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Show No C R 0 SS, No.CRO W N. Vor.. t J668. ' God to Men, anfwerable to his ow~ wife Ends, in Reference tot~~ Low ~ ' and Uncertain State of Man in the \iVorld; but the old World liad tha Cha .XXI. • Spmt of God, for it il:rove with th~m; and _the ~ew U:orld has had the p ' Spi1:ir of Go:J, both Jew and Genrde; and. 1t .ftrtves .w1th all; and they ' thJt have been led by it, have been rbe Good People m every Dfpenfati· ' on of God to the World. And I my felf muft fay, I have lelt or from a ' Child to convince me of my Evil and Vanity, and it has often gi\'en me 'a uue Meafure of tliis poor World, and fame Tafte of I?ivinc Things; ' and it is my Grief 1 did not more early apply my Soul ~o 1t. For I can ' fay, fince my Retirernem from the Greatnefs and I:Jurnes of th~ ~Vorld, ' I have felt fomething of the Work and Comfotr of 1t, and that u 1s both t. ready and able ro Initrud:, ahd Lead, and Prefe~v~ th?fe that will H~~bly 1 and Sincerely hearken to ir. So that my Rel!gton ts the good Sputt of 1 God in m)' Heart i I mean, whar tha.t has wrought in .me a~d for me. Anti afrer a Meeting at his Houfe, to whiCh he ga\'e an entire Liberty, for all that plea fed to come ; he was fo aeeply affi:Cl-e'd wirh the Teftimony of the Light, Spirit and Grace of Cbrifl in Man, as the Go} pel Difpenfarien; that after the Meeting do fed ir'i Ptayer, ht: r6fe up, ·and pulled off hts Har, and faid ' This is the Everlalling Gofpel I have heard this Day; and I 1 humbiy Blefs the Natne of God, that he has let me live to fee this Day, 1 in which the Ancit:nt Gofpel is again· preached to them that 'dwell upon ' the Earth. §. XXXVI . .A Sijl<r of the Family of t~tnn, of Pmn in 13ucki•glm• ]hire, a Young Woman dellghtnlg tn the Ftnery and Pleafures of the Worla_, Was feized with a violeilt lllnefs, that proved Mottal to her. In the Time of bet Sicknefs fhe fell into great Difiref• of Soul bitterly bewailing tin: \iVant of that Inward Peace which makes a Death· Bed eafi~ to the Righte-ous. After feverll Days Languifhlng, a liule Confolati<>n appeared af.. ter th\s Manner. She was fotne Hours in a kind of a Trt~ltC't; !he apprehended {he was brought into a Place where CHillS Twas.; to whom coula flu~ but deli\•er her Petition, £he hop'd to be reliev'd. But bet Endeavouts eOcreaft her Pain i for as fhe preft to deliver it, He rurn'J. hi; 'Bnck uponbtr, and wouid notfo much as lbok towards her. Bur that which added to her Sorrow, was, That foe beheld tithers ttdmitted: However, the gH'e not bvet importuning him. And when almoft ready to Faiht. and bet Hope to fink, Be turn'd ontjidr cf his F.zte tUWartl.s bcr, an/. ,.t11cbd- fottb hH Hand, ~tnJ. rtuiv'd her Req11efi: At which her troilbled Soul [oui14 imnMdime Con[olfffian. Turning to Urofe about her, !he repeats What bad befallen her ; adding, Bring me my New Clbthes, rde off the L11ce aitd Finery : And charg'd bet RelatiOnS, Not ro Ded and Adorn tbttnjc.fvu after t'be M(lnnu of tb"llVorld; for that the L~rd ]~{us, wbomjhe bddJe-en, appeard to her in the liktnifs ( t1~plafn ICOUUttp -an, urfbout a1y Trimming or Ornament wbat~roer; ad -1bat buServam't·o11ght t ohtlil& butt. §.XXXVII. My own .fot!ln:, aftt:t· Thirty Years Employment, with -go.od Succefs, in -divers Plat'es ttf Eminent Trufl: '<tlld Hdndur in his own Country; upon a ferious ReH.efii.on not long beforehi·s Death, fpoke to me 1n thhfManner, San William, 1 amd:J~oryqfth't W~fo/d; f tt'OII.!d not live oVer · inyDctyr again, if I coult/ command them with 12 Wifh; For the Snates of. Life are greater thati. the Fears of Death. This tro'uhlu me, that I bave offe'ftJed Ia GracioTH God, that bas follofftrl)ne to this Day. 0 have a care of Sin! tb,tt -is rbe Sting horh ·tif Life·andiDeatb. Three Things I com1lirnd to{ou; J. Ut rrothing in this World Tempt you tO wrdng your Con(dence; charge ya'1, do ttot bing againfl your Covftie1W!.; jo Will you keep Peace at Ho'11e, r»bicb tttU ite 11 f~afi to you in a Dliy of Trouble. 