanctified, our conceptions spiritualised, our faculties enlarged,
and our whole soul replenished with divinity. Our past bliss
is present with us in the sweet remembrance, our present bliss
entrances in the enjoyment, and our future bliss is present with
us in the full assurance of our eternal felicity. Thus we are for
ever blessed to the highest degree. We are above all fear,
beyond anxiety and doubt, and fixed above all change. Our
service is sincere, our adorations ardent, our knowledge pro-
found and satisfying. Rapture rushes in at every part; our
eyes are ravished with seeing the King in his beauty, our
ears with hearing the songs of the inner temple, our nose
with the fragrance of the Rose of Sharon, the plant of re-
nown; our feet with standing in his holy place; our hands
with handling of the word of life ; and our mouth with the
wine of our Beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing our
souls to shout aloud, and the lips of us who were once silent
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 283
in death, asleep in the grave, to sing, and never cease. Our
fruition of his fulness, our vision of his perfections and glory,
our interest in his offices and relations, our union to the in-
carnate Word, our communion with all the persons of the
glorious Godhead, and our participation with the divine na-
ture, constitute our most exalted bliss, and are the heaven of
heavens.
These are the years of the right-hand of the Most High.
Here He, of whom Solomon in all his majesty was once a
languid type, is crowned with all the brightness of his Media-
torial glory; and this is the day of eternal espousals, the day
of the gladness of his heart. The Father and the Bride-
groom are come, and the Spirit and the Bride are come, and
let every one that heareth come to the marriage-supper of the
Lamb, for all things are now ready. The banquet is prepared,
and the guests are bid; the table is furnished, and the compa-
ny set down ; and blessed are they that eat the bread of life in
the kingdom of God. O the sweetness of the Lamb of God!
O the honied excellency of the true manna, that came down
to earth to feed us there, and is taken up to heaven to feast us
here. O the table discourse of glory ! O the melting lan-
guage of mutual love ! we never knew what communion was
till here. The banquet shall never be ended, the table never
drawn, the guests shall never scatter, they shall go no more
out, and come no more in.
The Father hath loved the Son, and given all things into
his hand; the Son hath loved us, and given us all things richly
to enjoy. The Father hath loved us as his own Son! Love
is love here indeed! O the sacred familiarity that is in love!
O the kindness of ImmanuePs heart ! Father, I will that those
whom thou hast brought hither, see all my glory which thou
hast given me, for they love me, and delight in my glory.
Lord, thou that knowest all things, knowest that we love thee,
and that our happiness is in beholding thy glory. O what
torrents of eternal love teem from the throne into our souls !
Now, we know that God is love, and in his love he rest
towards us. And dost thou delight in the work of thine hands ?
Art thou charmed with the love of thy creatures ? " Turn
away your eyes, for they have overcome me!" Nay, Lord,
we have fixed our eyes on thee, O thou that art fairer than
the sons of men, than the angels of God; and there they
shall be fixed, and feast for ever. Our eyes shall dwell on
thee, and our hearts fly out at our eyes.
284 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; OR,
Glory is a native of the better country. Glory has b *r
habitation in our native land. Darkness is debarred the i^
gions of eternal day, and sorrow banished the realms of bli«s-
Our winter is over and gone, our spring is in perpetual ver-
dure, our summer in eternal bloom; our Sun is in his height,
our day is at its noon, and there is no night here. Our love
is in the flame, and our well-beloved is ours, and we are his;
ho feedeth among the lilies. The day is broke, and the sha-
dows blown away, and we walk with him in white ; yea, we
are changed from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord that
dwells in us, and are called up into the mount of communion,
from which we never shall come down; and here we talk and
speak face to face with him, as a man speaketh unto his friend ;
and our hearts burn within us, while he talks with us, and opens
to us the mystery of redemption, the wonders of his love.
