our Saviour is said to have loved St. John more than any of His other Disciples, which cannot be understood of a spiritual love, for this undoubtedly was equal to all; but being a man subject to the like passions (though not imperfections) as we are, He placed more natural affection upon, and might have more natural complacency in John, than in His other Disciples. And therefore when I say I am to make such my friends only as are friends to God, my meaning is, that I will make none my friends but such as I know to be good men and good Christians; such as deserve my love in a spiritual as well as a natural sense and since I may lawfully love my friend in both these senses, the one is so far from being exclusive, that it is really perfective, of the other. And for this reason, as the spiritual good of my friend is always to be preferred before that which is temporal, I am resolved to found the one upon the other. I will always be ready, as oft as He stands in need either of my advice, encouragement, or assistance, to do Him all the kind offices I can in His worldly affairs; to promote His interest, vindicate His character from secret aspersions, and defend His person from open assaults; to be faithful and punctual in the performance of my promises to Him, as well as in keeping the secrets He has intrusted me with. But all these things are to be done with a tender regard to the honour of God, and the duties of religion; so that the services I do Him in His temporal concerns, must still be consistent with, and subservient to, the spiritual interest and welfare of His immortal soul, in which I am principally obliged to manifest my friendship towards him. If I see him wander out of the right way, I must immediately take care to advertise him of it, and use the best means I can to bring him back to it; or if I know him to be guilty of any reigning vices, I must endeavour to convince him of the danger and malignity of them, and importune and persuade him to amend and forsake them. And lastly, I must be as constant in keeping my friend, as cautious in choosing him; still continuing the heat of my affections towards him, in the day of his affliction, as well as in the height of his prosperity.

These are the rules whereby I resolve to express my friendship unto others, and whereby I would have others to express their friendship unto me.

VIII. CONCERNING MY TALENTS.

HAVING SO Solemnly devoted myself to God, according to the covenant He hath made with me, and the duty I owe to Him, not only what I am, and what I do, but likewise what I have, is still to be improved for Him. And this I am bound to, not only upon a federal, but even a natural account; for whatsoever I have, I received from Him, and therefore all the reason in the world, that whatsoever I have should be improved for Him. For I look upon myself as having no other propriety in what I enjoy, than a servant hath in what he is intrusted with to improve for his master's use thus, though I should have ten thousand pounds a-year, I should have no more of my own than if I had but twopence in all the world. For it is only committed to my care for a season, to be employed and improved to the best advantage, and will be called for again at the grand audit, when I must answer for the use or abuse of it; so that whatsoever in a civil sense I can call my own, that, in a spiritual sense, I must esteem as God's. And therefore it nearly concerns me to manage all' the talents I am entrusted with, as things I must give a strict account for at the Day of Judgment. As God bestows His mercies upon me, through the greatness of His love and affection, so I am to restore His mercies back again to Him, by the holiness of my life and conversation. In a word, whatever I receive from His bounty, I must some way or other lay out for His glory, accounting nothing mine own any further than as I improve it for God's sake, and the spiritual comfort of my own soul.

In order to this, I shall make it my endeavour, by the blessing of God, to put in practice the following resolutions,

RESOLUTION I.

I am resolved, if possible, to redeem my time past, by using a double diligence for the future; to employ and improve all the gifts and endowments, both of body and mind, to the glory and service of my Great Creator.

Time, health, and parts, are three precious talents generally bestowed upon men, but seldom improved for God. To go no further than myself, how much time and health have I enjoyed, by God's grace, and how little of it have I laid out for His honour! On the contrary, how oft have I offended, affronted, and provoked Him, even when He has been courting me with His favours, and daily pouring forth His benefits upon me! This, alas! is a sad truth, which, whensoever I seriously reflect upon, I cannot but acknowledge the continuance of my life as the greatest instance of God's mercy and goodness, as well as the greatest motive to my gratitude and obedience. In a due sense, therefore, of the vanities and follies of my younger years, I desire to take shame to myself for what is past, and do, this morning, humbly prostrate myself before the Throne of Grace, to implore God's pardon, and to make solemn promises and resolutions for the future, to "cast off the works of darkness, [Rom. 13. and to put on the armour of light;" and not only so, but to redeem the precious minutes I have squandered away, by husbanding those that remain to the best advantage. I will not trifle and sin away my time in the pleasure of sense, or the impertinences of business, but shall always employ it in things that are necessary and useful, and proportion it to the weight and importance of the work or business I engage myself in; allotting such a part of it. for this business, and such a part for that, so as to leave no intervals for unlawful or unnecessary actions to thrust themselves in, and pollute my life and conversation.

