fetches it from heaven; if he ftands in need of health, he feeks it there, if he needeth joy, he derives it thence; he lives above the world, because he needs it not, For we look not at the things which are feen, but at the things which are not Seen; for the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal.

Faith fees nothing in this world worthy of a great esteem, and therefore is not proud; nothing worthy of a strong defire, and therefore is not ambitious; nothing that another hath, which it would defire to bereave him of, and therefore envieth not, doth not value the lofs of any thing fo much, as to bear malice against him that made a man a lofer.

The matters of this world are the fewel that kindles all those hellish paffions: honours, riches, preferments, fecular learning and skill,-thefe are the food that feed the fparks of pride, envy, malice, fcorn, and bitterness: here these paffions grow, here their flames are nourished, here their fires do burn and smoke.

But

But now these are not a Chriftian's great concernments, thefe are not the care of faith, these are not the charge of love, these are not the things that are studied, defigned, contrived, contended for in the Spiritual world, in that world where every Chriftian hath his converfation; for our converfation is in heaven. And in heaven there is nothing of thefe. Alas, we never fwell with pride, burn with malice, nor confume with envy, nor smoke with paffion, nor foam with cruel hatred, 'till we lose the fhield of faith, till hope and love decay, and let us fall into the forrows and cares, into the ftorms and tempefts of this world.

!

Here, indeed, every man is at work for himself, every man is contriving his own ends, every man is labouring for his own advancement, and that by all manner of ways, right or wrong, good or evil, truth or lies, fo it will work his end, it is deemed a fit means; fo it will do the thing defigned, it is no matter what it doth befide; fo it will make him rich, it is no matter who is made poor by it; fo it will VOL. IV.

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make him an intereft, it is no matter whom it wrongs; if it will build his house, inrich his family, gain him interest in the world, give him reputation with them that can prefer him, let it deftroy his neighbour, let it injure his brother, let it infnare his all is friend, let it damn his foul, deemed well done that is done with fuccefs for this world.

This is the guife of this world; and when we fall into this confufion, this tempeft, this heap of mifchief and difquiets, where every thing is thrown into diforder, where every thing is in battle against another, no wonder if all the paffions of hell, pride, revenge, ambition, envy, malice, wrath, bitterness, and all the enmity of the world, do then break in upon us, when we are fallen into the midst of them: But while faith carries us into a better world, into the thoughts of God, we come to have the affections that become immortal fouls.

ANOTHER excellency and advantage of living by faith, is this; that it compofes

our

our minds in all the fears and dangers of the world.

It fills and quiets our fpirits, fecures our fouls, and eafeth our difquiets, while we pass through this valley of tears here below; whatsoever we lofe in the world, faith fhews us that the lofs is not confiderable; whatsoever we hope for in another, faith affures us of that our hope i it teacheth how to undervalue that which we cannot get, or that which we may lofe; and it teacheth how to content ourfelves with that good; which we cannot fail at laft to gain, if we be patient and perfevere to the end.

And thus faith is the greateft fecurity of our lives, the great eafe of our hearts, the only ftrength and fupport of our fouls; for it is one of the higheft things that can be, and brings us nearest unto God, not to be fhaken, not to be moved and difquieted, whatsoever may befal us.

And this, faith performs. It hears not the report of danger; it feels not the smart of poverty; it is not affrighted at the noife of wars; it is not fhaken with

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with the fear of death; it hath nothing of its own here below; it hath laid up nothing in this castle, or in that fortress;

it hath left no part of a man's heart within the walls of a fair houfe, in the fhadows of pleafant walks, in the scent of a bed of flowers; it hath locked up nothing of the foul in a cheft, nor fealed it up in bags, nor hurried it into a ship, nor thrown it into a barn; it hath laid the man wholly in heaven, it hath placed him and his in the arms of God, it hath nothing to lofe in this world," and therefore it is not fhaken by worldly fears.

LASTLY, Another excellency and advantage of the life of faith, is this; that it fatisfies and contents the foul, with full and ample fatisfaction.

What is it that our fouls long for, and whither do the wings of our defires carry us away? what mean our peevish hearts, our angry defires, our vehement longings? Behold, heaven is before us, and if there be content enough, then let us be patient a while