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Saviour, art my captain, and heaven is my country; fhall I now lofe thofe rivers of eternal pleasure, for this fhort, this falfe, and momentary joy? fhall I run from thee who art the Prince of Peace, and who haft fpilt thy precious blood for me, unto that cruel enemy of mankind, who hath drawn fo much blood from me? fhall I forfake thee who haft laid down thy life for me, and enslave myself to him, who every minute feeketh to devour me? fhall I dishonor thee my God, grieve thine holy angels, fhame my profeffion, wound mine own confcience, terrify mine own foul, feek mine own ruin? if I confent to this temptation, that God whom I difhonor will abhor me, those bleffed angels whom I grieve will forfake me, those curfed fpirits whom I obey will deride me, that confcience which I now wound will accuse me, that glorious Gospel which I fhame will condemn me, and that ruin which I now seek will for ever feize upon me,

Let this move thee (O my foul) as thou expecteft happiness, to take up a blessed resolution of refiftance: if the affault dismay thee, let the con. quest encourage thee; if the beginning be sharp, the close will be sweet; if nature be dejected, grace will be ftrengthened; and as grace increaseth here, fo fhall glory hereafter.

1. 12.

Confider laft of all what Saint James faith, and fix in thy thoughts as chief of all, bleffed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him, Jam. Thrice happy is that foul which is faithful in God's fervice, although it may often faint, it shall never fail; it may sometimes be foiled, but fhall never be overcome; it fhall never fall totally, it can never fall finally; for thou, Lord, upholdeft it, and in thy love it is fure of fafety here, of triumph hereafter.

Blessed God,

WITH grief of heart I willingly confefs, that I have fhamefully difhonored thy great and glorious name, by mine often failings, by my many faintings, and more wretched yieldings, to the fhame of my profeffion, the grief of thy good spi. rit, and the terror of my frail condition.

Lord, how wretched is my foul without thee? and yet how eafily, how willingly am I enticed from thee? even at this inftant I am ready to forfake thee, and may moft juftly fear to be forfaken of thee.

The world allureth me, the flesh befotteth me, the devil beguileth me, and mine own falfe heart deceiveth me, and is now ready to rebel against me;

O wretched man that I am, who fhall deliver me? Lord Jefus affift me, and let thy faving-grace be now and ever more fufficient for me.

Lord rebuke thefe evil thoughts, believe my mifery, fupport my weakness, ftrengthen my willingness, give me an undaunted courage in thy fervice, an unfeigned forrow for my former failings, and conftancy of heart against present suggestions, and future temptations, that I may find no fweetnefs but in thy love, no pleasure but in thy fervice, no profit but in thy rewards.AMEN..

LORD,

CHAP. XXVI.

UPON THE INFIRMITIES OF THE SAINTS.

WITH grief of heart I confess, that I

find a law in my members, rebelling against the law of my mind, and leading me captive to the law of fin, so that those things which I would do, I can not, and I daily and hourly do those things which I would not; yet my comfort is, that I make not provifion for the flesh to fulfil the luft, thereof:

λοιουτ by the weakness of mine own corruptions, I often

fall into fin, but by the bleffed afliftance of thy
grace I abhor to lie there; fin oftentimes surpriseth
shall goot
me, but by thy rich mercy bath never yet reigned
over me; it hath often deceived me, but I truft
fhall never destroy me. It hath pleased thee,
O my bleffed Saviour, to conclude all things un-
der fin, that thy grace may abound, while I fstrive
against it, and am afflicted for it, my finful defires
will (I truft) be graciously accepted, and, (in thy
perfect obedience) gloriously rewarded.

Be not dismayed therefore, O my soul, that thou fometimes art ravifhed with the apprehenfion of thy heavenly joys, and fuddenly relapfed to the follies of a wretched heart; the one thou happily

enjoyeft, by the fweet affiftance of the heavenly fpirit; the other thou violently suffereft by the ftrong torrent of my finful nature. Lord, fuch is thy great wisdom, and inconceivable goodness towards me, that oftentimes thou leaveft me unto myself, and therefore fuffereft me to fall, (and that moft grievously fometimes) that I may fee mine own infirmities, and be truly humbled for them; that I may impute nothing to mine own merits; but give all the glory to thy fufferings; that I may go out of myself, and mine own mifery, into the sweet enjoyment of thy rich, and endless mercy.

Confider therefore, O my foul, that fo long as thou continueft in this valley of tears, thou canst not live without this burden of fin; fo long as thou carrieft this frail body about thee, continuing weakness will be attending on thee. O let this teach thee to bewail the mifery of this frail life, which is only prone to evil, and that continually; let it humble thee for thy many failings, and invite thee to a more hearty and fincere affection to thy Saviour, by whofe abfolute and perfect obedience, all thine imperfections fhall be done away; and laftly, to a more earneft longing for thy bodies diffolution.

Comfort thyself in this, that all the miferies of this life fhall work together for the best to thine advantage, nothing can befall-thee without his holy

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