J. ^/f

PRESENTED TO THE LIBRARY

PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINHRY

|VIi»s. Alexander Ppoudfit.

BV 4801 .H36 1866
Harsha, D. A. 1827-1895.
The Christian's present for
all seasons

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Eiuerei according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S66, by
D. A. HARSHA,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the
Northern District of New York.

INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.

Devotion may be considered in reference either
to the act performed, or tlie spirit in which the act
originates. Between the act and tlie spirit there is
an indissoluble connection — the latter could not
lone: exist without manifestino; itself in the former —
the former without the latter w^ould be simple
hypocrisy. As the heart, being the fountain of all
moral action, gives complexion to the life, so the
devotional habits of an individual will be deter-
mined by his devotional feelings. There may
indeed be the appearance of devotion where there
is not the reality; but insincerity even towards God
wdll be almost sure to betray itself to the observation
of men.

But while all devotion recognizes a God, or at least
a being who is called God, it is obvious that the
devotion must assume a type corresponding with
the character of the being who is the object of it.
The Pagan bows before an image of wood or stoue;

IV INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.

but the homage that he renders, is an offence not
only against the living and true God, but against
the dignity of his own nature. The Deist profes-
sedly acknoAvledges the God who is revealed by
the light of nature; and he ascribes to Him infinite
perfection; and owns himself dependent upon his
l)ounty and his care; but he forgets that he has to
approach Him as a sinner, and that God is of purer
eyes than to behold iniquity, and therefore cannot
be approached except in the new and living way
which He hath himself ordained. It is Christianity
alone that puts us into legitimate communion with
the Father of our spirits. This shows us that the
only way to the throne of mercy leads by the Cross;
that it is only through the gracious intercession of
the Lord Jesus, founded on the merit of his atoning
sacrifice, that our prayers, offered in humility and
faith, can find acceptance.

Th<^ spirit of devotion may be regarded as an
epitome of the Christian graces — these graces arc
combined in the exercise of this spirit; and more
than that, they react with a quickening power upon
the spirit itself. The truly devout Christian bows
with reverence before the Divine perfections; takes
counsel of the word and providence of God for
intimations of the Divine will; laments the preva-

INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. V

lence of indwelling sin; relies on the merits of
Christ and the power and grace of the Holy Spirit;
and prays for an increasing conformity to the pre-
cepts of the Gospel, and for the universal preva-
lence of truth and righteousness. And with these
exercises are identified humility, trust, submission,
charity, zeal in doing good, — every thing that ele-
vates human character, and constitutes the appropri-
ate preparation for Heaven.

If then the spirit of devotion is so important in
its exercises and results, if it is that with which the
tone of Christian character is pre-eminently identi-
fied, surely it is not less the interest than the duty
of every Christian to guard against all those influ-
ences by wdiich its exercise is impeded. And what
are some of those influences?

There is the influence of a low state of relio-ion
in the heart. The process of sanctification, thougli
on the whole progressive, is marked by great irre-
gularity and inconstancy, and sometimes even seems
to assume a retrograde course. There are times, in
the experience of many Christians at least, when
most of the graces seem to have passed into an
eclipse, and the world triumphantly inquire in
respect to them, — "What do they more than
others?'' The sense of Christian obi illation has

VI INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.

been greatly lowered; the estimate of God's word
and ordinances has sunk proportionally; and the
atmosphere which they breathe most freely is not
that which is sanctified by the presence of the Holy
Spirit. In such a heart surely the spirit of devotion
cannot but languish; and the waking np of that
spirit is to be looked for only in a return to all the
duties of the Christian life.

Closely connected wdth the preceding, and even
identified with it, is the prevalence of ungodly pas-
sion, which forms so large an element in our corrupt
nature. As men differ in their original constitu-
tions, — some possessing one quality in a higher
degree, and some another, — so the evil passions
and propensities that remain in the heart, after the
regenerating work is performed, exist in different
individuals in various deofrees of stren2:th. Here there
is an undue appreciation of worldly honour, and cor-
respondiug efforts to attain it. There deceitful
riches play upon the imagination and the heart with
a power that proves irresistible. And yonder is
another who indulges in covetousness, or envy, or
who even suffers the viper revenge, under some
misnomer, to linger in his bosom. But can any
thing be more hostile than these ungodly passions
to the spirit of devotion? Ts it not manifest that.

INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. vii

just in proportion as they prevail in the soul, there
must be a disinclination, an absolute disability, for
communion with God?

And there is an influence from the outer world,
co-operating with that from the inner, tendiug to
the same result. Here we have, for the present, our
home, — our place of residence, our field of labour.
Such has been the ordering of our lot that we are
kept, at various points, in contact Avith the Avorld;
and, in yielding tp this arrangement and acting in
accordance with it, we only obey a divinely ordained
necessity of our earthly condition. Nor is there
any thing in this arrangement that necessarily inter-
feres with the exercise of a devotional spirit — on
the contrary, there is much, which, if viewed aright,
is fitted to encourage and cherish it; and yet all
experience proves that, by perversion, it becomes a
powerful means of counteracting the soul's upward
tendencies, and sometimes of absolutely chaining it
down to earth. So long as we can plead that we
are obevins^ the Divine mandate in attendino* to our

I/O o

secular concerns, and that to "be diligent in busi-
ness" is required by the same authority as to "pray
without ceasing," there is danger, great danger, that
we shall sufier the world to gain an undue dominion
over us; and, as a consequence, that a proportional

Vlll INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.

irregularity and formality will pervade our devo-
tions. But wliile this effect may be produced by
tlie mere want of watchfulness in our necessary
worldly engagements, let it be remembered that the
world is little less than " a show-box of tempta-
tions;" that the wealth of the world, and the pomp
and show of the world, and the official stations of
the world, have each their respective attractions;
while the world itself is full of "evil men and
seducers who wax worse and worse." Now, when it
is remembered that these varied influences for evil
have to act upon hearts in which the love of evil
has been only partially removed, and in which there
is still more or less of sympathy with surrounding
temptation, who does not perceive that there is
imminent danger lest the principle of the new life
should languish, involving of course the vigorous
actings of the spirit of devotion? What observing
Christian is there, whose memory is not the deposi-
tory of many sad cases in which the world has so
far triumphed in the heart of the professed disciple
of Christ, that prayer, which had once been his
vital breath, has come to seem indiflEcrent,- if not
positively distasteful?

But if it is important that we Avatch against those
influences which tend to deaden the spirit of devo-

INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. ix

tion, equally necessary is it that we avail ourselves
of all the helps within our reach for its exercise
and culture.

One of these is to be found in the careful keep-
ing of the heart. He who keeps his heart with all
diligence will not only be secure against the inroads
of temptation, but will be sure also to keep a con-
science in a good degree void of offence; and this
will render an approach to the throne of grace easy
and pleasant to him. So too there will be associ-
ated with this a deep sense of dependence; for it is
impossible that one should explore diligently and
habitually his own heart, without realizing that the
sanctifying work that is to be carried forward there,
can never proceed independently of an influence
from on high, — an influence not to be hoped for
except in answer to fervent prayer. Indeed, the
very exercise of keeping the heart not only serves
to keep alive a devotional spirit, by direct minis-
tration, but that spirit may be regarded as its pri-
mary element — the two essentially coexist, and
inhere in each other.

A religious observance of the dispensations of
Providence, whether in respect to ourselves or
others, tends to the same result. Notwithstanding
the order of events proceeds according to fixed

X INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.

laws, aud in this very uniformity the Atheist finds
an aro'ument as^ainst the existence of a God, still
every religious observer of Avhat is passing must see
evidences the most conclusive of the movements of
a Divine hand. And if God is always i^resent with
me to supply my wants and crown me with his
goodness, shall I not be drawn near to Him in acts
of devout thanksgiving? If I become forgetful of
his benefits or remiss in my duty, and He adminis-
tel's a orracious chastisement with a view to humble
and reform me, shall I not betake nwself at once to
the throne of mercy, there to humble m^^self for my
sin, and to accept reverently the Divine correction?
And so, when I look around me and notice the vari-
ous ways in which my fellow-creatures are led;
when I see blessings crowding upon the footsteps
of some, and fearful calamities accumulating in the
path of others; when I extend my view and take in
the nation or the world, and mark the wonderful
changes that are going forward everywhere — here
perplexity and disaster, there success and triumph;
here the reign of the deepest moral darkness, and
there the clouds passing off" as the Sun of Kighte-
ousness breaks forth; — I say, when I take such a
broad view as this, can I fail to find material for
devotion every where? Must I not adore the hand

INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. xi

that can work such changes? Must I not praise the
hand that can pour forth such blessings? Must I
not tremble before the hand that can inflict such
terrible evils? Must I not be more than ever desir-
ous to dwell in the secret place of the Most High?

There is that also in frequent and intimate Chris-
tian intercourse, that is fitted to strengthen the
habit of devotion. B}^ communing frequently with
each other, Christians come to know more not only
of one another's hearts but of their own; and thus
they come to the throne of grace, sharing one
another's burdens, and supplicating more intelli-
gently as well as more earnestly for themselves.
Let a company of Christian friends be assembled to
take counsel of each other in respect to their trials,
or duties, or prospects, or any thing pertaining to
the Christian life, and while they will almost of
course crown the interview with united prayer, they
will carry away with them a spirit that will make
their closets more dear to them, and render them
fellow helpers there unto the kingdom of God.

Yet another aid to the spirit of devotion is found
in the diligent study of God's word, and other
books of spiritual tendency. As the Bil)le is an
immediate revelation from God, containing a record
of his doings in the past and predictions of what lie

Xll INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.

will do hereafter; as it illustrates the great princi-
ples of his government, and teaches ns all that
it is necessary we should know in respect to the
economy of our salvation; as it brings us in con-
tact with truths and facts, bearing not upon indi-
viduals merely, but upon the race, and as not a
small portion of its contents actually take on the
form of confession, supplication and praise, — it can-
not otherwise be, in view of all these considerations,
than that the earnest student of the Bible, — admit-
ting that he approaches it with a proper spirit, —
should, at the same time, possess, in large measure,
the spirit of prayer. It certainly is not to be
denied that the Bible may be studied, and that too
with great zeal and carefulness, for the mere grati-
fication of curiosity, or for the still worse purpose
of disproving its Divine authority; and in every
such case of course nothing but evil can be expected
as the result; but let it be studied as the word of
God, with a sincere desire to find out and digest its
precious meaning, and the effect will be that the
individual concerned will be sensible of constantly
growing attractions in the throne of grace, and with
the increase of his scriptural knowledge there will
be a corresponding growth of his devotional fervour.
And though the Bible is the Book above all

INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. xiii

others, yet it is by no means the only book, from
which the spirit of devotion is to be inhaled — the
world is fnll of books which have draAvn their
materials substantially from the Bible; some of
which are designed simply to explain its meaning;
others to enforce and impress its blessed truths; and
not a few, like the Psalms of David, bring the soul
into direct communion with its God. We are
obliged indeed to admit that in this almost endless
variety of books, purporting to bear a religious
character, there are not a few that are worse than
useless; while some strike at the very roots of that
religion of which they profess to appear as advo-
cates. But, notwithstanding the deluge of trash
that has come in under the assumed character of
religious literature, the world abounds with works
that reflect the truths of the Bible in sunbeams, and
that bring these truths in direct contact with the
conscience and the heart. Such works, judiciously
selected, it is desirable that every Christian should
avail himself of, in the prosecution of his religious
course; and in so doing, while the general tone of
his spiritual life will be quickened, he will secure
to himself a larger measure of that dependent,
grateful,- confiding spirit that loves to breathe out
its ofierings at the throne of the Heavenly grace.

xiv INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.

Among the many excellent works adapted espe*
cially to help the Christian iu his devotions, that to
which this brief Essay is designed as an introduc-
tion, holds a prominent place. The Compiler seems
'to have ran2:ed throus^h almost the whole field of
devotional literature, and to have gathered up all
the Ijrightest gems that came iu his way; and so
successful has he been that one may open the book
at random, as often as he will, and will never find
his eye resting upon any thing that he can afford to
pass over, or that does not supply the elements of
rich devotional thought. It is difficult to say which
is most to be admired, the Compiler's good judg-
ment and taste, or his extraordinary patience in
research, that has brought to us the heavenly
thoughts of so many saints and sages. Of all the
contributions that Mr. Harsha has made to our
Christian literature, it may reasonably be doubted
whether there is one for which posterity will, hold
him in more grateful remembrance, than this beau-
tiful compilation of "Devotional Thoughts."

W. B. S.

PRE FAC E.

It is more than ten years since tlie preparation of the present
volume was commenced. During all this time, the selection of these
beautiful i3assages has been slowly but steadily carried on. Tlie
work was undertaken in connection with the editing of a TAhrary
of Christian Authors, embracing Memoirs of Eminent Divines, and
their choice works — a series whose preparation is not yet completed.
In performing this long and arduous labor, and Avhile carefully
perusing the works of our best authors, from the 17th century to
the present time, passages in each author, which the editor regarded
as among the finest specimens of devotional and practical writing,
were selected for the present volume. In this manner have these
' calm and holy thoughts' of those who have shone as stars in the
firmament of the Christian Church, been brought together; and it
is believed that in the following pages will be found some of the
choicest gems of English sacred literature — gems which ' within
small compass, and in purest gold, will preserve their lustre for
ages.'

The selections are from forty writers, whose names are given in
chronological order, with the dates of their birth and death. By
far the most copious selections are from the works of Bishop Hall,
one of the most devotional, and at the same time, most evangelical
of our Christian authors. Among the others, a large space is also
given to Archbishop Leighton, who exhibits a truly devotional spirit,
and of whom Coleridge has justly remarked: 'If there could be
an intermediate space between inspired and uninspired writings,
that space would be occupied by Leighton.'

The selections are made from the latest or best editions of the
works of the various authors, in the editor's private library; and
the most of the following specimens of devotional and practical wri-
tings, are from volumes not easily accessible to the general reader.

' There are remains of great and good men,' says Mattliew Henry,
' which, like Elijah's mantle, ought to be gathered up and preserved
by the survivors; their sayings, their Avritings, their examples;
that as their works follow them in the reward of them, they may stay
behind in the benefit of them.' And here are some of those ' remains",'
gathered from the writings of some of the excellent of the earth,
which are fitted to fill the mind of the Christian with delightful
thoughts of the Saviour, and of His glorious work of redemption;

18 PREFACE.

to excite devotional feelings, and to raise the affections to that hetter
land, —

' AVhere beauty smiles eternally,
And pleasure never dies.'

It has been well remarked by Bishop Hall, that ' the soul that
is rightly affected to God, is never void of a holy devotion. Where-
ever it is, whatever it doth, it is still lifted up to God, and fastened
upon Him, and converses with Him; ever serving the Lord in fear,
and rejoicing in Him with trembling.' Most gladly would the edi-
tor of this volume say to the Christian reader, in the words of the
same excellent divine: ' If I have given your devotions any light,
it is well ; the least glimpse of this knowledge is worth all the full
gleams of human and earthly skill.'

In the sincere hope of assisting the believer in Jesus in the hea-
venly exercise of devotion, and of solacing his mind amidst the
various trials, conflicts, sorrows and bereavements of life, the present
manual is now offered to the Christian public.

May the precious thoughts in this volume soothe and cheer the
Christian in his pilgrimage through a vale of tears, endearing the
Saviour in His personal excellencies, and in His mediatorial work,
more and more to his heart, till fully prepared by divine grace for
the joys of heaven, his sanctified soul is carried at the hour of
death, by ministering angels, to the realms of bliss, there to be ever
with the Lord, and to praise Him in those ' many mansions' of our
Father's house, where God wipes away the last tear of sorroAv. O
happy close of life's weary pilgrimage, to depart and to be with
Christ ! What Christian, as he thinks of the glory reserved for liim
in heaven, does not now feel like breathing the prayer of the Chris-
tian poet: —

' Oh, when life's sunset draAvs around me,

Closing my eventful day,
Let Thy love, 0 Christ, upon me

Shed its pure and spirit ray.
Up the starry steeps of even,

Let Thy Spirit be my guide,
Till in the deathless light of heaven,

Lost to earth, my spirit glide.

' There, where daylight ever lingers.

O'er the vernal, flower-clad plains, —
There, where morning's rosy fingers

Wreathe with light the azure main, —
There, where all Ave dream of brightness,

Joy or peace, to make us blest,
May the wrapt soul on wings of lightness

Find rest, ah, yes: eternal rest.'

Argyle, N. Y../an. 18G7. D. A. II.

CO N T E N r S .

Joseph Hall, D. D. : Page.

The Saviour in Gethsemane 2'^

Christ the Smitten Kock 30

Blessedness of Salvation <^1

Meditation on Death 32

The Divine Mercy in Eedemption 36

Pardon for the Most Guilty - 38

TheFear of Death-- 41

Behold God as Keally Present -Ip

Thoughts of God in the Devout Person 43

Thoughts at the Communion Table 41

Do this in Remembrance of Me 46

Thoughts after the Communion 47

True Kepentance -- 48

Mercy for the Vilest 48

All are Pilgrims 5?

Death but a Sleep ^1

Prayer ^j.

Redemption ^"^

The Christian in his Devotion ^4

The Christian in his Death »^*^

The Christian's Home - ^J*

Heavenly and Earthly Things- ^^

HumiUty - - ^^

Eternity f ^

The Celestial City ^f

The True Christian Happy - " *^}^

The Saviour's Agony - y}

The Night of Death - ^:

Heavenly Joys ^"^

Honey fi-om the Rock J,"^

The Heavenly Manna Jj^

The Happy Return Home y^

The Felicity of Heaven Jf^

God Manilest in the Flesh ^^

The Saviour received up into Glory ^1

Heavenly Mindedness ;L"

Heavenly Recognition ^ --- ^3

The Glory of Heaven - - - - ^jj

The Saviour's Sufferings and Glories --- ^^l

Paradise - - i'.

Unchangeable Duration /;'

__ 80

Life a Pilgrimage "-

Rest in God .

On the Length bf the Way **'-

'J'he Divine Love

ElCHAKD SiBBES, D. D. :
Grace ^'^

J. lit! iiuv >3pirit our Guide °'

Beholding of Christ, a Transforming Sight »-'

20 CONTENTS.

Comfort in Distress - 90

Pardoniug Mercy 90

Prayer and Praise 91

Praising God 93

God our Refuge 96

Spiritual Desertion - 97

God our Portion -- 98

Comfort in the Hour of Death 100

Jeremy Taylob, D. D.:
Prayers, I. 102

n 103

III. - 104

IV. - 105

V. 106

VI.--- - - 107

•VII. - 108

VIII. 109

Evening Prayers, I. 109

II. - 110

Prayer for one in Trouble Ill

Prayer for one in Sickness - 112

Prayer before a Journey - 113

Prayers on receiving the Sacrament, I. - 114

II. 115

Prayers for Pardon of Sins, I. 115

" II. 116

On Prayer- 117

Advantages of Prayer 119

The Righteous Safe 120

Consolation 121

God's Mercy 123

The Repenting Sinner ■ 124

Robert Leighton, D. D.:

Salvation 125

Free Grace - 126

Redemption the Admiration of Angels - 127

The Scriptures -- 128

Prayer 129

True Rest 131

The Christian Warfare 131

Communion vrith Christ in Suffering 133

The Believer's Joy at the Revelation of Christ 134

Glory of Christ at the Last Day 135

Steadfastness in the Faith 135

Eternal Glory % 136

Meditation on the Eighth Psalm 137

Spiritual Desire of Death 138

Come to the Saviour--- 139

Christ the Light of the Christian 140

Happiness of the Life to Come ----^ 140

Prayers, I. 143

IL 144

" III. 145

IV. IIG

V. 147

VL 148

VIL 149

" Vin. 151

Richard B.\xter:

Walking with God 153

Prayer in the Hour of Death 155

Language and Power of Faith ^ 156

CONTENTS. 21

Second Coming of Christ 153

The Saints' Joy " -i/.i

The Word of God '.'/.'.'."[ 163

Love of God - - loi

Everlasting Joys of Heaven 1(55

Kepose of the Soul jg^

How to Live a Pleasant Life Iq^

- Thanksgiving and Praise Igy

The Redeemed in Glory 17 j

Heavenly Recognition 173

Love to Saints in Heaven I75

Loss of Pious Friends jyg

Live by Faith 177

Comtemplation of God 178

Sohtude 180

Infinite Goodness of God 18i

The Saviour's Condescension and Love 18:3

Heavenly Aspirations I85

Prayer for the Penitent 18g

Crucified to the World 187

Now or Never I87

John Owen, D. D. :

Praj-er to Christ in Seasons of Distress 189

Communion of Behevers in Heavenly Worshii) IJO

Visions of Celestial Glory - 1<J2

The Saints' Rest ]<j3

The Word of God T95

A Hiding Place from the Wind 1<)G

A Covert from the Tempest I97

Faith Ti-iumphant in the Hour of Death 198

Fulness of Christ 198

Beholding the Glory of Christ 189

Sa\ing Grace - 201)

Flourisliing of the Righteous ooo

Spiritual Decays in tlie Christian 2t)-2

Recovery from Backsliding 20:J

How to Die Comfortably 204

The Departing Soul 2 ,'5

True Pleasiires 207

William Bates, D. D. :

Heavenly Joy - - 208

Heavenly Conversation -- 209

The Music of Heaven 210

Death and Heaven 211

Death of Pious Friends 212

Perpetuity of Bhss 213

Ever with the Lord 211

Symon Patbick, D. D. :
Prayers, L 216

n. 218

" in. 220

lY. 223

John Flavel, B. A. :

Efficacy of the Blood of the Cross 225

Fountain of Life 227

The Study of Christ 228

Vision of God in Glory 228

Divine Care - 230

Faith in God's Unchangeableness 232

Walking with God 233

Rest in God -- 233

22 CONTENTS.

Commiiuiou with God - - 234

Christ's Love manifest from the Cross --- 335

Free Grace 236

Grace of God 237

Pardon for the most Heinous Sins 237

Peace to the Soul - - 238

Joj'in the Holy Ghost - 239

Foretastes of Heaven - 241

The Longing Soul's Reflection 243

Reflection of a Growing Christian 244

Lost and Found - 245

The Ocean of Divine Mercy - 245

Joy of the Redeemed 246

Assurance 247

Constancy of Christ's Love - 248

Maturity of Grace 249

End of the Christian's Tiials 250

Stephen Chabnock, B. D. :

Meditation on the Glory of Christ 251

Christ our Advocate - 254

Christ Presenting the Memorials of his Death ---257

Perpetuity of Christ's Intercession 259

Eflicacy of Christ's Intercession 261

Love to Clu'ist as our Advocate - - 262

The Glorified Redeemer - 263

The Substance of the Gospel 264

Love of God 265

Our Access to God 265

The Covenant of Redemption 266

Christ Filled with the Spirit 267

Infijiite Compassion of God - 268

The Saviour's Agony 269

Christ's Love as Manifested in His Death - 271

God Spared not His Son 271

Our Acceptanee in Christ 272

The Gospel 275

Comfort against Death - 276

God to be Praised in Reconciliation 277

John Buntan :

On Prayer 279

Grace of Christ 280

Christ made Sin for us 281

Coming to God by Christ - 282

Christ's Intercession ■ — 282

Giving Glory to Christ - 283

Church Fellowship ' 284

Gi'ace 285

The Pilgrims Entering the Celestial City 285

Last Words of Mr. Standfast 287

Comfort in Christ's Intercession 288

The New Song in Glory 289

John Tillotson, D. D.:

Eternal Happiness 291

Glorified Bodies of the Righteous 293

Earthly and Heavenly Joys 294

Resurrection of Christ 295

Excellency of Heavenly Things 296

Isaac Baerow, D. D. :

Duty of Thanksgiving 298

Imitation of Christ 300

Consolation in Aflliction 302

Our Life 303

CONTENTS. 23

Incarnation of Christ - - 305

The Great Physician 306

Resurrection of Christ 307

Our Saviour's Ascension and Glorification 308

The Life Everlasting 310

John Howe, M. A.:

Anticipation of the Joys of Heaven 312

HumiUty *- - 314:

The Righteous willing to Die 315

Christian Hope --- - 317

Meditation on Heavenly Things 319

The Saint's Delight in God 321

Live with Eternity in View - 327

EzEKiEL Hopkins, D. D. :

The Christian's Joy 328

Inconstancy of Earthly Enjoj-ments 329

Pardon of Sin 329

Grace Opposing Sin 331

Heavenly Rest 331

Heavenly Hope 331

The Work of Grace and Sanctification - - 332

Comfort in the Death of Pious Friends 333

Thoilvs Ken, D. D.:

A Prayer for Spiritualized Affections 335

On Communion T\dth God - 336

On the Love of the Saviour 337

On the Joys of Heaven --- 337

A Prayer for One in Affliction - - 338

The Righteous Eternally Secure 340

Thomas Comber, D. D. :

Meditations on the Lord's Supper, I. 34:1

a <« <' " II. 342

« <« << '< ni. 343

Benjamin Jenks:

A Morning Prayer 344

An Evening Prayer 346

A Prayer on Going Abroad 348

A Prayer for Faith and Trust in God 349

A Prayer for Increase of Grace - 3o0

A Prayer for God's Gracious Presence 351

A Prayer on Preparation for Death 352

Matthew Henky:

Pleasui'es of Communion with God 355

Exercise of Holy Joy and Praise p56

Meditations on the Heavenly Rest 357

The Bible 3o9

Pious Ejaculations ^'l^

A Life of Communion with God 360

The Soul's Triumph over Death 360

Divine Knowledge 361

A Sacramental Petition 30L

Thomas Wilson, D. D.:

Afflictions ^f^

The Saviour's Patience ^Jj*

A Prayer for Submission of Spirit .^V*

A Morning Prayer "f^^.

An Evening Prayer "^"'

Isaac Watts, D. D.:

Holy Breathing ^!?|^

Holy Fortitude **"•

24 CONTENTS.

Fly to the Mercy Seat 372

Uucertaiuty of Life 372

Awake to God 373

Heavenly Rest - 375

No Sorrow in Heaven 376

Our Pious Departed Friends -•- 377

The Lord's Supper - 379

The End of Time - 380

No Pain among the Blessed 380

No Night in Heaven -• 381

Joy at the Resurrection 383

Death of a Pioixs Youth ' 385

Death of Christian Relatives 385

The BeUever 's Possessions - 388

The Christian's Hidden Life in Heaven- 389

All-sufficiency of God 390

Thoivlvs Adam:

The Man of Prayer 392

Pravers, L 393

^' IL 393

in. •- 394:

IV. 395

Philip Doddeldge, D. D. :

Praising the Lord - 396

The Water of Life - 397

A Devout Meditation 398

Our Great Intercessor - 3 9

A Prayer for Gospel Blessings 401

My Father's House 4:02

Heaven our Home 402

Death to the BeUever - 404

A Prayer on Committing the Soul to Jesus 404

Safe in Jesus 405

Advice to the Afflicted - 405

Mutual Joy of Christ and BeUevers in Heaven 406

A Model of Devotion for the Evening - 408

Salvation Near 409

Jonathan Edwabd8, A. M. :

On Reli gious Affections 41]

The Saint's Love to God 412

Christ's Invitations - 413

Spiritual Light - 416

Pardon for the Greatest Sinner 418

Attractions in the Saviour 420

Our Journey towards Heaven -- 423

John Wesley, A. M. :

Religion in the Heart - 425

Walking by Faith 426

Our Redemption Near 427

Second Coming of Christ - 428

Felicity of Heaven 429

The Poor in Spirit 430

William Rom-une, A. M. :

Pri\dleges of Prayer 431

Prayers, I. 432

IL 433

Praise and Prayer 435

Institution and Benefits of the Lord's Supper 436

The Full Vision and Enjoyment of Christ 437

Robert Walker :
On Prayer 439

CONTENTS. 25

The Believing Soul's Address to Christ - 439

The Heavy Laden Invited to Christ - 44^

Crrace "442

Resignation to the Divine Will 440

Christ's Presence with Believers at Death 443

Samuel Da vies, A. M. :

Excellency of the Divine Being 445

Love of God in the Gift of His Son 44(5

The Saint's Hapi)iness at the Judgment Day 447

The Preciousness of Christ • 448

Christ the only Foundation - 44;)

The Saviour in His Exaltation --- 450

Hope of the Righteous in Death 451

Hope of a Happy Immortality 453

Christ Precious in His Instructions 453

Eternity 455

John Newton:

Trials 456

Devotion to Christ 45(;

The Believer Safe 457

Assurance - 453

The Christian Soldier 453

Happy State of the Believer- 459

Intercourse with Heaven 459

Pi'ayer and Reading the Scriptures - 4r.l

Faith's View of Christ Crucified 401

The Sabbath an Earnest of Heaven - 4G2

Divine Guidance 463

Blessed Fruits of Affliction 463

Thomas Scott, D. D. :

Morning Praj'ers for a Family, I.--- -- 465

II. - 4C,H

A Family Prayer for Saturday Evening ■. 47I

John Logan, F. R. S. :

The Message which Jesus Brings-- 475

The Christian's Victory over Death 477

Passing Away - - 480

Timothy Dwight, D. D., LL. D. :

The Blessings to which the Saviour invites ua 481

Without an Interest in Christ • 482

The Love of Christ - - - 483

The Saviour's Goodness to the Believer - 484

The Sinner Invited to Return to God 485

Advantages of AiHiction 486

Consolation for the Afflicted 487

The Desire of Immortality 488

Blessings of Prayer 489

On Prayer for Revivals of Religion 490

Heaven our Home --- 491

Heaven in View 492

Our Father's House 492

Heaven and Earth Compared -- 493

Christ the Light of Heaven - 494

Andrew Fuller:

Life of Faith 495

Christ Crucified - 49«

Progressive Character of Heavenly Bliss - 497

Blessedness of Heaven 498

Robert Hall, A. M. :

Reunion of Good Men in Heaven 500

Friendship Founded on Religion COl

26 CONTENTS.

How a Minister shonld Preacli 502

The Pursuit of Salvation - ■--. 502

Funeral Obsequies of a Lost Soul 503

A Penitent on liis Knees - 50i

Preparation for Judgment and Eternity 504

The Lamb of God - - 505

The Eye of Faith 506

The Divine Promises 50G

Continual Virtue of Christ's Blood --- 507

Importance of the Christian Ministry - - 508

Salvation to the Uttermost - - 509

Gratitude to the Saviour r 510

Come to the Saviour Now 511

A Prayer 511

John M. Mason, D. D. :

Redemption tkrough the Blood of Christ 514

Death to a Child of God 515

Blessed Effects of the Gospel 516

Forgiveness of Sins Final 516

Contemplation of the Love of Christ 517

Our Duty and Happiness 518

Thomas Chalmers, D. D., LL. D. :

Choose Christ 519

Human Life Perishable - 520

Hope of Immortality 521

Come to Christ 522

Death WiU Come 523

A Christian's Love for the Sabbath 524

Our Great High Priest 525

Omnipresence of God 526

Irayers, L 527

IL --- 528

Reginald Heber, D. D. :

Life like a River 529

Heaven and Earth - 530

Christ is Ours 530

Fear of Death Removed 530

Our SalvationjDf Grace - 531

Hymn Before the Sacrament - 532

Edward Bickersteth :

Meditations and Prayers on the Lord's Supper, I. 533

IL 534

" " " " III. 536

" " « " " IV. 53&

V. -"•- 537

" " " " " VI. 538

WiLLLiJM Nevins, D. D. :

Heaven 539

Heaven's Attractions - 540

The Saint near to Heaven - - 545

Christ's Love and that of the Christian .- 545

Sympathy of Christ for the Believer 546

WiLLLVM Jay:

The Bible - - 547

Death of Christian Friends - 548

On Prayer 549

A Family Prayer for the Morning - - 550

A Family Praj'er for the Evening 553

A Family Prayer for Sabbath Morning 556

A Family Prayer for Saljbath Evening 559

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

JOSEPH HALL, D. D.
1574-1656.

The Sayiour in Gethsemane.

Y soul is exceeding sorroivfid, even unto
death. Matt. xxvi. 38. What was it, what
could it be, 0 Saviour, that lay thus heavy
upon Thy Divine Soul ? Was it the fear
5/) "^ of death? Was it the f orefelt pain, shame,
torment of Thine ensuing crucifixion? O poor and
base thoughts of the narrow hearts of cowardly and
impotent mortality! How mau}^ thousands of Thy
blessed martyrs have welcomed no less tortures,
with smiles and gratulations; and have made a
sport of those exquisite cruelties, wdiich their very
tyrants thought unsufierable! Whence had they
this strength but from Thee? If their weakness
were thus undaunted and prevalent, what was Thy
power? No, no; ijt was the sad weight of the
sin of mankind; it was the heavy burden of Thy

28 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Father's wrath for our sin, that thus pressed Thy
soul, and wrung from Thee these bitter expressions.

What can it avail Thee, O Saviour, to tell Thy
grief to men? Who can case Thee, but He of whom
thou saidst. My Father is greater than 19 Lo, to
Him Thou turnest; 0 Father^ if it he possible, let
t/iis cup pass from me.

While Thy mind was in this fearful agitation, it
is no marvel, if Thy feet were not fixed. Th}^ place
is more changed than Thy thoughts. One while,
Thou walkest to Thy drowsy attendants, and stirrest
Dp their needful vigilancy; then Thou returnest to
Thy passionate devotions. Thou fallest again upon
Thy face.

If Thy body be humbled down to the earth. Thy
soul is yet lower; Thy prayers are so much more
vehement, as Thy pangs are: And being in an
agony, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat
ivas as it ivere great drops of blood falling down to
the ground,

O my Saviour, what an agony I am in, while I
think of Thine! What pain, what fear, what strife,
what horror was in Thy sacred Breast! How didst
Thou struo'frlc under the wei^'ht of our sins, that

CO o '

Thou thus sweatest, that Thou thus bleedest! All
was peace with Thee: Thou wcrt one with Thy co-
eternal and co-essential Father; all the angels wor-
shiped Thee; all the powers of heaven and earth
awfully acknowledged Thine infiniteness. It was our
l^erson that fcoffed Thee in this misery and torment:
in that. Thou sustainedst Thy Father's wrath and our

JOSEPH HALL. 2D

curse. If eternal death be unsufFerable, if every sin
deserve eternal death, what, Oh! what was it for
Thy soul, in this short time of Thy bitter passion,
to answer those millions of eternal deaths, which
all the sins of all mankind had deserved from the
just hand of Thy Godhead? I marvel not, if Thou
bleedest a sweat, if Thou sweatest blood. If the
moisture of that sweat be from the body, the tinc-
ture of it is from the soul. As there never was such
another sweat, so neither can there be ever such a
sufferino:. It is no wonder, if the sweat were more
than natural, when the suffering was more than
human. O Saviour, so willing was that precious
blood of Thine to be let forth for us, that it was
ready to prevent Thy persecutors; and issued forth
in those pores, before Thy wounds were opened by
Thy tormenters. Oh that my heart could bleed
unto Thee, with true inward compunction for those
sins of mine, which are guilty of this Thine agony;
and have drawn blood of Thee, both in the garden
and on the cross. Woe is me: I had been in hell,
if Thou hadst not been in Thine agony; I had
scorched, if Thou hadst not sweat. Oh let me ab-
hor my own wickedness, and admire and bless Thy
mercy.

But, O ye blessed spirits, which came to comfort
my conflicted Saviour, how did ye look upon the
Son of God, when ye saw Him laboring for life
under these violent temptations! With Avhat aston-
ishment, did ye behold Ilim bleeding whom yc
adored! In the AVilderness, after His duel with

30 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Satan, ye came and ministered unto Him; and now
in the Garden, wliile He is in a harder combat, ye
appear to strengthen Him. O the wise and marvel-
ous dispensation of the Ahnighty! Whom God
will afflict, an angel shall relieve; the Son shall
suffer, the servant shall comfort Him; the God of
angels droopeth, the angel of God strengthens Him.
Blessed Jesus, if as man Thou wouldst be made a
little loiver than the angels, how can it disparage
Thee to be attended and cheered up by an angel?
Thine humiliation would not disdain comfort from
meaner hands. How free was it for Thy Father, to
convey seasonable consolations to Thine humbled
soul, by whatsoever means! Behold, though Thy
cup shall not pass, yet it shall be sweetened. What
if Thou see not, for the time, Thy Father's face?
yet. Thou shalt feel His hand. What could that
spirit have done, without the God of Spirits?' O
Father of Mercies, Thou mayest bring Thine into
a<ronies, but Thou wilt never leave them there. In
the midst of the sorroics of my heart, Thy comforts
shall refresh my soul. Whatsoever be the means of
my supportation, I know and adore the Author.

Christ tiie Smitten Rock.

BEHOLD the Rock, which was smitten, and the
waters of life gushed forth. Behold the foun-
tain, that is set ojpen to the house of David, for sin
and for uncleanness: a fountain, not of water only,
but of blood too. O Saviour, b}^ Thy water we arc
Avashed; by Thy blood we arc redeemed. Those

JOSEPH HALL. 31

two sacraments, Avhicli Thou didst institute alive,
flow also from Thee dead, as the last memorials of
Thy love to Thy Church: the water of baptism; the
blood of the N'ew Testament shed for remission of
sins: and these, together with the Spirit that gives
life to them both, are the three witnesses on earth,
whose attestation cannot fail us. O precious and
sovereign wound, by Avhich our souls are healed!
Into this cleft of the Eock, let my Dove fly and
enter; and there safely hide herself from the talons
of all the birds of prey.*

Blessedness of Salvation.

DAVID saith, OJt taste, and see hoiv sweet the
Lord is. In meditation we do both see and
taste; but we see before we taste: sight, is of the
understanding; taste, of the affection: neither can
we see, but we must taste, we cannot know aright,
but we must needs be affected. Let the heart,
therefore, first conceive and feel in itself the sweet-
ness or bitterness of the matter meditated: which is
never done, without some passion; nor expressed,
without some hearty exclamation.

'O blessed estate of the saints I O glory not to
be expressed, even by those which are glorified! O
incomprehensible salvation! What savour hath this
earth to thee? Who can regard the world, that

* What Christian that reads these solemn and impressive words,
does not think of the tender and beautiful lines of Toplady, —

' Rock of Ages! cleft for me' !

32 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

believetli Thee? Who can think of Thee, and not
be ravished with wonder and desire? Who can
hope for Thee, and not rejoice? Who can know
Thee, and not be swallowed np with admiration at
the mercy of Him that bestoweth Thee? O bless-
edness, worthy of Christ's blood to purchase Thee!
worthy of the continual songs of Saints and Angels
to celebrate Thee! How should I magnify Thee!
How should I long for Thee! How should I hate
all this world for Thee!

Meditation on Death.

HE, that is the Lord of Life, and tried what
it was to die, hath proclaimed them blessed
that die in the Lord. Those are blessed, I know,
that live in Him; but they rest not from their labors:
toil, and sorrow, is between them and a perfect
enjoying of that blessedness, which they now pos-
sess only in hope and inchoation: when death hath
added rest, their happiness is finished.

O death, how sweet is that rest, wherewith thou
refreshcst the weary pilgrims of this vale of mor-
tality! How pleasant is thy face to those eyes, that
have acquainted themselves with the sight of it,
which to strangers is grim and ghastly! How wor-
thy art thou to be welcome, unto those, that know
whence thou art, and whither thou tendest! Who
that knows thee, can fear thee? Who, that is not
all nature, would rather hide himself amongst the
baggage of this vile life, than follow thee to a
crown? What indifferent judge, that should see

JOSEni HALL. 33

life painted over with vain semblances of pleasures,
attended with troops of sorrows on the one side,
and on the other with uncertainty of continuance
and certainty of dissolution; and then should turn
his eyes unto death, and see her black, but comely,
attended on the one hand with a momentary pain,
with eternity of glory on the other, would not say,
out of choice, that which the prophet said out of
passion. It is better for me to die than to live?

But, O my soul, what ails thee to be thus suddenly
backward and fearful? No heart hath more freely
discoursed of death, in speculation: no tongue hath
more extolled it, hi absence. And now, that it is
come to thy bed's side, and hath drawn thy curtains,
and takes thee by the hand, and offers thee service,
thou shrinkest inward; and, by the paleness of thy
face and wildness of thine c^^e bewray est an amaze-
ment at the presence of such a guest. That fiice,
which was so familiar to thv thouo-hts, is now un-
welcome to thine eyes. I am ashamed of this weak
irresolution. Whitherto have tended all thy serious
meditations? What hath Christianity done to thee,
if thy fears be still heathenish? Is this thine imi-
tation of so many worthy saints of God, Avhoni
thou hast seen entertain the violentest deaths Avitli
smiles and songs? Is this the fruit of thy long and
frequent instruction? Didst thou think death would
have been content with words? didst thou hope it
would suffice thee to talk, while all others sutler?
Where is thy faith? Yea, Avhere art thou th}'-
self, O my soul? Is heaven worthy of no more

34 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

thanks; no more joy? Shall heretics, shall pagans
<2:ive death a better welcome than thon? Hath
thy Maker, thy Redeemer sent for thee; and
art thou loth to go? hath He sent for thee to put
thee in possession of that glorious inheritance, which
thy wardship hath cheerfully expected; and art
thou loth to go? Hath God, with this sergeant of
His., sent His angels to fetch thee; and art thou loth
to go? Rouse up thyself for shame, O my soul;
and, if ever thou hast truly believed, shake off
this unchristian diffidence; and address thyself joy-
fully for thy glory.

Yea, O my Lord, it is Thou, that must raise up
this faint and drooping heart of mine: Thou only
canst rid me of this weak and cowardly distrust:
Thou that sendest for my soul, canst prepare it for
Thyself: Thou only canst make Thy messenger wel-
come to me. Oh, that I could but see Thy face
through death! Oh, that I could see death, not as
it was, but as Thou hast made it! Oh, that I could
heartily pledge Thee, my Saviour, in this cup; that
so I might drink new wine with Thee, in Thy
Father's kins^dom!

But alas, O my God, nature is strong and weak in
me, at once! I cannot wish to welcome death, as it
is worthy: when I look for most courage, I find
strongest temptations: I sec and confess, that when
I am myself. Thou hast no such coward as I. Let
me alone, and I shall shame that, name of Thine,
which I have professed: every secure w^rdliug
shall laugh at my feebleness. O God, were Thy

JOSEni HALL. 35

martyrs thus haled to their stakes? might they not
have been loosed from their racks, and choose to
die in those torments? Let it be no shame, for
Thy servant to take up that complaint, Avhich Thou
madest of Thy better attendants: The spirit is ivil-
ling hut tJie flesh is loeah.

O Thou God of spirits, that hast coupled these
two together, unite them in a desire of their disso-
lution: weaken this flesh to receive, and encourage
this spirit either to desire or to contemn death; and
now, as I grow nearer to my home, let me increase
in the sense of my jo3^s. I am Thine, save me, O
Lord. It was Thou that didst put such courage
into Thine ancient and late witnesses, that they
either invited or challenged death; and held their
persecutors their best friends, for letting them loose
from these gives of flesh. I know Thy hand is
not shortened; neither any of them hath received
more proofs of Th}^ former mercies. Oh, let Thy
goodness enable me to reach them, in the comforta-
ble steadiness of my passage. Do but draw this
veil a little, that I may see my glory; and I cannot
but be enflamed with the desire of it. It was not I,
that either made this body for the earth, or this
soul for my body, or this heaven for my soul, or
this glory of heaven, or this entrance into ghn-y:
all is Thine own work. Oh, perfect what Thou hast
])egun; that Thy praise and my happiness may be
consummate at once.

Yea, O my soul, Avhat needcst thou Avish the God
of Mercies to be tender of His own honor? Art

36 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

thon not a member of that body, whereof Thy
Saviour is the Head? Canst thou drown, wdien
thy Head is above? Was it not for thee that He
triumphed over death? Is there any fear in a
foiled adversary? O my Redeemer, I have already
overcome in Thee: how can I miscarry in myself?
O my soul, thou hast marched valiantly! Behold,
the damsels of that Heavenly Jerusalem come forth
with timbrels and harps to meet thee, and to ap-
plaud thy success: and now, there remains nothing
for thee but a croivn of righteousness^ xMcli that
righteous Judge shall give thee, at that day: 0 death,
vjhere is thy sting? 0 grave, ivhere is thy victory?
Return notv imto thy rest, 0 my soul; for the
Lord hath been beneficial unto thee. 0 Lord God,
the strength of my salvation. Thou hast covered my
head in the day of battle: 0 my God and IBng, 1
will extol Thee, and idll bless Thy name for ever
and ever. I will bless Thee daily, and praise Thy
Name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and most
worthy to be praised, and His greatness is incompre-
hensible: L vnll meditate of the beauty of T.hy glori-
ous Majesty, and thy wonderful loorJis: Hoso.nna,
Thou that dwellest in the highest heavens. Amen.

The Divine Mercy in Redemption.

GREAT is Thy mercy, that Thou may est be
feared, saith the sweet singer of Israel. Lo,
power doth not more command this holy fear, than
mercy doth; though both here meet together: for
as tbere was infinite mercy mixed with power, in

JOSEPH HALL. 37

thus creating us; so also, there is a no less mio-hty
power mixed with infinite mercy, in our redemption.
What heart can but awfully adore Thy sovereioii
mercy, O Blessed God, the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, in sending Thine only and coequal Son,
the Son of Thy love, the Son of Thine eternal
essence, out of Thy bosom, down from the height
of celestial glory, into this vale of tears and death,
to abase Himself, in the susception of our nature; to
clothe Himself with the rags of our humanity; to
endure temptation, shame, death, for us? O Bfes-
sed Jesus, the Redeemer of Mankind, what soul can
be capable of a sufficient adoration of Thine incon-
ceivable mercy, in Thy mean and despicable incar-
nation; in Thy miserable and toilsome life; in Thy
bloody agony; in Thine ignominious and tormenting
passion; in Thy woeful sense of Thy Father's wrath,
in our stead; and lastly, in Thy bitter and painful
death? Thou, that knewest no sin, wert made sin for
us: Thou that art Omnipotent, wonkiest die; and,
by Thy death, hast victoriously triumphed over death
and hell. It is enough, O Saviour, it is more than
enough to ravish our hearts with love, and to bruise
them with a loving fear. O Blessed Spirit, the God
of Comfort, who but Thou only, can make our .souls
sensible of Thy unspeakable mercy, in applying to
us the wonderful benefit of this our dear redemp-
tion; in the great work of our inchoate regeneration;
in the mortifying of our evil and corrupt aflections;
in raising us to the life of grace, and preparing us
for the life of glor}^? O God, if mercy be proper to

38 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

attract fear, liow must our hearts, in all these re-
spects, needs be filled with an awful regard unto
Thy divine bountyl 0/^, Jioio great is the goodness,
that Thou hast laid up for those that fear Thee^ even
before the sons of men! Psalm xxxi. 20.

Pardon for the most Guilty.

HEAR this then, thou drooping soul: thou art
dismayed with the heinousness of thy sins, and
the sense of God's anger for them; dost thou know
with whom thou hast to do? hast thou heard Him
proclaim His own style ? The Lord, the Lord
merciful and gracious; long-suffering and abundant
in goodness and truth; keeping mercy for thousands;
forgiving iniquities, and transgressions, and sins:
Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7; and canst thou distrust that infi-
nite goodness? Lo, if there were no mercy in
heaven, thou couldst not be otherwise affected.
Look up and see that glorious light, that shines
about thee: With the Lord there is mercy, and with
Him is plenteous redemption: Psalm cxxx. 7. And
is there plenteous redemption for all, and Jione for
thee? Because thou hast wronged God in His just-
ice, wilt thou more wrong Him in His mercy? and,
because thou hast wronged Him in both, wdlt thou
wrong thyself in Him? Know, O thou weak man,
in what hands thou art. He that said, Tliy mercy,
O Lord, is in the heavens, and Thy faithfulness
reachethunto the clouds: Psalm xxxvi. 5: said also,
21iy mercy is great above the heavens, and Thy truth
reachethunto the clouds: Psalm cviii. 4. It is a sure

JOSEril HALL. 39

comfort to tlicc, that He cannot fail in His faithful-
ness and truth. Thou art upon earth, and these
reach above thee to the clouds; but if thy sins
could be so great and high, as to over-look the
clouds, yet His mercy is beyond them, for it reach-
eth unto heaven: and, if they could, in a hellish pre-
sumption, reach so high as heaven; yet His mercy is
great above the heavens; higher than this they can-
not. If now thy heinous sins could sink thee to the
bottom of hell, yet that mercy, which is above the
heavens, can fetch thee up again.

Thou art a grievous sinner: we know one, that
said he was the chief of sinners^ who is now one of
the prime saints in heaven. Look upon those, whom
thou must confess worse than thyself Cast back
thine eyes but upon Manasseh, the lewd son of a
holy parent: see him, rearing up altars to Baal;
worshipping all the host of heaven; building altars
for his new gods in the very courts of the house of
the Lord; causing his sons to pass through the fire;
trading with witches and wicked spirits; seducing
God's people to more than Amoritish wickedness;*
fiUino^ the streets of Jerusalem with innocent blood:
2 Kings xxi. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 16: say if thy sin
can be thus crimson; yet, behold this man a no less
famous example of mercy than wickedness: and
what? Is the hand of God shortened, that lie cannot
noiD save? Or, hath the Lord cast off for ever? and
ivlll lie he favorable no more? Is His mercij clean
gone for ever? hath God forgotten to be gracious?
hath lie in anger shut up His tender mercies? Psalm

40 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Ixxvii. 7 — 10. O man, say justly, JSfo: TMs is mine
infirmity: thine infirmity, sure enough; and take
heed, if thou persist to distrust, that it be not worse.
These misprisions* of God are dangerous. The
honor of His mercy is justly dear to Him: no marvel
if He cannot endure it to be questioned. When the
temptation is blown over, hear what the same tongue
says: The Lord is merciful and gracious^ slow to
anger, and ])lenteous in mercy. He icill not always
cJdde^ neitJier ivill He he^p his anger for ever. He
hath not dealt icith us after our sins] nor rewarded
lis after our iniquities: for^ as the heaven is high
above the ecaih, so greed is His mercy toicards them
that fear Him: Psalm ciii. 8 — 11. Oh, then lay
hold on the large and illimited mercy of thy God,
and thou art safe. What cares the debtor, for the
length of a bill that is crossed? what cares the con-
demned person, for the sentence of death, while he
huth his pardon sealed in his bosom?

Thou art a heinous sinner: wherefore came thy
Saviour? wherefore suffered He? If thy sin remain,
wherefore serves His blood? If thy debt be still
called for, wherefore was thine obliiration cancelled?
If thou be still captive to sin and death, wherefore
Avas that dear ransom paid? why did He stretch forth
His blessed hands upon the cross, but to receive thee?
why did He bow down His head, but to invite thee?
why was His precious side opened, but that He might
take thee into His heart? Thou depisest Him, if

* Mtsprision: the act of misprizing, misapprehension; miscon-
ception; mistake. [Obsolete or rare.] Wcbslcr.

JosErn HALL. 41

thou trustest Him not, Judas and thou shall sin
more in despairing, than in betraying Him. Oh,
then gather heart to thyself, from the merits, from
the mercies of thine All-sufficient Redeemer, against
all thy sinfulness: for, who is it, that shall be once
thy Judge? before what tribunal shalt thou appear
to receive thy sentence? Is it not thy Saviour, that
sits there? He, that died for thee, that He mioht
rescue thee from death; shall He, can He doom thee
to that death, from which He came to save thee?
Comfort th^'self then with these words: and, if thou
wouldest keep thy soul in an equal temper, as thou
hast two eyes, fix the one of them upon God's just-
ice, to keep thee low and humble, and to quit thee
from presumption; fix the other upon His transcend-
ent mercy, to keep thee from the depth of sorrow
and desperation.

The Fear of Death.

THOU fearest death: is it not that, thy Saviour
underwent for thee? Did thy Blessed Redeem-
er drink of this cup; and art thou unwilling to
pledge him? His was a bitter one, in respect of
thine; for it was besides, spiced with the wrath of
His Father due to our sins: yet He drank it up to
the very dregs, for thee; and wilt thou shrink at an
ordinary draught, from His hand? And why did He
yield to death, but to overcome him ? WJiy was
death suffered to seize upon that Lord of Life, but
that, by dying, He might pull out the sting of death?
The sting of death is sin: 1 Cor. xv. 5G. So then,

42 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

death has lost his sthig: now thou mayest carry it
in thy bosom: it may cool thee; it cannot hurt thee.
Temper then thy fear with these thoughts; and that
thou mayest not be too much troubled with the sight
of death, acquaint thyself with him, beforehand:
present him to thy thoughts; entertain him, in thy
holy and resolute discourses.

Behold God as Keally Present.

NEITHER doth the devout heart see his God
aloof off, as dwelling above, in the circle of
heaven, but beholds that infinite spirit really

PRESENT WITH HIM.

The Lord is upon thy right hand: saith the Psalm-
ist. Our bodily eye doth not more certainly see our
own flesh, than the spiritual eye sees God, close by
us; yea, in us. A man's own soul is not so intimate
to himself as God is to his soul: neither do we move
by Him only, but in Him.

What a sweet conversation therefore, hath the holy
soul with his God! What heavenly conferences
have they two, which the world is not privy to;
while God entertains the soul with the divine mo-
tions of His Spirit, the soul entertains God with gra-
cious compliances!

Is the heart heavy with the grievous pressures of
affliction? the soul goes in to his God and pours
out itself before Him, in earnest bemoanings and
supplications: the God of Mercy answers the soul
again with seasonable refreshings of comfort.

Is the heart secretly wounded and bleeding with

JOSEPH HALL. 43

the conscience of some sin? it speedily betakes itself
to the great Physician of the Soul; Avho, forthwith,
applies the balm of Gileacl, for an unfailing and pre-
sent cure.

Is the heart distracted with doubts? the soul re-
tires to that inward oracle of God, for counsel: He
returns to the soul a happy settlement of just reso-
lution.

Is the heart deeply affected with the sense of
some special favor from his God? the soul breaks
forth into the passionate voice of praise and thanks-
giving: God returns the pleasing testimony of a
cheerful acceptation.

O blessed soul, that hath a God to go unto, upon
fill occasions! O infinite mercy of a God, that vouch-
safes to stoop to such entireness with dust and ashes!
It was a gracious speech of a worthy divine* upon
his death-bed, now breathing towards heaven: That
he should change his place, not his company. His
conversation was now, beforehand, with his God and
His holy angels: the only difference was, that he
was now going to a more free and full fruition of the
Lord of Life, in that region of glory above; whom
he had truly, though with weakness and imperfec-
tion, enjoyed in this vale of tears.

Thoughts of God in the Devout Person.

THERE is nothing that he sees which doth not
BRING god to his THOUGHTS.

Indeed, there is no creature, Avhercin there arc not
* Dr. Preston.

44 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

manifest footsteps of Omnipotence; yea, which hath
not a tono^ue to tell us of its Maker. The heavens
declare the glory of God^ and the firmament sheweth
His handy ivork: one day telleth another^ and one
night certifieth another: Psalm xix. 1, 2. Yea, O
Lord^ how manifold are Thy worlds! in -wisdom hast
Thou made them all. The earth is full of Thy
riches: so is the great and icide sea, ivhere are things
creejnng innumerahle, both small and great beasts:
Psalm civ. 24, 2^. Every herb, flower, spire of
grass, every twig and leaf, every worm and fly, every
scale and feather, every billow and meteor, speaks
the power and wisdom of their Infinite Creator.
Solomon sends the sluggard to the ant: Isaiah sends
the Jews to the ox and the ass: our Saviour sends
His disciples to the ravens, and to the lilies of ilie
field. There is no creature, of w^hom we may not
learn something. We shall have spent our time ill
in this great school of the world, if, in such store of
lessons, we be non-proficients in devotion.

Thoughts at the Communion Table.

WHAT intention of holy thoughts, what fervor
of spirit, what depth of devotion, must we
now find in ourselves! Doubtless, out of heaven, no
object can be so worthy to take up our hearts.

What' a clear representation is here, of the great
work of our redemption! How is my Saviour, by
all my senses, here brought home to my soul! How
is His passion lively acted before mine eyes! for lo,
my bodily eye doth not more truly sec bread and

JOSEPH HALL. 45

wine, than the eye of my faith sees the body and
blood of my Dear Redeemer: thus was His sacred
body torn and l)roken: thus w^as His precious blood
poured out for me. My sins, wretched man that I
am! helped thus to crucify my Saviour; and, for the
discharge of my sins, would He l^e thus crucified.

Neitlier did He only give himself for me upon the
Cross; but lo, He both offers and gives Himself to
me, in this His blessed Institution.

What had this general gift been, without this ap-
plication? Now, my hand doth not more sensibly
take, nor my mouth more really eat this bread, than
my soul doth spiritually receive and feed on the
bread of life. O Saviour, Thou art the living Ijread,
that came down from heaven. Thy flesh is meat
indeed, and Thy blood is drink indeed. Oh, that I
may so eat of this bread, that I may live for ever!
He that cometh to Thee, shall never hunger: he
that believeth in Thee, shall never thirst. Oh, that
I could now so hunger and so thirst for Thee, that
my soul could be for ever satisfied with Thee! Thy
people, of old, were fed with manna in the wilder-
ness; yet they died: that food of angels could not
keep them from perishing: but oh, for the Hidden
Manna, which giveth life to the world, even Thy
blessed Self! Give me ever of this bread, and my
soul shall not die, but live.

Oh, the precious juice of the fruit of the vine,
wherewith Thou refreshest my soul! Is this the
blood of the grape? Is it not rather Tliy blood of
the New Testanient, thai is poured out for me?

46 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Thou speakest, O Saviour, of new wine that Thou
wouldest drink with Thy disciples, in Thy Father's
kingdom: can there be any more precious and plea-
sant than this, wherewith Thou cheerest the believing
soul? Our palate is now dull and earthly, which
shall then be exquisite and celestial: but, surely, no
liquor can be of equal price or sovereignty with Thy
blood. Oh, how unsavory are all earthly delicacies,
to this .heavenly draught! O God, let not the sweet
taste of this spiritual nectar ever go out of the mouth
of my soul. Let the comfortable warmth of this
blessed cordial ever work upon my soul; even till
and in, the last moment of my dissolution.

Do THIS IN Eemembrance of Me.

DOST Thou bid me, O Saviour, do this in remem-
brance of Thee ? oh, how can I forget Thee ?
how can I enough celebrate Thee, for this Thy un-
speakable mercy? Can I see Thee thus crucified be-
fore my eyes, and for my sake thus crucified, and not
remember Thee? Can I find my sins accessary to this
Thy death, and Thy death meritoriously expiating
all these my grievous sins, and not remember Thee?
Can I hear Thee freely ofiering Thyself to me, and
feel Thee graciously conveying Thyself into my soul,
and not remember Thee? I do remember Thee, O
Saviour: but oh that I could yet more effectually
remember Thee; with all the j)^ssionate affections
of a soul sick of Thy love; with all zealous desires
to glorify Thee; with all fervent longiugs after Thee

JOSEPH HALL. 47

and Thy salvation! I remember Thee in Thy suffer-
ings; oh, do Thou remember me in Thy gloiy.*

Thoughts after the Communion.

OH, what a blessing have I received to-day! no
less than my Lord Jesus, with all His merits;
and, in and with Him, the assurance of the remission
of all sins and everlasting salvation. How happy
am I, if I be not wanting to God and myself ! How
unworthy shall I be, if I do not strive to ansAver this
love of my God and Saviour, in all hearty affection,
and in all holy obedience!

And now, after this heavenly repast, how do I feel
myself? What strength, what advantage hath my
faith gotten? How much am I nearer to heaven
than before? How much faster hold have I taken
of my blessed Redeemer? How much more firm
and sensible is my interest in Him?

* It seems to us that under the impression of such devout
language James Montgomery must have composed these beauti-
ful lines : —

'Gethsemane can I forget? or there Thy conflict see,
Thine agony and bloody sweat, and not remember Thee?
When to the cross I turn mine eyes, and rest on Calvary,
0 Lamb of God, my sacrifice! I must remember Thee!
Eemember Thee in all Thy pains, and all Tliy love to me;
Yea, while a breath or pulse remains, I will remember Thee!
And when these failing lips grow dumb, and mind and memory flee,
When Thou shalt in Thy kingdom come, Jesus remember me.'

48 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

True Penitence.

TRUE penitence is strong and can grapple with
the greatest sin; yea, with all the powers of
hell. What if your hands be red with blood? be-
hold tlie blood of your Saviour shall wash away
yours. If you can bathe yourself in that, your
scarlet soul sliall be as white as snow. This course
alone shall make your cross the way to the paradise
of God. This plaster can heal all the sores of the
soul, if never so desperate. Only, take heed that
your heart be deep enough pierced, ere you lay it
on; else, under a seeming skin of dissimulation, your
soul shall fester to death.

Meecy for the Vilest.
• (^^ HAPPY message,' thou say est, ' Avere it as sure

Vv' as it is comfortable! But, alas, my heart finds
many and deep grounds of fear and diffidence, which
will not easily be removed. That smites me, while
you offer to acquit me; and tells me, I am in a worse
condition than a looker-on can imagine. My sins
are, beyond measure, heinous: such as my thoughts
tremble at: such, as I dare not utter to the God that
knows them, and against whom only they are com-
mitted. There is horror in their very remembrance:
wliat will there then be, in their retril)ution?'

They are bitter things, that thou urgest against
thyself, my son: no adversary could plead worse.

But I admit thy vileness. Be thou as bad as
Satan can make thee: it is not either his malice, or
tliy wickedness, tliat can sluit tliee out. from mercy.

JOSEPH HALL. 49

Be thou as foul as sin can make thee: yet there is a
fountain oj)ened to t/ie house of David, a bloody
fountain in the side of thy Saviour, for sin and f 07"
inicleanness: Zcch. xiii. 1. Be thou as leprous as
that Syrian was of old, if thou canst but wash seven
times in the waters of this Jordan, thou canst not
but be clean: thy flesh shall come again to thee, like
to the flesh of a little child: 2 Kino-s v. 14, thou
shalt be, at once, sound and innocent. Be thou stuns:
unto death, with the fiery serpents of this wilderness:
yet if thou canst but cast thine eyes to that brazen
serpent which is erected there, thou canst not fail
of cure.

Wherefore came the Son of God into the world,
but to save sinners? add, if thou wilt, whereof I am
chief: thou canst sa}^ no worse by thyself, than a
better man did before thee; who, in the right of a
sinner, claimeth the benefit of a Saviour: 1 Tim. i.
15. Were it not for our sin, what use were there
of a Redeemer? Were not our sins heinous, how
should it have required such an expiation as the biood
of the Eternal Son of God?

Take comfort to thyself, my son: the greatness
of thy sin serves but to magnify the mercy of the
Forgiver. To remit the debt of some few far-
things, it were small thank; but, to strike ofl" the
scores of thousands of talents, it is the height of
bounty. Thus doth thy God to thee: He hath suflcr-
ed thee to run on in Ilis book? to so deep a sum,
that, when thy conscious heart hath proclaimed thee
bankrupt, He may infinitely ol)lige thee and glorify

50 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

His own mercy, in crossing the reckoning and acquit-
ting thy soul.

All sums are equally dischargeable to the munifi-
cence of our 2:reat Creditor in heaven: as it is the
act of His justice, to call for the least; so of His
mercy, to forgive the greatest. Had we to do with
a finite poAver, we had reason to sink under the bur-
den of our sins: now there is neither more nor less
to that, which is infinite: only let thy care be, to lay
hold on that infinite mercy which lies open to thee:
and, as thou art an object fit for mercy, in that tliou
art in thyself sinful and misera])le enough; so, find
thyself, as thou art, a subject meet to receive this
mercy, as a penitent believer. Open and enlarge
thy bosom, to take in this free grace; and close with
thy blessed Saviour; and, in Him possess th^^self
of remission, peace, salvation.

All ake Pilgrims.

THOU art out of thy country: — Who is not so?
We are all Pilgrims together with Thee: 1 Pet.
ii. 11. Heb. xi. 13. While 2ce are at home in thehody^
loe are absent from the Lord: 2 Cor. \. 6. Miserable
are w^e, if our true home be not above. That is the
better country which we seek, even a heavenly: Heb.
xi. 16; and thither thou mayest equally direct thy
course, in whatsoever region. This centre of earth
is equidistant from the glorious circumference of
heaven: if we may once meet there, what need we
make such difference in the wav-

joseph hall. 51

Death but a Sleep.

I^HOU art afraid of death: — When thou art weary
- of thy day's labor, art thou afraid of rest?

Hear what thy Saviom*, who is the Lord of Life,
esteems of death; Our friend Lazarus sleepetli: John
xi. 11: and of Jairus's daughter; The maid is not
dead; hut sleepeth: Matt. ix. 24. Luke viii. 52.

Neither useth the Spirit of God any other hmguage,
concernino^ His servants under the Old Testament:
N'oio shall I sleep in the dust, saith holy Job: eh.
vii. 21: and of David, When thy days be fulfilled^
and tliou shalt sleep with thy fathers: 2 Sam. vii. 12.

Nor yet under the New: For this cause, many are
weak and sicJdy among you, and many sleep, saith the
apostle: 1 Cor. xi. 30.

Lo, the philosophers of old were wont to call
sleep the brother of death: but God says, death is
no other than sleep itself: a sleep, both sure and
sweet. When thou liest down at night to thy repose,
thou canst not be so certain to awake again in the
morning: as, when thou layest thyself down in death,
thou art sure to awake in the morning of the resur-
rection. Out of this Ijodily sleep, thou mayest be
affrightedly startled with some noises of sudden
horror: with some fearful dreams; with tumults, or
alarms of war; but here, thou shalt rest quietly in
the place of silence (Psalm xciv. 17.), free from all
inward and outward disturl:>ances: while, in the mean
time, thy soul shall see none but visions of joy and
blessedness.

But, oh the sweet and heavenly expression of our

52 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

last rest, and the issue of our happy resuscitation,
which our gracious apostle hath laid forth, for the
consolation of his mournful Thessalonians! For. if
we believe^ saith he, that Jesus died and rose again;
even so them also, ivhich sleejp in Jesus, ivill God
bring ivith Him. Lo, our belief is antidote enough
against the worst of death. And why are we troubled
with death, when we believe that Jesus died? and
what a triumph is this over death, that the same
Jesus, who died, rose again! and what a comfort it
is, that the same Jesus, who arose, shall both come
again, and bring all His with Him in glory! and, lastly
what a strong cordial is this to all good hearts, that
all those which die well, do sleep in Jesus! Thou
thoughtest, perhaps, of sleeping in the bed of the
grave; and there, indeed, is rest: but he tells thee
of sleeping in the bosom of Jesus; and there is im-
mortality and blessedness. O blessed Jesus, in TJiy
jjresence is the fulness of joy, and at Thy right hand
are pleasures for ever-more. Who would desire to
walk in the Avorld, when he may sleep with Jesus?

Prayer.

FASHIONABLE suppliants may talk to God:
but, be confident, he that can truly pray, can
never be truly miserable. Of ourselves we lie open
to all evils: our rescue is from above: and what in-
tercourse have we with heaven, but by our prayers?
Our prayers are they that can deliver us from dan-
gers, avert judgments, prevent mischiefs, procure
lilessings; that can obtain pardon for our sins, furnish

JObEl'II II.ALL. 53

US with strength against temptations, mitigate the
extremity of our suflcrings, sustain our infirmities,
raise up our dejectedness, increase our graces, abate
our corruptions, sanctify all good things to us,
sweeten the bitterness of our afflictions, open the
windows of heaven, shut up the bars of death, van-
quish the power of hell. Pray, and be both safe and
happy.

Redemption.

REDEMPTION was the great errand, for which
the Son of God came down into the world; and
the work which He did, while He was in the Avorld;
and that which, in way of application of it. He shall
1)0 ever accomplishing, till He shall deliver up His
Mediatory kingdom into the hands of His Father.
In this He begins, in this He finishes, the great busi-
ness of our salvation: for those who, in this life, are
enlightened by His wisdom, justified by His mer-
its, sanctified by His grace, are yet conflicting
with manifold temptations, and struggling with
varieties of miseries and dangers; till, upon their
happy death and glorious resurrection, they shall be
fully freed, by their ever-blessed and victorious Ee-
deemer.

He, therefore, who, by virtue of tliat hcavenl}-
union, .is made unto us of God, wisdom, righteous-
ness, sanctification ; is also, upon the same ground,
made unto us our full redemption.

54 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

The Christian in his Devotion.

HE is so perpetually resident in heaven, that he
is, often in every clay, before the throne of
grace; and he never comes there, Avithout supplica-
tion in his hand: wherein also he loves to be importu-
nate: and he speeds accordingly; for he never departs
empty; while other cold suitors, that come thither
but in some good fits of devotion, obtain nothing
but denials.

He dares not press to God's footstool in his own
name: he is conscious enous^h of his own unworthi-
ness: but he comes in the gracious and powerful
name of his righteous Mediator, in whom he knows
he cannot but be accepted: and, in an humble bold-
ness, for His only sake craves mercy.

No man is either more awful or more confident.

When he hath put up his petition to the King of
heaven, he presumes not to stint the time or manner
of God's condescent; but patiently and faithfully
waits for the good hour, and leaves himself upon that
infinite wisdom and goodness.

He doth not affect length so much as. fervor:
neither so much minds his tongue, as his heart.

His prayers are suited according to the degrees
of the benefits sued for. He, therefore, begs grace
absolutely, and temporal blessings with limitation;
and is accordingly affected in the grant.

Neither is he more earnest in craving mercies, than
he is zealously desirous to be retributory to God
when he hath received them; not more heartily suing
to be rich in grace, than to improve his graces to the
honor and advantage of the bcstower.

JOSEril HALL. 55

With an aAvfiil and broken heart, doth he make
his addresses to that infinite Majesty; from whose
presence he retnrns with comfort and joy.

His soul is constantly fixed there, whither he pours
it out. Distraction and distrust are shut out from
his closet: and he is so taken up with his devotion,
as one that makes it his work to pray. And, when
he hath ofiered up his sacrifices unto God, his faith
listens, and looks in at the door of heaven to know
how they are taken.

The CHRiSTLiN in his Death.

THE Christian therefore, now laid upon his last
bed, when this frrim messenc^er comes to fetch
him to heaven, looks not so much at his dreadful
visage, as at his happy errand: and is willing not to
remember what death is in itself, but what it is to
us in Christ; by whom it is made so useful and bene-
ficial, that we could not be happy without it.

Here, then, comes in the last act and employment
of faith; for after this brunt passed, there is no more
use of faith, but of vision: that heartens the soul in
a lively apprehension of that blessed Saviour, who
both led him the way of suffering, and is making
way for him to everlasting glory: that shews him
Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, ivho,
for the joy that luas set before Him, endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set dozen at the right hand
of the throne of God: that clings close unto him: and
lays unremovable hold upon His person, His merits,

56 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

His blessedness. Upon the wings of this fiiitb, is
the soul ready to mount up toward that heaven,
which is open to receive it; and, in that act of evo-
lation, puts itself into the hands of those blessed
angels, who are ready to carry it up to the throne
of glory.

The Christian's Home.

I AM a stranger here below^: my home is above;
yet I can think too w^ell of these foreign vanities,
and cannot think enough of my home. Surely, that
is not so far above my head, as my thoughts; neither
doth so far pass me in distance, as in comprehension:
and yet, I would not stand so much upon conceiving,
if I could admire it enough; but my strait heart is
filled with a little wonder, and hath no room for the
greatest part of glory that remaineth. O God, what
happiness hast Thou prepared for Thy chosen ! What
a purchase was this, worth}^ of the blood of such a
Saviour. As yet I do but look towards it, aftir ojff;
but it is easy to see by the outside, how goodly it is
within: although, as Thy house. on earth,, so that
above, hath more glory within, than can be bewrayed
by the outward appearance. The outer part of Thy
tabernacle here below, is but an earthly and base
substance; but w^ithin, it is furnished with a living,
spiritual, and heavenly guest : so the outer heavens,
though they be as gold to all other material crea-
tures; yet they are but dross to Thee. Yet how are
even the outmost Avails of that house of Thine beau-
tified with glorious lights, whereof every one is a

JOSEni HALL. 57

world for bigness, and us a heaven for goodliness !
Oh teach me by this to long after, and wonder at the
inner part, before Thou lettest me come in to l)ehold
it.

Heavenly and Earthly Things.
r^r^HE estate of heavenly and earthly things is
JL plainly represented to us, by the two lights of
heaven, which are appointed to rule the night and
the day. Earthly things are rightly resembled by
the moon, wdiich, l)eing nearest to the region of mor-
tality, is ever in changes, and never looks upon us
twice with the same face; and, when it is at the full,
is blemished with some dark spots, not capable of
any illumination. Heavenly things are figured by
the sun, whose great and glorious light is both natu
ral to itself, and ever constant. That other fickle
and dim star is fit enough for the night of misery,
wdierein w^e live here below. And this firm and
beautiful light is but good enough for that day of
glory, Avhich the saints live in. If it be good living
here, Avhere our sorrows are changed wath joys:
what is it to live above, where our joys change not ?
I cannot look upon the body of the sini; and yet I
cannot see at all without the light of it: I cannot
1)ehold the glory of Thy saints, O Lord; yet w^ithout
the knowledge of it, I am blind. If Tliy creature be
so glorious to us here below; how glorious sliall
Th^^self be to us, Avhen we are above the sun ! This
sun shall not shine upward, where Thy glory shineth:
the 2:reater lic-ht extins^uisheth the lesser. O thou

58 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Sun of Righteousness, which shalt 011I3' shine to me
when I am glorified, do Thou heat, enlighten, com-
fort me with the beams of Thy presence, till I be
glorified. Amen.

Humility.

THE nearer our Saviour drcAV to His glory, the
more humility He expressed. His followers
were first His servants, and He their Master; John
xiii. 16: then, His disciples, and He their Teacher;
John XV. 8: soon after, they were His friends, and
He theirs; John xv. 13: straightway s after His insur-
rection and entrance into an immortal condition, they
were His brethren. Go to my brethren, and say unto
them, I ascend to my Father and your Father; John
XX. 17: lastly, they are incorporated into Him, and
made partakers of His glory. That they also "may he
one icith us, saith He, / in them, and thou in me;
that they may he made jyerfect in one; and tlie glory
which TJiougavest me, I have given them; John xvii.
21, 22, 23. O Saviour, was this done for the de-
pressing of Thyself, or for the exaltation .of us, or
rather for both? How couldest Thou more depress
Thj'Self, than thus to match Thyself with us poor
wretched creatures? How couldest Thou more exalt
us, than to raise us unto this entireness with Thee,
the All-Glorious and Eternal Son of God ? How
should we learn of Thee, to improve our highest
advancement to our deepest humilitj-; and so to
regard each other, that, when we are greatest, we
should be least !

joseph hall.. 59

Eternity.
TEKNITY is that only thing, which is worthy
to take np the thoughts of a wise man: that
being aclLled to evil, makes the evil infinitely more
intolerable; and, being added to good, makes the
good infinitely more desirable. O Eternity! thou
bottomless abj^ss of misery to the wicked: thou inde-
terminable pitch of joy to the saints of God: what
soul is able to comprehend thee? What strength
of understanding is able to conceive of thee? Be
thou ever in my thoughts, ever before mine eyes.
Be thou the scope of all my actions, of all my
endeavors; and, in respect of thee, let all this visi-
ble world be to me as nothing: and, since only the
tilings^ loJdcJi are not seen by the eye of sense, are
eternal, Lord, sharpen thou the eyes of \nj faith,
that I may see those things invisible; and may, in
that sight, enjoy Thy blessed eternity.

The Celestl^l City.
TT^HE city that is of God's building is deep and
JL firmly grounded upon the rock of His eternal
decree; and hath more foundations than one, and all
of them both sure and costly. God's material house,
built by Solomon, had the foundation laid with great
squared stone: but the foundations of the walls of
this city of God are garnished with all manner of
precious stones; Rev. xxi. 19. Glorious tilings are
spoken of thee, O thou city of God. Why do I set
up my rest in this house of clay, which is ever}^ day
falling on my head, while I have the assured expcc-

60 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

tation of so glorious a dwelling above? For ive
knoiv, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle
loere dissolved^ we have a building of God, a house
not made ivith hands, but eternal in the heavens; 2
Cor. V. 1.

The True CimisTiiiN Happy.

THE true Christian is in a very happy condition;
for no man will envy him, and he can env}^ no
body. None will envy him; for the world cannot
knoAV how happy he is: how happy, in the favor of
a God; how happy, in the enjoyment of that favor.
Those secret delights, that he finds in the presence
of his God; those comfortable pledges of love and
mutual interchanges of blessed interest, which pass
between them; are not for worldly hearts to conceive:
and no man will envy an unknown happiness. On
the other side, he cannot envy the world's greatest
favorite under heaven; for he well knows how fickle
and uncertain that man's felicity is: he sees him
walking upon ice, and perceives every foot of his
sliding, and threatening a fall; and hears that brittle
pavement, at every step, crackling under him, and
ready to give way to his swallowing up; and, withal,
finds if those pleasures of his could be constant and
permanent, how poor and unsatisfying they are, and
hoAV utterly unable to yield true contentment to the
soul. The Christian, therefore, while others look
upon him with pity and scorn, laughs secretly to
himself in his bosom; as well knowing there is none
but he truly happy.

joseph hall. 61

The Saviour's Agony.

WHAT is this that I see? my Saviour in an
agony, and an angel strengthening him ! Oh
the wonderful dispensation of the Almighty! That
the Eternal Son of God, who promised to send the
Comforter to his followers, should need comfort !
That He of whom the voice from heaven said, TJiis
is my beloved Son, in ivhomi am well 'pleased, should
he strufifsrlino: with his Father's wrath even to blood !
That the Lord of Life should, in a languishing hor-
ror, say, Mij soul is exceeding sorroicfal, even unto
death! These, these, O Saviour, are the chastise-
ments of our peace; which both Thou wonkiest suffer,
and Thy Father would inflict. The least touch of
one of those pangs would have been no less than a
hell to me, the whole brunt thereof Thou enduredst
for my soul : what a wretch am I, to grudge a little
pain from or for thee, who wert content to undergo
such pressure of torment for me, as squeezed from
thee a sweat of blood : since my miserable sinfulness
deserved more load, than Thou, in Thy merciful com-
passion, wilt lay upon me; and thy pure nature and
perfect innocence merited nothing but love and
glory! Li this sad case, what service is it, that an
angel offers to do unto Thee? Lo, there appears to
Theea?! angel from heaven strengthening Thee; Luke
xxii. 43. Still more wonder ! Art not Thou the
God of Spirits? Is it not Thou, that gavest being,
life, motion, power, glory to all the angels of heaven?
Shall there be need of one single created spirit, to
administer strength and comfort to his Creator ?

G2 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Were this the errand, why did not all that blessed
corps of celestial spirits join their forces together,
in so high an employment ? Where are the multi-
tudes of that heavenly host, which, at Thy birth,
smig,Glo)ytd God in the highest^ and on earth peace?
Luke ii. 13, 14. Where are those angels which min-
istered to Thee, after Thy combat of temptations in
the wilderness? Surel}^, there was not so much use
of their divine cordials in the desert, as in the gar-
den. O my God and Saviour, thus Thou wouldest
have it. It is Thy holy will, that is the rule and
reason of all Thine actions, and events. Thou, that
wouldest make use of the provision of men for Thy
maintenance on earth, Avouldest employ Thy servants
the angels for the supply of Thy consolations; and
Thou, that couldest have commanded legions of those
celestial spirits, wouldest be served by one: not but
that more were present, but that only one appeared:
all the host of them ever invisibly attended Thee, as
God; but, as man, one only presents himself to Thy
bodily eyes: and Thou, who madest Thyself, for (^ur
sakes, a little lower than the angels (Heb. ii. .9) which
Thou madest, wouldest humble Thyself to receive
comfort from those hands, to which Thou gavest the
capacity to bring it. It is no marvel, if that, which
was Thy condescent, be our glory and happiness. I
am not worthy, O God, to know what conflicts Thou
hast ordained for my weakness: whatever they be.
Thou, that hast appointed Thine angels to be minis-
tering spirits for the behoof of them ivho shall he
heirs of salvation, (IIcl). i. 14.) sufTer not Thy ser-

josErn HALL. G3

vant to want the presence of those blessed emissaries
of Thine, in any of his extremities: let them stand
by his soul, in his last agony; and, after a happy
eluctation, convey it to Thy glory.

The Night of Death.

TNDEED, Lord, as Thou sayest, tlit night cometh
ivhen no man can ivorJc. What can we do, when
the light is shut in, but shut our eyes, and sleep?
When our senses are tied up, and our limbs laid to
rest, what can we do, but yield ourselves to a neces-
sary repose? O my God, I perceive my night has-
tening on apace: my sun draws low: the shadows
lengthen: vapors rise; and the air begins to darken.
Let me bestir myself, for the time: let me lose none
of my few hours: let me work hard, awhile; because
I shall soon rest everlastingly.

Heavenly Joys.

DOUBTLESS, O God, Thou, that hasfr given to
men, even Thine enemies, here upon earth, so
excellent means to please their outward senses; such
beautiful faces and admirable flowers, to delight the
eye; such delicate scents from their garden, to please
the smell; such curious confections and delicate
sauces, to please the taste; such sweet music from
the birds, and artificial devices of ravishing melod}'
from the art of man, to delight the car; hast much
more ordained transcendent pleasures and infinite
contentments for Thy glorified saints al)Ove. My
soul, while it is thus cloixged and confined, is too

()^ DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

strait to conceive of those incomprehensible ways
of spiritual delectation, which Thou hast provided
for Thy dear chosen ones, triumphing with Thee in
Thy heaven. Oh, teach me to wonder at that which
I cannot here attain to know; and to long for that
happiness, which I there hope to enjoy with Thee
for ever.

Honey feom the Rock.

OGOD, Thou didst miraculously refresh Thy
murmuring Israel of old with water, out of
the rock, in that dry wilderness: and now I hear
Thee say, If they had hearkened to Thy voice, and
walked in Thy ways, with honey out of the rock
Thou wouldest have satisfied them; Pslam Ixxxi. 16.
Lo, that which Thou wouldest have done to Thine
ancient people if they had obeyed Thee, Thou hast
abundantly performed to Thine evangelical Israel:
with honey, out of the Rock, hast Thou satisfied
them: the Rock, that followed them, was Christ my
Saviour; 1 Cor. x. 4. Lo, out of this Rock hath
flowed that honey, whereby our souls are satisfied.
Out of IBs side, saith the evangelist, came water and
blood. This Rock of our Salvation afibrdeth both
what Israel had, and might have had. Surely, O my
God, there can be no honey so sweet, as the efiect of
the precious blood of my Saviour to the soul of the
believer: by that blood, we have eternal redemption
from death, and remission of all our sins; Hcb. ix.
12. Eph. i. 7: by that blood, are Ave justified in the
sight of our God, and saved from the wrath to come;

JOSEPH HALL. 05

Eom. V. 9: by that blood, we have our peace made
in heaven, and are fully reconciled to ouv God; Col.
i. 20: by that blood, we are cleansed and pt^^'^V^d
from all our iniquity; Heb. ix. 22: by that blood,
we are sanctified from our corruptions; Heb. xiii. 12.
1 Pet. i. 2: by that blood, we receive the pro7nises
and possessions of an eternal inheritance; Heb. ix.
15. O the spiritual hoiiey so sweet, that the material
honey is but bitterness to it ! Jonathan of old did
but dip his spear in the honey of the wood ; and, with
but one lick of that sweet moisture, had his e^^es
cleared, and his spirits revived ; 1 Sam. xiv. 29. O
God, let me but taste and see how sweet the Lord
Jesus is, in all His gracious promises, in all His mer-
ciful and real performances; I shall need no more to
make me happy. Thy Solomon bids me to eat honey;
Prov. xxiv. 13. Lo, this is the honey that I desire
to eat of: give me of this honey, and I shall receive
both clearness to my eyes, and vigor of my spirits
to the foiling of all my spiritual enemies. This is
not the honey, whereof I am bidden not to eat too
much; Prov. xxv. 16. No, Lord, I can never eat
enough of this celestial honey: here I cannot siu'feit;
or, if I could, this surfeit would be my health. O
God, give me still enough of this honey out of the
Rock: so shall my soul live, and bless Thee, and be
blessed of Thee.

