to be expected here on earth; so long as we are clothed with flesh and blood, we shall, in one degree or other, be still under the influence of our passions and affections. And, therefore, as there is no person we can love upon earth, but who may sometimes see occasion to be displeased with us: so he will always, upon that account, be feared by us. This I look upon as the chief occasion of one man's having so much power and influence over another. But how comes this under the notion of a talent received from God, and so to be improved for Him? Why, because it is He, and He alone, that kindles and blows up the sparks of pure love and affection in us, and that by the breathings of His own Spirit. It was the Lord that gave Joseph favour in the sight of the "keeper of the prison," and who brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the "prince of the eunuchs." And so of all others in the world for we are told elsewhere, that as "God fashioneth the hearts of men, so he turneth them which way soever he will." Insomuch that I can never see any express their love to me, but I must express my thankfulness to God for it: nor can I feel in myself any warmth of affection towards others, without considering it as a talent hid in my breast, which I am obliged in duty to improve for Him, by stirring up their affections unto Him whose affections Himself hath stirred up towards me. And this will be the more easy to effect, if I take care, in the first place, to express the zeal and sincerity of my own love to God, by making Him the chief object of my esteem and adoration; and manifest my aversion to the sins they are guilty of, by representing them as most loathsome and abominable, as well as most dangerous and damnable. For, wherever there is a true and cordial affection to any person, it is apt to bias those that are under the influence of it, to choose the same objects for their love or aversion, that such a person does, that is, to love what he loves, and to hate what he hates. This, therefore, is the first thing to be done, to stir up the affections of others to love and serve God.

Another way of my improving the affections of others to this end, is by setting them a good example: for commonly what a friend doth, be it good or bad, is pleasing to us, because we look not at

the goodness of the thing that is done, but at the loveliness of the person that doth it. And if the vices of a friend seem amiable, how much more will his virtues shine! For this reason, therefore, whensoever I perceive any person to show a respect for, or affectica to me, I shall always look upon it as an opportunity put into my hands to serve and glorify my great Creator, and shall look upon it as a call from heaven, as much as if I heard the Almighty say to me, I desire to have this person love me, and therefore have I made him to love thee: do thou but set before him an example of goodness and virtue, and his love to thy person shall induce and engage him to direct his actions according to it. This, therefore, is the rule that I fully resolve to guide myself by, with relation to those who are pleased to allow me a share in their esteem and affection, which I hope to improve to their advantage in the end; that as they love me, and I love them now, so we may all love God, and God love us to all eternity.

RESOLUTION V.

Whatsoever comes from God being a talent to be improved to Him, I cannot but think good thoughts to be as precious talents as it is possible a creature can be blessed with. But let me esteem them as I will, I am sure my Master will reckon them amongst the talents He intrusts me with, and for which He will call me to an account; and therefore I ought not to neglect them. The Scripture tells me, "I am not sufficient of myself to think anything as of myself, but that my sufficiency is of God." And if I be not sufficient to think anything, much less am I able of myself to think of that which is good; forasmuch as to good thoughts there must always be supposed a special concurrence of God's Spirit; whereas to other thoughts there is only the general concurrence of His presence. Seeing, therefore, they come from God, how must I lay them out for Him? Why, by sublimating good thoughts unto good affections. Does God vouchsafe to send down into my heart a thought of Himself? I am to send up this thought to Him again, in the fiery chariot of love, desire, and joy. Doth He dart into my soul a thought of holiness and

purity? I am to dwell and meditate upon it till it break out into a flame of love and affection for Him. Doth He raise up in my spirit a thought of sin, and show me the ugliness and deformity of it? I must let it work its desired effect, by making it as loathsome and detestable as that thought represents it to be.

But good thoughts must not only be improved to produce good affections in my heart, but likewise good actions in my life. So that the thoughts of God should not only make me more taken with His beauty, but more active for His glory; and the thoughts of sin should not only damp my affection for it, but likewise deter and restrain me from the commission of it.

And thus every good thought that God puts into my heart, instead of slipping out, as it does with some others without regard, will be cherished and improved to the producing of good actions, these actions will entitle me to the blessing of God, and that to the kingdom of glory.

