47 you rather dy than willingly offend your Savoir that died for you? Are you going to hang all remaining affection to 'em upon his Crofs; that there they may be perfe&t y crucified, and never taken down till by continued Meditation on it they be quite dead? Let us Refolve then to go and tell Him as much: to declare and fhow to Him that this is the fenfe of our hearts. Only to ask our feives again; what appetites do you feel in you? are you going as thirsty men to drink; or hungry men to their food; or a Bride to the marriage of a chofen foul, dearer than all the World befides? Or do you feel fomething like thofe things in your hearts? What is it that you hunger and thirst after? Is it his Divine Grace and Holy Spirit? Do you long to be more like Him, and made partakers of his Divine Nature? are you going to make a new refignation of your felves to Him, to be made one fpirit with Flim, never any more to depart from Him? Then let us think how the Bridegroom will welcome us: how our Savior, I mean, will declare and fet forth his Love to us; and give us affurances that his mercy indureth for ever; and bid us rejoyce and be execeding glad in what He has done already, and in the hopes we have of what He will do hereafter. And here we may call to mind how the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us: how He manifefted forth his Glory by his Wonderful Works: how He taught us the way to Eternal life; and at laft was betray'd and deliver'd into the hands of finful men, and was crucified and died for us: with all the reft that concerns the knowledge of Christ. That fo we may have it more ready in our thoughts, when we come to his Table; to do this in commemoration of Him. In this manner alfo we may bewail the fins of our former life: fue for a pardon of what is pafts and befeech the grace of his Holy fpirit, to affift our Refolutions of well-doing for the time to come. $3. FEBRUARY. LET us think with our Selves, It is now a Month [or more] fince our Lord did us the honor to entertain us at his Table. Where have we been ever fince that happy time? what have we been doing? have we never gone to return Him thanks for that grace beftowed on us? have we been perfect ftrangers to Him who loves us fo much, who fake C 6 Part I. to kindly then unto us? and gave us fuch afsurance of his everlasting kindness? O fhamelefs ingratitude? how shall we be able ever to look Him in the face any more? We fhill fink and dy under the load of fuch a fearful guilt. But I hope the cafe is not altogether fo bad with us. Have we not fometimes reflected on his incomparable Love? have we not indeavor'd to preserve fome memory of the benefitsHe hath done unto us? Is there not still a little fenfe of 'em remaining in our hearts? We would fain incourage our felves to wait again upon our Lord. Pardon us, O God, if we prefume again to enter into thy gates with thanksgiving, and into thy Courts with praife: to eat of the Bread which came down from heaven; to fhow, forth the Lord's Death; to represent to our God the Sacrifice He made for th' atonement of our fins and, by vertue of it, humbly to expect the continuance of his pardon; to renew our Covenant with Him; and to receive new) confirmations of the truth of his promifes to us. Let us awake all our holy thoughts, our Faith, our Love, and every other grace, till we can fay with David, Our hearts are fixed, O God, our hearts are prepared, we will fing and give praife, Pf. 57. 7. Let us go and fhew Him how our hearts have been wounded with the thoughts of his Love; how all our fins have been bleeding to death; how ready we are to offer up our felves in facrifice to Him. Let us fhow Him how refolv'd we are to walk on ftill more fteadily in his holy ways; to imploy all the renewed ftrength we fhall receive, in his hearty Service; and to go forth in the joy of the Lord to do his Will with greatur humility, freedom, and chearfulness of fpir it. Then we may think we hear that voice of Wisdom, Prob. 9.5. Come eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled, Or that of the divine Lover, Cant. 5. 1. Eat, O friends drink, yea, drink abundantly, Obeloved. and fay, as Pfalm. 63.5. My foul shall be fat iffied as with marrow and fatnefs and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips. For Chrift Himself fays, S. Mat. 5.3. Bleffed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. Blefjed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Bleffed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Bleffed are the merciful. for they shall obtain mercy. Bleffed are the pure in heart for they shall be called the children of God. Bleffed are they which ave perfe : cuted 1 4 cuted for righteousness fake: for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and perfecute you, and shall fay all manner of evil against you falsly for my fake, As He will one day fay to fuch Come ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World: ch. 25. 34. fo now He authorizes his Minifters to fay, Come, ye bleffed fouls, receive the tokens of his Love, fome earnests of future blifs; and rejoyce in hopes of his heavenly kingdom. He has not only prepared for us a Kingdom hereafter, but asthe Pfalmift fpeaks in another cafe,Pf. 23.5.He has here prepared a Table for us, and anoints our heads with oil, [that gladness where with our royal High-Prieft is crowned] and makes our Cup [his celeftial bleffings poured on us,] to run over. Let us go then, and humbly receive that Cup of Bleffing, to which He invites us. Let vs blefs the Lord, and speak good of his Name: defiring that all Mankind may be bleffed in Him; all Nations may call Him bleffed. Pf.72.17. Eo the wicked, indeed God faith, What haft thou to do to declare my ftatutes, or that thou shouldft take my cov enant in thy mouth? feeing thou hateft inftruction, and cafteft my words behind thee. Ps. 50.16, 17.Thep that are in the flesh cannot pleafe God Rom. 8. 