66 ' DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

The Heavenly Manna.

VICTORY itself is the great reward of our figbt;
but wliat is it, O God, that Thou promisest to
give us, as the reward of our victory? even the HuJ-
den Ifanna: surely, were not this gift exceeding pre-
cious, Thou wouldest not reserve it, for the remuner-
ation of so glorious a conquest. Behold that mate-
rial and visible manna, which Thou sentest down
from heaven, to stop the mouth of murmuring Israel,
perished in their use; and, if it were reserved but to
the next clay, putrefied; and, instead of nourishing,
annoyed them: but the hidden manna, that was laid
up in the ark, was incorruptible; as a lasting monu-
ment of Thy power and mercy to Thy people. But
now, alas, what is become both of that manna, and
that ark? Both are vanished, having passed through
the devouring jaws of time, into mere forgetfulness.
It is the true Spiritual Manna, that came down from
the highest heaven, and, ascending thither again, is
hidden there, in the glorious ark of eternity, that
Thou wilt give to Tliy conqueror: that is it, which
being participated of here below, nourisheth us to
eternal life; and beins: communicated to us "above, is
the full consummation of that blessed life and glory.
Oh, give me so to fight, that I may overcome; that
so overcoming, I may be feasted with this manna.
Thou, that art, and hast given me Thyself, the Spir-
itual Manna, which I have fed on b}^ faith; and the
symbolical manna, whereof I have eaten sacramen-
tally; give me of that heavenlj^ manna, whereof I
shall partake in gh)ry. It is yet a hidden manna.

JOSEPH HALL. 07

hid from the eyes of the AV(>i'ld ; yea, in a sort, from
our own; hid, in light inaccessible: for, Our life is
Jdd'ioitJt Ohrisi in God; Col. iii. 3. but shall then be
fully revealed: for it shall then not only cover the
face of the earth round about the tents of Israel,
but spread itself over the face of the whole heaven;
yea, fill both heaven and earth. I well thought, O
my God, that if heaven could aftbrd anything more
precious than other. Thou wouldst lay it up for Thy
victor; for it is a hard service, that Thy poor infan-
try here upon earth are put unto, to conflict Avdth so
mighty, so malicious, so indefatigable enemies; and
therefore the reward must be so much the greater,
as the warfare is more difiicult. Oh, do Thou, who
art the great Lord of Hosts, give me courage to fight,
perseverance in fighting, and power to overcome all
my spiritual enemies; that I may receive from Thee
this hidden manna, that my soul may live forever,
and may forever bless Thee.

The Happy RETUPtN Ho]me. •

I~pVERY creature naturally affects a return to the
.-J original, whence it first came. The pilgrim,
though faring well abroad, yet hath a longing home-
ward: fountains and rivers run back, with what speed
they may, to the sea, whence they were derived: all
compound bodies return to their first elements: the
vapors, rising up from the earth and waters, and con-
densed into clouds, fall down again to the same earth,
whence they were exhaled: this bod^', that avc bear
about us, returns at last to that dust, whereof it was

63 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

framed. And why then, O my soul, dost not thou
earnestly desire to return home to the God that made
thee? Thou knowest thy original is heavenly: why
are not thy affections so? What canst thou find here
below, worthy to either withdraw or detain thee from
those heavenly mansions? Thou art here, in a region
of ^n; of misery and death: glory waits for thee
above: fly then, O my soul, fly hence to that blessed
immortality, not as yet, in thy dissolution; for which
thou must wait on the pleasure of thy dear Maker
and Redeemer: yet, in thy thoughts, in thy desires
and afiections, soar thou up thither, and con-
verse there with that blessed God and Father of
spirits, with those glorious orders of angels, and
with the souls of just men made perfect: and, if the
necessity of these bodily affliirs must needs draw
thee off for a time, let it be not without reluctation
and hearty unwillingness, and with an eager appe-
tite of quick return to that celestial societ}^. It will
not be long, ere thou shalt be blessed with a free
and unintel'rupted fruition of that glorious eternity:
in the mean time, do thou prepossess it, in thy hea-
venly dispositions; and, contemning this earth,
wherewith thou art clogged, aspire to thy heaven,
and be happy.

The Felicity of Heaven.

THEKE, there shalt thou, O my soul, enjoy a per-
fect rest from all thy toils, cares, fears: there
shalt thou find a true vital life, free from all the
incumbrances of thy miserable pilgrimage; free from

JOSEPH HALL. 69

the clangers of either sins or temptations: free from
all anxiety and distraction; free from all sorrow,
pain, perturbation; free from all the possibility of
change or death: a life, wherein there is nothing but
pure and perfect pleasure; notliing but perpetual
melodv of ano-els and saints, sino^ino' sw^eet Hallelu-
jahs to their God: a life, which the most glorious
Deity both gives, and is: a life, wherein thou hast
the full fruition of the ever-blessed Godhead, the
continual society of the celestial spirits, the blissful
presence of the glorified humanity of thy Dear Sa-
viour: a life, wherein thou hast ever consort with
the glorious company of the apostles, the goodly
fellowship of the patriarchs and prophets, the noble
army of martyrs and confessors, the celestial synod
of all the holy fathers and illuminated doctors of
the Church; shortly, the blessed assembly of all the
faithful professors of the name of the Lord Jesus,
that, having finished their course, sit now shining in
their promised glory. See there that unapproacha-
ble light, that divine magnificence of the Heavenly-
King: see that resplendent crown of righteousness,
wdiich decks the heads of every one of those saints;
and is ready to be set on thine, when thou hast
happil}^ overcome those spiritual powers, wherewith
thou art still conflicting: see the joyful triumphs of
these exulting victors: see the measures of their
glory dilferent, yet all full, and the least unmeasure-
al^le: lastly, see all this happiness not limited to
thousands, nor yet millions of vears, but commea-
sured ])y no less than eternity.

70 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

God Manifest in the Flesh.

O BLESSED Saviour, Thou, the true God mam''
fested in the flesh, be Thou pleased to manifest
unto the soul of Thy servant the unspeakable riches
of Thy love and mercy to mankind, in that great
work of our redemption. Vouchsafe to affect my
heart, with a lively sense of that infinite goodness
of Thine, towards the wretchedest of Thy creatures:
that, for our sake, Thou camest down, and clothedst
Thyself in our flesh: and clothedst that pure and
holy flesh, with all the miseries that are incident to
this sinful flesh of ours; and wast content to undergo
a bitter, painful, ignominious death from the hands
of man; that, by dying, Thou mightest overcome
death, and ransom him from that hell, to which he
was, without Thee, irrecoverably forfeited; and fetch
him forth to life, liberty, and glor}^ Oh, let me not
see only, but feel, this Thy great m3^stery of Godli-
ness effectual 1}^ w^orking me to all hearty thankful-
ness for so inestimable a mercy; to all holy resolu-
tions to glorify Thee, in all my actions, in all my
sufferino's. Didst Thou. O Saviour, beino^ God Eter-
nal, take flesh for me; and shall not I, when Thou
callest, be willing to lay down this sinful flesh for
Thee again? Wert Thou content to aln-idge Thyself,
for the time, not only of Thy heavenly miignificence,
but of all earthly comforts, for my sake; and shall
not I, for Thy dear sake, renounce all the wicked
pleasures of sin? Didst Thou wear out the days of
Thy flesh in poverty, toil, reproach, and all earthly
hardship; and shall I spend my time, in pampering

JOSEPH HALL. 71

this flesh in wanton dalliance, in the ambitious and
covetous pursuit of vain honors and deceivable riches?
Blessed Lord, Thou wert manifested in the flesh, not
only to be a ransom for our souls; but to l^e a prece-
dent for our lives: far, far be it from me, thus to
imitate the great pattern of holiness. O Jesus, the
Author and Finisher of my faith and salvation,
teach me to tread in Thy gracious steps; to run,
with patience, the race that is set before me; to en-
dure the cross, to despise the shame; to l)e crucified
to the world; to work all righteousness.

The Saviour receia^ed up into Glory.
BLESSED Saviour, how is my soul ravished
with the meditation of Thy glorious reception
into Thy heaven ! Surely, if the inhabitants of those
celestial mansions may be capable of any increase of
joy, they then both found and shewed it, when they
saw and welcomed Thee, entering, in Thy glorified-
Humanity, into that Thy eternal palace of blessed-
ness; and, if there could be any higher or sweeter
ditty of Hallelujah, it was then sung by the choir
of angels and saints. And may Thy poor servants,
warfaring and wandering here upon earth, even sec-
ond them, in those heavenly songs of praises and
gratulations: for wherein stands all our safety, hope,
comfort, happiness, but in this, that Thou, our Jesus,
art received iij) into glory ; and having conquered all
diverse powers, sittest on the right hand of God the
Father, crowned with honor and majesty?

O Jesus, Thou art our Head, we arc Th}^ body: how

72 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

can the body but participate of the glory of the
Head? As for Thyself therefore, so for us, art Thou
possessed of that heavenly glory: as Thou sufferedst
for us, so for us Thou also reignest. Let every knee
therefore bow unto Thee, of things in heaven, and
things on earth, and things under the earth; Phil. ii.
10. O blessed be Thy name for ever and ever:
Thine, 0 Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and
the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all
that is in the heaven, and in the earth is Thine: Thine
is the kingdom, 0 Lord, and Thou art exalted as head
over all; 1 Chr. xxix. 11.

And now, O Saviour, what a superabundant
amends is made to Thy glorified Humanity, for all
Thy bitter sufferings upon earth ! Thine agony was
extreme; but Thy glory is infinite: Thy cross was
heavy; but Thy crown transcendently glorious: Thy
pains were uncoj^ceivably grievous, but short; Thy
glory everlasting; if Thou wert scorned by men.
Thou art now adored by angels: Thou that stoodest
before the judgment seat of a Pilate, shalt come, in
all heavenly magnificence, to judge both -.the quick
and the dead: shortly, Thou, which wouldest stoop
to be a servant upon ' earth, rulest and reignest for-
ever in heaven, as the Kiug of Eternal Glory.

Heavenly jMindedness.

OTHEN, my soul, seeing thy Saviour is received
uj) into this infinite glory, with what intention
and fervor of spirit shoiddest thou fix thine eyes
upon that heaven, where He lives and reigns. How

JOSEPH HALL. 73

canst thou be but Avholly taken up with the sio-ht
and thought of that place of blessedness? How
canst thou abide to grovel any longer on this base
earth, where is nothing but vanity and vexation; and
refrain to mind the things above, where all is felicity
and glory? With what longings and holy ambition
shouldest thou desire to aspire to that place of eter-
nal rest and beatitude, into which thy Saviour is
ascended; and with Him to partake of that glory
and happiness, which He hath provided for all that
love Him ! O Saviour, it is this clog of Avretched
infidelity and earthliness, that hangs heavy upon my
soul; and keeps me from mounting up into Thy
presence, and from a comfortable fruition of Thee.
Oh, do Thou take off this sinful weight from me,
and raise up my affections and conversation unto
Thee: enable me constantly to enjoy Thee, by a
lively faith, here; till, by Thy mercy, I shall be re-
ceived into glory.

Heavenly Recognition.

AS then, we shall perfectly love God, and His
saints in Him, so shall we know both: and,
though it be a sufficient motive of our love in heaven,
that we knoAV them to be saints, yet it seems to be
no small addition to our happiness, to knoAv that
those saints were once ours. And, if it be a just
joy to a parent here on earth to see his child gra-
cious, how much more accession shall it be to his joy
above, to see the fruit of his loins glorious; wdien
both his love is more pnre, and their improvement

74 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

absolute! Can we make any doubt, that the blessed
angels know each other? How senseless were it, to
grant that no knowledge is hid from them, but of
themselves! Or, can we imagine that those angeli-
cal spirits do not take special notice of those souls,
which they have guarded here, and conducted to
their glory? If the}^ do so, and if the knowledge
of our beatified souls shall be like to theirs, why
should we abridge our souls more than them, of the
comfort of our interknowing? Surely, our dissolu-
tion shall abate nothing of our natural faculties; our
glory shall advance them, so as what we once knew
we shall know better: and, if our souls can then per-
fectly know themselves, why should they be denied
the knowledge of others?

Doubt not then, O my soul, but thou shalt once
see, besides the face of thy God whose glory fills
heaven and earth, the blessed spirits of the ancient
patriarchs and prophets; the holy apostles and
evangelists; the glorious martyrs and confessors;
those eminent saints, whose holiness thou wert wont
to magnify; and amongst them, those in Avhom nature
and grace have especially interested thee: thou shalt
see them; and enjoy their joy, and they thine. How
oft have I measured a long and foul journey, to see
some good friend; and digested the tediousness of the
way, with the expectation of a kind entertainment,
and the thought of that complacenc}^ which I should
take in so dear a presence! and yet, perhaps, when
I have arrived, I have found the house disordered,
one sick, another disquieted, myself indisposed:

JOSEPH Pli^LL. 75

with what cheerful resolution should I undertake
tills my last voyage, where I shall meet with my
best friends, and find them perfectly happy, and
myself with them !

The Glory of Heaven.

HOW often have I begged of my God, that it
would please Him to shew me some little
glimpse of the glory of His saints! It is not for
me, to wish the sight, as yet, of the face of that Di-
vine Majesty: this was too much for a Moses to sue
for: my ambition only is, that I might, if but as it
were, through some cranny or key- hole of the gate
of heaven, see the happy condition of His glorious
servants.

I know what hinders me; my miserable unworth-
iness, my spiritual blindness. O God, if Thou please
to wash oif my clay with the waters of Thy Siloam,
I shall have eyes: and, if Thou anoint them with
Thy precious eye-salve, those eyes shall be clear;
and enabled to behold those glories, which shall
ravish my soul.

And now. Lord, what pure and resplendent light
is this, wherein Thy blessed ones dwell ! How
justly did Thine ecstatical apostle call it the inher-
itance of the saints in light! Col. i. 12: light inex-
pressible, light unconceivable, light inaccessible!
Lo, Thou, tliat hast prepared such a light to this
inferior world, for the use and comfort of us mortal
creatures, as the glorious sun, which can both en-
lighten and dazzle the eyes of all beholders, hast

76 DEVOTIOx\AL THOUGHTS.

proportionally ordained a light to that higher world,
so much more excellent than the sun, as heaven is
above earth, immortality above corruption. And, if
wise Solomon could say, Truly the light is siceet;
and a j)leasant thing it is for the eyes to see the sun;
Eccl. xi. 7: how infinitely delectable is it, in Thy
light to see such light, as may make the sun, in com-
parison thereof, darkness! In Thy jpresence is the
fulness of joy^ and at Thy rigid hand are pleasures
for evermore. What can be wished more, wdiere
there is fulness of joy? and, behold. Thy presence,

0 Lord, yields it.

The Saviour's Sufferings and Glories.

WHEN I think on my Saviour, in His agony,
and on His cross, my soul is so clouded with
sorrow, as if it would never be clear again: those
bloody drops, and those dreadful ejaculations, me-
thinks, should be past all reach of comfort; but
when I see His happy eluctation out of these pangs,
and hear Him cheerfully rendering His spirit into
the hands of His Father; when I find Him trampling
upon His grave, attended with glorious angels, and
ascending in the chariot of a cloud to His heaven;

1 am so elevated Avith joy, as that I seem to have
forgotten there was ever any cause of grief in those
sufferings. I could })e passionate to think, O Sa-
viour, of Thy bitter and ignominious death; and,
most of all, of Thy vehement strugglings with Thy
Father's wi'ath for my sake; but Th}^ conquest and
glory, takes me off, and calls me to Hnllelujahs of

JOSEPH 11^ LL. 77

joy and triumpli; Blessing, honor, glory, and power
be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto
the Lamb, for ever and ever; Rev. v. 13.

Paradise.

O BLESSED Jesus, if from Avhat Thou hast suf-
fered for me, I shall cast mine eyes upon what
Thou hast done for my soul, how is my heart divided
betwixt the wonders of both! and may as soon tell
how great either of them is, as whether of them is
the greatest.

And oh, Avhat a heaven is this, that Thou hast laid
out for me; how resplendent, how transcendentl}^
glorious! Even that lower paradise, which Thou
providest for the harbor of innocence and holiness,
was full of admirable beauty, pleasure, magnificence;
but, if it be compared with this paradise above,
which Thou hast prepared for the everlasting enter-
tainment of restored souls, how mean and beggarly
it was! O match too unequal, of the best piece of
earth with the highest state of the heaven of heavens!

In the earthly paradise, I find Thine angels the
cherubim; but it was to keep man ofi* from that gar-
den of delight, and from the Tree of Life in the
midst of it: but, in this heavenly one, 1 find millions
of thy cherubim and seraphim rejoicing at man's
blessedness, and welcoming the glorified souls to
their heaven. There, I find but the shadow of that,
whereof the substance is here. There, we were so
possessed of life, that yet we might forfeit it: here,
is life, Avithout all possibility of death. Temptation

78 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

eould find access thither: here, is iiothiiiiy but a free
and complete fruition of blessedness. There, were
delights fit for earthly bodies: here, is glory, more
than can be enjoyed of blessed souls. That was
watered with four streams, muddy and impetuous:
in this, is the j[)iire river of the ivater of life] clear as
crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of
the Lamb: Rev. xxii. 1. There, I find Thee only
walkino; in the cool of the day: here, manifestins:
Thy Majesty continually. There, I see onl}^ a most
pleasant orchard*, set with all manner of varieties
of flourishing and fruitful plants: here, I find also
the city of God, infinitely rich and magnificent; the
building of the wall of it of jasper; and the city
itself pure gold, like unto clear glass; and the foun-
dations of the wall garnished with all manner of
precious stones.

All that I can here attain to see, is the pavement
of Thy celestial habitation. And, Lord, how glorious
it is! how bespangled with the glittering stars; for
number, for magnitude equally admirable! What
is the least of them, but a world of light? and what
are all of them, but a confluence of so many thousand
worlds of beauty and brightness, met in one firma-
ment? And, if this floor of Thy heavenly palace be
thus richly set forth, oh, what infinite glory and
magnificence must there needs be within! Thy
chosen vessel, that had the privilege to be caught
up thither, and to see that divine state, whether with

• Gardens in general were formerly so called. — Cattermolf

JOSEPH H^LL. 79

bodily or mental eyes, can express it no otherwise,
than that it cannot possibly be expressed. No,
Lord,' it were not infinite, if it could be uttered.
Thoughts go beyond words; yet even these come far
short also. He, that saw it, says, Eye hath not seen,
nor ear heard , neither have entered into the heart of
man, the things which God hath prepared for them
that love Him: 1 Cor. ii. 9.'

Unchangeable Duration.

IN the first minute wherein we live, w^e enter upon
an eternity of being: and, though at the first,
throngh the want of the exercise of reason, we can-
not know it; and, afterwards, through our inconsid-
eration and the bewitching businesses of time, we do
not seriously lay it to heart, we are in a state of
everlastin^ness. There must, upon the necessity of
our mortality, be a change of our condition; but,
Avith a perpetuity of our being: the body must un-
dergo a temporary dissolution, and the soul a remove
either to bliss or torment; but both of them, upon
their meeting, shall continue in an unchangeable du-
ration for ever and ever. And, if we are wont to
slight transitory and vanishing commodities, by rea-
son of their momentary continuance, and to make
most account of things durable, what care and great
thoughts ought I to bestow upon myself, who shall
outlast the present world! and how ought I to frame
my life so, as it may fall upon an eternity infinitely
happy and glorious! .0 God, do Thou set off my
heart from all these earthly vanities, and fix it above

80 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

with Thee. As there shall be no end of my being,
so let there be no change of my affections. Let them,
beforehand, take possession of that heaven of Thine,
whereto I am aspiring. Let nothing but this clay
of mine be left remaining upon this earth, whereinto
it is mouldering. Let my spiritual part be ever with
Thee, whence it came, and enter upon that bliss,
which knows neither change or end.

Rest in God.

SPEAK, Lord, for Thy servant hearetli: what is
it, which Thou wouldest have me do, that I may
lind rest to my soul? I am willing to exercise my-
self in all the acts of piet}^, Avhich Thou requirest:
I am ready to fast, to pray, to read, to hear, to
meditate, to communicate, to give alms, to exhort,
admonish, reprove, comfort where Thou bfddestme;
and, if there be any other duty appertaining to de-
votion or mercy, let me serve Thee in it: but, alas,

0 my God, howsoever I know these works are, in
themselves, well-pleasing unto Thee; yet, as they
fall from my wretchedness, they are stained with so
many imperfections, that I have more reason to crave
pardon for them, than to put confidence in them; and
if I could perform them never so exquisitely, yet one
sin is more than enough to dash all my obedience.

1 see, then, O Lord, I will see, there is no act, that
I can be capable to do unto Thee, wherein I can find
any repose: it must be Thine act to me, which only
can effect it. It is Thy gracious word. Come unto
me, all ye that hibor, and are heavy laden, and I icill

JOSEPH HALL. 81

give you rest: Mtittli. xi. 28. Lo, this rest must be
Thy gift; not my earning: and what can be freer,
than gift? Thou givest it then, but to those that
come to Thee; not k) those that come not; to those
that come to Thee hxden and hiborins: under the sense
of their own wretchedness; not to the proud and
careless. O Saviour, Thy sinner is sufficiently laden,
with the burden of his iniquities: lade Thou me yet
more with true penitent sorrow for my sins; and
enable me then to come unto Thee by a lively faith.
Take Thou the praise of Thine own work. Give me
the grace to come; and give me rest, in coming.

Life a Pilgrimage.

OLOED my God, I am as very a pilgrim as ever
walked upon Thy earth: why should I look to
be in. any better condition than my neighbors, than
my forefathers? Even the best of them, that were
most fixed upon their inheritance, were no other than
strangers at home: it was not in the power of the
world to naturalize them; much less, to make them
enrol themselves free denizens here below: they
knew their country, Avhich they sought was above;
so infinitely rich and pleasant, that these earthly re-
gions, which they must pass through, are, in com-
parison, Avorthy of nothing but contempt: Heb. xi.
13, 14, 15. My condition is no other than theirs:
I wander here, in a strange country; what wonder
is it, if I meet with foreigners' fare, hard usage and
neglect? Wh}'^ do I intermeddle with the affliirs of
a nation, that is not mine? Why do I clog m^^self,

82 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

in my way, with the base and heavy himber of the
world? Why are not my affections homeward? Why
do I not long to see and enjoy my Father's house?

0 my God, Thou, that hast put «ie into the state of
a pilgrim, give me a pilgrim's heart: set me off from
this wretched world, wherein I am: let me hate to
think of dwelling here: let it he my only care, how
to pass through this miserable wilderness, to the
promised land of a blessed eternity.

On the Length of the Way.

HOA\^ far off is yonder great mountain! My
very eye is weary with the foresight of so
great a distance; yet time and patience shall over-
come it: this night we shall hope to lodge beyond
it. Some things are more tedious in their expecta-
tion, than in their performance. The comfort is,
that every step I take sets me nearer to my end:
when I once come there, I shall both forget how
long it now seems, and please myself to look back
upon the way that I have measured.

It is thus in our passage to heaven. My weak
nature is ready to faint, under the very conceit of
the length and difficulty of this journey: my eye
doth not more guide than discourage me. Many
steps of grace and true obedience shall bring mc
insensibly thither. Only, let me move, and hope;
and God's good leisure shall perfect my salvation.

O Lord, give me to possess my soul with patience;
and not so much to regard speed, as certainty. When

1 come to the top of Th}' liol}^ hill, all these weary

JOSETH II-ALL. 83

paces and deep sloughs, shall either be forgotten,
or contribute to my happiness in their remembrance.

The Divine Love.

OGOD, hadst Thou sent down Thy Son to this
lower region of earth upon such terms, as that
He might have brought down heaven with Him; that
He might have come in the port and majesty of a
God, clothed with celestial glory, to have dazzled
our eyes, and to have drawn all hearts unto Him;
this might have seemed, in some measure, to have
sorted with His divine magnificence; but Thou
Avouldest have Him to appear in the wretched con-
dition of our humanity. Yet, even thus, hadst Thou
sent Him into the world in the highest estate and
pomp of royalty that earth could afford; that all
the kinoes and monarchs of the world should have
been commanded to follow His train and to glitter in
His court; and that the knees of all the potentates
of the earth should have bowed to His Sovereign
Majesty, and their lips have kissed His dust; this
might have carried some kind of appearance of a
state next to divine greatness: but Thou wouldest
have Him come in the despised form of a servant.

And Thou, O Blessed Jesus, wast accordingly will-
ing, for our sakes, to submit Thyself to nakedness,
hunger, thirst, weariness, temptation, contempt, be-
traying, agonies, scorn, bufietings, scourgings, dis-
tention, crucifixion, death: O love above measure,
without example, beyond admiration! Greater' love,
Thou sayest, hath no man than this, that a man lay

84 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

doivn his life for his friends; but, Oh, Avliat is it
then, that Thou, who wert God and Man, shouldest
\i\j down Thy life, more precious than many worlds,
for Thine enemies!

Yet, had it been but the laying down of a life in
a fair and gentle way, there might have been some
mitigation of the sorrow of a dissolution. There is
not more difference betwixt life and death, than there
may be betwixt some one kind of death and another.
Thine, O dear Saviour, was the painful, shameful,
cursed death of the Cross; wherein yet all that man
could do unto Thee was nothing to that inward tor-
ment, which, in our stead, Thou endurest from Thy
Father's wrath; when, in the bitterness of Thine
anguished soul, Thou criedst out. My God^ my God^
why hast Thou forsaken me9 Even thus, thus wast
Thou content to be forsaken, that we wretched sin-
ners might be received to mercy: O love, stronger
than death, which Thou vanquishedst! more high,
than that hell is deep, from which Thou hast rescued
us!

I am swallowed up, O God, I am willingly swal-
lowed up, in this bottomless abyss of Thine infinite
love; and there let me dwell, in a perpetual -ravish-
ment of spirit; till, being freed from this clog of
earth, and filled with the fulness of Christ, I shall
be admitted to enjoy that, which I cannot now reach
to wonder at. Thine incomprehensible bliss and glory
which Thou hast laid up in the highest heavens for
them that love Thee, in the blessed communion of
all Thy saints and angels, Thy cherubim and sera-

JOSEPH HALL. 85

pliim, thrones, dominions, and principalities, and
powers; in the beatifical presence of Thee, the Ever-
Living God, the Eternal Father of Spirits, Father,
Son, Holy Ghost, One Infinite Deity in Three, co-
essentially, co-eternally, co-equally glorious Persons:
To whom be blessing, honor, glory, and power, for
ever and ever. Amen. Hallelujah.

RICHARD SIBBES, D. D.
1577-1635.

Gkace.

PARKS by nature fly upwards; so the
spirit of grace carrietli the soul heaven-
ward, and setteth before us holy and heaven-
ly aims : as it was kindled from heaven, so it
carries us back to heaven. The part folio v/-
eth the whole : fire mounteth upward, so every spark
to its own element. Where the aim and bent of the
soul is God-wards, there is grace though opposed.
The least measure of it is holy desires springing from
faith and love, for "we cannot desire anything wdiich
we do not believe first to be, and the desire of it
issues from love. Hence desires are counted a part
of the thing desired in some measure, but then they
must be, first, constant; for constancy shows that
they are supernaturally natural, and not enforced:
secondly, they must be carried to spiritual things,
as to believe, to love God, &c., not out of a special
exigent, because if now^ they had grace, they think
they might escape some danger, but as a loving
heart is carried to the thins^ loved for some ex-
cellency in itself: and thirdly, with desire there is

RICHAED SIBBES. 87

grief when it is hindered, which stirs up to prayer:
Oh that my loays ivere so directed^ that I might heep
Thy statutes! Psalm cxix. 5; O miserable man that
I am^ who shall deliver? <fec. Rom. vii. 24: fourthly,
desires put us onward still, O that I might serve
God with more liberty; O that I were more free
from these offensive, unsavory, noisome lusts.

The Holy Spirit our Guide.

THE Holy Spirit of God is our guide: who will
displease his guide ? A sweet comfortable
guide that leads us through the wilderness of this
world; as the cloud before the Israelites by daj^
and the pillar of fire by night: so He conducts us
to the heavenly Canaan; if we grieve our guide, we
cause Him to leave us to ourselves. The Israelites
would not go a step further than God by His angel
went before them. It is in vain for us to make
toward heaven without our blessed Guide; we can-
not do, nor speak, nor think anything that is holy
and good w^ithout Him: whatsoever is holy, and
pious, it grows not in our garden, in our nature,
but it is planted by the Spirit.

There is nothing in the world so great and sw^eet
a friend that will do us so much good as the Spirit,
if we give Him entertainment. Indeed He must rule,
He will have the keys delivered to Him, we must
"submit to His government. And when He is in the
heart. He will subdue by little and little all high
thoughts, rebellious risings, and despairing fears.
This shall be our happiness in heaven, when we

88 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

shall be wholly spiritiuil, that God shall be all in
all; we shall be perfectly obedient to the Spirit in
onr nnclerstandings, wills, and affections. The Spirit
will then dwell largely in us, and will make the
room where He dwelleth sweet, and lightsome, and
free, subduing whatsoever is contrary; and bring
fulness of peace, and joy, and comfort. And in the
meantime in wliat condition soever we are, we shall
have suitable help from the Spirit. We are partly
flesh, and partly spirit; God is not all in all, the
flesh hath a part in us, we are often in afflictions,
and under clouds. Let us therefore prize our fel-
lowship with the Spirit. For are we in darkness?
He is a Spirit of light; are w^e in deadness of
spirit? He is a Spirit of life; are we in a discon-
solate estate? He is a Spirit of consolation; are we
in perplexity, and know not what to do? He is a
Spirit of wisdom; are we troubled with corrup-
tions? He is a sanctifying, a subduing, a mortifying
Spirit: in what condition soever we are, He will
never leave us, till He hath raised us from the
grave, and taken full possession of body and soul
in heaven; He will prove a comforter, wdien neither
friends, nor riches, nor anything in the world can
comfort us. How careful should we be to give con-
tentment to this sweet Spirit of God.

No Christian is so happy as the w^atchful Chris-
tian that is careful of his duty, and to preserve his
communion with the Holy Sj^irit of God; for by enter-
taining Him, he is sure to have communion with the
Father and the Son. It is the happiest condition in

RICHARD SIBBEF. 89

the Avorkl, when the soul is the temple of the Holy
Spirit, when the heart is as the Holy of Holies,
where there be prayers and praises offered to God.
The soul is as it were a holy ark, the memory like
the pot of manna, preserving heavenly truths. It is
a heavenly condition, a man prospers to heavenward,
when the Spirit of God is Avith him. You know
Obed-Edom, Avhen the ark was in his house, all
thrived with him: so Avhile the Spirit and His mo-
tions are entertained hy us, we shall be happy in
life, happy in death, happy to eternity.

Beholding of Christ, a Transforming Sight.

THE very beholding of Christ is a transforming
sight; the Spirit that makes us new creatures,
and stirs us up to behold this SerA^ant, it is a trans-
forming beholding, if Ave look upon Him with the
eye of faith, it Avill make us like Christ; for the
Gospel is a mirror, and such a mirror, that when we
look into it, and see ourselves interested in it, ive
are changed from glory to glory; a man cannot look
upon the love of God and of Christ in the Gospel,
but it Avill change him to be like God and Christ;
for hoAV can Ave see Christ, and God in Christ, but
Ave shall see hoAV God hates sin, and' this Avill trans-
form us to hate it as God doth, Avho hated it so that
it could not be expiated but with the blood of Christ,
God-man; so seeing the holiness of God in it, it Avill
transform us to be holy; Avhen Ave see the loA^e of
God in the Gospel,, and the love of Christ giAdng
Himself for us, this Avill transform us to love God;

90 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

when we see the humility and obedience of Christ,
when we look on Christ as God's chosen Servant in
all this, and as our surety and Head, it ti'ansforms
us to the like humility and obedience. Those that
find not their dispositions in some comfortable mea-
sure wrought to this blessed transformation, they
have not yet those eyes that the Holy Ghost requi-
reth here, Behold my Servant toJiom I have chosen,
my Beloved in whom my soid delighteth.

Comfort in Distress.

SPIRITUAL comfort in distress, such as the world
can neither give, nor take away, shows that God
looks upon the souls of His with another eye than
He beholdeth others. He sends a secret messeno^er
that reports His peculiar love to their hearts. He
knows their souls, and feeds them with His hidden
manna; the inward peace they feel is not in freedom
from trouble, but in freencss with God in the midst
of trouble.

Pardoning Mercy.

CONCEIVE of God's mercy as no ordinary
mercy, and Christ's obedience as no ordinary
obedience. Tliere is something in the very great-
ness of sin, that may encourage us to go to God,
for the greater our sins are, the greater the glory
of His powerful mercy, pardoning, and His powerful
grace in healing will appear. The great God de-
lights to show His greatness in the greatest things;
even men glory, when they are put upon that,

IJICIIARD bIBBKS. ' 91

which may set forth their worth in any kind. Gocl
delighteth in mercy, Mic. vii. 18, it pleaseth Him
(nothing so well) as being His chief name, which
then we take in vain, Avhen we are not moved by it
to come unto Him.

That which Satan would use as an aro'ument to
drive us from God, we should use as a strong plea
with Him. Lord, the greater my sins are, the
greater will be the glory of Thy pardoning mercy.
David, after his heinous sins, cries not for mercy,
but for abundance of mercy, according to the multi-
tude of Thy mercies, do cncay mine offences: Psalm
li: His mercy is not only above His own w^orks, but
above ours too. If w^e could sin more than He
could pardon, then we might have some reason to
despair. Despair is a high point of atheism, it
takes away God and Christ both at once. Judas, in
betraying our Saviour, was an occasion of His death
as man, but in despairing he did what lay in him to
take away His life as God.

When, therefore, conscience joining with Satan,
sets out the sin in its colors, lal^or thou by faith to
set out God in His colors, infinite in mercy and
loving kindness.

Prayer and Praise.

THOUGH in evil times we have cause to praise
God, yet so we are, and such are our spirits,
for the most part, that affliction straitens our hearts.
Therefore the apostle thought it the fittest duty in
affliction to pray. Is any afflicted? let him pray^

92 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

saith James; Is any joyfidf let him sing ])salms,
James v. 13; showing that the clay of rejoicing is
the fittest clay of praising God. Every work of a
Christian is beautiful in its own time; the graces of
Christianity have their several offices at several sea-
sons; in trouble, prayer is in its season; in the evil
clay call upon me, saith God; in better times praises
should appear and show themselves. When Gocl
manifests His goodness to His, He gives them grace
with it, to manifest their thankfulness to Him.
Praising of Gocl is then most comely, though never
out of season, when God seems to call for it, by re-
newing the sense of His mercies in some fresh favor
towards us. If a bird will sing in winter, much
more in the spring; if the heart be prepared in
the winter time of adversity to praise God, how
ready will it be when it is warmed with the glorious
sunshine of His favor?

Our life is nothing but as it were a web woven
with interminglings of Avants and favors, crosses and
blessings, standings and fallings, combat and victor}^,
therefore there should be a perpetual intercourse of
praying and praising in our hearts. There is alwaj-s
a ground of communion with God in one of these
kinds, till we come to that condition wherein all
Avants shall be supplied, where indeed is only mat-
ter of praise. Yet praising God in this life hath
this prerogative, that here Ave praise Him in the
midst of His enemies. In heaven all will be in con-
cert Avith us. God esteems it an honor in the midst
of devils, and wicked men, whose life is notliing but *

EICIIARD SIBBES. 93

a dishonor of Him, to have those that will make
His name as it is in itself so, great in the Avorld.

David comforts himself in this, that he should
praise God; which shows he had inured himself
well before to this holy exercise, in which he found
such comfort, that he could not but joy in the fore-
thoughts of that time, wherein he should have fresh
occasion of his former acquaintance with God.
Thoughts of this nature enter not into a heart that
is strange to God.

Praising God.

SO soon as we set upon this work, we shall feel
our spirits to rise higher and higher as the
waters in the sanctuary, as the soul grows more and
more heated; see how David riseth by degrees. Be
glad in the Lord^ and then, rejoice^ ye righteous, and
then, shout for joy, all ye that are ujpright in heart;
the Spirit of God will delight to carry us along in
this duty, until it leaves our spirits in heaven,
praising God with the saints and glorious angels
there; To him that hath and useth it shall be given;
he that knoweth God aright, will honor Him by
trusting of Him; he that honors Him by trusting
Him, will honor Him by praying; and he that hon-
ors Him l)y prayer, shall honor Him b}^ praises; he
that honors Him by praises here, shall perfect His
praises in heaven; and this will quit the lal)or of
setting and keeping the soul in tune; this trading
with God is the richest trade in the world; when
we return praises to Him, lie returns new favors to

94 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

US, and so an everlastinor ever-iiicreasiiio: intercourse
betwi:S:t God and the soul is maintained; David here
resolved to praise God, because he had assurance of
such a deliverance as would yield him a ground of
praising Him.

Praising of God may well be called incense, be-
cause as it is sweet in itself, and sweet to God, so it
sweetens all that comes from us. Love and joy are
sweet in themselves, though those whom we love
and joy in, should not know of our affection, nor
return the like; but we cannot love and joy in God
but He will delight in us; when we neglect the
praising of God, we lose both the comfort of God's
love, and our own too; it is a spiritual judgment to
want or lose the sight or sense of God's favors, for
it is a sign of want of spiritual life, or at least live-
liness; it shows we are not yet in the state of those
whom God hath chosen, to set forth the riches of
His glory upon.

We ought not only to give thanks, but to be
thankful, to meditate and study the praises of God.
Our whole life should be nothing else but a con-
tinual blessing of His holy name, endeavoring to
bring in all we have, and to lay it out for God and
His people, to see where He hath any receivers: our
goodness is nothing to God; we need bring no
water to the fountain, nor light to the sun. Thank-
fulness is full of invention, it deviseth lil^eral things,
though it be our duty to be good stewards of our
talents, yet thankfulness adds a lustre, and a more

niCHARD SIBBES. 95

gracious acceptance, as having more of that which
God calls for.

Our praising God should not be as sparks out of
a flint, but as water out of a spring, natui-al, ready,
free, as God's love to us is; mercy pleases Him, so
should praise please us; it is our happiness when
the best part in us is exercised about the best and
highest w^ork; it was a good speech of him that
said. If God had made me a nightingale, I would
have suno^ as a niochtinofale, but now God hath made
me a man, I will sing forth the praises of God^ which
is the work of a saint only: all Thy icorks bless
Thee, and Thy saints praise Thee: all things are
either blessings in their nature, or so blessed, as
they are made blessings to us by the overruling
coming of Him, who maketh all things serviceable
to His; even the worst things in this sense are made
spiritual to God's people against their own nature;
how great is that goodness which makes even the
worst thino^s o^ood?

I beseech you therefore labor to be men of
praises. If in any duty we may expect assistance,
we may in this, that altogether concerns God's
glory; the more we praise God, the more we shall
please Him. When God by grace enlarges the
will. He intends to give the deed. God's children
Avherein their wills are conformable to God's will, are
sure to have them fulfilled. In a fruitful ground, a
man will sow his best seed. God intends His own
glory in every mercy, and he that praises Him, glo-
rifies Him. When our wills therefore carry us to

96 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

that which God wills above all, we may well expect
He will satisfy our desires. The living God is a
living fountain never drawn dry; He hath never
done so much for us, but He can and will do more.
If there be no end of our praises, there shall be no
end of His goodness, no way of thriving- like to
this. By this means we are sure never to be very
miserable; how can he be dejected, that by a sweet
communion with God sets himself in heaven? nay,
maketh his heart a kind of heaven, a temjyle^ a holy
of holies^ wherein incense is offered unto God? It
is the sweetest branch of our priestly office, to offer
up these daily sacrifices; it is not only the begin-
ning, but a further entrance of our heaven upon
earth, and shall be one day our whole employment
for ever.

God our Refuge.

THERE is none of us all but may some time or
other fall into such a great extremity, that when
we look about us, we shall find none to help us: at
which time w^e shall thoroughly know what it is to
have comfort from heaven, and a God to go unto.
If there be anything in the world worth laboring
for, it is the getting sound evidence to our souls
that God is ours. What madness is it to spend all
our labor, to possess ourselves of the cistern when
the fountain is offered to us. O beloved, the whole
w^orld cannot weigh against this one comfort, that
God is ours. All tilings laid in the other balance,
w^ould be too light. A moth may corrupt, a thief

RICHARD SIBBES. 97

may take away that we have here, but who can take
our God away? though God doth convey some com-
fort to us by these things, yet when they are gone,
He reserves the comfort in Himself still, and can
convey that, and more, in a purer and sweeter way,
where He plants the grace of faith to fetch it from
Him. Why then should we weaken our interest in
God, for anything this earth affords? Avhat unwor-
thy wretches are those, that to please a sinful man.
or to feed a base lust, or to yield to a wicked cus-
tom, will, as much as in them lieth, lose their inte-
rest in God? such little consider what an excellent
privilege it is to have a sure refuge to fly unto in
time of trouble. Labor therefore to bring thy soul
to this point with God: Lord^ if Thou seest it fit^
take aivay all from me, so Thou leavest me Thyself:
ivhom have I in heaven hut Thee, and there is none
on earth that I desire in comparison of Thee?

Spiritual Desertion.

IN time of desertion put Christ betwixt God and
thy soul, and learn to appeal from God out of
Christ, to God in Christ. Lord, look upon my Sav-
iour, that is near unto Thee as Thy Son, near to me
as my brother, and now intercedes at Thy right
hand for me; though I have sinned, yet He hath
suffered, and shed His precious blood to make my
peace. When we are in any trouble, let us still wait
on Him, and lie at His feet, and never let Him go
till He casts a gracious look upon us.

98 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

God our Portion.

IN the division of things God bequeaths Himself
to those that are His, for their portion, as the
best portion He can give them. There are many
goodly things in the world, but none of these are a
Christian's portion; there is in Him to supply all
good, and remove all ill, until the time come that
we stand in need of no other good. It is our chief
wisdom to know Him, our holiness to love Him, our
happiness to enjoy Him. There is in Him to be had
whatsoever can truly make us happ}^ We go to our
treasure, and our portion in all our wants, we live
by it, and value ourselves by it. God is such a por-
tion, that the more we spend on Him, the more we
may. Our strength may fail, and our heart mayfail^
but God is our po7^tion forever: Psalm Ixxiii. 26.
Every thing else teaches us by the vanity and vexa-
tion we find in them, that our happiness is not in
them; they send us to God; they may make us
worse, but better they cannot. Our nature is above
them, and ordained for a greater good; they can go
but along with us for a while, and their end swal-
lows up all the comfort of their beginning, as
Pharaoh's lean kine swallowed up the fat. If we
have no better portion here than these things, we
are like to have hell for our portion hereafter.
What a shame will it be hereafter when we are
stript of all, that it should be sa*id, Lo, this is the
man that took not God for his portion. If God be
once ours. He goes for ever along with us, and when
earth will hold us no loiio-or, heaven shall. Who

RICHARD SIBBE8. 99

that hath his senses about him, would perish for
want of water, when there is a fountain by him? or
for hunofer, that is at a feast? God alone is a rich
portion; O then let us labor for a large faith, as we
have a large object; if we had a thousand times
more faith, we should have a thousand times more
increase of God's blessings. When the prophet
came to the icidow^s house, as many vessels as she
had ivere filled ivitJi oil: 1 Kings xvii. 14: we are
straitened in our own faith, but not straitened in our
God. It falls out oft in this world that God's peo-
ple are like Israel at the Eed Sea, environed w^ith
dantrers on all sides: what course have we then to
take but only to look up and wait for the salvation
of our God? This is a breast full of consolation;
let us teach our hearts to suck, and draw comfort
from hence.

Is God our God; and will He suffer anything to
befall us for our hurt? Will He lay any more upon
us, than He gives us strength to bear? Will he suf-
fer any wdnd to blow upon us but for good? Doth
He not set us before His face? Will a father or
mother suifer a child to be wronged in their pre-
sence, if they can help it? Will a friend suffer his
friend to be injured, if he may redress him? And
will God, that hath put these affections into parents
and friends, neglect tlie care of those He hath taken
so near unto Himself? No surely, His eyes arc open
to look upon their condition; His ears are open to
their prayers; a hoolc of rememhrance, Mai. iii. IG,
is written of all their good desires, speeches, and

100 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

actions; He hath bottles for all their tears, their
very sighs are not Jiid from Him; He hath written
them upon the loalms of His hands, and cannot but
continually look upon them. Oh let us prize the
favor of so good a God, who though He dwells on
high yet will regard things so low, and not neglect
the mean estate of any; nay, especially delights to
be called the Comforter of His elect, and the God
of those that are in misery, and have none to fly
unto but Himself.

Comfort in the Hour of Death.

IT is a comfort in the hour of death, that we yield
up our souls to Christ, who has gone before to
provide a place for us: this was one end of His
being taken up to heaven, to provide a place for us.
Therefore, when we die, we have not a place to seek,
our house is provided beforehand; Christ was taken
up to glory, to provide glory for us. Even as para-
dise was provided for Adam before he was made, so
we have a heavenly paradise provided for us; we
had a place in heaven before we were born. What
a comfort is this at the hour of death, and at the
death of our friends, that they are gone to Christ
and to glory! We were shut out of the first para-
dise by the first Adam; our comfort is, that now the
heavenly paradise in Christ is open. TJds day shalt
thou he with me in jparadise, saith Christ to the pen-
itent thief. There was an angel to keep paradise
when Adam was shut out; but there is none to keep
us out of heaven; nay, the angels are ready to con-

RICHARD SIBBEg, JOl

voy our souls to heaven, as they did Lazarus; and
as they accomiDanied Christ in His ascension to hea-
ven, so they do the souls of His children.

JEREMY TAYLOR, D. D..
1613-1667.

Pkayers. I.

JL^LESSED and most Holy Jesus, foun-
tain of grace and comfort, treasure of
wisdom and spiritual emanations, be pleas-
ed to abide with me for ever by the inhab-
itation of Thy interior assistances and re-
freshments; give me a corresponding love, accept-
able and unstained purity, care and watchfulness
over my ways, that I may never, by provoking
Thee to anger, cause Thee to remove Thy dwell-
ing, or draw a cloud before thy holy face. But if
Thou art pleased, upon a design of charity, or
trial, to cover my eyes, that I may not behold
the bright rays of Thy favor, nor be refreshed
with spiritual comforts, let Thy love support my
spirit by ways insensible, and in all my needs
give me such a portion as may be instrumental
and incentive to performance of my duty; and in
all accidents let me continue to seek Thee by
prayers, and humiliation, and frequent desires, and
the strictness of a holy life ; that I may follow Thy
example, pursue Thy footsteps, be supported by
Thy strength, guided by Thy hand, enlightened by

JEREMY TAYLOR. 103

Thy favor, and may at last, after a persevering holi-
ness and an unwearied industry, dwell with Thee in
the regions of light, and eternal glory, wdiere there
shall be no fears of parting from the habitations of
felicity, and the union and fruition of Thy presence,
O blessed and most holy Jesus. Amen.

II.

O ETERNAL Jesus, Thou bright image of Thy
Father's glories, whose light did shine to all
the world, when Thy heart was inflamed w^ith zeal
and love of God and of religion, let a coal from
Thine altar, fanned with the wings of the holy dove,
kindle in my soul such holy flames, that I may be
zealous of Thy honor and glory, forward in religious
duties, earnest in their pursuit, prudent in their
managing, ingenuous in my purposes, making my re-
ligion to serve no end but of Thy glories, and the
obtaming of Thy promises: and so sanctify my soul
and my bod}^, that I may be a holy temple, fit and
prepared for the inhabitation of Thy ever-blessed
Spirit; whom grant that I may never grieve by ad-
mitting any impure thing to desecrate the place, and
inihallow the courts of His abode; but give me a
pure soul in a chaste and healthful body, a spirit full
of holy simplicity, and designs of great ingenuity,
and perfect religion, that I may intend what Thou
commandest, and may with proper instruments prose-
cute what I so intend, and hy Thy aids may obtain
the end of my labors, the rewards of obedience and
holy living, even the society and inheritance of Jesus

104 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

in the participation of the joys of Thy temple, where
Thou dwellest and reignest with the Father and the
-Holy Ghost, O eternal Jesus. Amen.

III.

O ETERNAL God, Avho dwellest not in temples
made by hands, the heaven of heavens is not
able to contain Thee, and yet Thou art pleased to
manifest Thy presence amongst the sons of men by
special issues of Thy favor and benediction. Make
my body and soul to be a temple pure and holy, apt
for the entertainments of the Holy Jesus, and for the
habitation of the Holy Spirit. Lord, be pleased,
with Thy rod of paternal discipline, to cast out all
impure lusts, all worldly affections, all covetous de-
sires, from this Thy temple; that it may be a place
of prayer and meditation, of holy appetites and chaste
thoughts, of pure intentions and zealous desires of
pleasing Thee; that I may become also a sacrifice as
Avell as a temple, eaten up with the zeal of Thy
glory, and consumed with the fire of love; that not
one thought may be entertained by me but .such as
may be like perfume breathing from the altar of in-
cense, and not a word may pass from me but may
have the accent of heaven upon it, and sound pleas-
antly in Thy ears. O dearest God, fill every faculty
of my soul with impresses, dispositions, capacities,
and ajDtnesses of religion: and do Thou hallow my
soul, that I may be possessed with zeal and religious
affections, loving Thee above all things in the world,
worshiping Thee with the humblest adorations and

JEREMY TAYLOR. 105

frequent addresses, continually feeding upon the
apprehensions of the divine sweetness, and consider-
ations of Thy infinite excellencies, and observations
of Thy righteous commandments, and the feast of
a holy conscience, as an antepast of eternity, and
consignation to the joys of heaven, through Jesus
'Christ our Lord. Amen.

IV.

OHOLY Jesus, fountain of eternal life. Thou
spring of joy and spiritual satisfactions, let the
holy stream of blood and water issuing from Thy
sacred side cool the thirst, soften the hardness, and
refresh the barrenness of my desert soul; that I,
thirsting after Thee, as the wearied hart after the
cool stream, may despise all the vainer complacencies
of this world, refuse all societies but such as are safe,
pious, and charitable, mortify all sottish appetites,
and may desire nothing but Thee, seek none but
Thee, and rest in Thee with entire dereliction of my
own caitiff inclinations; that the desires of nature
may pass into desires of grace, and my thirst and
my hunger may be spiritual, and my hopes placed
in Thee, and the expresses of my charity upon Thy
relatives, and all the parts of my life may speak my
love and obedience to Thy commandments: that
Thou possessing my soul and all its faculties during
my whole life, I may possess Thy glories in the
fruition of a blessed eternity; by the light of Thy
gospel here and the streams of Thy grace being
guided to Thee, the fountain of life and glory, there

106 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

to be inebriated with the waters of Paradise, with
joy, and love, and contemphition, adoring and ad-
miring the beauties of the Lord for ever and ever.
Amen.

O BLESSED Jesus, who art become to us the
fountain of peace and sanctity, of righteousness
and charity, of life and perpetual benediction, im-
print in our spirits these glorious characterisms of
Christianity, that we by such excellent dispositions
may be consigned to the infinity of blessedness which
Tliou camest to reveal, and minister, and exhibit to
manldnd. Give us great humility of spirit; and
deny us not, when w^e beg sorrow of Thee, the
mourning and sadness of true penitents, that we may
imitate Thy excellencies, and conform to Thy suffer-
ings. Make us meek, patient, indifferent, and resign-
ed in all accidents, changes, and issues of divine
Providence. Mortify all inordinate anger in us; all
^vi'ath, strife, contention, murmuriugs, malice, and
envy; and interrupt, and then blot out all-peevish
dispositions and morosities, all disturbances and un-
evenness of spirit or of habit, tliat may hinder us in
our duty. Oh! teach me so to hunger and thirst
after the ways of rigliteousness, that it may be meat
and drink to me to do Thy Father's will. Raise my
affections to heaven and heavenly things, fix my
heart there, and prepare a treasure for me, which I
may receive in the great diffusions and communica-
tions of Thy glory. And in this sad interval .of in-

JEREMY TAYLOR. 107

firmity and temptations strengthen my hopes, and
fortify my faith, by such emissions of light and grace
from Thy Spirit, that I may relish those blessings
which Thou preparest for Thy saints with so great
appetite, that I may despise the world and all its
gilded vanities, and may desire nothing but the crown
of righteousness and the paths that lead thither, the
graces of TJiy kingdom, and the glories of it; that
when I have served Thee in holiness and strict obe-
dience, I may reign with Thee in the glories of eter-
nity: for Thou, O holy Jesus, art our hope, and our
life and glory, our exceeding great reward. Amen.

VI.

O ETERNAL Jesus, Who art made unto us wis-
dom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemp-
tion, give us of Thy abundant charity, that we may
love the eternal benefit of our brother's soul with a
true, diligent and affectionate care and tenderness.
Give us a fellow-feeling of one another's calamities,
a readiness to bear each other's burdens, aptness to
forbear, wisdom to advise, counsel to direct, and a
spirit of meekness and modesty trembling at our in-
firmities, fearful in our brother's dangers, and joyful
in his restitution and securities. Lord, let all our
actions be pious and prudent, ourselves wise as ser-
pents, and innocent as doves, and our whole life ex-
emplary, and just, and charitable; that we may, like
lamps shining in Thy temple, serve Thee and en-
lighten others, and guide them to Thy sanctuary;
and that, shining clearly, and burning zealously,

108 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

when the Bridegroom shall come to biucl up His
jewels, and beautify His spouse, and gather His
saints together, we, and all Thy Christian people
knit in holy fellowship, may enter into the joy of
our Lord, and partake of the eternal refreshments
of the kingdom of light and glory, where Thou, O
holy and eternal Jesus, livest and reignest in the ex-
cellencies of a kingdom, and the infinite durations
of eternity. Amen.

vn.

BLESS me, gracious God, in my calling to such
purposes as Thou shalt choose for me, or em-
ploy me in: relieve me in all my sadnesses; make
my bed in my sickness; give me patience in m}^ sor-
rows, confidence in Thee, and grace to call upon
Thee in all temptations. O be Thou my guide in all
my actions; my protector in all dangers; give me a
healthful body, and a clear understanding; a sancti-
fied and just, a charitable and humble, a religious
and contented spirit; let not my life be miserable
and wretched; nor my name stained with -sin and
shame; nor my condition lifted up to a tempting
and dangerous fortune: but let my condition be
blessed, my conversation useful to my neighbors,
and pleasing to Thee; that when my body shall lie
down in its bed of darkness, my soul may pass into
the regions of light, and live with Thee for ever,
throu2fh Jesus Christ. Amen.

JEREMY TAYLOR., 109

VIII.

O ALMIGHTY God, Father and Lord of all the
creatures, who hast disposed all things and
all chances so as may best glorify Thy wisdom, and
serve the ends of Thy justice, and magnify Thy
mercy by secret and indiscernible ways, bringing
good out of evil, I most humbly beseech Thee to
give me wisdom from above, that I may adore Thee
and admire Thy ways and footsteps, which are in
the great deep and not to be searched out: teach
me to submit to Thy providence in all tilings, to bo
content in all changes of person and condition, to
be temperate in prosperity, and to read my duty in
the lines of Thy merc}^; and in adversity to be
meek, patient, and resigned; and to look through
the cloud, that I may wait for the consolation of
the Lord and the day of redemption; in the mean-
time doing my duty with an unwearied diligence,
and an undisturbed resolution, having no fondness
for the vanities or possessions of this world, but
laying up my hopes in heaven and the rewards of
holy living, and being strengthened with the spirit
of the inner man, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Evening Prayers. I.

OETEENAL God, great Father of men and
angels, who hast established the heavens and
the earth in a wonderful order, making day and
night to succeed each other; I make my humble
address to Thy Divine Majesty, begging of Thee

110 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

mercy and protection this night and ever. O Lord,
pardon all my sins, my light and rash words, the
vanity and impiety of my thoughts, my unjust and
uncharitable actions, and whatsoever I have trans-
gressed against Thee this day, or at any time before.
Behold, O God, my soul is troubled in the remem-
brance of my sins, in the frailty and sinfulness of
my flesh, exposed to every temptation, and of itself
not able to resist any. Lord God of mercy, I earn-
estly beg of Thee to give me a great portion of Thy
grace, such •as maybe sufficient and efiectual for the
mortification of all my sins and vanities and disor-
ders, that as I have formerly served my lust and
unworthy desires, so now I may give myself up
wholly to Thy service and the studies of a holy life.

11.

INTO Thy hands, most blessed Jesus, I commend
my soul and body, for Thou hast redeemed both
with Thy precious blood. So bless and sanctify my
sleep unto me that it may be temperate, holy, and
safe; a refreshment to my wearied body, to 'enable
it so to serve my soul, that both may serve Thee
with a never-failing duty. Oh, let me never sleep
in sin or death eternal, but give me a watchful and
a prudent spirit, that I may omit no opportunity of
serving Thee; that whether I sleep or awake, live
or die, I may be Thy servant and Thy child; that
when the work of my life is done, I may rest in the
bosom of my Lord, till by the voice of the arch-
angel, the trump of God, I shall be awakened, and

JEREMY TAYLOR. HI

called to sit down and feast in the eternal snpper
of the Lamb. Grant this, O Lamb of God, for the
lionor of Thy mercies, and the glory of Thy name,
O most merciful Saviour and Redeemer Jesus.
Amen.

Prayer for Oxe in Trouble.

O ETERNAL God, Father of mercies, and God
of all comfort, with much mercy look upon
the sadnesses and sorrows of Thy servant. My sins
lie heavy upon me, and press me sore, and there is
no health in my bones by reason of Thy displeasure
and my sin. The waters are gone over me, and I
stick fast in the deep mire, and my miseries are
without comfort, because they are punishments of
my sin: and I am so evil and unworthy a person,
that though I have great desires, yet I have no dis-
positions or worthiness toward receiving comfort.
My sins have caused my sorrow, and my sorrow
does not cure my sins; and unless for Thine own
sake, and merely because Thou art good. Thou shalt
pity me and relieve me, I am as much without rem-
edy as now I am without comfort. Lord, pity me!
Lord, let Thy grace refresh my spirit! Let Thy
comforts support me. Thy mercy pardon me, and
never let my portion be amongst hopeless and
accursed spirits; for Thou art good and gracious,
and I throw myself upon Thy mercy. Let me
never let my hold go, and do Thou w^ith me what
seems good in Thine own eyes. I cannot suffer
more than I have deserved: and yet I can need no

112 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

relief so great as Thy mercy is; for Thou art infin-
itely more merciful than I can be miserable, and
Thy mercy, which is above all Thy own works,
must needs be far above all my sin and all my
misery. Dearest Jesus, let me trust in Thee for
ever, and let me never be confounded. Amen.

Peayer for One in Sickness.

OHOLY Jesus, Thou art a merciful High-Priest,
and touched with the sense of our infirmities;
Thou knowest the sharpness of my sickness and the
weakness of my person. The clouds are gathered
about me, and Thou hast covered me with Thy
storm; my understanding hath not such apprehen-
sion of things as formerly. Lord, let Thy mercy
support me. Thy Spirit guide me, and lead me
through the valley of this death safely; that I may
pass it patiently, holily, with perfect resignation;
and let me rejoice in the Lord, in the hopes of par-
don, in the expectation of glory, in the sense of
Thy mercies, in the refreshments of Thy Spirit, in
a victory over all temptations.

Thou hast promised to be with us in tribulation.
Lord, my soul is troubled, and my body is weak,
and my hope is in Thee, and my enemies are busy
and mighty; now make good Thy holy promise.
Now, O holy Jesus, now let Thy hand of grace be
upon me; restrain my ghostly enemies, and give me
all sorts of spiritual assistances. Lord, remember
Thy servant in the day when Thou bindest up Thy
jewels.

JEREMY TAYLOR. 1X3

O take from me all tediousness of spirit, all im-
patience and .iinquietness: let me possess my soul
in patience, and resign my soul and body into Thy
hands, as into the hands of a faithful Creator and
a blessed Redeemer.

O holy Jesus, Thou didst die for us; by Thy sad,
pungent, and intolerable pains, which Thou en-
duredst for me, have pity on me, and ease my pain,
or increase my patience. Lay on me no more than
Thou shalt enable me to bear. I have deserved it
all and more, and infinitely more. Lord, I am
weak and ignorant, timorous and inconstant; and I
fear lest something should happen that may discom-
pose the state of my soul, that may displease Thee:
do what Thou wilt with me, so that Thou dost but
preserve me in Thy fear and favor. Thou knowest
that it is my great fear, but let Thy Spirit secure
that nothing may be able to separate me from the
love of God in Jesus Christ: then smite me here
that Thou mayest spare me for ever; and yet, O
Lord, smite me friendly, for Thou knowest my
infirmities. Lito Thy hands I commend my spirit;
for Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, Thou God of
truth. Come, Holy Spirit, help me in this conflict.
Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.

Prayer before a Journey.

O ALMIGHTY God, who fillest all things with
Thy presence, and art a God afar ofi* as well
as near at hand; Thou didst send Thy angel to bless
Jacob in his journey, and didst lead the children of

114 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Israel tliroii£:li the Red Sea, makiiio: it a wall on the
right hand and on the left; he pleased to let Thy
angel go out before me and guide me in m}^ jour-
ney, preserving me from dangers of robbers, from
violence of enemies, and sudden and sad accidents,
from falls and errors. And prosper, my journey to
Thy glory, and to all my innocent purposes; and
preserve me from all sin, that I may return in peace
and holiness, with Thy favor and Thy blessing, and
may serve Thee in thankfulness and obedience all
the days of my pilgrimage; and at last bring me to
Thy country, to the celestial Jerusalem, there to
dwell in Thy house, and to sing praises to Thee for
ever. Amen.

Pkayers on Receiving the Sackament. I.

OMOST gracious and Eternal God, the helper
of the helpless, the comforter of the comfort-
less, the hope of the afflicted, the bread of the hun-
gry, the drink of the thirsty, and the Saviour of all
them that wait upon Thee; I bless and glorify Thy
name, and adore Thy goodness, and delight in Thy
love, that Thou hast once more given me the oppor-
tunity of receiving the greatest favor which I can
receive in this world, even the body and blood of
my dearest Saviour. O take from me all affection
to sin or vanity; let not my affections dwell below,
but soar upwards to the element of love, to the seat
of God, to the regions of glory, and the inheritance
of Jesus; that I may hunger and thirst for the bread
of life and the wine of elect souls, and may know no

JEREMY TAYLOR. 11

loves but the love of God, and the most merciful
Jesus. Amen.

II.

TASTE and see how gracious the Lord is:
blessed is the man that trusteth in Him. The
beasts do lack and sufier hunger; but they which
seek the. Lord shall want no manner of thing that
is good. Lord, what am I, that my Saviour should,
become my food; that the Son of God should be
the meat of worms, of dust and ashes, of a sinner,
of him that was His enemy? But this Thou hast
done to me, because Thou art infinitely good and
wonderfully gracious, and lovest to bless everj^ one
of us, in turning us from the evil of our ways.
Enter into me, blessed Jesus: let no root of bitter-
ness spring up in my heart; but be Thou Lord of
all my faculties. O let me feed on Thee by faith,
and grow up by the increase of God to a perfect
man in Christ Jesus. Amen. Lord, I believe: help
my unbelief.

Prayers for Pardon of Sins. I.

OJUST and dear God, my sins are innumerable;
they are upon my soul in multitudes; they are
a burden too heavy for me to bear; they already
bring sorrow and sickness, shame and displeasure,
guilt and a decaying spirit, a sense of Thy present
displeasure, and fear of worse, of infinitely worse.
But it is to Thee so essential, so delightful, so usual,
so desired l)y Thee to show mercy, that although

116 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

•

my sin be very great, and my fear proportionable,
yet Thy mercy is infinitely greater than all the
world, and my hope and my comfort rise up in
proportions towards it, that I trust the devils shall
never be able to reprove it, nor my own weak-
ness discompose it. Lord, Thou hast sent Thy Son
to die for the pardon of my sins; Thou hast given
me Thy Holy Spirit as a seal of adoption to consign
the article of remission of sins; Thou hast, for all
my sins, still continued to invite me to conditions
of life by Thy ministers the prophets; and Thou
hast, with variety of holy acts, softened my spirit
and possessed my fancy, and instructed my under-
standing, and bended and inclined my will, and
directed or overruled my passions, in order to
repentance and pardon: and why should not Thy
servant beg passionately, and humbly hope for, the
efiects of all these Thy strange and miraculous acts
of loving-kindness? Lord, I deserve it not, but I
hope Thou will pardon all my sins; and I beg it of
Thee, for Jesus Christ's sake, whom Thou hast made
the great endearment of Thy promises, and the
foundation of our hopes, and the mighty instru-
ment whereby we can obtain of Thee whatsoever
we need and can receive.

II.

OMY God, how shall Thy servant be disposed
to receive such a favor which is so great that
the ever-blessed Jesus did die to purchase it for us;
so great that the ftillen angels never could hope, and

JEREMY TAYLOR. 117

never shall obtain it? Lord, I do from my soul for-
give all that have sinned against me; O forgive me
my sins, as I forgive them that have sinned against
me. Lord, I confess my sins unto Thee daily by the
accusations and secret acts of conscience; and if we
confess our sins, Thou hast called it a part of jus-
tice to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. Lord, I put my trust in Thee; and
Thou art ever gracious to them that put their trust
in Thee. I call upon my God for mercy; and Thou
art always more ready to hear than we to pray.
But all that I can do, and all that I am, and all
that I know of myself, is nothing but sin, and
infirmity, and misery: therefore I go forth of my-
self, and throw myself wholly into the arms of Thy
mcTcy through Jesus Christ, and beg of Thee, for
His death and passion's sake, by His resurrection
and ascension, by all the parts of our redemption,
and Thy infinite mercy, in which Thou pleasest
Thyself above all the works of the creation, to be
pitiful and compassionate to Thy servant in the abo-
lition of all my sins: so shall I praise Thy glories
with a tongue not defiled with evil language, and a
heart purged by Thy grace, quitted by Thy mercy,
and absolved by Thy sentence, from generation to
generation. Amen.

Ox Prayer.

PRAYER is an action of likeness to the Holy
Ghost, the spirit of gentleness and dove-like
simplicity; an imitation of the holy eTcsus, whose

118 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

spirit is meek, up to the greatness of the biggest ex-
ample; and a conformity to Gocl, whose anger is
always just, and marches slowly, and is without
transportation, and often hindered, and never hasty,
and is full of mercy: prayer is the peace of our spirit,
the stillness of our thoughts, the evenness af recol-
lection, the seat of meditation, the rest of our cares,
and the calm of our tempest; prayer is the issue
of a quiet mind, of untroubled thoughts; it is the
daughter of charity, and the sister of meekness; and
he that prays to God with an angry, that is, with a
troubled and discomposed spirit, is like him that re-
tires into a battle to meditate, and sets up his closet
in the out-quarters of an army, and chooses a frontier-
garrison to be wise in. Anger is a perfect alienation
of the mind from prayer, and therefore is contrary
to that attention which presents our prayers in a
rioht line to God. For so have I seen a lark risino-
from his bed of grass, and soaring upwards, singing
as he rises, and hopes to get to heaven, and climb
above the clouds; but the poor bird was beaten back
with the loud sighings of an eastern wind, and his
motion was made irregular and inconstant, descend-
ing more at every breath of the tempest than it could
recover by the libration and frequent weighing of
his wings, till the little creature Avas forced to sit
down and pant, and stay till the storm was over; and
then it made a prosperous flight, and did rise and
sinof as if it had learned music and motion from an
angel, as he passed sometimes through the air about
his ministries here bolovr. 80 is the prayer of a

JJ:REMY TAYLOR. 119

good man, when his affairs have required business,
and his business was matter of discipline, and his
discipline was to pass npon a sinning person, or had
a design of charity, his duties met with the infirmi-
ties of a man, and anger was its instrument, and the
instrument became stronger than the prime agent,
and raised a tempest and overruled the man; and
then his prayer was broken and his thoughts were
troubled, and his words went up towards a cloud,
and his thoughts pulled them back again and made
them without intention; and the good man sighs for
his infirmity, but must be content to lose the prayer,
and he must recover it when his anger is removed
and his spirit is becalmed, made even as the brow
of Jesus, and smooth like the heart of God; and then
it ascends to heaven upon the wings of the holy dove
and dwells with God, till it returns, like the useful
bee, laden with a blessing and the dew of lieaven.

Advantages of Prayer.

PRAYER can obtain everything; it can open the
windows of heaven and shut the gates of hell;
it can put a holy constraint upon God, and detain an
angel till he leave a blessing; it can open the treas-
ures of rain, and soften the iron ribs of rocks till they
melt into tears and a flowing river; prayer can un-
clasp the girdles of the north, saying to a mountain
of ice. Be thou removed hence and cast into the bot-
tom of the sea; it can arrest the sun in the midst of
his course; and send the swift-winged winds upon
our errand, and all tliose strani^e thino^s, and secret

120 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

decrees and iinrevealed transactions, which are above
the clouds and far beyond the regions of the stars,
shall combine in ministry and advantages for the
praying man.

The Eighteous Safe.

THE righteous is safe; but by intermedial diffi-
culties: and he is safe in the midst of his per-
secutions; they may disturb his rest and discompose
his fancy, but they are like the fiery chariot to Elias;
he is encircled with fire, and rare circumstances and
strange usages, but is carried up to heaven in a robe
of flames. And so was Noah safe when the flood came,
and was the great type and instance too of the veri-
fication of this proposition; he was put into a strange
condition, perpetually wandering, shut up in a prison
of wood, living upon faith, having never had the ex-
perience*of being safe in floods.

And so have I often seen young and unskilful per-
sons sitting in a little boat, when every little wave
sporting about the sides of the vessel, and every
motion and dancing of the barge seemed a danger and
made them cling fast upon their fellows; and yet all
the while they were as safe as if they sat under a
tree, while a gentle wind shaked the leaves into a
refreshment and a cooling shade. And the unskilful,
inexperienced Christian shrieks out whenever his
vessel shakes, thinking it always a danger that the
watery pavement is not stable and resident like a
rock; and yet all his danger is in himself, none at all
from without; for he is indeed moving upon the

JEREMY TAYLOR. 121

waters, but fastened to a rock. Faith is his founda-
tion and hope is his anchor, and death is his harbor,
and Clirist is his pilot, and heaven is his conntry;
and all the evils of poverty, or affronts of tribunals
and evil judges, of fears and sadder apprehensions,
are but like the lond wind blowing from the right
point: they make a noise and drive faster to the har-
bor. And if we do not leave the ship and leap into
the sea; quit the interests of religion and run to the
securities of the world; cut our cables and dissolve
our hopes; grow impatient and hug a wave, and die
in its embraces, we are as safe at sea, safer in the
storm which God sends us, than in a calm when we
are befriended with the world.

Consolation.

GOD glories in the appellative that He is the
Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort,
and therefore to minister in the office is to become
like God, and to imitate the charities of heaven; and
God hath fitted mankind for it; he most needs it, and
he feels his brother's wants by his own experience;
and God hath given us speech and the endearments
of society, and pleasantness of conversation and
powers of seasonable discourse, arguments to allay
the sorrow, by abating our apprehensions and taking
out the sting, or telling the periods of comfort, or
exciting hope, or urging a precept, and reconciling
our affections and reciting promises, or telling-stories
of the divine mercy, or changing it into duty, or
n^aking the burden less by comparing it with greater,

122 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

or by proving it to be less than Ave deserve, and that
it is so intended and may become the instrument of
virtue. And certain it is, that as nothing can better
do it, so there is nothing greater for which God
made our tongues, next to reciting His praises, than
to minister comfort to a weary soul. And what
greater measure can we have than that we should
bring joy to our brother, who with his dreary eyes
looks to heaven and round about, and cannot find so
much rest as to lay his eyelids close together, than
that thy tongue should be tuned with heavenly ac-
cents and make the weary soul to listen for light and
ease; and when he perceives that there is such a thing
in the world, and in the order of things, as comfort
and joy, to begin to break out from the prison of his
sorrows at the door of sighs and tears, and by little
and little melt into showers and refreshment? This
is glory to thy voice, and employment fit for the
Ijrightest angel.

But so have I seen the sun kiss the frozen earth,
which was bound up with the images of death and
the colder breath of the north; and then the waters
break from their enclosures and melt with joy, and
run in useful channels; and the flies do rise again
from their little graves in walls, and dance awhile in
the air, to tell that there is joy within, and that the
great mother of creatures will open the stock of her
new refreshment, become useful to mankind, and
sing praises to her Redeemer. So is the heart of a
sorrowful man under the discourses of a wise com-
forter; he breaks from the despairs of the grave and

JEKEMY TAYLOK. 123

the fetters and chains of sorrow, he blesses God, and
he blesses thee, and he feels his life returmng; for to
be miserable is death, but nothing is life but to be
comforted; and God is pleased with no music from
below so much as in the thanksgiving songs of re-
lieved widows, of supported orphans, of rejoicing
and comforted and thankful persons.

This part of communication does the work of God
and of our neighbors, and bears us to heaven in
streams of joy made by 'the overflowings of our
brother's comfort. It is a fearful thing to see a man
despairing. None knows the sorrow and the in-
tolerable anguish but themselves, and they that are
damned; and so are all the loads of a wounded spirit,
when the staff of a man's broken fortune bows his
head to the ground, and sinks like an osier under the
violence of a mighty tempest. But therefore in pro-
portion to this I may tell the excellency of the em-
ployment and the duty of that charity, which bears
the dying and languishing soul from the fringes of
hell to the seat of the brightest stars, where 'God's
face shines and reflects comforts forever and ever.

God's Mercy.

HIS mercy is His glory, and His glory is the
light of heaven. His mercy is the life of the
creation, and it fills all the earth; and His mercy is
a sea too, and it fills all the abysses of the deep; it
hath given us promises for supply of Avhatsoevcr we
need, and relieves us in all our fears, and in all the
evils that we suffer. His mercies are more than wc

124 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

call tell, and they are more than we can feel. For
all the world in the abyss of the divine mercies is
like a man diving into the bottom of the sea, over
whose head the waters run insensibly and unper-
ceived, and yet the weight is vast and the sum of
them is unmeasurable; and the man is not pressed
with the burden nor confounded with numbers. And
no observation is able to recount, no sense sufficient
to perceive, no memory large enough to retain, no un-
derstanding great enough to apprehend tliis infinity;
but we must admire and love, and worship and mag-
nify this mercy forever and ever; that we may dwell
in what we feel, and be comprehended by that wliich
is equal to God and the parent of all felicity.

The Eepenting Sinner.

EVERY sinner that repents causes joy to Christ,
and the joy is so great that it runs over and
wets the fair brows and beauteous locks of cherubim
and seraphim, and all the angels have a part of that
banquet; then it is that our blessed Lord feels the
fruits of His holy death, the acceptation of His holy
sacrifice, the graciousness of His person, the retuni
of His prayers.

ROBERT LEIGHTON, D. D.
1613-1684.

Saltation.

ALYATION expresses not only that
which is negative, but implies likewise
positive and perfect happiness; thus for-
giveness of sins is put for the whole nature
of justification frequently in Scripture. It
is more easy to say of this unspeakable happiness,
what it is not, than what it is. There is in it a
full and final freedom from all annoyance ; all tears
are wiped away, and their fountain is dried up;
all feeling and fear, or danger, of any the least
evil, either of sin or punishment, is banished for
ever; there are no invasions of enemies, no rob-
bing or destroying in all this holy mountain, no
voice of complaining in the streets of the new
Jerusalem. Here, it is at the best but interchaug-
es of mornings of joy, with sad evenings of weep-
ings; but there, there shall be no night, no need
of sun nor moon. For the glory of the Lord shall
lighten it, and the Lamb shall he the light thereof,
Rev. xxi. 23.

Happy are they who have their eye fixed upon

126 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

this salvation, and are longing and waiting for ifc;
who see so mnch of that brightness and glory, as
darkens all the lustre of earthly things to them, and
makes them trample upon those things whieli for-
merly they admired and (Joated on with the rest
of the foolish world. Those things we account so
much of, are hut as rotten wood, or glow-worms
that shine only in the night of our ignorance and
vanity: so soon as the light-beam of this salvation
enters into the soul, it cannot much esteem or affect
anything below it; and if those glances of it which
shine in the word, and in the soul of a Christian,
be so bright and powerful, what then shall the full
sight and real possession of it be?

Feee Grace.

FREE grace being rightly apprehended, is that
which stays the heart in all estates, and keeps
it from fainting, even in its saddest times. What
thou«-li there is nothing in m3^self but matter of
sorrow and discomfort, it cannot be otherwise; it is
not from myself that I look for comfort at any time,
but from my God and His free grace. Here is com-
fort enough for all times; when I am at the best, I
ought not, I dare not, rely upon myself; when I am
at the worst, I may, and should rely upon Christ,
and His sufficient grace. Though I be the vilest
sinner that ever came to Him, yet I know that He
is more gracious than I am sinful; yea, the more my
sin is, the more glory will it be to His grace to par-
don it; it will appear the richer. Doth not David

ROBERT LEIGIITON. 127

argue thus, Psalm xxv. 11: For Thy name's sake, O
XortZ, jpardon mine iniquity, for it is very great.

Redemptiox the Admiration of Angels.

THE Word made flesh, draws the eyes of those
glorious spirits, and possesses them with won-
der to see the Almighty Godhead joined with the
weakness of a man, yea, of an infant. He that
stretched forth the heavens bound up in swaddling
clothes ! and to surpass all the wonders of His
life, this is ])eyond all admiration, that the Lord
of Life was subject to death, and that His love to
rebellious mankind moved Him both to take on and
lay down that life.

It is no wonder the angels admire these things,
and delight to look upon them; but it is strange
that we do not so. They view them steadfastly,
and we neo:lect them: either we consider them not
at all, or give them but a transient look, half an
eye. That which was the great business of the
prophets and apostles, both for their own times,
and to convey them to us, we regard not; and turn
our eyes to foolish wandering thoughts, which an-
gels are ashamed at. They are not so concerned in
this great mystery as we are; they are but mere
beholders, in comparison of us, yea, they seem
rather to be losers some way, in that our nature,
in itself inferior to theirs, is in Jesus Christ exalted
above theirs, Heb. ii. 16. We bow down to the
earth, and stud}", and grovel in it, rake into the
very ])OAvels of it, and content ourselves Avith the

128 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

outside of the unsearchable riches of Christy and look
not within it; but they, having no will nor desire
but for the glory of God, being pure flames of fire,
burning only in love to Him, are no less delighted
than amazed with the bottomless wonders of His
wisdom and goodness shining in the work of oui
redemption.

It is our shame and folly, that we lose ourselves
and our thoughts in poor childish things, and trifle
away our days we know not how, and let these rich
mysteries lie unregarded. They look up upon the
Deitv in itself with continual admiration; but then
they look down to this mystery as another wonder.
We give them an ear in public, and in a cold formal
way stop conscience's mouth with some religious
performances in private, and no more; but to have
deep and frequent thoughts and to be ravished in
the meditation of our Lord Jesus, once on the cross,
and now in glory, — how few of us are acquainted
w4th this !

The Scriptures.

LET this commend the Scriptures much to our
diligence and afiection, that their great theme'
is our Redeemer, and redemption wrought by
Him; that they contain the doctrine of His excel-
lences— are the lively picture of His matchless
beauty. Were we more in them, we should daily
see more of Him in them, and so of necessity love
Him more. But we must look within them: the
letter is but the case; the spiritual sense is w^hat

EGBERT LEIGHTON. 129

we should desire to see. We usually huddle them
over, and see no further than their outside, and
therefore find so little sweetness in them: we read
them, but we search them not, as He requires.
Would we dig into those golden mines, we should
find treasures of comfort that cannot be spent, but
which would furnish us in the hardest times.

Prayer.

ALL blessings attend this work. It is the
richest traffic in the world, for it trades with
heaven, and brings home what is most precious
there. And as holiness disposes to prayer, so
prayer befriends holiness, increases it much. No-
thing so refines and purifies the soul as frequent
prayer. If the often conversing with wise men
doth so teach and advance the soul in wisdom,
how much more then will converse with God !
This makes the soul despise the things of the
world, and in a manner makes it divine; winds
up the soul from the earth, acquainting it with
delights that are infinitely sweeter.

All the graces of the Spirit are, in prayer, stirred
and exercised, and, by exercise, strengthened and
increased; faith, in applying the Divine promises,
which are the very ground that the soul goes upon
to God; Hope looking out to their performance; and
Love . particularly expressing itself in that sweet
converse, and delighting in it, as love doth in the
company of the person beloved, thinking all hours
too shoi't in speaking with him. Oh, how the soul

130 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

is refreshed with freedom of speech with its beloved
Lord ! And as it delights in that, so it is continu-
ally advanced and grows by each meeting and con-
ference, beholding the excellency of God, and
relishing the pure and sublime pleasures that are
to be found in near communion with Him. Looking
upon the Father in the face of Christ, and using Him
as a mediator in prayer, as still it must, it is drawn
to further admiration of that bottomless love which
found out that way of agreement, that netv and liv-
ing ivay of our access, wdien all was shut up, and
we must otherwise have been shut out for ever.
And then, the affectionate expressions of that reflex
love, seeking to find that vent in prayer, do kindle
higher, and being as it were fanned and blown up,
rise to a greater, and higher, and purer flame, and
so tend upward the more strongly. David, as he
doth profess his love to God in prayer, in his
Psalms, so no doubt it grew in the expressing:
I ivill love Thee^ 0 Lord my strength^ VavluiXYiii, 1.
And in Psalm cxvi. 1, he doth raise an incentive of
love out of this very consideration of the corres-
pondence of prayer — / love the Lord because He
hath heard; and he resolves thereafter upon per-
sistence in that course — therefore ivill L call ujpon
Him as long as I live. And as the graces of the
Spirit are advanced in prayer by their actings, so
for this further reason, because prayer sets the soul
particularly near unto God in Jesus Christ. It is
then in His presence, and being much with God in
this way, it is powerfully assimihited to Him by con-

ROBERT LEIGHTON. 131

verse with Him; as we readily contract their habits
with whom we have much intercourse, especially if
they be such as we singularly love and respect.
Thus the soul is moulded further to the likeness of
God, is stamped wath clearer characters of Him, by
being much with Him, becomes more like God, more
holy and spiritual, and, like Moses, brings back a
bn'o^ht shininof from the mount.

True Rest.

