O thou bleffed Fountain of eternal good, convey those happy ftreams of comfort to my finful foul,

that may revive me from the grave of misery; open

mine eyes, that I may fee thee in thy long patience, in thy great goodness, in thy rich mercies, in thy fatherly affections towards me.

I am woefully funk into the deep mire of fin, where no ftay is; Lord, uphold me by thy grace, that I perish not eternally; O deliver me for thy mercy fake, for I am helplefs and poor, and my heart is wounded within me.

Let my foul live, and it shall praise thee, and thy judgments fhall help me.

As thou haft raised me by thy power, so rule me by thy providence, that thy grace may be far fweeter with my fufferings than my pleasure with my fins.

Restrain my loose defires, renew my good purpofes, affift my weak endeavours, correct mine errers, sustain my infirmities; give me a godly forrow for my fins, and a thankful heart for thy favors, a filial fear of thy judgments, a fincere love to thy laws, an holy conftancy, and happy perfeverance to my lives end.— AMEN.

CHAP. XIII.

UPON THE GREAT DANCER OF PRESUMPTION.

ALAS, my foul, how vain art thou! how

how wretched, to prefume upon the mercy of thy God! how canft thou be fo foolish to believe, that God will favor thee in that which he fo feverely punished in his own Son? thinkeft thou that precious blood was spilt to cherish fin? Be not mistaken, for as Chrift Jefus came into the world to fave finners, fo he came alfo to call finners to repentance. Doft thou argue well, to fay, because God is merciful, long-fuffering, and of great goodnefs, therefore I will abufe his mercy in finning his patience by my long continuing in fin, his great goodness by my great unthankfulness? Is not this to mock his mercy, to bid defiance to justice, to arm him with fury, to invite him to revenge? Af fure thyfelf, the longer he is in drawing his bow, the more forcible will he fend his arrow.

Deceive not thyfelf therefore, God will not be fo merciful to thee, as to be unjust to himself; all the ways of GoD are mercy and truth; mercy to fupport thy weakness, truth to correct thy wilfulness: there is therefore mercy with him, that he

may be feared, not that he may be flighted, not that he may be shamefully difhonored: how full of falfhood is thy bold prefumption? thou cryeft, peace, peace, when fudden war is ready to deftroy thee; there is no peace to the wicked, faith my God; heaven and earth are up in arms against thee, and there is none left, not fo much as thine own confcience to deliver thee.

Thou haft graciously received the knowledge of the truth, thou haft grievously finned against the light of that knowledge, thou haft woefully continued in thy fins, without remorfe of conscience, without defire of repentance, and there now remaineth no more facrifice for fin, but a fearful looking for of judgment, and violent fire, that fhould devour the adverfaries.

O remember, that the angels, for one fin, were thrown down from heaven, and that Adam, for one fin, was caft out of paradife: thy fins (O my foul) are innumerable, thou haft had line upon line, and precept upon precept, and yet thou addest sin upon fin, and tranfgreffion upon tranfgreffion: thou haft finned against many precious promifes, against many gracious performances, againft many fearful judgments; thou haft grieved that good fpirit, by which the faints are fealed up unto the day of redemption: all these are heavy aggravations upon thee, to fill

up the meafure of thy fins, and haften the swiftness of thy punishments.

Ah, how fad is thy condition! thou haft not only wearied out thyself, in wickedness, but thy God alfo: hear what he faith unto thee, how he complaineth of thee by his holy prophet, "behold, I am preffed under you, as a cart is laden with fheaves," Amos 2, 13, and yet thou still addest more load; but as thou addeft fin upon fin, so thou callest for wrath upon wrath; as thou haft made a mock at fin, fo God will make a mock at mifery; as thou haft thy measure in finning, fo God will have his measure in punishing; confider what he faith unto thee by his prophet,. "judgment will F Fay to the rule, and righteoufnefs to the ballance," Ifai. 21.17, 18% As he hath a bottle for thy tears,. fo he hath a bag for thy tranfgreffions, Job. 14. 174. their growth is recorded, their number accounted, their nature examined, all fealed up against the great and fearful day of the revelation of the righteous judgment..

O confider this, thou that forgettest God, leaft he tear thee in pieces.. and there be none to deliver thee. Think how fuddenly thou mayeft be fnatcht away by those infernal fiends, to endless torments, and then what tears will be enough to weep thine obfequies,. to quench thofe everlafting burnings?

But then, alas, inflead of tears of compaffion, thou shalt have mocks of derifion, the curfed devils will laugh thee to fcorn, the bleffed faints and angels will rejoice at thy confusion, and God himself, who only can relieve thee, will for ever hide his tender mercy from thee.

Awake therefore, out of thy fleep of death, look well into thy loft eftate, thou art now near unto making up the measure of thy fins, beyond which thou canst not pafs: thy God hath faid to thee, as to the fea, hitherto fhalt thou go, and here fhalt thou ftay thy proud waves. Think how fuddenly thou mayest be called to thy last account, even this very hour (for ought thou knoweft) thofe curfed fpirits may convey thee to thy fiery prifon. O think how powerfully the wrath of God will then feize upon thee; how woefully wilt thou excruciate thyself with apprehenfion of thy former folly; and last of all, how wretchedly thou art for ever banished from eternal joys, to suffer with the damned in eternal torments: let this move thee to amend thy wicked ways, to cry mightily to God for mercy, to judge thyfelf, to condemn thyfelf, that thou mayeft not be judged of the Lord; to kifs the Son leaft he be angry, and fo thou perish from the right way: if his wrath be kindled, yea, but a little, bleffed are all they that put their truft in him. Turn therefore, unto the Lord thy God, O my foul,