8, The works of the flesh are manifeft. which are thefe, Adultery, fornication. uncleanness, lafciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, ftrife, feditions, herefies, Envyings, murders, drunkennefs, revellings, and fuch like. Gal. 5. 19, 29, 21. For them that do fuch things, the Pfalmift fays, In the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red. Pf 75. 8, but it is The cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. Rev. 16. 19.True, but let us go therefore and renounce all Ungodliness, and worldly lufts; let us crucify the flesh with all th' affections and appetites thereof. Let us ingage our hearts in that Covenant, which we haven often taken into our mouths: and proteft and vow that we think it our happiness to be bis moft obedient fervants. Then we need not doubt but will accept us, and fend us away with his bleffing; and may addrefs our felves as chearfully to Him, as if we heard a voice frem heaven faying, mejopce in the Lord alway: and again Ijay, Rejoyce, Phil.4.4. For The LORD hath done great things for us: Ps, 126. 3. The LORD hath made known his falvation: his righteousness bath He openly shewed in the fight of the Heathen. Pf. 98. 2. God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have . everlasting life. S. John 3. 6. And therefore, Be glad, 0 righteous, and rejoyce in the LORD and be joyful all ye that true of heart. Pf. 32. 12. Let us Rejoyce in God's mar lous Love, and Dait for his fon from heaven, Whom He rai from the dead, even Jefus which delivered us from the wrath come, I Thes. I. 10. 6. 4. MARCH. WE may confider that when God intended to make a new Covenant with Man, of more abundant grace and mercy tha was ever known before, He was pleased to do like a Man. Word was made Flesh, and he came, aud dwelt among us. S John 1.14.He declared by the mouth of one taken from among our felves, his great good will towards us. He entred into al imaginable bonds to perform his part of that facred Covenant. He gave us his word and his oath, wo immutable things, in which it was impoffible for God to lie, Heb. 6. 18. He gave us his Son for a Pledgesand his Son gave his Bloud for a Seal, and his Holy Spirit for an earnest of his eternal Love. Adored be the goodness of God (should we yay within our felves) who has done fo much to affure the hearts of trembling and unbelieving finners. Adored be his goodness, Who is fo defirous we thould be perfuaded of it. Is there no way for us alfo to ingage our felves, and pafs our word as folemnly to Him? Can we find no bonds that are facted, wherein to tre our felves ftrongly to his fervice? Elefled be the Mercies of our God, who has ap pointed two Sacraments: wherein we for our parts promife and feal to ftand to the Conditions of that Covenant of grace. But fo exceffive is his Love that He does there again likewife ingage h is fidelity to us and fecures to us the Bleffing which He has promifed in his holy Gofpel. Ohow excellent is hisLovingKindnefs, which has given us fuch ftrong Confo lation! And how long is it now fince we were first Devoted to Him, and receiv'd the firft affurances of his Love? Thefe* years have we been call'd by his Name, and made partakers of his Grace. In our Baptism. He began to fhow his Love to us; and there we entred into Covenant with Him, and vowed to keep his Commandments. What manner of perfons ought we to be in all holy Converfation, and godliness, who are fo deeply indebted to Him, who have liv'd fo long in kis Family, and been often likewife > Reckoning from the time of our Baptism. enter tain'd tain'd at his Table, and receiv'd there the renewed tokens of his dearest Love! O how unwearied is his Goodness; which calls us once more to partake of that great favor! Can we find in our hearts to admire any thing, to love any thing like unto Him? Let us go with the forwardest affection to teftify how much we value his kindness: to profefs the fincerity of our faith in Him, and most dutiful love to Him. Let us go and confirm th' agreement that is between us, and make a new choice of Him for our only Mafter and Savior, and take upon us to be eternally his Servants. Nay, render Him our moft hearty thanks, that He will admit us to that honor: and with the most passionate Admiration make Him our acknowledgments that He would do fo much to deserve our service. Is not this our mind and intention in approaching to his Table? Does it not grieve us that we have any time offended fo great Love? Had we not rather die and be crucified as He was, than willingly break the least of his Commands? Do we not in heart and refolution forfake every thing that would hinder us from doing his Will? Are we not purposed to follow Jefus in all the holy actions of an holy, humble, charitable, and religious Life? Let us go then and wait upon Him; & fhow Him the Love that we bear unto Him, Let us give Him thanks even for this good mind which He has put into us; and for all the hopes, we have that He will continue it to eternal life. Let us not be discouraged for He himself has faid,t the wicked forfake his vary and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him, and will abundantly pardon. Fla. 55. 7. He will pour more abundantly of his Holy Spirit on us to ftrengthen our Refolutions. He will make us grow in Grace, and bring forth all the fruits of righteoufnefs; and do for us as in Dalm 36. 8, 9, 10. They fhall be abundantly fatified with the fatness of thy house: and Thou shall make them drink of the river of thy pleafures. For with Thee is the fountain of life: in thy light fhal we fee light. O continue thy loving kindnefs unto them that know Thee: and thy righteousnes to the upright in heart. Ita 59. 1. Behold the LORD's hand is not shortned, that it cannot fave, neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. D. Luke 1. 49. 50. For He that is mighty hath done to us grent things, and holy it his Name. Any his mercy is on them that foar Him, from generation to generation. |