OMY brethren ! take heed of sleeping unto
death in carnal ease. Resolve to take no
rest till you be in the element and place of soul-
rest, where solid rest indeed is. Rest not till you
be with Christ. Though all the world should offer
their best, turn them by with disdain; if they will
not be turned by, throw them down, and go over
them, and trample upon them. Say, you have no
rest to give me, nor will I take any at your hands,
nor from any creature. There is no rest for me
till I be under His shadow, wdio endured so much
trouble to purchase my rest, and whom having
found, I may sit down quiet and satisfied; and
when the men of the world make boast of the
highest content, I will outvie them all ^yith this
one word: Mt/ Beloved is mine^ and I am His.

The Christian Warfare.

THERE is still fighting, and sin will be molesting
you; though wounded to death, yet will it
struggle for life, and seek to wound its enemy;

132 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

it will assault the graces that are in yon. Do not
think, if it be once struck, and you have given it
a stab near to the heart, by the sword of the
Sjnrit, that therefore it will stir no more. No,
so long as you live in the flesh, in these bowels
there will be remainders of the life of this flesh,
your natural corruption; therefore you must be
armed against it. Sin will not give you rest, so
long as there is a drop of blood in its veins, one
spark of life in it: and that will be so long as you
have life here. This old man is stout, and will fight
himself to death; and at the weakest it will rouse
up itself, and exert its dying spirits, as men will do
sometimes more eagerly than when they were not
so weak, nor so near death.

This the children of God often find to their grief,
that corruptions vfhicli they thought had been cold
dead, stir and rise up again, and set upon them. A
passion or lust, that after some great stroke lay a
long while as dead, stirred not, and therefore they
thouo^ht to have heard no more of it, thouo^h it shall
never recover fully again, to be lively as before, yet
will revive in such a measure as to molest, and pos-
sibly to foil them yet again. Therefore it is con-
tinually necessary that they live in arms, and put
them not off* to their dying day; till th^ey put oflfthe
body, and be altogether free of the flesh. You may
take the Lord's promise for victory in the end; that
shall not fail; but do not promise yourself ease in
the way, for that will not hold. If at some times
you be undermost, give not all for lost: he hath

ROBERT LEIGHTON. 133

often won the day, who hath been foiled and wound-
ed in the fisfht. But likewise take not all for w^on,
so as to have no more conflict, when sometimes you
have the better, as in particular battles. Be not des-
perate w^ien you lose, nor secure w^hen you gain
them: when it is Avorse with you, do not throw away
your arms, nor lay them away when you are at best.

Communion with Christ in Suffering.

IT is a sweet, a joyful thing to be a sharer with
Christ in anything. All enjoyments wherein He
is not, are bitter to a soul that loves Him, and all
sufferino^s with Him are sweet. The w^orst thins^s of
Christ are more truly delightful than the best thing
of the world; His afflictions are sweeter than their
pleasures, His rejproach more glorious than their hon-
ors, and more rich than their treasures, as Moses ac-
counted them: Heb. xi. 2G. Love delights in like-
ness and communion, not only in things otherwise
pleasant, but in the hardest and harshest things,
which have not anything in them desirable, but only
that likeness. So that this thought is very sweet
to a heart possessed with this love: what does the
world by its hatred, and persecutions, and revilings
for the sake of Christ, but make me more like Him,
give me a greater share with Him, in that which He
did so willingly undergo for me? When He was
sought for to be made a King^ as St. Bernard remarks.
He escaped; hut tvheii He ivas sought to he brought to
the cross^ He freely yielded Himself And shall I
shrink and creep back from what He calls me to

134 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

suffer for His sake! Yea, even all my other troubles
and sufferings, I will desire to have stamped thus,
with this conformity to the sufferings of Christ, in
the humble, obedient, cheerful endurance of them,
and the giving up my will to my Father's.

The following of Christ makes any way pleasant.
His faithful followers refuse no march after Him, be
it through deserts, and mountains and storms, and
hazards, that will affright self-pleasing, easy spirits.
Hearts kindled and actuated wdth the Spirit of
Christ, v^Wl folloio Him wheresoever^ He goeth.

The Believer's Joy at the Eevelation of Christ.

HE shall be revealed in His glory ^ and ye shall
even overflow with joy in the partaking of that
glory. Therefore, rejoice now in the midst of all
your sufferings. Stand upon the advanced ground
of the promises and the covenant of grace, and by
faith look beyond this moment, and all that is in it,
to that day wherein everlasting joy shall be upon
your heads^ a crown of it, and sorrow and mourning
shall flee away: Isa. li. 11. Believe in this day, and
the victory is won. Oh! that blessed hope, well
fixed and exercised, would give other manner of
spirits. What zeal for God would it not inspire!
What invincible courage against all encounters!
How soon will this pageant of the world vanish, that
men are gazing on, these pictures and fancies of
pleasures and honors, falsely so called, and give place
to the real glory of the sons of God, when this
])lessed Son, who is God, shall be seen appearing in

KOBERT LEIGIITOX. 135

full majesty, and all His brethren ni glory witli Him,
all clothed in their robes! And if you ask, who are
they, why, these are they who came out of great tribu-
lation^ and have ivashed their robes in the blood of
the Lamb: Rev. vii. 14.

Glory of Christ at the last Day.

THE world sees nothing of His glory and beauty,
and even His own see not much; they have but
a little glimmering of Him, and of their own happi-
ness in Him; know little of their own high condition;*
and what they are born to. But in that bright day.
He shall shine forth in His royal dignity, and every
eye shall see Him, and be overcome with His splen-
dor. Terrible shall it be to those that formerly de-
spised Him and His saints, but to them it shall be
the gladest day that ever arose upon them, a day
that shall never set or be benighted; the day they
so much longed and looked out for, the full accom-
plishment of all their hopes and desires. Oh, how
dark were all our days without the hope of this day!

Steadfastness in the Faith.

WHEN the soul is surrounded with enemies on
all hands, so that there- is no way of escape,
faith flies above them, and carries up the soul to take
refuge in Christ, and is there safe. That is the
power of faith; it sets a soul in Christ, and there it
looks down upon all temptations as at the bottom
of the rock, breaking themselves into foam. When
the floods of temptation rise and gather, so great and

136 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

SO many, that the soul is even ready to be s^yalloAYed
up, then, by faith, it sa^^s, Lord Jesns, Thou art my
strength, I look to Thee for deliverance; now appear
for my help! And thus it overcomes. The guilt
of sin is answered by His blood, the power of sin is
conquered by His Spirit; and afflictions that arise
are nothing to these: His love and gracious presence
make them sweet and easy.

Eternal Glory.

OH, that blessed day when the soul shall be full
of God, shall be satisfied and ravished with full
vision! Should we not admire that such a condition
is provided for man, wretched, sinful man? Lord^
lohat is man^ that Thou art mindful of him^ and the
son of man, that Thou visitest him: Psalm viii. 3.
And is it provided for me, as wretched as any who
are left and fallen short of this glory, a base worm
taken out of the mire, and Avashed in the blood of
Christ, and Avithin a while set to shine in glory with-
out sin? Oh, the wonder of this! How should it
excite us to praise, when we think of such a One
there, who will bring us up in the way to this crown!
How will this hope sweeten the short sufferings of
this life! And death itself, which is otherwise the
bitterest in itself, is most of all sweetened by this,
as being nearest it, and setting us into it. What
though thou art poor, diseased, and despised here?
Oh, consider what is there, how worthy the affection,
worthy the earnest eye and fixed look of an heir of
this glory! What can he either desire or fear, whose

ROBERT LEIGIITON. 137

heart is thus deeply fixed? Who would refuse this
other clause, to suffer awhile^ a little Avhile, anything
outward or inward Avhich lie thinks fit? How soon
shall all this be overpast, and then overpaid in the
very entry, at the beginning of this glory that shall
never end.

Meditatiois^ on the Eighth Psalm.

OH, how strong and large that Hand, which with-
out help expands the heavens as a curtain!
Look up and see, consider their height and round-
ness, such a glorious canopy set with such sparkling
diamonds: then think how swift their motion, and
yet imperceivable to us, no motion here below
comparable, and yet they seem not to stir at all.
And in all, their great Lord and ours so conspicu-
ous! And yet wdio looks on them with such an ej^e
as to behold Him, as David here, When I consider
Thy heavens^ the loorh^ &c.! He is admirable in all:
the very lowest and smallest creatures have their
wonders of Divine wisdom in their frame, more than
w^e are able to think, Magnus in minimis: He is
great in the least of His works. The smallest flies,
hoAv strange the fashioning of the organs of life and
use in so little room! The man who is still in search
of wisdom will find a school and a lesson in all
places, and see everywhere the greatness and good-
ness of his God! If he walk forth in the eveninor
when this lower world is clothed with the dark
mantle of the night, yet still he can look upward to
the pavement of the throne of God, and think how

138 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

glorious it is on the other side, when the moon and
stars make this side, even in the night so beautiful.
And this of David's, looks like a night meditation
by the view of moon and stars. Thy Jieavens, these
Thy works so glorious — Thou, therefore, infinitely
more glorious; then can I not but increase in wond-
er, that, dwelling above these heavens, Thou regard-
est so poor a worm as man creeping on this earth.

Spiritual Desire of Death.
rj^HEEE is a spiritual desire of death, Avhich is
J_ very becoming a Christian. For Jesus Christ
hath not only opened very clearly the doctrine of
eternal life, but He Himself hath passed through death,
and lain down in the grave: He hath perfumed Ihat
passage, and warmed that bed for us; so that it is
sweet and amiable for a Christian to pass through
and follow Him, and to be where He is. It is a
strange thing, that the souls of Christians have not a
continual desire to go to that company which is above
(finding so much discord and disagreement among
the best of men that are here); to go to the sinrits
of just men 7nade jjerfect, where there is light, and
love, and nothing else; to go to the comjpany of
angels, a higher rank of blessed spirits; but, most
of all to go to God, and to Jesus the Mediator
of the New Testament. And to say nothing
positively of that glory (for the truth is, we
can say nothing of it), the very evils that death de-
livers the true Christian from, may make him long
for it; for such a one may say — I shall die, and go

liOEEllT LEIGIITOX. 139

to a more excellent country, where I shall be happy
for ever: tliat is, I shall die no more, I shall sorrow
no more, I shall be sick no more, and, which is yet
more considerable, I shall doubt no more, and shall
be tempted no more; and, which is the chiefest of
all, I shall sin no more.

Come to the Saviol e.

THIS is the great comfort of sinners, this word:
/ came to call not the righteous^ hut sinners.
What can a diffident heart say, that it should
not come to Jesus Christ? Art thou a sinner, an
eminent sinner? Therefore come to Him, for He
came to thee. It is such that He comes to seek —
they are the very objects of His grace. He had
nothing else to do in the world but to save such; He
came on purpose for their sakes. His very name
tells it: He shall be called Jesus, for He shall save
His people from their sins. It is so far from being
a just hinderance, that it is the only title to His favor-
able intentions, that thou art a sinner. Were it not
strange if one should say, I am sick, very sick, there-
fore I will not make an address to the physician?
And to say, I am a sinner, and a great one, therefore
I dare not go to the Saviour of sinners, would be
equally strange. Oh, no; therefore I will go: He
came for me; I am sure He is able to heal me— ought
to be the lano-uasfe of all such.

140 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Cheist the Light of the CHKiSTiAi*r.

ry^HE Christian that is truly acquainted with Him,
JL enamored with the brightness of His beauty,
can generously trample upon the smilings of the
world with one foot, and upon her frownings with
the other. If he be rich or honorable, or both, yet
he glories not in that, but Christ, who is the glory
of the Lord, is even then his chiefest glory; and the
light of Christ obscures that worldly splendor in his
estimation. And as the enjoyment of Christ over-
tops all his other joys, so it overcomes his griefs.
As that great light drowns the light of prosperity,
so it shines bright in the darkness of affliction: no
dungeon so close that it can keep out the rays of
Christ's love from his beloved prisoners. The world
can no more take away this light, than it can give it.

Happiness of the Life to Come.

WHAT are these things, the false glare and
shadows whereof, in this earth, are pursued
with such keen and furious impetuosity — riches,
honors, pleasures? All these, in their justes.t, purest,
and sublimest sense, are comprehended in this blessed
life: it is a treasure, that can neither f^xil nor be car-
ried away by force or fraud: it is an inheritance un-
corrupted and undefiled, a crown that fadeth not
away; a never-failing stream of joy and delight: it
is a marriage feast, and of all others the most joyous
and most sumptuous; one that always satisfies, and
never cloys the appetite: it is an eternal spring, and
an everlasting light, a day without an evening: it is

EOBEET LEIGIITON. 141

a paradise, where the lilies are always white and in
full bloom, the saffron blooming, the trees sweat out
their balsams, and the tree of life in the midst there-
of: it is a city, where the houses are built of living
pearls, the gates of precious stones, and the sti*eets
paved with the purest gold. Yet, all these are no-
thing but veils of the happiness to be revealed on
that most blessed day: nay, the light itself, which
we have mentioned anions^ the rest thouo^h it be the
most beautiful ornament in this visible world, is at
best but a shadow of that heavenly glory; and how
small soever that portion of this inaccessible bright-
ness may be, which, in the sacred Scriptures, shines
upon us through these veils, it certainly very well
deserves that we should often turn our eyes toward
it, and view it with the closest attention.

Now, the first that necessarily occurs in the con-
stitution of happiness, is a,full and complete deliver-
ance from every evil and every grievance; which we
may as certainly expect to meet with in that heaven-
ly life, as it is impossible to be attained while we
sojourn here below. All tears shall be wiped away
from our eyes, and every cause and occasion of tears
for ever removed from our sight. There, there are
no tumults, no wars, no poverty, no death, nor dis-
ease; there, there is neither mourning, nor fear, nor
sin, which is the source and fountain of all other
evils: there is neither violence within doors nor with-
out, nor any complaint, in the streets of that blessed
city. There, no friend goes out, nor enemy comes in.

142 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Fu]l vigor of body and mind, health, beauty,
purity, and perfect tranquillity.

The most delightful society of angels, prophets,
apostles, martyrs, and all the saints; among whom
there are no reproaches, contentions, controversies,
nor party-spirit, because there are there noiie of the
sources whence they can spring, nor anything to en-
courage their growth; for there is there, particular-
ly^, no ignorance, no blind self-love, no vain-glory lior
envy, which is quite excluded from those divine re-
o'ions; but, on the contrary, perfect charity, whereby
every one, together with his own felicity, enjoys that
of his neighbors, and is happy in the one as well as
the other: hence there is among them a Idnd of in-
finite reflection and multiplication of happiness, like
that of a spacious hall adorned with gold and pre-
cious stones, dignified with a full assembly of kings
and potentates, and having its walls quite covered
with the brightest looking-glasses.

But what infinitely exceeds, and quite eclipses all
the rest, is that boundless ocean of happiness, which
results from the beatific vision of the evea'-blessed
God, without which, neither the tranquillity they en-
joy, nor the society of saints, nor the possession of
any particular finite good, nor indeed of all such
taken together, can satisfy the soul, or make it com-
pletely happy.

TvOBERT LEIGHTON. 143

Prayees. I.

PRAISE waits for Thee, O Lord, in Zion; and
to be employed in paying Thee that tribute is
a becoming and pleasant exercise. It is due to Thee
from all the works of Thy hands, but particularly
propel' from Thy saints and celestial spirits. Ele-
vate, O Lbrd, our minds, that they may not grovel
on the earth, and plunge themselves in the mire;
but, being carried upward, may taste the pleasures
of Thy house, that exalted house of Thine, the
inhabitants whereof are continually singing Thy
praises. Their praises add nothing to Thee; but
they themselves are perfectly happy therein, while
they behold Thy boundless goodness without any
veil, admire Thy uncreated beauty, and celebrate
the praises thereof throughout all ages. Grant us,
that we may walk in the paths of holiness, and,
according to our measure, exalt Thy name even on
this earth, until we also be translated into the glo-
rious asseml^ly of those who serve Thee in Th}^
hiofher house.

'Remember Thy goodness and Thy covenant to
Thy church militant upon this earth, and exposed
to dangers amid so many enemies; yet we believe
that, notwithstanding all these dangers, it will be
safe .at last: it may be distressed, and plunged in
the waters, but it cannot be quite overwhelmed, or
finally perish. We depend upon Thee, O Father,
without whose hand we should not have been, and
without whose favor we can never be happ3\ In-
spire our hearts with gladness, Thou who alone art

144 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

the fountiim of solid, pure, and permanent jo}^; and
lead us, by the paths of righteousness and grac-e, to
the rest and light of glory, for the sake of Thy Son,
our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.

O INVISIBLE God, who seest all things!
Eternal Light, before Avhom all darkness is
light, and in comparison with whom every other
light is but darkness ! The weak eyes of our
understanding cannot bear the open and full rays
of Thy inaccessible light; and yet, Avithout some
glimpses of that light from heaven, we can never
direct our steps, nor proceed toward that country
which is the habitation of light. May it therefore
please Thee, O Father of Lights, to send forth Thy
light and Thy truth, that they may lead us directly
to Thy holy mountain. Thou art good, and the
Fountain of goodness; give us understanding, that
we may keep Thy precepts. That part of our past
lives, which we have lost in pursuing shadows, is
enough, and, indeed, too much: bring back otir
souls into the paths of life, and let the wonderful
sweetness thereof, which far exceeds all the pleas-
ures of this earth, powerfully, yet pleasantly, pre-
serve us from being drawn aside therefrom by any
temptation from sin or the world. Purify, we pray
Thee, our souls from all impure imaginations, that
Thy most beautiful and holy image may be again
renewed within us, and, by contemplating Thy glo-
rious perfections, we ma}^ feel daily improved within

ROBERT LEIGHTON 145

US that Divine similitude, the perfection whereof avc
hope will at last make us for ever happy in that full
and beatific vision we aspire after. Till this most
blessed day break, and the shadows fly away, let
Thy Spirit be continually with us, and may we
feel the pow^erful effects of His Divine grace con-
stantly directing and supporting our steps; that all
our endeavors, not only in this society, but through-
out the whole remaining part of our lives, may
serve to promote the honor of Thy blessed name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

III.

MOST exalted God, who hast alone created, and
dost govern this whole frame, and all the in-
habitants thereof, visible and invisible, whose name
is alone Wonderful, and to be celebrated with the
highest praise, as it is indeed above all praise and
admiration. Let the heavens, the earth, and all the
elements praise Thee. Let darkness, light, all the
returns of days and years, and all the varieties and
vicissitudes of things, praise Thee. Let the angels
praise Thee, the archangels, and all the blessed
court of heaven, whose very happiness it is, that
they are constantly employed in celebrating Thy
praises. We confess, O Lord, that we are of all
creatures the most unworthy to praise Thee, yet, of
all others, we are under the greatest obligations to
do it: nay, the more unworthy we are, our obliga-
tion is so much the greater. From this dut}", how-
ever unqualified we may be, we can by no means

146 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

abstain, nor, indeed, ought we. Let our souls bless
Thee, and all that is within us praise Thy holy name,
who forgivest all our sins, and healest all our dis-
eases: who deliverest our souls from destruction,
and crownest them with bounty and tender mercies.
Thou searchest the heart, O Lord, and perfectly
knowest the most intimate recesses of it: reject not
those prayers which Thou perceivest to be the voice
and the wishes of the heart. Now, it is the great
request of our hearts, unless they always deceive
us, that they may be weaned from all earthly and
perishing enjoyments; and if there is anything to
which they cleave wdth more than ordinary force,
may they be pulled away from it by Thy Almighty
hand, that they may be joined to Thee for ever in
an inseparable marriage-covenant. And in our own
behalf, we have nothing more to ask. We only add,
in behalf of Thy church, that it may be protected
under the shadow of Thy wings, and everywhere,
throughout the world, watered by Thy heavenly
dew, that the spirit and heat of worldly hatred
against it may be cooled, and its intestine divisions,
whereby it is much more grievously scorched, exthi-
o^uished. Amen.

TV.

ETERNAL God, who art constantly adored by
thrones and powers, by seraphim and che-
rubim, we confess that Thou art most worthy to be
praised; but we, of all otheis, are the most unwor-
thy to be employed in showing forth Thy praise.

ROBERT LEIGIITON. 147

How can polluted bodies, and impnre sonls, which,
taken together, are nothing but mere sinks of sin,
praise Thee, the pure and holy Majesty of heaven?
Yet, how can these bodies which Thou hast wonder-
fully formed, and these souls which Thou hast
inspired, which owe entirely to Thine unmerited
favor all that they are, all that they possess, and all
they hope for, forbear praising Thee, their wise and
bountiful Creator and Father? Let our souls, there-
fore, and all that is within us, bless Thy holy name:
yea, let all our bones say, O Lord, who is like unto
Thee, w^ho is like unto Thee? Far be it, most gra-
cious Father, from our hearts, to harbor anything
that is displeasing to Thee; let them be, as it were,
temples dedicated to Thy service, thoroughly purged
from every idol and image, from every object of
impure love and earthly affection. Let our most
gracious King and Redeemer dwell and reign within
us. May He take full possession of us by His Spirit,
and govern all our actions. May He extend His
peaceable and saving kingdom throughout the whole
habitable world, from the rising of the sun to the
j^ointr down thereof. Amen.

INFINITE and Eternal God, who inhabitest thick
darkness and light inaccessible, whom no mortal
hath seen, or can see; yet all Thy Avorks evidently
declare and proclaim Thy wisdom, Thy power, and
Thy infinite goodness: and Avhen we contemplate
these Thy perfections, what is it our souls can desire

148 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

but that they may love Thee, worship Thee, serve
Thee^ for ever proclaim Thy praise, and celebrate
Thy exalted name, which is above all praises and all
admiration? Thy throne is constantly surrounded
by thousands and ten thousands of glorified spirits,
who continually adore Thee and cry out without
ceasing, Iloly^ lioly^ lioly^ Lord God Almighty^ who
was^ who is, and who zs to come. Let others seek
what they will, and find and embrace what they
can; may we have always this one fixed and set-
tled purpose, that it is good for us to draw near
to God. Let the seas roar, the earth be shaken, and
all things go to ruin and confusion; yet, the soul
that adheres to God will remain safe and quiet, and
shall not be moved for ever. O blessed soul that
has Thee for its rest, and all its salvationi It shall
be like a tree planted by the rivers of water; it
shall not fear when heat cometh, nor shall it be
uneasy in a year of drought. It is our earnest
petition and prayer, O Father, that Thy hands may
loosen all our chains, and effectually deliver our
souls from all the snares and allurements of the
world and the flesh; and that, by that same boun-
tiful and most powerful hand of Thine, they may be
for ever united to Thee through Thy only begotten
Son, who is our union and our peace. Amen.

HONOR and praise is due to Thee, O infinite
God. This is the universal voice of all the
blessed spirits on high, and all the saints on earth:

ROBERT LEIGHTON. 149

worthy art Thou, O Lord, to receive gloiy, aucl
honor, and power, because Thou hast created all
thhigs, and for Thy pleasure they are. We, here
before Thee, with united hearts and affections offer
Thee, as we can, the sacrifice of gratitude, love and
praise. How much are we indebted to Thee, for
ourselves, and for all that we possess! For in Thee
we live, move, and have our being. Thou hast
redeemed us from our sins, having given us the Sou
of Thy love as a sacrifice and ransom for our souls:
the chastisement of our peace fell upon Him, and by
His stripes we are healed. On this consideration,
we acknowledge we are no longer at our own dis-
posal, since we are bought with a price, and so very
great a price, that we may glorify Thee, O Father,
and Thy Son, in our souls and our bodies, which
are so justly Thine. May we devote ourselves to
Thee through the whole remaining part of our life,
and disdain the impure and ignoble slavery of sin,
the world and the flesh, that in all things we may
demean ourselves as becomes the sons of God, and
the heirs of Thy celestial kingdom, and make daily
greater progress in our journey toward the happy
possession thereof. Amen.

VII.

ETERNAL Father of mercies and of lights, the
only rest of the immortal souls which Thou
hast created, and their never-failing consolation.
Into what by-paths of error do our souls divert, and
to what dangers are they exposed on every hand,

150 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

when they stray away from Thee! But while they
keep within Thy hiding-place, O Most High, they
are safe under the shadow of Thy wiugs. O how
happy are they, and how well do they live, who
pass their whole lives in that secret abode, where
they may continually refresh themselves mth the
delicious fruits of Thy love, and show forth Thy
praise! where they may taste and see that Thou art
good, O Lord, and be thoroughly persuaded of the
immense riches of Thy bounty, which all our mise-
ries cannot exceed, nor our poverty exhaust; nay,
which the constant effusion of them upon the whole
universe, and all its parts, cannot in the least dimin-
ish. As for us who are before Thee, the most un-
Avorthy of all Thy creatures, yet, at the same time,
the most excessively loaded with all the instances
of Thy goodness, can we avoid crying out with the
united voices of our hearts, Let praise be ascribed
to the Lord, because He is good, and His mercy
endureth for ever. Who shall declare the great and
wonderful works of God? Who shall show forth
His praise? Who ruleth by His power for ever,
and His eyes observe the nations, that the rebellious
may not exalt themselves. Who restores our souls
to life, and suffers not our feet to be moved. But,
on the other hand, alas! how justly may our songs
be interrupted with bitter lamentations, that under
such strong and constant rays of His bounty, our
hearts are so cold toward Him! O how faint and
lanfyuid is our love to Him! Hoav very little, or
near to nothing, is the whole of that flame which

IlOBEllT LEIGHTON. 152

we feel within us! And, as that love fails within
us, we misplace our affections upon the things
around us; and, as we follow vanity, we become
vain and miserable at the same time. But may Thy
Spirit, O Lord, whom we humbly and earnestly beg
of Thee, descending into our hearts, inspire us tho-
roughly with life, vigor, and celestial purity! Amen.

VIII.

WHATEVER satisfiiction we look for without
Thee, O heavenly Father, is mere delusion
and vanity. Yet, though we have so often expe-
rienced this, we have not, to this day, learned to
renounce this vain and fruitless labor, that we may
depend upon Thee, who alone canst give full and
complete satisfaction to the souls of men. We
pray, therefore, that, by Thy Almighty hand, Thou
wouldst so effectually join and unite our hearts to
Thee, that they may never be separated any more.
How unhappy are they wdio forsake Thee, and whose
hearts depart from Thy ways! They shall be like
shrubs in the desert; they shall not see when good
Cometh, but dwell in a parched and barren land.
Blessed, on the contrary, is he who hath placed his
confidence in Thee: he shall be like a tree planted
by the rivers of water: he shall not be afraid when
heat Cometh, nor be uneasy in the time of drought.
Take from us, O Lord, whatever earthly enjoyments
Thou shalt think proper: there is one thing will
abundantly make up all our losses; let Christ dwell
in our hearts by faith, and the rays of Thy favor

152 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

continually refresh us in the face of Thine anointed:
in this event, we have nothing to ask, but with
grateful minds shall for ever celebrate Thy l^ounty,
and all our bones shall say, ' Who is like unto Thee,
O Lord, who is like unto Thee? ' Amen.

RICHARD BAXTER.
1G15-1691.

Walking with God.

f^ HAPPY man, that walks with God,
though neglected and contemned bj all
about him ! What blessed sights doth he
daily see? What ravishing tidings, what
pleasant melody, doth he daily hear, un-
less it be in his swoons or sickness! What de-
lectable food doth he daily taste! He seeth by
faith the God, the glory, which the blessed spirits
see at hand by nearest intuition! He seeth that
in a glass, and darkly, which they behold with
open face! He seeth the glorious majesty of his
Creator, the eternal King, the cause of causes,
the composer, upholder, preserver, and governor
of all the worlds! He beholdeth the wonderful
methods of His providence; and what he cannot
reach to see, he admireth, and waiteth for the
time when that also shall be open to his view!
He seeth by faith the world of spirits, the hosts
that attend the throne of God; their perfect right-
eousness, their full devotedness to God; their ar-
dent love, their flaming zeal, their ready and cheer-
ful obedience, their dignity and shining glory,

154 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

in Avhich the lowest of them exceedeth that which
the disciples saw on Moses and Elias when they
appeared on the holy mount, and talked with Christ!
They hear by faith the heavenly concert, the high
and harmonious songs of praise, the joyful triumphs
of crowned saints, the sweet commemorations of the
thinirs which were done and suffered on earth, with
the praises of Him that redeemed them by His blood,
and made them kings and priests to God: herein he
hath sometimes a sweet foretaste of the cverlastino*
pleasures, which though it be but little, as Jona-
than's honev on the end of his rod, or as the clus-
ters of grapes which were brought from Canaan
into the wilderness, yet are they more excellent
than all the delights of sinners. And in the behold-
ing of this celestial glory, some beams do penetrate
his breast, and so irradiate his longing soul, that he
is changed thereby into the same image, from glory
to glory; the Spirit of glory and of God doth rest
upon him. And, oh! what an excellent holy frame
doth this converse with God possess his soul of!
How reverently doth he think of Him! What life
is there in every name and attribute of God, which
he heareth or thinketh on! The mention of His
power, His wisdom. His goodness. His love, His
holiness. His truth, how powerful and how pleasant
are they to him! when to those that know Him but
by the hearing of the ear, all these are but like com-
mon names and notions; and even to the weaker
sort of Christians, whose walking with God is more
uneven, and low, interrupted l)y their sins, and

RICHARD BAXTER. 155

doubts, and fears, this life and glory of a Christian
course is less perceived.*

Prayer ix the Hour of Death.

PRAYER in general, and this prayer in particu-
lar, that Christ will receive our departing souls,
is a most suitable conclusion of all the actions of a
Christian's life.

Prayer is the breath of a Christian's life: it is his
work and highest converse, and therefore fittest to
be the concluding action of his life, that it may reach
the end at which he aimed. We have need of pray-
er all our lives, because we have need of God, and
need of His manifold and continued grace. But in
our last extremity we have a special need. Though
sloth is apt to seize upon us, while prosperity hind-
creth the sense of our necessities, and health per-
suadeth us that time is not near its journey's end,
yet it is high time to pray with redoubled fervor and
importunity when we see that we are near our last.
When we find that we have no more time to pray,
but must now speak our last for our immortal souls,
and must at once say all that we have to say, and
shall never have a hearing more. Oh, then, to be
unable to pray, or to be faithless and heartless and

* This beautiful passage on walking with God is conceived in
the noblest spirit of hallowed eloquence, and is a fine illustration
of the intense ardor of Baxter's mind, the vividness of his imagin-
ation, and the deep spirituality of his feelings. It may be specified
as one of the subliraest passages in his practical works; and it has
been well remarked, that" " it would be difficult to find a nobler
passage in the whole compass of devotional writing.'

156 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

hopeless in our prayers, would be a calamity beyond
expression.

It is not a work tliat you were never used to,
though you have had lamented backwardness and
coldness, and omissions. It is not to a God that you
were never with before; as you know whom you have
believed, so you may know to whom you pray. It is
indeed a most important suit to beg for the receiA^-
ing of a departing soul; but it is put up to Him to
whom it properly doth belong, and to Him that hath
encouraged you by answering many a former prayer
with that mercy which was the earnest of this, and
it is to Him that loveth souls much better than any
soul can love itself. O live in prayer, and die in
prayer, and do not, as the graceless, witless world,
despise prayer while they live, and then think, a
Lord have mercy on me, shall prove enough to pass
them into heaven. O pray, and wait but a little
longer, and all your danger will be past, and you
are safe forever! Keep up your hands a little longer,
till you shall end your conflict with the last enemy,
and shall pass from prayer to everlasting praise.

Language and Power of Faith.

IT is faith which overcometh the Avorld and the
flesh, which must also overcome the fears of
death, and can look with boldness into the loath-
some grave, and can triumph over both as victorious
through Christ. It is faith which can say. Go forth,
O my soul; depart in peace; thy course is finished;
thy warfare is accomplished; the day of triumph is

RICHARD BAXTER. 157

now at hand; thy patience hath no longer work; go
forth with joy; the morning of thy endless joys is
near; and the night of fears and darkness at an end.
Thy terrible dreams are ending in eternal pleasures;
the glorious light will banish all thy dreadful spec-
tres, and resolve all those doubts which were bred
and cherished in the dark. They whose employ-
ment is their weariness and toil, do take the night
of darkness and cessation for their rest; but this is
their weariness: defect of action is thy toil; and thy
most grievous labor is to do too little work; and
thy incessant vision, love, and praise, will be thy
incessant ease and pleasure; and thy endless work
will be thy endless rest! Depart, O my soul, with
peace and gladness! Thou leavest not a world
where wisdom and piety, justice and sobriety, love
and peace, and order do prevail; but a world of
ignorance and folly, of brutish sensuality and rage,
of impiety and malignant enmity to good; a world
of injustice and oppression, and of confusion and
distracting strifes!

Thou oroest not from heaven to earth, from holi-
ncss to sin, from the sight of God into an infernal
dungeon; but from earth to heaven, from sin and
imperfection unto perfect holiness, and from palpa-
ble darkness into the vital splendor of the face of
God ! Thou goest not among enemies, but to dear-
est friends; not amongst mere strangers, but to
many whom thou hast known by sight, and to more
whom thou hast known by faith, and must know by
the sweetest communion for ever. Thou goest not

158 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

to unsiitislied justice, nor to a coudemniDg, unrecon-
ciled God; but to love itself, to infinite goodness,
the fountain of all created and communicated good;
to the Maker, Eedeemer, and Sanctifier of souls; to
Him who prepared heaven for thee, and now hath
prepared thee for heaven. Go forth then in tri-
umph, and not w^ith terror, O my soul! The prize
is Avon: possess the things which thou hast so long
prayed for, and sought! Make haste and enter into
thy Masters joy! Go view the glory which thou
hast so long heard of; and take thy place in the
heavenly choir; and bear thy part in their celestial
melody! Sit down w^ith Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
in the kingdom of God; and receive that which
Christ in His covenant did promise to give thee at
the last. Go boldly to that blessed God, w^ith
wdiom thou hast so poAverful a Mediator, and to the
throne of whose grace thou hast had so oft and
sweet access.

Second Comixg of Christ.

O BLESSED day, Vvdien our blessed Hend shall
be revealed from heaven with His mighty
angels, and shall come to be glorified in His saints
and admired in all them that now believe; v/hose
weakness here occasioned His dishonor and their own
contempt! When the seed of grace is grown up into
glory, and all the world, whether they will or not,
shall discern between the righteous and the wicked,
between him that serveth God and him that serveth
Him not; between the clean and the unclean, and

RICHARD BAXTER. 159

between him that sweareth and him that feareth an
oath. And thonijh now ' onr life is hid with Christ
in God,' and it yet ' appeareth not (to the sight of
onrselvcs or others) what we shall be; yet then when
Christ who is our life shall appear, w^e also shall
appear with Ilim in glory.' Away then, my soul,
from tills dark, deceitful and vexatious world! Love
not thy diseases, thy fetters and calamities. Groan
daily to thy Lord, and earnestly groan to be clothed
upon with thy house that is from heaven: 2 Cor. v.
2, 4: that mortality may be swallowed up of life!
Join in the harmonious desires of the creatures, Avho
groan to be delivered from the bondage of corrup-
tion, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God:
Eom. viii. 20-22. 'Abide in Him and walk in
righteousness; that, wdien He shall appear, thou
mayest have confidence and not be ashamed before
Him at His comino;.'

O watch and pray that thou enter not into tempta-
tion! and be patient for the Judge is at the door!
Lift up thy head with earnest expectation, O my
soul, for thy redemption draweth near! Rejoice in
hope before thy Lord, for He conieth; He cometh to
judge the world in righteousness and truth. Behold,
He cometh quickly, though faith be failing and
iniquity abound, and love waxeth cold and scoficrs
say, Where is the promise of His coming? Make
haste, O Thou wdiom my soul desireth, and come in
glory as Thou first camest in humility, and conform
them to Thyself in glory whom Thou madcst con-
formable to Thy sufferings and humility! Let the

160 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

holy city, new Jerusalem, be prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband; and let God's tabernacle
be with men, that He may dwell with them and be
their God, and wipe away their tears; and death and
sorrow, and crying and pain may be no more, but
former things may pass away! Keep np our faith,
our hope, our love, and daily vouchsafe us some
beams of Thy directing, consolatory light in this our
darkness, and be not as a stranger to Thy scattered
flock in this desolate wilderness. But let them hear
Thy voice and find Thy ]3resence, and have such con-
versation with Thee in heaven, in the exercise of
faith, and hope, and love, which is agreeable to their
low and distant state. Testify to their souls that
Thou art their Saviour and Head, and that they abide
in Thee, by the Spirit which Thou hiist given them,
abiding and overcoming in them, and as Thy agent
preparing them for eternal life. O let not our
darkness nor Thy strangeness feed our odious un-
belief! O show Thyself more clearly to Thy
redeemed ones ! And come and dwell in our
hearts by faith! And by holy love let us d\vell in
God, and God in us, that ^ye grope not after Him,
as those that worship an unknown God. O save us
from temptation! And if the messenger of Satan be
sent to buffet us, let Thy strength be manifest in our
weakness, and Thy grace appear sufficient for us.
And give us the patience which Thou tellest us we
need, that having done Thy will we may inherit the
promise. And bring us to the sight and fruition of
our Creator, of whom, and through whom, and to

lilCHAKD BAXTER. 161

whom are all lliiiigs; to whom be glory forever.
Amen.

The Saints' Joy.

JOY is itself a part of the holy qualification of the
saints, and of the renewed state that grace hath
brought them into. ' For the kingdom of God, as
it consisteth in righteousness, so in peace and joy in
the Holy Ghost,' Rom. xiv. 17. Believers 'receive
not the spirit of bondage again to fear;' that is, they
are not under the bondage of the law, nor have the
spirit or state of mind which is suited to those legal
impositions and terrible comminations: but they
' have received the spirit of adoption by which they
cry, Abba, Father;' that is, as they are brought under
a more gracious dispensation, and a better covenant
and promises, and God is revealed to them in the
gospel as a reconciled Father through His Son, so
doth He treat them more gently as reconciled child-
ren, and the spirit which answer eth this gi'acious
covenant, and is given us thereupon, doth qualify us
with a child-like disposition, and cause us with bold-
ness, love, and confidence to call God Father, and
fly to Him for succor and supply in all our dangers
and necessities. And how pleasant it must be to a
believing soul, to have this ' spirit of adoption, this
child-like love and confidence and freedom with the
Lord, methinks you might conjecture, though it is
sensibly known by them only that enjoy it: Gal. v.
22, 'The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,' &c.
When the word is first received by believers, though

162 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

it may be in much affliction, through the persecu-
tions and cross that attend the gospel, yet is it ordi-
narily 'in the joy of the Holy Ghost,' 1 Thess. i. G.
The Holy Ghost is the comforter of true believers;
and if He have taken it upon Him as His work He
will surely do it, in the degree and season fittest for
them. And if joy itself be part of the state of grace
and holiness, you may see that is the most delight-
ful, 23leasant course.

O blessed life! where all that is as^ainst us is for-
bidden, and all that is truly joyous and delightful
and necessary to make us happy, is commanded us
and made our duty; which is contrary to misery as
life to death, and as light to darkness. Come hither,
poor deluded sinners that fly from care, and fear and
sorrow. If you will but give up yourselves to Christ
you shall be exempted from all these, except such as
is necessary to your joy. You may do anything, if
you will be the servants of the Lord, except that
which tendeth to your own and other men's calamity.
Come hither, all you that call for pleasure, and love
no life but a life of mirth. Let God be your Master
and holiness your work, and pleasure then shall be
your business and holy mirth shall be your employ-
ment. While you serve the flesh your pleasure is
small and your trouble great; vexation is your work
and unspeakable vexation is 3^our wages. But if
you will be the hearty servants of the Lord, re-
joicing shall be your work and wages. If you un-
derstand not this, peruse your lesson. Psalm xxxiii.
1: 'Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous, for praise

PJCITARl) BAXTER. 1G3

is comely for the upriglit.' 'Liglit is sown for the
righteous and gladness for the upright in heart.
Kejoice in the Lord, jg righteous; and give thanks
at the remembrance of His holiness,' Psalm xcvii. 11,
12. 'Let all those that trust in Thee rejoice: let
them ever shout for joy, because Thou defendest
them: let them also that love Thy name be joyful in
Thee,' Pliil. iii. 1; Psalm v. 11. 'Be glad in the
Lord and rejoice ye righteous, and shout for joy all
ye that are upright in heart,' Psalm xxxii. 11. ' Let
Thy priests be clothed with righteousness, and let
Thy saints shout for jo^^,' Psalm cxxxii. 9. ' I will
also clothe her priests with salvation; and her saints
shall shout aloud for joy/ ver. 16. Such precepts
and promises abound in Scripture, which tell you,
if you will be saints indeed, that joy and gladness
must be your life and work.

The "Word of God.

HOW sweet is it to be exercised in the W^ord of
God! in hearing or reading it with serious
meditation! for the man that hath been revived by it,
renewed, sanctified, saved by it, to hear that power-
ful, heavenly truth, by which his soul was thus made
new! for the soul that is in love with God, to hear
or see His blessed name on every leaf! To read His
will, and find the expressions of His love, His greats
eternal, wondrous love; how sweet this is, experience
tells the saints that feel it. If you that feel no
sweetness in it, believe not them that say they feel
it, at least believe the Avord of God and the profes-

164: DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

sions of Ills ancient saints. ' Qli how I love Tliy
law! it is my meditation all the clay. How sweet are
Thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than the
honey and the honej^comb. I have rejoiced in the
way of Thy testimonies as in all riches. I will de-
light myself in Thy statutes: I will not forget Thy
word. Thy testimonies arc my delight and my
counsellors. I will delight myself in Thy command-
ments which I have loved, and I will meditate in
Thy statutes. The law of Thy mouth is better to
me than thousands of gold and silver. Unless Thy
law had been mj delight, I had perished in my
affliction. I will never forget Thy precepts, for
with them Thou hast quickened me. Thy testimo*
nies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they
are the rejoicing of my heart. I love Thy com-
mandments above gold, yea, above fine gold. I re-
joice at Thy word as one that findeth great spoil.
Great peace have they that love Thy law, and noth-
ing shall ofiend them.

Love of God.

THE love of God is so sweet an exercise, that
verily, my soul had rather be employed in it
with sense and vigor, than to be lord of all the earth.
Oh could I but be taken up with the love of God,
how easily could I spare the pleasure of the flesh!
Might I but see the loveliness of my dear Creator w^ith
a clearer view, and see His glory in His noble works;
might I but see and feel that saving love which He
hath manifested in the Redeemer, till my soul were

RICHARD BAXTER. 165

ravished luid fillednvitli His love, how little should
I care who had the pleasures of this deceitful world!
Had I more of that blessed spirit of adoption, and
more of those filial afiections to my heavenly Father,
which His unutterable love bespeaks; and were I
more sensible of His abundant mercy, and did my
soul but breathe and long after Him more earnestly,
I w^ould pity the miserable tyrants of the world, that
are worse than beggars wdiile they domineer, and
taste not of that kingdom of love and pleasure that
dwelleth in my breast. All the pleasures of the
world are the laughing of a madman, or the sports
of a child, or the dreams of a sick man, in comparison
of the pleasures of the love of God.

Everlasting Joys of Heaven.

"TT T^HEN our joys are at the sweetest, this thought
V V must needs be part of that sweetness, that
their sweetness shall never have an end. If our
foretaste be joy unspeakable and full of glory, what
sliall we call that joy which flows from the most
perfect fruition and perpetuation? 1 Pet. i. 7, 8. We
have joy here, but alas, how seldom! alas, how small
in comparison of what we may there expect! Some
joy we have, but how oft do melanchol}^, or crosses,
or losses in the world, or temptations, or sins, or
desertions interrupt it! Our sun is here most com-
monly under a cloud, and too often in an eclipse;
and we have the night as often as the day. Yea,
our state is usually a winter; our days are cold and
short, and our nis^hts are lono-. But when the flourish-

1G6 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

ing state of glory comes, we shall have no intermis-
sions nor eclipses. 'The path of the just is as the
shining light, that shineth more and more unto the
perfect clay,' Pro v. iv. 18. And the perfect day is a
perpetual day, that knows no interruption by the
darkness of the niffht. 'For there shall be no nio^ht
there, nor need of candle or sun; for the Lord God
giveth them light, and they shall reign for ever and
ever,' Rev. xxii. 5. This is the life that fears no
death, and this is the feast that fears no want or
future famine; the pleasure that knows nor fears pain;
the health that knows nor fears sickness: this is the
treasure that fears no moth, or rust, or thief; the
building that fears no storm nor decay, the king-
dom that fears no changes by rebellion; the friend-
ship that fears no falling out; the love that fears no
hatred or frustration; the glory that fears no envious
eye; the possessed inheritance that fears no ejection
by fraud, or force, or any failings; the joy that feels
or fears no sorrow.

Eepose of the Soul.

THE trust and repose of the soul on God, which
is another part of the life of grace, is exceeding
pleasant and quieting to the soul. To find that we
stand upon a Rock, and that under us are the ever-
lasting arms, and that we have so full security for
oiu- salvation as the promise and oath of the immu-
ttible God, what a stay, what a pleasure is tliis to the
])eliever! The troubles of the godly are most from
the remnants of their unbelief The more they be-

T^TCIIArJ) BAXTER. 1G7

licvc, the more they are comforted and established.
The life of faith is a pleasant life. Faith could not
conquer so many enemies, and carry us through so
much suffering and distress, as you find in that cloud
of testimonies, Heb. xi., if it were not a very com-
fortable work. Even we that see not the salvation
ready to be revealed, may yet greatly rejoice, for all
the manifold temptations, that for a season make us
subject to some heaviness, 1 Pet. i. 5, 6. And we
' that see not Jesus Christ, yet believing can love
Him, and rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of
glor}^,' ver. 8. The God of hope doth sometimes
' fill His servants with all joy and peace in believing,
and makes them even aboimd in hope through the
power of the Holy Ghost,' Eom. xv. 13.

How TO Live a PLEAS^iNT Life.

IF you would live a pleasant life draw near to God,
and by faith behold Him, and by love adhere to
Him, and take a view of His infinite goodness and
all His perfections, and behold Him in His wondrous
Avorks, and then break forth into His cheerful praises,
and you shall taste such pleasures as the earth affbrd-
eth not. Launch forth into the boundless ocean of
eternity, and let your hearts and tongues expatiate
in the praise of the Heavenly Majesty, and use this
work, and ply it close, and be not too seldom or cus-
tomary, or careless in it, and you shall find the difier-
ence between the pleasures of faith and of the flesh,
of a holy and of a sensual life. ' Ye that stand in
the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of

168 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

our God, praise the Lord; for the Lord is good; sing
praises to His name, for it is pleasant,' Psalm cxxxy.
2, 3. ' Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise and
with Thy honor all the day,' Psalm Ixxi. 8. ' Sing
unto the Lord: bless His name; show forth His sal-
vation from day to day. Honor and majesty are be-
fore Him: strength and beauty are in His sanctuary,'
Psalm xcvi. 2, 6.

Oh that the Lord will but shine upon my soul with
the light of His countenance, and open my heart to
the entertainment of His love, and hold a gracious
communion with my soul by His Holy Spirit, and
keep open these doors to me, and continue this
liberty of His house and ordinances which we enjoy
this day, that I may join with a faithful, humble
people, in holy communion, and in His praise and
worship, and that with a heart that is suitable to
these works! I shall then say with David, 'The
lines are fallen to me in pleasant places; I have a
goodly heritage,' Psalm xvi. 6. I will ask for no
greater pleasures or honors, or advancement in this
world! Let who will surfeit on the pleasures of the
flesh; here doth my soul delight to dwell! ' One
thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek
after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all
the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the
Lord, and to inquire in His holy temple. For in
the time of trouble He will hide me in His pavilion;
and in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me;
He shall set me up upon a rock. And then shall my
head bo lifted up above mine enemies round about

rvlCTIAllD BAXTER. 1G9

me: therefore will I offer in His tabenuiele sacrifices
of joy, I will sing, yea, I will sing praises to the
Lord,' Psalm xxvii. 4 — 6. Till I come to the prom-
ised everlasting pleasures, I shall ask of God no
greater pleasures. These would be as much as my
soul in the prison of flesh could bear. Till I come
to the land of promise, may I but have these clusters
of its grapes in my present wilderness, I shall not
repine: 'My heart here shall be glad, and my glory
shall rejoice, and at death my flesh shall rest in
hope.' For as the Lord now showeth me the ' path
of life,' so in His ' presence is fullness of jo}^, and at
His right hand are pleasures for evermore,' Psalm
xvi. 9, 11.

Th.vne:sgiving ^vnd Praise.

ANOTHER duty that holiness consisteth in, is
thanksgiving and praise to the God of our
salvation. He that knows not that this w^ork is
pleasant, is unacquainted with it. If there be any
thing pleasant in this world, it is the praises of God
that flow from a believing, loving soul, that is full
of the sense of the mercies and goodness and excel-
lences of the Lord; especially the unanimous con-
junction of such souls, in the high praises of God in
the holy assemblies. Is it not pleasant even to name
the Lord? to mention His attributes? to remember His
great and wondrous works? to magnify Him that
rideth on the heavens, that dwellcth in the light that
cannot be approached, that is clothed with majesty
and glory, that infinitely surpasseth the sun in its

170 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

briglitness- that hath His throne in the heavens, and
the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him; and yet
He delighteth in the humble soul, and hath respect
to the contrite; yea, dwells with them that tremble
at His word? Is any thing so pleasant as the praises
of the Lord? How sweet is it to see and praise Him as
the Creator, in the various wonderful creatures which
He hath made! How pleasant to observe His works
of providence, to them that read them by the light of
the sanctuary, and in faith and patience learn the
interpretation from Him that only can interpret them!
But oh how unspeakably pleasant is it to see the
Father in the Son, and the Godhead in the manhood
of our Lord, and the riches of grace in the glass of
the holy gospel, and the manifold wisdom of God in
the Church, where the angels themselves disdain not
to behold it! Eph. iii. 10, 11. The praising of God
for the incarnation of His Son, w^as a work that a
choir of angels were employed in as the instructors
of the church, Luke ii. 13, 14. There is not a
promise in the Book of God, nor one passage of the
life and miracles of Christ, and the rest of the history
of the gospel, nor one of the holy works of the Spirit
upon the soul, nor one of those thousand mercies to
the Church, or to ourselves or friends, that infinite
goodness doth bestow, but contain such matter of
praise to God, as might fill believing hearts with
pleasure, and find them most delightful work; much
more when all these are at once before us, what a
feast is there for a gracious soul!

richard baxter. 171

The Redeemed in Glory.

THE true believer hath the small beginnings, and
earnests and foretastes of the everlasting bless-
edness in this life in his approaches to God, and liv-
ing upon Him by faith and love, and in his believing
apprehensions of the favor of God, the grace of
Christ, and the happiness which in heaven he shall
enjoy for ever.

At death the souls of true believers do go to Christ,
and enter upon a state of happiness.

At the last day the body shall be raised and uni-
ted to the soul, and the Lord Jesus Christ will come
in glory to judge the world, where He wull openly
absolve and justify the righteous, when He coii-
demneth the ungodly, and will be glorified in His
saints and admired in all them that do believe; and
the saints shall also judge the w^orld, and be them-
selves adjudged to everlasting glory.

Their everlasting habitation shall be in the heavens,
even near unto God, and in the presence of His glory.

Their company will be only blessed spirits, even
the holy angels and glorified saints, with whom we
shall be one body and constitute the new Jerusalem,
and be perfectly one in God for ever.

Their bodies shall be perfected and made immor-
tal, spiritual, incorruptible, and glorious bodies,
shining as the stars in the celestial firmament; no
more subject to hunger and thirst, or cold or weari-
ness, or shame or pain, nor any of the frailties that
now adliere unto them, lint be made like the glorified
bodv of Christ.

172 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

The souls of the saints united to these bodies shall
also be perfected, having far larger capacity to know
God and enjoy Him than now w^e have; being freed
from all ignorance, error, unbelief, pride, hard-
heartedness, and whatsoever sin doth now accompany
us; and perfected in every part of the image of God
upon us.

The eyes of the glorified body shall in heaven have
a glory to behold, that is suitable to their bodily
capacity; — Heaven being not a place where the
essence of God is eonfined, but where a prepared
glory will be manifested to make happy the angels
and saints with Christ. And whatever other senses
the glorified bodies shall then have, (whether for-
mally or eminently, we cannot now conceive what
they will be,) they will all be satisfied with suitable
deli2:hts from God.

The blessed Person of our Redeemer in our nature
glorified, will there be the everlasting object of our
delightful intuition and fruition: an object suitable
to the eye of the glorified body itself. We shall
for ever live in the sight of His face, and in.the sense
of His unspeakable love.

The glorified soul (whether mediately or immedi-
ately) shall behold the infinite, most blessed God,
and by knowing Him be perfected in knowledge.
As we shall see the Person of Jesus Chi'ist, and the
glory of God with open fixce, and not as in a glass
as now we do, so we shall know so much of the es-
sence of the Deity as we are capable of, to our felicity.

With the knowledge of God, and the beatifical

RICHARD .BAXTER. 173

vision, will be joined a perfect love unto Him, and
closure with His blessed will. So that to love Him
will be the everlasting employment of the soul.

This love will be drawn forth into everlasting
praise; and it will be our work before the throne of
His glory to magnify the Lord forever.

In all this love and praise and glory, and in the
full fruition of the eternal God, we shall rejoice with
full and perfect joy, and we shall have full content,
delis^ht and rest.

In all this blessedness and glory of the saints, the
glory of God Himself w^ill shine, and angels shall ad-
mire it, and the condemned spirits with anguish shall
discern it, that God may be glorified in our glory.

In all this happiness of believers and His own
glory, the Lord will be well pleased, and that bless-
ed will wliich is the beginning and end of all, will
be accomplished and will have an eternal compla-
cency, as the saints shall have an endless complacency
in God.

Heavenly Recognition.

YOU cannot justly think that the knowledge of
the glorified shall be more confused or imper-
fect than the knowledge of natural men on earth.
We shall know much more, but not so much less.
Heaven exceedeth earth in knowledge, as much as
it doth in joy.

The angels in heaven have now a distinct, })articu-
lar knowledge of the least believers, rejoicing par-
ticularly in their conversion, and ])cing called by

174 DEVOTIONAI. THOUGHTS.

Christ Himself ' their angels.' Therefore, when ^ve
shall be equal to the angels, we shall certainly know
our nearest friends that there dwell with us, and
are employed in the same attendance.

Abraham knew the rich man in hell, and the rich
man knew Abraham and Lazarus: therefore 'VN^e shall
have as distinct a knowledge.

The two disciples knew Moses and Elias in the
mount, whom they had never seen before; though
it is possible Christ told them who they were, yet
there is no such thing expressed; and therefore it is
as probable that they knew them by the communi-
cation of their irradiating glory: much more shall
we be then illuminated to a clearer knowledge.

It is said expressly, 1 Cor. xiii. 10-12, that our
present knowledge shall be done away only^ in
regard of its imperfection; and not of itself, which
shall be perfected: ' When that which is perfect is
come, then that which is in part shall be done
away;' as we put away childish thoughts and
speeches, when we become men: the change will
be from ' seeing in a glass ' to ' seeing face -to face,'
and from ' knowing in part ' to ' knowing even as we
are known.'

And that w^e shall both know and love and
rejoice in creatures, even in heaven, notwithstand-
ing that God is all in all, appeareth further thus:

Christ, in His glorified humanity, is a creature;
and yet there is no doul)t but all His members will
there know and love Him in His glorified humanity,
without any derogation from the glory of His Deity.

RICHARD BAXTER. 175

The body of Christ will continue its union, and
every member will be so nearly related, even in
heaven, that they cannot choose b«t know and love
each other. Shall we be iofnorant of the members
of our body? and not be concerned in their felicity
with whom we are so nearly one?

The state and felicity of the Church hereafter, is
frequently described in Scripture as consisting in
society. It is a kingdom, the city of God, the
heavenly Jerusalem; and it is mentioned as part
of our happiness to be of that society, Heb. xii.
22-24, &c.

It is put into the description of the happiness of'
the saints, that they shall come from the east, aiid
from the west, and shall sit down with Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God. There-
fore they shall know them, and take some comfort
in their presence.

Love to Saints m Heaven.

LOVE, even to the saints, as well as unto God,
is one of the graces which shall endure for
ever, 1 Cor. xiii. It is exercised upon an immortal
object, the image and children of the Most High,
and therefore must be one of the immortal graces.
For grace in the nature of it dieth not; and there-
fore if the object cease not, how should the grace
cease, unless you will call its perfecting a ceasing?

I must profess, from the very experience of my
soul, that it is the belief that I shall love my friends
in heaven, that principally kiudleth my love to them

176 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

on eartli; and if I tlionglit I shonlcl never know them
after death, and consequently never love them more,
when this life is- ended, I should in reason number
them with temporal things, and love them compara-
tively but a little; even as I love other transitory
things, allowing for the excellency in the nature of
grace. Bat now I converse with some delight with
my godly friends, as believing I shall converse with
them for ever, and take comfort in the very dead
and absent, as believing we shall shortly meet in
heaven: and I love them, I hope, with a love that
is of a heavenly nature, while I love' them as the
heirs of heaven, with a love which I expect shall
there be perfected, and more fully and for ever
exercised.

Loss OF Pious Feiends.

DO you not seem to forget where you are your-
selves, and where you must shortly and for
ever live ? Where would you have your friends,
but where you must be yourselves? Do you mourn
that they are taken hence? Why, if they had staid
here a thousand years, how little of that time should
you have had their company? When you are
almost leaving the world yourselves, would you
not send your treasure before you to the place
where you must abide? Hovf quickly will you
pass from hence to God, w^here you shall find your
friends that you lamented as if they had been lost,
and there shall dwell w^ith them for ever! O fool-
ish mourners! would you not have your friends at

RICHARD BAXTER. 177

home? at their home and your home, with their
Father and your Father, their God and your God?
Shall you not there enjoy them long enough? Can
you so much miss them for one day, that must live
with them to all eternity? and is not eternity long-
enough to enjoy ^-our friends in?

Live by Faith.

LIVE still by faith; let faith lay heaven and
earth as it Avere together. Look not at God
as if He were afar off; set Him always as before
you, even as at your right hand, Psalm xvi. 8. Be
still Avith Him Avhen you awake. Psalm cxxxix. 18.
Li the morning thaiilv Him for your rest; and de-
liver up yourself to His conduct and service for that
day. Go forth as Avith Him, and to do His work; do
every action with the command of God and the
promise of heaven before your eyes, and upon your
hearts: live as those that have incomparably more
to do Avith God and heaven, than Avith all this
Avorld; that you may say Avith David, 'Whom
have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none on
earth that I desire besides Thee:' Psalm Ixxiii.
25, 26. And Avith Paul, 'To me to live is Christ,
and to die is gain:' Phil. i. 21. You must shut up
the eye of sense, save as subordinate to faith, and
live by faith upon a God, a Christ, and a Avorld that
is unseen, if you Avould know by experience Avhat it
is to be above the brutish life of sensualists, and to
converse Avith God. O Christian , if thou hadst rightly

learned this blessed life, Avhat a high and noble soul-
s'

178 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

conversation wouldst thou have ! How easily Avouldst
thou spare, and how little wouldst thou miss, the
favor of the greatest, the presence of any worldly
comfort! City or solitude would he much alike to
thee, saving that the place and state would be best
to thee, where thou hast the greatest help and free-
dom to converse with God.

Thus being taken up with God, thou mightest live
in prison as at liberty, and in a wilderness as in a
city, and in a place of banishment as in th}^ native
land; * for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness
thereof;' and every where thou mayst find Him, and
converse with Him, and lift up pure hands unto
Him: in every place thou art within the sight of
home; and heaven is in thine eye, and thou art con-
versing with that God, in whose converse the high-
est angels do place their highest felicity and delight.

Contemplation of God.

WHEREVER our friends are, God is still at
hand to be the most profitable, honorable,
and delightful ol)ject of our thoughts. There is
enough in Him to take up all the faculties of my
soul. He that is but in a well-furnished library,
may find great and excellent employment for his
thoughts many years together; and so may he that
liveth in the open world, and hath all the visible
works of God to meditate upon: but all this were
nothinof if God were not the sense of books and
creatures., and the matter of all these noble studies.
He that is alone, and hath only God Himself to

RICHARD BAXTER. 179

study, hath the matter and sense of all the books
and creatures in the world, to employ his thoughts
upon. He never need to want matter for his medi-
tation, that hath God to meditate on. He need not
want matter of discourse, whether mental or vocal,
that hath God to talk of, though he have not the
name of any other friend to mention. All our affec-
tions may have iuHiifi the highest and most pleasant
work. The soul of man cannot have a more sweet
and excellent work than to love Him: he wanteth
neither work nor pleasure, that in his solitude is
taken up in the believing contemplations of Eternal
Love, and of all His blessed attributes and works.
Oh, then, what happy and delightful converse may
a believer have with God alone! He is always
present, and always at leisure to be spoken with;
and always willing of our access and audience.

Oh, how oft have I been solaced in God, when I
found nothing but deceit and darkness in the world !
How oft hath He comforted me, when it was past the
power of man! How oft hath He relieved and
delivered me, when all the help of man was vain!
It hath been my stay and rest, to look to Him, when
the creature hath been a broken staff, and deceitful
friends have been but as a broken tooth, or a foot
that is out of joint (as Solomon spcaketh of con-
fidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble,
Prov. XXV. 29). Verily, as the world were but a
horrid dungeon without the sun, so it were a howl-
ing wilderness, a place of no considerable employ-
ment or delight, were it not that in it we may live

180 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

to God and do Him service, and sometimes be
refreshed with the light of His countenance, and
the communications of His love.

Solitude.

rr^^HOUGH a wilderness is not heaven, it shall be
jL sweet and welcome, for the sake of heaven, if
thence I may but have a clearer prospect of it; and
if by retiring from the crowd and noise of folly, I
may but be more composed and better disposed to
converse above, and to use my faith (alas! my too
weak, languid faith) until the beatifical vision and
fruition come. If there may be but more of God,
or readier access to Him, or more heart-quickening
flames of love, or more heart-comforting intimations
of His favor, in a wilderness than in a cit}^, in a
prison than in a palace, let that wilderness be my
city, and let that prison be my palace, while I must
abide on earth. If. in solitude I may have Enoch's
walk with God, .1 shall in due season have such a
translation as shall bring me to the same felicity
which he enjoy eth; and in the mean time^ as well
as after, it is no disadvantage, if by mortal eyes I
be seen no more. If the chariot of contemplation
Avill in solitude raise me to more believing, affec-
tionate converse with heaven^ than I could expect in
tumults and temptations, it shall reconcile me unto
solitude, and make it my paradise on earth, till an-
gels, instead of the chariot of Elias, shall convey
me to the presence of my glorified Head, in the
celestial paradise.

iiiciiaiid baxter. 181

Infinite Goodness of God.
ry^HIS Infinite goodness should be the matter of
_L our daily praises. He that cannot cheerfully
magnify this attribute of God, so suitable to the
nature of the will, is surely a stranger to the praises
of the Lord. The goodness of God should be a
daily feast to a gracious soul, and should continu-
ally feed our cheerful praises, as the spring or cis-
tern fills the pipes. I know no sweeter work on
earth, nay, I am sure there is no sweeter, than for
faithful, sanctified souls, rejoicingly to magnify the
goodness of the Lord, and join together in His
cheerful praises. O Christians, if you would taste
the joys of saints, and live like the redeemed of the
Lord indeed, be much in the exercise of this hea-
venly work, and with holy David, make it your
employment, and say, ' Oh how great is Thy good-
ness which Thou hast laid up for them that fear
Thee!' Psalm xxxi. 19. ' The earth is full of the
goodness of the Lord!' Psalm xxxiii. 5. What then
are the heavens? ' Thy congregation hath dwelt
therein: Thou, O Lord, hast prepared Thy goodness
for the poor.' ' Oh that men would praise the Lord
for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to
the children of men! for He satisfieth the lon<rin£r
soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness:'
Psalm cvii. 8, 9. ' The goodness of God endureth
continually:' Psalm lii. 1. ' Truly God is good to
Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart:' Psalm
Ixxiii. 1. ' O taste and see that the Lord is good,
blessed is the man that trusteth in Him:' Psalm

182 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

xxxiy. 8. ' The Lord is good, His mercy is ever-
lasting, His truth endureth from generation to gen-
eration:' Psalm c. 5. 'The Lord is good to all, and
His tender mercies are over all His works:'. Psalm
cxlv. 9. Oh praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant:' Psalm
cxxxv. 3. Call Him, as David, ' My goodness, and
my fortress, my high tower, and my deliverer, and
my shield, and He in whom I trust:' Psalm cxliv. 2.
' Let men therefore speak of the glorious honor of
His majesty and of His wondrous works: let them
a])undantly utter the memory of His great goodness,
and sino^ of His rjo^hteousness:' Psalm cxlv. 5, 7.
If there be a thought that is truly sweet to the
soul^ it is the. thought of the infinite goodness of
the Lord. If there be a pleasant w^ord for man to
speak, it is the mention of the infinite goodness of
the Lord. And if there be a pleasant hour for man
on earth to spend, and a delightful work for man to
do, it is to meditate on, and with the saints to praise,
the infinite goodness of the Lord. What was the
glory that God showed unto Moses, and the taste
of heaven that He gave him upon earth, but this,
' I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and
I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee;
and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious,
and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy i'
Exod. xxxiii. 19. And His proclaimed name was,
'The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious,
long-sufiering, and abundant in goodness and truth:'
Exod. xxxiv. 6. These were the holy praises that

mCHAKD BAXTER. 183

Solomon did consecrate the temple with, 'Arise, O
Lord God, into Thy resting-place. Thou and the ark
of Thy strength: let Thy priests, O Lord God, he
clothed with salvation, and let Thy saints rejoice
in goodness:' 2 Chron. vi. 41; see Isaiah Ixiii. O
Christians, if you would have joy indeed, let this be
your employment! Draw near to God, and have no
low undervaluino^ thouo'hts of His infinite o'oodness;
for, ' How great is His goodness and how great is His
beauty!' Zech. ix. 17. Why is it that divine con-
solations are so strange to us, but because divine
goodness is so lightly thought upon? As those that
think little of God at all, have little of God upon
their hearts; so they that think but little of His
goodness in particular, have little love, or joy, or
praise.

The Saviour's Condescension and Love.

OH wonderful, condescending love! Angels pro-
claimed it; and angels admire it, and search
into it, and in the Church's glass they still behold
the manifold wisdom of God: how low, then, should
redeemed sinners fall, in the humble admirations of
this grace! how high should they rise in the thank-
ful praise of their Redeemer!

He came on earth and conversed with men, to
make known to men the invisible God, and the un-
seen things of the world above. He came as the
Light and Saviour of the world, to bring to light
immortality and life. He was holy, liarmless, and
undefiled, separated from sinners, and fulfilling all

184 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

righteousness, that He might be a meet High Priest
and effectual Saviour of sinners. He taught us, by
His perfect doctrine and example, to be humble and
obedient, and to contemn this world; to deny our-
selves, and bear the cross, that we may attain the
everlasting crown of glory. He humbled Himself to
the false accusations and reproach of sinners, and to
the shameful and bitter death of the cross, to make
Himself a sacrifice and propitiation for our sins,
and a ransom for our guilty souls, that we might be
healed by His stripes. Oh matchless love, which
even for enemies, did thus lay down His precious
life! He hath conquered and sanctified death and
the grave to all believers. He, therefore, took part
of flesh and blood, that He might by death destroy
the devil that had the power of death, and deliver
them who, through the fear of death, were all their
lifetime subject unto bondage. He hath procured
for mankind a covenant of grace, and sealed it as
His testament with His l)lood. And now there is for-
giveness with Thee, that Thou mightest be cheerfully
feared and obeyed in hope. It was Thine own love
to the w^orld, O Father, which gave Thine only be-
gotten Son, that whosoever truly believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. Thou
wast in Christ reconciling the world unto Thyself,
and not imputing their sins unto them. Thou hast
committed the word of reconciliation to Thy minis-
ters, to beseech sinners, even in Thy name, and in
the stead of Christ, to be reconciled to Thee. Thou
commandest them to ofter Thy mercy unto all, and

RICHARD BAXTER. 185

by importunity to compel them to come in, that Thy
house may be filled, and Thy blessed feast may be
furnished with guests.

Heavenly Aspirations.

WE foresee, by faith, that happy day. We see,
by faith, the new Jerusalem; the innumera-
ble angels; the perfect spirits of the just; their glo-
rious light, their flaming love, their, perfect harmony.
Wg hear, by faith, their joyful songs of thanks and
praise. Lately they Avere as low and sad as we; in
sins and sorrows, in manifold weaknesses, sufierings,
and fears; but by faith and patience they have over-
come; and in faith and patience we desire to follow
our Lord and them. The time is near; this flesh
will quickly turn to dust, and our delivered souls
shall come to Thee: our life is short, and our sins
and sorrows will be short; then we shall have light:
we shall no more groan, and cry out in darkness. Oh
that Ave could know the Lord! then shall Ave love
Thee AAdth pure, unmixed, perfect love; and need no
more to groan and cry. Oh that our souls Avere in-
flamed with Thy love! then shall Ave praise Thee
Avith thankful alacrity and joy, which Avill exceed
our present apprehensions and desires.

O blessed streams of light and love, Avhich will
floAV from Thy opened, glorious face, upon our souls
forever! Hoav far Avill that cA^erlasting Sabbath,
and those perfect praises, excel these poor and dull
endeavors, as far as that triumphant city of God ex-
celleth this imperfect, childish, discomposed Church.

IQQ DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Quicken, Lord, our longing for that blessed state
and day! O come, Lord Jesus, come quickl}^, and
fulfill Thy word, that ayc may be with Thee where
Thou art, and may behold Thy glory!

Prayer for the Penitent.

OGOD, be merciful to me a sinner! I confess
not only my original sin, but the follies and
fury of my youth, my manifold sins of ignorance
and knowledge, of negligence and wilfulness, of
omission and commission, against the law of nature,
and against the grace and Gospel of Thy Son.
Forgive and save me, O my God, for Thy abundant
mercy, and for the sacrifice and merit of Thy Son,
and for the promise of forgiveness which Thou hast
made through Him; for in these alone is all my
trust. Condemn me not, who condemn myself. O
Thou that hast opened so precious a fountain for sin
and uncleanness, wash me thoroughly from my wick-
edness, and cleanse me from my sin. Though Thy
justice might send me presently to hell, let Thy
mercy triumph in my salvation. Thou hast no
pleasure in the death of sinners, but rather that
they repent and live. If my repentance be not
such as Thou requirest, O soften this hardened,
flinty heart, and give me repentance unto life. Turn
me to Thyself, O God of my salvation, and cause Thy
face to shine upon me. Create in me a clean heart,
and renew a right spirit within me. Meet not this
poor returning prodigal in Thy wrath, but with the
cmbracements of Thy tender mercies. Cast me not

raciiAiiD BAXTEr. 187

away from Thy presence, and sentence me not to
depart from Thee with the workers of iniqnity:
Thou who didst patiently endure me Avhen I
despised Thee, refuse me not, now I seek unto
Thee, and here in the dust implore Thy mercy.
Thou didst convert and pardon a wicked Manas-
seh, and a persecuting Saul, and there are multi-
tudes in heaven who were once Thine enemies.
Glorify also Thy superabounding grace in the for-
giveness of my abounding sins. Amen.

Crucified to the World.

WHEN once you are truly crucified to the
world, you will have the honor and the
comfort of a heavenly life. Your thoughts will be
daily steeped in the celestial delights, when other
men's are steeped in gall and vinegar. You will be
above with God, when your carnal neighbors con-
verse only with the world. Your thoughts will be
higher than their thoughts, and your ways than
their ways, as the heaven, where your converse is,
is higher than the earth. When you take flight from
earth in holy devotions, they may look at you, and
wonder at you, but cannot follow you; for whither
you go they cannot come, till they are such as 3'Ou.

Now OR Never.

HEAVEN is before you! Death is at hand!
The eternal God hath sent to call 3'pu!
Mercy doth yet stretch forth its arms! You have
staid too long, and abused patience too much alrea-

188 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

cly: stay no longer! O now please God, and com-
fort us, and save yourselves by resolving that this
shall be the day! and faithfully performing of this
your resolution. Up and be doing: believe, repent,
desire, obey, and do all this Avith all your might.
Love Him that you must love for ever, and love
Him with all your soul and might: seek that which
is truly worth a seeking, and will pay for all your
cost and pains: and seek it first with all your might;
remembering still it must be noio or never.

JOHN OWEN", D. D.
1616-1683.

Pkayer to Christ in Seasons of Distress.

'IMES of great distresses in conscience
through temptations and desertions, are
seasons requiring an application unto
Christ by especial invocation. Persons
in such conditions, when their souls, as
the psalmist speaks, are overwhelmed in them,
are continually solicitous about compassion and
deliverance. Some relief, some refreshment, they
often find in pity and compassion from them who
either have been in the same condition them-
selves, or by Scripture light do know the terror
of the Lord in these things. When their com-
plaints are despised, and their troubles ascribed
unto other causes than what they are really sensi-
ble of, and feel within themselves — as is commonly
done by physicians of no value — it is an aggrava-
tion of their distress and sorrow. And they great-
ly value every sincere endeavor for relief, either
by counsel or prayer. In this state and condition
the Lord Christ in the Gospel is projDosed as
full of tender compassion — as He alone who is able
to relieve them. In that Himself hath suffered,

190 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

being tempted, He is touched with a feeling of our
infirmities, and knows how to have compassion on
them that are out of the w^ay, Heb. ii. 18, iv. 15, v.
2. So is He also, as He alone who is able to succor,
to relieve, and to deliver them. 'He is able to suc-
cor them that are tempted,' chap. ii. 18. Hereon
are they drawn, constrained, encouraged to make
applications unto Him by prayer, that He would
deal with them according to His compassion and
powder. This is a season rendering the discharge
of this duty necessary. And hereby have innumer-
able souls found consolation, refreshment, and deli-
verance. A time of trouble is a time of the especial
exercise of faith m Christ. So Himself gives direc-
tion, John xiv. 1, 'Let not your heart be troubled:
ye believe in God, believe also in me.' Distinct
actings of faith on Christ are the great means of
supportment and relief in trouble. And it is by
especial invQcation, whereby they put forth and
exert themselves.

CoaiinuNiON OF Believers in Heavenly W.oeship.

BELIEVERS at present have, by faith, an admis-
sion into communion with the Church above,
in all its divine worship. For Ave ' are come unto
mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable
company of angels, to the general assembly and
Church of the first-born, which are written in hea-
ven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits
of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator

JOHN OAVEN. 191

of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling,
that speaketh better things than that of Abel,' Heb.
xii. 22-24.

In this holy assembly and worship have we
communion by faith whilst we are here below,
Heb. X. 19-22. O that my soul might abide and
abound in this exercise of faith! that I might yet
enjoy a clearer prospect of tTiis glor}^, and inspec-
tion into the beauty and order of this blessed assem-
bly! How inconceivable is the representation that
God here makes of the glory of His wisdom, love,
grace, goodness, and mercy, in Christ! How excel-
lent is the manifestation of the glory and honor of
Christ in His person and offices! the glory given
Him by the Father! How little a portion do we
know, or can have experience in, of the refreshing,
satiating communications of divine love and good-
ness, unto all the members of this assembly; or of
that unchangeable delight in beholding the glory
of Christ, and of God in Him, — of that ardency of
affections wherewith they cleave unto Him, and con-
tinual exultation of spirit, whereby they triumph in
the praises of God, that are in all the members of it!
To enter into this assembly by faith, — to join with
it in the assignation of praises unto ' Him that sit-
teth on the throne, and to the Lamb for evermore,' —
to labor after a frame of heart in holy affections and
spiritual delight in some correspondency with that
which is in the saints above, — is the duty, and ought
to be the design, of the Church of believers here
below. So mucli as we are furthered and assisted

192 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

herein by our present ordinances, so much benefit
and advantage have we by them, and no more. A
constant view of Jthis glory will cast contempt on
all the desirable things of this world, and deliver
our minds from any dreadful apprehensions of what
is most terrible therein.

Visions of 'Celestial Gloky.

ALL is open unto the saints above. We are in
the dust, the blood, the noise of the battle;
they are victoriously at peace, and have a perfect
vicAV of what they have passed through, and what
they have attained unto. They are come to the
springs of life and light, and are filled with admira-
tion of the grace of God in themselves and one
another. "What they see in God and in Jesus Christ,
what they have experience of in themselves, what
they know and learn from others, are all of them
inconceivable and inexpressible. It is well for us,
if we have so much experience of these things as
to see a real glory in the fulness and perfection of
them. The apprehensions by sight, without mixture
of unsteadiness or darkness, without the alloy of
fears or temptations, with an inefiable sense of the
things themselves on their hearts or minds, are the
springs or motives of the holy worship which is in
heaven.

JOHN OWEN. 193

The Saints' Kest.

THIS, in general, is the first thing that the dis-
missed saints are at rest from: They sin no
more, they wound the Lord Jesus no more, they
trouble their own souls no more, they grieve the
Spirit no more, they dishonor the gospel no more, —
they are troubled no more with Satan's temptations
without, no more with their own corruption within;
but lie down in a constant enjoyment of one ever-
lasting victory over sin, wdth all its attendants: saith
the Spirit, 'They rest from their labors,' Rev. xiv.,
those labors which make them faint and weary, their
contending with sin to the uttermost. They are no
more cold in communion; they have not one thought
that wanders off from God to eternity. They lose
Him no more, but always lie down in His ])osom,
without the least possibility of disturbance. Even
the very remembrance of sin is sweet unto them,
when they see God infinitely exalted and admired in
the pardon thereof. They are free from trouble, and
that both as to doino^ and sufferino*. Few of the
saints but are called out, in one kind or another, to
both these. Every one is either doing for God or
suffering for God; some both do and suffer great
things for Him. In either of them there is pain,
weariness, travail, labor, trouble, sorrow, and anxiety
of spirit; neither is there any eminent doing or
working for God but is carried on with much suffer-
ing to the outward man.

The apostle tells us that ' there remaineth a rest
for the people of God;' and yet w^ithal, that they

194 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

who believe are entered into that rest; those who in
their labors, in their travails, do take in the sweet-
ness of that promise of rest, do even in their labor
make an entrance thereinto.

They rest from all trouble and anxiety that attend
them in their pilgrimage, either in doing or suffering
for God: Heb.^ iv. 10. They enter into rest, and
cease from their works. God wipes all tears
from their eyes. There is no more watching, no
more fasting, no more wrestling, no more fighting,
no more blood, no more sorrow; the ransomed of
the Lord do return with everlasting joy on their
heads, and sorrow and sighing flee away. There,
tyrants pretend no more title to their kingdom;
rebels lie not in wait for their blood; they are no
more awakened by the sound of the trumpet, nor the
noise of the instruments of death: they fear not for
their relations, they weep not for their friends; the
Lamb is their temple, and God is all in all unto
them. Yet, — -

This will not complete their rest; something
farther is required thereto, — even something to
satisfy, everlastingly content, and fill them in the
state and condition wherein they are. Free them in
your thoughts from what you please, without this
they are not at rest. This, then, you have in the
second place, God is the rest of their souls: Psalm
cxvi, ' Return to thy rest, O my soul.' Dismissed
saints rest in the bosom of God, because in the fruition
and enjoyment of Him they are everlastingly satisfied,
as havinc: attained the utmost end whereto thev were

JOHN OWEX. 195

created, all the blessedness whereof they are capable.
I could almost beg for liberty a little to expatiate in
this meditation of the sweet, gracious, glorious,
satisfied condition of a dismissed saint.

The Word of God.

THE entrance of it hath given light to my soul,
which was before in darkness, not knowino:
whither it went. How many glorious mysteries do
I see in it! what purity, what spirituality, what holi-
ness! etc. — all which speak the wisdom and power,
and goodness and holiness, and truth of the Author
of it. What sweetness have I tasted in it! It hath
been as the ' honey and honeycomb' to me. Psalm
xix. 10. What power, what life, what strange en-
ergy have I experienced in it! What a change hath
it wrought in me! What lusts hath it discovered
and mortified! What duties hath it convinced me
of, and engaged me in! What strength hath it furn-
ished me with! How hath it quickened me w^hen I
was dead in sin, revived my comforts when they
were djdng, actuated my graces when they were
languishing, roused me up when I was sluggish,
awaked me when I was dreaming, refreshed me when
I was sorrowful, supported me when I was sinldng,
answered my doubts, conquered my temptations,
scattered my fears, enlarged me with desires, and
filled me 'with joy unspeakable and full of glory!'
1 Pet. i. 8. And what word could ever have wrought
such effects but that of the eternal, all-wise, all-
powerful God? And therefore upon HLs alone an-

196 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

thority I receive it; Him alone I adore in it, whose
power I have so often found working by it.

A Hiding Place from the Wind.

CHRIST is a ' hiding-place.' He that was ready
to be cast from the top of a rock with a strong
wind, would desire nothing more than a hiding-place
until the strong blast were over. When fierce winds
have driven a vessel at sea from all its anchors, so
that it hath nothing to keep it from splitting on the
next rock whereunto it is driven, a safe harbor, a
hiding-place, is the great desire and expectation of
the poor creatures that are in it. Our Saviour tells
us what this wind is: Matt. vii. 25. The wind that
blows upon and casts down false professors to the
ground, is the wind of strong and urging temptations.
Is this the condition of the soul? [do] strong tempta-
tions beat upon it, which are ready to hurry it down
into sin and folly, — that it hath no rest from them,
one blast immediately succeeding another, — that the
soul begins to faint, to be weary, give over, and say,
'I shall perish; I cannot hold out to the end?' Is
this thy condition? See the Lord Christ suited unto
it, and the relief that is in Him in this promise, — He
is ' a hiding-place.' Saith He, ' These temptations
seek thy life; but with me thou shalt be safe.' Fly
to His bosom, retreat into His arms, expect relief by
faith from Him, and thou shalt be safe.

JOHN OWEN. 197

A Covert fro^i the Tempest.

rX^HERE is a tempest; in reference whereunto
-J_ Christ is here said to be 'a covert.' A tempest,
in the Scripture, represents the wrath of God for sin.
' He breaketh me,' saith Job, ' with a tempest,' chap,
ix. 17, when he hiy under a sense of the displeasure
and indignation of God. ' He threatens to rain upon
the wicked ' a horrible tempest,' Psalm xi. 6.

Suppose a poor creature to be under this tempest,
full of sad and dreadful thoughts and apprehensions
of the wrath of God; behind, before, round about,
he can see nothing but hailstones and coals of fire;
heaven is dark and dismal over him; he hath not
seen sun, moon or stars, in many days, — not one
glimpse of light from above or hopes of an end. ' I
shall perish; the earth shakes under me; the pit is
opening for me. Is there no hope?' Why, see how
Christ is suited in this distress also. He is ' a cov-
ert' froni this tempest; get into Him, and thou shalt
be safe. He hath borne all this storm, as far as thou
art concerned; abide with Him, and not one hurtful
drop shall fall upon thee, — not one hair of thy head
shall be singed with this fire. Hast thou fears? hast
thou a sense of the wrath of God for sin? Dost
thou fear .it will one day fall upon thee and be thy
portion? Behold a covert, a sure defence, is here
provided.

