tentment. All natural things are so short and finite, that in time they wear out, that a man shall be dulled and tired with them.

Use. The use we should make of this should have been thus much: first of all it serves to teach us this lesson, that therefore we should not rest, we should not lean too much upon natural comforts and delights, trust not to natural cheerfulness, to natural courage, as if these would bear us through all perils, and dangers, and fears, and as if these would carry us through all griefs and heart-breakings. No; nature is a little finite thing; it hath its latitude and its extent as a bow hath, which, drawn beyond the compass, breaks in pieces; or as an instrument, the string of an instrument, strain it to an higher pitch, it snaps asunder; so it is with nature too, draw it beyond the pitch, it breaks. You cannot lay much upon the back of nature, but it crusheth it, and breaks it, it falls asunder; and therefore rest not too much in natural parts, for wit and cheerfulness, all these shall fail in time.

Obj. Ay, but nature is propped up with art.

Ans. It may be so for a time, but that is patchery. It may be for a time. If natural delights fail, much more will artificial; if true fire cannot warm a man, and give him relief, painted fire cannot do it. But so it is that natural and artificial things fail in time. Let a man's eye be made of glass in spectacles, and that which is made of flesh as the natural eye, both the natural and artificial eyes, both turn to dust at length. Let a man have a leg, a crutch of wood, or a leg of flesh, as the natural leg, yet both come to dust and ashes in time. All natural and artificial things decay at the last.

Obj. Ay, but carnal delights will help a man.

Ans. Least of all: if wine will not comfort a man, poison will not. Now all carnal pleasures and delights are poison. Where shall we go then for comfort and delight? Yet above all the creatures, there be joys I confess to be had, that will drink up all tears, all sorrows; there be comforts to be had, that will carry a man over all discouragements and grievances; there be everlasting joys, unutterable comforts, inconceivable hopes, and peace of conscience, that will carry a man through sickness, and through pain, and through poverty and shame, through death and all, and will never give him over; a peace that will be with a man in his bed, that will run with him when he flies before the enemy; a peace that will follow him to his grave, and beyond the grave; a peace that will live with him when he dies, that will follow him to the throne and tribunal of Christ, and will set a crown of glory and grace upon him at the last. These joys and comforts be to be had. Oh make out for them, my brethren; seek the joys that are spiritual, seek the comforts of the Scriptures, rejoice in this, that your names are written in heaven,' Luke x. 20; rejoice in this,' that God is your Father; rejoice that Christ dwells in you; rejoice that heaven is yours, that Christ is yours, that God is yours, that the promises and the covenant is yours; and these be the joys that no man can take from you, that nothing can take from you. These will make you rejoice in sorrow, these will make you live in death. As I said before, labour for these that may carry you over all troubles, and miseries, and terrors whatsoever. That is another point. There are divers others I was thinking to have said something to, for I intended no more but only to give you some general heads, some words of instruction in general out of this large text; but I know not how the time hath overslipped us in speaking this little that we have; and therefore we will go no further at this time.

NOTES.

(a) P. 37. "How many," saith the Original, commonly in the margin of our English Bible, my life?' Cf. Ps. xc. 12.

(b) P. 38. The heathen had some to call upon them,' &c. Cf. Note z, Vol. II. p. 435.

(c) P. 43. Keepers of the house,' &c. It is interesting to compare this incidental exposition of a difficult figurative passage, with modern interpretations, e. g., Wardlaw, Macdonald (of America), Moses Stuart, and Ginsburg. Sibbe differs somewhat.

G.

DISCOURAGEMENT'S RECOVERY.

NOTE.

Discouragement's Recovery' forms No. 2 of the Sermons in the first edition of the Saint's Cordials (1629). It was withdrawn in the two subsequent editions. Valuable and suggestive in itself, this sermon has the additional interest of being from a verbally parallel text with that on which 'The Soul's Conflict' is based; and is thus, in all probability, its first form. The separate title-page is given below.*

* DISCOVRAGEMENTS
RECOVERIE.

WHEREIN THE SOVLE BY REFLEXI

ON OF THE STRENGTH OF VNDERSTAN

ding, quarrelling with it selfe, is at length reduced and charged to doe that, which must and should be the true vpshot of all Distempers.

VPRIGHTNES HATH BOLDNES.

PSAL. 31. 21, 22.

Blessed be the Lord, for he hath shewed me his maruellous kindnesse in a strong Citie.

1

I said in mine haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes, neuerthelesse thou heardest the voice of my supplications, when I cryed vnto thee.

LONDON,

Printed in the yeare 1629.

G.