nal, then for thee is prepared a golden crown, a celestial harp, a glorious mansion, and eternal hallelujahs. Thou shalt enjoy the presence of God and the Lamb, of angels and the spirits of just men made perfect. Thou shalt gaze on the insufferable brightness of the Deity, and contemplate the wonders of redemption.-Lord, if this be my happiness, let others enjoy the things of this world; for my part, I am content to deny myself, and take up my cross and follow thee.

Though riches to others be given,
Their corn and their vintage abound;
Yet if I have treasure in heaven,
Where should my affections be found?
Why stoop for the glittering sands,
Which they are so eager to share,
Forgetting those wealthier lands
That form my inheritance there?

11. Spiritual Desires.

UNSATIABLE desires in temporal things, make a poor man in spiritual things; a true Christian is only rich in outward things, when he is content with that which he has. That man enjoys but little of religious pleasure, who does not hunger and thirst after rights

ousness. Worldly desires always leave us empty; either we obtain not that which we covet, or we are dissatisfied with that which we obtain; but he that thirsteth after heavenly things, is always filled, and the more he receives, the more he desires. The richest mercies that God can give may be obtained by sincere and earnest desires, attended by fervent and importunate prayer. What unspeakable advantages might we obtain by our desires, if we did but direct them towards heaven! How many excellent mercies are stored up for us, and only require our desires to go forth as a ship, to bring them into the harbour of our souls! Why then do I suffer my desires to flow in a wrong direction? I make myself poor by thirsting after the world and the creature; whereas I might be rich, if I counted all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.

12. Deceitful Riches.

USUALLY, when a worldling is dead, we ask, How rich did he die? O, say many, he died rich; he has left a great estate. Alas! the poor man has slept his sleep, lost his

dream, and now he awakes, and he finds no-
thing in his hand. Where is his golden heap?
Gone. Only the rust of that heap is gone to
witness against him ;-his mammon fails
him, only the unrighteousness of it follows
him-others have the use of it, only the
abuse of it he carries to judgment with him :
he has made his friends, (as we say) but he
has undone himself: so that I may justly
write this motto upon every one of his bags,
This is the price of blood. Shall I then trea-
sure up the price of blood! No! Christ has
intrusted me as a steward; therefore, what I
have and need not, Christ shall have in his
members, that need, and have not. So tran-
sitory creatures, when they shall slide away,
shall not carry me with them; but when I
shall pass away, I shall carry them with me.
Let fools for riches strive and toil,
Let greedy minds divide the spoil,
'Tis all too mean for me:

Above the earth, above the skies,
My bold and fervent wishes rise,
My God, to heaven and thee.

13. The misery of a wicked Man.

LORD, what a miserable creature is a wicked man! His very manna turns to worms,

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his very mercies make him miserable. Look at him in his wealthy condition, and you will find that he has not the privilege of enjoying it, only the trouble of keeping it, which tends not to his comfort; or, if he enjoys it, he does so miserably abuse it, that, as one says well, he makes that which is but temporal in its use, to be for punishment eternal. Alas! the pleasures of it are soon gone, but the pain of it will continue with him for ever. Lord, help me to improve thy mercies, that thy mercies may not aggravate my miseries.

Let sinners boast how tall they rise,
I'll never envy them again;
There they may stand with haughty eyes,
Till they plunge deep in endless pain.

Their fancied joys, how fast they flee;
Just like a dream when man awakes:

Their songs of softest harmony,

Are but a preface to their plagues.

14. The Book of Conscience.

WOUDST thou know whether thy name be written in the book of life? Then read what thou hast written in the book of conscience. Thou needest not ask, Who shall as

cend up into heaven, to search the records of eternity? Only descend into thine own heart, and there read what thou art, and what thou shalt be. Though God's book of remembrance be closed and kept above with God, yet thy book of conscience is open, and kept below in thy bosom; and what thou writest there, thou shalt be sure to read hereafter. If I write nothing in this book but the black lines of sin, I shall find nothing in God's book but the red lines of damnation: but if I write God's word in the book of conscience, I may be sure God has written my name in the book of life. At the great day of judgment, when the books shall be opened, there I shall read the sweetest or the sharpest lines. I will therefore so write here, that I may not be ashamed to read hereafter.

15. Dangerous Curiosity.

BE not anxious to understand the secrets of God; pick not the lock to which he has allowed no key. He that will be scanning every cloud, may be smitten with a thunderbolt; and he that will labour to pry into God's secrets, may be overwhelmed with his judgments. Adam would presumptuously