198 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Faith Teiumphant in* the Hour of Death.

IT is the last victorious act of faith, wherein it hath
its linal conquest over all its adversaries. Faith
is the leading grace in all our spiritual warfare and
conflict; but all along while we live, it hath faithful
company that adheres to it, and helps it. Love
works and hope works, and all other graces, — self-
denial, readiness to the cross, — they all work and
help faith. But when we come to die, faith is left
alone. Now, try what faith will do. The exercise
of other graces ceases; only faith comes to a close
conflict Avith its last adversary, wdierein the whole is
to be tried. And, by this one act of resigning all
into the hand of God, faith triumphs over death, and
cries, ' O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where
is thy victory? Come, give me an inlet into immor-
tality and glory; the everlasting hand of God is
ready to receive me!' This is the victory whereby
we overcome all our spiritual enemies.

Fullness of Christ.

FOR the fountain of grace, the Holy Ghost, He
received not Him ' by measure,' John iii. 34;
and for the communications of the Spirit, ' it pleased
the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell,'
Col. i. 19, — 'that in all things He might have the
pre-eminence.'

This is the Beloved of our souls, ' hol}^, harmless,
undefiled;' 'full of grace and truth;' full, to a sufii-
ciency for every end of grace; full, for practice, to
be an example to men and angels as to obedience;

JOHN OWEN. 199

full, to a certainty of uninterrupted communion with
God; full to a readiness of giving supply to others;
full, to suit Him to all the occasions and necessities
of the souls of men; full, to a glory not unbecoming
a subsistence in the Person of the Son of God; full,
to a perfect victory, in trials, over all temptations;
full, to an exact correspondency to the whole law,
every righteous and holy law of God; full, to the
utmost capacity of a limited, created, finite nature;
full, to the greatest beauty and glory of a living tem-
ple of God; full, to the full pleasure and delight of
the soul of His Father; full, to an everlasting monu-
ment of the glory of God, in giving such inconceiv-
able excellencies to the Son of man.

Beholding the Glory of Cheist.

THE heart of a believer affected wdth the glory
of Christ, is like the needle touched wdth the
loadstone. It can no longer be quiet, no longer be
satisfied in a distance from Him. It is put into a
continual motion towards Him. This motion, indeed,
is weak and tremulous. Pantings, breathings, sigh-
ings, groanings in prayer, in meditations, in the
secret recesses of our minds, are the life of it. How-
ever, it is continually pressing towards Him. But
it obtains not its point, it comes not to its centre and
rest in this world.

But now above, all things are clear and serene, —
all plain and evident in our beholding the glory of
Christ; we shall be ever with Him, and sec Him as

200 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

He is. This is heaven, this is blessedness, this is
eternal rest.

The person of Christ in all His glory shall be con-
tinually before us; and the eyes of our understand-
in<rs shall be so o-loriouslv illuminated, as that we
shall be able steadily to behold and comprehend that
glory.

But, alas ! here at present our minds recoil,
our meditations fail, our hearts are overcome, our
thoughts confused, and our eyes turn aside from the
lustre of this glory; nor can we abide in the contem-
plation of it. But there, an immediate, constant
view of it, will brino- in everlastino^ refreshment

' ~ CD

and joy unto our whole souls.

Saving Grace.

IT is in the nature of this grace to grow and in-
crease unto the end. As rivers, the nearer they
come unto the ocean whither they tend, the more
they increase their waters and speed their streams;
so will grace flow more freely and fully in its near
approaches to the ocean of gloiy.

Flourishing of the Eighteous.

rnriHE flourishing of the righteous in grace and
JL holiness is the glory of the oflGlce of Christ and
of the gospel. Where tliis is not, there is no glory in
the profession of our religion. The glory of kings
is in the wealth and peace of their subjects; and the
glory of Christ is in the grace and holiness of His
subjects.

JOHN OWEN. 201

This flourishing is compared to the pahn-tree, and
the growth of the cedar. The palm-tree is of the
greatest verdure, beauty, and fruitfulness, and the
cedar of the greatest and longest growth of any
trees. So are the righteous compared to the palm-
tree for the beauty of profession and fruitfulness in
obedience; and unto the cedar for a continual, con-
stant growth and increase in grace. Thus it is with
all that are righteous, unless it be from their own
sinful neglect, as it is with many in this day. They
are herein rather like the shrubs and heaths in the
wilderness, which see not when good cometh, than
like the palm-tree or the cedars of Lebanon.

Unless we are planted in the house of the Lord,
we cannot flourish in His courts. See Psalm i. 3.
Unless we are partakers of the grace administered in
the ordinances, we cannot flourish in a fruitful pro-
fession. The outward participation of them is com-
mon unto hypocrites, that bear some leaves, but
neither grow like the cedar nor bear fruit like the
palm-tree. So the apostle prays for believers, that
Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith, that they
may be * rooted and grounded in love,' Eph. iii. 17,
* rooted, built up and established,' Col. ii. 7. The
want hereof is the cause that we have so many fruit-
less professors; they have entered the courts of God
by profession, but were never planted in His house
by faith and love. Let us not deceive ourselves
herein; we may be entered into the church, and made
partakers of the outward privileges of it, and not be

9-^

202 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

SO planted in it as to flourish in grace and fruitful-
ness.

Spiritual Decays in the CnRisTiiVN.

HAVE you, in the way of your profession, had
any experience of these spiritual decays? I
doubt not but that there are some who have been
preserved green and flourishing from their first con-
version unto God, who never fell under the power
of sloth, neglect, or temptation, at least not for any
remarkable season; but they are but few. It was
not so with scarce any of those believers under the
Old Testament whose lives and walkings are record-
ed for our instruction; and they must be such as
lived in an exact and diligent course of mortification.
And some there are who have obtained relief and
deliverance from under their decays, — whose back-
slidings have been healed, and their diseases cured.
So it Avas with David, as he divinely expresseth it,
Psalm ciii. 1, 3-5: 'Bless the Lord, O my soul; and
all that is within me, bless His holy name. Who
forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy
diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
wdio crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender
mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth wdth good things,
so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.' So
doth he celebrate his deliverance from that state
wdiereof he complains. Psalm xxxviii. And there is
no grace or mercy that doth more aflect the hearts
of believers, that gives them a greater transport of
joy and thankfulness, than this of deliverance from

JOHN OWEN. 203

backslidino's. It is a brino-ino^ of the soul out of
prison, which eulargetli it unto praise: Psalm cxlii. 7.
Of this sort I doubt not but that there are many;
for God hath given great warnings of the danger of
a spiritually-decaying state; and He hath made great
promises of recovery from it; and multitudes in the
Church are daily exercised herein.

Recovery feom Backsliding.

THE work of recovering backsliders or believers
from under their spiritual decays, is an act of
sovereign grace, wrought in us by virtue of divine
promises. Out of this eater cometh meat. Because
believers are liable to such declensions, backslidings
and decays, God hath provided and given unto us
great and precious promises of a recovery, if we
duly apply ourselves unto the means of it. One of
the places only wherein they are recorded I shall
here call over and explain, Hos. xiv. 1-8, 'O Israel,
return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen
by thine iniquity. Take with j^ou words, and turn
unto the Lord: say imto Him, Take away all ini-
quity, and receive us graciously: so will we render
the calves of our lips,' &c. *I will heal their back-
sliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is
turned aAvay from him. I will be as the dew unto
Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his
roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and
his beauty shall be as the olive-tree, and his smell
as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow
shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and

204 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the
wine of Lebanon. Ephraim shall say, What have
I to do any more with idols? I have heard him,
and observed him. I am like a green fir-tree: from
me is thy fruit found.'

How TO Die Co^ifortably.

HE, therefore, that would die comfortably, must
be able to say within himself and to himself,
* Die, then, thou frail and sinful flesh; ' dust thou
art, and unto dust thou shalt return.' I yield thee
up unto the righteous doom of the Holy One. Yet
therein also I give thee into the hand of the great
Kefiner, who will hide thee in thy grave, and by thy
consumption purify thee from all thy corruption and
disposition to evil. And otherwise this will not be.
After a Ion 2: sincere endeavor for the mortification
of all sin, I find it will never be absolutely perfect,
but by this reduction into the dust. Thou shalt no
more be a residence for the least remainder of sin
unto eternity, nor any clog unto my soul in its act-
ings on God. Rest therefore in hope; for JGrocl, in
His appointed season, when He shall have a desire
unto the work of His hands, will call unto thee, and
thou shalt answer Him out of the dust. Then shall
He, by an act of His almighty power, not only
restore thee unto thy pristine glory, as at the first
creation, when thou wast the pure workmanship of
His hands, but enrich and adorn thee with incon-
ceivable privileges and advantages. Be not then
afraid; away with all reluctancy. Go into the dust;

JOHN OWEN. 205

rest in hope; ' for thou shalt stand in thy lot at the
end of the days.' *

The Departing Soul.

THE soul is now parting with all things here
below, and that for ever. None of all the
things which it hath seen, heard, or enjoyed, by its
outward senses, can be prevailed with to stay with it
one hour, or to take one step with it in the voyage
wherein it is engaged. It must alone by itself
launch into eternity. It is entering an invisible
world, which it knows no more of than it hath
received by faith. None hath come from the dead
to inform us of the state of the other world; yea,
God seems on purpose so to conceal it from us, that
we should have no evidence of it, at least as unto
the manner of things in it, but what is given unto
faith by divine revelation.

Wherefore no man can comfortably venture on
and into this condition, but in the exercise of that
faith which enables him to resign and give up his
departing soul into the hand of God, who alone is
able to receive it, and to dispose it into a condition
of rest and blessedness. So speaks the apostle: 'I
am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which
I have committed unto him against that day.'

Herein, as in all other graces, is our Lord Jesus

* The Rev. "W. H. Gookl, the able editor of Owen's works, has
justly uemarked, that this passage is wrought up and refined into a
high degree of Christian eloquence.

206 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Christ our great example. He resigned His depart-
ing spirit into the hands of His Father, to be OAvned
and preserved by Him, in its state of separation:
' Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit,'
Luke xxiii. 46; as did the psalmist. His type, in an
alike condition, Psalm xxxi. 5. But the faith of our
Lord Jesus Christ herein — the object and exercise
of it, ^'hat He believed and trusted unto in this
resignation of His Spirit into the hand of God — is
at large expressed in the 16th Psalm. 'I have,'
said he, ' set the Lord always before me: because He
is at my right hand, I ^hall not be moved. There-
fore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth; my
flesh also shall rest in hope. For Thou wilt not
leave my soul in hell; neither wilt Thou suffer
Thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show
me the path of life; in Thy presence is fullness of
joy, and at Thy right hand there are pleasures for
evermore.' He left his soul in the hand of God, in
full assurance that it should sufler no evil in its
state of separation, but should be brought again
with his body into a blessed resurrection and eter-
nal glory. So Stephen resigned his soul, departing
under violence, into the hands of Christ Himself.
When he died, he said, ' Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit.'

This is the last victorious act of faith, wherein its
conquest over its last enemy death itself doth con-
sist. Herein the soul sa^^s in and unto itself, ' Thou
art now taking leave of time unto eternity; all
things about thee are departing as shades, and will

JOHN OWEX. 207

immediately disappear. The things which thou art
entering into are yet invisible; such as 'eye hath
not seen, nor ear heard, nor will they enter into the
heart of man fully to conceive.' Now, therefore,
with quietness and confidence give up thyself unto
the sovereign power, grace, truth, and faithfulness
of God, and thou shalt find assured rest and peace.'

True Pleasures.

HERE aloiie — namely, in Christ, and a partici-
pation of Him — are true pleasures and dura-
ble riches to be obtained; ple-asures of the same
nature with, and such as, like pleasant streams,
flow down into the ocean of eternal pleasures
above. A few moments in these joys are to be
preferred above the longest continuance in the
cursed pleasures of this world. See Prov. iii. 13-18.

WILLIAM BATES, D.D.
1625-1699.

Heavenly Joy.

'EAVEN is a state of pure, full, and
unfading joy. Tlie joy of the blessed
is not mixed with things that may cor-
rupt its excellence. There is an abso-
lute exemption from all evils. ' God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes : and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor cry-
ing; neither shall there be any more pain.' The
joy is full; it is called 'our Master's joy.' Great
God, how ineffable is that joy! It is the richest
reward infinite bounty can give to faithful servants.
As 'being made like to Christ in glory,' 1 John
iii. 2, implies a divine and full perfection: so the
'entering into His joy' implies the most accom-
plished and incomprehensible felicity. It is a per-
manent joy that none shall take from the blessed,
as our Saviour promises His disciples. Here be-
low, suppose a person encompassed with all the
good things of the world, yet this felicity is neither
without defects, nor without dependance upon cas-
ual things, that he is never completely happy, but

WILLIAM BATES. 209

only less miserable: and though he lives long in
prosperity, and hath a tenor of health to enjoy it;
yet, as the clearest evening is presently followed by
night, so the most vigorous old age is certainly
attended with death, that extinguishes all sensi;al
pleasures. But in the ' presence of God is fullness
of joy; at His right hand are pleasures for ever.'

Heavenly Conversation.

LET our conversation be in heaven, whilst Ave
are upon the earth. Every thing in nature
hath a tendency to its original and perfection.
Rivers that come from the sea, are in a livinof
motion returning thither; if you stop their course,
and confine them, though in receptacles of marble,
they corrupt and die. The divine nature in the
saints hath a strong tendency to heaven, from
wdicnce it came, and raiseth the soul by solemn
thoughts, and ardent desires, to that blessed place.
A philosopher that w^as asked of w^hat country he
was, replied, he was a citizen of the w^orld. The
Scripture corrects the language, and teaches us that
w^e are citizens of heaven; w^e are passing to the
Jerusalem above, the Mand of promise, the true
land of the living:' and all our aims and endeavors
should have a final respect thither. ' Our hearts
should be where our treasure is.' How jo3'ful, how
advantageous is a heavenly conversation! The se-
rious and believing contemplation of heaven, is a
temperate ecstacy, and brings the soul into the
divine presence: anticipates the joy of it by a

210 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

sweet foretaste, by a supernatural elevation of
mind: by frequent lively thoughts of our glorious
inheritance, we gradually enter into it: the prospect
of that causes in the saints a holy contempt of the
world, as not worthy our ambition and diligence: it
causes such a self-denial from the inviting tempta-
tions of sense, that men, whose portion is in this
life, are forced to admire their restraint from those
objects that ravish carnal hearts.

The Music of Heaven.

WE may judge by the saints here, when they
are in a fit disposition to praise God, what
fervors they feel in their united praises of Him in
heaven. The psalmist in an ecstacy calls to all the
parts of the world to join with him: 'The Lord
reigns, let the heavens rejoice, and the earth be
glad; let the sea roar, let the fields be joyful, and
all that dwell therein.' He desires that nature
should be elevated above itself, that the dead parts
be inspired with life, the insensible feel motions of
joy, and those that want a voice, break forth in
praises, to adorn the divine triumph. With what
life and alacrity will the saints in their blessed
communion celebrate the object of their love and
praises! The seraphim about the throne ' cried to
one another,' to express their zeal and joy, in cele-
brating His eternal pui-ity and power, and the glory
of His goodness. Oh the unspeakable pleasure of
this concert! when every soul is harmonious, and
contributes his part to the full music of heaven! O

WILLIAM BATES. 211

could we hear but some eclio of tnose songs where-
with the heaven of heavens resounds, some remains
of those voices wherewith the saints above ' triumph
in the praises/ in the solemn adoration of the Kino-
of spirits, how would it inflame our desires to be
joined with them? 'Blessed are those that are in
Thy house, they always praise Thee.'

Death and Heaven.

ART thou in the vale of tears, languishing in
sorrow, and dying every day? By faith
ascend to 'the mountains of spices,' the blessed
place above, and thou wilt find the comforts of
God to revive and delight thy soul.

Let this reconcile death to us. The pale horse is
sent to bring us to our Father's house. The apostle
expresses the true Christian temper: 'In this we
groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our
house that is from heaven: and we are willino-
rather to be absent from the body, and present with
the Lord:' 2 Cor. v. 2, 8. Every saint in the pres-
ent world is both a prisoner and a captive; and his
soul is detained from the glorious liberty of the
sons of God, by confinement to his body. There-
fore, methinks he should not merely be content to
die out of the necessity of nature, when he can live
no longer, but desire the happy removal, and say
with the Psalmist, 'I rejoiced when they said unto
me, let us go into the house of the Lord.' It is
true, nature will recoil, and the extinguishing the
present life, with all its sensible, pleasant opera-

212 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

tioiis, is uneasy to us: but as when the candles are
put out, the sun rises in its brightness, so when the
natural life ceases, the spiritual life springs forth in
its oriency and glory: 'When the earthly tabernacle
is dissolved, the naked, separate soul shall be re-
ceived into a building not made with hands, eternal
in the heavens.' Our joyful affections, in leaving
the world, and ascending to heaven, should be in
some manner suitable to our reception there. What
a jo3^ful welcome will entertain us from God Him-
self!. Our Saviour comforted His disciples with a
heavenly valediction: 'I go to my Father, and your
Father; to my God, and your God.' The gracious
relation sweetens the glorious. He that joyfully
receives the rebellious but penitent son to grace,
will joyfully receive His obedient sons to glory.
He that now receives their prayers with the affec-
tion of a father, will receive their persons with the
dearest expressions of love. His fatherly provi-
dence watched over them in the way, and will tri-
umphantly bring them home. Here, many blessed
testimonies of God's love are given to the. saints,
that produce such a spiritual sweetness in their
hearts, that they esteem His loving-kindness as bet-
ter than life, more worth than all the w^orld; but
the full revealing of His love is only in heaven.

Death of Pious Friends.

WHAT father is so deserted of reason, as to
bear impatiently the parting with his son,
that gees over a narrow part of the sea to a rich

WILLIAM BATES. 213

and pleasant country, and receives the investiture
and peaceable possession of a kingdom? Nay, by
how much the stronger his love is, so much the
more transportmg is his joy; especially if he ex-
pects shortly to be with him, to see him on the
throne, in the state of a king, and to partake of his
happiness. If then it be impossible to nature to
be grieved at the felicity of one that is loved; ac-
cording to what principle of nature or faith do
believers so uncomfortably lament the death of
friends, of whom they have assurance that after
their leaving our earth, they enter into an everlast-
ing kingdom, to receive a crown of glory from
Christ Himself? Our Saviour tells the disciples,
' If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I
go to my Father,' to sit dow^n at His right hand in
majesty. A pure affection directly terminates in the
happiness and exaltation of the person that is loved.
I am not speaking against the exercise of tender
affections on the loss of our dear friends, and the
pensive feeling of God's hand in it, which is a na-
tural and necessary duty. There is a great differ-
ence between stupidity and patience: but violent
passion, or unremitting sorrow^, is most unbecoming
the blessed hope assured to us in the Gospel.

Perpetuity of Bliss.

THE blessedness of the saints is without end.
This makes heaven to be itself. There is no
satiety of the present, no solicitude for the future.
Were there a possibility, or the least suspicion of

214 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

losing that happy state, it would cast an aspersion
of bitterness upon all their delights: they could not
enjoy one moment's repose; but the more excellent
their happiness is, the more stinging would their
fear be of parting with it. 'But the inheritance
reserved in heaven is immortal, undefiled, and
fades not away.' And the tenure of their possession
is infinitely firm by the divine power, the true sup-
port of their everlasting duration. 'With God is
the fountain of life.' They enjoy a better immor-
tality than the tree of life could have preserved in
Adam. The revolutions of the heavens, and ages,
are under their feet, and cannot in the least alter or
determine their happiness. After the passing of
millions of years, still an entire eternity remains
of their enjoying God. O most desirable state!
where blessedness and eternity are inseparably
united. O joyful harmony! when the full chorus of
heaven shall sins:, ' This God is our God for ever and
ever.' This adds an infinite weight to their glory.
This redoubles their unspeakable joys with infinite
sweetness and security. They repose themselves
in the complete fruition of their happiness. God
reigns in the saints, and they live in Him for ever.

Ever with the Loed.

THE lively hope of this blessedness is powerful
to support us under the greatest troubles that
can befal us in this our mortal condition. Here we
are tossed upon the alternate waves of time, but
hereafter we shall arrive at the port, the blessed

AVTLLIAM BATES. 21

bosom of our Saviour, and enjoj a peaceful calm;
'and so we shall ever be with the Lord.' Words
of infinite sweetness! This is the song of our pros-
perity, and charm of our adversity: 'We shall ever
be with the Lord.' Well might the apostle add
immediately after, ' Therefore comfort one another
with these words.'

SYMON PATRICK, D.D.
1626-1707.

Peayeks. I.

t^C GOD, who art tlie full and the fill-
ing Good; who satisfieth the desire of
every living thing, and therefore will not
refuse to answer the desires of immortal
spirits, whom Thou hast made to know
how good Thou art, and to be satisfied with no
less good than Thyself: Thou art ever pouring
Thy benefits upon us; and sendest us every day
some new token of Thy love, to make our pilgrimage
here upon earth the more comfortable to us. But
•above all. Thou art to be acknowledged in Thy sur-
passing love and kindness towards us in Christ
Jesus, by whom Thou hast made the darkest night
of trouble and sorrow not to be without the light
of joy and gladness. I thank Thee, O God, for the
great satisfaction which Thou hast given to all that
is within us, which ought to bless Thy holy name.
For Thou hast filled our minds and understand-
ings with the highest knowledge, and our wills with
the divinest love, and all our affections with the
comforts of hope and joy in Thee our God, sufficient
to swallow up all our sadness and grief, and fear

SYMON PATRICK. 217

and care, and all the troublesome passions that are
in our hearts. O my God, hovv^ rich art Thou in
mercy towards us, who providest that contentment
for us, which we seek and labor after in these lower
enjoyments, by leading us to Thyself, the fountain
of all that good which is in any creature! How
excellent is Thy loving-kindness; Who when we de-
sire much in this world, givest us an immortal in-
iieritance in the other; and when our hearts are set
iq3on perishing riches, invitest us to treasures in the
heavens, and settest before us eternal honor and glory
with our Saviour! Besides all wliich, Thou dost not
deny me the comfort of my friends, lovers and ac-
quaintance; in whom I see likewise how full of love
Thou art, and how ready to do us good. Thou wilt
never cease Thyself, I believe, to follow me with
Thy loving-kindness all my days, to take care of me,
help and comfort me; Who hast put such great good
Yvdll into tlie hearts of men.

My soul doth magnify Thee, O Lord; and my
spirit rejoiceth in Thee, O God my Saviour; par-
ticularly for that Thou hast promised me Thy hol}^
Spirit to strengthen and empower me to do my duty
faithfully to Thee, and to increase in wisdom, charity,
and piety, that I may rejoice in Thee evermore. O
that I may feel the effect of these holy thoughts and
devout acknowledgments, in the constant stillness
and quietness of my soul, whatsoever the condition
be into which Thou art pleased to bring me. Dis-
pose my heart to such an humble confidence in Thee,
that I may be careful for nothing, but in everything

218 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

by prayer and supplication make known my request
to Tliee with thanksgiving. Help me to have my
conversation without covetousness, and to be con-
tent with such things as I have. Let no solicitude
for the future discompose my dut}'-, or disturb my
present enjoyment. Eoot out of my heart all dis-
trust for Thee, all envy, nncharitableness, ambition,
murmuring or repining at any of Thy providences,
w^ith every thing else that dishonors the gospel of
our Lord Jesns, and misbecomes the Christian spirit.
Li all events, give me grace to acqniesce in Thy wis-
dom and love; and to study rather how to mend
myself, than how to mend my outward estate: that
having my soul still more and more furnished with
those heavenly goods wherewith Thou hast enriched
us l)y Christ Jesus, I may lead every day a more
happy life in this world, and be prepared for that
perfect satisfaction of contentment, whicli we wait
for iu the world to come. Amen.

II.

OLORD, the fountain of all good, whose bless-
iugs are derived in several channels to us,
especially to our souls; unto which all things minis-
ter, and help to promote their eternal welfare: I see
the large and abundant provision which Thou hast
made for them in Christ Jesus. Thou hast opened
the heavens and let down eternal life unto us. Thou
hast set before us the glory of another world, and
called us to Thy kingdom, and promised to make us
lieirs with Thy only-begotten Sou, and to give us au

SYMON PATRICK. 219

cverltistiiig inheritance. I thank Thee that Thou
hast hrought the word of Thy gospel so nigh me, and
put it even into my mouth, and into my heart; and
that I have felt Thy Holy Spirit in my soul, so often
disposing my mind and affections to seek that blessed
immortality. Every good thing in this world bids
me love Thee and rejoice in Thee, who art the giver
of it: and all the crosses likewise and afflictions of
this life tend to make me happy, by teaching me
moderation and sobriety, humility and heavenly-
mindedness, faith in Thee, and absolute resignation
to Thee, with fervent devotion, and passionate de-
sires after a better life.

O God, how excellent is Thy loving-kindness!
therefore the children of men put their trust under
the shadow of Thy wings. How inexcusable shall I
be, if I should starve in the midst of such abundance
and perish, when Thou hast sent me such great sal-
vation! How shall I escape, if, after Thou hast done
so much without my thonglit or labor, I should take
no pains to attain the end of Thy extraordinary grace
towards me? Excite in me, I beseech Thee, a great-
er sense of Thy love, and endue me with a greater
care to improve every thing to the enriching of my
soul with spiritual wisdom and all divine virtues;
that so I may be the better able to bear all the
troubles of this life; and neither the infirmities and
pains of this body, nor the poverty and meanness of
my outward estate, nor the loss and unkindness of
friends, nor any other sad accident, may throw me
into discontent and impatience of spirit: but I may

220 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

still remember, that, as I suffer notliing but what I
deserve, so my soul may be a gainer by all my suifer-
iugs. Help me, therefore, instead of murmuring and
repining at my present condition, to apply myself
to make the best use of it, whatsoever it be, to my
everlasting advantage. Purify and refine my spirit
more perfectly from all unreasonable opinions, and
purge out of my heart all inordinate affections. Settle
my will in an immovable submission to Thine. And,
considering both that I am Thy creature and that I
am an offender, enable me always to rest satisfied
with Thy proceedings, and acknow^ledge that I am
less than the least of Thy mercies.

Pardon, good Lord, all my ingratitude, and inde-
cent complaints; pity my infirmities; accept my holy
desires; confirm all my good purposes; strengthen
and empower my endeavors, that I may mortify
every bad disposition in me, faithfully discharge my
duty, rightly use Thy various blessings, patiently
bear the heaviest afiiictions, and make for my soul
most certain provision; by all the means of grace,
by the good counsels of others, the inspirations of
the Holy Ghost, Thy many remarkable providences
about me, and whatsoever courses Thou takest with
me, to bring me safe through this life to a happy
eternity. Amen.

III.

OGOD, in whose presence is fullness of joy, and
at w^hose right hand there arc pleasures for
evermore: we see daily how uncertain and empty all

SYMON PATRICK. 221

our enjoyments nve in this world; and are directed
by our constant experience to look up higher, and
fix our hearts on Thee, for our true contentment and
satisfaction of spirit. Our eye is not satisfied with
seeing, nor our ear filled with hearing; but after all
that we possess, our spirits are still thirsty and
craving more. The very love of ourselves and our
own ease, carries us unto Thee; for we are extreme-
ly miserable, even in the midst of abundance, if we
want Thee. Blessed be Thy goodness that I know
Thee, and Thy exceeding great love to mankind in
Christ Jesus. Blessed be Thy infinite grace that I
understand where my happiness lies, and am not left
to wander after the foolish desires of my own heart.
O turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, and
quicken me in Thy way. Fasten my mind on that
immovable bliss which our Lord hath discovered
unto us, and fill me with constant delight and joy in
contemplation of it; that so I may not lay out my
strength for that which is not bread, and my labor for
that which satisfieth not; but earnestly pursue that
everlasting life, the very hope of which is so sweet
and comfortable in this world.

Thou hast not made me, I know, to be miserable
here; for Thou art the Father of mercies, andtakest
pleasure in enriching others with Thy benefits. It
is Thy glory to do good: Thou openest Thy hand
and satisfiest the desire of every thing living. The
whole creation acknowledges Thy bounty; and there-
fore I should be the most ungrateful wretch if I
shoukl not rejoice in it, which hath made me to want

222 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

nothing but what I may easily enjoy, and hitherto

hath supplied all my needs with a continued care and

kindness. Preserve me, O Lord, in a sober and

serious sense of the state of my own nature, and of

the condition of all things round about me; that I

may not stretch my desires greedily after that which

I do not need, and which cannot satisfy and fill up

the vast emptiness of my soul, if I did enjoy it.

Make me so wise as to reflect continually upon the

trouble as well as pleasure that I am like to meet

withal in every change; that so I may be modest in

my desires, and pursue what I desire with an in-

difierent mind, and enjoy what Thou bestowest on

me with a thankful and charitable heart, and with a

quiet and undisturbed spirit resign it back into Thy

hands, when Thou callest for it. O blessed Jesus,

as Thou hast made Th^'self my example, so be Thou

pleased to be my guide. Inspire me with the same

thoughts, inclinations, desires, and resolutions which

were in Thy blessed nature. Help me to place my

satisfaction there, where Thou livest in perpetual

peace, amidst all the troubles and vexation-s of this

life. Raise my spirit to that great and sublime

good, which none can touch, much less remove;

that, remaining in an unshaken possession of Thy

love, and being lifted up in noble hopes of the

glory to which Thy love will promote Thy faithful

servants, I may not feel myself altered by any of

the chano^es which are in the thinc^s that are under

my feet. Dispose my mind, O God, to the sweetest

and most gentle compliance with Thy providence.

SYMON PATEICK. 223

And make me so perfectly in love with Thy will,
that all that is great, or glorious, or delightful in
this world, I may enjoy in a pure and clear con-
science, void of offence towards Thee and towards
all men. O the deliciousness of those pleasures!
O the divineness of those joys! Bless me daily with
a stronger taste of them, and satisfaction in them,
till I come to enjoy that reward of well-doing,
which exceeds all thoughts and desires, through our
Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus. Amen.

IV.
ADORE and praise, O Lord, Thy greatness. Thy
power, wisdom, and goodness, which shine in all
Thy woi'lvs of creation and providence. They all
shoAV forth the majesty of Thy glory; and are
placed and move in such comely order, that Thou
Thyself rejoicest in all Thy Avorks, and art perfectly
pleased even in that which gives us grief and trou-
ble. It is our duty, O blessed God, to be pleased
too, and to rejoice in this knowledge which Thou
hast given us of Thee, who art from everlasting to
everlasting, and changest not, but art ever the same
immutable love, exercising the most wise and tender
providence in every part of this great world; and
more especially over mankind, to whom Thou hast
shown the highest kindness, and given unquestiona-
ble testimonies of Thy singular care of them, and
good-will towards them.

O God, what tilings arc those Avhich Thou hast
laid up for those that fear Thee; for those that trust

224 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

in Thee, and depend entirely on Thy goodness, and
submit to Thy will and pleasure! In what a kind
relation Thou art pleased to stand unto ns, that we
may be confident Thou dearly lovest us, and wilt
take care of us! All ages have experienced this
love, that Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that
seek Thee: therefore Thy face evermore will I seek.
I will never doubt of Thy merciful kindness; but
always believe that Thou art gracious and full of
compassion, just and true in all Thy wa3^8, O Thou
King of saints. Confirm and strengthen these holy
purposes in me by the assistance of Thy good Spirit,
making these thoughts more strong, more lively, and
mightily affecting my heart; so that I may be able
to say, The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what
man can do unto me. He hath not spared His only
Son, but delivered Him up for us all: how shall He
not with Him give us all things? I will bless the
Lord at all times, His praise shall be continually in
my mouth; my soul shall make her boast in the
Lord, and I will rejoice in His salvation.

O blessed day, when we shall see Jesus again,
and feel Him changing this vile bod}^, and making
it like His glorious body, by the power whereby He
can subdue all things to Himself ! O happy day,
when all tears shall be wiped away from our eyes,
and there shall be no sighing nor sorrow, but pres-
ent satisfaction and joy for evermore! Amen.

JOHN FLAVEL, B. A.
1G27-1G91.

Efficacy of the Blood of the Cross.

HERE is sufficient efficacy in the blood
of the Cross to expiate and wash away
the greatest sins. This is manifest, for it is
precious blood, as it is called, 1 Peter i. 18.
'Ye were not redeemed with corruptible
things, as silver and gold; but with the precious
blood of the Son of God.' This preciousness of
the blood of Christ riseth from the union it hath
with that Person, who is over all, God blessed for
ever.

Before the efficacy of this blood, guilt vanishes,
and shrinks away as the shadow before the glorious
sun. Every drop of it hath a voice, and speaks to
the soul that sits trembling under its guilt better
things than the blood of Abel, Heb. x. 24. It
sprinkles us from all evil, i. e. an unquiet and ac-
cusing conscience, Heb. x. 22. For having enough
in it to satisfy God, it must needs have enough in it
to satisfy conscience.

Can God exact satisfaction from the blood and
death of His own Son, the surety of believers, and

yet still demand it from believers? It cannot be.

10*

226 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

'Who (saitli th^ apostle) shall lay any thing to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justiiieth.
Who shall condemn? It is Christ that died,' Rom.
viii. 33, 34. And why are faith and repentance
prescribed as the means of pardon? Why doth
God every where in His Word, call upon sinners to
repent, and believe in this blood? encouraging them
so to do, by so many precious promises of remission;
and declarino' the inevitable and eternal ruin of all
impenitent and unbelieving ones, who despise and
reject this blood? What, I sa}^, doth all this speak,
but the possibility of a pardon for the greatest of
sinners; and the certainty of a free, full, and final
pardon for all believing sinners? O what a joyful
sound is this! What ravishing voices of peace, par-
don, grace, and acceptance, come to our ears from
the blood of the Cross?

The greatest guilt that ever was contracted upon
a trembling, shaking conscience, can stand before
the efficacy of the blood of Christ no more than the
sinner himself can stand before the justice of the
Lord, with all that guilt upon him.

Reader, the word assures thee, whatever thou
hast been, or art, that sins of as deep a dye as
thine, have been washed away in this blood. 'I
was a blasphemer, a persecutor, injurious; but I
obtained mercy,' saith Paul. 1 Tim. i. 13. But it
may be thou wilt object; this was a rare and singu-
lar instance, and it is a great question whether any
other sinner shall find tlie like grace that he did.
No question of it at all, if you believe in Christ as

JOlIxN FLAVEL. 227

he did; for he tells us, ver. 16, '^ov this cause I
obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might
show forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them
which should hereafter believe on Him to life ever-
lasting.' So that upon the same grounds he ol)-
tained mercy, you may obtain it also.

Those very men who had a hand in the shedding
of Christ's blood, had the benefit of that blood after-
wards pardoning them. Acts ii. 36. There is no-
thing l)ut unbelief and impenitency of heart can bar
thy soul from the blessings of this blood.

Fountain of Life.

^ T3LESSED are they which hunger and thirst
1 } after righteousness, for they shall be filled.'
They shall then depend no more upon the stream,
but drink from the overflowing fountain itself.
Psalm xxxvi. 8: 'They shall be abundantly satisfied
with the fatness of Thy house, and Thou shalt make
them drink of the river of Thy pleasures: for with
Thee is the fountain of life, and in Thy light shall
we see light.' There they shall drink and praise,
and praise and drink for evermore; all their thirsty
desires shall be filled with complete satisfiiction. O
how desiral^le a state is heaven upon this account!
and how should we be restless till we come thither;
as the thirsty traveler is until he meet that cool,
refreshing spring he wants and seeks for. This
present state is a state of thirsting, that to come
of refreshment and satisfaction. Some drops indeed
come from the fountain by faith, but they quench

228 DEVOTIONxlL THOUGHTS.

not the believer's thirst; rather like water sprinkled
on the fire, they make it burn the more: but there
the thirsty soul hath enough.

The Study of Christ.

THE study of Jesus Christ is the most noble sub-
ject that ever a soul spent itself upon; those
that rack and torture their brains upon other studies,
like children, weary themselves at a low game; the
eagle plays at the sun itself. The angels study this
doctrine, and stoop down to look into this deep
abyss. What are the truths discovered in Christ,
but the very secrets that from eternity lay liid in
the bosom of God? Eph. iii. 8, 9. God's heart is
opened to men in Christ, John i. 18; this makes the
Gospel such a glorious dispensation, because Christ
is so gloriously revealed therein, 1 Cor. iii. 9, and
the studying of Christ in the Gospel stamps such a
heavenly glory upon the contemplating soul, ver. 18.
It is the most sweet and comfortable knowledge;
to be studying Jesus Christ, what is it but to be
digging among all the veins and springs of comfort?
and the deeper you dig, the more do these springs
flow upon you. How are hearts ravished with the
discoveries of Christ in the Gospel. What ecstacies,
meltings, transports, do gracious souls meet there.

Vision of God in Glory.

^ TT THEN I awake I shall be satisfied with Thy

V V likeness.' This sight of God, in glory,

called the beatifical vision, must needs yield inefia-

JOHN FLAVEL. 229

ble satisftictioii to the beholding soul, inasmuch as
it will be an intuitive vision. The intellectual or
mental eye shall see God, 1 John iii. 2. The cor-
poreal, glorified eye shall see Christ, Job xix. 26,
27. What a ravishing vision will this be! and how
much will it exceed all reports and apprehensions
we had here of it! Surely one half was not told
us. It will be a transformative vision^ it will change
the beholder into its own image and likeness. ' We
shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is,'
1 John iii. 2. It will be an ajppropriative vision:
'Whom I shall see for myself,' Job xix. 26, 27. In
heaven, interest is clear and undoubted; fear is cast
out: no need of marks and signs there; for what a
man sees and enjoys, how can he doubt of? It will
be a ravishing vision; these we have by faith are so,
how much more those in glory? How was Paul
transported, when he was in a visional way rapt
up into the third heaven, and heard the unutterable
things, though he was not admitted into the blessed
society, but was with them, as the angels are in our
assemblies, a stander-by, a looker-on. It will be a
fully satisfying vision; God will then be all in
all. The blessed soul will feel itself blessed, filled,
satisfied in every part. Ah, what a happiness is
here! to look and love, to drink and sing, and
drink as-ain at the fountain head of the hiofhcst
glory!

230 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Divine Caee.
• A LL things shall work together for good.' From
-XTjl. what quarter soever the wmd bloweth, God
will take care that it shall be useful to drive you to
your port; the very providences that cast you down,
b}^ virtue of this promise, prove as serviceable and
beneficial as those that lift you up.

The care of God stands engaged in the promise,
for the help and aid of His people in all the ex-
tremities and exigencies of their lives, Psalm xlvi. 1.
'God is our refuge and strength, a very present help
in trouble.' Never is the care of God more visible
and conspicuous than in such times of need.

The care of God is engaged to carry His people
safe through all the dangers of the way, and bring
them all home to glory at last, John x. 28. ' I give
unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.'
This care of God, thus engaged for you, is your con-
voy to accompany and secure 3^ou, till it set you safe
into your harbor of eternal rest.

You have heard how the care of God is engaged
for you by promise; now see how jt actuates and
exerts itself for the people of God in the various
methods of providence; and here, O here is the
sweetest pleasure of the Christian life, a delight far
transcending all the delights of this life. Sit down
Christian in this chambei* also, and make but such
observations upon the care of thy God as follow; and
then tell me whether the world, with all its pleasures

JOHN FLAVEL. 231

and delights, can give thee such another entertain-
ment.

Keflect upon the constant, sweet and suitable pro-
visions, that frora time to time have been prepared
for thee and thine, by this care of thy God; for
whensoever thy wants did come, I am sure from
hence came thy supplies, it hath enabled thee to re-
turn the same answer the disciples did to that ques-
tion, Luke xxii. 35: 'Lacked ye any thing?' And
they said, Nothing.

Reflect with admiration upon the various difficul-
ties of your lives, wherein your thoughts have been
entangled, and out of which you have been extricated
and delivered by the care of God over you; how
oft have your thoughts been like a raveled skein
of silk, so entangled and perplexed with the difficul-
ties and fears before you, that you could find no end,
but the longer you thought, the more you were
puzzled, till you have left thinking and fell to pray-
ing; and there you have found the right end to wind
up all your thoughts upon the bottom of peace and
sweet contentment, according to that direction,
Psalm xxxvii. 5: ' Commit thy way unto the Lord,
trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.'

Observe with a melting heart, how the care of thy
God hath disposed and directed thy way to unfore-
seen advantages: had He not ordered thy steps when,
and as He did, thou hadst not been in possession
of those temporal and spiritual mercies that sweeten
thy life at this day. Surely the steps of good men
are ordered by the Lord: and as for thee. Christian.

232 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

what reason hast thou, with an heart overflowing
with love and thankfulness, to look up and say, my
Father^ thou art the guide of my youth?

It is sweet to live by faith upon Divine care. O
what a serene life might we live, careful for nothing,
but making known our requests unto God in every
thing, Phil. iv. 6, casting all our care on Him that
careth for us, 1 Pet. v. 7, perplexing our thoughts
about nothing, l)ut rolling every burden upon God
by faith!

Faith in God's llNCHi^^GEABLENESS.

LIVE by faith upon God's unchangeableness under
the greatest changes of your own condition in
this world. Providence may make great altera-
tions upon all your outward comforts: it may cast
you down, how dear soever you be to God, from
riches into poverty, from health into sickness, from
honor into reproach, from liberty into bondage. Yet
still it is your duty, and will be your great privilege
in the midst of all these changes, to act your faith
upon the never-changing God, as that holy man did,
Hab. iii. 17, ' Although the fig tree shall not blossom,
neither fruit be in the vine; the labor of the olive
shall fail; and the fields shall yield no meat; the
flocks shall be cut oft' from the fold, and there shall
be no herd in the stall; yet will I rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.'

Live upon the unchangeableness of God under the
greatest and saddest changes of your spiritual con-
dition; God may cloud the light of His countenance

JOHN FLAVEL. 233

over thy soul, He may fill thee with fears and
troubles, and the Comforter that should relieve thee
may seem to be far off; yet still maintain thy faith
in the unchangeableness of His love; trust in the
name of the Lord, stay thyself upon thy God, when
thou walkest in darkness and hast no light, Isa. 1. 10.

WxiLKiNG WITH God;

O SWEET and pleasant walk! all pleasures, all
joys are in that walk with God. ' Blessed are
the people that hear the joyful sound; they shall
walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance,'
Psalm Ixxxix. 15. The joyful sound there spoken
of was the sound of the trumpet, which called the
people to the solemn assemblies, where they walked
in the light of God's countenance, the sweet mani-
festations of His favor; and because the world is so
apt to suspect the reality and certainty of this doc-
trine, the apostle again asserts it, Phil. iii. 20, 'Truly
our conversation is in heaven.' We breathe below,
but we live above; w^e walk on earth, but our con-
versation is in heaven.

Rest in God.

WHEN we attain perfect communion with God
in heaven, we attain to perfect rest, and all
the rest the spirit of man finds on earth, is found in
communion with God. Take a sanctified person,
Avho hath intermitted for some time his communion
with the Lord, and ask him. Is your soul at rest and
ease? He will tell you, no! The motions of his soul

234 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

are like those of a member out of joint, neither come-
ly nor easy. Let that man recover his spiritual frame
again, and, with it, he recovers his rest and comfort.
Christians, you meet with variety of troubles in this
world; many a sweet comfort is cut off, many a hope-
fnl project dashed by the hand of providence; and
what think you is the meaning of those blasting, dis-
appointing providences? Surely this is their design
and errand, to disturb your false rest in the bosom
of the creature; to pluck away those pillows you
were laying your heads upon, that thereby you might
be reduced unto God, and recover your lost com-
munion with Him; and say, Avith David, 'Return
imto thy rest, O my souL' Sometimes we are set-
tling ourselves to rest in an estate, in a child, or the
like; at this time it is usual for God to say, go, losses,
smite and blast such a man's estate; go, death, and
take away the desire of his eyes witli a stroke, that
my child may find rest no where but in me. God is
the ark; the soul, like the dove Noah sent forth, let
it fly where it will, it shall find no rest till it come
back to God.

Communion with God.

IT is the desire of all gracious souls throughout the
world. Wherever there is a gracious soul, the
desires of that soul are working after communion
with God. As Christ was called, The desire of all
nations^ so communion with Him is the desire of all
nations: and this speaks the excellency of it. Psalm
xxvii. 4: ' One thing have I desired of the Lord, that

JOHN FLAVEL. 235

will I seek after; that I might dwell in the house of
the Lord all the days of my life, to see the beauty
of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple;' i. e. to
enjoy communion with Him in the public duties of
His w^orship. One thing have I desired^ that is, one
thing above all other things; such a one, as, if God
shall give me, I can comfortal^ly bear the want of all
other things. Let Him deny me what He will, if so
be He will not deny me this one thing; this one
thing shall richly recompense the want of all other
things. Hence the desires of the saints are so in-
tense and fervent after this one thins:; Psalm xlii. 1:
'My soul panteth after Thee, O God; '.and Psalm
cxix. 81: ' My soul fainteth for Thy salvation.' Psalm
ci. 2: 'When wilt Thou come unto me?' No duties
can satisfy without it; the soul cannot bear the de-
laj^s, much less the denials of it. They reckon their
lives worth nothing without it. Ministers may come,
ordinances and Sabbaths may come; but there is no
satisfaction to the desires of a gracious heart, till
God comes too; O when wilt Thou come unto mef

Christ's Love Manifested from the Cross.
rj^HE transcendent love of Christ shines out in its
JL full strength upon the souls of sinners from the
Cross; and there is nothing like love to draw love.
When Christ was lifted up upon the Cross, He gave
such a glorious demonstration of the strength of His
love to sinners, as one would think should draw love
from the hardest heart that ever lodo^ed in a sinner's
breast. 'Herein is love,' saith the apostle, 'not that

'2dQ DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

we loved Gocl, but that He loved ns, aud sent His
Son to be a propitiation for our sins/ 1 John iv. 10
q. d. Here is the triumph, the riches and glory of
Divine love; never was such love manifested in the
world. There is much of God's love in temporal
providences, but all is nothing to this; this is love
in its highest elevation; love in its meridian glory;
before it was none like it, and after it shall none
appear like unto it.

Fkee Grace.

THE willingness of Christ to receive the willing
soul, how many and great soever its sins and
unworthiness be,. appears from the actual grants of
pardon and mercy, even to the vilest sinners tha,t
ever were upon the earth, when they thus came unto
Him. Here you see how the waters of free-grace
rise higher and higher. An invitation is much; a
promise of welcome is more: but the actual grant
of mercy is most satisfying of all. Come on, poor
trembling soul, do not be discouraged, stretch out
the small, weak arms of thy faith to that great and
gracious Redeemer; open thy heart wide to receive
Him; He will not refuse to come in. He hath sealed
thousands of pardons to as vile wretches as thyself;
He never yet shut the door of mercy upon a willing,
hunorerino^ soul.

john flavel. 237

Grace of God.
T is siiperabounding grace. Waters do not so
abound in the ocean, nor light in the sun, as
grace and compassion do in the bowels of God
towards broken-hearted and hungry sinners, Isa. Iv.
6: 'Let him return unto the Lord, and He will have
mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abund-
antly pardon.' The compassions of our God insert-
ed that word on purpose to relieve poor souls faint-
ing under the sense of their abounding iniquities.
Here is abundant pardon for abounding guilt; and
yet, lest a desponding sinner should not find enough
here to quiet his fears, the Lord goes yet farther in
the expression of His grace, Rom. v. 20: ' Where sin
abounded, grace did much more abound.' It over-
flowed all the bounds, it rose quite above the high-
water mark of sin and guilt: but these overflowings
of grace run only through that channel of all grace,
Jesus Christ, to broken-hearted and obedient sinners.

Pardon for the most Heinous Sins.

THERE is a sacrifice laid out and appointed for
these sins. O bless God for that! they are no
where excepted from the possibility of forgiveness.
Nothing but the impenitency of thy heart, and ob-
stinacy of thy will, can bar thee from a full and
final pardon. Jesus Christ can save thee to the
uttermost. Say not within thyself, can the virtue
of His blood extend itself to the remission of this or
that sin? He can save to the uttermost. Look round
about thee to the uttermost horizon of all thy guilt,

238 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

and Christ can save thee to the uttermost that the
eye of thy conscience can discern, yea, and beyond
it too; but then thou must come unto Him. You
speak of the greatness of sin, and you have cause to
have sad thoughts about it; but, in the mean time,
you consider not, that your unbelief, by which you
stand off from Christ, your only remedy, is certainly
the greatest of all the sins that ever you stood guilty
of against the Lord. This is the sin that binds the
guilt of all your other sins upon you.

Peace to the SctuL.

FAITH is not only the messenger that brings you
a pardon from heaven; but it is, as I may say.
that heavenly herald that publishes peace in the soul
of a sinner. O peace, how sweet a word art thou!
how welcome to a poor condemned sinner! ' Beau-
tifnl upon the mountains are the feet of them that
publish peace.' Now it is faith that brings this
blessed news and publishes it in the soul, Avithout
which all the publishers of peace without us, can
administer but little support, Rom. v... 1. Faith
l)rings the soul out of the storms and tempests with
which it was tossed, into a sweet rest and calm, Heb.
iv. 3: 'We which have believed do enter into rest.'
Is the quiet harbor welcome to poor weather-beaten
seamen, after they have past furious storms and many
fears upon the raging sea? O how welcome then
must peace be to that soul that hath been tossed upon
the tempestuous ocean of its own fears and terrors,
bU)wn up and incensed by the terrible blasts of the

JOHN FIAVEL. 239

law and conscience? It was a comfortable sight to
Noah and his famil}' , to see an olive-leaf in the mouth
of the dove, by which they knew the waters were
abated. But, oh ! what is it to hear such a voice as
this from the mouth of faith, Fury is not in me, saith
the Lord; His anger is turned away, and He com-
forteth thee? Fear not thou poor tempest-tossed
soul, the God of peace is thy God.

Joy in the Holy Ghost.

THIS is somewdiat beyond peace; it is the very
quintessence and spirit of all consolation. The
kingdom of God is said to consist in it, Rom. xiv.
17; it is somewhat near to the joy of the glorified, 1
Pet. i. 8; it is heaven upon earth. All believers do
not immediately attain it, but one time or other God
usually gives them a taste of it; and Avhen He doth,
it is as it were a short salvation. O, who can tell
what that is which the apostle calls, ' The shedding
al)road of the love of God in the heart, by the Holy
Ghost, which is given to us!' Rom. v. 5. It is a
joy that wants an epithet to express the sweetness
of it, 1 Pet. i. 8. 'Joy unspeakable and fall of
glory.' It hath the very scent and taste of heaven
in it, and there is but a gradual difference betwixt
it and the joy of heaven. This joy of the Holy
Ghost is a spiritual cheerfulness streaming through
the soul of a believer upon the Spirit's testimony,
which clears his interest in Christ and glory. No
sooner doth the Spirit shed forth the love of God
into the believer's heart, ])ut it streams and overflows

240 DEVOTION'AL THOUGHTS.

with joy. Joy is no more under that soul's com-
mand. And this will evidently appear, if you con-
sider the matter of it; it arises from the light of
God's countenance, Psalm iv. 6, 7, the heavenly glory,
1 Pet. i. 8. ' Whom having not seen we love,' &c.
The soul is transported with joy, ravished with the
glory and excellency of Christ. Didst thou ever see
this Christ whom thy soul is so ravished with? No,
r have not seen Him; yt;t my soul is transported with
so much love to Him, whom having not seen ive love.
But if thou never sawest Him, how comes thy soul
to be so delighted and ravished with Him? why,
though I never saw Him by the qjq of sense, yet I
do see Him by the eye of faith; and by that sight
my soul is flooded with spiritual joy. Believing ice
rejoice. But what manner of joy is that which you
taste? why, no tongue can express that, j^or it is joy
unsjpeahahle. But how are Christ and heaven turned
into such ravishing joys to the soul? why, the Spirit
of the Lord gives the believing soul not only a sight
to discern the transcendent excellency of these spirit-
ual objects, but a sight of his interest in .them also.
Tliis is my Christ, and this the glory prepared for
me. Without interest, heaven itself cannot be turned
unto joy, ' My soul rejoices in God my Saviour,'
Luke i. 47.

This joy of the Lord shall be your strength, Neh.
viii. 10. Let God but give a person a little of this
joy into his heart, and he shall presently feel him-
self strengthened by it, either to do or to suffer the
will of God. Now he can pray with enlargement.

JOHN FLAVEL. 241

hear with comfort, meditate with delight: and if God
call him to suffer, this joy shall strengthen him to
bear it. This was it that made the martyrs go sing-
in 2^ to the stake. This therefore transcends all the
joys of this lower world.

Foretastes of Heaven.

BELIEVERS have a double pledge, or earnest
for heaven, one in the person of Christ, who is
entered into that glory for them, John xiv. 2, 3, the
other in the joys and comforts of the Spirit, which
they feel, and taste in themselves. These are two
great securities, and the designs of God in giving us
these earnests and foretastes of heaven, are not onlv
to settle our minds but to whet our industry, that
we may long the more earnestly, and labor the more
diligently for the full possession. The Lord sees
how apt we are to flag in the pursuit of heavenly
glory, and therefore gives His people a taste, an
earnest of it, to excite their diligence in the pursuits
of it.

As the visions of God are begun on earth, so the
heavenly delights are begun here also. Some drops
of that delight, are let fall here, Psalm xciv. 19. 'Li
the multitude of the thoughts I had within me, Th}^
comforts delight my soul.' David's heart, it is likely,
had been full of sorrow and trouble; a sea of gall
and wormwood had overflowed his soul: God lets
fall but a drop or two of heavenly delight, and all
is turned into sweetness and comfort. Is there not

something here of that transformation of the soul

242 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

into the image of God, which is complete in heaven',
and a special part of the glory thereof? It is said in
1 John iii. 2: 'We shall be like Him, for we shall
see Him as he is.' This is heaven, this is glory, to
have the soul moulded into full conformity with
God: something thereof is experienced in this world:
O that we had more! 2 Cor. iii. 18: 'But we all
with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of
the Lord, are changed into the same image, from
glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord.' Is
there- not somethino; felt here of the ravishino- sweet-
ness of God's presence in ordinances and duties,
which is a faint shadow, at least, of the joys of His
glorious presence in heaven? There is certainly a
felt presence of God, a sensible nearness unto God
at sometimes and in some duties of religion, wherein
His name is as ointment poured forth. Cant. i. 3,
something that is felt beyond and above all the com-
forts of this world. In a word, the jo3's of heaven
are unspeakable joj^s, no words can make known to
others what they are. When Paul was caught up
into paradise he heard unspeakable worxis, 2 Cor.
xii. 4, and are there not times, even in this life,
wherein the saints do feel that which no w^ords can
express? 1 Pet. i. 8, Rev. ii. 17.

If a relish, a taste of heaven, in the earnest there-
of, be so transporting and ravishing, what then is
the full fruition of God ! If these be unutterable,
what must that be! Give me leave to say, whatever
the comforts and joys of any believer in this world

JOHN FLAVEL. 243

may be, yet heaven will be a surprise to him when
he comes thither.

The Longing Soul's Keflection.

I HAVE waited for Thy salvation, O God! Hav-
ing received Thy first fruits, my soul longs to fill
its bosom with the full ripe sheaves of glory: 'As
the hart panteth for the water brooks, so panteth my
soul for Thee, O God! O when shall I come and
appear before God!' I desire to be dissolved and to
be with Christ! When shall I see that most lovely
face? When shall I hear His soul-transporting voice!
Some need patience to die: I need it as much to
live. Thy sights, O God, by faith, have made this
world a burden, this body a burden, and this soul
to cry, like thirsty David, ' O that one would give
me of the waters of Bethlehem to drink!' The hus-
bandman longs for his harvest, because it is the re-
ward of all his toil and labor. But what is his har-
vest to mine? What is a little corn to the enjoy-
ment of God? What is the joy of harvest to the
joy of heaven? What are the shoutings of men in
the fields to the acclamations of glorified spirits in
the kingdom of God? Lord, I have gone forth bear-
ing more precious seed than they; when shall I re-
turn rejoicing, bringing my sheaves with me? Their
harvest comes when they receive their corn; mine
comes when I leave it. O much desired! O day of
gladness of my heart! How long. Lord! how long!
Here I wait as the poor man at Bethesda's pool, look-
ing when my turn will come, but every one steps

244 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

into heaven before me; 3^et Lord, I am content to
wait till my time is fully come: I would be content
to stay for my glorification till I have finished the
work of my generation; and when I have done the
will of God, then to receive the promise. If Thou
have any work on earth to use me in, I am content
to abide: behold, the husbandman waiteth, and so
will I; for Thou art a God of judgment; and blessed
are all they that wait for Thee.

Eeflection of a Gkowing Christi^vn.

CHEER thyself, O my soul! with the heart-
strengthening bread of this Divine meditation.
Let faith turn every drop of this truth into a soul-
reviving cordial. God hath sown the precious seed
of grace upon my soul; and though my heart hath
been an unkindly soil, which hath kept it back, and
much hindered its growth, yet, blessed be the Lord,
it still grows on, though by slow degrees; and from
the springing of the seed, and shooting forth of those
gracious habits, I may conclude an approaching har-
vest: Now^ is my salvation nearer than w:hen I be-
lieved; every day I come nearer to my salvation,
Rom. xiii. 11. O that every day I were more active
for the God of my salvation! Grow on, my soul,
and add to thy faith virtue, to thy virtue knowledge,
<fec. Grow on from faith to faith; keep thyself
under the ripening influences of heavenly ordinances:
The faster thou growest in grace, the sooner thou
shalt be reaped down in mercy, and bound up in the
bundle of life, 1 Sam. xv. 29. I have not yet attain-

JOHN FLAVEL. 245

ed the measure and proportion of grace assigned to
me, neither am I already perfect, but am reaching
forth to the things before me, and pressing towards
the mark for the prize of my heavenly calling, Phil,
iii. 12, 13.

Lost and Found.

OMY soul! for ever bless and admire the love
of Jesus Christ, who came from heaven to seek
and save such a lost soul as I was. Lord, how mar-
velous! how matchless is Thy love! I was lost, and
am found: I am found, and did not seek; nay, I am
found by Him from whom I fled. Thy love, O my
Saviour, was a preventing love, a wonderful love;
Thou lovedst me much more than I loved myself; I
was cruel to my own soul, but Thou wast kind; Thou
soughtest for me a lost sinner, and not for lost angels;
Thy hand of grace caught hold of me, and hath let
go thousands and ten thousands as good as myself
by nature; like another David, Thou didst rescue
my poor lost soul out of the mouth of the destroyer;
yea, more than so, Thou didst lose Thine own life to
find mine: and now, dear Jesus, since I am thus
marvelously recovered, shall I ever straggle again
from Thee? O let it forever be a warning to me,
how I turn aside into the by-paths of sin any more.

The Ocean of Divine Mercy.

IN the vastness of the ocean, Ave have also a lively
emblem of eternitj^ Who can comprehend or
measure the ocean, but God? And who can compre-

246 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

hencl eternity but He that is said to inhabit it? Isa.
Ivii. 5. Though shallow rivers may be drained and
dried up, yet the ocean cannot. And though these
transitory days, months, and years will at last expire;
yet eternity shall not. O! it is a long word! and
amazing matter! what is eternity but a constant per-
manency of persons and things, in one and the same
state and condition forever; putting them beyond
all possibility of change?

And is the mercy of God like the great deep, an
ocean that none can fathom? What unspeakable
comfort is this to me? may the pardoned soul say.
Did Israel sing a song when the Lord had overwhelm-
ed their corporeal enemies in the seas? And shall
not I break forth into His praises, who hath drowned
all my sins in the depth of mercy? O my soul, bless
thou the Lord, and let His high praises ever be in
thy mouth. Mayest thou not say, that He hath gone
to as high an extent and degree of mercy in pardon-
ing thee as ever He did in any? O my God, who is
like unto Thee! that pardoneth iniquity, transgression
and sin. "What mercy, but the mercy of a God,
could cover such abomination as mine?

Joy of the Redeemed.

OWHAT a transcendent joy, yea, ravishing, will
over-run the hearts of saints, when, after so
many conflicts, temptations, and afflictions, they ar-
rive in glory and are harbored in heaven, where they
shall rest for ever! 2 Thess. i. 7. The Scripture
saith, ' They shall sing the song of Moses and of the

JOHN FLAVEL. 247

Lamb/ Rev. xv. 3. The song of Moses was a
triumphant song composed for the celebration of
that glorious deliverance at the Red sea. The saints
are now fluctuating upon a troublesome and tempest-
uous sea; their hearts sometimes ready to sink, and
die within them at the apprehension of so many and
great dangers and difficulties. Many a hard storm
they ride out, and many straits and troubles they
here encounter with, but at last they arrive at their
desired and long-expected haven, and then heaven
rings and resounds with their joyful acclamations.
And how can it be otherwise, when as soon as ever
they set foot upon that glorious shore, Christ Him-
self meets and receives them with a ' Come, ye bless-
ed of my Father,' Matth. xxv. 34.

Assurance.

IT is the very riches of fiiith, the most pleasant
fruit which grows upon the top branches of faith.
The Scripture tells us of an assurance of understand-
ing, hope and faith. All these graces are precious
in themselves; but the assurance of each of them
is the most sweet and pleasant part. Knowledge
above knowledge, is the full assurance of knowledge:
hope above hope, is the full assurance of hope: and
faith above faith, is the full assurance of faith. The
least and lowest act of saving faith is precious, and
above all value; what then must the highest and
most excellent acts of faith be? Certainly there is a
sweetness in the assurance of faith, that few men
have the privilege to taste: and they that do, can

248 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

find no words able to express it to another's under-
standino^. The weakest Christian is exalted above
all other men; but .the assured Christian hath a
preference before all other Christians.

It is heart's ease; the very sabbath and sweet re-
pose of the soul. Thousands of poor Christians
would part with all they possess in this world to
enjoy it; but it flies from them. The life that most
of them live, is a life betwixt hopes and fears; their
interest in Christ is very doubtful to them. Some-
times they are encouraged, from sensible workings
of grace; then all is dashed again b}^ the contrary
stirrings and workings of their own corruptions.
Now the sun shines out clear, by and by the heavens
are overcast and clouded ao-ain: but the assured
Christian is at rest. He can take Christ into the
arms of faith, and say, ' My Beloved is mine, and I
am His. Return to thy rest, O my soul, for the
Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee!'

It is the pleasure of life; yea, the most rational,
pure, and transporting pleasure. What is life with-
out pleasure? And what pleasure is th^re in the
world, comparable to this pleasure?

Constancy of Christ's Love.

THE constancy of Christ's love to His people
passeth knowledge: No length of time, no dis-
tance of place, no change of condition, either with
Him or us, can possibl}^ make any alteration of His
afiections towards us: 'He is the same yesterday,
to-day, and for ever,' Heb. xiii. 8. It is noted also

JOHN FLAVEL. 249

by the evangelist, John xiii. 1 : ' That havhig loved
His own which were in the world. He loved them to
the end.' It is true His condition is altered; He is
no more in this world conversing with His people,
as He did once in the days of His flesh: He is now
at the right-hand of God, in the highest glory; but
yet His heart is the same that ever it was, for love
and tenderness to His people. Our conditions also
are often altered in this world; but His love suiFers
no alteration. Yea, which is much more admirable,
we do many things daily that grieve Him and offend
Him; yet He takes not away His loving-kindness
from us, nor suffers His faithfulness to fail. We
pour out so much cold Avater of unkindness and pro-
vocation, as is enough to cool and quench any love
in the world, except His love; but notwithstanding
all, He continues unchano-eable in love to us.

Maturity of Grace.

WHEN the corn is near ripe, it bows the head
and stoops lower than when it was green.
When the people of God are near ripe for heaven,
they grow more humble and self-denying than in the
days of their first profession. The longer a saint
grows in this world, the better he is still acquainted
with his own heart and his obligations to God; both
which are very humbling things. Paul had one foot
in heaven when he called himself the chief est of sin-
ners, and least of saints, 1 Tim. i. 15; Eph. iii. 8.

A Christian, in the progress of his knowledge and

j1*

250 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

grace, is like a vessel cast into the sea; the more it
fills the deeper it sinks.

End of the Christian's Trials.

THE time is coming, when thy heart shall he as
thon wouldst have it; when thou shalt be dis-
charged of all these cares, fears, and sorrows, and
never cry out, O my hard, my proud, my vain, my
earthly heart, any more! When all darkness shall be
vanished from thine understanding; and thou shalt
clearly discover all truths in God, that crystal ocean
of truth: When all vanity shall be purged perfectly
out of thy thoughts, and they be everlastingly, ravish-
ingly and delightfully entertained and exercised upon
that supreme goodness, and infinite excellency of
God, from whom they shall never start any more
like a broken bow. And as for thy pride, passion,
earthliness, and all other matters of thy complaint
and trouble, it shall be said of them, as of the
Egyptians to Israel, ' Stand still, and see the salva-
tion of God.' These corruptions thou seest to day,
henceforth thou shalt see them no more for ever!
when thou shalt lay down thy weapons of prayers,
tears and groans, and put on the armor of light,
not to fight but triumph in.

Lord! when shall this blessed day come? How
long! how long! Holy and True? My soul waiteth
for Thee! Come, my Beloved! and be Thou like a
roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.
Amen.

STEPHEN CHARNOOK, B. D.

1628-1680.

Meditation on the Glory of Christ.

EDITATE upon the glory of Christ:
without a due and frequent reflection
upon it, we can never have a spirit of
thankfulness for our great redemption ;
because we cannot else have sound
impressions of the magnificent grace of God in
Christ. It is the least we can do, to give Him a
room in our thoughts, who hath been a forerun-
ner in glory, to make room for us in a hapj^y
world. As the ancient Israelites linked their devo-
tion to the temple and ark at Jerusalem, the visi-
ble sign God had given them of His presence,
ought we not also to fix our eyes and hearts on the
holy place which contains our ark, the body of the
Lord Jesus? The meditation on this glory will
keep us in acts of faith on Him, obedience to Him,
a lively hope of enjoying blessedness by Him,
1 Peter i. 21. If we did believe Him dignified with
power at the right hand of His Father, it would be
the strongest motive to encourage and quicken our
obedience and fill us with hopes of being with Him,

252 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

since He is gone up in triumph as our Head: it
would make us liiglily bless God for the glory of
Christ, since it is the day of our triumph, and the
assurance of our liberty.

It would alienate our affections from the world,
and fix them upon heaven. The thoughtis of His
glory would put our low and sordid souls to the
blush, and shame our base and unworthy affections,
so unsuitable to the glory of our Head. If we
looked upon Christ in heaven, ' our conversation
would be more there,' Phil. iii. 20, 21: our hearts
would seek more ' the things which are above,' Col.
iii. 1; we should loathe every thing, where Ave do
not find Him; and think on that heaven, where only
we can fully enjoy Him. It would make us have
heavenly pantings after the glory of another world,
and disjoin our affections from the mud and dirt of
this. This would elevate our hearts from the cross
to the throne, from the grave to His glory, from His
windino^-shect to His robes. If we think on Him
mounted to heaven, why should we have affections
groveling upon the earth? It is not fit our hearts
should be where Christ would not vouchsafe to
reside Himself after His work was done. If He
would have had our souls tied to the earth, He
would have made earth His habitation; but going
up to the higher world, He taught us that we should
follow Him in heart, till He fetched our souls and
bodies thither, to be with Him in person.

It would quicken our desires to be with Christ.
How did the apostle long to be a stranger to the

STEniEX CIIAKXOCK. 253

body, that he might be in the tirms of his triumph-
ant Lord! Phil. i. 23. How did Jacob ardently
desire to see Joseph, when he heard he was not
only living, but in honor in Egypt! And should
not we npon the meditation of this glory be in-
flamed with a lono^ins: to behold it, since we have
the prayer of Christ Himself to encourage our
belief that it shall be so? What spouse would not
desire to be with her husband in that glory she
hears he is in? What loving member hath not an
appetite to be joined to the head?

It would encourage those at a distance from Him
to come to Him, and believe in Him. What need
we fear, since He is entered into glory, and set
down upon a throne of grace? If our sins are
great, shall we despair, if we do believe in Him,
and endeavor to obey Him? This is not only to set
light by His blood, but to think Him unworthy of the
glory He is possessed of, in imagining any guilt so
great that it cannot be expiated, or any stain so deep
that it cannot be purified by Him. A nation should
run to Him because He is glorified, Isaiah Iv. 5.
The most condescending affections that ever He dis-
covered, the most gracious invitations that ever He
made, were at those times when He had a sense of
this glory in a particular manner, to show His inten-
tion in His possessing it. When He spake of all
things delivered to Him by His Father, an invitation
of men to come unto Him is the use He makes of it,
Matt. xi. 27, 28. If this be the use He makes of
His glory to invite us, it should be the use Ave

254 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

should make of the thoughts of it, to accept His
proffer. Well then, let us be frequent in the believ-
ing reviews of it. When Elisha fixed his eyes upon
his master Elijah ascending into heaven, he had a
double portion of his spirit. If we Avould exercise
our understandings by faith on the ascension and
glory of the Kedeemer, and our hearts accompany
Him in His sitting down upon the throne of His
Father, we might receive from Him fuller showers,
be revived with more fresh and vigorous communi-
cations of the Spirit; for thus He bestows grace and
gifts upon men.

Christ our Advocate.
^ "TF any man sin, we have an Advocate with the
J_ Father, Jesus Christ the righteous!' 1 John ii. 1.
Believers, while in the world, are liable to acts of
sin. 'If any man;' he supposeth that grace may be
so weak, temptation so strong, that a believer may
fall into a grievous sin. While men are in the flesh,
there are indwelling sins, and invading temptations;
there is a body of death within them, and snares
about them. The apostle excludes not himself, for,
putting himself by the term ' we ' into the number
of those that want the remed}^, he supposes himself
liable to the disease : ' We have an Advocate with
the Father.'

Though believers do, through the strength of the
flesh, subtlety of the tempter, power of a tempta-
tion, and weakness of grace, fall into sin, yet they
should not despair of succor and pardon. ' If any

STEPHEN CHAENOCK. 255

man sin, we have an Advocate.' Such a total
despondency would utterly ruin them; despair
would bind their sins upon them. Be not only
cast down under the consideration of the curses and
threatenings of the law, but be erected by the pro-
mises of the GosDel, and the standino^ office of Christ
in heaven.

Faith in Christ must be exercised as often as we
sin. ' If any man sin, we have an Advocate.' What
is it to us that there is an Advocate, unless we will
put our cause into His hand; though we have a
foithful attorney in our worldly affairs, yet upon
any emergency we must entertain him, let him
know our cause, if we expect relief. Though Christ,
being omniscient, knows and compassionates our
case, yet He will be solicited; as, though God
knows our wants, He will be supplicated to for the
supplies of our necessities; though He understands
our case, He would have us understand it too, that
we may value His office. Faith ought therefore to
be exercised, because, by reason of our daily sins,
we stand in need of a daily intercession. ' If any
man sin;' it implies that every man ought to make
reflections on his conscience, lament his condition,
turn- his eye to his great Advocate, acquaint Him
with his state, and entertain Him afresh in his cause.
Though He lives for ever to make intercession, it is
only for those who come to God by Him, as their
Agent and Solicitor; for those who come to the
Judge, but first come to Him as their Attorney.

The proper intention of this office of Christ, is

256 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS,

for sins after a state of faith. He was a Priest in
His propitiation, to bring God and man together;
He is a Priest in His intercession, to keep God and
man together; His propitiation is the foundation of
His intercession, but His intercession is an act dis-
tinct from the other; that was done by His death,
this is managed in His life; His death was for our
reconciliation, but His life is for the perpetuating
that reconciliation: Rom. v. 10. 'If any man sin,
we have an Advocate.' If any man sin that hath
entered into a state of communion with God, let him
know that this office was erected in heaven to keep
him rio:ht in the favor of the Judo-e of all the world.
"We should quickly mar all, and be as miserable the
next minute after regeneration and justification as
before, if provision were not in this way made for
us. In the first acts, faith eyes the propitiation of
Christ, and pitches upon His death: Christ, as dying,
is the great support of a soul nevfly come out of the
gulf of misery, and terrors of conscience: in after
acts, it eyes the life of Christ as well as the death,
taking in both His propitiation and intercession
together.

How divine is the Gospel! 'Sin not,'-=— 'if any
man sin.' It gives us comfort against the demerit
of sin, without encouraging the acts of sin; it teaches
us an exact conformity to God in holiness, and pro-
vides, for our full security, in Christ a powerful
Advocate. No religion is so pure for the honor of
God, nor any so cordial for the refreshment of the
creature.

STErHEN CHARNOCK. 257

Christ presenting the Memorials of His Death.

IT is by the displaying the whole merit of His
passion, that He doth solicit for us. Intercession
is not properly a sarcedotal act without respect to
the sacrifice. It was with the blood of the sacri-
fice that the high priest was to enter into the holy
of holies, and sprinkle it there. The same blood
that had been shed without on the day of expiation,
was to be carried within the veil. What was done
typically, Christ doth really; first give Himself a
sacrifice, and then present Himself as the sacrifice
for us. The apostle shows us the manner of it,
Heb. xii. 24; the blood of Christ is a speaking
blood, as well as the blood of Abel. It speaks in
the same manner as Abel's blood did, though not
for the same end. As the blood of Abel, presenting
itself before the eyes of God, was as powerful to
draw down the vengeance of God, as if it had
uttered a cry so loud as to reach to heaven; so the
blood of Christ, being presented before the throne
of God, powerfully excites the favor of God by the
loudness of its cry. He speaks by His blood, and
His blood speaks by its merit. The petitions of
His lips had done us no good without the voice of
His blood. He stands as a Lamb slain, when He
presents the prayers of the saints. Rev. v. 6, 8; with
His bleeding wounds open as so many mouths full
of pleas for us, and every one of them is the memo-
rial and mark of the things which He sufiercd, and
for what end He suflered them; as the wounds of a
soldier, received in the defence and for the honor

258 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

of his country, displayed to persons sensible of
them, are the loudest and best pleas for the grant
of his request. If the party-colored rainbow being
looked upon by God, reminds Him of His covenant
not to destroy the world again by a deluge, Gen. ix.
14-16, much more are the wounds which Christ
bears both in His hands, feet, and side, remem-
brancers to Him of the covenant of grace made
with repenting and believing sinners. The look of
God upon these wounds whereby so great an obla-
tion is remembered, doth as efficaciously move Him
to look kindly upon us, as the look upon the rain-
bow disposeth Him to the continuance of the world.
If our Saviour had not a mouth to speak. He hath
blood to plead, and His blood cries louder in heaven
for us, than His voice did in any of the prayers He
uttered upon earth; for by this His performance of
the articles on His part is manifested, and the per-
formance of the promises on God's part solicited;
when He sees what the Eedeemer hath done, He
reflects upon what He Himself is to do; the blood
of Christ speaks the tenor of the covena^nt of re-
demption made with Christ on the behalf of sinners.
It is a presenting our persons to God together
with His blood in an affectionate manner. As the
high priest, when he went into the holy of holies,
was to bear the names of the children of Israel in
the breast-plate of judgment upon his heart, Exod.
xxviii. 29, to which the Church alludes in her desire
that she might be ' set as a seal upon the heart of
her Beloved,' Cant. viii. 6; and perhaps there may

STE1»HEN CIIARNOCK. 259

be also an allusion in Rev. iii. 5, confessing the
names of the victorious sufferers before His Father,
bearing their names visibly before Him. The per-
sons of believers are His jewels locked up in the
cabinet of His own breast, and showed to His Fa-
ther in the exercise of His priestly office.

rp]

Perpetuity of Christ's Intercession.
^HE first evidence is in the text: 'We have an
JL Advocate.' We have, at this present moment;
we have an Advocate actually remembering us in
His thoughts, and presenting us to His Father; we
in this age, we in all ages, till the dissolution of the
world; without any faintness in the degrees of His
intercession, without any interruption in time; He
never ceases the exercise of this office, so far as it is
agreeable to that high and elevated state wherein He
is. As there are continual sins of believers in all
ages of the world, so there are constant pleas of the
Advocate.

Christ is an Intercessor for us in the w^hole course
of our pilgrimage, all the time that we have any
need of Him; His voice is the same still: 'I will
that they behold my glory which Thou hast given
me,' till they are w^afted from hence to a full vision
of it. This is the true end of His heavenly life, and
His living for ever there: ' Seeing He ever liveth to
make intercession for them,' Heb. vi. 25; He lives
solely to this purpose, to discharge this part of His
driesthood for us. His advocacy is like His life,
without end: as He died once, to merit our rcdemp-

260 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

tion, so He lives always, to make application of re-
demption. He would not answer the end of His
life, if He did not exercise the office of His priest-
hood. It would not be a love like that of a God,
if He did not bear His people continually upon His
heart. He was the Author of our faith, by endur-
ing the cross; and the Finisher of our faith, by
' sitting down at the right hand of God,' Heb. xii. 2.
He will be exercised in it as long as there is any
faith to be finished and completed in the world.
His oblation was a transient act, but His appear-
ance in heaven for us is a permanent act and con-
tinues for ever. His mediatorial glory is not con-
summate, though His personal be. He hath yet a
mystical self to be perfected, a fullness to be
enriched with: He cannot be intent upon this with-
out minding the concerns of, and putting up pleas
for His people; for they are one with Him, 'the
fullness of Him that filleth all in all,' Eph. i. 23.
There can be no cessation of His work, till His ene-
mies be conquered, and His whole mystical body
wrapt up in glory. -. -

He is always in the presence of His Father in the
dignity of His Person, and fullness of His merit,
continually spreading every part of His meritorious
sacrifice in the view of God. The high priest en-
tered into the holy of holies but once a year, but
this High Priest sits forever in the court in a per-
petual exercise of His function, both as a priest and
a sacrifice. And since His own sacrifice for sins
ofiered on earth was sufficient. He hath nothing to

STEPHEN CHARNOCK. 261

do perpetually in heaven, but to sprinkle the blood
of that sacrifice upon the mercy-seat. He is never
out of the presence of God, and the infiniteness of
His compassions may hinder us from imagining a
silence in Him, when any accusations are brought in
against us. The accusations might succeed well,
were He out of the way; but being always present.
He is always active in His solicitations; no clamor
can come against us, but He hears it, as being on
the right hand of His Father, and appears as our
Attorney there in the presence of God, to answer it,
as the high-priest appeared in the holy of holies for
all the people.

Efficacy of Cheist's Inteecession.

HE is an Advocate to the Father; not only to
Him at a distance, but with Him: the con-
stant presence of a favorite with a king, of a
princely son with a royal father, is a means to make
his intercessions of force with him: He is an Advo-
cate, and He is constantly with the Father in that
capacity. A letter from a friend is not so successful
as a personal appearance, for gaining a suit. If His
death were meritorious. His prayer must be so too,
as being put up in the virtue of His meritorious
blood; and though Ave are reconciled by His death,
yet we are saved by His life, with a 'much more,'
Rom. V. 10; not formally in regard of merit, for
that was the effect of His death, but in regard of
application of that merit, the end for which He
lives, to render it efficacious to us, as it had been

2G2 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

ill His passion valuable for us. If He separated
Himself to death to procure it, He will employ the
authority and dignity of His life to finish and apply
it. As none offered so noble a sacrifice, so none
lives a more powerful life. As when He was on
earth, never man spake as He spake; so now He is
in heaven, never did man or angel plead as He
pleads. ' If whatsoever we ask in His name,' we
shall receive, John xvi. 23, surely whatsoever lie
asks in His own name, will not be refused.

Love to Christ as our Advocate.

LET our afiections be in heaven with our Advo-
cate. Though the people of Israel were barred
from entering into the holy of holies with the high
priest, when he went to sprinkle the blood on the
mercy-seat, yet they attended him with their hearts,
continued their wishes for his success, and expected
his return with the notice of his acceptation. Since
Christ is entered into the holy place, and acts our
business in the midst of His glory, we should raise
our hearts to Him where He is, and link our spirits
with Him; and rejoice in the assured success of His
negotiation. Though a man be not personally pres- *-
ent with his advocate in the court, yet his heart and
soul is with him; the heart is where the chief busi-
ness is. Let us not keep our hearts from Him who
employs Himself in so great a concern for us.

Glorify and love this Advocate. If Christ pre-
sents our persons and prayers in heaven, it is reason
we should live to His glory upon earth. If He car-

STEPHEN CIIARXOCK. 203

ries our names on His breast near His heart, as a
signal of His affection to us, we should carry His
name upon our hearts in a way of ingenuous return.
We should empty ourselves of all unworthy affec-
tions, be inflamed with an ardent love to Him, and
behave ourselves towards Him as the most amiable
object. This is but due to Him as He is our Advo-
cate.

The Glorified Eedeemer.

IF the righteous are to shine ' as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father,' Matt. xiii. 43, the
Head of the righteous shines with a splendor above
that of the sun, for He hath a glory upon His body,
not only from the glory of His soul, as the saints
shall have, but from the glory of His Divinity, in
conjunction with it. The glory of His Divinity
redounds upon His humanity, like a beam of the
sun that conveys a dazzling brightness to a piece of
crystal. There was an interruption of this glory
while He was in this w^orld. though the human nature
then was united with the divine; but this interrup-
tion Avas necessary for those acts which He was to
perform in our stead, for the satisfaction of God, and
the discharge of His office. Had the glory of the
divinity broke out upon His body. He had not been
capable of suffering. What mortal could have stood
before Him, much less laid hands on Him? AYhat
mortal durst have accounted Him a blasphemer, an
imposter, and have exercised any violence against
Him, had His divinity so ftishioncd His humanity?

264 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

But now it is, as it was in His transfiguration, Matt
xvii. 2 ; the glory He had then wrought an alteration
not onl}^ in His body, but in His garments, which
could not be of the most splendid, as not suiting
His present state of humiliation, yet ' they became
shining, exceeding white as snow, so as no fuller
on earth can white them,' Mark ix. 3; much more
must that firm and perpetual glory in heaven have
the same influence upon His refined body, that hath
cast off those corruptible qualities which hung upon
it on earth, and doth more excel in glory that body
He had on earth, than the glory of the sun surpass-
eth that of a glow-worm. It is such a glory as
would dazzle mortals to behold it; for if His glory
upon Mount Tabor cast Peter into an ecstacy, what
effect would His glory upon His throne work upon
a mortal nature? Whence it follows, that there
must be a mighty change of the bodies of the glo-
rified saints, to capacitate them for the beholding
this glory of Christ, the intent views whereof are
part of their happiness, John xvii. 24.

The Substance of the Gospel.

THE doctrine of the death of Christ is the sub-
stance of the Gospel; though there be many
doctrines in it beside that, there is no comfort from
any of them, without the consideration of the Cross
of Christ; for though God be merciful in His own
nature, yet since sin hath made a separation between
God and His creature, it is impossible to renew any
communion with Him without a propitiation for the

STEPHEN CHARXOCK.. 2G5

offeuce. We see then Christ is the only meritorious
cause of our justification; nothing that we can clo
can justify us before God; we must be wholl}^ off from
ourselves and our own righteousness, as to any de-
pendence on it, and act faith in the death of the Son
of God, if we would be secure here in our consciences,
or happy hereafter.

Love of God.