RESOLUTION VI.

Everything that flows from God to His servants, coming under the notion of talents to be improved for Himself, I am sure afflictions, as well as other mercies, must needs be reckoned among those talents God is pleased to vouchsafe. Indeed it is a talent without which I should be apt to forget the improvement of all the rest; and which, if well improved, itself will "work out for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." It is the non-improvement of an affliction that makes it a curse; whereas, if improved, it is as great a blessing as any God is pleased to scatter amongst the children of men. And therefore it is, that God most frequently intrusteth this precious talent with His own peculiar people: "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore will I punish you for your iniquities." Those that God knows the best, with them will He intrust the most, if not of other talents yet be sure of this, which is so useful and necessary to bring us to the knowledge of ourselves and our Creator, that without it we should be apt to forget both.

It is this that shows us the folly and pride of presumption, as

well as the vanity and emptiness of all worldly enjoyments; and deters us from incensing and provoking Him from whom all our happiness as well as our afflictions flow. Let, therefore, what crosses or calamities soever befall me, I am still resolved to bear them all, not only with a patient resignation to the Divine will, but even to comfort and rejoice myself in them as the greatest blessings. For instance, am I seized with pain and sickness? I shall look upon it as a message from God, sent on purpose to put me in mind of death, and to convince me of the necessity of being always prepared for it by a good life, which a state of uninterrupted health is apt to make us unmindful of. Do I sustain any losses or crosses? The true use of this is, to make me sensible of the fickleness and inconstancy of this world's blessings, which we can no sooner cast our eyes upon, but they immediately "take to themselves wings and fly away from us." And so all other afflictions God sees fit to lay upon me may, in like manner, be some way or other improved for my happiness.

But besides the particular improvements of particular chastisements, the general improvement of all is the increasing of my love and affection for that God who brings these afflictions upon me. For how runs the mittimus whereby He is pleased to send me to the dungeon of afflictions? "Deliver such a one to Satan to be buffeted" in the flesh: "that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." By this it appears that the furnace of afflictions, which God is pleased at any time to throw me into, is not heated at the fire of His wrath, but at the flames of His affection to me. The consideration whereof, as it should more inflame my love to Him, so shall it likewise engage me to express a greater degree of gratitude towards Him, when He singles me out, not only to suffer from Him, but for Him too. For this is an honour indeed peculiar to the saints of God, which if He should ever be pleased to prefer me to, I shall look upon it as upon other afflictions, to be improved for His glory, the good of others, and the everlasting comfort of my own soul,

Thus have I reckoned up the talents God hath or may put into my hands to be improved to His glory. May the same Divine

Being that intrusteth me with them, and inspired me with these good resolutions concerning them, enable me, by His grace, to make a due use of them, and carefully to put in practice what I have thus religiously resolved upon.

Of his own Studies.

MILTON.

[IN Milton's prose writings, controversial as most of them are, we find the most interesting morsels of autobiography. Reason of Church Government."]

The following is from "The

Concerning this wayward subject against prelacy, the touching whereof is so distasteful and disquietous to a number of men; as, by what hath been said, I may deserve of charitable readers to be credited, that neither envy nor gall hath entered me on this controversy; but the enforcement of conscience only, and a preventive fear, lest the omitting of this duty should be against me, when I would store up to myself the good provision of peaceful hours. So, lest it should be still imputed to me, as I have found it hath been, that some self-pleasing humour of vain-glory hath incited me to contest with men of high estimation, now, while green years are upon my head, from this needless surmisal I shall hope to dissuade the intelligent and equal auditor, if I can but say successfully that which in this exigent behoves me; although I would be heard only, if it might be, by the elegant and learned reader, to whom principally for a while I shall beg leave I may address myself. To him it will be no new thing, though I tell him that, if I hunted after praise, by the ostentation of wit and learning, I should not write thus out of mine own season, when I have neither yet completed to my mind the full circle of my private studies; although I complain not of any insufficiency to the matter in hand or were I ready to my wishes, it were a folly to commit anything elaborately composed to the careless and interrupted listening of these tumultuous times. Next, if I were wise only to