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Bleffed Lord, all this by grace I know, and faithfully believe; and yet by nature I am still blind and ignorant, unable to discern, unwilling to defire those bleffed things which are belonging to mine everlasting peace, but when thou (in thy rich mercy) fhalt once open mine eyes to fee the beauty of my heavenly home, I fhall then entirely love it, and unfeignedly long for it; I fhall then moft willingly forfake these tottering walls of my frail flesh, to dwell with thee in perfect holiness and endless happiness, that frailty may be fwallowed up of immortality, and immortality may be embraced by eternity.

O THOU which wert, and art to come, who haft sweetened death by thy perfect obedience, and perfumed the grave by thy bleffed fufferings, fuffer me not in my last hour, for any pains of death, or terrors of hell, to fall from the faft hold of a true and lively faith, in thy promises, to lose the precious hopes of immortality, and fweet enjoyments of eternity.

Lord, let me then fay with thy bleffed apostle, that I know whom I have trufted, that he will keep what I have delivered to him, and restore it fafely unto me at that day.

Let me seriously confider of the mifery of life, and bleffedness of death; acquaint me every day

with the remembrance of it, and bless me every hour with a defire unto it; that I may willingly unclothe myself of fin and misery, and joyfully be cloathed with immortality.

O Lord, prepare me for that bleffed hour, and in my greatest weakness and extremity, even then when all the comforts of this wretched life fhall fail me, Lord Jesus forsake me not, be not thou far from me.

O give me then that inward joy, that bleffed comfort of thy holy spirit, that may support and comfort me in all the terrors and amazements of this dark and unknown paffage, in all the dreadful accufations of the devil, and mine own accufing conscience.

Lord, let thy bleffed fpirit then witness to my foul, that I am thy child, that thou wilt purge away all my drofs, and take away all my fins; that I am powerfully protected by thy grace, and shall afsuredly be made partakers of thy glory. -AMEN.

CHAP. XXXVI,

UPON THE GREAT NEGLECT OF OPPORTUNITIES

LORD,

IN DOING GOOD UNTO THE SAINTS.

WHEN I call to mind the richness, and the largeness of thy bounty towards me, I am much grieved at the coldness, and the carelesness of my affections towards thine; each object of charity is an opportunity of mercy; if I negle& it, I am unkind to thee my Saviour, cruel to my neighbour, injurious to mine own foul.

I am not, Lord, but steward of thine outward bleffings, and it were now juft with thee, to call me to a strict account: if any of thy faints suffer, which thou sendest unto me for relief, their fufferings thou wilt surely require at my hands: as each cup of cold water which I have given in thy name, fhall not lose its reward, fo each farthing which I owe unto thee in thy members, will affuredly require its everlasting punishment.

I have been to carefully folicitous for the things of this life, to carelessly negligent of the treasures

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tranfgreffions, fo thou haft alfo a book for mine `alms-deeds, Acts 10. 4. Not one of them fhall be forgotten, but even the very leaft of them shall be gracioufly accepted, gloriously rewarded; not for my work fake, but for thy promise fake, not for mine own fake, but for my Saviour's fake; Lord, I can merit nothing at thy hands, but by thine

own mercy.

And now, Lord, let me examine, what I have gained, by my want of charity. I have exchanged heaven to enjoy earth, I have parted with thee my Saviour, in whom are all the treasures that are true and eternal, for the very bafeft part of earth, which is vain and uncertain; I have loft those bleffed opportunities of doing good, which can never be recalled, and together with them, those rewards of thine, which shall never be enjoyed. I have offended thee my God, grieved thy faints, burdened mine own confcience, and been an utter enemy to mine own falvation,

As my affections have been frozen towards others, fo have I juftly found the gifts and graces of thy holy fpirit, decaying daily in mine own foul; my love cold to thy law, mine ears deaf to thy precepts, my mouth dumb to thy praises, my faith dead to thy promifes, my hope fainting, my zeal languifhing, my joy perishing. These are the

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