THIS love is perpetual. He was in Christ recon-
ciling the world; He will to the end of the
world beseech men to be reconciled to Him. Love
was the motive, the glory of His grace was the end;
Avhat was so from eternity, will be so to eternity.
His love is as strong as it was, for infinite receives
no diminution; His glory is as dear as it was, for to
deny His glory is to deny himself. How great will
be the joy of those that accept it! how dismal the
torment and sorrow of those that refuse it!

Our Access to God.

SINCE God was in Christ reconciling the world,
we go to Him upon the account of an immutable
righteousness, a righteousness He settled as an act
of grace to us, and security to His own glory: whereas
Adam could approach to Him but upon the account
of a mutable righteousness, Avhich might be as the
grass standing this day, and withered to-morrow.
Our access to God is with a joy in the ' hope of the
glory of God,' Eom. v. 2. And when we take hold
of His covenant, this covenant of peace, we have His

266 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

word that He will make us 'joyful in the house of
prayer/ Isa. Ivi. 6, 7; actively joyful, full of de-
light in His service, solacing ourselves in a sweet
consideration of the infinite s'race of a reconcilins*
God, whereby a transcendent delight is raised in the
soul, which is a direct delight in God as the object
of faith, discovered in Christ, and apprehended by
spiritual reason and sense: passively joyful, by re-
ceivino^ in His service more of the refreshinc: waters
of life, and being fed with the 'hidden manna,'
which God communicates in and by Christ to His
friends. And beside, though our services are imper-
fect, God expects not a perfect obedience from us,
but from His Son Christ; it is a full assurance of
faith He expects from us, and a true heart, not a per-
fect obedience; His promise gives us joy, though the
sense of our imperfections creates a sorrow. Though
we cannot delight in ourselves, we may in God, in
His promise, in His gracious condescension, in the
compensation He hath from His Son for us, in His
acceptation of it, and application of it to our souls.

The Covenant of Eedemption.

FLY to this covenant of redemption, as well as to
the covenant of grace, since that is the founda-
tion of this. All other considerations of Christ's
death, merit, and every thing stored up in Christ,
can give us little hope, unless we consider this cove-
nant, which supports all the other stones of the
building. Fly to it when your souls are in heavi-
ness; though there may be sometimes clouds upon

STEPHEN CHARNOCK. 267

the face of God, yet consider those compassions in
His heart when He struck this covenant with Christ:
He covenanted to bruise His own Son by His wrath,
while He promised to support Him by His strength,
and the sounding of His bowels always kept pace
with the blows of His hand. The consideration of
this will encourage our faintness, silence our fears,
nonplus our scruples, and settle our staggering faith.
Is a believer in a storm; here is an anchor to hold
him: is he sinkino^? here is a bouo-h to catch at: is
he pursued by spiritual enemies? here is a refuge to
fly to. Sin cannot so much oblige God's justice to
punish as His oath to Christ obligeth Him to save a
repenting and believing sinner. These two cove-
nants, that of redemption and the other of grace, are
as a Hur and Aaron to hold up the hands of a feeble
faith. His love cannot die as long as His faithful-
ness remains, nor His peace with the soul perish as
long as the covenant Avith His Son endures. This
covenant of redemption is to be pleaded by us, as
well as the merit of Christ's death, because the merit
of His death is founded upon this compact.

Chpjst Filled with the Spieit.

HE is filled with His Spirit by the Father, i. e.
with all the gifts and graces of the Spirit.
That precious ointment composed of so many sweet
and excellent ingredients, wherewith the Levitical
high priest was anointed, Exod. xxx. was a type
of those excellent graces of the great High Priest,
whereby He was qualified for the exercise of His

268 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

offices. As the Spirit espoused the human nature to
the divine, so He espoused all His gifts and graces
to the human. As the body was conceived by the
power of the Holy Ghost, so His soul was beautified
and adorned by the grace of the Holy Ghost, where-
by He became ' fairer than the clnldren of men, and
grace was poured into His lips.^ Psalm xlv. 2.
' His going forth is prepared as the morning,' Hos.
vi. 3, furnished with all things necessary to work
out redemption and free the world from the wrath
of God, as the sun is with light to deliver the world
from the darkness of the night.

'He had the Spirit not by measure,' John iii-t 34,
not as light in a room, but as light in the sun: not
as water hi a vessel where the bounds are visible,
but like water in the ocean, where the depths and
limits are unknown. In Him there was nothins^but
Spirit and fullness, without limits for quantity; with-
out imperfection for quality; all the treasures; the
fountain, not the rivers. There are varieties of shifts
as there are of stars, and the qualities of them in
heaven; and of flowers, and the beauties of them
upon earth; what were various in others were entire
in Him.

Infinite Compassion of God.

O MARVELOUS grace! that Christ should be
endued with the richest grace by His Father,
to relieve our poverty; with the highest might to
help our weakness; with a powerful assistance to
conquer our enemies; with an overflowing fullness

STEPHEN CHARNOCK. 269

to fill up our emptiness: and abundant grace poured
into His lips to comfort our dejectedness. God
cannot show greater love than to send His Son to
make the peace and unlock His cabinet wherewith
to furnish Him. An old frame of thankfulness will
not fit an evangelical discovery of love. Isa. xlii.
9, 10. When God tells them of ' His servant in
whom His soul delights/ and upon w^hom He had
put His Spirit for the redemption of man, then He
makes this use of exhortation of it, ' Sing unto the
Lord a new song.' New love calls for new praise.
God might have destroyed us with less cost than He
hath reconciled us; for our destruction there was no
need of His counsel nor of fitting out His Son, nor
opening His treasures; a word would have done it,
whereas our reconciliation stood Him in much charofe.
It was performed at the expense of His grace and
Spirit, to furnish His eternal Son to be a sacrifice for
our atonement. An inexpressible wonder that the
Father should prepare His Son a mortal body that
our souls might be prepared for an incorruptible
glory.

The Saviour's Agony.

HOW was His soul begirt with the wrath of God
before His agony in the garden! What an
excess of sorrow do those words signify, ' sore
amazed, sorrowful, very heavy;' Matt. xxvi. 37,
Mark xiv. 33; an inward quaking, an inexpressible
amazement! What a deluge fell from heaven upon
our Ark, of which that of Noah was a type! How

AlO DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

was His soul ground to poAvder in His agony! How
did His soul boil under the fire of wrath, and His
blood leak through every pore of the vessel by the
extremity of the flame! Must it not be more than a
finite breath that thus melted His soul in the garden?
Must it not be a stronger than a finite stroke that
wrung out those bitter cries? Was there any visible
person to afiiict Him? Yet His agonies there are
thouo-ht to have more of hell-fire in them than His
sufierings on the cross; clots of blood dropped from
Him when there was no visible hand to strike Him:
inconceivable must be the afflictions of His soul that
could make such dismal commotions in His body,
and put the whole instrument out of tune; that should
make a dissolution of the parts, and make His heart
like melted wax 'in the midst of His bowels.'
Psalm xxii. 14. His spotless conscience could not
flash such lightnings, as to melt the sword when
nothins: touched the scabbard; His Father was then
charging Him with our sins, actuating His knowledge
and sense of them. He had all His lifetime a knowl-
edge of the ingratitude and rebellion of-, sin; He
knew how it had ofiended and injured God; how it
had deformed and ruined the creature: now was His
knowledge actuated, and the charging upon Him the
punishment of them made His knowledge sensible
and experimental. This cup discovers more bitter
ingredients than any creature could wring out into it.

stepiiex charnock. 271

Christ's Love as Manifested in His Death.

(Christ was now upon the liigliest manifestation
J of His compassions to mankind. His death
was the emphasis of His love; His love was stronger
and purer than the love of any creature, not only in
regard of the excellency of His person, but the great-
ness of His sufferings. Had He endured only a
death of the body, and not such a death that could
have been inflicted only by an infinite hand, His love
had lost much of its lustre. His love is principally
laid upon the score of His death: 'Who loved me
and gave Himself for me.' Gal. ii. 20.

God Spared not His Son.

HOW great is this love that valued our salvation
above the life of an only Son^ and shed a
blood more valuable than the whole creation to pre-
serve ours, which could not be equivalent to the
j)rice of it; and put Him into the posture of an ene-
my to His Son to make us His friends! If the
thunders of the law had been shot upon us, what
strength had we to bear them? What merit to re-
move them? How great is the love of the Eedeem-
er, to be willing not to be spared for a time, rather
than millions of men and women should ftiil of beinc:
spared forever! 'It w^as for our transgressions He
was wounded, for our iniquities He was bruised, and
the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.' Isa.
liii. 5. In every wound God gave Him He minded
the full punishment of our sin, in the person of our
Saviour, that those whom He represented might go

272 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

free. He spared Him not, abated not a mite of what
justice might demand, that so His people might
have a full redemption. ' He spared not His own
Son, but delivered Him up for us all.' Rom. vii.
32. He did not spare Him in regard of the strength
of justice, wherewith He punished Him. What
could more enhance the love of God than the terrors
inflicted on Christ? And what could more enhance
the love of Christ than that He endured not only a
bodily death, but a wrathful deatli in His soul for
us?

Let, then, this love engage every man to come to
God throuo'h Christ. How should it ravish us into
an humble compliance with Him and subjection to
Him! If He hath bruised Him for us. He will not
bruise us if we come to Him. The blood shed by
the order of God is able to expiate a world of sins.
God hath spent His wrath upon Him, and hath none
for those that accept of Him. God hath discovered
a propensity to be reconciled, though we lie open
to the stroke of His justice and have no strength to
withstand Him; a higher evidence He caimot give.

Our Acceptance in Christ.

THE acceptation of our persons and services re-
dounds to us from the Father's acceptance of
Christ. His love to Christ as Mediator, is the ground
of our acceptation: *To the praise of the glory of
His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the
beloved.' Eph. i. 6. He chose Him first as the
head, and His members in Him; He accepts Him as

STEPHEN ClIARNOCK. 273

the first beloved, and believers in Him. Had not
Christ been accepted first, none could have pretended
a holiness worthy of the notice of God. The grace
of God is the cause, His love to Christ the o^round,
acceptation of us in Him the efiect of both. In our-
selves, we are the o]>jccts of His anger; in Christ, the
marks of His choice affection.

His death is so valuable as to procure the casting
our sins into the depths of the sea, and the advancing
our persons to the heights of glory, to stand before
God in His kingdom.

Since this acceptance how doth justice itself smile!
The rod of God's fury falls out of His hand upon
the sweetness of His Son's offering, and gives way
to a sceptre of grace: nothing was omitted which
was necessary for the pleasure of God's piercing eye.
This may well calm the fears in our hearts, because
It smooths the frowns in God's face. If no char<re
can be brought against Christ, since the acknowledg-
ment of the sufficiency of His offering, no charge can
be brought against believers. For whom was it per-
formed but for them? For whom was it accepted
but for them? The acceptation must be for the
same ends for which His sufferiuo's were endured:
shall not then the influence of it upon them, answer
the intention of it for them? If it should not, the
first acceptation would be in vain: Christ must then
return to offer another sacrifice, which shall never be.
In the acceptation of Christ for you. He hath accept-
ed you in Him. He stood in no need of it, but in

relation to you; He was the eternal Son of God,

12*

274 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

acceptable to the Fatliel*; but by this He is estab-
lished an eternal Saviour. An obedient faith on our
part, will entitle us to salvation on His part: 'And
being made perfect, He became the Author of eternal
salvation unto all them that obey Him.' Heb. v. 9.
Since God hath accepted Him for you, God will ap-
pear full of omniscience to understand your wants,
full of compassion to pity you, full of power to re-
lieve you, full of wisdom to guide you, full of grace
to pardon you, full of glory to bless you forever.
Every believer will be accepted by God, because by
his faith he owns that which gives God a rest, and
as the grace of God assists him, so he contributes to
God's contentment. Oh then remember your offences
against God, to be humbled; and God's acceptation
of the blessed offering to be comforted. The odor
of this sacrifice was so agreeable to God, that not
content to discharge us from the condemnation we
had merited. He would also that we should partake
of the life and enjoy the kingdom of His Son, judg-
ing it not equity to make any separation between the
Head and the members, the Redeemer and the re-
deemed; and a disparagement to the greatness of
the offer and offering, to shut heaven against them;
hereby is not only condemnation removed, but eter-
nal glory assured. It is not only a 'not perishing'
but an 'eternal life' upon faith. John iii. 16.

stephen charnock. 275

The Gospel.

THE gospel is the dove bringing an olive-branch
of peace, j)ut into its mouth by God; it brings
us news of the allay of His Avrath, which was due to
our sins, and that His sword is blunted by Himself
in the bowels of His Son, that it might not be sheath-
ed in ours. It shows us a shelter for storms, a light
in God's countenance even in the shadow of dark-
ness. Here God draws near to man, that man may
have access to Him. He makes His Son like to man,
that man might be rendered capable of approaching
to God. Tavo natures are joined in one person, that
there may be an amiable conjunction of two different
parties; He exposeth His beloved Son to the strokes
of His justice for a time, that He might reassume His
life with honor for ever.

God in the gospel presents us with a Mediator of
His own choosing, of His own fitting, of His own
ordering; One that He will not refuse, whose inter-
cessions He is pleased with: tliat He might keep ofi*
the darts of divine justice from us, that we might
draw near through the veil of His flesh, Heb. x. 20,
that we may look upon God in Christ, without being
dazzled by His glory or scorched by His wrath.
Now, may devouring fire and combustible stubble
meet together; fire without scorching, stubl)le with-
out consuming. Here miser}^ may approach to glory,
because glory condescends to misery. Hereby guilt
is removed, which makes us incapable of access to
God; and wrath is removed, which hinders our
actual access. Here may all that Avill believe in God

276 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

tlirougli Christ and conform to His laws, walk in the
midst of the furnace of God's justice without having
a hair of their heads touched, without feeling the
smart of that which will be quick in consuming un-
regenerate men. Since nothing else discovers any
peace with God, no doctrine else can make any peace
in the conscience. It is the old way gives rest to the
soul, Jer. vi. 16, the way as old as the first promise
of a Reconciler. All other ways, if rightly consid-
ered, rather promote than allay suspicions of God.
Conscience hath no ground to make any comfortable
reflection without some plain declaration of God's
reconcilableness and reconciliation. Conscience can
show us our guilt, but nothing in the world evi-
denceth the way of our peace but the gospel; no
other religion discovers God in treaty about recon-
ciliation.

COMFOET AGAINST DeATH.

IF God be the author of reconciliation by Christ,
then death, which was the fruit of that sin which
is now removed, can be no dreadful apparition. God
was in Christ and is still, conquering His enemies,
and this is one enemy which must fall under His
sword and be made His footstool. As God w^as in
Christ reconciling you. He is in death calling for you
to enjoy the full-blown felicities of that peace. It is
no more than a departure in peace, w hen God is a
God of peace: old Simeon thought so, Luke ii. 29.
He speaks, says Gurnal, like a merchant that had
got all His goods on shipboard, and noAV desires the

stj-:piien ciiahnock. 277

master of the ship to hoist sail and begone homeward.
Death was before a servant of divine justice; since
justice is satisfied, it is the messenger of divine
mercy. It was a jailer to inclose us in the prison
of the grave; it is now a conductor to the glories of
heaven. The reconciled soul is beyond the fears of
it. It hath lost its sting, which was God's justice;
Christ satisfying the one hath disarmed the other of
what is hurtful.

God to be Peaised in Eecoxciliation.

SINCE God sends out such a blessing to us, we
should send out loud prayers to Him. Heaven
smiles upon earth, and earth should bless heaven.
Glorify God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ;
though we have all immediately from^ Christ, yet
Christ hath all from the Father. He is the propitia-
tion for our sins, but He wxis appointed by the Father.
He came to redeem, but He was sent by God upon
that errand. He paid our debts as a surety, but He
was accepted by God. He was a Mediator to bring
us to God, but He was commissioned by God to that
end.

Such free and fidl compassion deserves our thank-
fulness, though we could not merit His grace. It is
not a contracted, half-made, or oppressive peace; it
is an extensive, tender, and abundant ' peace, like a
river and a flowing stream;' a peace whereby we are
borne in His bosom. Isa. Ixvi. 12. How should
we adore the depth of that wisdom which found a

278 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

refuge for us when heaven and earth were at war
with us!

God is only praised in and through Christ; God
and Christ are joined together in the saints' praise:
' Blessing, honor, glory and power be unto Him that
sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and
ever;' Rev. v. 13; and so they should in ours. How
beautiful will this whole work appear, when the
whole methods of it come to be read in heaven in
the original copy! when they shall be seen in the
face, in the bosom of God in fair and plainer charac-
ters! To conclude, if all the sparks that ever leaped
out of any fire since the creation, and all the drops
of rain that have fallen upon the world were so
many angelical tongues, their praise would come
short of the excess of this love. Let the praise of
God for this be "not the business of a day, but the
work of our lives, since eternity is too short to ad-
mire it.

JOHI^ BUNYAN.

1628-1G88.
On Prayer.

RAYER is a sincere, sensible, and an
AFFECTIONATE pouring out of the soul
to God. O the heat, strength, life, vigor,
and affection, that is in right prayer! 'As
the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so
panteth my soul after Thee, O God,' Psalm xlii. 1.
'I have'longed after Thy precepts,' Psalm cxix. 40.
'I have longed for Thy salvation,' Psalm xvii. 4.
' My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth, for the courts
of the Lord ; my heart and my flesh crieth out
for the living God,' Psalm Ixxxiv. 2. 'My soul
breaketh for the longing that it hath unto Thy
judgments at all times,' Psalm cxix. 20. Mark
ye here, ' My soul longeth,' it longeth, it long-
eth, <fec. O what affection is here discovered in
prayer! The like you have in Daniel. 'O Lord,
hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do;
defer not, for Thine own sake, O my God,' Daniel
ix. 19. Every syllable carrieth a mighty vehemen-
cy in it. This is called the fervent, or the work-
ing prayer, by James. And so again, 'And being
in an agony. He prayed more earnestly ;' Luke

280. DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

xxii. 44; or had His aflections more and more
drawn after God for His helping hand. O how
wide are the most of men with their prayers from
this prayer, that is, prayer in God's account! Alas!
the greatest part of men make no conscience at all
of the duty; and as for them that do, it is to be
feared that many of them are very great strangers
to a sincere, sensible, and aifectionate pouring out
their hearts or souls to God; but even content them-
selves with a little lip-labor and bodily exercise,
mumbling over a few imaginary prayers. When
the affections are indeed engaged in prayer, then,
then the whole man is engaged, and that in such
sort, that the soul will spend itself to nothing, as it
were, rather than it will go without that good de-
sired, even communion and solace with Christ. And
hence it is that the saints have spent their strengths,
and lost their lives, rather than go without the bless-
ing, Psalm Ixix. 3; xxxviii. 9, 10; Gen. xxxii. 24, 26.

Grace of Christ.

THOU Son of the Blessed, what grace was mani-
fest in Thy condescension! Grace brought Thee
down from heaven, grace stripped Thee of Thy glory,
grace made Thee poor and despicable, grace made
Thee bear such burdens of sin, such burdens of sor-
row, such burdens of God's curse as are unspeakable.
O Son of God! grace was in all Thy tears, grace
came bubbling out of Thy side with Thy blood,
grace came forth with every word of Thy sweet
mouth, Psalm xlv. 2; Luke iv. 22. Grace came out

JOHN BUNYAN. 281

where the whip smote Thee, where the thorns
pricked Thee, where the nails and spear pierced
Thee. O blessed Son of God! Here is grace in-
deed! Unsearchable riches of o-race! Unthono-ht-
of riches of grace! Grace to make angels wonder,
grace to make sinners happy, grace to astonish dev-
ils. And what Avill become of them that trample
mider foot this Son of God?

Christ made Sin for us.

IS this indeed the truth of God, that Christ was
made to be sin for me? was made the curse of
God for me? Hath He indeed borne all ni}^ sins,
and spilt His blood for my redemption! O blessed
tidings! O welcome grace! 'Bless the Lord, O my
soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.'
Now is peace come; now the face of heaven is al-
tered; 'Behold, all things are become new.' Now
the sinner can abide God's presence, yea, sees unut-
terable glory and beauty in Him.

' God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.'
O what work will such a word make upon a wounded
conscience, especially when the next words follow:
' For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew
no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him!'

232 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

CoMmG TO God by Christ.

WHAT a joy will it be to the truly godly to
think, now that they are come to God by
Christ! It was their mercy to begin to come, it was
their happiness that they continued comiiig; but it
is their glory that they are come, that they are come
to God by Christ. To God! why, He is all! all that
is good, essentially good, and eternally good. To
God! the infinite ocean of good. To God, in
friendly- wise, by the means of reconciliation; for the
other now will be come to Him to receive His anger,
because they come not to Him by Jesus Christ.
Oh! that I could imagine; oh! that I could think,
that I might write more eflfectually to Thee of the
happy estate of them that come to God by Christ.

Christ's Intercession.

HIS intercession is for those for wJiom He died
with fall intention to save them; wherefore
it must be grounded upon the validity of His suffer-
ings. And, indeed. His intercession is nothing else,
that I know of, but a presenting of what He did in
the world for us unto God, and pressing the value
of it for our salvation. The blood of sprinkling is
that which speaketh meritoriously, Heb. xii. 24; it
is by the value of that that God measureth out and
giveth unto us grace and life eternal; wherefore
Christ's intercessions also must be ordered and ixov-
erned by merit: ' By His own blood He entered into
the hoi}'' place, having (l)efore by it) obtained eter-
nal redemption for us,' for our souls. Heb. ix. 12.

JOHN BUNYAN. 233

Now, if by blood He entered in thitlicr, by blood
He must also make intercession there. His blood
made way for His entrance thither, His blood must
make way for our entrance thither. Though here,
again, we must beware; for His blood did make
way for Him as Priest to intercede; His blood makes
way for us, as for those redeemed by it, that we
might be saved. This, then, shows sufficiently the
worth of the blood of Christ, even His ever living
to make intercession for us; for the merit of His
blood lasts all the while that He doth, and for all
them for whom He ever liveth to make intercession.
Oh, precious blood! oh, lasting merit!

Giving Glory to Christ.

CHRIST ought to hear and icear the glory of our
salvation forever. He has done it, He has
Avrought it out. ' Give unto the Lord, O ye kind-
reds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and
strength.' Do not sacrifice to your own inventions,
do not give glory to the work of your own hands.
Your reformations, your works, your good deeds,
and all the glory of your doing, cast them at the
feet of this High Priest, and confess that glory be-
longs unto Him: 'Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and
strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing, Rev.
V. 12. ' And they shall hang upon Him all the
glory of His Father's house, the oiFspring and the
issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels
of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons,' Isaiah

284 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

xxii. 24. Oh! the work of our redemption by
Christ is such as wanteth not provocation to us to
bless, and praise, and glorify Jesus Christ. Saints,
set to the work and glorify Him in your body and
in your souls; Him who has bought us with a
price; and glorify God and the Father by Him,
1 Cor. vi. 20.

Church Fellowship.

THE doctrine of the Gospel is like the dew and
the small rain that distilleth upon the tender
grass, wherewith it doth flourish, and is kept green,
Dent, xxxii. 2. Christians are like the several flow-
ers in a garden, that have upon each of them the
dew of heaven, which being shaken wdth the wind,
they let fall their dew at each other's roots, whereby
they are jointly nourished, and become nourishers
of one another. For Christians to commune sav-
ourly of God's matters one w^ith another, it is as if
they opened to each other's nostrils boxes of per-
fume.* Saith Paul to the church at Rome, ' I long
to see you, that I may impart unto you some spirit-
ual gift, to the end ye may be established; that is,
that I may be comforted together with you, by the
mutual faith both of you and me,' Rom. i, 11, 12.
Christians should be often affirmins^ the doctrine of
grace, and justification by it, one to another.

* This is a most beautiful passage. — Offor.

john bunyan. 285

Grace.

GRA.CE, O happy Church of God! all things
that happen to thee are, for Christ's sake, turned
into grace. They talk of the philosopher's stone,
and how, if one had it, it would turn all things into
o'old. O! but can it turn all thino^s into ofrace?
can it make all things work together for good? No,
no, this quality, virtue, excellency, what shall I call
it, nothing has in it, but the grace that reigns on the
throne of grace, the river that proceeds from the
throne of God. This, this turns majesty, authority,
the highest authority, glory, wisdom, faithfulness,
justice, and all into grace. Here is a throne! God
let us see it. John had the honor to see it, and to
see the streams proceeding from it. O sweet sight!
O heart-ravishing sight! 'He shoAved me a pure
river of water of life proceeding out of the throne
of God.'

The Pilgrims Entering the Celestial City.

NOW, when they were come up to the gate,
there was written over it in letters of ofold,
' Blessed are they that do His commandments, that
they may have right to the tree of life, and may
enter in through the gates into the city.' Kev. xxii.
14.

Then I saw in my dream, that the Shining Men
bid them call at the gate; the which, when they
did, some looked from above over the gate, to wit,
Enoch, Moses, and Elijah, &c., to whom it was said.
These pilgrims are come from the City of Dcstruc-

286 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

tioii, for the love that they bear to the King of this
place; and then the pilgrims gave in unto them each
man his certificate, which they had received in the
beginning; those, therefore, were carried in to the
King, who, when He had read them, said. Where are
the men? To whom it was answered, They are
standing without the gate. The King then com-
manded to open the gate, ' That the righteous na-
tion,' said He, ' which keepeth the truth, may enter
in,' Is. xxvi. 2.

Now I saw in my dream that these two men went
in at the gate; and lo, as they entered, they were
transfigured, and they had raiment put on that
shone like gold. There were also that met them
with harps and crowns, and gave them to them —
the harps to praise withal, and the crowns in token
of honor. Then I heard in my dream that all the
bells in the city rang again for joy, and that it was
said unto them, ' Exter ye into the joy of your
Lord.' I also heard the men themselves, that they
sang with a loud voice, sa^dng, ' Blessing, and

HONOR, AND GLORY, AND POWER, BE UNTO HiM THAT
SITTETH upon the THRONE AND UNTO THE LaIHB, FOR
EVER AND EVER,' EcV. V. 13.

Now just as the gates were opened to let in the
men, I looked in after them, and, behold, the City
shone like the sun; the streets also were paved with
gold, and in them walked many men, with crowns
on their heads, palms in their hands, and golden
harps to sing praises withal.

There were also of them that had wings, and they

JOHN BUNYAN. 287

answered one another without intermission, saying,
' Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord,' Rev. iv. 8. And
after that, they shut up the gates; which, when I
had seen, I Avished myself among them.*

Last Words of Mr. Stand-fast.

WHEN Mr. Stand-fast had thus set things in
order, and the time being come for him to
haste him away, he also went down to the river.
Now there was a great calm at that time in tlie river;
wherefore Mr. Stand-fast, when he was about half-
w^ay in, stood a while and talked to his companions
that had waited upon him thither; and he said. This
river has been a terror to many; yea, the thoughts
of it also have often frightened me. Now, methinks,
I stand easy, my foot is fixed Upon that upon which
the feet of the priests that bare the ark of the cove-
nant stood, while Israel went over this Jordan, Jos.
iii. 17. The waters, indeed, are to the palate bitter,
and to the stomach cold; yet the thoughts of what
I am going to, and of the conduct that waits for me
on the other side, doth lie as a glowiug coal at my
heart.

I see myself now at the end of my journey, my
toilsome days are ended. I am going now to see
that Head that Avas crowned with thorns, and that
Face that was spit upon for me.

I have formerly lived by hearsay and faith; but

* James Montgomery has justly characterized this Last paragraph
of tlie first part of tlie Pilgrim's Progress as ' a crown of glory to the
whole work.'

288 - DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

now I go where I shall live by sight, and shnll be
with Him in whose company I delight mj^self.

I have loved to hear my Lord spoken of; and
wherever I have seen the print of His shoe in the
earth, there I have coveted to set my foot too.

His name has been to me as a civet-box; jqu,
sweeter than all perfumes. His voice to me has
been most sweet; and His countenance I have more
desired than they that have most desired the light
of the sun. His word I did use to gather for my
food, and for antidotes against my faintings. ' He
has held me, and hath kept me from mine iniquities;
yea, my steps hath He strengthened in Hjs way.'*

Comfort in Christ's Intercession.
CJ INCE Christ is an Intercessor, I infer that be-
k3 lievers should not rest at the Cross for comfort;
justification they should look for there; but, being
justified by His blood, they should ascend up after
Him to the throne. At the Cross you will see Him
in His sorrows and humiliations, in His tears and
blood; but follow Him to where He is now,.and then
you shall see Him m His robes, in His priestly robes,
and with His golden girdle about His paps. Then
you shall see Him wearing the breastplate of judg-
ment, and with- all your names written upon His
heart. Then you shall perceive that the wliole
family in heaven and earth is named by Him, and
liOAv He prevaileth with God the Father of mercies,

* ' Tliis speech has been justly admired as one of the most striking
passages in the wJwle work *' Pilgrim's Progress]. — Rev. Tuos. Scott,

JOHN BUNYAN. 289

for 3^ou. Stand still awhile and listen; yea, enter
with boldness into the holiest, and see your Jesus
as He now appears in the presence of God for you;
what work He makes against the devil and sin, and
death and hell, for you. Heb. x. 9. Ah ! it is brave
following of Jesus Christ to the holiest, the veil is
rent, you may see with open face as in a glass, the
glory of the Lord. This, then, is our High-Priest,
this His intercession, these the benefits of it ! It
lieth on our part to improve it; and wisdom to do
that also comes from the mercy-seat, or throne of
grace, where He, even our High Priest, ever liveth
to make intercession for us : to whom be glory for
ever and ever.

The New Song m Glory.

NOTHING will so edge the spirit of a Christian
as, ' Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to
God by Thy blood.' This makes the heavens them-
selves ring with joy and shouting. Mark the words,
' Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by
Thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and
people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God
kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.'
What follows now ? ' And I beheld, and I heard
the voice of many angels round about the throne, and
the beasts and the elders: and the number of them
was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands
of thousands; sajdng with a loud voice. Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and rich-
es, and Avisdom, and strength, and honor,' and glor}^,

290 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

and blessing. And every creature which is in heav-
en, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such
as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I
saying, Blessing, and honor, ' and glory, and power,
be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto
the Lamb, for ever and ever.' Kev. v. 9-14.

Thus also is the song, that new song that is said
to be sung by the hundred forty and four thousand
which stand with the Lamb upon Mount Sion, with
His Father's name written in their foreheads. These
are also called harpers, harping with their harps:
'And they sung as it were anew song before the
throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders:
and no man could learn that song but the hundred
and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed
from the earth.' Rev. xiv. 1-3.

But why could they not learn that song ? Be-
cause they were not redeemed: none can sing of this
song but the redeemed; they can give glory to the
Lamb, the Laml) that was slain, and that redeem-
ed them to God by His blood. It is faith in His
blood on earth that w^ill make us sing this- song in
heaven. These shoutings and heavenly songs must
needs come from love put into a flame by the suflTer-
ings of Christ.

JOHN TILLOTSON, D. J).
1630-1694.

Eternal Happiness.

'HIS happiness shall be eternal; and
though this be but a circumstance and
do not enter into the nature of our happi-
ness, yet it is so material a one that all the
felicities which heaven affords would be im-
perfect without it. It would strangely damp and
allay all our joys to think that they should some time
have an end; and the greater our happiness were,
the greater trouble it would be to us to consider
that it must have a period. It would make a
man sorrowful indeed to think of leaving such vast
possessions. Indeed, if the happiness of heav-
en were such as the joys of this world are, it
were fit they should be as short, for after a little
enjoyment, it would cloy us and we should soon
grow weary of it ; but being so excellent, it would
scarce be a happiness if it were not eternal. It
would embitter the pleasures of heaven, as great
as they are, to see to an end of them, though it
were at never so great a distance; to consider
that all this vast treasure of happiness would one
day be exhausted, and that after so many years

292 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

were past, we should be as poor and miserable again
as we were once in this world. God hath so ordered
things, that the vain and empty delights of this world
should be temporary and transient, but that the great
and substantial pleasures of the other world should
be as lasting as they are excellent ; for heaven, as it
is an exceeding, so it is an eternal weight of glory.
And this is that which crowns the joys of heaven, and
banishes all fear and trouble from the minds of the
blessed ; and thus to be secured in the possession of
our happiness is an unspeakable addition to it. For
that which is eternal, as it shall never determine, so
it can never be diminished ; for to be diminished and
to decay is to draw nearer to an end, but that which
shall never have an end can liever come nearer to it.
O vast eternity ! how dost thou swallow up our
thouo-hts and entertain us at once with delis: lit and
amazement. This is the very top and highest pitch
of our happiness, upon which we may stand secure
and look down with scorn upon all things here be-
low ; and how small and inconsiderable do they
appear to us, compared with the vast and "endless
enjoyments of our future state. But oh, vain and
foolish souls, that are so little concerned for eternity,
that for the trifles of time, and ' the pleasures of sin
which are but for a season,' can find in our hearts to
forfeit an everlasting felicity ! Blessed God ! why
hast Thou prepared such a happiness for those who
neither consider it, nor seek after it ? ' Why is such
a price put into the hands of fools, who have no heart
to make use of it ;' who fondly choose to gratify

JOHN TILLOTSON. 293

their lusts, rather than to save their souls, and sot-
tishly prefer the temporary enjoy meuts of sin l^efore
a blessed immortality ?

Glorified Bodies of the Righteous.

I^HE consideration of the glorious change of our
bodies at the resurrection of the just, cannot
but be a great comfort to us, under all bodily pain
and sufferinofs.

For these vile bodies shall he changed, and fash-
ioned like to the glorious body of the Son of God.
When our bodies shall be raised to a new life, they
shall become incorruptible ; for this corruj)tible must
put on incorrujjtion, and this mortal must jput on im-
mortality; and then shall come to jpass the saying that
is Vjritten, death is swallowed ujp in victory. When
this last enemy is conquered, there shall be wo fleshly
lusts, nor brutish passions, to fght against the soul ;
no laiv in our members, to ivar against the law of our
mind; no disease to torment us, no danger of death
to amaze and terrify us. Then all the passions and
appetites of our outward man shall be subject to the
reason of our minds, and our bodies shall partake of
the immortality of our souls. It is but a very little
while, that our spirits shall be crushed, and clogged
with these heavy and sluggish bodies ; at the resur-
rection they shall be refined from all dregs of cor-
ruption, and become spiritual, and incorruptible, and
glorious, and every way suited to the activity and
perfection of a glorified soul, and the spirits of just
men made j^erfect.

294 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Earthly and Heavenly Joys.

IN our pursuit of the things of this world, we
usually prevent enjoyment, by expectation ; we
anticipate our own happiness, and eat out the heart
and sweetness of worldly pleasures, by delightful
forethouo-hts of them; so that when we come to
possess them they do not answer the expectation, nor
satisfy the desires which were raised about them, and
they vanish into nothing : but the things which are
above, are so great, so solid, so durable, so glorious,
that we cannot raise our thoughts to an equal height
with them ; we cannot enlarge our desires beyond a
possibility of satisfaction. Our hearts are greater
than the world ; but God is greater than our hearts :
and the happiness which He hath laid up for us, is,
like Himself, incomprehensibly great and glorious.
Let the thoughts of this raise us above this world,
and inspire us with greater thoughts and designs,
than tlie care and concernments of this present life.
We all profess most firmly to believe, that after a
few days we shall leave this world, and all the enjoy-
ments of it, and go to the place from whence we
shall not return ; that we shall enter upon an un-
changeable state of happiness or misery, according
as we have demeaned ourselves in this present life ;
that great care and diligence is necessary to ivorl: oid
our otvn salvation; that there must be a great pre-
paration of ourselves, by unspotted purity of heart
and life, to make ourselves meet for an inheritance
with them that are sanctified; that we must lahor^ and
strive^ and run, and fight, and give all diligence to

JOHN TILLOTSON. 295

make our calling and election sure; that we had need
to watch and jpray always, that ive may he accounted
luorthy to escape the judgment of the great day, and to
stand before the Son of Man. Such thoughts as these
should continually possess our souls, and heaven
should be always in our eye, as if, with Stephen,
we saw the heavens ojpened, and Jesus standing at the
right hand of God, to see how we behave ourselves
here below, and when ive have fought a good fight,
and finished our course, and kept the faith, to receive
us to Himself, that where He is, there ive may he also.

Eesurrection of Christ.

ry^HE resurrection of Christ is a demonstration of
J- a future state after this life, and a pledge of a
blessed immortality in another world. For our
Lord, by his resurrection from the dead, hath con-
quered death, and abolished it, and brought life and
immortality to light. He is the first fruits of them
that ts/ep^,and His resurrection is an earnest and assur-
ance of ours ; and from thence the apostle makes
this inference, Therefore, 'my beloved brethren, be ye
steadfast and unmoveahle, always abounding in the
work of the Lord; forasmuch as ye know that your
labor shall not be in vain in the Lord. The belief
of a future state after this life should put us upon
the most earnest and vigorous endeavors to secure
this happy condition to ourselves ; if by any means^
as the apostle expresseth it, we may attain the resur-
rection of the dead. It should raise us above the

296 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

world and the lusts of it, above all the terrors and
temptations of it.

Excellency of Heavenly Things.

THE transcendent and incomparable excellency
of heavenly things above things on the earth,
the apostle intimates by the opposition, set your af-
fections on things above; not on things on the eartJi.
Earthly things are perishing and transitory, gross
and unsatisfactory, and cannot be the felicity of an
immortal soul, being neither suited to the spiritual
nature, nor to the immortal duration of our souls ;
they can neither satisfy us while we live, nor preserve
us from death, nor comfort us in it, nor accompany
us into the other world, nor contribute any thing to
our happiness there ; and if they can do nothing to-
ward our happiness, why should we set our hearts
upon them ? They that seek for happiness in earthly
thino:s, are like the women sittins: over our Saviour's
sepulchre with their faces bowed down to the earth ;
they seeh the living among the dead; our happiness
is not here, it is risen, it is above. Let our. hearts
ascend thither, where our happiness and our treasure
is. Why should we bestow our affections upon those
low and mean things, when there are incomparably
better objects to fix them upon ?

The inference from all this shall be to engage and
persuade us by all these arguments and considera-
tions, to seeh and mind the things which ore above,
Inhere Christ sitteth at the right hand of God; and to
have our conversation there, inhere our Saviour isj

JOHN TILLOTSON. 297

and from whence also ive look for Him again : to
change these vile bodies^ that they may be made like
unto His glorious body^ according to the working of
that mighty j)02ver, whereby He is able to subdue all
things to Himself. Let all our actions have relation
to another world, and our conversation declare, that
we are mindful of another country^ that is, a heavenly.
Is Christ our Head risen and ascended into heaven ?
Let us in our hearts and aflections follow Him thither,
and patiently wait till He receive our souls, and raise
our bodies, and take us wholly to Himself, that we
may be for ever with the Lord.

Q^-

ISAAC BAEROW, D. D.
1630-1705.

Duty of Thanksgiving.

HIS is a most sweet and delightful
duty. Praise the Lord^ saitli the most
experienced psalmist, /or the Lord is good;
sing praises to his name, for it is p)l^<^sant:
and otherwhere, Praise the Lord, for it
is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant,
and praise is comely, Psalm cxxxv. 3 ; cxlvii. 1 ;
ix. 1. The performance of this duty, as it espe-
cially proceeds from good humor, and a cheerful
disposition of mind; so it feeds and foments them;
both root and fruit thereof are hugely sweet and
sapid. Whence St. James : If any man he afflicted,
let him prafj ; is any merry, let him sing psalms,
James v. 13. Pscdms, the proper matter of which
is praise and thanksgiving.

Other duties of devotion have something labo-
rious in them, something disgustful to our sense.
Prayer minds us of our wants and imperfections;
confession induces a sad remembrance of our mis-
deeds and bad deserts : but thanksgiving includes

ISAAC BAHROW. 299

nothing uneasy or unpleasant; nothing but the
memory and sense of exceeding goodness.

Ail love is sweet; but that especially which
arises, not from a bare apprehension only of the
object's worth and dignity, but from a feeling of its
sinofular beneficence and usefulness unto us. And
what thou2:ht can enter into the heart of man more
comfortable and delicious than this, that the great
Master of all things, the most wise and mighty King
of heaven and earth, hath entertained a gracious
regard, hath expressed a real kindness towards us?
that we are in capacity to honor, to please, to pre-
sent an acceptable sacrifice to Him who can render
us perfectly happy? that we are admitted to the
practice of that wherein the supreme joy of para-
dise, and the perfection of angelical bliss, consists?
For praise and thanksgiving are the most delectable
business of heaven; and God grant they may be
our greatest delight, our most frequent employment
upon earth!

Now the blessed Fountain of all goodness and
mercy inspire our hearts with His heavenly grace,
and thereby enable us rightly to apprehend, dili-
gently to consider, faithfully to remember, worthily
to esteem, to be heartily affected with, to render all
due acknowledgment, praise, love, and thankful
obedience for all His (infinitely great and innumer-
ably many) favors, mercies, and benefits freely con-
ferred upon us: and let us say with David, 'Blessed
be the Lord God of Israel, who only doth wondrous
things: and blessed be His glorious name forever;

300 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

and let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlastins:
to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen.
Psalm Ixxii. 18, 19; cvi. 48.

Imitation of Cheist.

IF any earnest desire of happiness, any high esteem
of virtue, any true affection to genuine sanctity,
do lodge in our breasts, we should apply this most
excellent means of attaining them; the study and
endeavor of imitating the life of our Lord. If we
have in us any truth and sincerity, and do not vainl}^
prevaricate in our profession of being Christ's disci-
ples and votaries of that most holy institution, let us
manifest it by a real conformity to the practice of
Him who is our Master and Author of our faith. If
we have in us any wisdom or sober consideration of
tilings, let us employ it in following the steps of that
infallible Guide, designed by heaven to lead us in
the straight, even and pleasant ways of righteous-
ness, unto the possession of everlasting bliss. If we
do verily like and approve the practice of -Christ,
and are affected with the innocent, sweet and lovely
comeliness thereof, let us declare such our mind by
a sedulous care to resemble it. If we bear any honor
and reverence, any love and affection to Christ; if
we are at all sensible of our relations, our manifold
obligations, our duties to our great Lord, our best
Friend, our most gracious Redeemer; let us testify
it by a zealous care to become like to Him : let a
lively image of His most righteous and innocent,

ISAAC BArvROW. 301

most holy and pious, most pure and spotless life be
ever present to our fancies; so as to inform our judg-
ments, to excite our affections, to quicken our en-
deavors, to regulate our purposes, to correct our
mistakes, to direct, amend and sanctify our whole
lives. Let us, with incessant diligence of study,
meditate upon the best of histories, wherein the
tenor of His divine practice is represented to us; re-
volving frequently in our thoughts all the most con-
siderable passages thereof, entertainiug them with
devout passions, impressing them in our memories,
and striving to express them in our conversations:
let us endeavor continually to walk in the steps of
our Lord, and to folloio the Lamb ivithersoever He
goeth; which that we may be able to do, do Thou,
O blessed Eedeemer, draw us; draw us by the cords
of Thy love; draw us by the sense of Thy goodness;
draw us by the incomparable worth and excellency
of Thy person; draw us by the unspotted purity and
beauty of Thy example: draw us by the merit of
Thy precious death, and by the power of Thy Holy
Spirit; draio us, good Lord, and loe shall run after
Thee. Amen.

Almighty God, who hast given Thine only Son to
ha unto us both a sacrifice for sin and also an on-
sample of godly life; give us grace, that we may
always most thankfully receive that His inestimable
benefit; and also daily endeavor ourselves to follow
the blessed steps of His most holy life, through the
same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

302 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Consolation in Affliction.

AS it may debase and imbitter all the prosperity
ill the world, to consider that it is very fading
and short-lived; that its splendour is but a blaze, its
pleasure but a flash, its joy but as the cracking of ^
thorns; so it should abate and sweeten any adversity,
to remember that it is passing away, and suddenly
will be gone. Put, I say, the worst case that can
be: that it were certainly determined, and we did as
certainly know it, that those things which cause
our displeasure should continue through our whole
life; yet since our life itself will soon be spun out,
and with it all our worldly evils will vanish, why are
we troubled? What is said of ourselves, must in
consequence be truly applied to them: They flee like
a shadow and continue not: they are winds passing
and coming not again; they are valors ajppearing
^or a little time and then vanishing away; they
loither like grass and fade aioay as a leaf ; they may
die before us, they cannot outlive us; our life is but
a handhreadth: and can then our evils have any vast
bulk? Our age. is as nothing, and can any "crosses
therein be then any great matter? How can any-
thing so very short be very intolerable?

We have but a very narrow strait of time to pass
over, but w^e shall land on the firm and vast continent
of eternity; when we shall be freed from all the trou-
blesome agitations, from all the perilous storms, from
all the nauseous qualms of this navigation; death
(which maybe very near, which cannot be far off ) is a
sure haven from all the tempests of life, a safe refuge

ISAAC BAllROW. 303

from all the persecutions of the world, an infallible
medicine of all the diseases of our mind and of our
state : it will enlarge us from all restraints, it will dis-
charge all our debts, it will ease us from all our toils,
it will stifle all our cares, it will veil all our dis-
graces; it will still all our complaints and bury all
our disquiets; it will wipe all tears from our eyes
and banish all sorrow from our hearts: it perfectly
will level all conditions, setting the high and low,
the rich and poor, the wise and ignorant altogether
upon even ground; smothering all the pomp and
glories, swallowing all the wealth and treasures of
the world.

It is therefore but holding out a while, and all our
molestation, of its own accord, w^ill expire : time cer-
tainly will cure us, but it is better that we should
owe that benefit to reason, and let it presently com-
fort us: it is better, by rational consideration, to
work content in ourselves, using the brevity and
frailty of our life as an argument to sustain us in our
adversity, than only to find the end thereof as a
natural and necessary means of evasion from it.

Our Life.

THE Scripture aptly resembles our life to a way-
faring, a condition of travel and pilgrimage: now
he that hath a long journey to make, and but a little
time of day to pass it in, must in reason strive to set
out soon and then to make good speed; must pro-
ceed on directly, making no stops or deflections (not
calling in at every sign that invites him, not stand-

30-1 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

ing to gaze at every object seeming new or strange
to him; not staying to talk with every passenger
that meets him; but rather avoiding all occasions of
diversion and delay), lest he be surprised by the
night, be left to wander in the dark, be excluded
finally from the place whither he tends: so must we,
in our course toward heaven and happiness, take care
that we set out soon (procrastinating no time, but
beginning instantly to insist in the ways of piety and
virtue), then proceed on speedily and persist con-
stantly; nowhere staying or loitering, shunning all
impediments and avocations from our progress, lest
we never arrive near or come too late imto the gate
of heaven. St. Peter tells us that the end of all
things doth approach, and thereupon ad^ases us to
he sober and to loatcli unto prayer; for that the less
our time is, the more intent and industrious it con-
cerns us to be. And St. Paul enjoins us to redeem
the timehecause the days are evil; that is, since we can
enjoy no true quiet or comfort here, we should im-
prove our time to the best advantage for the future:
he might have also adjoined, with the patriarch
Jacob, the paucity of the days to their badness; be-
cause the days of our life are feiu and evil, let us
redeem the time; man that is horn of a ivoman is
of few days and full of trouhle: so few indeed they
are that it is fit we should lose none of them, but
use them all in preparation toward that great change
we are to make: that fatal passage out of this strait
time into that boundless eternity. So, it seems, we
have Job's example of doing: All the days (says he)

ISAAC BARROW. 305

of my appointed time will I ivait^ till my change
come. I end this point with that so comprehensive
warning of our Saviour: Take heed to yourselves^
lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with sur-
feiting and drunkenness and cares of this life, and so
that day come upton you unawares. Watch ye there-
fore and j)roy, that ye may be counted ivorthy to
escape — ajid to stand before the Son of man.

Incarnation of Christ.

THE power of God doth brightly shine in the
creation, the wisdom of God may clearly be
discerned in the government of things: but the in-
carnation of God is that work, is that dispensation
of grace, wherein the divine goodness doth most
conspicuously display itself. How indeed possibly
could God have demonstrated a greater excess of
kindness toward us, than by thus, for our sake and
good, sending His dearest Son out of His bosom into
this sordid and servile state, subjecting Him to all
the infirmities of our frail nature, exposing Him to
the worst inconveniences of our low condition?
What expressions can signify, what comparisons can
set out, the stupendous vastness of this kindness?
Psalm xxxvi. 6; cviii. 4. If we should imagine, that
a great prince should put his only son (a son most
lovely, and worthily most beloved) into rags, should
dismiss him from his court, should yield him up
into the hardest slavery, merely to the intent that
he thereby might redeem from captivity the mean-
est and basest of his subjects, how faint a resem-

306 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

blance would this be of that immense goodness, of
that incomparable mercy, which in this instance the
Kino; of all the world hath declared toward us His
poor vassals, His indeed unworthy rebels!

The Great Physicia];^.

IS an overture of health acceptable to sick and
languishing persons? Luke x. 33; Matt. ix.
12. Behold, the great Physician, endued with ad-
mirable skill, and furnished with infallible remedies,
is come to cure ns of our maladies, and ease us of
our pains, 1 Pet. ii, 24; to bind up our wounds, and
to pour in balm (the most sovereign balm of His own
blood) into them; to free us, not only from all mor-
tiferous diseases, but from mortality itself: He who
was sent to hind U2:) and heal the broken hearted; Ho
who Himself took our infirmities^ and hear our sick-
ness^ Isa. Ixi. 1; Luke iv. 18; Isa. liii. 4; Matt. viii.
17; He of whom the prophet (in relation to corporal,
and much more to spiritual infirmities) did foretell;
God ivill come and save you: then the eyes of the
hlind shall he opened, and the ears of the deaf shall
he unstopped; then shall the lame 7nan leap as an
hart, and the tongue of the dmnh shall sing, Isaiah
XXXV. 4, 5, 6; Matt. xi. 5; Luke v. 17. He, whose art
no disease can resist, who is able to cure our most des-
perate, our most inveterate distempers; to heal the
corruption and impotency of our nature, to void the
is^norances and errors of our understandinc:, to cor-
rect the stupidity of our hearts, the perverseness of
our wills, the disorder of our affections, to mitigate

ISAAC BAKKOW. 307

our auguiwli of conscience, and cleanse our sores of
guilt, Ezek. xxxvi. 26; Eph. ii. 10: by various effi-
cacious medicines, by the wholesome instructions of
His doctrine, by the powerful inspirations of His
grace, by the refreshing comforts of His Spirit, l^y
the salutary virtue of His merits and sufferings.

Resurrection^ of Christ.

THE contemplation of this point should elevate
our thoughts and affections unto heaven and
heavenly things, above the sordid pleasures, the
fading glories, and the unstable possessions of this
world; for Him ive should folloio ivJdthersoever He
goetJi; rising with Him not only from all sinful de-
sires, but from all inferior concernments, soaring
after Him in the contemplations of our mind and
affections of our heart; that although we are absent
from the Lord in the body^ Ave may be present with
Him in spirit, having our conversation in heaven, and
our heart there, where our treasure is, Rev. xiv. 4;
Eph. ii. 6; 2 Cor. v. 6; Phil. i. 23; iii. 20; Matt,
vi. 21; for if our souls do still grovel on the earth,
if they be closely affixed to worldly interests, deeply
immersed in sensual delights, utterly enslaved to
corruption, we do not partake of our Lord's resur-
rection, being quite severed from His living body,
and continuino^ in vast distance from Him: I shall
therefore conclude, recommending that admonition
of St. Paul: If ye then he risen with Christ, seek
those things which are above, xohere Christ sitteth on
the right hand of God: set your affections on things

308 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

above, not on tilings on the earth: for you are dead,
and your life is hid loith Christ in God; that ichen
Christ, ivho is our life,, shall aj^jpear, then ye may
also ajppear with Him in glory. Amen. 2 Pet. ii.
19; Eom. viii. 21; Gal. vi. 8; Eev. iii. 1; 1 Tim. y.
6; Col. iii. 1-4.

Our Saviour's Ascension and Glorification.

THE consideration of these points should elevate
our thou2:hts and affections from these inferior
things here (the vain and base things of this world)
unto heavenly things; according to that of St. Paul,
If ye he risen icith CJtrist, seeh the things above,
ivhere Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, Co],
iii. 1. To the Head of our body we should be joined;
continually deriving sense and motion, direction and
activity from Him; where the Master of our family
is, there should our minds be, constantly attentive
to His pleasure, and ready to serve Hini; where the
city is, whose denizens Ave are, and where our final
rest must be, there should our thoughts be, careful
to observe the laws and orders, that we may enjoy
the immunities and privileges thereof; in that coun-
try where only we have any good estate, or valuable
concernment, there our mind should be, studjdng to
secure and improve our interest therein, Heb. xi. 16;
our resolution should be conformable to that of the
holy psalmist, / will lift up mine eyes to the hills,
from whence cometh my help. Christ is our life^
saith St. Paul; and shall our souls be parted from
our life? Christ, saith he again, is our hope; and

ISAAC BAEROW. 309

shall our mind and hope be asunder? Psalm exxi. 1;
Col. iii. 4; Gal. ii. 20; 1 Tim. i. 1; Col. i. 27. Christ
is the principal object of our love, of our trust, of
our joy, of all our best affections; and shall our
affections be severed from their best objects? By His
being in heaven, all our treasure becometh there;
and where our treasure is, there (if we apprehend,
and believe rightly, there naturally) our hearts ivill
be also: if they be not, it is a sign we take Him not
for our best treasure. We do in our bodies sojourn
from the Lord, as St. Paul saith; but in our spirits
we may and should be ever present, ever conversant
with Him, 2 Cor. v. 6; contemplating Him with an
eye of faith, fastening our love upon Him, reposing
our confidence in Him, directing our prayers and
thanksgivings to Him; meditating upon His good
laws, His gracious promises, His holy life, and His
merciful performances for us. We should not, hy
fixing our hearts and desires upon earthly things
(upon the vain delights, the sordid interests, the
fallacious and empty glories, the sinful enjoyments
here), nor by a dull and careless neglect of heavenly
things, avert, estrange, or separate ourselves wholly
from Him. No : let us, unloosing our hearts from
these things, and with them soaring upAvard, follow
and adhere to our Lord; so shall we anticipate
that blessed future state, so shall we assure to our-
selves the possession of heaven, so here enjoying
our Lord in affection, we shall hereafter obtain a
perfect fruition of His glorious and blissful pres-
ence: the which, God of His mercy 1)y His grace

310 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

vouchsafe us, through the same our ever blessed
Saviour^ to whom be for ever all glory and praise.
Ameu.

O God, the King of glory, who hast exalted Thine
own Son Jesus Christ, with great triumph unto Thy
kinofdom in heaven, we beseech Thee leave us not
comfortless, but send Thine Holy Ghost to comfort
us, and exalt us to the same place, whither our
Saviour Christ is gone before; who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.

The Life Everlasting.

WHAT is the state of life? it is a state of high-
est dignity and glory; of sweetest comfort
and joy; of joy full in measure, pure in quality,
perpetual in duration, in all respects perfect in the
utmost capacity of our nature; wherein all our parts
and faculties shall be raised to the highest pitch of
perfection, our bodies shall become free from all
corruptibility and decay, all w^eakness and disease,
all grossness and unwieldiness, all deformity -and de-
filement: for they shall, as St. Paul teaches us, be
rendered incorruptible, strong, healthful, glorious,
and spiritual: our souls also shall in their faculties
be advanced, in their inclinations rectified, in their
appetites satisfied; the understanding becoming full
of light, clear and distinct in knowledge of truth,
free from ignorance, doubt, and error; the will
being steadily inclined to good, ready to comply
with God's will, free from all weakness and all per-

ISAAC BARROW. 311

verseiiess; our affections being set in right order and
frame, with a constant regularity tending unto that
which is really best, and taking a full delight there-
in: wherein we shall enjoy the blissful sight of God,
smiling in love and favor upon us; the presence of
our gracious Eedeemer, embracing us with most
tender affection; the society of the holy angels, and
of the just made perfect; whose company and con-
versation, how unconceivably sweet and delightful
must it be! wherein nothing adverse or troublesome
can befall us; no unpleasant or offensive object shall
present itself to us; no want, or need of anything
shall appear; no care, or fear, or suspicion; no labor
or toil, no sorrow or pain, no distaste or regret, no
stir or contention, no listlessness or satiety, shall be
felt, or shall come near us; where God (as it is in
the Apocalypse) will wipe every tear from the eyes
(of them who shall come there), and death shall be
no more, Kev. xxi. 4; nor sorrow, nor clamor, nor
pain any more: it is, in fine, a state in excellency
surpassing all words to express it, all thoughts to
conceive it: of which the brightest splendors and
the choicest pleasures here are but obscure shadows
and faint resemblances; comparable to which no eye
hath seen, nor ear hath heard any thhig; nor hath it
entered into any heart of man to conceive the like,
1 Cor. ii. 9; as St. Paul, out of the prophet Isaiah,
telleth us.

JOHN HOWE, M. A.
16301705.

Anticipation of the Joys of Heaven.

"^ ECKON much upon an eternal abode
in tliat presence wliere is fulness of
joy and pleasures for evermore. Enjoy
by a serious, believing foresight the de-
5 lights of heaven ; labor to rejoice in hope
of the glory of God. Look beyond this your pres-
ent state. Confine not your eye and delight to
what is now to be enjoyed, but think of what shall
be. Set before your eyes the glorious prospect of
the blessed God communicating Himself to that
vast assembly of angels and the spirits of just men
made perfect, in clearest discoveries of His glory,
and richest effusions of His goodness. The best
appearance of things in this world, makes but a
dull scene in comparison of this. If you look tow-
ards God according to what now appears of His
glory in the frame of the universe, and the course
of His administrations and government over His
creatures. He hath not, 'tis true, left Himself with-
•; ut witness. And you may behold much that wouUI
be to you the matter of delightful admiration ; if j^our
eye be clear, and can pierce through clouds and

JOHN HOWE. ^ 313

darkness and a manifold veil. He hath made this
world, and is every where in it, but it knows Him
not. His light shines in darkness, that doth not
comprehend it. Beams of His glory do every where
break forth, through every creature, providence, law,
and ordinance of His. But much of His glory that
shines in the creation is hid by a train of second
causes, through wdiich few look to the first. His
law^s men judge of according to their interests and
inclinations, while the holy, glorious majesty that
enacted them is out of sight. His work in the world
is carried on in a mystery. His interest lives, but is
depressed. They who are most devoted to Him are
supported indeed by His invisible hand, but are, in
the meantime, low, for the most part, and afflicted.
If you now limit and confine your apprehensions of
Him to His present appearances, the matter of your
delight is real, but much diminished. But conceive
of Him (as your faith can behold Him at a distance)
in that posture wherein having settled the eternal
state of things He Avill finally show Himself. Con-
ceive Him as having now gathered home all that
have been recovered to Him out of the apostasy, and
joined them to those numberless legions of innocent
and pure spirits about His throne that never offended.
Conceive Him as dispensing rewards, pouring out
blessings, upon the loyal heads and hearts of them
that expressed fidelity and duty to Him in the time
and state of trial and temptation; letting His glory
shine out with bright and direct beams, to so many
beholdino^ and admiring eyes; giving forth the full

314 , DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

and satisfying communications of His love, and
making rivers of pleasure flow perpetually to the
replenishing the vast, enlarged capacities of so in-
numerable a multitude of grateful, adoring spirits, to
whom it is now sensibly to be perceived how His
fulness lilleth all in all. Take this view of Him;
and let your faith and hope thus enter into that which
is within the veil. And remember there is only a
little time between you and that blessed state; that
then you are to enter into the joy of your Lord; so
that the very element and region wherein 3^ou are to
live for ever, shall be nothing else but delight and

Humility.

CHERISH the great grace of humilit}^; and be
ever mean and low in your own eyes. That
temper carries in it even a natural disposition to de-
light in God. How sweet complacency will such a
soul take in Him! His light and glory shine with
great lustre in the eyes of such a one while there is
not a nearer imagined lustre to vie therewith. Stars
are seen at noon by them that descend low into a
deep pit. They will admire God but little that ad-
mire themselves much; and take little pleasure in
Him, who are too much pleased with themselves.
And how sweet a relish have His love and grace to
an humble, lowly soul, that esteems itself less than
the least of His mercies! With what ravishing de-
light will Divine mercy be entertained, when it is so
unexpectedly vouchsafed; when this shall be llic

JOHN HOWE. 315

sense of the soul now caught into the embraces of
God's love, What I, vile creature! impure worm!
what, beloved of God! Expectation, grounded
especially upon an opinion of merit, would unspeak-
ably lessen a favor, if it were afforded, as also ex-
23ected evils seem the less when they come. But the
lowly soul, that apprehends desert of nothing but
hell, is surprised and overcome with wonder and
delight, when the great God expresses kindness to-
wards it. Besides that He more freely communicates
Himself to such, To this man will I look, even to
him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, <fec., Isa.
Ixvi. 1, 2. And He looks to such with a design of
habitation; heaven and earth are not to Him so
pleasant a dwelling. DoAvn then into the dust;
there you are in the fittest place and posture for de-
lightful converse with God.

The Righteous Willing to Die.

O HAPPY souls! that finding the key is turning,
and opening the door for them, are willing to
go forth upon such terms, as ' knowing whom they
have believed,' &c. And that neither 'principali-
ties, or powers, life or death, &c., can ever separate
them from the love of God in Christ Jesus their
Lord.' Life, they find, hath not separated — where-
of was the greater danger; and death is so far from
making this separation, that it shall complete their
union w^ith the blessed God in Christ, and lay them
infolded in the everlasting embraces of Divine love!
Happy they, that can licreupon w^elcome death, and

316 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

say, 'Now, Lord, lettest Thou Thy servant depart
in peace!' that before only desired leave to die, and
have now obtained it; that are, with certainty of the
issue, at the point of becoming complete victors over
the last enemy, and are ready to enter upon their
triumph, and take up their triumphal song, ' Death
is swallowed up in victory. Thanks be to God,
who giveth us the victory through Jesus Christ our
Lord.' Happy soul! here will be a speedy end of
all thy griefs and sorrows; they will be presently
swallowed up in an absolute plentitude and fulness
of joy. There is already an end put to thy torment-
ing cares and fears; for what object can remain to
thee of a rational fear, when once, upon grounds
s'-icli as shake not under thee, thou art reconciled to
death! This is the most glorious sort of victory,
viz. by reconciliation. For so thou hast conquered,
not the enemy only, l3ut the enmity itself, by which
he was so. Death is become thy friend, and so no
longer to be feared; 'nor is there any thing else,
from whence thou art to fear hurt; for death was
thy last enemy, even this bodily death. The-whole
region beyond it, is to one in thy case, clear and se-
rene, when to others is reserved the blackness of
darkness for ever.

O the transports of joy that do now most ration-
ally result from this state of the case, when there is
nothing left lying between the dislodging soul, and
the glorious, unseen world, but only the dark passage
of death, and that so little formidable, considering
who hath the keys of the one, and tlie other! How

JOHN HOWE. 317

reasonable is it upon the account oi' somewhat com-
mon herein to the Eecleemer and the redeemed,
although every thing be not, to take up the follow-
ing w^ords, that so plainly belong to this very case:
'Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth;
my flesh also shall rest in hope. For Thou wilt not
leave my soul in s/teol, or Jtades; Thou wilt not for-
sake or abandon it in that wide world, neither wilt
Thou suffer thine Hol}^ One to see corruption. Thou
wilt show me the path of life; the path that leads
unto that presence of Thine, wdiere is fulness of joy,
and to those pleasures wdiich are at Thy right hand,
or in Thy power, and which are for evermore; and
shall never admit either of end or diminution,'
Psalm xvi. 9-11.

Christian Hope.

THOUGH you admit a just and very solicitous
feai-, be sure that you exclude not hope; though
you apprehend your case to be dangerous, look not
upon it as desperate. Your hope must not be in
yourself, but in Him that raises the dead, and calleth
things that are not, as though they w^ere; yea, makes
them exist and be. But if you cast away all hope,
you yield yourself to perish. This stops your breath ;
so that even all strugglings for life, and the very
graspings of your fainting heart, must immediately
cease and end in perfect death. The danger of your
case, as bad as it is, calls not for this; nor will the
exigency of it comport w^ith it. When once the soul
says there is no hope, Jer. ii. 25, it immediately pro-

318 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

ceeds to say, I have loved strangers, and after them
will I go. Your hope is as necessary to your safety
as your fear; we are saved by hope, Rom. viii. 24,
%. e. of the end itself, which therefore animates to all
the encounters and diiEculties of our way, as well
from within as from without. Great distempers ap-
pear in you and often return; yea, such as are of a
threatening aspect and tendency. You should yet
consider you are under cure; the prescribed means
and method whereof are before you. There is balm
in Gilead, and a Physician there: One in whose hands
none that trusted Him ever miscarried. 'Tis well if
you find yourself sick. The whole need Him not,
and will not therefore commit themselves to His care.
He hath relieved many such as you, that, apprehend-
inof their case, have been restored to Him: let them
despair that know no such way of help. Say within
yourself, though I am fallen and low, I shall rise
and stand, renewed by Thee, O my God. AYas there
never such a time with you before, when in the like
case you cried to the Lord and He answered yon.
and strengthened you with strength in your-.soul ?
Psalm cxxxviii. Say within yourself, ' Why art
thou cast doAvn, O my soul, hope thou in God; for
I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my
countenance (where health shows itself in lively,
sprightly, pleasant looks) and my God.' Psalm
xlii. And this very hope, as it preserves life, so it
doth the delight and pleasure of life from being
quite extinct. The joy of hope is not to go for
nothing, when it can only be said, not, it is well, but

JOIIN HOWE. 319

it sliiill be. It is pleasant to consider that the state
wherein saints on earth are, is a state of recovery;
that though it be not a state of perfect health, yet it
is not (also) a state of death; bnt wherein they are
tending to life in the perfection of it. And their
freqnent (and very faulty) relapses shall be found
but to magnify the more the skill and patience of
their great Physician. Therefore, however you are
not hence to be secure, or imposing upon Him; yet
let not your hearts sink into an abject despair and
sullen discontent, that you find a distempered frame
sometimes returnino^. Let there be tender relentino-s
after God. Your heart ought often to smite you,
that you have been no more careful ancl watchful;
but not admit a thought that you will therefore cast
off all: that it's in vain ever to strive more, or seek
to recover that good frame that you have often found
is so soon gone.

Meditating on Heavenly Things.

DO not think that Christ came into the world
and died to procure the pardon of your sins,
and so translate you to heaven, wdiile your hearts
should still remain clcavino^ to the earth. He came
and returned to prepare a way for you; and then
call, not drag you thither: that by His precepts, and
promises, and example, and Spirit, He might form
and fashion your souls to that glorious state; and
make you willing to abandon all things for it. And
lo ! now the God of all grace is calling you by Jesus
Christ unto His eternal glory. Direct then your

320 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

eyes and hearts to that mark, the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus. 'Tis ignominious,
by the common suffrage of the civilized world, not
to intend the proper business of our calling. 'Tis
your calling to forsake this world and mind the
other; make haste then to quit yourselves of ^^our
entanglements, of all earthly dispositions and aflec-
tions. Learn to live in this w;orld as those that are
not of it, that expect every day, and wish to leave
it, whose hearts are gone already.

O get then the lovely image of the future glory
into your minds. Keep it ever before your eyes.
Make it familiar to your thoughts. Imprint daily
there these Vords: I shall behold Thy face; I shall
be satisfied with Thy likeness. And see that your
souls be enriched with that righteousness, have in-
wrought into tliem that holy rectitude, that may dis-
pose them to that blessed state. Then will you die
wdth your own consent, and go away, not driven, but
allured and drawn. You will go, as the redeemed
of the Lord, with everlasting joy upon their heads;
as those that know whither you go, even to -a state
infinitely worthy of your desires and choice, and
where 'tis best for you to be. You will part with
your souls, not by a forcible separation, but by a
joyful surrender and resignation. They will dis-
lodge from this earthly tabernacle, rather as putting
it off than having it rent and torn away. Loosen
yourselves from this body by degrees, as we do any
thing we would remove from a place where it sticks
fast. Gather up your spirits into themselves. Teach

JOHN HOWE. 321

them to look upon themselves as a distinct thing.
Inure them to the thoughts of a dissolution. Be
continually as taking leave. Cross and disprove the
common maxim, and let your hearts, which they use
to say are wont to die last, die first. Prevent death,
and be mortified towards every earthly thing before-
hand, that death may have nothing to kill but your
bodyj and that you may not die a double death in
one hour, and sufier the death of your body and of
your love to it both at once. Much less that this
should survive to your greater, and even incurable,
misery. Shake off* your bands and fetters, the ter-
rene aftections that so closely confine you to the
house of your bondage. And lift up your heads in
expectation of the approaching jubilee, the day of
your redemption; when you are to go out free, and
enter into the glorious liberty of the sons of God;
when you shall serve, and groan, and complain no
longer. Let it be your continual song, and the
matter of your daily praise, that the time of your
happy deliverance is hastening on; that ere long you
shall be absent from the bod}^, and present with the
Lord.

The Saints' Delight in God.

IN wdiat transports have holy souls been upon the
view and contemplation of His sovereign powder
and dominion; His wise and righteous government;
His large and flowing goodness, that extends in com-
mon to all the works of His hands ! Labor to imitate
the ingenuous and loyal affection of this kind, where-

14*

322 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

of you find many expressions in the sacred Volume.
For what hath been matter of delight to saints of old,
ought surely still as much to be accounted so. To
give instances:

You sometimes find them in a most complacential
adoration of His wonderful wisdom and counsels. O
the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God ! How unsearchable are His judg-
ments, and His ways past finding out! Rom. xi. 33.
And again, To God only wise be glory, through Jesus
Christ, for ever. Amen. Chap. xvi. 27. To the King
eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be
honor and glory for ever, 1 Tim. i. 17, &c. To the
only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty,
dominion and power, noAv and ever, Jude 25, <fec.
Elsewhere we have them in transports admiring His
holiness. Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among
the gods ! Who is like Thee glorious in holiness,
Exod. XV. 11. There is none holy as the Lord; for
there is none besides Thee, neither is there any rock
like our God, 1 Sam. ii. 2. And this is recommended
and enjoined to His holy ones as the special -matter
of their joy and praise: Rejoice in the Lord, ye
righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of
His holiness. Psalm xcvii. 12. At other times we
have their magnificent celebrations of His glorious
power, and that by way of triumph over the pagan-
ish gods: Our God is in the heavens, He hath done
whatsoever He pleased, Psalm cxv. Their idols are
silver and gold, &c. Be Thou exalted, O God, in
Thine own strength, Psalm xxi. 13. We will sing

JOHN HOWE. " 323

and praise Thy power. Forsake me not nntil I have
showed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy
130wer to every one that is to come, Psahii Ixxi. 18,
&c. This is given out as the song of Moses and the
Lamb: Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify
Thy name V Great and marvelous are Tliy works,
Lord God Almighty, &c. And how do they magnify
His mercy and goodness, both towards His own peo-
ple and His creatures in general, Psalm xxxi. 19. O
how great is Thy goodness which Thou hast laid up
for them that fear Thee, that Thou hast wrouofht for
them that trust in Thee before the children of men !
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous, for praise is
comely for the upright; praise the Lord with harp;
sing unto Him with the psaltery. Psalm xxxiii. 1, &c.
The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. I will
extol Thee, my God, O King, I will bless Thy name
for ever and ever, Psalm cxlv. 1, &c. Men shall
speak of the might of Thy terrible acts, they shall
abundantly utter the memory of Thy great goodness,
and shall sing of Thy righteousness. The Lord is
gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and
of great mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His
tender mercies are over all His works. To insert all
that might be mentioned to this purpose, were to
transcribe a great part of the Bible. And in what
raptures do we often find them, in the contemplation
of His faithfulness and truth, His justice and right-
eousness, His eternity, the boundlessness of His pre-
sence, the greatness of His works, the cxtensiveness
of His dominion, the perpetuity of His kingdom, the

32-1 DEVOTlONxVL THOUGHTS.

exactness of His government: Who is a strong God
like unto Thee, and to Thy faithfuhicss, round about
Thee, Psahn Ixix. Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the
heavens, and Thy faithfulness reaches unto tlie
clouds. Psalm xxxvi. Before the mountains were
brouoht forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth
or the world, from everlasting to everlasting Thou
art God, Psalm xc. 2. But will God indeed dwell
on the earth ? Behold, the heaven and heaven of
heavens cannot contain Thee, 1 Kings viii. The
works of the Lord are great, sought out of them that
have pleasure therein. His work is honorable and
glorious, Psalm cxi, &c. All Thy works shall praise
Thee, O Lord, and Thy saints shall bless Thee; they
shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom, and talk
of Thy power, to make known to the sons of men
His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His
kingdom. Psalm cxlv. Thy kingdom is an everlast-
ing kingdom, and Thy dominion endureth through-
out all generations.

And His glory in the general, (which results from
His several excellencies in conjunction,) how-loftily
is it often celebrated with the expression of the most
loyal desires, that it may be every where renowned,
and of greatest complacency, in as far it is appre-
hended so to be. The glory of the Lord shall en-
dure for ever. They shall sing in the ways of the
Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. Be Thou
exalted above the heavens, let Thy glory be above all
the earth. Psalm civ. 31, cxxxviii. 5, Ivii. 7, 11. Let
them praise the name of the Lord, for His name

JOHN iiouE. 325

alone is excellent, His glory is above the earth and
the heavens, Psalm cxlviii. 13. When you read such
passages as these, (whether they be elogies or com-
mendations of Him, or doxologies and direct attribu-
tions of glory to Him,) you are to bethink yourselves,
with what temper of heart these things were uttered !
with how raised and exalted a spirit ! what high de-
light and pleasure was conceived in glorifying God,
or in beholding Him glorious ! How large and un-
bounded a heart, and how full of His praise, doth
still every where discover itself in such strains; when
all nations, when all creatures, when every thing
that hath breath, when heaven and earth are invited
together, to join in the concert, and bear a part in
His praises ! And now eye Him under the same no-
tions under which you have seen Him so magnified,
that in the same way }'ou may have your own heart
wrought up to the same pitch and temper toAvards
Him. Should it not provoke an emulation, and make
you covet to be amidst the throng of loyal and de-
voted souls, when you see them ascending as if they
were all incense ! when you behold them dissolving
and melting away in delight and love, and ready to
expire, even fainting that they can do no more; de-
signing their very last breath shall go forth in the
close of a song ! I will sing unto the Lord as long as
I live, I will sing praise to my God while I have my
being, Psalm civ. 33. How becoming is it to resolve,
' This shall be my aim and ambition, to fly the same,
and if it were possible, a greater, height.' Read
over such psalms as are more especially designed for

326 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

the magnifying of God; Psdlms yiii. xlviii. xcv. xcvi.
xcvii. xcviii. xcix. &c.: and when von see what were
the things that were most taking to so spiritual and
pious hearts; thence receive instruction, and aim to
have your hearts alike affected and transported with
the same things. Frame the supposition, that you
are meant, that the invitation is directed to you, ' O
come let us sinsf unto the Lord, let us come before
His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful
noise to Him with psalms; for the Lord is a great
God, and a great King above all gods, &c. And
think with yourselves. Is He not as great as He was ?
Is He not as much our Maker as He was theirs ? Is
it not now as true, that ' The Lord reigneth, and is
high above all the earth, and exalted far above all
gods.' Now since these were the considerations up-
on which so great complacency was taken in Him,
set the same before your own eyes. And since these
were proposed as the matter of so common a joy,
and the creation seems designed for a musical instru-
ment of as many strings as there are creatures in
heaven and earth; awake, and make haste .to get
your heart fixed; lest 'the heavens rejoice, and the
earth be glad, the world and all that dwell therein;
lest the sea roar, and the fulness thereof, the floods
clap their hands, the fields and the hills be joyful
together, and all the trees of the wood rejoice before
the Lord,' while you only arc silent and uncon-
cerned.*

* This passage is expressed in an exalted strain of sacred elo-
quence; and no more fervid or soul-stirring one can be found in the
writings of Ilowe.

JOHN HOWE. 327

Live With ETERNiTr in View.

MORE particularly labor to have your appre-
hensions of the future state of the unseen
world, and eternal things, made more lively and
efficacious daily, and that your faith of them may be
such as may truly admit to be called the very sub-
stance and evidence of those thino^s. Shall that sdo-
rious everlasting state of things be always as a dark
shadow with us, or as the images w^e have of things
in a dream, ineffectual and vanishing, only because
we have not seen Avith our eyes, where God Himself
hath by His express word made the representations
of them to us, who never deceived us, as our own
eyes and treacherous senses have done ? Why do
we not live as just now entering into the eternal
state, and as if we now beheld the glorious appear-
ing of the great God our Saviour, when we are as
nmch assured of them as if wq beheld them ? Why
do we not oftener view the representation of the
heavens vanishing, the elements melting, the earth
flaming, the angels every where dispersed to gather
the elect, and them ascending, caught up to meet the
Redeemer in the air, ever to be with the Lord?
What a trifle will the world be to us then !

EZEKIEL HOPKINS, D. D.

1G33-1690.

The Christian's Joy.

HEAVENLY Christian feels some-
times a ponderous and weighty joy; a
joy springing up in Lis soul, almost in-
tolerable, and altogether unutterable;
a joy, that melts him into ecstasy and
rapture. How infinitely doth he then disdain,
that any soul should be so wretchedly sottish, as
to prefer the world before, or equalize it with God !
He thinks the happiness he then enjoys so great,
that, although he believes it is, yet he cannot con-
ceive how it should be more or greater iu heaven
itself. Then the soul claps its wing: it would fain
take its flight, and be gone; it breathes, it pants,
it reaches, after God, and falls into an agony of joy
and desire inconceivably mixed together. Can the
world give us any such overpowering joy as this?
It may afford us corn and wine ; the weak recruits
of a frail life : but, when it hath emptied all its store
and abundance into our bosoms, it is not worthy to
be mentioned with the love and favor of God, which
is hetter than life itself, Psalm Ixiii. 3. And therefore,
the psalmist makes it his prayer. Psalm iv. 6, 7.

EZEKIEL IIOPKIXS. 329

Lord, lift Thou uj) the light of Thy counteiiance upon
us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, "more than
in the time that their corn and %mne increased.

Inconstancy of Earthly Enjoyments.

WHEN the sun shines bright and warm, all the
flowers of the field open and display their
leaves, to receive him into their bosoms ; but, when
night comes, they fold together, and shut up all their
glories : and, though they were like so many little
suns shining here below, able, one Avould think, to
force a day for themselves ; yet, when the sun with-
draws his beams, they droop, and hang the head, and
stand neglected, dull and obscure things. So hath
it fared with us : while God hath shone upon us with
warm and cherishing influences, we opened, and
spread, and flourished into a great pomp and glory;
but He only hides His face, draws in His beams, and
all our beautiful leaves shut up, or fall to the ground,
and leave us a bare stalk, poor and contemptible.

Pardon of Sin.

PARDON of sin is, in Scripture, set forth by very
sweet and full expressions. It is called, a blot-
ting out of transgression : a metaphor taken from a
creditor's crossing the debt-book, signifying thereby
a discharge of the debt. And, lest Ave might possi-
bly fear God will implead us for them without book,
the prophet adds forgetting unto blotting out : Is.
xliii. 25. /, even /, am lie, that hlotteth out thy trans-
gressions for my name's saJtc; and I will not remeni-

330 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

her thy sins. It is called, a covering of our sins :
Psalm xxxii. 1. Blessed is the man, tv/iose transgres-
sion is forgiven^ and ivJiose sin is covered. Yea, we
have a farther ground of comfort, for it is not only
a covering of om- sins, but it is a covering of God's
face from them. Psalm li. 9. Hide Thy face from,
my sinSj and blot out all mine iniquities. It is a cast-
ing of them behind God's back, as a thing that He
will never more regard: Is. xxxviii. 17. Thou hast
cast all my sins behind Thy back. And, lest we
should suspect He should turn again to behold them,
it is called, a casting of them into the bottom of the
sea : Mic. vii. 19, as we do with things we would
have irrecoverably lost and gone. It is a scattering
them as a thicJc cloud : Is. xliv. 22, when the vapors
of it are so dissipated, that there shall not remain the
least spot, to obstruct the shining of God's face and
favor upon our souls. Yea, and so perfect an aboli-
tion shall be made of all our iniquities, that, though
Divine justice should enter into a strict search and
scrutiny after them, they shall not be found against
us : so the prophet Jeremiah tells us, Jer. 1...20. In
those days, shall the iniquity of Israel be sought for;
and there shall be none : and the sins of Judah; and
they shcdl not be found. How hath God hea2)ed up
expressions of his grace and mercy one upon another !
and studied words, as it were, to assure us of tlie
validity of our pardon ; giving to us abounding con-
solations, as our sins have been al)oundino' \

EZEKIEL HOPKINS. o3I

Grace Opposing Sin.

C^ RACE is an immortal seed, that will certainly
X sprout up and flourish into glory: it is a living
fountain, that will certainly spring up unto eternal
life ; a ray of heavenly light, that will wax brighter
and brighter to a heavenly day. It is immortal, in
its seed ; victorious, in a spark ; triumphant, in its
dawn : yea, take it when it is weakest, when this
dawn is clouded, when this spark twinkles, when
this seed is unspirited ; yet, even then, is it mighty
through God, and is still an over-match for shi.

Heavenly Rest.

THAT rest, that is there to be expected and en-
joyed, is operative working rest: it is both rest
and exercise, at once; and, therefore, it is a true
paradox. Though the saints in heaven rest from their
working, continually are they blessing and praising
God; ascribing glory, and honor, and power to Him
that sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb for ever-
more: always are they beholding, admiring and
adoring God, and burning in love to each other, and
mutually rejoicing in God and in one another. And
this is the work of that eternal rest; a work never to
be intermitted nor to cease.

Heavenly Hope.

HOPE is called, the anchor of the soul — that eii:
teretJt into that ivithin the veil: Heb. vi. 19,
that is, into heaven: it lays hold on all that glory,
that is there laid up and kept in reversion for us.

832 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Hope is, in itself, a solid and substantial possession;
for it stirs up the same affections, it excites the same
joy, delight and complacency, as fruition itself doth.
It is the taster of all our comforts: and, if they be
but temporal, it not only tastes them, but sometimes
quite devours them; and leaves us in suspense
whether it be not better to be expectants than en-
joyers. Heavenly hope gives the same real content-
ment and satisfaction: it antedates our glory; and
puts us into the possession of our inheritance, whilst
we are yet in our nonage: only it doth not spend
and devour its object, beforehand, as earthly hope
doth.

The Work of Grace and Sanctification.

GEACE is glory in the seed, and glory is but
grace in the flower. Thus the apostle, 2 Cor.
iii. 18, We are changed into the same image from
glory to glory: that is, the image of God is still per-
fecting in us by His Spirit, carrying on His work
from one measure and deo^ree of o:race unto another.
For the whole life of a Christian here on -earth, is
but as it were one continued sittino^ under the hand
and pencil of the Holy Ghost; till those first lines
and obscurer shadows, which were laid in His new
birth, receive more life, sweetness and beauty from
His progressive sanctification. And this is a being
changed from glory to glory. And when this is come
to that perfection as to need only the last hand, and
the completing touch, then, God glorifies us by the
full consummation of our holiness and happiness in

EZEKIEL HOPKINS. 333

heaven. Thus Christ prays, John xvii. 1, The hour
is come: glorify Thy Son: and so, v. 5, Glorify
Thou me ivith Thine own self idth the glory luhich 1
had ivith Thee before the world was. And so, when
our hour is likewise come, when we have attained to
the full measure of our stature in Christ Jesus, God
will then glorify us with Himself; in that glory,
which He hath prepared for us before the world was.