Here we search with serenity, satisfaction, and joy, into the
secrets of eternity, into all the deep things of God. — The non-
plussing contingencies of our transitory life shine now with
harmony, wisdom, and goodness through the whole; and
though we were stumbled at our own afflictions yet now we
adore his conduct, and confess, that we could not wisely in-
quire concerning the matter below. Now religion triumphs,
piety is vested in her honorary robes, and all those that stood
boldly up for the honour of the King, when trampled upon by
his demented enemies, ride on white horses in his glorious
train, clothed in the garments of salvation with a fair crown
upon their head, and the royal proclamation made from the
throne. Thus shall it be done through eternity to the men
whom the King delighteth to honour.
Blessed are the men whom thou hast thus chosen, and made
approach unto thee. Surely we are abundantly satisfied with
tliy goodness, which thou preparedst for us when we were
poor, with the divine bounty of thy temple. Thou hast
crowned the year of thy grace, with thine eternity of glory.
The hills of glory rejoice on every side, and the heavens
shout and sing to thee, for thou hast made them glad. Though
our enemies rode over our heads in the days of trouble and
turmoil, yet we had power over them in the dawn of glory, in
the morning of the resurrection. Though we did pass through
the fires of persecution, through the waters of adversity, yea
through the rapid stream of dissolution at last, yet thou hast
brought us to a wealthy land, so that we have a goodly heri-
tage; and the lines are fallen to us in pleasant places, being
MISCELLANEOUS MEDITATIONS. 285
led to the goodly mount which thy right-hand had purchased
for us, O Immanuell
Here will I pay my vows through all eternity, which I spake
in the day of my trouble, in the land of my pilgrimage. O
love! never to be forgot, which has brought me safely through
so many winding labyrinths, and crooked paths, in sight of so
many enemies, in spite of a tempting devil, in spite of the ac-
cusations of my sins, the rebellion of my lusts, the carnality
of my affections, and the weakness of all my graces, to stand
at last for ages on an even place, and bless God in the con-
gregation of sinless adorers !
Here our vision is full and assimilating, our fruition satisfy-
ing and solacing, and our communion free and uninterrupted.
O how rapturous to begin converse with the God of glory for
eternity! We have found him in Bethel, in his own house,
in his own heaven, and here we speak with him. Yea, we
weep for joy, and pour out acclamations of ecstacy, since he
will never go away. We have power over the uncreated An-
gel, and, in the struggles of seraphic love, we wrestle and
prevail with him, that he shall never, never, never leave us.
O the pleasure that is in his presence ! O the exuberant rivers
of joy that flow at his right hand ! How much better is his
love than life, and the light of his countenance than the pos-
session often thousand creations!
Honour only dwells here. O deluded mortals! to strive so
for empty names, and transitory epithets below ! For honour
and majesty are before him, strength and beauty are in his
sanctuary. Where are all these shining sons of honour now,
all the men of fame ? Ah ! they are rapt up in midnight dark-
ness, while the righteous shine as the sun in the kingdom of
their Father. With what envious eye, and angry heart, did
our haters, who accounted us the refuse and ofTscouring of all
things, see us, in our princely robes, and royal apparel, mount
our thrones by divine command, to judge impenitent men, and
apostate angels ? How could we ever complain of being hated
of all men for thy sake ? Why did we ever think much of the
most cruel mockings, of the calumniating lip, or slandering
tongue? Even then we were more than recompensed by the
testimony of a good conscience, and tokens of peace from the
eternal throne — But O! what a reward is this, that the ridi-
cule of a few days should be repaid with ineffable renown in
the sight of all the angels of God, through all the days of
eternity! This is the true and triumphant state of glory. O!
what is it to reign on high with the King of kings! to sit down
286 SOLITUDE SWEETENED; &c.
with him on his throne for all ages, and never be degraded
from that divine dignity !
