no otherwise in the pursuit of worldly affairs; they that buify themselves in Starting feveral defignes, and projects together, do nothing but change, and run from one think to another, and fo come home with their labour for their paines; like those pragmatical Theffalonians, they are buify bodies working not at all; all they do comes to nothing. Lord, whilst others loose themselves in the vanity of their own imaginations, and are incumbred in many things, and thofe (for the most part) farr from any tendency to the fervice of Chrift; let it be the delight of my Soul, and the indevour of my life, to hunt after the one thing needful, and to fix my choice upon that good part, which shall not be taken away from me. O my God, thou art the only adequate object of my defires; thou hast promised that thou wilt be found of thofe that feek thee, and that thou wilt not be fought in vain. My Soul follows hard after thee (thee, and none but thee) let me find thee, and be found in thee; So fhall I at once, take

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and be taken; apprehend, and be apprehended, and in both be made everlaftingly happy.

Ο

MEDITA T. X X.

Of Fishing.

F all recreations, Fishing is the most agreeable to contemplative Spirits, as being a fedate quiet sport; free from thofe clamours, and difturbances of the fenfes, which ufually accompany other pleasures of the field; and not fo ingroffing the mind, but that withal it is at a freedom to intertain it felf with good thoughts, in which refpect, it is by fome of the School, preferred before hunting.

But yet how delightful fo ever it niay be as a recreation, it is but a poor bnifinefs to make a trade of; and if we were called to it under that notion, we fhould quickly be ready to leave our nets, to follow a more beneficial vocati

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on: Such is the power and operation of fancy upon the will, that by representing the pleasure of freedom unto it (which it naturally affecteth) it can induce it to like or dislike the fame thing, more or less, according to the liberty, or constraint, wherewith it acteth it. There is a pleasure in willing.

But how hath God honored this defpicable trade, and the followers of it, with his prefence, and miracles? paffing by the wifemen after the flesh, the mighty, the noble; and choofing a few fimple, weak, mean Fishermen, with their cloths hardly dry upon their backs, to promulgate the glad tidings of his Gofpel to every creature; calling them from mending their nets, to mend, and reforme the world? Othe infinite wisdom of the foolishness of God! O the unrefiftable Strength of his weakness. Bleffed be God for Jefus Chrift; and let no flesh glory in is prefence !!

It hath even been the ambition of the Devil, to be like the most High, in the immitation of his actings. As Chrift hath

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hath his Fishers of men, fo hath that wicked one his, who many times (to conceal themselves from the eye of the world, and that there may be the lefs perfpective into their methods) do croude into Chrift's boat, and put hard to have an oare in it, as if they were of his gang; transforming themfelves into his Minifters of righteousness. It is the mifery of the Sons of men, that many times they are not fo carefull, as they fhould be, to try the Spirits whether they be of God, or no; whether it be a good, or a bad Angel that is ftirring in the waters: And hence it is that for want of diftinguishing rightly between the motions of the Spirit of Chrift, and the fuggeftions, and illufions of the Devil, it comes to pass that fo many fall into the Snare of the Devil, and are caught by him, as the files that are taken in an evil net.

They that are Mafters at this Sport, do not when a fish bites, immediatly twitch him up, but having ftruck him,

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give him line, and let him feemingly run away with the baite, whereby to hooke him the more furely, and at last, with the more ease to draw him up. It is no otherwife, when a finner bites at a temptation, and the Devil ftrikes him, he is contented to give him Scope to enjoy the pleasure of his fin for a season, but it is to have the furer hold of him, and to make a pray of him with the less trouble.

When fish are inclined to bite, a small thing, a flie, or the very likness of a flie, an artificial flie, will be a fufficient bate for them. We are ready to fmile at the fimplicity of those poor Creatures, to fee them so easily deceived; and yet do not confider with what facility we our felves are taken, when we catch at the worthless vanities of the world; and are taken with the appearances of honour, riches, pleafures, which are deceitful, and have nothing in them. But that is true, which the plain dealing Confeffor told Philip the Second of Spain (who doted upon