And as to have the will of God your rule, is to do nothing but what agreeth with his will, so it is to do all that he requireth. This is that which the Lord thy God requires of thee, to do all hose things that he has commanded thee. When you give yourselves to God, to be commanded and governed by him, it is to a subjection that is absolute, and not conditional.

Moreover, to be under his command and government, is for you to make the will of God your rule and pattern; namely, not only to do the things that are commanded, but to do it in that manner as they are commanded.

You must also be willing to be disposed by him according to his will; to be contented in every condition wherein God sets you; and though your case seem hard, and there is much in it that is grievous to nature, yet to lie down quietly under the hand and will of God. A second branch of being willing to be at God's disposing, is an indifferency of mind in respect of any possible change, whereunto you are called according to the wisdom and will of God; as a holy man well notes, when Zadok was by the ark, king David said unto him,

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Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and show me both it, and his habitation. But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him,” 2 Sam. xv. 25, 26. Let this be thy language, O Christian. If thou ownest God as thy Sovereign, and daily resignest up thyself to be disposed by him in all things, consider, that thou art as a sheep before the shepherd, that must change

thy pasture at the shepherd's pleasure; and as a soldier that must march hither and thither at the command of thy captain or general; or as a vessel in the house, that stands to be filled or emptied at discretion; or as a servant, that must come and go as he is bidden, and not to go to, or stay in any place at his own will.

Let it be your care every morning to consecrate all your affections and actions unto God; to offer up all your faculties, senses, thoughts, words, and works, and all that you are, remembering that saying, "It is the most wicked avarice to defraud God of the oblation of ourselves." You may offer yourselves to God in this, or the like manner.

THE MANNER OF OFFERING OURSELVES TO GOD.

O Lord, I am not mine own, but thine; I have engaged myself unto thee; I have felt thy power conquering and subduing me; and I yield myself to be thine for ever. I should account it high injustice in me to arrogate any liberty to myself, seeing I have so solemnly parted with it into thy hands. I think it best to resign up myself to thee, and esteem it a great mercy thou wilt enter into a new engagement with me. I recommend the small service which I shall do this day to thy merciful conduct and assistO blessed Saviour, let it be from henceforward before thine eyes, to direct, correct, and perfect it. I offer it, and all that I am, to thee, with my whole affection, both for myself and all the faithful, in the union of that most perfect intention, which thou hadst when thou prayedst on earth to thy Father in heaven.

ance.

SECTION XXI.

OF CONTRITION.

WHEN thou comest into the presence of God in the morning, having considered the multitude of thy sins, and seen thyself overcharged with the burden of them, see that thou humble thyself, and let thy heart be pierced with godly sorrow, contrition, and compunction of spirit; for the furtherance whereof thou mayest help thyself with a very devout consideration of an ancient father, which I shall set down, with some little variation.

Behold I, a vile wretch, have greatly offended thy Divine Majesty ; I am afraid to lift up mine eyes to heaven. I desire to strike myself, with that publican. in the gospel, that God may be merciful to me a sinner; I desire to enforce myself, and to take arms against mine own wickedness, and to judge myself, that I may not be judged of the Lord. If my blessed Lord and Saviour has been so reproachfully handled for my sake, if he hath suffered such grievous pains and torments for the sins that I have committed, why should not I abase and abhor myself, being the very person that hath sinned ? I am he that has despised Almighty God; I am he that has endeavoured to crucify afresh the Son of God: and methinks that the whole frame of this world crieth out against me with open mouth, saying, This is he that has offended and despised our common Lord; this is that wicked wretch that has rather been moved with the guileful baits of the devil, than with the great benefits of Almighty God. This is he that could never be induced to virtue and goodness with the cords of love and sweet entertainments of

Almighty God, nor even be affrighted with his terrible threatenings and dreadful judgments. This is he that, so much as lieth in him, has defaced the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Lord, and cast contempt upon them. This is he that has been more afraid to offend a weak mortal man, than that God that can cast both soul and body into hell. This is he that has been more ashamed to commit a sinful act before a rude country peasant, than before the presence of the all-seeing God. This is he that has preferred the dross of the earth before heavenly treasures. Wherefore all creatures do cry out against me after this manner, and say, This is he that has wronged us all; for whereas he ought to have employed us in the service, and to the glory of our Creator, he has made us to serve his lusts, and the will and pleasure of the devil, perverting all such things to the injury and reproach of the Creator, which he had created for his service. His soul was adorned with the image of God, and he has disfigured this Divine image, and clothed it with our vile image and likeness; he has been more earthly than the earth itself, more unstable than the water, more mutable than the wind, more inflamed in his appetite than the fire, more hardened than the stone, more cruel to himself than the wild beasts, more spiteful and venomous against others than the cockatrice; he has neither feared God, nor regarded man; he has not been contented alone to be injurious to God, but would have many others to be partakers with him in sinful practices.

Now, what shall be said of his other abominable practices? Such has his pride been, that he refused to be in subjection unto God; he would not submit his neck under the sweet yoke of his obe

dience, but would rather live as he listed, and fulfi his own will in every point, rebelling against the Lord, and vexing his Holy Spirit. How exceedingly was he enraged, if God did not grant him all his desires, or if he sent any crosses, or troubles, for his trial and exercise! He loved to be applauded in all his doings whether good or bad.

And now consider, O my soul, whether all creatures may not justly cry out against thee, and say, Come, let us destroy this wicked wretch from off the face of the earth, that has done so much wrong to our Creator. May not the earth say, Why do I bear such a cumbersome wretch? May not the water say, Why do I not drown him? May not the fire say, Wh do I not burn and consume him? May not hell say, Why do I not swallow him up, and torment him? Alas! miserable wretch that I am! What shall I do? Whither shall I go, seeing all creatures are in arms against me? Where shall I hide my head? Who will receive me who have offended all creatures? The great God I have despised, the anges I have grieved, the saints I have dishonoured, men I have offended and scandalized, and all creatures have I most wickedly abused. Whither then shall I flee for shelter, forasmuch as I have m de all things to become mine enemies? I look round about me, and can see nothing that will take my part; yea, even mine own conscience barks against me, and all my bowels accuse me, and rend me in pieces.

Wherefore, weep continually, O my soul; lament thy wretchedness like a poor miserable creature, never cease weeping so long as thou livest in this vale of misery; be still in expectation until thy merciful Saviour vouchsafes to turn the eyes of his compassion towards thee, and with all possible