O eternity ! once the comfort of our longing expectations,
now the transport of our enlarged souls! For we are ever
with the Lord, seeing his unclouded face, wearing his divine
name, drinking at the streams of his pleasures, eating of his
hidden manna, sitting beneath the Tree of life, basking under
the beams of the Sun of righteousness, singing hallehijahs to
him that loved us, that washed us in his blood, and brought us
hither, sharing in his dominions, and dividing the spoil, for the
lame share the prey with the almighty Conqueror. Here we
dwell in God, and he in us; we know his love, are trans-
formed into his glorious likeness, and made partakers of his
divine nature. O state of complete happiness, and consum-
mate bliss, only to be apprehended in the possession, known
in the enjoyment, and understood in its eternal duration I Now
the day has broken, the shadows fled away, and all is eternal
noon; Not a desire I had, but, larger than its dimensions, is
fulfilled: not a request, but more than it contained, is granted;
and ail my soul is satisfied and replenished with the divine
plenitude of thy superabundant goodness
Come, my Beloved, let us hold the most mtimate commr-
nion; here will I give thee my loves. Blessed II What glo-
rious blaze! what wonders rise! what ardours glow within !
all is light and glory, all joy and exultation! all is transport
and praise, all astonishment and wonder! all is vision and
likeness, all fruition and satisfaction ! all is God, God and the
Lamb are all in all, to all the heavenly nations, through ages
•all. Amen.
NOTE.
The reader will perceive that the author does not defend the lawfulness
of lotteries, he only gives some good advice to those who are disposed to ven-
ture in them. Since his day, however, the evils of this species of gambling
have been thoroughly exposed, so that no christian, nor enlightened friend
of good morals now doubts but that lotteries are radically wrongs and that
their influence on community is altogether and awfully depraving. Time
was, also, when good men drank, as it was called, temperately, and were
concerned in the slave trade; but the influence of these things, as well as of
lotteries, are now seen ; and total abstinence from them, at this day, is uni
versally felt to be a duty.
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For the Closet, for Every Day in the Year. New Edition. 12mo.
JAY'S EVENING EXERCISES
For the Closet, for Every Day in the Year. New Edi on. 12mo. U»4»
form with the Morning Exercises.
DAVl D'S PSALMS. 48mo. gilt.
Do. do. With Brown's Notes. 18mo.
THE INQUIRER DIRECTED
To on Experimental and Practical View of the Work of the Holy Spirit
By Eev. Octavius Winslow. 1 vol. 12mo.
CHRIST OUR LANA^.
By Miss Caroline Fry. Author of " The Listener," " Christ our Exam-
ple," &c. 1 vol. 12mo. Second Edition.
LIFE, NA^ALK AND TRIUMPH OF FAITH.
By the Rev. W. Romaine, A.M. 12mo. New Edition. Muslin.
KEY TO THE SHORTER CATECHISM,
Containing Catechetical Exercises, a Paraphrase, and a new Series of
Proofs on each Question. New Edition. 18mo.
SORRCNA^ING YET REJOICI NG. 32mo. giltedge
CONTEST AND ARMOUR.
By Dr. Abercrombie. 32mo. extra cloth, gilt edge
GIFT FOR MOURNERS.
By Flavel and Cecil. 32mo. extra cloth, gilt edge.
CECIL'S REMAINS.
Remains of the Rev. Richard Cecil, M.A. To which is prefixed a View
of his Character. By Joseph Pratt, B.D., F.A.S. From the eleventh
London Edition. 1 vol. 12mo.
ALLEINE'S LIFE AND LETTERS. 12mo
HERVEY'S MEDITATIONS, 2 vols. 18mo.
MEMOIR OF DR. NISBET.
By Dr. Miller, of Princeton. 12mo.
H I L L A N D V A L L E Y . By Miss Sinclair. 12mo
SIR ROLAND ASHTON;
^ STale of tije STime©*
By Lady Catherine Long. 2 vols. 12mo.
CHR ST ON THE CROSS.
By Stevenson. 1 vol. 12mo.