2. Whatever yott dejign to do, Lay i[ Juftly, and Time ic Seafonably; fbr that giver StCIITity nni Dijpe~ttb. .A!Jfily, Be not Troubled at Diflppointments; for if they moy be ruavn'd, do it; if tb~y tan't., Trouble is Vaht. !f you Cf!ll~d not have belp'cLit, ltuor.: 'ttm; tbn-e 11 often Pertce rthd Pro }it 1n fubml/lwg to Providena: For~]· jlitlions make Wife. If you co111d bavt heip'd it, /u nor youi' Trouble rxc~t'd ,Jn1tru8:ion-for Another Time/ Thefe RuJtr will c~rry yc11· with firmnc{s At.! • Ciunfvrt VoL. I. No CROSS, M CR.OWN. 433 Comfort tbro11gb this inconflant ~arid. At another Time he inveigh'd ) 668~ 3ga~nit the Profanen~J.S and Impiety of the Age i often crying out, with ~ an Earneftnefs of Spmt, Wo to thu, 0 Engbnd I God wiD ]Mdge thu 0 Chap XXI England ! Pl~gMes .re at thy Door, 0 EnglatJd! He much bewailed, That · ' dzvers Men zn P~wer, and many of the Nobility and Gentry t;f the Kingdom., wer~grownfoDijfolu~eandPrOfane; often faying, God bat forfahn ffl, we art.zilfatuated, we wrllfout our Eyer, we wi/J pot fee our true Jnterejlr and Happ~nefs; we.flull he deflroyed! Apprehending the Confequences of the growJng Loofenefs of the Age to be our Ruin; and that the Methods moft 6r to ferve the Kingdom with true Credit at Home and Abroad we[e t<?O ~uch neglecte~. The Tr.ouble.of which did. no[ a little help to feed ~IS D1ftemper, wh!ch dre~ h1m ,datly nearer to htsEnd; and as he believed n, fo lefs conce~n d or d1f~rderd ~never faw him at any Time; of which I took good Nouce: Wean.ed to.ltve, as well as near to dye, he took his Leave of us ; a~~ of ~e, wnh this Expreffion, and a moft compofed Coun-tenanc~: Son W,Ditlm, 1f you and. your Friends keep to yeur plain Way of Preacb~ng, and keep to your plam Way of Living, you roiU malu mz End af the Pnejls to the End of tb~ ~Vorid. Bury me by my ftlozber: Live all in ~i!/~;e_J:u:u~ll Manner of Ev1~: Aud I pray God to Biefs }'OU till; and He . §. XX~VIII. ~ntDonp lLOII!Det of AI~sk, a Perfon of good Senfe of a fweet Te.mper, a JU1t Mind, and of a Sober EdudHion ~ wllen of Ag; to be under h1s own Government, was drawn by the Men of Pleafure of the Town, into tbe ~fual.Frecdoms of it, and was as much a Judge as any l3ody, of t~e Sattsfa~ton that lVay of Living could yield; but_fometime before .h1s _Stcknefs, wu~ a free and firo'lg Judgment, he would frequently Vphra~d frunf~lf, a~d Contemn the World, for.th.ofe Un~eafonable as we\} as Unchnihan LtberttesJ...[hat fo much abound Jn tt; whtch Apprehenfion in .. crea~ed by ~he Inftru<:tlon of a long and fharp Sicknefs : He . would ofteR. defptfe their Folly, and abhortheir Guift; breathing, with fome Impni .. ence, afte~ the ~now ledge of the heft Things, and the heR Cornpany4 lofing as ~u~le Ttme as h.e could, that he migln redeem the Time he h1d. loft; te!hfytng often, wah a lively Reli(h to the Truth af Religion from the Senfe he had of it in his. own Bre;jl: Frequently profeflin_g, H; !me"! no Joy comparg~fe to that of. hClfl..ft a.f!ured of the Love and Mercy oj God~ ~h1ch as he often Implored With fi-rong ConviE\:ions, and a deep Humi .. hty and Reverente, fo he had frequently Tafts thereof before his ]aft PeIiod; preffing his Relations and Friends, in a moft ferious and affeEl:ionate Man~er, to Love God ~nd one another More, and thif Vile TVorid Le(s. And of th1s he was fo full, It WJS almoft ever the Conclufion of his moft inward D!f~ourfes with ~is Fa.mily; tho' he fometimes faid, Se could have been wdhng to have l~ved, tf God had pleafed, to fee his younger Children neat-' er a Settlement tn the World, .Y~t he felt ~o. Defire to live longer in the Worl.d, hll:t on rhe Terms of LIVmg better m 1t. For that he did not only thmk V~rru~ the Safefi, but rhe Hnppiejl Way of Living: Commending and Commandmg tt ~o h1s Chtidren upon his Iaft Bleffing. I fhall conc;lude thts Chapter of Retired, J!.ged and Dying PerJons, with fome Co11eEl:tons•I have made out of the Life of a Perfon of great Piety and Quality of the French Nation. · §.XXXIX. !lDIIll\tntp, a Young ~oble·man of Prance, of admirable Parts, as well as .great Binh, touc~'d with a Senfe of the Vanity of the :World, and the Sweetnefs of a Retued and Religious Life, notwithftandIng the Honours and Employments tha[ waited for him abandons the Pride and Pomp of the World, to enjoy a Life of more Co:Omunion with God: Do but hear him: ' I a yow (faith be) that I have no guft in any Thing, : :vhere. I 6nd not ]ifl iS Cbrifl; and for a Soul that fpeaks not of him, or 1 m v-:h1c~ we ca.nn?t talle any ~ffett of Grace flow!ng from his Spirit (whtch IS the Pnnctple of Operatronr, both inward and outward tbat are : ./olidly ()!rijlinn) fpeak not to me at all of fuch an one: Cou'td i (as I . may fay) behold both Miracles ~nd Wonders there, and yet no,t Jef~~< K k k : CJJrijl, |