For since it has pleased God to favour me with the blessing of health, and I am not certain how soon I may be deprived of it, and thrown upon a bed of sickness, which may deprive me of the use of my reason, or make me un

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capable of any thing else but grappling with my distemper; it highly concerns me to make a due use of this blessing while I have it; to improve these parts and gifts that God has endowed me with, to the manifestation of His glory, the salvation of my soul, and the public good of the community whereof I am a member.

To these ends, it will be requisite for me frequently to consider with myself, which way my weak parts may be the most usefully employed, and to bend them to those studies or actions which they are naturally the most inclined to, and delighted in, with the utmost vigour and application; more particularly, in spiritual matters, to make use of all opportunities for the convincing others of God's love to them, and their sins against God, of their misery by nature, and happiness by Christ; and when the truth of God happens to be any ways traduced or opposed, to be as valiant in the defence of it as its enemies are violent in their assaults against it. And as I thus resolve to employ my inward gifts and faculties for the glory and service of God, so,

RESOLUTION II.

I am resolved, by the Divine grace, to employ my riches, the outward blessings of Providence, to the same end; and to observe such a due medium in the dispensing of them, as to avoid prodigality on the one hand, and covetousness on the other.

This, without doubt, is a necessary resolution, but it is likewise very difficult to put in practice, without a careful observance of the following rules:-First, never to lavish out my substance, like the prodigal, in the revels of sin and vanity but, after a due provision for the necessities and conveniences of life, to lay up the overplus for the acts of love and charity toward my indigent brethren. I must consider the uses and ends for which God has intrusted me with such and such possessions; that they were not given me for the pampering my body, the feeding my lusts, or puffing me up with pride and ambition, but for advancing His glory and my own, and the public good. But why do

I say given, when, as I before observed, I have no propriety in the riches I possess? they are only lent me for a few years, to be dispensed and distributed as my great Lord and Master sees fit to appoint; viz. for the benefit of the poor and necessitous, which He has made His deputies, to call for and receive His money at my hands. And this, indeed, is the best use I can put it to, for my own advantage as well as theirs: for the money I bestow upon the poor, I give to God to lay up for me, and I have His infallible word and promise for it, that it shall be paid me again with unlimited interest, out of His Heavenly treasure, which is infinite, eternal, and inexhaustible. Hence it is, that whensoever I see any fit object of charity, methinks I hear the Most High say unto me, Give this poor brother so much of My stock, which thou hast in thy hand, and I will place it to thy account, as given to Myself; and "Look what thou [Prov. 19. layest out, and it shall be paid thee again."

The second rule is, never to spend a penny where it can be better spared; nor to spare it where it can be better spent. And this will oblige me, whensoever any occasion offers of laying out money, considerately to weigh the circumstances of it, and according as the matter, upon mature deliberation, requires, I must not grudge to spend it: or, if at any time I find more reason to spare, I must not dare to spend it; still remembering, that as I am strictly to account for the money God has given me, so I ought neither to be covetous in saving or hoarding it up, nor profuse in throwing it away without a just occasion. The main thing to be regarded, is, the end I propose to myself in my expenses, whether it be really the glory of God, or my own carnal humour and appetite. For instance, if I lay out my money in clothing my body, the question must be, whether I do this only for warmth and decency, or to gratify my pride and vanity? If the former, my money is better spent; if the latter, it is better spared than spent. Again, Do I lay it out in eating and drinking? If this be only to satisfy the necessities of nature, and make my life the more easy and comfortable, it is, without doubt, very well spent; but if it be to feed my luxury and intemperance, it is much better spared; better for my soul in keeping it from sin, and better

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