Co^irORT IN THE DeATH OF PlOUS FrIENDS.

IS it your own loss which you lament; because
they are taken from you, with whom, nay for
whom, you would willingly have died, and given
up 3^ourselves to the death? even this is but the
effect of self-love, and shows that you are more
concerned in your own contentment than in their
glory; and, that you might enjoy them yourselves,
you would keep them from their near and intimate
enjoyment of God. Can you not, for a while, dis-
pense with their absence, for their advantage; and
make up the comfort which you want in their
presence, by the comfort which you have in the
assurance of their happiness ? What our Saviour
saith to his disciples, John xiv. 28, that may I say to
you: If you love them, j^ou will rejoice, because
they are gone to their Father. And this separation,
by this absence of theirs, is but for a short time: do
you but tread the paths of their example and follow
their track, and, as their works went before them to
heaven, so yours shall follow you; where you shall
rest from all your sorrows and troubles; where no

334 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

affliction nor discontentment shall overcast your per-
fect joy; where, without fear of another separation,
you shall be satisfied in the enjoyment of one an-
other, and all in the enjoyment of God.

THOMAS KEN", D.D.
1637-1711.

A Pkayer ror Spiritualized Affections.

f^^P^ LORD, enligliteu my understand-
ing, that I may know Thee ; sanctify my
affections, that I may love Thee ; and put
Thy fear into my heart, that I may dread
to offend Thee.
Wean my affections, O Lord, from the things
of this world, and whatever my state and condi-
tion may be here, give me grace therewith to be
content.

O my God ! let the consideration of the emptiness
of pleasure, the troubles and miseries of riches, and
the shortness and vanity of all things in the world,
inspire me with due contempt of all enjoyments here
below; and make me ever shun these hindrances to
a life of holiness and virtue, that I may with the
greater freedom enjoy Thee, O my God ! in medita-
ting on Thy perfections and Thy glories. Let me,
dearest Jesus, have those influences of Thy blessed
Spirit in my retirements, that I may at last grow
wholly weary of the world, and then fix my thoughts
upon that heavenly kingdom, where true pleasures,

336 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

fulness of riches, and lasting honors are only to be
met withal ; whither let Thy mercy speedily bring
me, that I may be satisfied with the fulness of Thy
presence, and meditate for ever on Thy great perfec-
tions, joining with all the glorious attendants on Thy
throne in endless songs of Thy eternal praises. Amen.

On Communion with God.

RETIRE, O my soul ! from the busy world, and
employ thyself about that for which thou wert
created: — The contemplation of thy God. I will
hasten to my closet, or yonder solitary walk, and
there sequestered from a vexatious world, I will not
suffer a single thought of it to approach me, unless
by way of pity and contempt.

How delightful is it, O my soul ! for thee to enjoy
this sweet communion with thy God, and thus to
dwell upon divine objects. Here am I safe, and at
rest in this dear place of quiet; and earnestly pity
all the men of business and hurry, whose heads are
full of perplexing contrivances, to procure a little
happiness in a Avorld where there is no such thing.

O blessed freedom ! O charming solitude ! I will
grasp you, and I will hold 3^ou fast — the delight of
silence and retreat ! Here I can unburthen my soul,
and pour it out before my God. Here I can wrestle
with the powers of heaven, and not let them go till
I have obtained a blessing. Here I can confess my
sins, and with hopes of comfort lay open my troubled
breast before the merciful Hearer of my prayers.

tpiomas ken. 337

On The Love of the Saviour.

OGOD, my Saviour and my Lord, grant, I be-
seech Thee, that the contemplations of Thy
dear love may ever inspire my inflamed heart with
the zealous return of love to Thee, my God, and with
the most fervent charity to all the members of Thy
holy Church, whether they are my friends or my
causeless enemies. O let me never, by the coldness
of my affections for my neighbors and fellow-Chris-
tians, make myself uuAvorthy of that love of Thine
which has now employed my^iieditations; and since
without charity, no other virtue or religious duty is
acceptable in Thy sight, let it be my daily exercise
to attain it, that at length I may be a perfect profi-
cient in the school of love, and my humble soul may
breathe out nothing else; that no provocation or af-
fronts of the most wilful malice may ever stir up in
me the spirit of revenge, or abate my charity; but
let this celestial fire of heavenly love ever burn in
my fervent breast upon earth, till it is perfected at
last in the blessed regions of eternal love.

On The Joys of Hj:aven.

HAIL, the despised followers of the poverty of
Jesus ! He had no estates, — He had no pur-
chase on earth, not ' a hole wherein to lay His sacred
head.' In this you were like your suffering Lord;
for your treasures were in heaven, where you now
enjoy them with an assurance of an everlasting pos-
session; you are now no longer heirs but actual in-
heritors of that kingdom of inexpressible wealthy

338 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

from Avhicli He has utterly debarred all that are en-
cumbered with riches here below, and place their
security and reliance on them. What divine melody
is this, O my soul, which thus charms my ravished
thoughts ? What vigorous echoes of joy inexpressi-
ble are these I hear ? These can be none other than
the voices of angels. Oh, the fervor of this joy ! as
if their heavenly breasts were unable to contain the
flaming zeal within. Lo ! how they break forth into
the most ardent expressions, and pathetic hallelujahs
to your Creator's glory ! Hark ! what heavenly song
is this I hear? 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Al-
mighty ! which was, and is, and is to come. Bless-
ing, honor, power, and glory, be unto Him that sit-
tcth upon the throne, and to the Lamb, for ever and
ever !'

A Pkayer for one in Affliction.
^ T ICNOW, Lord, that Thy judgments are right,

_L and that Thou of very faithfulness hast caused
me to be troubled; ' Psalm cxix. 75; for 'before I
was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept Thy
word.' Psalm cxix. 6. Blessed be Thy goodness
for afflicting me.

I humbly beg of Thee, O merciful Father, that
this affliction may strengthen my faith, which Thou
sawest was growing weak; fix my hope, which was
staggering; quicken my devotion, which was lan-
guishing; re-kindle my charity, which was cooling;
revive my zeal, which was dying: confirm my obe-
dience, which was wavering; recover my patience,

THOMAS KEN. 339

which was fainting; mortify my pride, which was
presuming; and perfect my repentance, which was
daily decaying: for all these and the like infirmities,
to which my soul is exposed, O make Thy affliction
my cure !

Grant, O my God, that this affliction Thou hast
in mercy laid on me, may wean all my affections from
the world, Avhich I was apt to grow too fond of;
rescue me from those occasions of evil of which I was
in danger; secure me from those temptations which
were ready to assault me; restrain me from those sins
to which my nature was strongly inclined; preserve
me from all those abuses of health I am apt to incur;
and purify my soul from all that dross, and from all
those vicious propcnsions which either my repentance
has left behind, or which I have since contracted.

O my God, let Thy affliction produce my amend-
ment, and all the happy effects in me, which it is
wont to do in Thy children, and which Thou in
mercy dost design it should, and then continue Thy
affliction, if it seem good in Thy sight: behold, Lord,
'happy is the man whom Thou thus correctest.'
Job V. 7.

What is best for me, O my God, I know not: my
flesh desires a deliverance from this distemper, and
if it be Thy pleasure, O Lord, deliver me: my spirit
desires that Thou only wouldst choose for me. Do
Thou then, O Heavenly Father, choose for me, be-
cause Thou art my Father, and out of Thy fatherly
tenderness wilt be sure to choose what is best for
me. I resign my own w^ill entirely to Thine. Let

340 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

me be enabled to say, after my gracious Saviour's
example, ' Father, if Thou be willing, remove this
cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but Thine,
be clone.' St. Luke xxii. 42.

Hear, Lord, and have compassion on me, for the
merits and sufferings of Jesus Christ, whose perfect
resignation may I always imitate. Amen.

The Eighteous Eteknally Secure.

THIS world is founded upon the seas, and es-
tablished on the floods; the very foundation
of it is laid in mutability. But he that loves God,
and trusts in His Beloved, is like Mount Sion, that
cannot be removed, but stands fast for ever; he is
built on the rock of ages, he stands firm on a height
that has no precipice — is above all assaults — and is
in eternal security.

THOMAS COMBER, D. D.
1644-1699.

Meditations on the Loed's Supper. I.

OST merciful Jesus, although Thou
reservest the full manifestation of Thy
love to my soul till the glorious resur-
rection, yet, as if Thou wert impatient
of so great a delay. Thou here givest
me a pledge of Thy love, and an earnest of my title
to a never fading bliss. Thou hast dearly bought it
for me, and Thou hast freely given it to me ; where-
fore I will vigorously seek it, patiently wait for it,
and earnestly expect it. Ah! my gracious Re-
deemer, here I am vexed with crosses, oppressed
with enemies, troubled with corruptions, and tossed
on the waves of a thousand sins and miseries. But
it is my comfort, amid all these sorrows, to receive
this assurance that I shall, ere long, be translated
into a blissful state, never to know sin or feel pain ;
to be in danger of enemies or fear of evil any
more. O how welcome shall be that blessed hour
that summons me to enter into the joys of my
Lord ! While I continue here, let me behave my-
self, O my Saviour, as the heir of Tliy kingdom,
crucifying those sins that crucified Thee, and would

342 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

exclude me from those felicities wliicli Tliou hast
offered me. Lord, I would hate everything that
keeps me from heaven, and love nothing but what
may further me in my way thither. O give me
Thy grace to live as one that is above all the trifling
pleasures and sorrows of this lower world, and to
conduct m^^self as becomes an heir of glory, as one
designed to be a companion of angels, and to partake
of Thy bliss for ever and ever.

II.

WILL go to Thy table with joy and tell of Thy
works with gladness, O most mighty Saviour,
who hast not only died for my sins, but risen again
for my justification. Indeed, what comfort would I
have found in this memorial of Thy death, if it had
not been for Thy resurrection. This sacrament then
would only have represented Thy sufferings, and
renewed my sorrow : to think that so excellent a Per-
son had failed of my deliverance! but now it is be-
come a feast of joy, because it is an assurance- of Thy
resurrection, as well as a commemoration of Thy
passion. Since Thou livest, glorified Jesus, we live
also. Thy resurrection gives life to our hopes, makes
our sorrows light, our lives cheerful, and our death
the gate of immortality. Our fears are dispelled,
and our troubled hearts are quieted with this, — The.
Lord is risen; yea. The Lord is risen indeed.

THOMAS COMBER.

III.

34:8

BLESSED Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our
faith, who art the same yesterday^ to-day^ and
for ever; Thou hast given spiritual meat to them that
fear Thee, and ivilt ever be mindful of Thy covenant:
but my goodness is as a morning cloud which soon
passes, and my devotion ^ze^ like a shadow and never
continues in one stay. O do Thou establish me ivith
Thy free Spirit, that I may not so easily forfeit my
comfort, forget my duty, and break my vows, as I
have formerly done. How unwearied art Thou,
gracious Saviour, in doing well unto me! How con-
stant is Thy love! How amiable and attractive are
Thy endless mercies and Thy varied graces! And
shall I be so ungrateful to Thee, and so cruel to
myself, as to forsake Thee and my own happiness!
Alas! I justly suspect my own weakness; I fear the
power and policy of my enemies; and I do with
shame and sorrow call to mind my former returns to
folly. Therefore, O blessed Redeemer! I do most
earnestly entreat Thee never to leave me to myself.
I beseech Thee to give me constant and continual
supplies of Thy grace, that I may be able to perform
whatsoever I have promised. O let not forgetful-
ness or indevotion seize on me hereafter. Let me
hold fast that which I have, and daily strive to gain
more; and finally make me faithful unto death; and
80 shall I receive from Thee the crown of life, when
I appear before Thee at the last day.

BEJ^JAMIN JENKS.
1646-1724.

A MOKNING PeAYER.

^^ LOED God Almiglity, Tliou art the
sovereign Majesty of heaven and earth,
against whom all our sins have been
committed, and by whom alone they can
be pardoned ! there is none but Thee, by
whom our iniquities can be subdued, our souls be
sanctified or our necessities suj^plied. But Thou
art able, and also ready to hear and help, to bless
and save Thy people that call upon Thee; Thou
delightest to show mercy, and lovest the occasions
of glorifying Thy compassion. We come to Thee
therefore, O Lord, begging that mercy, which Thou
knowest we extremely want, and grace to help us
in this time of our need. We beg the same for
the sake of Thine infinitely beloved Son who alone
is worthy, and in whose precious blood is all our
trust.

We are unclean, Lord, we are unclean ; and Thou
mayest well abhor our guilty souls : but O look upon
us in the Son of Thy love ; and prepare us for the
mercies which Thou hast treasured up for us in Him.
Make us to feel the burden and the bitterness ot

BENJAMIN JENKS. 345

our sins; nor let us ever attempt to cover and con-
ceal them, lest they find us out at the last, and over-
whelm us with shame and misery. Holy Father!
carry on with power Thy great work, even the work
of faith and the sanctification of our souls. Quicken
us, O Lord our God, and stir us up to Thy work;
and assist us in the performance of all our duties,
which of ourselves Thou knowest we are unable to
perform. Work in us to will and to do of Thy good
pleasure; establish the things, O God, which Thou
hast already wrought for us; and go on to work
mightily upon our hearts by Thy grace, till our souls
are fitted for the enjoyment of Thy glory.

Gracious Lord, Thy mercies are fresh and new to
us every morning. We have laid us down and slept,
and awaked again; for Thou hast sustained us: Thou
hast kept us from the terrors of the night and from
all evil accidents; so that we are once more risen in
peace and sa/ety. Glory be to Thee, O God of our
salvation, who art still so mindful of us, so merciful
unto us. Go on, we pray Thee, to be good to us
this day, and teach us how to demean ourselves
aright, and to order our affairs to Thy glory. O
direct our undertakings and prosper our endeavors.
Rule our hearts in Thy fear and love, and keep us
living to Thy praise and honor. Behold, we com-
mit ourselves to Thee, and shelter ourselves under
the shadow of Thy wings: O keep us from evil, and
help us to do that which is good and pleasing to our
God, through Jesus Christ. Give us. Lord, all that

we have asked as we should; foroivc us all that we

15* ' °

346 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

have asked amiss; and bestow on us all things need-
ful, which we should have asked; and which we con-
tinue to ask, in the comprehensive words of Thy
dear Son — Our Father, &c.

An Evening Peayee.

UR ever blessed and most gracious God! Thou
art the Lord and giver of our lives, and of all
the blessings we enjoy. To Thee we owe ourselves,
and all that we are capable of rendering unto Thee.
For by Thee, O Lord, we were created; and through
Thy good Providence it is that we have been spared
and provided for unto this present time. From
Thee, our God, comes all our help; and in Thee is
reposed all our hope. Thou art the bountiful giver
of all the good that our souls desire, and the merci-
ful withhoider of all the evil that our sins deserve.
We acknowledge Thy great and daily goodness to
us, and our own exceeding unworthiness of the least
of all Thy mercies. We take shame and confusion
to ourselves, that we have so little improved and so
greatly aliused all Thy patience with us, and all the
various instances of Thy bounty to us. We confess
it to be a heinous aggravation of our ofiences, that
we have done so much against Thee, after all the
great things Thou hast done for us. But we desire,
O Lord, to be humbled for our offences; and we en-
treat Thy gracious favor, in Christ Jesus, for the
pardon of them. Forgive us, we pray Thee, for His
sake, all the sins that ever we have committed
against Thee, and absolve us from all the evil

P>Ex\ JASMIN JExNKS. 347

whereof we now stand gnilty before Thee. And,
being justified by faith, let us have peace with God,
through our Lord Jesus Christ.

And seeing Tliou art pleased yet to hold our souls
in life, and to make us find and feel, by every day's
experience, how abundantly gracious and merciful
Thou art, O give us hearts more sensible of Thy love,
more afiected with Thy mercy, and more thankful
for those continued favors, which Thou art pleased
to multiply unto us. And help us to show forth
Thy praise, not only by speaking good of Thy name,
but by ordering our conversation aright, and by
adorning the gospel of God our Saviour in all things.

And now, most merciful Father, we humbly recom-
mend ourselves, and all that we have, to Thy care
and protection; beseeching Thee, for Thy dear Son's
sake, to preserve and defend, to bless and keep us,
both in soul and body. We know that by reason
of our weakness and wickedness we are exposed to
many and great dangers; but we commit ourselves'
to Thee, trusting that Thou wilt sustain us. O be
with us through the night season and grant us com-
fortable repose; that our frail nature being refreshed,
and our decayed strength renewed, we may rise
as^ain better fitted for the duties of the followino-
day, if Thou shalt be pleased to add another day to
our lives. And as Thou daily multiplicst Thy
mercies to us, be pleased also to increase our repent-
ance, and to renew us daily after Thine image: that
every day may not only bring us nearer to Thy king-
dom, but make us fitter for the enjoyment of that

348 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

glory which Thou hast prepared for them that love
Thee.

Accept these our prayers, most gracious and mer-
ciful Lord God: and for all the good things we have
received, or at present enjoy, or hope for in future
from Thy bountiful hands, enable us to render our
grateful thanks: and let it be our employment now,
as we hope it shall be hereafter, abundantly to utter
the memory of Thy great goodness, and to sing of
Thy praise without ceasing. Amen and Amen.

A Peayer on Going Abroad.

OLORD! Thou art the same God in all places:
and nowhere can I go but Thou art there.
Both at home and abroad, on my way and at the end,
Thou art ever with me, by Thine universal presence.

0 let me also experience the presence of Thy grace,
and of Thy good Spirit wath me; to conduct and
guide me continually, to protect and save me from

'all dangers and mischiefs, and to make my w^ay pros-
perous and all my affairs successful. Let the bless-
ing of the Lord folloAv me and rest upon mer- and do
Thou preserve my going out and my coming in; and
never leave me nor forsake me, O Lord, but be my
God and guide this day, in all this journey and all
my life long. And make me to feel that my w^hole
life is but a pilgrimage and passage through this
world; in which I am continually hastening home
to the end of all my travels, and to the place ^vhere

1 must take up my everlasting abode.

O merciful God! make me continually mindful of

BENJAMIN JENKS. 3^9

that progress, and of that journey's end: and keep
me from either wandering from Thy way or falling
into sin of an}^ kind; which would be the greatest
evil that could come upon me. Take care of me, I
beseech Thee, and lead me, and keep me: and after
all my journeyings here, O bring me safe at last to
Thy holy hill, and to Thy heavenly rest; even to
that blessed end of my faith, the everlasting salva-
tion of my soul. I humbly ask this through the
greatness of Thy mercy to me in Thy dear Son, my
gracious Lord and only Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Peayer for Faith and Trust in God.

WITHOUT faith, it is impossible to please Thee,
O God: and therefore I come to beg of
Thee that faith which is Thy gift. Lord, help my
unbelief; and increase my faith. Whatever Thou
hast revealed, let me take it upon the credit of Thy
word: and where I have Thy promise, let me not
stagger through unbelief, but fully persuade myself
that it shall be as Thou hast said. O bless and en-
rich my soul with such a holy, lively and unfeigned
faith, as may enlighten my mind and purify my
hearty and influence my whole life; such a faith as
may enable me to receive Jesus Christ for my Sa-
viour, and heartily to give up myself to Him as my
Lord: that, being ruled and sanctified l)y Him in
this life, I may be for ever saved and glorified by
Him in the life that is to come. O help me so to
assent unto the truths, that I may also consent to the
terms of the gospel. And give me that effectual

350 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

faith Avliich shall work by love; that faith which
shall enable me to overcome the world, and to fix
my attention on those great and glorions things
which are nnseen and eternal.

In my greatest darkness and distress, O let me
trust in the name of the Lord and stay myself upon
my God; committing my ways unto Thee, and cast-
ing my burthen upon Thee, and putting my trust in
Thee, though Thou slay me. Let me trust in Thine
almighty power to help and save; in Thy tender in-
clinations to pity and relieve; and in the sure pro-
mises which Thy love hath made (and which Thy
faithfulness will certainly make good) unto all that
wait and call upon Thee. And though I am not
presently answered in the Welshes of my heart, O let
me tarry and wait patiently for the salvation of the
Lord; and have my eyes upon the Lord my God, till
Thou have mercy upon me. Yea, make me so sound
and strong in the faith, that my faith may never fail :
J)ut that it may be found to praise and honor and
glory in every time of trial; and at the great appear-
ino; of oui Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Pkayer for Increase of Grace.

BLESSED Saviour! who earnest into the world
that we might have life, and have it more
abundantly, let me receive out of Thy fulness grace
sufficient for me; that I may be strong in the Lord,
and ready to every good work. My Life, my Strength
and my Redeemer! leave me not under the curse of
barrenness, to halt or decline in my S2:)iritual estate:

BENJAMIN JENKS. 351

but, as Thou liast wrought all my works in me,
stablish, I beseech Thee, that which Thou hast
wrought for me; and strengthen the things which
remain, that are ready to die. Let the seeds of grace
which Thou hast sown in my heart be watered by
Thy good Spirit; that my soul may prosper and in-
crease with the increase of God, even as a watered
garden or as a spring whose waters fail not. Make
me to grow in knowledge and in grace; and to
abound in all those fruits of righteousness, which are
by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God; so
that I may have the witness in myself, that I am
Thy servant. O my Lord, carry on with power the
work of faith and holiness in my soul; that my sin-
ful corruption may grow weaker and weaker; and
Thy grace in me may grow stronger and stronger;
till, from groaning under the body of sin and death,
I come to triumph over all the enemies of my soul.
And as Thou art pleased to afford me the means of
grace, O grant me the increase of Thy grace that
they may not be lost upon me; but that in the use
of them I may be made still wiser and holier and
better, and fitter for Thy blessed acceptance in Jesus
Christ my only Saviour. Amen.

A PiixWER FOR God's Gracious Presence.

MY Lord and my God! whom have I in heaven
but Thee? and there is none upon earth that
I desire besides Thee. O be not as a stranger to the
soul in Avhicli Thou hast planted an inclination to
serve Thee: but bless and honor me with that divine

352 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

fellowship of which Thou hast made me capable, and
which my soul panteth after. O give me the satis-
faction to find that Thou hast given me a heart to
seek. Yea, give me grace, O my Lord, to go on
seeking till I find Thee, whom my soul desires above
ail to love. Let me endure any thing rather than
Thine absence and displeasure; and desire nothing
so much as Thy presence and favor.

And be not Thou far from me, O my God; but
let me experience Thy gracious presence with me,
and behold Thy goodness passing before me. Lord
Jesus, Thou hast promised to be with Th}^ people
even to the end of Thy Avorld: O come, be with my
spirit and dwell in my heart by faith. Be with me,
O ni}' Saviour, every where and at all times, in
health and in sickness, in prosperity and trouble, in
all estates and in all events and circumstances of my
life; let Thy presence sanctify and sweeten to me
whatever befalls me. Never leave nor forsake me
in my present pilgrimage, but abide with me till
Thou hast brouo^ht me safe throuo-h all trials and
dangers to Thy heaA^enly kingdom; that I may there
dwell in Thy sight and enjoy Thy love, and inherit
Thy glory for evermore. Amen.

A Pkayer on Peeparatiox for Death.

LORD, what is our life but a vapor, that appears
for a little time and then vanisheth awa}^! Even
at the longest, how short! and at the strongest, how
frail! and when we think ourselves most secure, yet
we know not what a day may bring forth, nor how

BENJAMIN JENKS. 353

soon Thou mayest come to call us to our last account.

Quickly shall we be as water spilt on the ground,

that cannot be gathered up again; quickly snatched

away from hence, and our place here shall kuow us

no more for ever. Our daj^s, one after another, are

spent apace: and we know not how near to us is our

last day, when our bodies shall be laid in the grave,

and our souls be called to appear at the tribunal of

God, to receive their eternal doom. Yet how have

... • .

I lived in this world, as if I should never leave it;

hoAv unmindful of my latter end! how improvident
of my time! how careless of ni}^ soul! how negligent
in my preparation for my everlasting condition! so
that Thou mayest justly bring my last hour as a
snare upon me, to surprise me in my sins, and to cut
me off in my iniquities. But, O Father of mercies,
remember not my sins against me; but remember
Thy own tender mercies and Thy loving kindnesses,
which have been ever of old. O remember how
short my time is; and spare me, that I may recover
strength before I go hence and be no more seen.
Make me so wise as to consider my latter end: and
teach me so to number my daj^s that I may apply
my heart to true wisdom. Lord, what have I to do
in this world but to make ready for the world to
come! O that I may be mindful of it, and be care-
ful to finish my work before I finish my course!

In the days of my health and prosperity, O that I
may remember and provide for the time of trouble,
and sickness and death, when the world's enjo^^ments
Avill shrink away from me, and prove utterly unable

354 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

to support and comfort me. Let me never allow
myself in any course of living wherein I would be
loath or afraid to die. But let me see my corrup-
tions mortified and subdued, that they may never rise
up in judgment against me. Enable me so to die
unto sin daily that I may not die for sin eternally.
Instruct me, good Lord, and assist me in my prepa-
ration for a dying hour: that I may not then be
fearfully surprised; but may meet it with comfort
and composure. Quicken me to a serious concern
about that great work: and help me to perform it
acceptably and with good success. O that I may be
fitted for heaven ere I leave this earth, and may have
peace with God through Jesus Christ, before I de-
part hence into that state in which I must abide for
ever! O my Lord, make me so ready to meet Thee
at Thy coming, that Thine appearance may be the
matter of my hopes and desires, and joyful expecta-
tions: that I may look and long for that blessed
time when Thou wilt put an everlasting period to
all my troubles and temptations, and exchange my
present state of infirmity and sin for a state of end-
less happiness and glory. O Thou who art my life
and my strength, help me so to live as, at the hour
of death, I shall wish I had lived; and so to make
ready for death all my days that, at my last day, I
may have nothing to do but to die, and cheerfully to
resign my spirit into Thy gracious hands. O my
Father, hear and answer my humble petitions; and
let me find a merciful admission to Thy favor and
Thv Idnjrdom, for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.

MATTHEW HEjNTRY.
1662-1714.

Pleasuees of Communion With God.

^>V''^^J^ DAY in God's courts, and an hour
at His table in communion witli Him,
is very pleasant, better than a thou-
sand days, than ten thousand hours,
in any of the enjoyments of sense; but
this very much increaseth the pleasantness of it,
that it is the pledge of a blessed eternity, which
we hope to spend within the veil, in the vision
and fruition of God. Sabbaths are sweet, as they
are earnests of the everlasting sabbatism, or keep-
ing of a Sabbath, (as the apostle calls it, Heb. iv.
9,) which remains for the people of God. Gospel
feasts are therefore sweet, because earnests of the
everlasting feast, to which we shall sit down with
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. The joys of the
Holy Ghost are sweet, as they are earnests of that
joy of our Lord, into which all Christ's good and
faithful servants shall enter. Praising God is sweet,
as it is an earnest of that blessed state, in which we
shall not rest day or night from praising God. The
communion of saints is SAveet, as it is an earnest of

356 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

the pleasure we hope to have in the ' general assem-
bly, and church of the first-born,' Heb. xii. 23.

They that travel wisdom's ways, though sometimes
they find themselves walking in the low and dark-
some valley of the shadow of death, where they can
see but a little way before them, yet at other times
they are led with Moses to the top of Mount Pisgah,
and thence have a pleasant prospect of the land of
promise, and the glories of that good land, not with
such a damp upon the pleasure of it as Moses had,
Dent, xxxiv. 4, ' Thou shalt see it with thine eyes,
but thou shalt not go over thither;' but such an ad-
dition to the pleasure of it as Abraham had, when
God said to him. Gen. xiii. 14, 15, 'All the land
which thou seest, to thee will I give it.' Take the
pleasure of the prospect, as a pledge of the posses-
sion shortly.

Exercise of Holy Joy and Peaise.

LET us be much in the exercise of holy joy, and
employ ourselves much in praise. Joy is in the
heart of praise; as praise is the language of- joy; let
us engage ourselves to these, and quicken ourselves
in these. God has made these our duty, by these to
make all the oth^r parts of our duty pleasant to us;
and for that end we should abound much in them,
and attend upon God with joy and praise. Let us
not crowd our spiritual joys into a corner of our
hearts, nor our thankful praises into a corner of our
prayers, but give both scope and vent to both. Let
us live a life of delight in God, and love to think of

MATTHEW HENRY. 357

Him as we do of one whom we love and value. Let
the flowing in of every stream of comfort lead us to
the fountain; and in every thing that is grateful to us,
let us ' taste that the Lord is gracious.' Let the dry-
ing up of every stream of comfort drive us to the
fountain; and let us rejoice the more in God for our
being deprived of that which we used to rejoice in.
Let us be frequent and large in our thanksgiving; it
will be pleasant to us to recount the favors of God,
and thus to make some returns for them, though poor
and mean, yet such as God will graciously accept.
We should have more pleasure in our religion, if we
had but learned 'in every thing to give thanks,'
1 Thess. V. 18, for that takes out more than half the
bitterness of our afflictions, that we can see cause
even to be thankful for them; and it infuseth more
than a double sweetness into our enjoyments, that
they furnish us with matter for that excellent heav-
enly work of praise; 'sing praises unto His name,
for it is pleasant,' comfortable, as well as comely.
Psalm cxxxv. 3.

Meditation on the Heavenly Rest.

LET us converse much with the glory that is to
be revealed. They that by faith send their
hearts and best affections before them to heaven,
while they are here on this earth, may in return fetcli
thence some of those joys and pleasures that are at
God's right hand. That which goes up in vapors
of holy desire, though insensible, in 'groanings
wliich cannot l)e uttered ' will come down airain in

358 DEVOTIONAL THOUGIirS.

dews of heavenly consolations, that will make the
soul as a watered garden. Let us look much to the
end of our way, how glorious it will be, and that
will help to make our way pleasant. This abund-
antly satisfies the saints, and is the fatness of God's
house on earth, Psalm xxxvi. 8, 9. This makes them
now to drink of the river of God's pleasures, that
with Him is the fountain of life, whence all these
streams come, and in His light they hope to see
light, — everlasting light. By frequent meditations
on that rest which remains for the people of God,
Heb. iv. 3, we now enter into that rest, and partake
of the comfort of it. Our hopes of that happiness
through grace would be very much strengthened,
and our evidences for it cleared up insensibly, if we
did but converse more with it, and the discoveries
made of it in the Scripture. We may have foretastes
of heavenly delights, while we are here on earth, —
clusters from Canaan, while we are yet in this wilder-
ness,— and no pleasures are comparable to that which
these afford. That is the sweetest joy within us, which
is borrowed from the joy set before us; and we de-
prive ourselves very much of the comfort of our re-
ligion, in not having our e^^e more to that joy. We
rejoice most triumphantly, and with the greatest de-
grees of holy glorying, when we * rejoice in hope of
the glory of God,' Eom. v. 2. In this our heart is
glad, and our glory rejoiceth. Psalm xvi. 9.

matthew henry. 359

The Bible.

LET us value the Bible as the best book, because
it is a book for the soul; it discovers our souls
to us as a glass, aucl is a ' clisccruer of the thoughts
aucl inteuts of the heart.' It discovers to our souls
the way that leads to their present and future hap-
piness. In the Scriptures we think we have eternal
life, — life for the soul. It is the excellency of the
word of God, that it ' converteth the soul, it enlight-
ens the mind, it rejoiceth the heart;' and for this we
should value it, because it makes the soul wise to
salvation, and furnisheth it for every thing that is

good.

Pious Ejaculations.

BE frequent and serious in pious ejaculations.
In waiting upon God we must often speak to
Him, — must take all occasions to speak to Him, —
and when we have not opportunity for a solemn ad-
dress to Him, He will accept of a sudden address,
if it come from an honest heart. In these David
waited on God all day, as appears by Psalm xxv. 1,
'Unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul,' to Thee
do I dart it, and all its gmcious breathings after
Thee. We should in a holy ejaculation ask pardon
for this sin, strength against this corruption, victory
over this temptation, and it shall not be in vain.
This is to pray always, and without ceasing. It is
not the length or language of the prayer that God
looks at, but the sincerity of thq heart in it; and
that shall be accepted, though the prayer be very
fihort, and the groanings such as cannot 1)e uttered.

360 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

A Life of Communion AYith God.

IF there be a heaven upon earth, certainly this is
it, by faith to set the Lord always before us,
having an eye to Him with suitable affections , as the
first cause and last end of all thino's that concern us.
And so, having communion with Him in providences
as well as ordinances, when we receive the common
comforts of every day from His hand with love and
thankfulness, and bear the common crosses and dis-
appointments of every day, as ordered by His will,
with patience and submission; w^hen we commit
every day's care to Him, and manage every day's
business and converse for Him; having a constant
habitual regard to God in the settled principles of
the divine life, and frequent actual outgoings of soul
towards Him in pious ejaculations, the genuine ex-
pressions of devout affections; then we live a life of
communion with God. Did we know by experience
what it is to live such a life as this, we would not
exchange the pleasures of it for the peculiar treas-
ures of kings and provinces.

The Soul's Tkumph Over Death.

LEARN then, my soul, learn thou to triumph
over death and the grave: 'O Death ! where is
thy sting ? O Grave ! where is thy victory ?' Hav-
ing laid up thy treasure within the veil, and remitted
thy best effects and best affections thither, and having
received the earnest of the purchased possession, be
still looking, still longing, for that blessed hope.
Fear not death, for it cannot hurt thee, but desire it

IMATTTfEW HENRY. 361

rather, for it will greatly befriend thee. When the
* earthly house of this tabernacle shall be dissolved/
thou shalt remove to the house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens. Wish then, wish daily, for
the coming of Thy Lord, for He shall appear to thy
joy. ' The vision is for an appointed time, and at the
end it shall speak, and shall not lie.' Look through
the windows of this house of clay, like the mother
of Sisera, when she waited for her son's triumphs,
and ciy through the lattice, ' Why is His chariot so
long in coming, why tarry the wheels of His char-
iot ?' Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.

Divine Knowledge.

THERE is no pleasure in any learning like that
of learning Christ, and the things that belong
to our everlasting peace; for that which is known is
not small and trivial, is not doubtful and uncertain,
is not foreign to us, and which we are not concerned
in; which are things that may much diminish the
pleasure of any knowledge; but it is great and sure,
and of the last importance to us, and the knowledge
of it gives us satisfaction: hei'e we may rest our souls.
To know the perfections of the divine nature, the un-
searchable riches of divine grace, to be led into the
mystery of our redemption and reconciliation by
Christ, this is food; such knowledge as this is a feast
to the soul; it is meat indeed, and drink indeed; it
is the knowledo-e of that which the ano^els desire to
look into, 1 Peter i. 12. If the knowledge of the
law'of God w^as so sweet to David, ' sweeter than

362 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

honey to his taste/ Psalm xix. 10, and cxix. 103, how
much more so should the knowledge of the gospel
of Christ be to us ? When God gives this wisdom
and knowledge, with it He gives joy to him that is
good in His sight, Eccl. iii. 26.

A Sacraj^iental Petition.

LORD, meet me with a blessing, a Father's blessing,
at Thy table : grace Thine own institutions with
Thy presence; and fulfil in me all the good pleasure
of Thy goodness, and the work of faith with power,
for the sake of Jesus Christ my blessed Saviour and
Redeemer. To Him, with the Father, and the Eter-
nal Spirit, be everlasting praise. Amen.

THOMAS WILSON, D. D.
1663-1755.

Afflictions.

rFLICTIONS are no marks of God's
displeasure. Jesus loved Mary and Laz-
arus, yet they were both afflicted.

Punishment is due to sin. We must
be punished here or hereafter; it is the
cause of all afflictions, and designed by our gracious
God to bring us to repentance.

Prosperity is a most dangerous state; we fancy it
IS owning to our merit, and it is followed with pride,
neglect of duty, fearlessness. «

It is happy for us w^hen God counts us worthy to
suffer for His name's sake; to contend with Satan, as
Job did, and be able, through God's grace, to over-
come so powerful a spirit.

Afflictions, undergone with resignation, are the
great test of our love of God; when we love Him,
when He chastens us. May God sanctify all our
afflictions to us all.

May I receive every thing from Thy hand wdth
patience and with joy !

Remember me, O God, in the day of trouble.

364 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Secure me, by Thy grace, from all excess oi fear,
concern, and sadness.

Let the afflictions I meet with be in some measure
serviceable towards the appeasing of Thy wrath.
Let them prove the happy occasion of forwarding
my conversion and salvation.

The Saviour's Patience.

WHAT sorrows did He undergo, and with what
patience did He suffer them ! Patient when
Judas uuAvorthily betrayed Him w^ith a kiss; patient
when Caiaphas despitefully used Him; patient when
hurried from one place to another; patient when
Herod with his men of war set Him at naught;
patient when Pilate so unrighteously condemned
Him; patient when scourged and crowned with
thorns; patient when His cross was laid upon Him,
when He was reviled, reproached, scoffed at, and
every way abused. Lord Jesus, grant me patience,
after this cxarRple to bear Thy holy will in all things.

A Prayer for Submission of Spirit.

FORTIFY my soul, blessed Jesus, with the same
spirit of submission with which Thou under-
wentest the death of the Cross, that I may receive
all events with resignation to the will of God; that
I may receive troubles, afflictions, disappointments,
sickness, and death itself, without amazement; these
being the appointment of Thy justice for the punish-
ment of sin, and of Thy mercy for the salvation of
sinners.

THOMAS WILSON. 365

Let this be the constant practice of my life, to be
pleased with all Thy choices, that when sickness and
death approach, I may be prepared to submit my
will to the will of my Maker.

And O that, in the mean time, my heart may
always go along with my lips in this j^etition, — Thy
will he done. Amen.

A Morning Prayer.

BLESSED be the Lord for His mercies renewed
unto me every morning; for my ^^reservation
and refreshment^ and for all the l^lessings of the night
past; — for which all thanks and glory be to Thee,
my God and Father !

Gracious God, continue to me these, and all other
Thy blessings, so long, and in such a measure, as
shall be most for Thy glory and my salvation.

Possess my soul, I beseech Thee, with a true and
saving faith, and with such a sense of Thy goodness
to me, and of my dependance upon Thee, that it may
be my delight, as it is my interest and duty, to serve
and obey Thee.

But that I may serve Thee with a quiet mind, for-
give me all my sins, I beseech Thee, for Thy dear
Son's sake, and withhold the judgments of which my
conscience is afraid.

Keep it ever in the heart of Thy servant, that it is
an evil thing and bitter to forsake and offend the
Lord. And above all things, Jceep me from icilful
and deliberate sins, that I may never grieve Thy
Holy Spirit, nor provoke Thee to leave me to myself.

366 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Let Thy restraining grace preserve me from the
temptations of the worlds the Jlesh^ and the devil;
that I may fall into no sin, nor run into any kind of
danger; but that all my doings may be ordered by
Thee, that I may do always that which is righteous
in Thy sight: and that I may live and act as having
Thee, O God, the constant witness of all my thoughts,
designs, words, and actions.

May I never render myself, by new sins, unworthy
of Thy guidance and protection !

Suffer me not to go astray, or bring me back by
such ways as to Thee shall seem meet.

May I love Thee with all my heart, and all man-
Idnd for Thy sake ! And may I ever have this sure
proof of Thy love abiding in me, that I study to
please Thee, and to keep Th}^ commandments ! And
that I may forgive, and love, and do good to my
neighbors, as becomes a disciple of Jesus Christ !

Assist me by Thy grace, faithfully to perform all
the duties of my calling; and thankfully to receive,
and patiently to bear, whatever Thy providence shall
order for me.

Preserve me from an idle and useless life; ever
remembering, that the night cometh when no man can
work; and that now is the time in which to provide
for eternity.

And grant, O Lord, that no worldly pleasure, no
worldly business, may ever make me lose the sight
of death.

And may the thoughts of death oblige me to be
truly and sincerely good; to mortify all ^9?7c7e, and

THOMAS WILSON. 367

vanity^ covetousness^ hatred, envy, and malice; to be
serious, sober, and loatchful, while I continue in this
state of trial.

Hear me, O Heavenly Father, not according to my
imperfect petitions, but according to the full mean-
ing of that holy prayer, which Thy beloved Son hath
taught us, in compassion to our infirmities:

Our Father, which art in heaven, &c.

The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, (&c.

An Evening Prayer.

THAT it hath pleased Thee, O God, to add an-
other day to the years of my life, and to keep
me from the dangers ^f an evil world: For these,
and for all Thy mercies from day to day bestowed
upon me, I bless Thy good and gracious iDrovidence,
most earnestly beseeching Thee to pardon my ofiences
of the day past, and to grant that they may never
rise up in judgment against me.

Lord, the frailty of man, Avithout Thee, cannot but
fall: in all temptations, therefore, I beseech Thee to
succor me, that no sin may ever get the dominion
over me.

Give me a salutary dread of the corruption of my
OAvn heart: Make me truly sensible of the end of
sin, and mindful of my own infirmities and back-
slidinjrs.

Vouchsafe unto all sinners a true sense of their
unhappy state, a fear of Thy judgments, and grace
and strength to break their bonds.

Enlighten my soul with saving truth. Correct me

368 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

ill mercy, and reduce me when I go astray. Make
me ever mindful of my latter end, and fix in my
heart a lively sense of the happiness and misery of
the world to come.

May the thoughts of death mortify in me all pride
and covetousness, and a love for this world; and may
my firm belief of a judgment to come make me ever
careful to please Thee, my Lord and Judge, that I
may find mercy at that day !

Grant that I may lie down to sleep with the same
charitable and forgiving temper, in which I desire
and hope to die.

And may the Almighty God take me, and all that
belong to me, under His gracious and powerful pro-
tection ! May He give His angels charge concerning
us, and keep us in perpetual peace and safety,
throu£:h Jesus Christ our Lord.

St. John, xvi. 23. Verily ^ I say unto you^ What-
soever ye shall ask the Father in my name^ He will
give it you.

Li Thy name, O Jesus, and in the full meaning of
the words which Thou hast taught us, I piny God,
for Thy sake, to hear me, and to give me what is
most convenient for me:

Our Father^ which art in heaven^ i&c.

The Grace of our Lord Jesxis Christy (Mc,

ISAAC WATTS, D. D.
1G74-1748.

Holy Breathings.

HAPPY day and liappj hour indeed,
that shall finish the long absence of my
Beloved, and place me within sight of my
adored Jesus! When shall I see that
lovely, that illustrious Friend, who laid
down His own life to rescue mine, His own valua-
ble life to ransom a worm, a rebel that deserved
to die? He suffered, He groaned. He died; but
He rose again, the blessed Saviour arose. He
lives. He reigns exalted over all the creation.
Faith beholds Him risen, and reigning, but it is
through a glass, it is at a distance, and but dark-
ly. I wait, I hope for a more divine pleasure; it
is a delight worth dying for, to behold Him face
to face, to see Him as He is, to converse with His
wondrous person, and to survey His glories. Alas !
my soul is too patient of this long distance and
separation. O for the wings of love, to bear my spirit
upward in holy breathings! Methinks I would
long to be near Him, to be with Him, to give Him
my highest praises and thanks for my share in His
dying love. I would rise to join with the blessed

370 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

acclamations, the holy songs of the saints on high,
while they behold their exalted Saviour. How sweet
their songs ! How loud their acclamations ! This is
the man, the God-man who died for me ! This is the
Son of God, who was buifetted, who was crowned
with thorns, who endured exquisite anguish, and un-
known sorrows for me, who was scourged, and wound-
ed, and crucified for me ! This is the glorious Per-
son, the Lamb of God, who washed me from my
sins in His own blood. Blessing, honor, and salva-
tion to His holy name for ever. Amen.

I shall behold His glories there,
And pay Him my eternal share
Of praise, and gratitude, and love^
Among ten thousand saints above.

Holy Fortitude.

GIVE me, O my God, give me the spirit of
prayer, and let me keep ever near to the throne
of grace, that my soul may not come thither as a
stranger, but that in every surprise I may address
Thee as a God near at hand, and that in the name
of my great High Priest, Jesus the Son of God, I
may find grace ready to help me in the time of need.
Wean me, O Lord, from all the delights and hopes
of flesh and sense ! Mortify me to all the honors
and the joys of a perishing life, and a vain world.
Arm my soul all over with a religious hardiness, that
I may venture into the field of battle, and may scarce
feel the wounds which I receive in Thy cause. Give
me the happy skill of diverting my fears, when I

ISAAC WATTS. 371

cannot at once subdue them, and lead me into proper
employments of my heart and hand for this jDur-
pose.

I would live as under the eye of God. I would
take notice of His hand*in all the affairs of life, and
all the danorers that attend me. I Avould learn of
Moses to endure the fight of afflictions, as seeing Him
who is invisible. Let me hear Thy voice, O Jesus,
my Saviour, let me hear Thy voice walking upon
the waters; when I am tossed about upon the waves of
distress and difficulty, speak to my soul and say. It
is I^ be not afraid.

I would be bravely prepared for the worst of suf-
ferings to which my circumstances in this life may
expose me. I would be ready to meet contempt and
scandal, poverty, sickness, and death itself. Jesus
can support me in the heaviest distresses, though all
the sorrows I fear should come upon me. He can
bear me on the wings of faith and hope, high above
all the turmoils and disquietudes of life: He can carry
me through the shadow of the dark valley, and scat-
ter all the terrors of it. Give me, O Lord, these
wings of faith and hope, and bear me upon them
through all the remains of my short journc}^ in the
wilderness: Make me active and zealous in Thy
cause while I live, and convey me safely above the
reach of fear, through the valley of death, to the
inheritan^je prepared for me in the land of light.
Then my fears shall cease for ever, for enemies and
dangers are not known in that land. There all our
conflicts shall be changed into everlasting triumphs,

372 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

while songs of honor and salvation ascend in a full
choir to the grace that has made us overcomers.
Amen.

Fly to tiie Mercy-seat.

FLY daily to the mercy-seat for divine aidj Com-
mit thy soul and body to the keeping of Christ;
He is exalted and authorized to take care of sinners,
who make Him their refuge; He is also compassion-
ate, and ready to succor the tempted. There is
cleansing virtue in the blood of Christ to wash away
the foulest guilt, and to sprinkle the conscience of
the humble penitent with peace and pardon; and
there is all-sufficient power and grace with Him to
subdue the most raging vices. Make haste to Him
by humble faith, and most importunate pra^^er; Con-
tinue instant at the throne: Never rest till He hath
by His providence and His grace delivered you from
the dangerous temptation, or made you conqueror
over the sin that easily besets you. There are a
thousand souls in heaven, who were once conflicting
here with the same impure temptations, but they
gained the victory by the blood and Spirit of Christ,
cuicl are made more than conquerors through Him icho
hath loved them.

Uncertainty of Life.

WE are all borderers upon the river of death,
"which conveys us into the eternal w^orld, and
we should be ever waiting the call of our Lord, that
we may launch away with joy to the regions of im-
mortality: But thoughtless creatures that we are, we

ISAAC WATTS. 373

are perpetually wandering far up into the fields of
sense and time, we are gathering the gay and fading
flowers that grow there, and filling our laps with
them as a fair treasure, or making garlands for am-
bition to crown our brows, till one and another of us
is called off on a sudden and hurried away from this
mortal coast: Those of us who survive are surprised
a little, we stand gazing, we follow our departing
friends with a weeping eye for a minute or two, and
then we fall to our amusements again and grow busy,
as before, in gathering the flowers of time and sense.
O how fond we are to enrich ourselves with these
perishing trifles, and adorn our heads with honors
and withering vanities, never thinking Avhich of us
may receive the next summons to leave all behind
us and stand before God! but each presumes ' it will
not be sent to me.' We trifle with God and thing-s
eternal, or utterly forget them, Avhile our hands and
our hearts are thus deeply engaged in the pursuit of
our earthly delights: All our powers of thought and
action are intensely busied amongst the dreams of
this life, while we are asleep to God, because we
vainly imagine He will not call us yet.

Awake to God.

WHEN we are awake, we are not only fitter for
the coming of our Lord to call us away by
death, and fitter for His appearance to the great
judgment, but we are better prepared also to attend
Him in every call to present duty, and more ready
to meet His appearance in every providence. It is

374: DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

the Christian soldier Avho is ever awake and ou liis
guard, that is only fit for every sudden appointment
to new stations and services; He is more prepared
for any post of danger and hazardous enterprise, and
better furnished to sustain the rouofhest assaults.
We shall be less shocked at sudden afflictions here
on earth, if our souls keep heaven in view and are
ready winged for immortality. When we are fit to
die, we are fit to live also and to do better service
for God, in whichsoever of His worlds He shall
please to appoint our station. ' My business, O
Father, and my joy is to do Thy will among the
sons of mortality, or among the spirits of the blessed
on high.'

' Let us remember we have slept too long already
in days past, and it is but a little while that we are
called to watch.' We have worn away too much of
our life in sloth and drowsiness. The night is far
spent with many of us, the day is at hand; it is noio
high time to atoahe out of sleep, for now is our salva-
tion nearer than when loe first believed, Rom. xiii. 11,
22. Another hour or two, and the night will be at
an end with us; Jesus, the Morning Star, is just ap-
pearing: What, can we not watch one hour? Matt.
xxvi. 40. O happy souls, that keep themselves
awake to God in the midst of this dreaming world!
Happy indeed when our Lord shall call us out of
these dusky regions, and we shall answer His call
with holy joy and spring upward to the inheritance
of the saints in lio'ht! Then all the seasons of dark-
ness and slum])criug will be finished for ever; there

ISAAC WATTS. 375

is no need of laborious watchfulness in that world,
where there is no flesh and blood to hang heavy
upon the spirit; but the sanctified powers of the soul
are all life and immortal vigor. There is no want
of the sunbeams to make their daylight, or to irra-
diate that city; the, glory of God enlightens it with
divine splendors, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Rev. xxi. 23. No inhabitant can sleep under such a
united blaze of grace and glory: No faintings of na-
ture, no languor or weariness are found in all that
vital climate; every citizen is for ever awake and busy
under the beams of that glorious day; zeal and love,
and joy, are the springs of their eternal activity, and
there is no night there, Rev. xxii. 5.

Heavenly Rest.

THE grace of God works us up to a preparation
for heaven, ' by carrying us through those trials
and sufieriugs, those labors and conflicts here in this
life, which will not only make heaven the sweeter to
us, but will make it more honorable for God Him-
self to bestow this heaven upon us.' When the
spirits of a creature are almost worn out with the
toilsome labors of the day, what an additional sweet-
ness does he find in rest and repose ! What an in-
ward relish and satisfaction to the soul, that has been
fatigued under a long and tedious war with sins and
temptations, to be transported to such a place where
sin cannot follow them, and temptation can never
reach them ! How will it enhance all the felicities
of the heavenly world when we enter into it, to feel

376 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

ourselves released from all the trials and distresses,
and sufferings which we have sustained in our travels
thitherwards ! The review of the waves and the
storms wherein we had been tossed for a long season ,
and had been almost shipwrecked there, will make
the peaceful haven of eternity, to which we shall
arrive, much more agreeable to every one of the
sufferers, 2 Cor. iv. 17, Our light afflictions^ which are
hut for a moment^ are in this way working for us a
far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ^ and
preparing us for the possession of it.

There shall I bathe nw weary soul

In seas of heavenly rest.
And not a wave of trouble roll

Across my peaceful breast.

No Sorrow in Heaven.

IN that world there is no ^rrow, for there is no
sin; the inhabitants of that city, of the heavenly
Jerusalem, shall never say I am sick; for the people
that divell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity^
Isaiah xxxiii. 24. When the righteous are dismissed
from this flesh they enter into peace, their bodies 7'est
in their beds of earth, and their spirits walk in
heaven, each one in his own uprightness, Isaiah Ivii.
2. And as there is no sin within them to render
them uneasy, so there is no troublesome guest, no
evil attendant without them, that can give them fear
or pain; no sinners to vex them, no tempter to de-
ceive them, no spirit of hell to devour or destroy,
Isaiah xxxv. 9, 10, No lion shall be there, nor any

ISAAC WATTS. 377

ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not befou7id
there; but the redeemed shall walk there. And the
ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion
with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads; they
shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorroio and sighing
shall flee away.

Our Pious Departed Friends.
THEN we think of our pious friends departed,
our foolish imagination is too ready to indulge
and improve our sorrow. We sit solitary in the
parlor and tlie chamber, we miss them there, and we
cry, ' They are lost.' We retire melancholy to the
closet, and bewail a lost father, or lost mother, or
perhaps a nearer and dearer relative. We miss them
in our daily conversation, we miss them in all their
friendly offices, and their endearing sensible charac-
ters, and we are ready to say again, ' Alas ! they are
lost.' This is the language of flesh and blood, of
sense and fancy. Come, let our faith teach us to
think and speak of them under a more cheerful and
a juster representation: They are not utterly lost, for
they are present with Christ and with God. They
are departed our world, where all things are imper-
fect, to those upper regions where light and perfec-
tion dwell. They have left their offices and stations
here among us, but they are employed in a far divin-
er manner, and have new stations and nobler offices
on high. Their places on earth indeed know them
no more, but their places in heaven know them well,
even those glorious mansions that were prepared for

378 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

them from the foundation of the world. Then* place
is empty in the earthly sanctuary, and in the days
of solemn assembly, but they appear above in the
heavenly Jerusalem as fair pillars an d ornaments in
the temple of God on high, and shall for ever dwell
with Him there.

Are the spirits of the just, who are departed from
earth, made perfect in heaven? then they are not the
proper subjects for our perpetual sorrows and end-
less complaints. Let us moderate our grief, there-
fore, for that very providence that has fixed them in
perfect holiness and joy.

We lament their absence, and our loss indeed is
great; but the spirit of Christian friendship should
teach us to rejoice in their exaltation. Is it no plea-
sure to think of them as released from all the bonds
of infirm nature, from pains of mortality, and the
disquietudes of a sinful world ? Is it not better to
lift our eyes upward, and view a parent or beloved
friend adorned with perfect grace and complete in
glory, exulting in the fulness of joy near the throne
of God, than to behold him laboring under the tire-
some disorders of old age, groaning under the anguish
and torment of acute distempers, and striving with
the troublesome attendants of this sinful and painful
state ? Do we profess fondness and afiection for those
that are gone, and shall we not please ourselves a
little in their happiness, or at least abate our mourn-
ing? Doth not St. Paul tell the Corinthians, this is
what loe icish, even your perfection? 2 Cor. xiii. 9;
and should not saints in the lower world take some

ISAAC WATTS. 379

satisfaction when a felloAv-saiut is arrived at the sum
of his own wishes, even perfect holiness and joy on
high ?

The Lord's Supper.

HOW happil}^ is the Lord's swpjper contrived by
divine wisdom to represent the death and love
of our blessed Saviour, and the benefits that we de-
rive from His sufferings ? Jesus Christ crucified is
evidently set forth before our eyes^ Gal. iii. 1. He is
represented even in His bleeding and dying love,
while the bread is broken, and the wine poured out
before us. O how should we loose the springs of
pious passion at such a season ! How should our*
love to our Redeemer kindle and rise high at the
sight of the sufferings of the Son of God, who took
our flesh and blood, that He might be capable of dy-
ing; that His flesh might be torn, and cut and bruised,
that His blood might be spilled for our sakes, that
He mio^ht bear such ao:onies as belono^ed to sinful
creatures, with a gracious design to deliver us from
misery and everlasting death. For ever blessed be
the name of Jesus, who has suffered such pangs and
sorrows in our stead, and blessed be His wisdom and
grace who has appointed the continual repetition of
such an ordinance, and such a lively memorial of His
dying love, to touch all the springs of religious af-
fection within us.

380 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

The End of Time.

IT is finished, said our blessed Lord on the Cross:
It is finished, may every one of His followers
say at the hour of death, and at the end of time:
My sins and follies, my distresses and my sufierings,
are finished for ever, and the mighty angel swears to
it, that the time of these evils is no longer; they are
vanished, and shall never return. O happy souls,
who have been so wise as to count the short and un-
certain number of your days on earth, as to make an
early provision for a removal to heaven ! Blessed
are you above all the powers of thought and lan-
guage. Days, and months, and years, and all these
'short and painful periods of time, shall be swallow-
ed up in a long and blissful eternity; the stream of
time which has run between the banks of this mortal
life, and borne you along amidst many dangerous
rocks of temptation, fear, and sorrow, shall launch
you out into the ocean of pleasures which have no
period: those felicities must be everlasting, for du-
ration has no limits there; time with all its measures
shall be no more.

No Pain Among the Blessed.

O GLORIOUS and happy state I where millions
of creatures who have dwelt in bodies of sin
and pain, and have been guilty of innumerable fol-
lies aHd ofiences against their Maker, yet they are all
foi'iriven, their robes are washed and made white in
the blood of Jesus, their iniquities are canceled for
ever, and there shall not be one stroke more from

ISAAC WATTS. 3g2

the hand of God to chasten them, nor one more sen-
sation of pain to punish them. Divine and illustri-
ous privilege indeed, and a glorious world, where
complete sanctification of all the powers of nature
shall for ever secure us fi-om new sins, and where the
springs and causes of pain shall for ever cease, both
within us and without us ! Our glorified bodies shall
have no avenue for pain to enter; the gates of heaven
shall admit no enemy to afflict or hurt us; God is our
everlasting friend, and our souls shall be satisfied
with the rivers of pleasure ivhicJi fioiv for ever at the
right hand of God, Psalm xvi. 11.

No Night in Heaven.
• r TNDER our darkest nights, our most inactive

v_J and heavy hours, our most uncomfortable sea-
sons here on earth, let us remember we are travel-
ing to a world of light and joy.' If we happen to
lie awake, in midnight darkness, and count the tedi-
ous hours one after another in a mournful succession,
under any of the maladies of nature, or the sorrows
of this life, let us comfort ourselves that we are not
shut up in eternal night and darkness without hope,
but w^e are still making our way towards that coun-
try where there is no night, where there is neither
sin nor pain, malady nor sorrow.

What if the blessed God is pleased to try us by
the withholding of light from our eyes for a season?
What if we are called to seek our duty in dark prov-
idences, or are perplexed in deej) and difiicult con-
troversies, wherein we caimot find the light of truth?

382 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

What if we ' sit in darkness and mourning, and see
no light, and the beams of divine consolation are cut
ofi'j let us still trust in the name of the Lord., and stay
ourselves ujpoyi our God^ especially as He manifests
Himself in the Lamb that was slain, the blessed
medium of His mercy:' Isaiah 1. 10. Let us learn
to say with the prophet Micah, in the spirit of faith,
Micah vii. 8, 9: When I sit in darkness^ the Lord
will he a light unto me; — He will bring me forth to
the light and I shall behold His righteousness.

Blessed be God, that the night of ignorance,
grief, or affliction, which attends us in this world, is
not everlasting night. Heaven and glory are at
hand; wait and watch for the morning Star, for Jesus
and the resurrection. Roll on apace in your ap-
pointed course, ye suns and moons, and all ye twink-
ling enlighteners of the sky; carry on the changing
seasons of lio^ht and darkness in this lower world
with your utmost speed, till you have finished all
my appointed months of continuance here. The
li«rht of faith shows me the dawnino^ of that orlorious
day, which shall finish all my nights and darknesses
for ever. Make haste, O delightful morning, and
delay not my hopes. Let me hasten, let me arrive
at that blessed inheritance, those mansions of para-
dise, where night is never known, but one eternal
day shall make our knowledge, our holiness, and om*
joy eternal.

isaac watts. 383

Joy at the Resurrection.

A WAKE, O my soul, and bless the Lord with
JTA- all thy powers, and give thanks with holy
joy for the gospel of His Son Jesus. It is Jesus, by
His rising from the dead, has left a divine light upon
the gates of the grave, and scattered much of the
darkness that surrounded it. It is the gospel of
Christ which casts a glory even upon the bed of
death, and spreads a brightness upon the graves of
the saints in the lively views of a great rising-day.
O blessed and surprising prospect of faith ! O illus-
trious scenes of fnture vision and transport ! When
the Son of God shall bring forth to public view all
His redeemed ones, who had been long hidden in
night and dust, and shall present them all to God
the Father in His own image,- bright, and holy, and
unblemished, in the midst of all the splendors of the
resurrection ! O blessed and joyful voice, when He
shall say Avith divine pleasure, Here am /, and the
children which Thou hast given me: Isaiah viii. 18;
Heb. ii. 13. We have both passed through the
grave, and I have made them all conquerors of death,
and vested them with immortality, according to Thy
divine commission ! Thine they were^ O Father^ and
Thou hast given them into my hands, and behold I
have brought them all safe to Thy appointed man-
sions, and I present them before Thee xmthout sjpot
or blemish, John xvii. 6.

• And many a parent of a pious household in that
day, when they shall see their sons and their daugh-
ters around them, all arraved with the beams of the

384 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Sun of righteousness, shall echo with holy joy to the
voice of the blessed Jesus, Lord, here am /, and
the children ivhich Thou hast given me, Heb. ii. 13.
I was afraid, as Job once might be when his friends
suggested this fear; I was afraid that my children
had sinned against God, and He had cast them away
for their transgression, Job viii. 4. But I am now
convinced, when He seized them from my sight, He
only took them out of the way of temptation and
danger, and concealed them for a season in His safe
lii ding-place: I mourned in the daytime for a lost son
or a lost daughter, and in the night my couch was
bedewed with my tears: I was scared with midnight
dreams on their account, and the visions of the grave
terrified me, because my children were there: I gave
up myself to sorrow, -for fear of the displeasure of
my God both against them and against me: But how
unreasonable were these sorrows ! How groundless
were my fears ! How gloriously am I disappointed
this blessed morniug ! I see my dear oifspring called
out of that long retreat where God had concealed
them, and they arise to meet the divine call; I hear
them answering with joy to the happy summons.
My eyes behold them risen in the image of my God
and their God; they are near me, they stand with
me at the right hand of the Judge; now shall we
rejoice together in the sentence of eternal blessed-
ness from the lips of my Lord, my Redeemer, and
their Redeemer.

isaac watts. 385

Death of Pious Youth.

OUR blessed Jesus ivalks among the roses and
lilies in the garden of His church, and when
He sees a wintiy storm coming upon some tender
plants of righteousness, He hides them in the earth
to preserve life in them, that they may bloom with
new glories when they shall be raised from that bed.
The blessed God acts like a tender Father, and con-
sults the safety and the honor of His children, when
the hand of His mercy snatches them away before
that powerful temptation comes, which He foresees
would have defiled and distressed, and almost destroy-
ed them. They are not lost, but they are gone to
rest a little sooner than we are. Peace be to that
bed of dust where they are hidden, by the hand of
their God, from unknown dangers ! Blessed be our
Lord Jesus, who has the keys of the grave, and never
opens it for His fiivorites but in the wisest season.

Death of Christian Relatives.

IF our departed relative were a Christian indeed,
and gave us comfortable hope in his death, then it
leads our thoughts naturally to heaven, and most
powerfully touches the springs of our heavenly
hopes. It raises our pious wishes to the upper
world, and we say, as Thomas did at the dcatli of
Lazarus, Let us go, that ive may die icith him, John
xi. 16. Let us go to our God and our holy kindred,
and enjoy their better presence there. Let us not
sorrow for the dead as those that mourn ivithout hope^
1 Thess. iv. 13, but look upward to things unseen

386 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

and forward to the great rising-day, and rejoice in
the promised and future glories that are beyond life
and time.

Every dear relative that dies and leaves us, gives
us one motive more to be willing to die: Their death
furnishes ns with one new allurement toward heaven,
and breaks off one of the fetters and bonds that tied
us down to this earth. Alas ! w^e are tied too fast to
these earthly tabernacles, these prisons of flesh and
blood. We are attached too much to flesh and blood
still, though we find them such painful and such sin-
ful companions. We love to tarry in this world too
well, though we meet with so many weaning strokes
to divide our hearts from it. O it is good to live
more loose from earth, that Ave may be ready for
the parting hour: Let us not be angry with the sov-
ereifrn hand of God that breaks one bond after
another; though the strokes be painful, yet they
loosen our spirits from this cottage of clay; they
teach us to practice a flight heavenward in holy med-
itations and devout breathings; and we learn to say,
Hoiv long^ O Lord, Jioiv long 9

The recollection. — Have any of us lately felt such
parting strokes as these ? Have we lost any of our
beloved kindred ? God calls upon us now, and en-
quires, ' What have you learned of these divine les-
sons V I would ask myself this day, Have I seen the
emptiness and the insufficiency of creatures, and re-
called my hope and confidence from every thing be-
neath and beside God? Have I passed through this sol-
cnui hour of trial well, and shown my supreme love

ISAAC WATTS. 387

to Gvjd, and my most entire submission to His sover-
eignty, by resigning so dear a comfort at His de-
mand ? Have I been tanglit by the inward pain
which I felt at parting, and by the smart which still
remains, how dansferous a thino^ it is to love a crea-
ture too well ? Have I dnly considered my past
conduct toward my relations deceased, and does it
approve itself to my conscience at the review ? Or
have I found matter for self-condemnation and repen-
tance ? Have I treasured up the memory of their
virtues in my heart, and set them l)efore me as the
copy of my life ? Have my thoughts followed the
soul of my dear departed friend, and traced it with
pleasure to the world of blessed spirits; and does
my own soul seem to fix its hope and joy there, and
to dwell there above ? Are my thoughts become
more spiritual and heavenly? Do I live more as a
borderer on the other world, since a piece of me is
gone thither ? And am I ready for the summons, if
it should come before to-morrow ?

Happy Christian, who has been taught by the
spirit of grace to improve the death of the dearest
relative to so divine an advantage. The words of
my text are then fulfilled experimentally in you:
Death is yours: Death itself is made a part of your
treasures. The parting stroke is painful indeed, but
it carries a blessing in it too: for it has promoted
your heavenly and eternal interest.

38(S DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

The Believer's Possessions.
• 73 EMEMBEE, O my soul, death ts thine: There
J_\) is nothing in that dark valley shall hurt thee.
Lift up thy head, arise, and shake thyself out of the
dust. Let thy faith take a sweet prospect over the
little hills of time, and beyond the vale of death: Look
far into the invisible world, and banish all thy fears
under the strong allurement of the joys that are pre-
pared for thee; wait with pleasure for the hour of
thy departure, and rejoice and triumph when the
divine message shall come. While thou continuest
here, life is thine. When thou goest hence, death is
thine; things present and tilings to come are thine;
and the invisible world to which thou art hastenino^,
has everlasting joys in reserve for thee: Heaven it-
self is thine: Heaven is the inheritance of all the
saints: The glories laid up there are waiting for thy
possession: The dissolution of thy earthly tabernacle
shall convey thee into the midst of them.

'Awake, arise, and meet the haj^py moment, when
thou shalt l)e undressed of this sinful llesh and blood:
O let these defiled garments ever sit loose about thee,
that they may be cast off without pain and regret:
Go, my soul, at the summons of thy God and Father,
and when thy symptoms of dying nature shall say,
Ilar/v, He calleth thee, let thy faith and thy love, and
thy joy answer. Lord, I come. Go, my soul, at the
invitation of thy Redeemer, at the voice of thy
Beloved: Behold, He appears. He comes! Go forth
and meet Him. Drop this fleshy clothing with holy
delight; arise, put on thy beautiful garments, and

ISAAC WATTS. 389

shine, for the glory of the Lord is rising iqjon thee:
Go shine among the sjnrits of the just made j^erfact,
thyself a spirit released from earth, and divested of
all imperfection. O happy farewell to life and time !
O glorious entrance into immortality !'

The Christian's Hidden Life in Heaven.

HOW little is death to be dreaded by a believer,
since it will bring the soul to the full posses-
sion of its hidden life in" heaven ! It is a dark valley
that divides between this world and the next; but it
is all a region of light and blessedness beyond it.
We are now borderers on the eternal world, and we
know but little of that invisible country. Approach-
ing death opens the gates to us, and begins to give
our holy curiosity some secret satisfaction; and yet
how we shrink backward wdien that glorious un-
known city is opening upon us ! and are ready to beg
and pray that the gates might be closed again: ' O !
for a little more time, a little longer continuance in
this lower visible world !' This is the lanffuao-e of
the fearful believer; but it is better to have our
Christian courage wrought up to a divine height, and
to say, ' Ojpen, ye everlasting gates, and he ye lift up,
0 ye i7nmortal doors, that we may enter into the
place where the King of glory is.' There shall we
see God, the great unkuviwn, and rejoice in His over-
flowing love. We shall see Him not as Ave do on
earth, darkly, through the glass of ordinances; but
inferior spirits shall converse with the supreme Spirit,

390 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

as bodies do with bodies; that is, face to face, 1 Cor.
xiii. 12.

There shall we behold Christ our Lord in the dig-
nity of His character as Mediator, in the glory of
His kingdom, and the all-sufficiency of His Godhead;
and we shall be for ever with Him. There shall we
see millions of blessed spirits, w^ho have lived the
same hidden life as we do, and passed through this
vale of tears, with the same attending difficulties and
sorrows, and by the same divine assistances. They
were unknown, and covered with dust as we are,
wliile they dwelt in flesh, but they appear all-glori-
ous and well-known in the world of spirits, and
exult in open and immortal light; we shall see them,
and w^e shall triumph wdth them in that day; we
shall learn their language, and taste their joys; we
shall be partakers of the same glory, which Christ
our life diffuses all around Him, on the blessed in-
habitants of that intellectual world.

There shall we sec His face

And never, never sin;
And from the rivers of His grace

Drink endless pleasures in.

All-sufficiency of God.

THE Godhead is an infinite ocean of life and
blessedness, and finite vessels may be for ever
swelling, and for ever filling in that sea of all-suffi-
ciency. There must be no tiresome satiety in that
everlasting entertainment. God shall create the joys
of His saints ever fresh: He shall throw open His

ISAAC WATTS. o91

endless stores of blessing, unknown even to the first
rank of ano-els: and feast the sons and dauo'hters of
men with pleasures akin to those which were pre-
pared for the Son of God. For verily He took not
upon Him the nature of angels, but the likeness of
sinful flesh: and when He shall appear the second
time without sin to our salvation, we shall then be
made like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

THOMAS ADAM.

1701-1784.

The Man of Prayer.

O Y>^ords can describe tlie blessed-
ness of a soul wbicli lives in com-
munion with God; asking and receiving,
seeking and finding, knocking and having
the door opened. For what is happiness
but this? Or how can we describe it better, than
by saying that a man wishes for the very thing he
ought, and is sure to have it? And such is the
man of prayer, the Christian. He chooses the
Fountain of all ha23piness for his portion, and can-
not be disappointed of his desire. He is happy in
the very act of prayer, knowing it to be the right
frame of his mind, the proof of his renewed state,
and his capacity for receiving blessing from God.
And he is happy in the returns of it; increasing in
knowledge, faith and holiness, and passing through
the world with a hope full of immortality. O bless-
ed Jesus, teach us all to pray : for the desire is
from Thee, and Thou givest Thyself with it, and we
cannot receive Thee till we do pray.

THOMAS ADAiM. 393

Prayers. I.
LORD, we pray Thee send down Thy Spirit to
kmdle the holy fire of love in our hearts. Let
the sense of Thy excellencies and perfections, various
gifts and blessings, be always present to our minds,
and the continual subject of our meditations, that we
may adore and bless and imitate Thee. The heavens
declare Thy glory, the earth is filled with Thy
bounties, and wherever we turn our eyes we see
Thee in the riches of Thy goodness. But Thou hast
more especially manifested Thy love to mankind,
and magnified Thy name and Thy glory, by giving
Thy only begotten Son to die for us. Give us, we
beseech Thee, such a knowledge of Thee, as the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and such an
assured faith in Th^^ great mercy to us in Him that
we may love Thee, for the great love whercAvith
Thou hast loved ns, and all mankind for Thy sake;
do all our works on this ground; and be accepted
of Thee for the sake, and through the alone merits
of Jesus Christ. Amen.

HOLY Father, open our eyes, we beseech Thee,
to see the danger and misery of our condition
in sin. Let Thy Son be our Master to teach us the
strictness and purity of Thy law; let Thy Spirit go
Avith us into the depth of our hearts, to convince us
of our transgressions of it; that we may fly to the
mercy of the gospel, be revived with a sense of for-
giveness, live unto Him that died for us, and do all

17'^

394 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

our works from a holy principle of faith and love to
Thee. Deliver us from all guile and hypocrisy, from
all blindness and hardness of heart; and as we know
the Lord Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and
the life, grant that we may humbly and thankfully
receive Him in the grace and power of all His offices.
Oh! grant, for Thy mercy's sake, that as He is the
only rest of our guilty consciences, the reliever of
all our burdens, and has opened the kingdom of
heaven to all believers, we may rejoice in His salva-
tion, be faithful to His truth, commit our souls to
Him to be guided in the way which leadeth to ever-
lasting life, and be received into Thy kingdom of
glory, through Him, our blessed Saviour and Re-
deemer. Amen.

HI.

OLORD, who hast sent Thy blessed Son a light
into the world, and giveSt Thy Spirit to guide
us into all truth; grant us grace thankfully to re-
ceive and obediently to follow, the doctrine He has
delivered to us in Thy name. Let the study of Thy
Word be our constant employment and the delight
of our souls, that we may know Thee the only true
God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. From
all blindness and hardness of heart, from all guile
and insincerity, good Lord, deliver us. Help us to
discover and remove all the impediments to Thy
coming and gracious presence in our souls. Open
our eyes, turn us from darkness to light, confirm us
in the faith of Thy mercy, and make us fruitful in

THOMAS ADAM. 395

all good works. Grant that, by Thy holy inspira-
tion, we may think those tilings that be good, and,
by Thy merciful guiding, may perform the same,
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

IV.

OLORD our God, pour upon us the spirit of
grace and supplications, to receive the instruc-
tions and follow the doctrine of the great Teacher,
Thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, with all humility
and thankfulness. As Thou hast tau2:ht us what is
acceptable unto Thee, and delivered to us the rule
of holy living; we beseech Thee, turn the desire of
our hearts to it, and all our hearts to Thee, in prayer
for a blessing upon wdiat we learn from Thy holy
Word. Convince us of our blindness, corruption and
weakness, that we may come to Christ for help, re-
joice in His salvation, and in the power of the Holy
Ghost be enabled to do whatever Thou requirest of
us. Make us Thy own people, make our souls and
bodies Thy living temples; that, consecrating our-
selves to Thee in faith and purity, and reverencing
Thee in our hearts, we may gladly embrace all occa-
sions of presenting ourselves before Thee in Thy
house, as the house of prayer, worship Thee in spirit
and in truth whilst we live here upon earth; and
sing praises to Thee for ever in heaven, with all
those whom Thou hast redeemed to Thyself by the
blood of Jesus Christ, our l^lessed Lord and Saviour.
Amen.

PHILIP DODDRIDGE, D.D.
1702-1751.

Praising the Loed.

[RAISE the Lord, all ye His saints;
be tliankful unto Him, and bless His
name! Praise Him, wlio graciously pur-
posed 3^our salvation, and predestinated
you to the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ unto Himself! Praise Him, who rendered
this purpose effectual, and wrought it out by a
high hand and outstretched arm! Praise Him,
who gave His own Son to be a sacrifice for you,
and to bring in everlasting righteousness! Praise
Him, who sent His Spirit, as the great agent in
His Son's kingdom, to bring the hearts of sinners
to a subjection to the gospel, and gently to capti-
vate them to the obedience of faith ! Praise Him,
who has revealed this glorious gospel to you, at so
great a distance of time and place! Praise Him,
who has impressed your hearts with a disposition to
regard it ! Praise Him, who has subdued your pre-
judices against it! Praise Him, who, having im-
planted faith in your souls, continues even to this
day to animate and support it ! Let all ranks and
ages join in this cheerful song! Praise ye the Lord,

rillLir DODDRIDGE. 397

ye that are rich in temporal possessions, if you have
been enabled to renounce the Yfoiicl as your portion,
and to triumph over it by this divine principle!
Praise Him, you that are poor in this world, if you
are rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which
God has promised to them that love Him! Praise
Him, you that are cheerful and vigorous, and capable
of rendering Him that active service which may speak
the gratitude of your hearts towards Him! Praise
Him, you that are weak and languishing, since His
strength is made perfect in your weakness, and your
infirmities illustrate tlie force of that faith which He
has wrought in you! Praise Him, ye youths who,
with this guide and companion of your way, are set-
ting forth in the journey of life with courage, and
lifting up your feet in His paths! Praise Him, ye
aged saints, who stand on the borders of eternity,
and live in a daily expectation, that you shall receive
the end of your faith in the salvation of your souls!
Begin that work now, in which you are all so soon
to join! Break forth into one joyful anthem, and
sing: ' Xot unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Thy
name be all the praise of that salvation, which Thou
hast already begun in our souls, and which Thy faith-
fulness has engaged to complete.'

The Water of Life.

a^HE waters which followed Israel througli the
- wilderness, failed when they came into an in-
habited land. But this river of life will never for-
sake the believer; it will flow with him sweetly

398 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

through the dark valley of the shadow of death, till
it spreads itself into wider and deeper streams, in
the lovely regions of the heavenly Canaan. Thus
we are told, that in the New Jerusalem the river of
the water of life proceedeth from the throne of God
and of the Laml:). And thus our Lord assures the
woman of Samaria, Wliosoever drinketh of the water
that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but it shall
be in him as a well of water springing up into ever-
lastino^ life. What then remains, but that we each
of us cry out, as she did. Lord, give us of this living
water, that we may thirst no more, nor come, as now,
to these ordinances to draw!

Clear spring of life! flow on, and roll
With growing swell from pole to pole,
'Till flowers and fruits of paradise
Round all tliy winding current rise!

Still near thy stream may I be found,
Long as I tread this earthly ground!
Cheer with thy wave death's gloomy shade;
Then through the fields of Canaan spread!

A Devout Meditation.

OMY God, what shall I say? what, but that 1
love Thee above all in the power of language
to express. While I feel Thy sacred Spirit breath-
ing upon my heart, and exciting these fervors of
love to Thee, I cannot doubt of its influence, any
more than I can doubt of the truth of this animal life
while I exert the acts of it. Surely, if ever I knew
the appetite of hunger, my soul hungers after right-
eousness, and lono's for a 2:reater couformitv to Thy

PHILIP DODDRIDGE. 399

blessed nature and Avill. If ever my palate felt
thirst, my soul thirsts for God, even the living
God! and for a more abundant communication of
His favor. If ever my weary body knew what it
was to wish for the refreshment of my bed, and
longed for rest, even so my soul, with sweet acqui-
escence, rests upon Thy gracious bosom, O my
Heavenly Father, and returns to its repose in the
embraces of its God, who has dealt so bountifully
with it. And if ever I saw the face of a beloved
friend or child with complacency and joy, so I re-
joice in beholding Thy mercy, O Lord, and in call-
ing Thee my Father in Christ. Such Thou art, and
such Thou wilt be for time, and for eternity. What
have I more to do but to commit myself to Thee for
both, and leave Thee to choose my inheritance, and
order my affairs for me, while all my business is to
serve Thee, and all my delight to praise Thee. My
soul follows hard after my God, because His right
hand supports me. Let it still bear me up, and I
shall still press forward.

Our Great Intercessor.

OW admirable and how amiable does the
blessed Jesus appear, when considered as the
great Intercessor of His people!

How admirable is He in this view! What an honor
is done Him in the heavenly world! How dear to
the Father does He appear to be, when God will not
accept the services of the greatest and best of man-
kind, unless presented by Him; and for His sake will

400 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

graciously regard the meanest and vilest sinner!
And how great does this Intercessor appear m Him-
self! 'Blessed Jesus,' may the Christian say, 'Avho
is like unto Thee, who canst at once sustain so many
different relations, and canst fill them all with their
proper offices, of duty to Thy Father, and of love to
Thy people! who canst thus bear, without encumber-
ing Thyself, without interfering with each other, the
priestly censer and the royal sceptre! How wise are
Thy counsels! How extensive Thy views! How
capacious Thy thoughts! and yet, at the same time,
how compassionate Thy gracious heart! That amidst
all the exaltations of heaven, all the splendors of
Thy Father's right hand, Thou shouldst still thus
graciously remember Thine humble followers! That
Tliine eye should be always watchful over them.
Thine ear be alwa^^s open to their prayers. Thy
mouth be ever ready to plead for them, and Thine
arm to save them! As if it were not love enough to
descend and die, unless Thou didst forever live and
reign for them, and even glory in being made Head
over all for Thy church.'

'But especially,' may the Christian say, ' when I
think of Thee, blessed Jesus, not only as the Inter-
cessor of TJiy people in general, but as my Inter-
cessor; when I think that Thou hast espoused my
character and my cause, vile and obnoxious as it is;
and that Thou art recommending my poor broken
services, which I daily blush to present before Thee;
and art using Thine interest and Thine authority in
the world above, to complete my salvation, which

rillLIP DODDKIEGE. 401

Thou hast begun; what shall Thy poor servant say
unto Thee? All these astonishing and kind regards
to me, who am unworthy to wash the feet of the least
of Thy followers! Shall not the wonders of such
condescending grace engage my gratitude to all
eternity? M}^ praises now are so exceeding feeble,
and so low, I am almost ashamed to offer them. O
when shall those nobler praises begin, which I hope
ere long to offer in that world of perfection to which
Thy gracious intercession is bringing me?'

A Prayer for Gospel Blessings.

BLESSED Jesus, Thou that knowest all things,
knowest that I tliirst after the blessings of Thy
gospel. Thou seest that I most ardently long for
the pardon of sin, the favor of God, the influences of
Thy Spirit, and the glories of Thine heavenly king-
dom. I am fully persuaded, that with regard to all
these Thou art able to do for me abundantly above
all I can ask or think. And wilt Thou not relieve
me? Wilt Thou not give me to drink? Wherefore,
then, are Thine invitations published in the gospel?
Why does Thy Spirit even now work upon my heart,
and raise there this fervency of desire? Wherefore
didst Thou weep? Wherefore didst Thou bleed?
Wherefore didst Thou die, if Thou hadst no compas-
sion for perishing sinners? But Thou hast compas-
sion; Thou hast already extended it to thousands on
earth and millions in heaven. Lord, I believe; help
Thou my unbelief ! I throw myself at Thy feet; nor

402 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

can 1 fear I shall perish there, unless infinite power
be weakened, and infinite love be exhausted.

My Father's House.

IF it be so pleasant to me now and then, to cast a
longing look towards my Father's house, and to
read, as it were, this letter which His goodness sends
to me, and to receive in the wilderness the tokens of
His care, what will it be to come and dwell with
Him, and with all my brethren in the Lord? O earth!
all thy charms are not worth a moment's stay. It
would be better, much better for me to be dissolved.
How would my heart leap to see His chariot appear-
ing! How welcome would the messenger be by
which He should call me to His house, and to His
bosom!

Heaven Our Home.

