they had signal returns of eternal enjoyments. I have observed men of notorious and wicked lives, traitors, murderers, oppressors, adulterers, covenant-breakers, and other villanies, secured by eminent power, policy, or secrecy; yet by wonderful providence that power broken, that policy disappointed, that secrecy discovered, and eminent judgments, answerable to their eminent demerits, have overtaken them. I have seen and observed both in myself and others, our sins and offences so suitably, and proportionably answered with punishments, that though they seem to be produced by strange and most casual conjectures, yet so ; exactly conformable to the nature, quality, and degree of the offence, that they carried in them the very effigies of the sins, and made it legible in the punishment, sic ille manus, sic ora gere bat. And from these observations I found that those sins were displeasing to thee; that thou wert most wise to discover, and most just and powerful to punish them; and did thereupon conclude, Verily there is a reward for the righteous, verily he is a God that judgeth in the Learth.

VIII.

CONCERNING MY SPEECH.

I have always been careful that I offend not with my tongue. My words have been few, unless necessity or thy honour required more speech than ordinary. My words have been true, representing things as they were; and sincere, bearing conformity to my heart and mind. My words have been seasonable, suitable to the occasion, and seasoned with grace and usefulness.

I have esteemed my words, though transient and passing away, yet treasured up in thy remembrance; for by my words I shall be jus tified, by my words condemned: and therefore I have reflected often upon my words; and when I have found any thing, through inadvertency or passion, hath passed from me, I have endeavoured to reform it, and humbled myself before thee for it.

I have esteemed it the most natural and excellent use of my tongue, to set forth thy glory, goodness, power, wisdom, and truth to instruct others as I had opportunity in the

knowledge of thee, in their duty to thee, to themselves, and others; to reprove vice and sin; to encourage virtue and good living; to convince errors, to maintain the truth; to call upon thy name, and by vocal prayers to sanctify my tongue, and to fix my thoughts to the duty about which I was; to persuade to peace, and charity, and good works: and in these employments I endeavoured to wind up my tongue to the highest degree of elocution that I was capable of.

I have often contemplated thy wonderful wisdom and goodness to the children of men, in giving them not only reason and understanding, but that admirable faculty of speech, whereby one man might communicate his mind, and thoughts, and wants, and desires, and counsels, and assistance, to others; the great engine of upholding of mutual society; and without which our reason and understanding were imprisoned within ourselves, and confusion would ensue, as once it did at the confusion of tongues, by the most wise provi dence for most excellent ends.

In sum, I have looked upon this, amongst the many other conveniencies I enjoy, as a

treasure committed to my trust for my Master's use.' 'I have accordingly employed it conscionably, seemly, and humbly, as thy gift, not my own acquest.

IX.

TOUCHING MY TIME OF LIFE.

First, I have duly considered what it is, and for what end thou gavest it me: that it is but a short time, and the minutes that are passed, and the opportunities in them, are irrevocably and irrecoverably lost; that all the wealth of the world cannot redeem it; that the time that is before me, is uncertain. When I look upon an hour-glass, or the shadow of a dial, I can guess that here is half an hour, or a quarter, or more, or less to come; but I cannot guess what proportion of time remains in the hour-glass of my life: only I know it is short; but I know not how short it is, whether a year, or a week, or a day, or an hour; and yet upon this little uncertain portion of time, and the due use of it, depends my everlasting happiness or misery. It is my seed-time, and if I sow not my seed here, it is too late to think of that husbandry after death; and if I sow, and sow not good

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seed, my crop will be thereafter, in that other world, that immediately expects upon the issue of this; and I have a thousand diversions that rob me of much of this little portion of time, and yield me no account in order to my great concernment. When I cast out, from the account of my time, the unprofitableness of my childhood and youth, the hours spent in sleeping, eating, drinking, recreations, travels, and other things that carry no sin in them, there remains but a small portion of a short life for concernments of everlasting importance; a great business to be done, great difficulties and impediments in the doing of it, and but a little portion of time, of a short and uncertain life, to do it in. And yet this life of mine was by Thee given, not to be trifled and squandered away, either in sin or idleness; not to gain riches, honour, or reputation; for when sickness comes, these will appear insipid and vain things; and when death comes, they will be merely useless: but it was for a higher end, viz. a time to trade for the most valuable jewel oof eternal happiness; a time to sow such seed as might yield a crop of blessedness in the next world, a time to secure a title to an everlasting