SEEING heaven is our country, let us take care to
live like those who belong to such a country.
This is what the apostle recommends to us by his
own example. Our conversation, saith he, is in
heaven; or we behave ourselves like citizens of
heaven. Let us remember, that whilst we are in
this world, we sojourn in a strange land, and are at
a distance from our home; and, therefore, do not let
us be inordhiately afiected with anything in it. Let
us not be too much transported with the entertain-
ments, nor too much dejected with the disappoint-
ments which we meet with in tliis land of our
pilgrimage; l)ut, let us be carrying on a constant,

rillLIP DODDrwILGE. 403

regular design of a liappy abode in this glorious
country; and let all the actions of our life have a
tendency towards it; and to animate us to prosecute
our journey with the greatest vigor and cheerfulness,
let us be endeavoring to form an acquaintance Avith
it. In the Scripture, God has given us a map of this
heavenly Canaan. Let us take our notions of it from
thence, and make this description of it very familiar
to us. Let us keep up a constant correspondence
with it, by frequent- and earnest addresses to the
throne of the King of heaven, and by meditating
and discoursing upon the happiness of it. Let us be
zealous for the interests of this heavenly country,
and do our utmost to increase the number of the in-
habitants of it. Let us endeavor to reflect an honor
upon it, by imitating the manners of those who live
there, and showing the same zeal for the honor of
God, and the same afiectionate regard to the good
of our fellow creatures, that they do. Especially,
let us maintain a peculiar aflection for our fellow-
citizens, and endeavor to help them forAvard on their
journey thither. And, in the last place, let us be
ready to leave this world, whenever it shall please
God to give us a dismission from it; that so w^e may
go into this country where we shall be no more
strangers and foreigners, but felloio-citizens ivith the
glorified saints^ and of the highest household of God.

-iOi DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Death to the Believee.

AET thou, oh believer! unwilling to think of
death? Methinks the remembrance of it should
be thy daily refuge, and thy daily joy. For terrible
as it is to him who goes on still in his trespasses, to
thee it must have an angel's face. Dost thou not,
know that it is a friendly messenger sent to thee
from heaven to tell thee that an habitation there is
ready to receive thee? that the da^^s of thy warfare
are fully accomplished, so that' the crown of victory
is immediately to be set on thine heJid; and the tri-
umphant palm to be borne? Dost thou not know,
oh Christian! that when conquered, it was also re-
conciled by a Redeemer, and added to the treasures
and possessions of His people. It is now become a
gentle slumber, in which thou shalt lose thy fatigues
and thy cares, thy sorrows and thy fears; and from
which thou shalt awake to transporting joy and in-
corruptible glory. How canst thou forget so kind
a friend, from whom thou hast such grand and such
certain expectations? How canst thou forget that
important day which shall be the period of calamity
and of sin, and the commencement of complete holi-
ness, of eternal felicity?

A Prayer on Co^kOiiTTiNG the Soul to Jesus.

BLESSED Jesus! I have heard of Thy power and
Thy love; and I believe what I have heard of
them. Conscious that I have in my breast an im-
mortal spirit, and trembling in a survey of its infinite
importance, I humbl}^ beg leave to consign it to Thy

rillLTP DODDrwTDGE. 405

faithful care. Lord Jesus, receive my s])irit! I
would now call upon Thee with all the earnestness
of a dying creature. From this hour, from this mo-
ment, receive it! Oh! take it under Thy care; wash
it in Thy blood; adorn it with Thy righteousness;
form it, O Lord! by Thy Spirit, to every branch of
the Christian character; to every lineament of Thy
blessed image: to a full conformity to that employ-
ment and happiness for which the spirits of Thy
people are intended. And oh! watch over it, while
I travel through this dangerous wilderness; andAvhen
it breaks loose from the flesh, fold it in Thine em-
brace. Eemember, O Lord! if I should not be able
to repeat it, remember the huml)le petition wdiich I
have now uttered. Remember Thy word unto Thy
servant, on which Thou hast caused me to liojge; and
be surety unto me for good against all the terrors of
death and hell; against all the frailties of this deo-en-
crate nature, in the meantime yet more to be feared.

Safe in Jesus.

BLESSED Jesus, I rejoice in Thee as my hope,
and the louder the storm rages around me, the
more violently the enemies of my soul are invadino-
me, the closer will I adhere to Thee, and the more
will I rejoice in Thy care.

Advice to the Afflicted.

OTHOU afflicted, thou who art tossed with the
tempest, and not comforted! look unto Jesus.
Let thy conflicts and dangers drive thee to Him;

40G DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

thougli Satan would thereby attempt to drive thee
from Him. Accustom not thyself to think of Christ
as dreadful and severe. Terrify not thyself with the
thought of the iron rod of vengeance, whilst thou
feelest thyself disposed to submit to the golden
sceptre of His grace, to the pastoral rod by which
He guides His sheep. And when thou findest thy
doubts arising, flee to the representations and assur-
ances of His Word, and pra}^, that the influences of
His Spirit may strengthen thy faith in them.

Mutual Joy of Christ and Believers in Heaven.

THERE they shall be no longer exposed to ne-
cessities and alarms; but all the purposes of
His love shall be completed in their everlasting
security and jo}^ And surely the gracious Redeemer
must be inconceivably delighted, when He there sees
of the travail of His soul. When He has with a gen-
tle and gracious hand conducted His sheep through
the dark valley of the shadow of death, with what
joy will He open to them those better pastures! with
what conofratulations will He receive them to a state
of inseparable nearness to Him, and administer unto
them an abundant entrance into the everlasting king-
dom of their Lord and Saviour ! Therefore it is
beautifully represented in the book of the Revelation,
as the business and joy of Christ, even on the throne
of His glory, to lead on His saints to the various
scenes of divine pleasure and enjoyment, which arc
provided for them tliere. The Lamb which is in the

PHILIP DODlJPJDGE. 407

midst of the "throne shall feed them, and shall lead
them mito fountains of living waters.

And, O gracious Redeemer, what will the joy of
Thy flock then be, when thus fed and conducted by
Thee! If it be so delightful at this humble distance,
to believe ourselves the objects of Thy care and
favor, and to taste of these little streams which Thou
art causing to flow in upon us here in the wilderness,
what will that river of life be? If it be now the joy
of our hearts, awhile to forget our cares and our
fears, when we are perhaps at Thy table, and to lean
our Avear}^ heads for a few moments on Thy dear
breast; what will it be, forever to dwell in Thine
embrace, and to say once for all, Eeturii unto thy
rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully
with thee! Bountifully indeed! when they who were
brought out with weeping, and led on with suppli-
cation, shall, as the redeemed of the Lord, come to
Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon tlieir
heads, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

In the meantime, we rejoice in hope of this blessed
scene, and would raise such feeble praises, as earth
Avill admit, to this great Shepherd, whose arm is so
strong to guard us; whose bosom is so soft to cher-
ish us; and whose heart is so compassionate, notwith-
standing all our unworthiness, as to exert that arm
for our protection, and to open that bosom for our
repose.

4:08 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

A Model of Devotion for the Evening.

OMY God, Thou art ever merciful and gracious.
Thou causest the outgoing of the morning, and
the return of the evening to rejoice with me. I now
oifer Thee my repeated tribute of praise. May my
prayer come before Thee as incense, and the lifting
up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.

I heartily thank Thee, that my forfeited life hath
been lengthened out another day; and that every
period and every moment of it, has been crowned
with the instances of Thy care and Thy bounty. I
thank Thee for my food and raiment. I thank Thee
for my health, for the enjoyment of my friends, for
the success of my studies; and, above all, for oppor-
tunities of conversing with Thee and of offering Thee
my humble services, though I acknowledge them
infinitely beneath Thy regard.

I earnestly entreat Thy gracious forgiveness with
regard to all the sins which I have this day been
chargeable with. Innumerable evils compass me
about. And in the most innocent and most faithful
days of my life, I see abundant need, to forfeit Thy
favor and to awaken Thy displeasure. May the blood
of Christ Jesus be sprinkled upon my soul, to cleanse
me from this new guilt which I have contracted, as
well as from all I have formerly contracted. For
His sake continue Thy gracious protection this night.
Deliver me from all dangers and temptations. Give
me speedy, sound and refreshing sleep; and awake
me in due time, fitted and determined for the duties
of the dny. Aiid never leave me nor forsnko me till

PHILIP DODDRIDGE. 409

Thoii hast brought me to that happy world, Avhere
these revolutions of nature shall be known no more*
but where there shall be one everlasting day of
glory and of joy, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Salvation Near.

YOU have salvation, complete salvation, in view;
and it approaches; it is nearer than when you
believed; it comes daily nearer and nearer. We may
look upon every true Christian and say to him, and
especially to one advanced in the journey of life,
Thoit art not far from the kingdom of God. A few
days, or at most a few years more, will bring Thee
to its glories and joys. Thou shalt be there, even in
the kingdom, beholding the King in His glory, eat-
ing bread and drinking wine there, living and reign-
ing with Him. Bear it daily in Thy mind, and en-
deavor to form thy soul more and more to that song
in which, I hope, through Divine grace, so many of
us shall join: Salvation be to Him that sitteth iipon
the throne, and to the Lamb, who has redeemed iis to
God by His blood, and made us kings and ^7^iests;
that we might reign and worship for ever. To Him
be glory, world without ende Amen.

Awake, ye saints, and raise your eyes

And raise your voiees high ;
Awake, and praise that sovereign love,

That shows salvation nigh.

On all the wings of time it flies.

Each moment brings it near;
Then welcome each declining day!

"Welcome each closing year!
18

410 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Not many years their rounds shall run,

Nor many mornings rise,
Ere all its glories stand revealed

To our admiring eyes.

Ye wheels of nature, speed your course;

Ye mortal powers, decay;
Fast as ye bring the night of death,

Ye bring eternal day.

JONATHAN EDWARDS, A.M.
1703 1758.

On Eeligious Affections.

,0W insensible and unmoved are most
men about the great things of another
world ! how dull are their affections ! how
heavy and hard their hearts in these
matters! here their love is cold, their de-
sires languid, their zeal low, and their gratitude
small. How they can sit and hear of the infinite
height and depth, and length and breadth of the
love of God in Christ Jesus ; of His giving His in-
finitely dear Son to be offered up a sacrifice for
the sins of men, and of the unparalleled love of
the innocent, holy Lamb of God manifested in His
dying agonies. His bloody sweat. His loud and bit-
ter cries and bleeding heart; and all this for ene-
mies, to redeem them from deserved, eternal burn-
ings, and to bring to unspeakable and everlasting
joy and glory; and yet be cold, heavy, insensible
and regardless! Where are the exercises of our
affections proper, if not here? what is it that more
requires them? and what can be a fit occasion of
their lively and vigorous exercise, if not such as this ?
Can any thing be set in our view greater and more

412 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

important? any thing more wonderful and surprising?
or that more nearly concerns our interest! Can we
suppose that the wise Creator implanted such princi-
ples in oin* nature as the affections, to lie still on such
an occasion as this? Can any Christian, who believes
the truth of these things, entertain such thoughts?

The Saint's Love to God.

THE love of God in the most eminent saints in
this world, is truly very little in comparison
of what it ought to be. Because the highest love
that ever any attain to in this life is poor, cold, ex-
ceeding low, and not worthy to be named in com-
parison of what our obligations appear to be, from
the joint consideration of these two things: viz. 1.
The reason God has given us to love Him, in the
manifestations He has made of His infinite glory, in
His Word and works; and particularly in the gospel
of His Son, and what He has done for sinful man by
Him. And, 2. The capacity there is in the soul of
man, by those intellectual faculties which God has
given it, of seeing and understanding these reasons,
which God has given us to love Him. How small
indeed is the love of the most eminent saint on earth,
in comparison of what these things jointly considered
do require! And of this, grace tends to convince
men; and especially eminent grace: for grace is of
the nature of light and brings truth to view. And
therefore he that has much grace, apprehends much
more than others that great height to which his love
ought to ascend; and he sees better than others how

JONATHAN EDWAKDS. 413

little a way he has risen towards that height. And
therefore, estimating his love by the whole height of
his duty, hence it appears astonishingly little and
low in his eyes.

Christ's Invitations.

HOW much Christ appears as the Lamb of God
in His invitations to you to come to Him and
trust in Him! With what sweet grace and kindness
does He, from time to time, call and invite you; as
Prov. viii. 4: 'Unto you, O men, I call, and my
voice is to the sons of men.' And Isaiah Iv. 1, 2, 3:
' Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,
and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat;
yea, come, buy wine and milk without money, and
without price.' Hoav gracious is He here in inviting
every one that thirsts, and in so repeating His invi-
tation over and over, ' Come ye to the waters; come,
buy and eat; yea, come!' Mark the excellency of
that entertainment which He invites you to accept
of, ' Come, buy wine and milk!' your poverty, having
nothing to pay for it, shall be no objection, — ' Come,
he that hath no money, come without money, and
without price!' What gracious arguments and ex-
postulations He uses with you! ' Wherefore do ye
spend money for that which is not bread? and
your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken
diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good,
and let your soul delight itself in fatness.' As much
as to say, It is altogether needless for you to con-
tinue la]:)oring and toiling for that Avhich can never

414 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

serve your turn, seeking rest in the world and in
3^our own righteousness: I have made abundant pro-
vision for you of that which is really good, and will
fully satisfy your desires and answer your end, and
stand ready to accept of you: you need not be afraid;
if you will come to me, I will engage to see all your
wants supplied and you made a happy creature. As
He promises in the third verse, ' Incline your ear,
and come unto me: Hear, and your soul shall live,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
even the sure mercies of David.' And so, Prov. ix.
at the beginning. How gracious and sweet is the
invitation there: 'Whoso is simple, let him turn in
hither;' let you be never so poor, ignorant and blind
a creature, you shall be welcome. And in the fol-
lowing words, Christ sets forth the provision that
He has made for you, ' Come, eat of my bread and
drink of the wine which I have mingled.' You are
in a poor famishing state, and have nothing where-
with to feed your perishing soul; you have been
seeking something, but yet remain destitute. Heark-
en how Christ calls you to eat of His bread and to
drink of the wine that He hath mingled! And how
much like a lamb does Clirist appear in Matt. xi.
28-30: 'Come unto me, all ye that labor and arc
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and
lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest to your souls.
Por my yoke is easy and my burden is light.' O
thou poor distressed soul! whoever thou art, con-
eider that Christ mentions thy very case, when He

JONATHAN EDWAKD8. 415

calls to them who labor and are heavy laden! How
He repeatedly promises you rest if you come to Him!
In the 28th verse he says, 'I will give you rest.'
And in the 29th verse, ' Ye shall find rest to your
souls.' This is what you want. This is the thing
you have been so long in vain seeking after. O hoAv
sweet would rest be to you if you could but obtain
it! Come to Christ, and you shall obtain it. And
hear how Christ, to encourage you, represents Him-
self as a lamb! He tells you that He is meek and
lowly in heart; and are you afraid to come to such
a One? And again, Rev. iii. 20: 'Behold, I stand at
the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and
open the door, I will come in to him, and I w^ill sup
with him and he with me.' Christ condescends not
only to call you to Him, but He comes to you; He
comes to your door and there knocks. He might
send an ofiicer and seize you as a rebel and vile male-
factor; but instead of that He comes and knocks at
your doof, and seeks that you would receive Him
into your house as your friend and Saviour. And
He not only knocks at your door, but He stands there
waiting while you are backward and unwilling. And
not only so, but He makes promises what He will do
for you if you will admit Him, what privileges He
will admit you to; He will sup with you, and you
with Him. And again. Rev. xxii. 16, 17: *I am the
root and the offspring of David, and the bright and
morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say,
Come. And let him that heareth say. Come. And
let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will,

416 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

let him take of the water of life freely.' How does
Christ here graciously set before you His own win-
ning attractive excellency! And how does He con-
descend to declare to you not only His own invita-
tion, but the invitation of the Spirit and the bride,
if by any means He might encourage you to come!
And how does He invite every one that will, that
they may ' take of the water of life freely,' that they
may take it as a free gift, however precious it be,
and though it be the water of life!

Spiritual Light.

TTlxnS is the most excellent and divine wisdom that
JL any creature is capable of. It is more excellent
than any human learning; it is far more excellent
than all the knowledge of the greatest philosophers
or statesmen. Yea, the least glimpse of the glory
of God in the face of Christ, doth more exalt and
ennoble the soul than all the knowledge of those that
have the greatest speculative understanding in di-
vinity without grace. This knowledge has the most
noble object that can be, viz. the divine glory and
excellency of God and Christ. The knowledge of
these objects is that wherein consists the most excel-
lent knowledge of the angels, yea, of God Himself.

This knowledge is that which is above all others
sweet and joyful. Men have a great deal of pleasure
in human knowledge, in studies of natural things;
but this is nothing to that joy which arises from this
divine light shining into the soul. This light gives
a view of those things that are immensely the most

JONATHAN EDWARDS. 417

exquisitely beautiful, and capable of delighting the
eye of the understanding. This spiritual light is the
dawning of the light of glory in the heart. There
is nothing so powerful as this to support persons in
affliction, and to give the mind peace and brightness
in this stormy and dark world.

This light is such as effectually influences the in-
clination and changes the nature of the soul. It as-
similates our nature to the divine nature, and chano^es
the soul into an image of the same glory that is be-
held. 2 Cor. iii. 18: 'But we all with open face,
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are
changed into the same image, from glory to glory,
even as by the Spirit of the Lord.' -This knowledge
will wean from the world and raise the inclination
to heavenly things. It will turn the heart to God as
the fountain of good, and to choose Him for the only
portion. This light, and this only, will bring the
soul to a saving close with Christ. It conforms the
heart to the gospel, mortifies its enmity and opposi-
tion against the scheme of salvation therein revealed:
it causes the heart to embrace the joyful tidings, and
entirely to adhere to, and acquiesce in, the revelation
of Christ as our Saviour: it causes the whole soul to
accord and symphonize with it, admitting it with
entire credit and respect, cleaving to it with full in-
clination and afiection; and it efiectually disposes the
soul to give up itself entirely to Christ.

IS*

418 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Pardon for the Greatest Sinners.

CHRIST will not refuse to save the greatest sin-
ners, who in a right manner come to God for
mercy; for this is His work. It is His business to
be a Saviour of sinners; it is the work upon which
He came into the world; and therefore He will not
object to it. He did not come to call the righteous^
but sinners to repentance, Matt. ix. 13. Sin is the
very evil which He came into the world to remedy:
therefore He will not object to any man that he is
very sinful. The more sinful he is, the more need
of Christ. The sinfulness of man was the reason of
Christ's coming into the world; this is the very
misery from which He came to deliver men. The
more they have of it, the more need they have of
being delivered: 'They that are whole need not a
physician, but they that are sick,' Matt. ix. 12. The
physician will not make it an objection against heal-
ing a man who applies to him, that he stands in great
need of his help. If a physician of compassion comes
among the sick and wounded, surely he will not re-
fuse to heal those that stand in most need of healing,
if he be able to heal them.

Herein doth the gloi^y of grace by the redemption
of Christ much consist, viz. in its sufficiency for the
pardon of the greatest sinners. The whole contri-
vance of the way of salvation is for this end, to
glorify the free grace of God. God had it on His
heart from all eternity to glorify this attribute; and
therefore it is that the device of saving sinners by
Christ was conceived. The greatness of divine grace

JONATHAN EDWARDS. * 419

appears very much in this, that God by Christ saves
the greatest offenders. The greater the guilt of any
sinner is, the more glorious and wonderful is the
grace manifested in his pardon: Rom. v. 20. 'Where
sin abounded, grace did much more abound.' The
apostle, when telling how great a sinner he had been,
takes notice of the abounding of grace in his pardon,
of which his great guilt was the occasion: 1 Tim. i.
13. ' Who was before a blasphemer and a persecu-
tor, and injurious. But I obtained mercy; and the
grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant, with
faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.' The Ee-
deemer is glorified, in that He proves sufficient to
redeem those who are exceeding sinful, in that His
blood proves sufficient to wash awa^^ the greatest
guilt, in that He is able to save men to the uttermost
and in that He redeems even from the fi^reatest
misery. It is the honor of Christ to save the greatest
sinners when they come to Him, as it is the honor of
a physician that he cures the most desperate diseases
or wounds. Therefore, no doubt, Christ will be
willing to save the greatest sinners if they come to
Him; for He will not be backward to glorify Him-
self and to commend the value and virtue of His own
blood. Seeing He hath so laid out Himself to re-
deem sinners. He will not be unwilling to show that
He is able to redeem to the uttermost.

Pardon is as much offered and promised to the
greatest sinners as anj^, if they will come aright to
God for mercy. The invitations of the gospel are
always in universal terms: as, Ho, every one that

420 • DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

thirstetli; Come unto me, all ye that labor and are
heavy laden; and, Whosoever will, let him come.
And the voice of wisdom is to men in general: Pro v.
viii. 4. ' Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is
to the sons of men.' Not to moral men, or religious
men, but to you^ O men. So Christ promises, John
vi. 37: 'Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise
cast out.' This is the direction of Christ to His
apostles, after His resurrection, Mark xvi. 15, 16:
' Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to
every creature: he that believeth and is baptized,
shall be saved.' Which is agreeable to what the
apostle saith, that ' the gospel was preached to every
creature which is under heaven,' Col. i. 23.

Attkactions in the Saviour.

THE wisdom of God hath contrived that there
should be in the person of the Saviour all man-
ner of attractives to draw us to Him. He has in Him
all possible excellency. He is possessed of all the
beauty and glory of the God-head. So that there
can be no manner of excellency, nor degree of excel-
lency that we can devise, but what is in the person
of the Saviour. But yet so redundant has the wis-
dom of God been, in providing attractives in order
that we should come to Christ, it hath so ordered
that there should also be all human excellencies in
Him. If there be any thing attractive in this con-
sideration, that Christ is one in our own nature, one
of us; this is true of Christ. He is not only in the
divine, l>ut in the human nature. He is truly a man,

JONATHAN EDWARDS. 421

and has all possible human excellencies. He was of
a most excellent spirit; wise and holy, condescend-
ing and meek, and of a lowly, benign and benevolent
disposition.

Again: The wisdom of God hath chosen a person
of great love to sinners, and who should show that
love in the most endearing manner possible. What
more condescending love can there be, than the love
of a divine person to such worms of the dust? What
freey* love can there be than love to enemies? What
greater love can there be than dying love? And
what more endearing exj)resszo7i of love, than dying
for the beloved? And the wisdom of God hath so
contrived that Christ shall sustain that office which
should most tend to endear Him to us, and draw us
to Him: the office of a Redeemer, a Redeemer from
eternal misery, and the purchaser of all happiness.

And if all this be not enough to draAV us, the wis-
dom of God hath ordered more; it hath provided us
a Saviour that should offer Himself to us in the most
endearing relation. He offers to receive us as friends.
To receive us to a union with Himself, to become
our spiritual husband and portion forever. And the
wisdom of God has provided us a Saviour that woos
in a manner that has the greatest tendency to win
our hearts. His w^ord is most attractive. He stands
at our door and knocks. He does not merely com-
mand us to receive Him: but He condescends to
apply Himself to us in a more endearing manner.
He entreats and beseeches us in His Word and by
His messengers.

422 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

The wisdom of God hath contrived that there
should be all manner of attractives in the benefits that
Christ offers you. There are not only the excellen-
cies of the person of Christ to draw you to Him, but
the desirable benefits He offers. Here is what is
most suitable to the cravins^s of the human nature.
Men when distressed and burdened, long for ease
and rest: here it is offered to us in Christ. ' Come
unto me,' says He, ' all ye that labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest.' Men when in fear
of danger, long for safety; here it is provided for
us in Christ. God promises that He will become a
shield and buckler, a strong rock and high tower to
those that trust in Him. Those that mourn need
comfort: Christ tells us that ' He came to comfort
those that mourn,' Isa. Ixi. 2. The blind need to
have their eyes opened. The light is sweet to men:
Christ offers to anoint our eyes with eye-salve that
we may see glorious light. He will be our sun, and
the light of God's countenance. What is more dear
to men than life? Christ hath purchased for men
that they should live for ever, Psalm xxi. 4. ' He
asked life of Thee, and Thou gavest it Him, even
length of days for ever and ever.' How greatly is
a crown prized and admired by the children of men!
And Christ offers this; not a corruptible crown, but
an incorruptible and far more glorious crown than
any worn by earthly kings: a crown of glory, the
lustre of which shall never fade, nor decay; with an
everlasting kingdom. Do men \o\e iileasures? Here
are pleasures for ever more. What could there bo

JONATHAN EDWARDS. 423

more to draw our hearts to Jesus Christ, and to
make us willing to accept of Him for our Saviour,
with all His unspeakable benefits?

Our Journey towards Heaven.

LABOR to be much acquainted with heaven. If
you are not acquainted Avith it, you will not be
likely to spend your life as a journey thither. You
will not be sensible of its worth, nor will you long
for it. Unless you are much conversant in your
mind with a better good, it will be exceeding diffi-
cult to you to have your hearts loose from these
things, and to use them only in subordination to
something else, and be ready to part with them for
the sake of that better good. Labor therefore to
obtain a realizing sense of a heavenly world, to get
a firm belief of its reality, and to be very much con-
versant with it in your thoughts.

Seek heaven only by Jesus Christ. Christ tells us
that He is the way, and the truth, and the life, John
xiv. 6. He tells us that He is the door of the sheep.
' I am the door, by me if any man enter in he shall
be saved; and go in and out and find pasture,' John
X. 9. If w^e therefore would improve our lives as a
journey towards heaven, we must seek it by Him,
and not by our own righteousness; as expecting to
obtain it only for His sake, looking to Him, having
our dependence on Him, who has procured it for us
by His merit. And expect strength to walk in holi-
ness, the way that leads to heaven, only from Him.

Let Christians help one another in going this jour-

424: DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

ney. There are many ways whereby Christians
might greatly forward one another in their way to
heaven, as by religious conference, &c. Therefore
let them be exhorted to go this journey as it w^ere
in company, conversing together, and assisting one
another. Company is very desirable in a journey,
but in none so much as this. Let them go united,
and not fall out by the way, which would be to hin-
der one another; but use all means they can to help
each other up the hill. This would insure a more
successful traveling, and a more joyful meeting at
their Father's house in glory.

JOHN WESLEY, A.M.
1703-1791.

Keligion in the Heart.

ET thy religion be the religion of
the heart. Let it lie deep in thy inmost
soul. Be thou little, and base, and mean,
and vile (beyond what words can ex-
press) in thy own eyes; amazed and
humbled to the dust, by the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus. Be serious. Let the whole stream
of thy thoughts, words and actions, flow from the
deepest conviction that thou standest on the edge
of the great gulf, thou and all the children of men,
just ready to drop in, either into everlasting glory
or everlasting burnings! Let thy soul be filled
with mildness, gentleness, patience, long-suffering
towards all men ; — at the same time that all which
is in thee is athirst for God, the living God ; long-
ing to awake up after His likeness, and to be sat-
isfied with it ! Be thou a lover of God, and of all
mankind! In this spirit, do and suffer all things I
Thus show thy faith by thy works; thus 'do the
will of thy Father which is in heaven!' And, as
sure as thou now walkest with God on earth, thou
shalt also reign with Him in glory !

426 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Walking by Faith.

THEY that live by faith, ivalJc by faith. But
what is implied in this? They regulate all
their judgments concerning good and evil, not with
reference to visible and temporal things, but to things
invisible and eternal. They think visible things to
be of small value, because they pass away like a
dream; but, on the contrary, they account invisible
things to be of high value, because they will never
pass away. Whatever is invisible is eternal : the
things that are not seen, do not perish. So the
apostle: ' The things that are seen are temporal;
but the things that are not seen are eternal.' There-
fore, they that walk * by foith ' do not desire the
' things which are seen;' neither are they the object
of their pursuit. They * set their affection on things
above, not on things on tlie earth.' They seek only
•the things which are 'where Jesus sitteth at the
right hand of God.' Because they know ' the
things that are seen are temporal;' passing away
like a shadow; therefore, they ' look not at them:'
they desire them not; they account them as nothing:
but ' they look at the things which are not seen;
that are eternal ;' that never pass away. By these
they form their judgments of all things. They
judge them to be good or evil, as they promote or
hinder their welfare, not in time, but in eternity.
They weigh whatever occurs in this balance: what
influence has it on my eternal state? They regulate
all their tempers and passions, all their desires, joys
and fears,by this standard. They regulate all their

JOHN WESLEY. 427

thoughts and designs, all their words and actions, so
as to prepare them for that invisible and eternal
world, to which they are shortly going. They do
not dwell, but only sojoimi here; not looking upon
earth as their home, but only

' Traveling through Immanuel's ground,
To fairer worlds on high.'

Our Kedemption Near.

THE time of our eternal redemption draweth
nigh. Let us hold out a little longer, and all
tears shall be wiped from our eyes, and we shall
never sigh nor sorrow any more. And how soon
shall we forget all we endured in this earthly taber-
nacle, when once we are clothed with that house
which is from above? We are now but on our jour-
ney towards home, and so must expect to struggle
with many difficulties; but it will not be long ere
we come to our journey's end, and that will make
amends for all. We shall then be in a quiet and
safe harbor, out of the reach of all storms and dan-
gers. We shall then be at home in our Father's
house, no longer exposed to the inconveniences,
which, so long as we abide abroad in these tents, we
are subject to. And let us not forfeit all this hap-
piness for want of a little more patience. Only let
us hold out to the end, and we shall receive an
abundant recompense for all the trouble and uneasi-
ness of our passage, which shall be endless rest and
peace.

428 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Second Coming of Christ.

SEE ! see! He cometh ! He maketh the clouds
His chariot ! He rideth upon the wings of the
wind ! A devouring fire goeth before Him, and after
Him a flame burneth ! See! He sitteth upon His
throne, clothed with light as with a garment, arrayed
with majesty and honor! Behold, His eyes are as a
flame of fire. His voice as the sound of many waters!
How will ye escape? Will ye call to the moun-
tains to fall on you, the rocks to cover you? Alas,
the mountains themselves, the rocks, the earth, the
heavens, are just ready to flee away! Can ye pre-
vent the sentence? Wherewith? With all the sub-
stance of thy house, with thousands of gold and sil-
ver? Blind wretch ! Thou earnest naked from thy
mother's womb, and more naked into eternity. Hear
the Lord, the Judge! ' Come ye blessed of my
Father! inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world.' Joyful sound ! How
widely difierent from that voice which echoes through
the expanse of heaven, ' Depart, ye cursed, into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his an-
gels!' And who is he that can prevent or retard
the full execution of either sentence? Vain hope!
Lo, hell is moved from beneath to receive those who
are ripe for destruction ! And the everlasting doors
lift up their heads, that the heirs of glory may come
in.

john wesley. 429

Felicity of Heaven.

OH when shall we arrive, at that happy land
where no complaints were ever heard, where
we shall all enjoy uninterrnpted health both of body
and mind, and never more be exposed to any of those
inconveniences that disturb our present pilgrimage?
When we shall have once passed from death unto
life, we shall be eased of all the troublesome care
of our bodies, which now takes up so much of our
time and thoughts. We shall be set free from all
those mean and tiresome labors which we must now
imdergo to support our lives. Yon robes of light,
with which we shall be clothed at the resurrection
of the just, will not stand in need of those careful
provisions which it is so troublesome to us here
either to procure, or to be without. But then, as
our Lord tells us, ' Those who shall be accounted
worthy to obtain that world, neither marry nor are
given in marriage, neither can they die any more, but
they are equal to the angels.' Their bodies are
neither subject to disease, nor want that daily suste-
nance, which these mortal bodies cannot be without.
'Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats; but
God will destroy both it and them.' This is that
perfect happiness which all good men shall enjoy in
the other world. A mind free from all trouble and
guilt, in a body free from all pains and diseases.
Thus our mortal bodies shall be raised immortal.
They shall not only be always preserved from death
(for so these might be if God pleased), but the na-
ture of them shall be wholly changed, so that they

430 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

shall not retain the same seeds of mortality: they
cannot die any more. .

The Poor in Spirit.
^ ryiHEIRS is the kingdom of heaven.' Whoso-
JL ever thou art, to whom God hath given to be
* poor in spirit,' to feel thyself lost, thou hast a right
thereto, through the gracious promise of Him who
cannot lie. It is purchased for thee by the blood of
the Lamb. It is very nigh: thou art on the brink
of heaven ! Another step, and thou enterest into
the kingdom of righteousness, and peace, and joy!
Art thou all sin? ' Behold the Lamb of God, who
taketh away the sin of the world !' — All unholy?
See thy ' Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ,
the riofhteous !' — Art thou unable to atone for the
least of thy sins? ' He is the propitiation for [all
thy] sins.' Now believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and all thy sins are blotted out ! — ^Art thou totally
unclean in soul and body? Here is the ' fountain
for sin and uncleanness !' ' Arise, and wash away
thy sins !' Stagger no more at the promise through
unbelief ! Give glory to God ! Dare to believe!
Now cry out from the ground of thy heart,

' Yes, I yield, I yield at last,

Listen to Thy speaking blood ;
Me, with all my sins, I cast
On my atoning God !'

WILLIAM ROMAINB, A. M.
1714-1795.

Privileges of Prayer.

HOU goest, O my soul, to meet thy
God in it — to converse with thy Fa-
ther— to call on Him for the fulfilling of
His promises made in Jesus — to wait on
Him for His answers — and to give Him
His glory. Oh what blessed seasons hast thou en-
joyed in this communion with thy God ! How has
He manifested His nearness to thee, and bounty
towards thee! Hast thou not found His heart
open, His ears open, and His hands open, to grant
thee the request of thy lips ? And when thou hast
not found such sweet fellowship with thy God in
prayer, yet thy dependence on His faithful word has
been exercised and improved. Thou hast left thy
petitions with thy Friend and Advocate, trusting to
that most glorious description of Him in Rev. viii.
3, 4; *And another angel came and stood at the
altar, having a golden censer; and there was given
unto him much incense, that he should ofi'er it with
the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which
was before the throne. And the smoke of the in-
cense, which came with the prayers of the saints.

432 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

ascended uj) before God out of the angel's hand.'
O Thou great Angel of the covenant, thus present
my prayers! They are nothing Avorth, but as per-
fumed with Thy divine odors. Let them ever
ascend before God out of Thy hand with the smoke
of the incense of Thy sacrifice and intercession.
Blessed Spirit of prayer, increase my faith, that I
may trust more to a prayer-hearing God and Father,
who is abvays ready to grant every good thing
promised to His children in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Peayers. I.

LO, I come before Thee, Holy Father! to plead
the blood-sheddino^ and the rio^hteousness of
Thy dear Son; and I hope my plea will be admitted,
through the intercession of the Hio^h Priest of the
house of God. Oh, look. Thou God of peace, upon
the face of Thy Beloved! See me in Him. I desire
to be found in Him, And for His sake let the faith-
ful witness for Thy love in Jesus abide with me, that,
in hearing and reading Thy word, in prayer and
meditation. He may increase my faith in Thee and
love to Thee.

O God the Holy Ghost! I beseech Thee to make
practical upon my heart what Thou hast revealed in
Scripture of the Father's love. Deliver me from
guilt and condemnation by the sprinkling of the
blood of Jesus. Apply it effectually. Apply it con-
tinually. Help me to believe with more comfort in
my conscience, and with more steadfastness in my
walk, that His blood cleanseth from all sin. O

WILLIAM ROMAINE. 433

blessed Spirit! carry on Thy work in my soul. Lead
me from faith to faith, that I may at all times have
freedom to enter within the veil to a reconciled God
and Father, and may be able to maintain peace with
Him against doubts and fears, against corruptions
and enemies. Oh, teach me to draw near to Him
with a true heart, steadfastly persuaded of His love,
and in full assurance of faith. This is Thy gracious
office: Oh, fulfil it in me, that my heart may be
sprinkled from an evil conscience, and my body
washed with pure water. Let me find grace suffi-
cient for me, for Jesus' sake; to whom, with Thee,
O Father, and the eternal Spirit, three persons in
one Jehovah, be equal honor and glory for ever and
ever. Amen.

OFATHEK of mercies, hear me for Jesus' sake!
I acknowledge my sinfulness and unworthiness,
even in my closest walk with Thee. I am less than
the least of Thy mercies; yea, deserving the heaviest
of Thy vengeance. It is of the Lord's mercy, that
it has not fallen upon me long ago; and I trust in
His word, that it will never fall upon me. Who is
a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and
passeth by the transgression of the remnant of Thine
heritage? Thou retainest not Thine anger against
them for ever; because Thou delightest in mercy.
Glory be to Thee for Thine unspeakable mercies:
for Thou hast given me faith in the atonement of

Jesus, l)y whom I have peace with Thee, my recon-

434 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

ciled God, and by whom 1 have experienced Thy
great love to me. On Thee, O my God, is still my
hope. I look up to Thee, the giver of those graces,
for strength to maintain them in my daily walk. 1
do believe in the sacrifice and righteousness of Im-
manuel; Lord, help mine unbelief! I find it hard
to preserve in my practice, what I believe to be true
in doctrine; and therefore on Thy present help I
must continually depend. Lord, strengthen me
mightily by Thy Spirit in the inner man against
temptations. I am daily and hourly called upon to
exercise my faith; and when Thy grace does not
hold me up, I fall. The fiery darts of Satan easily
inflame me, when they are thrown at my legal hopes,
fiilse dependencies, or self righteous tempers. My
shield, which should quench them, is ready to drop
out of mine hand. I should fall a prey to the enemy
and the fire would consume me, if Thy mercy was
not over me for good. O my God and Father,
strengthen my faith against the wiles and assaults of
Satan, and against the workings of mine own unbe-
lief. When these trials come, keep me sensible of
my weakness, and dependent on Thy promised
strength, that I may meet them strong in the Lord
and in the power of Thy might. Oh let every trial
teach me more of Thy peace iu my conscience, and
more of Thy love in my heart, that I may keep on
in a steady course, walking humbly with my God.
This is the work of Thy good Spirit. I cannot pre-
serve, nor improve His graces, unless He be every
moment present with me. He is the giver, the con-

WILLIAM ROMAINE. 435

tiiiuer, the increaser of them .all. O God the Holy
Ghost, I therefore beseech Thee to water Thy graces
every moment. Lest any hurt them, keep them,
keep them night and day. Never leave me, nor for-
sake me; but what thou hast graciously begun, that
mightily carry on, in my soul. Temptations are
strong, and I am w^eak; stand by me in the hour of
need. And if my faith be tried with fiery tempta-
tions, let it come out of them like gold out of the
fire. O Thou almighty Spirit, confirm by trials, im-
prove by experience, my trust in Thy promised help.
Let me go on from faith to faith. Keep up the con-
fidence of my rejoicing in my reconciled God and
loving Father, that I may walk humbly with Him in
sweet communion and holy fellowship in the way
everlasting. Grant me these mercies, gracious Father,
for Thy dear Son's sake, by the influence of the
Eternal Spirit, three persons in one Jehovah, to whom
be equal praise for ever and ever. Amen.

Praise and Prayer.

PRAISE and prayer go together. The prayer of
faith will afford continual matter for praise.
The one is a dependence on God for every promised
•blessing; the other is the acknowledgment of His
having bestowed it. Innocent man had his heart in
this sweet work. It was his happiness. Every
breath in paradise was praise. The redeemed man
has more reason. His obligations are far greater
than Adam w^as under to his God — raised from his
fall — saved from the guilt and misery of it — chosen

436 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHST.

and called to this salvacion by mere grace — through
faith a partaker of it — an heir of God, and a joint-
heir with Christ. Oh what motives are these, to
continual thankfulness ! And these motives are
eifectual when the Holy Spirit discovers the things
that are freely given to us of God. He makes us
sensible of them and thankful for them; for He pre-
serves in the soul a blessed poverty of spirit, an
humble, abiding sense of wants and unworthiness;
and thus He lays a sure foundation for thankfulness.

Institution and Benefits of the Lord's Supper.

LOOK well to the end of the institution. It was
not only to remind thee of, but also to convey
to thee, all the blessings of that one offering, which
perfects for ever. It was to teach thee that thy
spiritual life, and every grace and comfort of it, are
as dependent upon Christ crucified as the life of thy
body is upon the meat and drink of this world. Thy
life comes from His death. Thy life is nourished by
feeding upon Christ thy passover, who was sacrificed
for thee. He intended by the bread to point out
unto thee His body, and by the wine. His blood — by
eatiug and drinking them, thy taking and living upon
Him — by thy bodily support received from them, the
nourishment of thy soul by eating His flesh and
drinking His blood. He would have thee to look
through the signs to the things signified. Thou art
not to rest in the outward act, but to rest in the
promise in the Word of God. Thy faith is not to be
exercised about the Lord's Supper as a duty; but it

WILLIAM K03IAI^E. 437

is to be exercised upon His Word; and what He has
therein promised to make it, that thou art to expect
in taking it. He appointed it to be the means of
communicating with Him, and of thy enjoying fellow-
ship with Him in His sufferings. It is a spiritual
believing act, in which thou art invited to partake
of the paschal lamb. It is the Lord's passover, and
will certainly answer every purpose for which He
instituted it. He appointed it to be the means of
safety from the destroyer, of deliverance from bond-
age, of free and full forgiveness of all sins, of a happy
passage through the Red Sea, and of the everlasting
possession of the promised inheritance.

The Full Vision and Enjoyment of Christ.

MAKE haste, my Beloved, and take me to Thy-
self: let me see Thee face to face, and enjoy
Thee, Thou dearest Jesus, whom my soul longeth
after. It is good to live upon Thee by faith," but
to live with Thee is best of all. I have found one
day in Thy courts, conversing sweetly with Thee,
better than a thousand; but this has only whetted
my appetite: the more communion I have with
Thee, I hunger and thirst still for more. My
soul panteth for nearer, still nearer communion
with Thee. When shall I come to appear before
the presence of God? O Thou Light of my life,
Thou Joy of my heart, Thou knowest how I
wish for the end of my faith, Avhen I shall no
longer see through a glass darkly, but with open
face behold the glory of my Lord. Thou hast

438 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

SO endeared Thyself to me, Thou precious Im-
manuel! by ten thousand thousand kindnesses, that
I cannot be entirely satisfied, until I have the full
vision and complete enjoyment of Thyself. The day
of our espousals has been a blessed time. Oh, for
the marriage of the Lamb, when I shall be presented
as a chaste virgin to my heavenly Bridegroom! How
can I but long earnestly for this full enjoyment of
Thy everlasting love! Come, Lord Jesus; let me
see Thee as Thou art. Come and make me like unto
Thee. I do love Thee; I am now happy in Thy
love; but not so as I hope to be. I am often inter-
rupted here, and never love Thee so much as I desire;
but these blessed spirits standing now round Thy
throne are perfected in love. Oh! that 1 was once
admitted to see, as they do, the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ! Is not that the voice of my
Beloved, which I hear answering, Surely I come
quicJdy! Amen, say I, even so come; Lord Jesus.
Make haste, my Beloved, and be Thou like to a roe,
or to a young hart, upon the mountains of spices.

ROBERT WALKER.
1716-1783.

On Peayer.

^RAYER keeps the communication
open between the Head and the
members; it is the messenger that goes
from earth to heaven, and returns with all
necessary blessings from thence. Beware,
then, of neglecting this necessary duty. Pray in
faith, pray in the name of Christ, pray without
ceasing; and beg of Christ to teach you to pray
aright, that you may ask and receive, and then
your joy shall be full.

The Believing Soul's Address to Christ.

O BLESSED Jesus! saith the soul that comes to
Him, Thou true and living way to the Father!
I adore Thy condescending grace in becoming a
sacrifice and sin-offering for me: and now, encouraged
by Thy kind invitation, I flee to Thee as my only
city of refuge; I come to Thee 'wretched, and
miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked' — I have
no price to offer Thee, no goodness at all to recom-
mend me to Thy favor: ' laboring, and heavy laden,'

440 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

I cast myself at Thy feet, and look to Thy free mercy
alone for the removal of this burden, which, without
Thy interposition, must sink me down to the lowest
hell. Abhorring myself in every view I can take, I
embrace Thee for my righteousness; sprinkled with
Thy atoning blood, I shall not fear the destroying
angel — justice hath already had its triumph on Thy
Cross, and therefore I take Thy Cross for my sanctu-
ary. This is my rest: and here will I stay, for I
like it well.

Nor is this my only errand to Thee, O Thou com-
plete Saviour! I bring to Thee a dark benighted
mind to be illuminated with savino^ knowledo;e.
'Thou hast the words of eternal life;' 'in Thee are
hid all the treasures of wisdom:' I therefore resign
my understanding to Thy teaching: for 'No man
knoweth the Father but the Son, and those to whom
the Son shall reveal Him.'

I likewise choose Thee for my Lord and my King;
for ' Thou art altogether lovely,' and in every
character necessary to my soul. Here are enemies
whom none can vanquish but Thyself; here are cor-
ruptions, which nothing less than all-conquering
grace can subdue: I therefore implore Thine almighty
aid. Do Thou possess Thy throne in my heart, and
cast out of it whatever opposeth or offendeth Thee.
It is Thine already by purchase; O make it Thine
also by conquest! and perform the whole work of a
Saviour upon it

robekt walkkr. 442

The Heavy Laden Invited to Christ.

OUR Lord Himself hath declared in the most
solemn manner, that none shall be rejected who
come to Him for salvation. These are His words:
' Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.'
I will receive him with outstretched arms; I will
tenderly embrace and cherish him, and so unite him
to myself, that the combined force of earth and hell
shall never be able to dissolve the union, or to sepa-
rate His soul from my unchangeable love.

Lift up thy head, then, O ' laboring and heavy
laden' sinner! Doth the Father command you to
believe on His Son? Doth the Lord Jesus invite,
nay, entreat you to come to Him, and at the same
time assure you that ' He will in no wise cast you
out?' And shall not this multiplied security remove
all your doubts, and bring you to Him with an
humble, but steadfast hope of obtaining that rest
which He offers unto you? Say not henceforth, My
burden is so heavy, and my guilt so great, that I dare
not go to Him; but rather say, my burden is so
heavy that I must go to Him; for no other arm can
remove it but His own. He offers you His help,
because you are miserable; He invites you to come
to Him, not because you deserve, but because you
need His aid. Arise then, O sinners! and obey His
call: cast your burden upon Him who is mighty to
save; yield yourselves, without reserve, to this faithful
Redeemer, to be justified by His blood and sanctified
by His Spirit; ' take His yoke upon you, and learn

of Him;' and then you shall find 7^est to your soul.

10*

4A2 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Grace.

GRACE, though a small rivulet in appearance, is
fed with an everlasting spring. Where the
Lord Jesus begins a good work, He will carry it on
to perfection, and never leave the objects of His
love till He hath made them like Himself, all glori-
ous both within and without, and presented them to
His Father without spot and blemish.

Kesigxatiox to the Divine Will.

RESIGNATION to the will of God frees the
mind from a grievous bondage, the bondage
of earthly pursuits and expectations. Whatever
God wills, is pleasing to the resigned soul; and when
a Christian hath, by prayer and supplication, made
known his requests to God, then the peace of God
which passeth all understanding, keeps his heart and
mind through Jesus Christ. Then only is life truly
enjoyed, when we relish its comforts, at the same
time that we are prepared to part with them. The
anxieties of the worldly man torment him with the
pangs of a thousand deaths. His soul dies within
him as often as he conceives the apprehension of
losing those good things which he w^ould wish always
to enjoy. Whereas he who hath resigned his will to
the will of God, ' eats his bread with joy, and drinks
his wine with a merry heart.' Even the thought of
his dying hour throws no damp on the joys of his
mind. From the contemplation of God's goodness
to him in life, he can pass without terror or amaze-
ment to the thought of His protection in the dark

ROBERT WALKER. 443

valley and shadow of death. Even hi that gloomy
passage he fears no evil; but commits himself to the
Lord his Shepherd, who will make goodness and
mercy to follow him all the days of his life, and at
last will bring him to dwell in His house above for
ever.

Christ's Presence ^^^TH Believers at Death.

WHEN they walk through the valley of the
shadow of death. His rod and His staff com-
fort and sustain them. He fortifies and cheers their
departing spirits; and when the evening shadows
gather thick around them, the Holy Ghost, the Com-
forter, is sent to say to them, that death as well as
life is theirs. Nay, the Good Shepherd Himself,
who gave Hjs life for the sheep,' will say to them
in this awful hour, ' Fear not, I am He that liveth
and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore,
and have the keys of hell and death: — I am the
resurrection and the life: he that believeth on me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live.' What a
multitude of saints, who now inherit the promises,
have in their last moments experienced the effect of
these gracious and joyful assurances! In how many
instances hath a lively and unexpected view of the
promises of God, and of the great redemption, sus-
tained and even elevated a dying saint, who from
the infirmities of the body, or other causes, was,
through fear of death, subject to bondage all his life!
The sensible presence of the good Shepherd, in these
awful moments, will support the most fearful, and

4:44 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

the feeblest of the flock. It will enable him that
hath no might, to triumph over death, and him that
hath the power of death; and, even in the presence
of the king of terrors, it will teach him this song
of victory, 'My flesh and my heart faileth; but God
is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.'
— * Thanks be unto God, which hath given me the vic-
tory, through Jesus Christ my Lord.* — ' For I am
persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature, shall be able to separate me from the
love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, my Lord.'

SAMUEL DAVIES, A.M.
1724-1761.

Excellency of the Divine Being.

^ONSIDER the excellency of the Di-
vine Being, the sum total, the great
original of all perfections. How infinite-
ly worthy is He of the adoration of all
His creatures! how deserving of their
most intense thoughts and most ardent affections!
If majesty and glory can strike us with awe and
veneration, does not Jehovah demand them, who
is clothed with majesty and glory as with a gar-
ment, and before whom all the inhabitants of the
earth are as grasshoppers, as nothing, as less than
nothing, and vanity ? If wisdom excites our pleas-
ing wonder, here is an unfathomable depth. O the
depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge
of God ! If goodness, grace, and mercy attract our
love and gratitude, here these amiable perfections
shine in their most alluring glories. If justice strikes
a damp to the guilty, here is justice in all its tre-
mendous majesty. If veracity, if candor, if any or
all of the moral virtues engage our esteem, here they
all centre in their highest perfection. If the pres-
ence of a king strikes a reverence ; if the eye of his

M6 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

judge awes the criminal, and restrains him from of-
fending, certainly we should fear before the Lord all
the day, for we are surrounded with His omnipres-
ence, and He is the inspector and judge of all our
thoughts and actions. If riches excite desire, here
are unsearchable riches: if happiness has charms that
draw all the world after it, here is an unbounded
ocean of happiness; here is the only complete ^Dortion
fhv an immortal mind. Men are affected with these
things in one another, though found in a ver}^ imper-
fect degree. Power awes and commands; virtue and
goodness please; beauty charms; justice strikes with
solemnity and terror; a bright genius is admired; a
benevolent, merciful temper is loved: thus men are
affected with created excellences. Whence is it, then,
they are so stupidly unaffected with the supreme
excellences of Jehovah?

Love of God in the Gift of His Son.

NEYEE was there such a display of love in
heaven or on earth. You can no more find
love equal to this among creatures, than you can find
among them the infinite power that formed the uni-
verse out of nothing. This will stand upon record
to all eternity, as the unprecedented, unparalleled, in-
imitable love of God. And it appears the more
illustrious when we consider that this unspeakable
gift was given to sinners, to rebels, to enemies, that
were so far from deserving it, that, on the other
hand, it is a miracle of mercy that they are not all
groaning for ever under the tremendous Aveight of

SAMUEL DAVIES. 447

His justice. O ! that I -could say something becom-
ing this love; something that might do honor to it !
but, alas ! the language of mortals was formed for
lower subjects. This love passes all description and
all knowledge.

The Saints' Happiness at the Judgment Day.

SEE the bright and triumphant army marching up
to their eternal home, under the conduct of the
Captain of their salvation, where they shall ever he
loith the Lord, 1 Thess. iv. 17, as happy as their
nature in its highest improvement is capable of being
made. With what shouts of joy and triumph do
they ascend ! with what sublime hallelujahs do they
crown their Deliverer ! with what wonder and joy, ,
with what pleasing horror, like one that has narrow-
ly escaped some tremendous precipice, do they look
back upon what they once were ! once mean, guilty,
depraved, condemned sinners ! afterward imperfect,
broken-hearted, sighing, weeping saints ! but now
innocent, holy, happy, glorious immortals I

' Are these the forms that mouldered in the dust?
O the transcendent glories of the just! ' — Young.

Now with what pleasure and rapture do they look
forward through tlie long, long prospect of immor-
tality, and call it their own ! the duration not only
of their existence, but of their happiness and glory !
O shall any of us share in this immensely valuable
privilege? how immensely transporting the thought?

413 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

' Shall we. who some few years ago were less
Than worm, or mite, or shadow can express;
Were nothing; shall we live, when every fire
Of every star shall languish or expire?
"When earth's no more, shall we survive above,
And through the shining ranks of angels move?
Or, as before the throne of God we stand.
See new worlds rolling from His mighty hand? —
All that has being in full concert join.
And celebrate the depths of love divine! ' — Young.

The Preciousness of Cheist.

HE is precious in Himself, as possessing all the
fulness of the Godhead bodily, the sum total
of all divine excellencies, and as clothed with all the
virtues of a perfect man. In short, all moral excel-
lency, divine and human, created and uncreated,
centre in Him, and render Him infinitely precious
and valuable. He is precious to His Father; His
beloved Son, in ivhom He is well pleased; His elect,
in whom His soul delighteth. He is precious to
angels; Worthy is the Lamb Uiat ivas slain, is their
eternal song. He is dear to all good men in all ages.
To you therefore that believe He is jprecious, says St.
Peter, 1 Peter ii. 7. How precious are His atoning
blood and meritorious righteousness to the guilty,
self-condemned soul ! how precious is His sanctifying
grace to the soul heavy-laden with sin, and groaning
under that body of death ! how precious the assist-
ance of His almighty arm to His poor soldiers in the
spiritual warfare ! how precious the light of His in-
structions to the benighted, wandering mind; how
sweet the words of His mouth; sweeter than honey

SAMUEL DAVIES. 449

from the honey-comb. How precious the light of
His smiling countenance, and the sensations of His
love to the desponding, sinking soul ! how precious
that eternal salvation which He imparts ! and how
precious the price He paid for it ! N^ot corruptible
things, such as silver and gold, says St. Peter, hut.
His oion j^recioiis hlood, 1 Peter i. 18, 19. In short,
He is altogether lovely, altogether precious.

Christ the Only Foundation.

IF you have already made Him so, then be assured
you are safe and immoveable for ever. Let
storms of private or public calamity rise and beat
upon you; let your fears and doubts rise to ever so
high a deluge; let temptations make ever so severe
attacks upon you, still the foundation on which you
stand abides firm and unshaken. Nay, let all nature
go to wreck, and seas and land, and heaven and earth
be blended together, still this foundation stands firm,
and the living temple built upon it will remain im-
moveable for ever. You that believe need not make
haste, you need not be struck with consternation
upon the appearance of danger, nor fly to unlaAvful
means of deliverance: your all is safe, and therefore
you may be serene and calm. Is the burden of guilt
intolerable, and are you ready to sink under it? Or
are you sinking under a load of sorrow? Whatever
be the burden, cast it upon the Lord, and He will
sustain you. This foundation is able to bear you up,
however great the pressure. Come, ye that are
weary and heavy-laden, come, and build your hopes,

450 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

and place your rest here. O ! what joyful tidings
are these ! I hope they will prove a word in season
to some soul that is weary.

The Saviour in His Exaltation.

LIFT up your eyes to seats above : there you may
behold Him who tasted of death, crowned vv^ith
glory and honor. His head, that was once crowned
with thorns, is now adorned with a crown of glory:
His face, that was once bruised with blows, and dis-
graced with spitting, shines brighter than the sun in
his meridian glory: His hands, that were once nailed
to the cross, now sway the sceptre of the universe:
and His feet, that were cruelly pierced, now walk
the crystal pavement of heaven. He that was in-
sulted by Jews and Gentiles, He at whom they wag-
ged their heads, is now adored by all the heavenly
hosts, who congratulate His exaltation, and cry with
united voice, ' Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength,
and honor, and glory, and blessing,' Rev. v. 11, 12.
This is the voice of ten thousand times ten thousand,
and thousands of thousands in that world where
Jesus is best known. And shall we break the har-
mony of the universal choir? Shall we not echo
back their song, and reply, To Him that loved us,
and ivashed us from our sins in His oivn blood,
(which is more than He did for angels,) to Him he
glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen, Rev.
i. 5, 6. Shall we not look to Him whose glory
attracts the eyes of all the celestial armies, and con-

SAJ^IUEL DA VIES. 451

gratiilate His exaltation? We have cause indeed to
rejoice in it; for O ! He is exalted, that He may have
mercy upon us, Isa. xxx. 18; He has ascended the
throne, that He may thence scatter blessings on a
guilty world beneath Him. He retains His usual
love, and the tenderest bowels of compassion towards
the meanest of His people. He is now pleading
their cause in the court of heaven, and preparing a
place for them. From thence He exhibits Himself
to our intellectual view, and invites us to look to
Him. And can we slight such glory and love united?
Are our natures capable of such infernal ingratitude?

0 let us look to Him, especially since it shall not be
in vain.

Hope of the Righteous in Death.

THIS righteous man has an humble hope of sup-
port in death. He has repeatedly intrusted
himself into the faithful hands of an almighty Sav-
iour, for life and death, for time and eternity; and
he humbly hopes his Saviour will not forsake him
now — now, when he most needs His assistance. This
was St. Paul's support, under the prospect of his
last hour: 'I know whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that He is able to keep that which I
have committed unto him against that day,' 2 Tim.
i. 12. As if he had said, finding my own Avcakness,

1 have committed my all into another hand; and I
have committed it to one whose ability and faithful-
ness have been tried by thousands as well as myself:
and, therefore, I am confident He will keep the

452 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

sacred depositum, and never suffer it to be injured
or lost. This was also the support of the psalmist,
' Though I walk,' says he, ' through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art
with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they shall comfort
me,' Psalm xxiii. 4. Yea, it was upon this support
St. Paul leaned, when he braved death, in that tri-
umphant language, ' Who shall separate us from the
love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or per-
secution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
No; in all these things we are more than conquer-
ors, through Him that loved us: for I am persuaded,'
says he, ' that death ' — that separates our souls and
bodies — that separates friend from friend — that sep-
arates us from all our earthly comforts, and breaks
all our connections with this world, even death
itself, ' shall never separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus,' Rom. viii. 35-39. What
a faithful Friend, what a powerful Guardian is this,
who stands by His people, and bears them up in their
last extremity, and makes them more than conquer-
ors in the struggle with the all-conquering enemy of
mankind ! How peculiar a happiness is this, to be
able to enjoy the comfort of hope, in the wreck of
human nature ! How sweet to lean a dying head
upon the kind arm of an almighty Saviour ! How
sweet to intrust a departing soul as a depositum in
His faithful hand ! O, may you and I enjoy this
blessed support in a dying hour ! and may we make
it our great business in life to secure it ! In that
gloomy hour, our friends may weep, and wring their

SAMUEL DAVIES. 453

bauds around our beds; but they can afford us no
help — no hope ! But Jesus can, as thousands have
known by experience. Then He can bear home His
promises upon the heart; then He can communicate
His love, which is better than life; and, by His holy
Spirit, bear up and encourage the sinking soul !
Blessed Jesus I what friend can compare to Thee? —

' Jesus can make a dying bed

Feel soft as downy pillows are ;
While on His breast I lean my head,
And breathe my soul out sweetly there.'

Hope of a Happy Immortality,

OH, what a glorious hope is this ! This has made
many a soul welcome death with open arms.
This has made them ' desirous to be with Christ,
which is far better,' Phil. i. 23. And this has sweetly
swallowed up the sensations of bodily pain. Indeed,
without this, immortality would be an object of ter-
ror, and not of hope: the prospect would be insup-
portably dreadful. For who can bear the thought
of an immortal duration spent in an eternal banish-
ment from God and all happiness, and in the suffer-
ance of the most exquisite pain? But a happy im-
mortality, wdiat can charm us more?

Christ Precious in His Instructions.

AS a prophet, how sweet are His instructions to
a bewildered soul! How precious the words
of His lips, which are the words of eternal life! How
delightful to sit and hear Him teach the way of duty

454 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

and happiness, revealing the Father, and the wonders
of the invisible state! How transporting to hear
Him declare upon what terms an offended God may
be reconciled! a discovery beyond the searches of all
the sages and philosophers of the heathen world.
How reviving is it to listen to His gracious promises
and invitations; promises and invitations to the poor,
the weary, and heavy laden, the broken-hearted, and
even to the chief of sinners! The word of Christ
has been the treasure, the support and joy of be-
lievers in all ages. ' I have esteemed the words of
His mouth,' says Job, ' more than my necessary food.'
Job xxxiii. 12. It is this precious word the psalmist
so often and so highly celebrates. He celebrates it as
* more to be desired than gold; yea, than much tine
gold; sweeter also than honey and the honey-comb:'
Psalm xix. 10. ' O how I love Thy law!' says he; ' it
is my meditation all the day:' Psalm cxix. 97. ' How
sweet are Thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than
honey to my mouth:' ver. 103. 'The law of Thy
mouth is better than thousands of gold and silver:'
ver. 72. ' Behold, I have longed after Thy precepts:'
ver. 40. ' Thy statutes have been my song in the
house of my pilgrimage:' ver. 54. ' In my affliction
Thy word hath quickened me:' ver. 50. ' Unless Thy
law had been my delights, I should then have
perished in my affliction:' ver. 92. This is the lan-
guage of David, in honor of this divine Prophet, near
three thousand years ago, when Christ had not re-
vealed the full gospel to the world, but only some
rays of it shone through the veil of the Mosaic dis-

SAMUEL DAVIES. 4:d5

peiisation. And must not believers now, who live
under the more complete and clear instructions of
this great Prophet, entertain the same sentiments of
Him? Yes, to such of you as believe, even in this
age. He is most precious.

Eternity.

^ TpTERNITY!' We are alarmed at the sound!
1 J Lost in the prospect! Eternity with respect
to God, is a duration without l^eginning as well as
without end! Eternity, as it is -the attribute of
human nature, is a duration that had a beginning but
shall never have an end. This is inalienal^ly entailed
upon us poor dying worms: and let us survey our
inheritance. Eternity! it is a dviration that excludes
all number and computation; days and months, and
years, yea, and ages, are lost in it, like drops in the
ocean. Millions of millions of years, as many years
as there are sands on the sea-shore, or particles of
dust in the globe of the earth, and these multiplied
to the highest reach of number, all these are nothing
to eternity. They do not bear the least imaginable
proportion to it; for these will come to an end, as
certain as day; but eternity will never, never come to
an end. It is a line without end; it is an ocean
without a shore. Alas! what shall I say of it! It
is an infinite unknown something, that neither human
thought can grasp, nor human language describe.

JOHN NEWTON.
1725-1807.

Trials.

OTHING can harm us that quick-
ens our earnestness and frequency
in applying to a throne of grace; only
trust the Lord and keep close to Him,
and all that befalls you shall be for good.
Temptations end in victory; troubles prove an in-
crease of consolation; yea, our very falls and fail-
ings tend to increase our spiritual wisdom, to give
us a greater knowledge of Satan's devices, and
make us more habitually upon our guard against
them. Happy case of the believer in Jesus! when
bitten by the fiery serpent he needs not go far for a
remedy ; he has only to look to a bleeding Saviour,
and be healed.

Devotion to Christ.

T SHALL not always live this poor dying life: I
hope one day to be all ear, all heart, all tongue;
when I shall see the Redeemer as He is, I shall be
like Him. This will be a heaven indeed, to behold
His glory without a veil, to rejoice in His love with-
out a cloud, and to sing His praises, without one

JOHN NEWTON. 457

jarring or wandering note, for ever. In the mean
time, may He enable us to serve Him wdth our best.
O that every power, faculty, and talent were devoted
to Him! He deserves all we have, and ten thousand
times more if we had it; for He has loved us, and
washed us from our sins in His own blood. He gave
Himself for us. In one sense, we are well suited to
answer His purpose; for if we were not vile and
worthless, beyond expression, the exceeding riches
of His grace would not have been so gloriously dis-
played. His glory shines more in redeeming one
sinner, than in preserving a thousand angels.

The Believer Sate.

BLESSED be God, we are in safe hands; the
Lord Himself is our keeper; nothing befalls us
but what is adjusted by His wisdom and love.
Health is His gift, and sickness, when sanctified, is a
token of love likcAvise. Here we may meet with
many things which are not joyous but grievous to
the flesh; but He will, in one way or other, sweeten
every bitter cup, and ere long He will wipe away all
tears from our eyes. O that joy, that crown, that
glory which awaits the believer! Let us keep the
prize of our high calling in view, and press forward
in the name of Jesus the Redeemer, and He will not
disappoint our hopes.

458 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Assurance.

ASSURANCE grows by repeated conflicts, by
our repeated experimental proof of the Lord's
power and goodness to save: when we have been
brought very low and helped, sorely wounded and
healed, cast down and raised again, have given up
all hope, and been suddenly snatched from danger,
placed in safety, and when these things have been
repeated*to us and in us a thousand times over, we
begin to learn to trust simply to the word and powder
of God, beyond and against appearances; and this
trust, when habitual and strong, bears the name of
assurance, for even assurance has degrees.

The Christian Soldier.

THE Lord has chosen, called, and armed us for
the fight; and shall we wished to be excused?
Shall we not rather rejoice that we have the honor
to appear in such a cause, under such a Captain, such
a banner, and in such company? A complete suit
of armor is provided, weapons not to be resisted,
and precious balm to heal us if haply w^e receive a
wound, and precious ointment to revive us when w^e
are in danger of fainting. Further, we are assured
of the victory beforehand; and O what a crown is
prepared for every conqueror, which Jesus, the
righteous Judge, the gracious Saviour, shall place
upon every faithful head with His own hand! Then
let us not be weary and faint, for in due season we
shall yeap. The time is short; yet a little while, and

JOHN NEWTON. 459

the struggle of indwelling sin, and the contradiction
of surrounding sinners, shall be known no more.

May the prospect of this blessed hope set before
us revive our fainting spirits, and make us willing
to endure hardships as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.
Here we must often sow in tears, but there we shall
reap in joy, and all tears shall be wiped from our
eyes for ever.

Happy State of the Believer.

HOW happy is the state of a believer, to have a
sure promise that all shall work together for
good in the end, and in the mean time a sure refuge
where to find present relief, support and protection!
How comfortable is it, when trouble is near, to know
that the Lord is near likewise, and to commit our-
selves and all our cares simply to Him, believing
that His eye is upon us and His ear open to our
prayers. Under the conduct of such a Shepherd we
need not fear; though we are called to pass through
fire and water, through the valley of the shadow of
death. He will be with us, and will show Himself
mighty on our l^ehalf.

Intercourse with Heaven.

HOW little does the w^orld know of that inter-
course which is carried on between Heaven
and earth! what petitions are daily presented and
what answers are received, at the throne of grace!
O the blessed privilege of prayer! O the w^onder-
ful love, care, attention, and power of our great

460 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Shepherd ! His eye is alwiiys iipou us; when our
spirits are ahiiost overwhelmed within us, He know-
eth our path. His ear is always open to us; let who
will overlook and disappoint us, He will not. When
means and hope fail, when everything looks dark
upon us, when we seem shut up on every side, when
we are brought to the lowest ebb, still our help is
in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.
To Him all things are possible; and before the exer-
tion of His power, when He is pleased to arise and
work, all hinderances give way, and vanish like a
mist before the sun. And He can so manifest Him-
self to the soul, and cause His goodness to pass be-
fore it, that the hour of affliction shall be the golden
hour of the greatest consolation. He is the fountain
of life, strength, grace, and comfort, and of His ful-
ness His children receive according to their occasions:
but tliis is all hidden from the Avorld; they have no
guide in prosperity, but hurry on as they are insti-
gated by their blinded passions, and are perpetually
multiplying mischiefs and miseries to themselves;
and in adversity they have no resource, but must feel
all the evil of affliction, without inward support and
without deriving any advantage from it. We have,
therefore, cause for continual praise. The Lord has
given us to know His name, as a resting place and
a hiding place, a sun and a shield. Circumstances
and creatures may change; but He will be an un-
changeable friend. The way is rough, but He trod
it before us, and is now with us in every step we
take; and every step brings us nearer to our hea-

JOHN NEWTOX. 461

venly home. Our inheritance is surely reserved for
us, and we shall be kept for it by His power through
faith. Our present strength is small, and, without
a fresh supply, would be quickly exhausted; but He
has engaged to renew it from day to day; and He
Avill soon appear to wipe all tears from our eyes;
and then we shall appear with Him in glory.

Prayer and Reading the Scriptures.

SECRET prayer and the good Word, are the chief
wells from whence Ave draw the water of salva-
tion. These will keep the soul alive when creature-
streams are cut off; but the richest variety of public
means and the closest attendance upon them will leave
us lean and pining in the midst of plenty, if we are
remiss and formal in the other two. I think David
never appears in. a more lively frame of mind than
when he wrote the 42 d, 63d and 84th psalms, which
were all penned in a dry land, and at a distance from
the public ordinances.

Faith's View of Christ Crucified.

OIF we could always behold Him by faith as
evidently crucified before our eyes, how would
it compose our spirits as to all the sweets and bit-
ters of this poor life! What a barrier would it
prove against all the snares and temptations whereby
Satan would draw us into evil; and what firm ground
of confidence would it afford us amidst the conflicts
we sustain from the workings of unbelief and in-
dwelling sin! I long for more of that faith which is

4,()2 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence
of things not seen, that I may be preserved humble,
thankful, watchful, and dependent. To behold the
glory and the love of Jesus, is the only effectual way
to participate of His image.

The Sabbath an Earnest of Heaven.

THE Sabbath is a blessed day indeed, an earnest
of heaven. There they keep an everlasting
Sabbath, and cease not night or day admiring the
riches of redeeming love, and adoring Him who
washed His people from their sins in His own blood.
To have such imperfect communion with them as is
in this state attainable in this pleasing exercise is
what alone can make life worth the name. For this
I sigh and long and cry to the Lord to rend the veil
of unbelief, scatter the clouds of ignorance, and
break down the walls which sin is daily building up
to hide Him from my eyes. I hope I can say, my
soul is athirst for God, and nothing less than the
light of His countenance can satisfy me. Blessed be
His name for the desire; it is His own gift, and He
never gives it in vain. He will aflford us a taste of
the water of life by the way; and ere long we shall
drink abundantly at the fountain head, and have done
with complaint for ever. May we be thankful for
what we receive, and still earnestly desirous of more.

JOHN np:wtox. • 463

Divine Guidance.

/ E see a highway through the wilderness, a
powerful guard, an infallible Guide at hand
to conduct us through; and we can discern, beyond
the limits of the wilderness, a better land, where we
shall be at rest and at home. What will the diffi-
culties we meet by the way then signify? The re-
membrance of them will only remain to heighten our
sense of the love, care, and power of our Saviour and
Leader. O how shall we then admire, adore, and
praise Him, when He shall condescend to unfold to
us the beauty, propriety, and harmony of the whole
train of His dispensations towards us, and give us a
clear retrospect of all the way, and all the turns of
our pilgrimage!

Blessed Fruits of Affliction.

BY affliction prayer is quickened, for our prayers
are very apt to grow languid and formal in a
time of ease. Affliction greatly helps us to under-
stand the Scriptures, especially the promises, most
of which being made to times of trouble, we cannot
so well know their fulness, sweetness, and certainty,
as when we have been in the situation to which they
are suited, have been enabled to trust and plead
them, and found them fulfilled in our own case. We
are usually indebted to affliction as the means or
occasion of the most signal discoveries we are favored
with of the wisdom, j)Ower, and faithfulness of the
Lord.
.Afflictions are dcsia'ned likewise for the mani-

464 -DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

festation of our sincerity to ourselves and to others.
When faith endures the fire, we know it to be of
the right kind; and others, who see we are brought
safe out, and lose nothing but the dross, will con-
fess that God is with us of a truth, Dan. iii. 27, 28.
Surely this thought should reconcile us to suffer,
not only with patience, but with cheerfulness, if
God may be glorified in us. This made the apostle
rejoice in tribulation, that the power of Christ might
be noticed, as resting upon Him, and working might-
ily in Him. Many of our graces, likewise, cannot
thrive or show themselves to advantasfe without
trials, such as resignation, patience, meekness, long-
suffering.

THOMAS SCOTT, D. D.
1747-1821.

Morning Peayees for a Family. I.

[o>^ MOST glorious and gracious God,
whose kind providence lias protected us
througli the night, and brought us in
peace to meet together this morning;
assist us, we earnestly beseech Thee, to
present our unfeigned praises and thanksgivings,
and to unite in fervent prayer and supplication be-
fore Thy mercy-seat.

But who are we, O thou high and lofty One, who
inhabitest eternity, whose name is Holy, that we
should venture into Thy awful presence ? Even the
seraphim veil their faces in deep humility, when they
present their adorations before Thy throne — And avo
are not only immensely beneath them in our nature;
but alas, Ave haAX been guilty of base ingratitude for
Thy bounties, and of multiplied acts of rebellion
against Thee, our Creator and Sovereign. ' We have
forsaken Thee, the Fountain of living Avaters,' to seek
happiness from the broken cisterns of earthly enjoy-
ments and possessions ! We have proudly rejected
Thy easy yoke, and become slaves to divers lusts and

pleasures ! We have refused Thee that reasonable

20"

466 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

tribute of worship and love, wliicli it would have
been our privilege to render; We have broken Thy
commandments in thought, word, and deed, and have
abused Thy gifts to the dishonor of Thy name.

Thus we would with shame confess, we are fallen
under condemnation and into bondage, from which
we cannot deliver our own souls: and w^e may well
be confounded, when we would lift up our hearts
unto Thee. 'If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniqui-
ty, O Lord, who can stand? But there is forgive-
ness with Thee,' and plenteous redemption in Thy
beloved Son. Through His atoning sacrifice, and
prevailing intercession, we would approach Thy
throne of grace; and while we smite on our breasts
and say, ' God be merciful to us, vile sinners !' we
would unite our penitent confessions with lively faith
and hope, and bless Thee for these unspeakable bene-
fits. Oh give us true repentance and living faith;
convince us more deeply of our sinfulness; and dis-
cover to us every thing in our hearts and lives, which
displeases Thee : that we may approach Thee in gen-
uine poverty of spirit, and with sincere and fervent
lono^inors after those blessino^s which we ask with our
lips. Enlighten our understandings, that we may
more clearly perceive the nature and glory of Thy
gospel: and more fully 'know Thee, the only true
God and Jesus Christ Avhom Thou hast sent.' Tcyich
us to count all thino^s but loss, that we may win
Christ, and partake of His salvation. May Thy holy
Word, which we daily stud}?-, be treasured up in our
memories, written in our hearts, and made legible in

TIIOaiAS SCOTT. 467

our tempers and conduct. Oh, do Thou rectify our
mistakes, deliver us from prejudices, 'make us to be
of good understanding in the way of Godliness,'
and ' uphold our goings in Thy ways, that our foot-
steps slip not.' We beseech Thee, O Thou God of
peace, that by fiiith in the blood of Thy beloved Son,
we may enjoy the comfort of Thy reconciling grace,
and sweet tranquillity in our hearts and consciences;
and may our hope of forgiveness from Thee render
us ready to forgive others, and form our dispositions
to gentleness and love. Glorying in the Cross of
Christ, may we be crucified to the world, and the
world to us. May we be clothed with humility,
walk before Thee Avith vigilance and circumspection,
and serve Thee in the spirit of adoption. Enable us,
we beseech Thee, for Thy sake, to ' do unto all men,
as we would they should do unto us,' to live in
peace one with another, and while we have time, to
do ' good unto all men, but especially to them that are
of the household of ftiith.' May Thy saving grace
' teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts,
and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this
present world:' may we be content with such things
a? we have; accommodate ourselves to the station
allotted us; conscientiously attend to our proper
duties; and watch against covetousness, anger, envy,
and all other sinful passions. Oh, may we be indeed
the followers of the lowly Jesus: may we walk as
He walked; act in wisdom towards all around us;
and improve our several talents to the glory of Thy

468 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

great iiaiiie : and thus may we ' Avait for the mercy
of om* Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life,'

Hear, we beseech Thee, these our prayers and
supplications: be with us in all the employments
and companies in which we may this day be engaged:
may we act in them, as under Thine eye, and as it
becomes Thy redeemed people: and may we be
habitually prepared for death and judgment. These
and all mercies we, unworthy sinners, humbly im-
plore, for the sake, and through the merits and me-
diation of Thy Son, Jesus Christ; to whom, with
Thee, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, we would
ascribe co-equal and eternal praise and adoration.
Amen.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, we Thy un-
, worthy creatures desire to bless and thank
Thee, for Thy gracious protection, and the refresh-
ment of sleep during the past night; and the renewed
gift of life and a measure of health this morning.
We would gratefully acknowledge likewise tlie con-
veniences of our dwelling and temporal provision;
the comfort of kind friends and domestic peace, and
all the security and tranquillity which we enjoy in
this favored country. We confess, O Lord, that we
are unworthy of the least of these Thy mercies: and
we beseech Thee, enable us to show our unfeigned
gratitude, by alacrity in every part of Thy service,
and a proper use of all Thy benefits.

But we are bound especially to bless and praise

THOMAS SCOTT. 469

Thy holy name, O most gracious Father, for the
salvation provided for iis in Thy Son Jesus Christ
our Lord. Without this inestimable benefit, no
temporal peace or prosperity could have eventually
profited us. By Thy righteous sentence we are
doomed to die. Our present joys and sorrows, cares
and pursuits, must soon vanish like the dreams of
the past night; we shall shortly open our eyes amidst
the important realities of the eternal world. And,
Oh! if Thou shouldest, in that unchanging state, deal
with us in strict justice according to our deserts, we
could no more avoid final condemnation than we can
escape the stroke of death.

But, blessed be Thy name, O Lord, our reprieves
from the grave may now be improved as opportuni-
ties of seeking deliverance from the wrath to come,
and of securing an incorruptible and eternal inheri-
tance. Enable us, therefore, we humbly pray Thee,
to regard with solemn attention Thy message of
reconciliation, through the mediation of Christ, and
by faith in His atoning blood. Enlighten our minds
to a clear perception of the nature, glory, and ines-
timable value of Thy great salvation; and fill us
with an admiring sense of Thy condescending and
compassionate love to lost sinners, in this stupendous
method of showing them mercy, and giving them
eternal felicity. Here may we see the harmonious
display of Thy justice and grace. Thy holy abhor-
rence of iniquity, and Thy tender love to condemned
transgressors. Help us, we humljly beseech Thee,
to discover, in some measure, that manifold wisdom,

470 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

and all those glories, which fill the angelic hosts with
admiring love, that we may learn on earth the wor-
ship of heaven, and here lisp our feeble praises 'to
Him who loved us, and washed us from our sins in
His own blood.' Oh, enable us to give such dili-
gence in makino^ our callino^ and election sure, that
we may always be confident; knowing that when we
shall be absent from the body, we shall be present
with Thee in glory. And if any of us have hitherto
neglected the one thing needful, resting in a form of
godliness, or in any way deceiving ourselves; may
we be stirred up without delay to seek first Th}^
kingdom and Thy righteousness, and to subordinate
all other pursuits to this grand concern.

Teach every one of us, O merciful God, to serve
Thee in our difierent employments; doing all in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and using our pos-
sessions, or improving our talents, as those who duly
consider hoAv soon it may be said, ' Give an account
of thy stewardship, for thou ma^^est no longer be
steward.' Enable us, we entreat Thee, so to act at
all times and in all things, that we may joyfully an-
ticipate the summons, and humbly hope to be receiv-
ed by the Saviour with that w^elcome, * Well done,
good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of
thy Lord.' Grant us, O thou Fountain of Life, such
consolations in communion with Thee, as may render
us superior to the frowns and smiles of the world,
and fix our affections on things above.

Teach us also to profit by all Thy rebukes and
chastisements; that every painful feeling may serve

THOMAS SCOTT. 471

to humble us, to wean us from earthly things, to
embitter sin, to endear the love of our sufterino- Re-
deemer, to soften our hearts into compassion towards
the afflicted, and to bow our wills into submission to
Thine appointments. And as Thou, O glorious Lord
of all, art pleased to permit us to call Thee our
Heavenly Father, grant, we entreat Thee, that the
lively exercise of all filial afiections, by the sacred
influences of the Spirit of adoption, may fully testify
that we are indeed the children and heirs of God.
Oh, let it be the ardent desire of our inmost souls,
that Thy name should be hallowed, Thy kingdom
established, and Thy will be done on earth, as it is
by all the inhabitants of heaven.

Enable us now, we beseech Thee, to enter on our
several employments, in submission and obedience
to Thy will, and dependence on Thy grace. May
we be preserved from the snares of the world, and
defended against the assaults of Satan: may we
watch over our hearts, govern our passions, and
bridle our tongues, as under the inspection of Thine
all-seeing eye; and be helped in all things to glorif^^
Thy name, through Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son,
and our Mediator and Eedeemer. Amen.

A Family Prayer for Saturday Evening.

OTHOU eternal God, in whom we live, and
move, and have our being, enable us, we
beseech Thee, to close this week in that manner
Avhich shall be most profitable to ourselves and most
honorable to Thy name.

472 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

We have no occasion, O most righteous and holy
God, to review the years which are past, in order to
find cause of humiliation in Thy sight: every day
and every week suggest abundant matter for painful
reflections, and add to our conviction, that ' we are
all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses
as filthy rags.' O Lord, if Thou shouldest mark
iniquity, who could stand ? Enable us, therefore, to
confess our sins with ingenuous and unreserved sor-
row and shame; to own that they are more in num-
ber than the hairs of our head, and a sore burden,
too heavy for us to bear; and to present ourselves,
in deep contrition at Thy throne of grace, in humble
faith and reverent boldness, through our great and
compassionate High Priest, that we may obtain
mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Do
Thou apply the atoning blood to our consciences this
evening, to purge aAvay the guilt of the past week;
that we may go to rest in peace, and not carry the
guilt of any unrepented, unpardoned sin, into the
ensuing week, to mar our comfort, or blast our en-
deavors to glorify Thy name. O Thou Author and
Finisher of faith, help us against all the incursions
of unbelief: leave us not to a dead faith and pre-
sumptuous hope; and let us not be discouraged by
needless fears and scruples. Grant us peace and joy
in believing; and let the love of God shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, assure us that our
hope shall never cause us to be ashamed.

While we would thus seek forgiveness of all that is
past, through the blood of sprinkling, enable us also

THOMAS SCOTT. 473

to return Thee our unfeigned tlianks for the mercies
of the past week, and of our whole lives.

Another week hath now been added to the season
of Thy long-suffering; and to our season of prepa-
ration for eternity ! through another week we have
obtained help of God, and been in some measure
enabled to cleave to Thee ! Accept our cordial
thanks and praises for all Thine unnumbered mer-
cies, and grant that our future lives may evince our
sincerity.

Bless to us, we beseech Thee, the means of grace
we have this week enjoyed: and grant that, through
Thine assistance, we may remember and be edified
by all we have read or heard from Thy holy Word.
Sanctify also to us the dispensations of Thy provi-
dence: teach us to profit by all Thy chastisements;
and to learn gratitude and confidence in Thee, by all
Thy mercies: and may even the experience we have
of our own weakness and folly, excite us to more
fervent pra^^ers for wisdom, sti^ngth, and grace, ac-
cording to Thy precious promises.

And now,0 merciful God, we beseech Thee to pre-
pare our hearts for the approaching day of sacred
rest: and teach us so to arrange all our temporal con-
cerns that our thoughts may not be occupied, our at-
tention distracted, nor our minds rufiicd by them,
when we would wait on Thee in Thy holy services.
Let us not deem Thy sabbaths a weariness; but our
delight, our privilege, and great advantage. May the
care of our own souls, and of the souls of those who
belong to us, sweetly occupy the hours of the day.

474 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

By self-examination and meditation on Thy Word, may
we obtain increasing acquaintance with ourselves,
our spiritual estate, the progress we have made, or
the loss we have sustained, in this important concern.
Enable us, we beseech Thee, to humble ourselves be-
fore Thee in true repentance, and cordially to renew
our acceptance of Thy salvation; and while we wait
on Thee, may our strength be repaired; may every
grace be brought into vigorous exercise; and our
knowledge of Thy truth and will in all respects en-
larged. Assist us in Thy public worship, and fiivor
us with Thy special presence and blessing. May Thy
people, with whom we worship, be refreshed, com-
forted, and sanctified in Thy courts; and grant Thy
special assistance and blessing to Thy ministers in
their work and labor of love. Oh that increasing
numbers may be added to Thy churches, of such as
shall be saved; and many able and faithful laborers
sent forth into the harvest; and may the Sun of
Righteousness diffuse His healing influence, wherever
the sun in the firmament enlightens the nations with
his beams. Hear us, O merciful Father, in these our
supplications; take us under Tiiy protection this
night; fit us, both in body and soul, for the duties
of the ensuing day, and by them prepare us for Thy
eternal Sabbath, for the sake of Jesus Christ Thy
Son our Lord, to whom, with Thee and the Holy
Spirit, One God in three persons, even the God of
our salvation, be glory and honor from all creatures,
now and for evermore. Amen.

JOHN LOGAN, F. R. S.

1748-1788.
The Message which Jesus Beings.

HE message Avliich he brouglit, was life
and immortality. From the Star of

Jacob, light shone even upon the shades
of death. As a proof of immortality, He
called back the departed spirit from the
world unknown; as an earnest of the resurrection
to a future life. He Himself arose from the dead.
When we contemplate the tomb of nature, we cry
out 'Can these dry bones live?' When we con-
template the tomb of Jesus, we say, 'Yes, they
can live!' As He arose, we shall in like manner
arise. In the tomb of nature, you see man return
to the dust from whence he was taken ; in the
tomb of Jesus you see man restored to life again.
In the tomb of nature you see the shades of death
fall on the weary traveller, and the darkness of the
long night close over his head ; in the tomb of Jesus,
you see light arise upon the shades of death, and
the morning dawn upon the long night of the grave.
On the tomb of nature, it is written, 'Behold thy
end, O man! Dust thou art, and uuto dust thou
shalt return. Thou, who now callest thyself the

476 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

son of heaven, shall become one of the clods of the
valley;' on the tomb of Christ is written, 'Thou
diest, O man, but to live again. When dust returns
to dust, the spirit shall return to God who gave it.
I am the resurrection and the life; he that belie veth
in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.' From
the tomb of nature, you hear a voice, ' Forever silent
is the land of forgetfulness ! From the slumbers of
the o^rave shall we awake no more! Like the flowers
of the field, shall we be as though we had never
been !' from the tomb of Jesus, you hear, ' Blessed
are the dead that die in the Lord, thus saith the
Spirit, for they rest from their labors, and pass into
glory. Li my Father's house there are many man-
sions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I
go to prepare a place for you, and if I go awa}^, I
will come again, and take you unto myself, that
where I am, there ye may be also.'

Will not this assurance of a happy immortality
and a blessed resurrection, in a great measure, remove
the terror and the sting of death? May we not walk
without dismay through the dark valley, -.when we
are conducted by a beam from heaven? May we
not endure the tossings of one stormy night, when
it carries us to the shore that we long for? What
cause have we to dread the messenger who brings us
to our Father's house? Should not our fears about
futurity abate, when we hear God addressing us with
respect to death, as He did the patriarch of old, upon
going to Egypt, ' Fear not to go down to the grave;

JOHN LOGAN. 477

I will go down with tliee, and will bring thee up
again?'

The Christian's Victory over Death.

THIS, O Christian ! the death of thy Redeemer,
is thy strong consolation; thy effectual remedy
ao^ainst the fear of death. What evil can come nioh
to him for whom Jesus died? Does the law wliich
thou hast broken, denounce vengeance against thee?
Behold that law fulfilled in the meritorious life of
thy Redeemer. Does the sentence of wrath pro-
nounced against the posterity of Adam sound in
thine ears? Behold that sentence blotted out, that
liandiDriting ^ as the apostle calls it, cancelled, nailed
to thy Saviour's cross, and left there as a trophy of
His victory. Art thou afraid that the cry of thy
offences may rise to heaven, and reach the ears of
justice? . There is no place for it there; in room of
it ascends the voice of that blood which speaketh
better things than the blood of Abel. Does the
enemy of mankind accuse thee at the judgment-seat?
He is put to silence by thy Advocate and Intercessor
' at the right hand of tliy Father. Does death appear
to thee in a form of terror, and hold out his sting
to alarm thy mind? His terror is removed, and his
sting was pulled out by that hand, which, on Mount
Calvary, was fixed to the accursed tree.

Well then may ye join in the triumphant song of
the apostle, ' O death, where is thy sting? O grave,
where is thy victory?'

Jesus Christ gives u« victory over death, by yield-

478 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

iiio* US consolation and relief under the fears that
arise in the mind upon the awful transition from this
world to the next. Who ever left the precincts of
mortality w^ithout casting a wishful look on what he
left behind,* and a trembling eye on the scene that is
before him? Being formed by our Creator for en-
joyments even in this life, we are endowed w^ith a
sensibility to the objects around us. We have affec-
tions, and we delight to indulge them: we have
hearts, and we want to bestoAv them. Bad as the
world is, we find in it objects of affection and attach-
ment. Even in this waste and howling wilderness,
there are spots of verdure and of beauty, of power
to charm the mind and make us cry out, ' It is good
for us to be here.' When, after the observation and
experience of years, we have found out the objects
of the soul, and met with minds congenial to our
own, what pangs must it give to the heart to think
of parting forever? We even contract an attachment
to inanimate objects. The tree under whose shadow
we have often sat; the fields where we have fre-
quently strayed; the hill, the scene of contemplation,
or the haunt of friendship, become objects of passion*
to the mind, and upon our leaving them, excite a
temporary sorrow and regret. If these things can

* This sentiment is evidently borrowed from these inimitable
lines of Gray : —

For who. to dumb forgetfulness a prey,
This pleasing, anxious being e'er resigned ;

Left the warm precinct's of the cheerful day,
Nor cast one longing, lingering look behind.

JOHN LOGAN. 479

affect us with uneasiness, how great must be the
affliction, when stretched on that bed from which we
shall rise no more, and looking about for the last
time on the sad circle of our weeping friends ! How
great must be the affliction, to dissolve at once all
the attachments of life; to bid an eternal adieu to
the friends whom we long have loved, and to part
forever with all that is dear below the sun ! But let
not the Christian be disconsolate. He parts with the
objects of his affection, to meet them again; to meet
them in. a better world, where change never enters,
and from whose blissful mansions sorrow flies away.
At the resurrection of the just; in the great assembly
of the sons of God, when all the family of heaven
are gathered together, not one person shall be miss-
ing that was worthy of thy affection or esteem. And
if among imperfect creatures, and in a troubled
world, the kind, the tender, and the generous affec-
tions have such power to charm the heart, that even
the tears which they occasion delight us, what joy
unspeakable and glorious will they produce, when
they exist in perfect minds, and are improved by the
purity of the heavens !

Jesus, thy Saviour, has the keys of death; the
abodes of the dead are part of His kingdom. He
lay in the grave, and hallowed it for the repose of
the just. Before our Lord ascended up on high, He
said to His disciples, ' I go to my Father and to
your Father, to my God and to your God;' and
when the time of your departure is at hand, you go

480 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

to your Fatliei' and His Father, to your God and His
God.

Enlightened by these discoveries, trusting to the
merits of his Redeemer, and animated with the hope
which is set before him, the Christian will depart
with tranquillity and joy. To him the bed of death
will not be a scene of terror, nor the last hour an
hour of despair. There is a majesty in the death
of the Christian. He partakes of the spirit of that
world to which he is advancing, and he meets his
hitter end with a face that looks to the heavens.

Passing Away.

j^VERY thing that you behold around you bears
the marks of mortality and the symptoms of
decay. He only who is, and was, and is to come,
is without any variableness or shadow of turning.
Every thing passes away. A great and mighty river,
for ages and centuries, has been rolling on, and
sweeping away all that ever lived, to the vast abyss
of eternity. On that darkness light does not rise.
From that unknown country none return. -. On that
devouring deep, which has swallowed up every thing,
no vestige appears of the things that were.

TIMOTHY DWIGHT, D. D., LL. D.
1752-1827.

The Blessings to which the Saviour Inyites Us.

HESE blessings are noble, exquisite,
and enduring, beyond the conception
of finite minds. Tliey extend alike to the
soul and to the body ; they fill time ; they
spread through eternity. In this world,
they are formed of unceasing protection, guidance,
support, consolation, holiness, peace which passeth
all understanding, hope which is an anchor to
the soul in the stormy sea of life and joy which
the world can neither give nor take away. They
include the best provision for our wants, the best
conduct of our lives, and the perfect security of
our well-being. They commence with our sancti-
fication, they attend us through life, they accom-
pany us in death, they follow us beyond the grave.
In the future world they assume a still brighter
aspect. There our vile bodies will be refashioned
like unto Christ's glorious body, according to that
mysterious working, whereby He is able to subdue
all things unto Himself. Adorned and invigorated

482 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

with youth, strength, beauty and immortality, they
will be reunited to our minds, made perfectly holy
and excellent. In the highest heavens, the house
of God, we shall dwell in His presence, be made
members and brethren of His family; advance for
ever in knowledge and virtue, in wisdom and loveli-
ness, in peace and joy; meet the smiles of infinite
complacency; commence a pure and perpetual friend-
ship with the world of sanctified minds; become sons,
and kings, and priests to God the Father, and joint
heirs with the Redeemer to His immortal inheritance;
shall be with Him where He is, and shall behold and
receive the glory w^hich He had wath the Father be-
fore ever the world was. Are not these blessings
ffreat enouo^h to fill the wishes even of an immortal
mind? Could an angel ask more? Can we hope
for the one half of these? Can we realize, can we
believe that they will be given to such beings as we
are? Yet these, and far more than human language
can express, or human imaginations can conceive, He
possessed from everlasting, and these He has of His
own accord, unasked, undesired, profiered to our
acceptance, declaring that all things in the universe,
in time and through eternity, shall w^ork together
for good -to them that love God.

Without an Interest in Christ.

WITHOUT the love, the atonement, and the in-
tercession of Christ, how will you disarm
death and triumph over the grave? Who will guide
your lonely and anxious steps through the uuknowai

TIMOTHY DWIGIIT. 483

\vorld, — sustain your hearts before the last tribunal,
acquit you of your immeasurable guilt, and redeem
you from endless darkness and despair?

Who will conduct you to heaven? Who will pro-
vide for you immortal good: support you with
self-approbation and peace; adorn you with beauty
and excellency; inspire you with love; improve and
refine you with wisdom; instamp on you the glorious
image of God; and bring you to the general assem-
bly of the first-born as their eternal friend and com-
panion? Who wdll unlock for you the springs of
life? Who will feed you with living bread? Who
will clothe you with unfading robes of righteousness?
Who will fix you in mansions of everlasting joy?
Who, in a word, will be your light, your portion,
and your friend for ever.

The Love of Christ.

THE love of Christ is immeasurably great. ' The
love of Christ,' says St. Paul, ' which passeth
knowledge.' It is a love which has proved itself to
be stronger than death — a love which affliction could
not quench, which sorrow could not drown. This is
evident, with a lustre irresistible, in the things which
He has done, which He is doing, and which He will
do hereafter. It is unnecessary for me to recall on
this occasion the things which Christ has already
done. I need not exhibit Him to you on the cross,
pouring out His blood for the salvation of men, nor
present Him agonizing in the garden of Gethsemane,
nor follow Him to the tomb. What must have been

4:84 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

the intenseness of that benevolence which could bring
the Son of God from the throne of heaven to shame
and agony, to the cross and to the grave?

Less striking, I acknowledge, but scarcely less
affecting, are the proofs of the same love in what He
is now doing. There is something inexpressibly glo-
rious to Him, and beyond measure interesting to us,
in beholding the Saviour of mankind, who 'has
ascended far above all heavens, that He might fill
all things,' looking down, nay descending from this
stupendous greatness to the miserable world which
we inhabit, to blot out the transgressions and wash
away the stains of a wretched sinner; to renew a
polluted soul; to shed upon it peace passing all un-
derstanding; to reunite it to the favor of God; to
chase away its fears of future woe; to pour the bal-
sam of life into its wounds; to illumine it with the
beams of hope; to conduct it safely through the trials
and dangers of this melancholy pilgrimage; to bar
the gates of perdition against its entrance; and to
open for its reception the door of endless life.

The Saviour's Goodness to the Believer.

HE will in no wise cast you out. He will never
leave you or forsake you. His eye, before
which the night shineth as the day, will watch over
you with unceasing care; and His hand, which no-
thing can resist or escape, guard you with infinite
tenderness. In every sorrow He will comfort; in
every danger He will deliver. The bed of death He
will spread with down; the passage into eternity He

TIMOTHY DWIGIIT. 485

will illumine with the light of His own countenance.
In the judgment He will acquit you of all 3^our guilt;
and in His own house, the mansion of eternal light,
and peace, and joy, he will present you to His Father
as trophies of His cross and monuments of his bound-
less love.

The Sinner Invited to Return to God.

IS it not then infinitely desirable to know that you
have a home to which you may go; plenty to
which 3^ou may betake yourselves; friends from whom
you may derive kindness and consolation; and a
Father yet remaining, who, though so long forsaken,
is still willing to acknowledge this relation to you?
In His tenderness you may find an asylum; to His
arms you may be welcomed? in His house you may
find an everlasting residence. There all good things
abound, are treasured up, and bestowed with un-
wearied as well as unlimited bounty.

Behold that Father advancing to meet you on
your way! Hear Him calling to you with infinite
compassion, Ho! thou starving, perishing prodigal.
Return to me and to mine. Art thou hungry? I
will feed thee with living bread. Aft thou thirsty?
I will lead thee to fountains of living waters. Art
thou naked? I will clothe thee with the robe
of righteousness. Art thou weary? I will guide
thee to eternal rest. Art thou friendless? I will be
to thee a Father, and an everlasting friend. Dead?
thou shalt live airain. Lost? I will restore thee to
a universe of joy. Come; all things are ready. See,

486 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

heaven is opened! Behold angels, and the spirits
of just men made ^^erfect, waiting for Thy arrival!
See, the golden sceptre of forgiveness extended be-
fore thee! Approach, and touch and live for ever.

Advantages of Afflictions.

AFFLICTIONS, of course, if wisely improved
and sanctified by God, yield the peaceable
fruits of righteousness. If wisely improved by us,
there is good reason to hope that they will be thus
sanctified. Great multitudes of mankind are hope-
fully brought out of darkness into marvelous light
during seasons of severe afi^iiction. Then the first
views begin, the first afiections are cherished, the
first resolutions are formed, which introduce all the
succeeding happy train of conduct and character of
the sanctified man. Eternal life is very often to be
dated from the dying bed of our friends. Religion
there sits kindly and constantly to persuade us to
admit her as a future friend, a future and eternal
inmate of our bosoms. Christ there solemnly and
afiectingly calls on us, as we dread death, to dread
sin, the cause of death, and to be alarmed with the
thought of dying for ever; to be reconciled to God,
then waiting to receive us to His arms, and to believe
in Himself, the resurrection and the life, that He may
raise us up at the last day. Salvation here dawns
like the day-star, rising out of a night of gloom and
tempest, and anticipating a perfect and glorious day.
The soul, here under a load of hopeless sorrow, find-
ing no earthly friend or comforter able and willing

TIMOTHY DWIGHT. 4^7

to relieve its distresses, bows before its divine Re-
deemer, and turns to the Spirit of grace for heavenly
and immortal consolation.

Consolation for the Afflicted.

TO the poor afflicted race of men religion is a
heavenly messenger, who, like the angels sent
to the Bethlehem shepherds to announce the birth
of the Saviour, while she proclaims unceasingly,
' Glory to God in the highest,' sings also, 'Peace on
earth, and good-will towards men.' Towards every
sufierer, laboring under heavy sorrows, and in the
midst of despondency casting around his eyes in vain
to find consolation and relief, she approaches with
her own serene and benevolent smile, and proffers
herself as a comfort to mourners. In lier hand she
carries the word of God, and opening the wonderful
book, points to lines Avritten with the divine finger,
and dictated by the voice of infinite compassion.
'Behold,' she cries, ' the testimonies of the Lord are
the heritage of the afflicted for ever. They are the
rejoicing of the broken heart.' In this sacred Volume
read, and find all the relief which your sorrows need.
Here the infinitely blessed Jehovah has portra3'ecl
Himself in characters of light, as the Father of
all mercies and the God of all grace and consolation.
Here He has disclosed Himself as the common, kind,
and compassionate parent of men, and has taught
them that all His chastisements arc inflicted only for
the good of the sufferers, that it is their frowardness
which requires them, and their frowardness only

488 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

which prevents them from being the choicest bless-
ings. To cure your melancholy diseases, to over-
come your dangerous and deadly passions, they have
descended on you, that you may be a partaker of His
holiness and live for ever. The boundless love Avhich
contrived the deliverance of this world from sin and
ruin is here seen to watch with infinite tenderness
over you. Hear the afiectionate language in which
is disclosed to you the glorious and benevolent
character of Him who made you, ' The Lord is my
shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie
down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the
still waters. He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me
in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me;
Thy rod and Thy staif they comfort me. Thou pre-
parest a table before me in the presence of mine ene-
mies; Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup
runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall fol-
low me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in
the house of the Lord for ever.

The Desire of Isimortality.

IMMORTALITY is necessarily the object of earn-
est desire to every intelligent, and would be, if
he could form the thought, to every percipient being.
It was the actual and glorious lot of our first parents.
It may be the lot of every one of us. A short period,
a limited life, is the only period during which we
can obtain it. This very consideration demands of

TIMOTHY DAVIGIIT. 489

US the utmost anxiety and diligence. The death,
also, which we must all undergo enforces strongly,
with its painful and distressing circumstances, this
powerful argument. Like a beacon lighted up v^ith
an eternal fire, on a height visible to all the nations
of men, it solemnly warns us of the evils to which
we are exposed, and of which to all the impenitent
it is itself the beginning. We need then to be warn-
ed. If Ave are wise we shall welcome the alarm, and,
beholding the Sun of life hastening through the
heavens, shall do, while the day lasts, whatsoever
our hand findeth to do, with our might, and, to
quicken our diligence, shall cast a constant and ap-
prehensive eye toward the rapid approach of that
night in which no man can work. Instead of wish-
ing to live longer, we shall labor to live better. In-
stead of vainly panting for immortal being in a world
of sin and sorrow, where we, together with others,
should only sin and suffer, we should lend all our
efforts to find it in that glorious world where it can
be actually found, and where its ages roll on in the
fullness of joyand pleasures for evermore.

Blessings of Prayer.

PRAYEK will make you daily better, wiser, and
lovelier in God's sight, by cherishing in you
those views and emotions which constitute the cha-
racter of a good man. It will soothe every tumult
of your bosoms, allay your fears, comfort your sor-
rows, invigorate your hopes, give you peace in hand,

and anticipate glory to come. It will restrain you

21*

490 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

from sin, strengthen you against temptation, recall
you from wandering, give life and serenity to your
consciences, furnish you with clearer views concern-
ing your duty, alarm you concerning your danger,
and inspire you with ardor, confidence, and delight
in the Christian course.

In prayer God will meet you, and commune with
you face to face, as a man with his friend. He will
' lift upon you the light of His reconciled counte-
nance;' will 'put joy and gladness in your hearts;'
and will awaken in you the spirit of ' thanksgiving
and the voice of melody.' ' When you pass through
the waters He will be with you; and through the
rivers, they shall not overflow you; when you walk
through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither
shall the flame kindle on you: for He is the Lord
your God, the holy one of Israel, your Saviour.'
' In an acceptable time He will hear you, and in a
day of salvation will He help you.' ' The mountains
will indeed depart, and the hills be removed; but'
(if 3^ou seek Him faithfully) ' His kindness shall not
depart from you, nor His covenant of peac42 be re-
moved.' ' Seek, then, the Lord, while He may be
found: call ye upon Him, while He is near.' ' When
you call He will answer; and when you cry unto
Him, He will say, Here I am.'

On Peayee foe Eevivals of Religion.

NO good descends from heaven to this world,
except as an answer to prayer. 'Ask, and ye
shall receive' is the irreat law accordino- to which

TIMOTHY DWIGHT. 491

all blessings are given. Pray always with all prayer
and supplicatioli of the Spirit, therefore, for the re-
storation of mankind to the favor and the service of
God. For this glorious end let the secret aspirations
of the closet rise unceasingly to the throne of mercy.
These let the morning and evening oblation of the
household accompany every day to the presence of
God, and call down the life-£^ivin<y influence of the
Spirit of grace upon this world of death and ruin.
Finally, for the same delightful end, let the sweet
incense of the sanctuary ascend in one vast cloud to
heaven, from Sabbath to Sabbath, as the united and
acceptable ofiering of all who love the Lord Jesus
Christ, to Him who has not said to the house of
Jacob, ' Seek ye my face in vain.' Thus shall the
millions of your fellow-men, ' ransomed of the Lord,
return and come to Zion with sono^s and everlastins:
joy upon their heads. They shall obtain joy and
gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.'

Heaven Our Home.

HEAVEN is your proper home. Point your
course to that glorious and happy world; and
let every step which you take here advance you to-
wards immortal life. Let angels behold your pro-
gress, and rejoice over your repentance, and the
spirits of the just prepare to welcome you to their
divine assembly.

4:92 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Heaven in View.

C1AN Christians fail to look often to that delight-
) fal world where their Saviour dwells, and
where they are all finally to be assembled in His
presence? Will not the remembrance of the fullness
of joy, the pleasures which flow for ever in this re-
gion of immortality, awaken in the most ardent man-
ner, their admiration, their love, their gratitude, and
their praise to Him, who formed it in the beginning;
who stored it with glory, life, and joy; who ascended
the cross that He might open its everlasting doors
for their admission to its infinite blessings.

Our Father's House.

^ XN His Father's house,' Christ has told us, ' are
JL many mansions.' To that happy residence ' He
has gone before, to prepare a place for us,' nay, He
has declared that He will ' create new heavens and
a new earth,' for the reception of those who trust in
Him and 'love His appearing.' In this new world,
He has assured us, ' there shall be no more death,
nor sorrow, nor crying, nor any more pain:, for all
these former evil things shall then have passed away.'
In this happy region, the ' righteousness,' which the
paradise below the sun was destined to reward, ' will
dwell for ever.' There the tree of life blossoms, and
bears anew; and there immortality flows again in
' the pure river of the water of life.' There ' the sun
no more goes down; neither does the moon withdraw
itself;' for Jehovah is ' the everlasting light' of His
children, and 'their God their glory.' From that

TIJMOTHY DWIGIIT. 493

delightful world the Redeemer cries, 'Behold, I
come quickly, and my reward is with me.' Oh that
every heart may answer, ' Even so, come Lord Jesus.'

Amen.

Heaven and Earth Compared.

HERE also all things will live. Death and sor-
row, disease and pain, crying and tears, will
have fled for ever. There will be nothing to de-
stroy, nothing to impair, nothing to lament. Every-
thing will live; and not merely live, but grow, and
flourish, and bloom, without interruption. Life, in
a sublime and superior sense, life vernal and immor-
tal, will impregnate the streams and trees, the leaves
and fruits, and animate the bodies and minds of the
firstborn.

As all things in heaven will be informed with life,
so they will become iiniversally means of joy. The
present world is justly styled ' a vale of tears.' Dis-
tress awaits us here in a thousand forms. Within ns
it dwells, without it assails. We are sinners, are the
subjects of ungratified desire, disappointment, dis-
content, reproaches of conscience, and distressing
apprehensions concerning the anger of God. At the
same time our frail bodies are subjected to the evils
of hunger and thirst, of cold and heat, of weariness
and languor, of sickness and pain, of decay and death.
Our friends and families are in want, pain, and sor-
row; they sicken and die; their sins disgrace them
and wound us; and awaken excruciating apprehen-
sions concerning their destiny beyond the grave.

494: DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

War also frequently spreads wide the miseries of
dismay, plmider, slaughter and devastation. To
beino;s habituated to a state of existence so exten-
sively formed of these distressing materials, how
Avelcome must be the change which transports them
from this world to heaven! When 'the ransomed
of the Lord shall return, and come to' the celestial
'Zion with songs, everlasting joy shall be upon their
heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sor-
row and sighing shall flee away.' Heaven is created
to be the residence of happiness. Every thing which
it contains will be beauty, grandeur and glory to the
eye, harmony to the ear, and rapture to the heartj
rapture which admits no mixture, and knows no ter-
mination.

Christ the Light of Heaven.

CHRIST is the light of heaven, as well as of
earth. Li this divine Person the Godhead will
shine without a cloud, and be seen face to face. The
splendor will be all intelligence and enjoyment, and
the warmth, life and love. The happy millions will
bask for ever in the benevolent beams; and, with
the eagle's eye fixed on the divine luminary, will rise
on eagle's wings with a perpetually invigorated
flight, nearer and nearer to the Sun of Righteousness
for ever.

ANDREW FULLER.
1754-1815.

Life of Faith.

[RE AT and wonderful is the consolation
that such a life affords. In all the vicis-
situdes of life and horrors of death, noth-
ing can cheer and fortify the mind like
this. By faith in an unseen world we
can endure injuries without revenge, afflictions
without fainting, and losses without despair. Let
the nations of the earth dash, like potsherds, one
against another; yea, let nature herself approach
towards her final dissolution; let her groan as
being ready to expire, and sink into her primitive
nothing; still the believer lives! His all is not on
board that vessel! His chief inheritance lies in
another soil !

' His hand the good man fastens on the skies,
And bids earth roll, nor feels her idle whirl."

It will make vision the sweeter. It affords a great
pleasure, when we make a venture of any kind, to
find ourselves at last not disappointed. If a con-
siderate man embark his all on board a vessel, and
himself with it, he may have a thousand fears, before

4:96 ' DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

he reaches the end of his voyage; yet should he,
after numberless dangers, safely arrive, and find it
not only answer, but far exceed his expectations, his
joy will then be greater than if he had run no hazard
at all. What he has gained will seem much sweeter
than if it had fallen to liim in a way that had cost
him nothing. Thus believers venture their all in the
hands of Christ, persuaded that He is able to keep
that which they have committed to Him against that
day. To find at last that they have not confided in
Him in vain — yea, that their expectations are not
only answered, but infinitely outdone — will surely
enhance the bliss of heaven. The remembrance of
our dangers, fears, and sorrows will enable us to
enjoy the heavenly state with a degree of happiness
impossible to have been felt, if those dangers, fears,
and sorrows had never existed.

Christ Crucified.

C CHRIST crucified is the central point, in which
) all the lines of evangelical truth meet and are
united. There is not a doctrine in the Scriptures
but what bears an important relation to it. Would
we understand the glory of the Divine character and
government? It is seen in perfection in the face of
Jesus Christ. Would we learn the evil of sin, and
our perishing condition as sinners? EacJi is mani-
fested in His sufferings. All the blessings of grace
and glory are given us in Him, and for His sake.
Practical religion finds its most powerful motives in
His dying love. That doctrine of which Christ is not

ANDREW FULLER. 497

the sum and substance is not the gospel; and that
morality which has no relation to Him, and which is
not enforced on evangelical principles, is not Chris-
tian, but heathen.

Progressive Character of Heavenly Bliss.

RY the manner in which some have spoken and
written of the heavenly state, it would seem
not only as if all would possess an equal measure of
blessedness, but that this measure would be com-
pleted at once; if not on the soul's having left the
body, yet immediately on its reunion with it at the
resurrection. But such ideas appear to me to have
no foundation in the Holy Scriptures. There is no
doubt that salvation is altogether of grace, and that
everv crown will be cast at the feet of Christ; but it
does not follow that they shall be in all respects
alike. Paul's crown of rejoicing, for instance, will
greatly consist in the salvation of those among whom
he labored; but this cannot be the case with every
other inhabitant of heaven. And with respect to the
completion of the bliss, there certainly will be no
such imperfection attending it as to be a source of
sorrow, but rather of joy, as affording matter for an
endless progression of knowledge, and consequently
of love, and joy, and praise. There is no sorrow in
the minds of angels in their present state; yet they
are described as looking with intenseness and delight
into the doctrine of the Cross; which clearly indicates
a progressiveness in knowledge and happiness. God
is i^erfect, and immutably the same; but it is as He

498 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

is revealed or manifested to us that we enjoy Him as
our portion. If, therefore, He be gradually mani-
festing Himself through time, and thereby causing
the tide of celestial bliss to rise higher and higher, it
may be the same to eternity. Nay more, if heavenly
bliss consist in knowing the love of Christ, and that
love, when all is said and done, ' passeth knowledge,'
it must be so; there must either come a period when
the finite mind shall have perfectly comprehended
the infinite, and therefore can have nothing more to
learn, or knowledge and happiness must be eternally
progressive.

Blessedness of Heaven.

IN what sense could Christ be said to ' prepare a
place ' for His followers, if His presence did not
greatly tend to augment the blessedness of that
world whither He went, and render it a sweet resort
to them Avhen they should have passed their days
of tribulation? If heavenly bliss consist much in
social enjoyment, the arrival of any interesting char-
acter must be somewhat of an acquisition. If our
present conceptions, however, be any rule of judging,
the being introduced to certain dear friends who
have gone before us will be. a source of pleasure in-
expressible. In this point of view every one who
goes before contributes in some degree to prepare a
place for those fhat follow after; and as things con-
tinually move on in the same direction, the sum
total of heavenly ei\joyment must be continually
accumulatinoj. But if such be the influence arisins:

AXI RKW FULLER. 499

from the accession of creatures, what must that have
been which followed His entrance who is Life itself !
His presence would render those blest abodes ten
thousand times more blessed. Hence the grand
motive to heavenly-mindedness in the New Testament
is drawn from the consideration of Christ's being in
heaven. 'If/ said Paul, 'ye be risen with Christ]
seek those things which are above, lohere Christ sit-
teth on the right hand of God. And what the apostle
recommended to others was exemplified in himself;
for he had ' a desire to depart, and to be with Christy
which is far better.'

ROBERT HALL, A. M.

1764-1831.

Eeunion of Good Men in Heaven.

F the mere conception of the reunion
of good men, in a future state, infused a
momentary rapture into the mind of TuUj ;
if an airy speculation, for there is reason
to fear it had little hold on his convictions,
could inspire him with such delight, what may we
be expected to feel, who are assured of such an
event by the true sayings of God ! How should we
rejoice in the prospect, the certainty, rather, of
spending a blissful eternity with those whom we
loved on earth ; of seeing them emerge from the
ruins of the tomb, and the deeper ruins of the fall,
not only uninjured, but refined and perfected, ' with
every tear wiped from their eyes,' standing before
. the throne of God and the Lamb, * in white robes,
and palms in their hands, crying with a loud
voice. Salvation to God, that sitteth upon the
throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever.' What
delight will it afford to renew the sweet counsel
we have taken together, to recount the toils of
combat, and the labor of the way, and to approach
not the house, but the throne of God, in company.

ROBEUT HALL. 501

in order to join in the symphonies of heavenly voices,
and lose ourselves amidst the splendors and fruitions
of the beatific vision!

FRiENDsrap Founded on Religion.

FRIENDSHIP, founded on the principles of
worldly morality, recognized by virtuous heath-
ens, such as that which subsisted between Atticus
and Cicero, which the last of these illustrious men
has rendered immortal, is fitted to survive through
all the vicissitudes of life, but it belongs only to a
union founded on religion, to continue through an
endless duration. The former of these stood the
shock of conflicting opinions, and of a revolution that
shook the world; the latter is destined to survive
when the heavens are no more, and to spring fresh
from the ashes of the universe. The former pos-
sessed all the stability which is possible to sublunary
things; the latter partakes of the eternity of God.
Friendship founded on worldly principles is natural,
and though composed of the best elements of nature,
is not exempt from its mutability and frailty; the
latter is spiritual, and therefore unchanging and im-
perishable. The friendship which is founded on
kindred tastes and congenial habits, apart from piety,
is permitted by the benignity of Providence to em-
bellish a world, which, with all its magnificence and
beauty, Avill shortly pass away; that which has reli-
gion for its basis, will ere long be transplanted, in
order to adorn the paradise of God.

502 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

How A Minister Should Preach.

DISPLAY the sufferings of Christ like one who
was an eye-witness of those sufferings, and hold
up the blood, the precious blood of atonement, as
issuing warm from the cross. It is a peculiar ex-
cellence of the gospel, 'that in its wonderful adapta-
tion to the state and condition of mankind as fallen
creatures, it bears intrinsic marks of its divinity, and
is supported not less by internal than by external
evidence. By a powerful apJ3eal to the conscience,
by a fiiithful delineation of man in his grandeur and
in his weakness, in his original capacity for happiness
and his present misery and guilt, present this branch
of its evidence in all its force. Seize on every occa-
sion those features of Christianity which render it
interesting, and by awakening the fears, and exciting
the hopes, of your hearers, endeavor to annihilate
every other object, and make it appear what it really
is, the pearl of great price, the sovereign balm, the
cure of every ill, the antidote of death, the precursor
of immortality- In such a ministry, fear not to give
loose to all the ardor of your soul, to call into action
every emotion and every faculty which can exalt or
adorn it.

The Pursuit of Salvation.

THE pursuit of salvation is the only enterprise,
in which no one fails from weakness, none from
an invincible ignorance of futurity, none from the
sudden vicissitudes of fortune, against which there
exists no effectual security, none from those occa-

T^ORETIT HALL. 503

sional eclipses of knowledge and fits of inadvertence,
to which the most acute and wakeful intellect is ex-
posed. How suitable is it to the character of the
Being who reveals Himself by the name of Love, to
render the object which is alone worthy of being
aspired to with ardor, the only one to which all may,
without presumption, aspire; and while He conceals
thrones and sceptres in the shadow of His hand, and
bestows them Avhere He pleases, with a mysterious
and uncontrollable sovereignty, on * opening the
springs of eternal felicity, to proclaim to the utmost
bounds of the earth, ' Let him that is athirst, come;
and whosoever will, let him partake of the water of
life freely.'

Funeral Obsequies of a Lost Soul.

WHAT, my brethren, if it be lawful to indulge
such a thought, what would be the funeral
obsequies of a lost soul? Where shall Ave find the
tears fit to be wept at such a spectacle; or could we
realize the calamity in all its extent, what tokens of
commiseration and concern would be deemed equal
to the occasion? Would it suffice for the sun to veil
his light, and the moon her brightness; to cover the
ocean Avith mourning, and the heavens with sack-
cloth; or were the Avhole fabric of nature to become
animated and vocal, would it be possible for her to
utter a groan too deep, or a cry too piercing, to ex-
press the magnitude and extent of such a catastrophe?

504 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

A Penitent on His Knees.
rriHE sight of a penitent on his knees, is a spectacle
J- which moves Heaven; and the compassionate
Redeemer, who, when He beheld Saul in that situa-
tion, exclaimed, 'Behold he prayeth,' will not be
slow or reluctant to strengthen you by His might,
and console you by His Spirit. When a ' new and
living way ' is opened ' into the holiest of all,' by the
blood of Jesi\s, not to avail ourselves of it, not to
arise and go to our Father, but to prefer remaining
at a guilty distance, encompassed with famine, to the
rich and everlasting provisions of His house, will be
a source of insupportable anguish, when we shall see
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob enter into the kingdom
of God, and ourselves shut out.

Peepaeation foe Judgment and Eteenity.
^ A FTER death is the judgment.' What is to
JtSl, shield you in judgment from the stroke of
vengeance? Have you been hearing the calls of the
gospel Avithout regarding them? Have you not ap-
plied the truth to yourselves? O, retreat now from
the snares of the world ; shut your eyes upon the
scenes of time, on which they must soon be closed
for ever. Converse with the world to come; en-
deavor to yield to the power of it ; look at ' the
things which are not seen;' walk, as it were, upon
the borders of the ocean of eternity, and listen to
the .sound of its waters till 3'ou arc deaf to every
sound besides.

The blessed Saviour, who, when He was upon earth,

ROBERT HALL. 505

raised the dead and healed all manner of diseases,

is able to heal your spiritual maladies, and to raise

you from the dead. He is exalted for this purpose:

the ' river of life' flows from His side; He invites

you to partake of it ; ' the Spirit and the bride say,

Come. And let him that heareth say. Come. And

whosoever will, let him come and take of the water

of life freely,' Rev. xxii. 17. In the blessed Saviour

are all the springs of pardon, grace and everlasting

consolation: He will guide you through every scene,

give you victory over death, admit you through the

gates into the city, and there He will ' wipe away all

tears from your eyes,' Rev. xxi. 4. He will dwell

with you, and you with Him; and you shall be ' kings

and priests unto God ' for ever.

The Lamb of God.

AS our salvation from the efiects of sin is a de-
liverance from a far worse than Egyptian cap-
tivity and misery, so its accomplishment required a
far greater exertion of Deity than was required to
arrest the billows of the Red Sea. Never did ' the
mighty God ' more fully displa}^ the greatness of
His power, than when He showed Himself ' mighty
to save, even to the uttermost.' He fixed the foun-
dation on which w^e may build our hope of immor-
tality, and find it to be 'a hope that maketh not
ashamed,' founded on the Rock of Ages. He went
into the shadow of death, into ' the lowest parts of
the earth,' that He might lay deej> the basis of that
edifice ivhich was to rise as high as the throne of God !

506 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

' He bore our sins in His own body on the tree/ thai
we might become partakers of His own divine na-
ture. This, my brethren, is a view of ' the Lamb of
God,' of the last importance to be taken by us all.
If you see Him not in this character, you see nothing
to any valuable purpose. You have takeii hold of
nothing, you have grasped only shadoivs, if you have
not taken hold of Christ, your Life. Flee to Him :
cleave to Him : say of Him in the sincerity of your
heart, ' This is all my salvation and all my desire.'

The Eye of Faith.
TT^O the eye of Christian faith, which looks at what
I is seen and temporal by the light of what is
unseen and eternal, the darkest clouds of present
sufferings appear, as it were, irradiated with a reflec-
tion of that glory which will ere long break forth
from their o'loom, to shine and briohten throuo-h an
endless day. One glimpse of that glory, we feel
assured, would put out all these little clouds from
our view or remembrance! Let us aim to walk by
faith, and not by sight ; and in our trials, to realize
the well grounded conviction, ' these sufferings of
time are not worthy to be compared w^ith the glory
that shall be revealed ' when time shall be lost in
eternitv.

The Divine Promises.

WE should be much in meditation on the Divine
promises. We should be mindful, indeed,
of the threatenings of God; we should not be inat-

EOBEPtT HALL. 507

tentive to the prophecies contained in His Word: but
it is peculiarly the duty, as well as the privilege of
Christians, to meditate upon His promises. If you
would enter into the vital reality of religion, you
must enter into these promises; into their pure and
sanctifying consolations. Taste of the love of God !
Keview the riches of your inheritance! Look to the
Saviour as the source of all fullness ! Endeavor to
let 3^our mind be saturated with these promises ! Oh,
let us not be satisfied with a cold, a formal, legal
obedience to the commandments: let us learn to feed
upon the sweetness of the promises ! And we shall
need their support ere long: time is hastening from
us all ; man is but breath, but dust ! soon you will
be here no more. He that shall come, will come ere
long ! Happy they that hope and wait for His
coming ! Every day, if you are a Christian, you are
nearer to heaven; less of toil and trial remains. And
death, as well as life, is yours; to die is your exceed-
ing gain. ' I heard a voice from heaven saying,
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord ; for they
rest from their labors, and their works follow them.'

Continual Virtue of Christ's Blood.

HIS blood, so to speak, is just as warm and
fresh as when it was first shed : it has an un-
decaying virtue. The Lamb forever appears as
newly slain, though millions have been already saved,
and millions more remain to be saved. He was
oflTered once for all ; He is an eternal, unchangeable
High Priest ; for God's law has been once for all

508 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

fully satisfied by Him. No generation can ai'ise that
will not equally want this Saviour, and none that
will not equally find Him sufficient; for all the ful-
ness of God dwells in Him, and He ever lives to
make intercession for us !

Importance of the Christian Ministry.

VANITY is inscribed on every earthly pursuit,
on all sublunary labor; its materials, its instru-
ments, and its objects will alike perish. An incurable
taint of mortality has seized upon, and will consume
them ere long. The acquisitions derived from reli-
gion, the graces of a renovated mind, are alone per-
manent. This is the mystic inclosure, rescued from
the empire of change and death; this is the field
which the Lord has blessed; and this word of the
kingdom, the seed which alone produces immortal
fruit, the very bread of life, with which, under a
higher economy, the Lamb in the midst of the throne
will feed His flock and replenish His elect, through
eternal ages. How high and awful a function is
that which proposes to establish in the soul an in-
terior dominion — to illuminate its powers by a celes-
tial light — and introduce it to an intimate, ineflfable,
and unchanging alliance with the Father of spirits.
What an honor to be employed as the instrument of
conducting that mysterious process by which men
are born of God; to expel from the heart the venom
of the old serpent; to purge the conscience from in-
visible stains of guilt; to release the passions from
the bondage of corruption, and invite them to soar

ROBERT HALL. 509

aloft into the regions of uncreated light and beauty;
' to say to the prisoners, go forth, to them that are
in darkness, show yourselves!' These are the fruits
which arise from the successful discharge of the
Christian ministry; these the effects of the gospel,
wherever it becomes the power of God unto salva-
tion; and the interests which they create, the joys
which they diffuse, are felt in other worlds.

Salvation to the Uttermost.

^T^HE blood of Jesus Christ is a deluge that drowns
JL all the mountains of transgression; that pure
ocean washes away all stains of guilt. It is a sacri-
fice whose odor fills all worlds! a satisfaction that
extends to all the principles of the divine govern-
ment. The apostle seems almost to single out him-
self as a selected and designed monument of the
unlimited extent of Christ's atonement. ' This is a
faithful saying, that Jesus Christ came into the world
to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Howbeit for
this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus
Christ might show forth all long-suffering, for a pat-
tern to them that should hereafter believe unto life
everlasting.' Some may think they have wandered
too long in ways of sin, stifled too many successive
convictions, and sinned away the virtue of Christ's
blood. However long you may have sinned, yet if
you will now repent, though at the eleventh hour,
you shall be saved. Among the redeemed multitude,
there will be found sinners of every extent and con-
dition: some that early sought the Lord, and walked

510 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

loii«" with Him in orace; but others, also, called iu
their hoary hairs, after many years of rebellion.

Gratitude to the Saviour.

WHAT gratitude is due from us, to this dear
Saviour! What shall we render to Him for
all that He has suffered, in order that He might pro-
cure such benefits for us! What can be so shocking
as that we should alienate ourselves from Him who
bouo-ht us with His blood, lifted us up from the
abj'ss of despair, beautified us with salvation, made
us to sit with Himself in hea^venly places! By what
strict and tender ties are we bound to Him! espe-
cially when the faculties which we give to Him are
disrnified: and we receive ourselves back, as it were,
purified and ennobled!

It should be our constant desire to gratify and
honor Him; the uppermost feeling in our hearts
should be, ' What can I do for Christ? How shall
I make it appear that I have been with Him, that
I have learned of Him?' If we are influenced by
this spirit, He wdll come and make His abode with
us; He will manifest Himself to us. 'Behold, w^hat
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we should be galled the sons of God!' Let
every saint esteem all beside but loss, in comparison
with the possession of His love! Let us live on Him
as the bread of life, and live to Him as the Lord of
conscience. Let His love be the commanding prin-
ciple in all our hearts.

iiobert hall. 511

Come to the Saviour Now.

SEEK now an interest in 'the common salvation!'
Now is the accepted time; now is the convenient
season. While all around is mutable, unstable, and
we can fix on nothing that does not escape from our
eager grasp, lay hold on Jesus Christ, the Rock of
Ages! While all beside is carried away by the irre-
sistible tide of vanity and corruption, secure that in-
estimable deposit which will exist forever in the
hands of Him who is able to keep it against the day
of his appearance and glory! Come to the Saviour
just as you are; if you were to wait to all eternity,
you would be no better prepared, by any efforts of
your own, for His acceptance. All power is given
to Him; He is able to save to the uttermost all who
come to God by Him: whosoever will, let him come
to Christ; and thus be prepared, by His grace and
power, to exchange the light afiiiction, which is for
a moment, for an exceeding and eternal weight of
glory!

A Prayee.
^ /^ THOU, who art the Fountain of all good! we
V^ would approach Thee with that humility and
reverence which become us in all our addresses to
Thine infinite Majesty. Before the mountains were
brought forth, or ever the earth and the world were
created, from everlasting to everlasting Thou art
God. As from Thee we have derived our existence,
so on Thee we depend for every moment of its con-
tinuance: in Thee Ave live, and move, and have our

512 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

being. Thou hast been the refuge of Thy people in
all ircnerations; our fathers trusted in Thee, and
were holpen; they looked unto Thee, and were
lio-htened, and their faces were not ashamed. As for
man, his days are as grass; l)Ut the mercy of the
Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them
that fear Him. We bless Thee that we are permitted
once more to appear in Thy presence, the spared
monuments of Thy providential goodness. We be-
seech Thee to assist us in these sacred exercises; in
singing Thy praises, and hearing Thy holy word.
We serve Thee only with Thine own; and what we
have received in mercies and blessings, we would
render back to Thee in gratitude and love. Enable
us to consider the operations of Thy hand in all
things around, and all things within us; in the work-
ings of Thy providence abroad, and of Thy Spirit
upon ourselves. Let us make Thee the Omega as
well as the Alpha, the end as well as the beginning,
of all our undertakings; let all our works be begun,
continued, and ended in Thee. May we put on the
whole armor of God, be strong in the Lord, and in
the power of His might; and, seeing that we are
encompassed with so great a cloud of witnesses, may
we lay aside every weight, and run ^^\t\\ patience the
race set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author
and Finisher of our faith. Since our adversary, the
devil, walketh about, seeking w^hom he may devour,
him may we resist, steadfast in the faith. May we
rejoice as if we rejoiced not; weep as if we wept
not; and, knowing that the end of all things is at

ROBERT HALL. 513

hand, may we let our moderation be known unto all
men. O Lord, hear us in these our supplications,
and pardon and accept us, and wash us and our
services in the precious blood of the dear and ador-
able Redeemer; for whom we bless Thee, as Thine
unspeakable gift; and with whom, to Thyself and
Holy Spirit, be undivided and everlasting praises.'
Amen.*

* This beautiful prayer was offered immediately before Mr. Hall
delivered his last sacramental lecture, and only a short time before
his death. It was transcribed by the Rev. T. Grinfield, Avho says:

'It is a remarkable circumstance that, on this last opportunity
alone, as though impelled by a prophetic sympathy, I preserved, at
the same time, the following fragments of the prayer which pre-
ceded this farcAvell address. Simple, and almost purely Scriptural,
as are the sentiments and expressions, they may be deemed inter-
esting here, as they present, I believe, the only recorded relic of
those prayers, in which, scarcely less than in his preaching, Mr.
Hall excelled; and this so near to his death. I give it verbatim, as
noted at the time : in all his prayers the impression was much en-
hanced by the utterance, which was eminently that of one ' praying
in the Holy Spirit,' and ' clothed with humility.'

22*

JOHN M. MASON, D. D.

1770-1829.

Kedemption Theough the Blood of Christ.

^° HAT tlie atonement of Jesus is, in
itself, and wliat His Fatlier lias ex-
pressly declared it to be, millions of sin-
ners have found it to their eternal joj.
All the spirits of just men made perfect,
and all the believers at this hour upon earth, have
loashed their robes, and made them tuhite in the blood,
of the Lamb. Search the records of the saved, and
you will see names of the most atrocious offenders
who were pardoned, and sanctified, and are now
with God. Ask them how they escaped the wrath
to come, and entered the everlasting rest?. AVith
oue voice they will exclaim. He loved us, and luashed
us from our sins in His oion blood! Ask all the fam-
ily of grace, who shall speedily join the celestial
throng, how they obtained deliverance from the
curse, and access to that terrible God? With
equal unanimity they will reply. We are accepted in
the Beloved ! There is, therefore, redemption through
His blood.

Let the doubting, disconsolate sinner throw him-
self, with all his guilt and vileness, into the arms of

JOHN M. MA80X. 515

this forgiving mercy. It never yet repulsed any
who came in the faith of the Mediator's blood, and
it will not begin its repulses with thee. Go without
delay; go with all boldness in this blood; and thou
shalt find as cordial a welcome as o-nice can s^ive thee.

Death to a Child of God.

DEATH brings no j>en7 to a child of God; and
ought to be no more an object of his fear than
the approach of sleep at the close of day. I speak
not of the physical pangs of dying, which relate to
our animal perceptions, and to which our animal
part never can nor should be reconciled. I speak
of death as affecting our moral being. In this view
he is rightly named the ' Mng of terrors f because, to
ungodly men he is the wages of sin. It is from guilt
that he draws his terrifying power. He announces
to the Avicked the end of their respite; the filling up
of their cup; a certain fearful looking for of judg-
ment and fiery indignation w1iil\ shall devour tlie
adversaries; and if they be not alarmed, if their
faces gather not blackness, and their bosoms horror,
it is because they are hardened by the deceitfulness
of sin. Their stupidity will only heighten the sur-
prise and consternation of the eternal world. But
Jesus, having delivered His people from the Avrath
to come, delivered them by the blood of His cross,
has for them stripped death of his terrors, and given
them authority to cry, as he hands them over the
threshold of life, 0 Death, where is thy sting? the
sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the

516 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

laiv; but thanks he to God who giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ/ In such a case death
deserves not the name. It is but a sleep; sleep in
its most heavenly form; sleep in Jesus.

Blessed Effects of the Gospel.
^ T" HAVE seen this gospel hush into a calm the
1 tempest raised in the bosom by conscious guilt.
I have seen it melt down the most obdurate into
tenderness and contrition. I have seen it cheer up
the broken-hearted, and bring the tear of gladness
into eyes swollen with grief. I have seen it produce
and maintain serenity under evils, which drive the
worldlinof mad. I have seen it reconcile the sufferer
to his cross, and send the song of praise from lips
quivering with agony. I have seen it enable the
most affectionate relatives to part in death; not with-
out emotion, but without repining; and with a cor-
dial surrender of all that they held most dear, to the
disposal of their heavenly Father. I have seen the
fading eye brighten at the promise of Jesus, Where
I am, there shall my servant be also. I have' seen the
faithful spirit released from its clay, now mildly,
now triumphantly, to enter into the joy of its Lord.'

Forgiveness of Sins Final.

THE forgiveness of sins is final. In the justifica-
tion of a sinner, God, the gracious One, pardons
once for all — pardons forever ! Pardon would be
of no use to us, were it not irreversible: it would
no sooner be gained than lost. The Lord doth not

JOHN M. MASON. 517

SO deal with His parclonecl ones; give them just to
taste the sweetness of His mercy, that their own sin-
fiihiess may the next moment fill their mouths with
the bitterness, and their hearts with the horrors of
the curse. His bomity is of another order altogether.
His gifts and His calling are without repentance, i. e.
nn<;hangeable. His love is everlasting, and so is the
life which He bestow^s upon them. They are united
with His dear Son; their lives entwine with His life.
Whatever reaches them to destroy them, must first
Idll their Redeemer. Because I live^ is His gracious
promise, ye shall live also. They are kept by the
power of God through faith unto salvation; there-
fore they shall never perish. There is, there can be,
no condemnation for them — tliey shall have everlast-
ing life.

Contemplation of the Love of Christ.

DRAW nigh, and contemplate the love of Christ;
a love without parallel, and beyond compre-
hension. Though He ivas in the form of God^ and
thought it not robbery to be equal with God^ yet He
made Himself of no repntation and took upon Him the
fonn of a servant, and teas made tn the likeness of
men. Source of eternal wonder ! Lo ' the Creator
of the ends of the earth ' descends into a tabernacle
of flesh, and sojourns among men ! And whence,
blessed Lord, whence this condescension? It was
for ' the good of His chosen.' He assumed their
nature that He might occupy their place; might take
their guilt; might become a curse for them that they

518 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

might he made the righteousness of God in Him. Yes,
dear Christian, He put His soul in thy soul's stead;
He drank for thee the cup of trembling: it was thy
guilt which nailed Him to the ignominious tree; thy
guilt which rolled the billows of wrath in upon His
sinless soul. It was in bearing thine iniquity that
hell's blackest midnight thickened upon His spirit,
and wrung from Him that agonizing cry. My God,
My God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Hath He
passed through the fires of the pit to save thee? and
doth He ' stake all the glories of His crown to Iceej)
thee?' and wilt thou, canst thou, darest thou be back-
ward in promoting the frequent commemoration of
His love? O Saviour, if we forget Thee, let our
right hand forget her cunning !

Our Duty and Happiness.

THE sum of our duty and happiness, O believer!
is comprised in this precept — As ye have re-
ceived Christ Jesus the Lord^ so walk ye in him.
The blood of sprinkling, kept by faith in the con-
science, is the sure preservative from guilt; the holy
secret of a comfortable and familiar walk with God.
In this privilege let us go from strength to strength,
lifting up our eyes to the hills from ivhence cometh
our help; showing forth the righteousness and the
salvation of Jehovah all the day long: and waiting
for that great consummation, when, all the sorrows
of earth's pilgrimage ended, and all its defilements
washed away,

' Heaven lifts her everlasting portals high,
And bids the pure in heart behold their God."

THOMAS CHALMERS, D. D., LL. D.

1780-1847. .

Choose Christ.

'HOOSE Christ, then, my brethren,
choose Him as the Captain of your
salvation. Let Him enter into your
hearts by faith, and let Him dwell con-
tinually there. Cultivate a daily inter-
course and a growing acquaintance with Him. Oh,
you are in safe company indeed, when your fellow-
ship is ^yit]l Him ! The shield of His protecting
mediatorship is ever between you and the justice
of God ; and out of His fullness there goeth a con-
stant stream to nourish and to animate, and to
strengthen every believer. Why should the shift-
ing of human instruments so oppress and so dis-
courage you, when He is your willing Friend ; when
He is ever present, and is at all times in readiness;
when He, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever,
is to be met with in every place ; and while His dis-
ciples here, giving w^ay to the power of sight, are
sorrowful and in great heaviness, because they are to
move at a distance from one another. He, my breth-
ren, He has His eye upon all neighborhoods and all
countries, and will at length gather His disciples

520 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

into one eternal family! Witli such a Master, let us
quit ourselves like men. With the magnificence of
eternity before us, let time, with all its fluctua-
tions, dwindle into its own littleness.

Human Life Peeishable.

WHERE are the men who a few years ago gave
motion and activity to this busy theatre?
where those husbandmen who lived on the ground
that you now occupy? where those laboring poor
who dwelt in your houses and villao-es? where those
ministers who preached the lessons of piety, and
talked of the vanity of this world? where those j)eo-
ple who, on the Sabbaths of other times, assembled
at the sound of the church-bell, and filled the house
in which you are now sitting? Their habitation is
the cold grave, the land of forgetfulness. * * *
And we are the children of these fathers, and heirs
to the same awful and stupendous destiny'. Ours is
one of the many generations who pass in rapid suc-
cession through this region of life and of sensibility.
The time in which I live is but a small moment of this
world's history. When we rise in contemplation to
the roll of ages that are past, the momentary being
of an individual shrinks into nothino^. It is the
flight of a shadow; it is a dream of vanity; it is the
rapid glance of a meteor; it is a flower which every
breath of heaven can wither into decay; it is a tale
which as a remembrance vanisheth; it is a day which
the silence of a long night will darken and over-
sliadow. In a few years our heads will be laid in

THOMAS CIIAOIEP.S. 5'2l

the cold grave, and the green turf will cover us.
The children who come after us will tread upon our
graves; they will weep for us a few days; they will
talk of us a few months; they will remember us a
few years; when our memory shall disappear from
the face of the earth, and not a tongue shall be found
to recall it. * * * How perishable is human life,
yet no man laj^s it to heart.

Hope of Immortality.

HOLD it firm and fast even unto the end; and
the bed of death will be to you a scene of
triumph — the last messenger will be a messenger of
joy; and those bright images of peace and rapture
and elevation, which, out of Christ, are the mere fab-
rication of the fancy, will, in Christ, be found to have
a reality and a fulfilment, which shall bear you up in
the midst of your dying agonies, with a joy unspeak-
able and full of glory. It- is no longer an idle dec-
lamation now. There is many a minister of Christ
who could give you experience for it. He can take
you to the house of mourning — to the mansion of
pain and of sickness — to the chamber of the dying man.
He can draAv aside the curtain which covers the last
hours of the good man's existence, and show you how
a Christian can die. He can ask you to bend jonr
ear, and to catch the faltering accents of praise and
of piety. What meaneth that joy in the midst of
suffering — that hope in the midst of breathlessness
and pain — ^that elevation in the midst of crudest
agonies? It is not his own merit Avhich sustains him. —

522 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

It is the merit of a benevolent Saviour. It is not a
sense of his own righteousness which gives intre-
piclit}^ to his expiring bosom. It is the righteousness
of Christ. It is the hope of being found in Him, and
a sense of the grace and forgiveness which he has
received througli His hands. In a word, it is Christ
who resolves the mystery. It is His presence which
throws tranquillity and joy around the scene of dis-
tress. It is He who administers vigour to the dying
man; and, while despair sits on every countenance,
and relatives are weeping around him. He enables
him to leave them all with this exulting testimony —
O death, where is thy sting — O grave, where is thy
victory !

Come to Christ.

0 AVAIL yourselves, then, of the precious mo-
ment that is now passing over you. Christ is
ofiered to you. Salvation is at your choice. For-
giveness, through the blood of a satisfying atone-
ment, is yours if you will. God does not want to
magnify the power of His anger — He wants to mag-
nify the power of His grace upon you. Try to ap-
proach Him in your own righteousness, and you will
find yourselves toiling at an impracticable distance
away from Him. But come with the righteousness
of Christ as 3^our plea, and you will indeed be per-
mitted to draw nigh. God will rejoice over j^ou for
the sake of Him in whom He is well pleased; and
you may freely, and with all your heart, rejoice in
God, through Him, by whom ye have received the

THOMAS CHALMERS. 523

atonement. Could we ytate the thing more plamly,
we would. We want to bring you into the condition
of a simple receiver of God's pardon — a snuple hold-
er on the truth of His promises. It is on this foot-
ing, and on this alone, that you will ever be clothed
in the garments of acceptance; or stand firmly and
surely on the ground of reconciliation before Him.
O turn then into this peaceful haven ; and, in the act
of so turning, God will pour out His Spirit upon
you. As the fruit of your faith, you will become a
new creature,* and, in stepping over to that region
of sunshine, where all is gladness, you will be sure
to experience also that all is grace — that the peace
and purity of the gospel are ever in alliance — They
who walk before God without fear, being they who
walk before Him In righteousness and in holiness all
the days of their life.

Death will Come.

I BESEECH you to think how certainly death
will, and how speedily it may, come upon the
likeliest of you all. The very youngest among you
know very well that, if not cut off previously —
which is a very possible thing — then manhood will
come, and old age will come, and the dying bed will
come, and the very last look you shall ever cast on
your acquaintances will come, and the agony of the
parting breath will come, and the time when jou are
stretched a lifeless corpse before the eyes of weep-
ing relatives will come, and the coffin that is to in-
close you will come, and that hour when th^ com-

524 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

pany assemble to cany you to the cliiirchyard will
come, and that minute when you are put into the
grave will come, and the throwing in of the loose
earth into the narrow house where you are laid, and
the spreading of the green sod over it — all, all will
come on every living creature who now hears me;
and in a few little years the minister who now speaks,
and the people who now listen, will be carried to
their long homes, and make room for another gene-
ration.

A Christian's Love for the Sabbath.

EVEEY Sabbath image, and every Sabbath circum-
stance is dear to him. He loves the quietness of
that hallowed morn. He loves the church-bell sound,
which summons him to the house of prayer. He
loves to join the chorus of devotion, and to sit and
listen to that voice of persuasion which is lifted in
the hcarino- of an assembled multitude. He loves
the retirement of this day from the din of worldly
])usiness, and the inroads of worldly men. He loves
the leisure it brinofs alono- with it — and sweet to his
soul is the exercise of that hallowed hour, when
there is no eye to witness him but the eye of Heaven
— and when in solemn audience with the Father,
who seeth him in secret; he can, on the wings of
celestial contemplation, leave all the cares, and all
the vexations, and all the sccularities of an alienated
world behind him.

thomas ciial^hers. 525

Our Great High Priest.

(CONSIDER Him who is the High Priest of youi
J profession. I call upon you ever and anon to
think of this sacrifice — and to ward oiT the legality
of nature from 3^our spirits, by a constant habit of re-
currence, upon your part, to the atonement that He
hath made, and to the everlasting righteousness that
He hath brought in. Without this, the mind is ever
lapsing anon into alienation and distrust — and the ha-
bitual jealousy of guilt, when not met, at all times, by
a sense of that blood which w\ashes it away, will throw
us back again to our wonted distance from God — and
instead of breathing the free air of confidence in Him,
or rejoicing in the sunshine of His reconciled counte-
nance, there will be a flaw of suspicion m all our
intercourse, and instead of loving Him as a friend,
we shall still stand in dread of Him as an accuser.
There may be the occasional recognition of Christ,
and, perhaps, along with it a gleam of light and of
liberty. Bat the general state will be, that of a
mind which is overcast. And, therefore, to keep all
clear, and habitually clear, w^ould I advise a regular
forth-going of your believing thoughts, to the great
decease that was accomplished at Jerusalem. I would
have you to look unto Jesus Christ, and unto Him cru-
cified, and be lightened thereby. Forget not that
for guilt there has been an appropriate remedy pro-
vided in the gospel — and the way for you to stand
delivered from all your fears of its vengeance and
its agony, is to think of the vengeance that has
ali'eady been poured out, and of the agony that has

526 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

already been endured for it. Be very sure, that
when justice is satisfied, then mercy, set at large
from this obstruction, is free to rejoice over you.
And justice is satisfied. The sufferings of the Gar-
den and the Cross, have absorbed it all — nor after
Christ hath poured out His soul unto the death for
you, will it seek, in the horrors of your condemned
eternity, for a double redress, and a double vindica-
tion. O, come out then, from the prison house of
despondency — and, w^hen you think of your sins,
think also of the ransom which has been paid for
them. On the strength of this, do make your reso-
lute stand against the spirit of bondage — and looking,
and looking hourly unto the Victim who has already
bled a full expiation, do uphold yourself in the con-
fidence, that sin is made an end of, that transgression
is finished, that reconciliation for iniquity is made,
and that now the believer, released from captivity,
may walk before God in the security and the triumph
of an everlasting righteousness.

Omnipresence of God.

HIS eye is upon every hour of my existence.
His Spirit is intimately present with every
thought of my heart. His inspiration gives birth to
every purpose within me. His hand impresses a
direction on every footstep of my goings. Every
breath I cnhale, is drawn by an energy which God
deals out to me. This body, which, upon the slight-
est derangement, would become the prey of death,
or of woful sufFerinir, is now at case, because He at

THOMAS CIIALMElfS. 527

this moment is warding off from me a thousand
dangers, and upholding the thousand movements of
its complex and delicate machinery. His presiding
influence keeps by me through the whole current of
my restless and ever changing history. When I walk
l)y the w^ay side, He is along with me. When I enter
into company, amid all my forgetfulness of Him, He
never forgets me. In the silent watches of the
night, when my eyelids have closed, and my spirit
has sunk into unconsciousness, the observant eye of
Him who never slumbers, is upon me. I cannot fly
from His presence. Go where I will, He tends me,
and watches me, and cares for me; and the same
Beinor ^yho is now at work in the remotest domains
of nature and of providence, is also at my right
hand to eke out to me every moment of my being,
and to uphold me in the exercise of all my feelings,
and of all my faculties.

Prayers. I.

OGOD, make me to live to Thy glory. May I be
clothed with the armor of religion; may I grow
more and more in the right principles and practice
of Thy Son's gospel ; and, as years roll over me,
may I withdraw my affections from time, and feel
that in moving through the world I am moving
toward eternity.

528 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

II.

God, may I number my clays so as to apply my
heart to wisdom. Grant me the guidance of
Thy Spirit, and the joys of Thy salvation. May my
delight, O Lord, be in Thy law, and may eternity
be ever present to my recollection and my feelings.
Time is short ; and as years revolve over me, may T
learn to prize as the truest of all wisdom, the wis-
dom of the gospel. I am in Thy hand, O God. If
Thou pleasest to add another year to my pilgrimage
below, may it witness my progress in the faith and
charity of the New Testament. Make me to feel a
clear union with Thee in Christ. May I taste the
joys of Thy chosen, and rejoice in the contemplation
of that everlasting crown which is laid up for all
who love the Lord Jesus in sincerity and in truth.
May I be faithful in the duties of my calling, and
may the care of the souls of my people engross more
of my time and prayers and strenuous application.
All I ask is for the sake of Him to whom, with Thee
and the Holy Spirit, I give all the praise and all the
glory. Amen.

REGINALD HEBER, D. D.
1783-1826.

Life Like a Kiver.

IFE bears us on like the stream of
a mighty river. Our boat at first goes
down the mighty channel — through the
playful murmuring of the little brook,
and the willows upon its grassy borders.
The trees shed their blossoms over our young
heads, the flowers on the brink seem to offer them-
selves to our young hands; we are happy in hope,
and grasp eagerly at the beauties around us; the
stream hurries on, and still our hands are empty.
Our course in youth and in manhood is along a
wider, deeper flood, and amid objects more striking
and magnificent. We are animated by the moving
picture of enjoyment and industry passing us; we
are excited by our short-lived enjoyments. The
stream bears us on, and joys and griefs are left be-
hind us. We may be shipwrecked, but we cannot
be delayed ; for, rough or smooth, the river hastens
towards its home, till the roar of the ocean is in our
ears, and the waves beneatli our feet, and the fioods
are lifted up around us, and we take our leave of

530 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

earth and its inhabitants, until of our further voy-
age there is no witness save the Infinite and Eternal.

Earth and Heaven.

T PRAISED the sun^ whose chariot rolled
-^ On wheels of amber and of gold ;

I praised the moon, whose softer eye

Gleamed sweetly through the summer sky;

And moon and sun in answer said,

•' Our days of light are numbered.'

0 God! 0 good beyond compare!

If thus Thy meaner works are fair,

If thus Thy bounties gild the span

Of ruined earth and sinful man,

How glorious must the mansion be,

Where Thy redeemed shall dwell with Thee.

Christ is Ours.

HE lived as well as died for us; His prayers are
ours; ours are His blameless innocence and
purity; it was our nature which fasted with Him
in the desert; it was our nature which was trans-
figured in the mount with Him; it was our nature in
which, united with His person, and inseparable from
Him for ever, the Almighty Father declared Himself
well pleased! In Him we are the sons of God once
more, and the heaven, whither He is gone to prepare
a place for us, is henceforward not only His but our
inheritance!

Fear of Death Removed.

H, Saviour of the faithful dead,
With whom Thy servants dwell.

Though cold and green the turf is spread
Above their narrow cell, —

REGINALD HEBETT. 531

No more we cling to mortal clay,
We doubt and fear no more ;

Nor shrink to tread the darksome way,
Which Thou hast trod before.

Our Salvation of Grace.

OUR salvation is of grace alone, inasmuch as our
first admission into the covenant of peace is
without any previous probation of virtue, and, in the
case of adult converts, in spite of many previous
sins. It is of grace inasmuch as the services which
are afterwards required from us have no aptitude in
themselves to call down reward from the Most High;
and are, on the other hand, exclusively calculated to
promote our own happiness and the happiness of
those around us. It is of grace, since to the per-
formance of these very services the strength is fur-
nished from above, by Him who not only calls on us
to hope, but bestows on us the spiritual gifts by which
that hope is scaled and perfected. It is of free grace,
above all, and as it respects the consummation of
our Christian warfare, because we are not only first
freely called and afterwards freely strengthened to
perform the obligations of our calling; but, even
where we have neglected and transgressed our duty,
the repentance and the faith which were, at first, our
only passports to Christianity, are still sufiered to
attend us and plead for us, and by the same merits
of the Redeemer through which we were justified
and sanctified we are accepted at length and glorified.

5:]2 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

Hymn Before the Sacrament.

T3READ of the world, in mercy broken!
-^ Wine of the soul, in mercy shed;

By Avhom the words of life were spoken,
And in whose death our sins are dead!

Look on the heart by sorrow broken,
Look on the tears by sinners shed,

And be Thy feast to us the token
That by Thy grace our souls are fed!

EDWARD BICKERSTETH.
1786-1850.

Meditations and Peayees on the Loed's Suppee. I.

Pv»EAVENLY Father! grant tliat Thy
' ^ Holy Spirit may bring to my remem-

brance all that which Christ did for me,
whenever I go to His table; so that by
the eye of faith, I too may see the suffer-
ing and Glorified Redeemer. Blessed Redeemer!
I desire to call to mind Thy glory before the world
was. Thy love in undertaking the work of our re-
demption, Thy birth of a lowly virgin, Thy life of
sorrow, Thy shame and contempt. Thy rejection by
man. Thy bloody sweat and agony, Thy crown of
thorns. Thy stripes, the nails in Thy hands and
Thy feet, Thy cross and all Tliy passion, Thy pain-
ful death, and Thy burial in the tomb, and the sin
of man as the cause of these Thy humiliations and
sufferings. O how unmeasurable is Thy love! It
is strong as death — many loaters cannot quench it. It
was not the nails that fastened Thee to the cross,
but something more firm and binding; Thy love
fixed Thee and kept Thee there, till Thou gavest up
the ghost; otherwise every fetter that man could
have devised would have been utterly unavailing.

534 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

I call to mind yet farther, Thy glorious resurrection
and ascension, Thy leading captivity captive, and re-
ceiving gifts for men, Thy sitting at the right hand
of the Father, Thy meditation, the future judgment,
and the glory yet to come; and recalling these things
to mind, may I afresh learn to hate and flee from
every sin, to trust in Thee, and prepare to meet Thee.
Thus may my hope of being with Thee for ever, be
enlivened and established, and thus may my affec-
tions towards Thee and man be afresh enkindled and
enlarged.

G1 OD has graciously promised, Ask, and ye shall
\ have. I believe His promise, and while wait-
ing on Him at His table, would now implore His
grace.

Lord ! I wait for the increase of faith. Lord,
help me more clearly to apprehend divine truths,
and to be more distinct and firm in my assurance of
them. I desire to attend at Thy table with a lively
faith in the merits of^my Redeemer. I would look
up to Jesus, and trust in Him with entire and full
confidence, as having ransomed me from sin and
death, and procured for me life and salvation with-
His own precious blood. O give me faith to trust
solely in Thy mercy through Christ for acceptance,
and earnestly to look for the aid of the Spirit, to
teach and to purify me.

Lord, I wait to receive strength to overcome my
spiritual enemies, I know myself to be weak, help-

EDWARD BICKEKSTETH. 535

less, and insufficient for any good work. But if I
abide in Christ, He has said that I shall bear much
fruit. Through this ordinance let me be drawn near
to Him, and led to abide more in Him, so that my
affections to the world maybe deadened, and- my
whole soul may be refreshed and strengthened.

Lord, I wait hungering and thirsting for Thy sal-
vation, in all its grace and fullness. O that the blood
of Christ may speak peace to my troubled heart !
O that the gladdening light of Thy countenance may
shine on me, and the sense of Thy peculiar presence
be felt in my heart ! O that here I may clearly see
that Christ is mine and I am His — that the Holy
Spirit may be largely given unto me, and I may
have a full assurance of hope that my sins are par-
doned and my soul is saved.

Lord, I wait for the spirit of adoption. I would
come to Thy table as a cliild goes to an affectionate
and tender parent, feeling that Thou hast a father's
love to me. and having the tempers and disposition
of a loving child towards Thee. O give me a filial,
even a confiding, reverential, loving and obedient
spirit. Let me look up to Thee, my Heavenly
Father, for the bread of life, in full assurance that
Thou wilt not send me away empty.

Now Lord, truly my ho^e is in Theeiox the supply
of all my spiritual wants. Give me that which Thou
seest w^ould be good for me: and thus shall I bo
blessed not only now, but all my life long, and in
death, and through eternity.

530 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

III.

HOW full of love, even to the end, was cm
adorable Lord ! The last words sounding ir
the ears of His disciples was a blessing. He as
cended to heaven blessing them, and is still the same
yesterday, to-day, and for ever. O ascended Saviour,
may my heart rise whither Thou art gone; and now
Christ is gone to heaven, may my affections be set
on things above. / hioiv that my Redeemer liveth.
This is a blessed confidence that can support the soul
in the severest trials. He makes Himself known too
in the breaking of bread. I would not then only
remember His death; but looking at His ascension,
see the power given to Him, mark the gifts which
He has received, dwell upon the work which He is
now carrying on, and daily come to Him, and hold
communion with Him.

Remember, too, O my soul, this same Jesus which
was thus taken up into heaven^ shall so come in like
manner as He was seen going into heaven. Now at
His table, I profess my expectation of His coming
again. O may I be always ready for that day. The
Lord in mercy grant that this sacred Institution may
raise my heart to my ascended Saviour, and lead me
to look, and diligently prepare for. His second com-
ing.

IV.

LORD Jesus, help Thou me to take up my cross
and follow Thee; all blessings come in faith
and self-sacrifice; all evils come in self-confidence and

EDWAKD BICKEHSTETH. 537

self-indulgence. My Saviour, then grant me Thy
grace, for the residue of my days; be it many years,
be it one year, or be it but the present day, to deny
myself, and live to Ilim who has redeemed me with
His blood, feeling my own weakness, and not looking
to a season of rest below ^ but above; not calculatinor
on a time of enjoyment on earth, but preparing for
it in heaven.

Help me also to maintain to the end of the conflict;
looking forward to that crown of life which Thou
hast promised to Thy faithful soldiers.

I turn to Thee, Thou blessed Eedeemer. I turn
from myself where all is polluted and wretched, to
that gracious Saviour, where all is compassion, and
love, and tenderness; wdiere is a full atonement for
enemies and rebels, a rich provision of mercy for the
sinful, a complete salvation for the lost. O Jesus,
pity, save, and bless my sonl. Strengthen me for
every dut3^ that lies before me. In nothing can I
claim blessings, but in Thy free promises and Thy
full redemption. May I then delight in Thee, and
walk closely with Thee every day. Draw me, and
I will run after Thee.

WHERE can I fly, O Jesus ! where, but to Thee?
In Thy wounds I hide me. At Thy cross I
shelter me. There iniquity is pardoned ; there the
transgression of the remnant of Thy heritage is
passed by.

But now, O God, my Saviour, I entreat Thee, suh-

23*

538 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

due my iniquities. Only Thine almighty arm can
vanquish them. I look to Thee for victory. Fight
for me, fight in me; that I may be more than con-
queror, through Him that loved me.

VI.

OLORD, I wouldnow, in the fullness of my heart,
earnestly pray for the hallowing of Thy name,
the coming of Thy kingdom, and the doing of Thy
will on earth as it is in heaven. And O grant that,
till the Lord come, His table ma}^ be crowded with
believing and joyful guests. O when shall all the
ends of the earth look to Jesus and be saved I Has-
ten it in Thy good pleasure, O Lord ; that Christ
Jesus may be known, loved, and obeyed, in every
land, and the Lord's name be praised from the
rising of the sun to the going down of the same.
Thus glorify Thy great name, fulfill Thy gracious
promises, and let Thy kingdom be fully established
through Jesus Christ, our only Redeemer. Amen.

WILLIAM NEVmS, D. D.
1797-1835.

Heaven.

REST remaineth to tlie people of
God. The meanest saint shall enjoy it.
The moment he shall put off this robe of
mortality, the mantle of Elijah's God
shall descend and cover him.
This world is to heaven, what the inn upon the
road is to the home at the end of it.

God is everywhere, but not so manifestly in all
places as He is in some select places. He is every-
where, but His Shekinah is not everywhere. He
does not reveal Himself ever^^ where. The glory of
the Lord filled the ancient temple, but it dwelt
peculiarly and visibly above the mercy-seat, in- the
most holy place. The glory of God fills the earth,
but there are localities in the universe where it shines
forth with peculiar splendor. God is everywhere,
but His ' presence, where there is fullness of joy,' is
not everywhere. Heaven is not merely a state.

Grace is the inftincy of glory — glory the maturity
of grace. Grace is the head of glory — glory the
ripe fruit of grace.

540 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

How glorious and happy a place heaven must be,
into which there shall nothing enter that defileth.
There we shall never, never sin. Oh! it is the grand
recommendation of heaven, that there there is no
siu. The cause not being there, none of the effects
will be there — no natural evil, because no moral
evil; no debility, deformity, disease, ache, pain, per-
turbation, fear, anguish, nor sadness. No tear shall
fall, no blood be spilt, no separation occur, no be-
reavement be felt, no disappointment, no satiety, no
death.

Heaven's Attractions.

I HAVE been thinking of the attractions of hea-
ven— what there is in heaven to draw souls to it.
I thought of the jplace. Heaven has place. Christ
says to His disciples, ' I go to prepare a jplace for
you.' It is a part of the consolation with which He
comforts them, that heaven is a place, and not a
mere state. What a place it must be ! Selected out
of all the locations of the universe — the chosen spot
of space. We see, even on earth, places of great
beauty, and we can conceive of spots far more
delightful than any we see. But what comparison
can these bear to heaven, where every thing exceeds
whatever eye has seen, or imagination conceived ?
The earthly paradise must have been a charming
spot. But what that to the heavenly ? What the
paradise assigned to the first Adam, who was of the
earth, earthy, compared with that purchased by the
second Adam, who is the Lord from heaven ? It is

WILLIAM NEVINS. 541

a 'purchased possession.' The price it cost the
purchaser, every one knows. Now, having pur-
chased it, He has gone to prepare it — to set it in
order — to la}^ out His skilLupon it. O what a place
Jesus will make, has already made heaven ! The
place should attract us.

Then I thought of the freedom of the place from
the evils of earth. Not only what is in heaven,
should attract us to it, but what is not there. And
what is not there ? There is no nigf/d there. Who
does not want to go where no night is ? No night,
no natural night — none of its darkness, its damps,
its dreariness ; and no moral night — no ignorance —
no error — no misery — no sin. These all belong to
the night : and there is no ni^rht in heaven. And
why no night there ? What shines there so per-
petually ? It is not any natural luminary. It is a
moral radiance that lights up heaven. ' The glory
of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light
thereof.' No need have they there of other light.
This shines everywhere, and on all. All light is
sweet, but no light is like this.

And not only no night there, but ' no more ciirseJ
Christ redeemed them from the curse of the law,
beinfy made a curse for them. And ' no more death.''
The last enemy is overcome at last. Each, as he
enters the place, shouts victoriously, ' O death, O
grave ! ' ' Neither sori'ow.' It is Jiere. O yes it is
here — around, within. We hear it ; w^e see it ; and
at length we feel it. But it is not there. 'Nor
crying^ — no expression of grief. 'Neither shall

542 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

there be any more pain; for the former things are
passed away.' And what becomes of tears 9 Are
they left to dry up ? Nay, God ivipes them away.
And this is a sure sign they will never return. —
What shall cause weeping when He wipes away
tears ?

I have not said that there is no sin in heaven. I
have not thought that necessary. If sin was there,
niofht would be there, and the curse and death and
all the other evils — the train of sin. These are not
there ; therefore sin is not. No, * we shall be like
Him ; for we shall see Him as He is.'

What is there, then, since these are not ? Day is
there ; and there is the blessing that maketh rich ;
and there is life, immortality ; and since no sorrow,
joy — 'fullness of joy — joy unspeakable,' and smiles
where tears were : and there they rest^ not from
their labors only, but from cares and doubts and
fears. And glory i^ there, an ' exceeding and eternal
weight.'

Then I thought of the society. It is composed of
the elite of the universe. The various orders of
angels who kept their first estate — as humble as they
are high — not ashamed of men. Why should they
be, when the Lord of angels is not ashamed to call
us brethren ? The excellent of the earth also — all the
choice spirits of every age and nation; the first man;
the first martyr; the translated patriarch; the survivor
of the deluge; the friend of God, and his juniors, Isaac
and Israel ; Moses the lawgiver, and Joshua the
leader of the host ; the pious kings ; the prophets j

WILLIAM KEVINS. 543

the evangelists and apostles, Paul, John ; the mar-
tyrs ; the reformers ; the Puritan fathers ; the mis-
sionaries SAvartz, Brainercl, Martyn — Carey and Mor-
rison have just gone up ; and the young brothers
who ascended from Sumatra — and another connected
with missions, Wisner, has been suddenly sent for to
heaven.

Is that all ? Where is he who used to lisp, ' fa-
ther, mother ' — thy child ? Passing out of your
hands, passed he not into those of Jesus ? Yes, you
suffered him. If any other than Jesus had said,
' Suffer them to come to me,' you would have said.
No. Death does not quench those recently struck
sparks of intelligence. Jesus is not going to lose
one of those little brilliants. All shall be in His
crown.

Perhaps thou hast a brother or a sister there ; that
should draw you towards heaven. Perhaps a mother
— she whose eye wept while it watched over thee,
until at length it grew dim, and closed. Took she
not in her cold hand thine, while yet her heart was
warm, and said she not, ' I am going to Jesus. Fol-
low me there ? ' Perhaps one nearer, dearer than
child, than brother, than mother — the nearest, dearest
is there. Shall I say who ? Christian female, thy
husband. Christian father, the young mother of thy
babes. He is not — she is not ; for God took them.
Has heaven no attractions ?

Heaven is gaining in attractions every day. True,
the principal attractions continue the same. But the
lesser ones multiply. Some . have attractions there

544 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

now, which they had not but a few months ago. —
Earth is losing. How fast it has been losing of late.
But earth's losses are heaven's gains. They who
have left so many dwelling-places of earth desolate,
have o-one to their Father's house in heaven. What
if they shall not return to us, we shall go to them.
That is better.

But the principal attractions I have not yet men-
tioned. There is our Father, our heavenly Father,
whom we have so often addressed as such in prayer :
He that nourished and brought us up, and has borne
us on; He that has watched over us with an eye that
never sleeps, and provided for us with a hand that
never tires ; and who can pity too. We have never
seen our Heavenly Father. But there He reveals Hmi-
sclf There He smiles; and the nations of the saved
walk in the lisrht of His countenance.

And there is He, to depart and be with whom
Paul desired, as being ' far better' than to live.
Tlicre is His glorified humanity. If not having seen,
\vc love Him ; and in Him, though now wx see Him
not, yet believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable
and full of glory, what will be the love and the joy
Avhen ' we shall see Him as He is V There is He.

Heaven lias attractions, many and strong — and yet
Avho would think it ? How few feel and obey the
heavenly attraction ! Hoav much more powerfully
earth acts upon us! How unwilling we are to leave
it even for heaven.

william nevins. 545

The Saint Near to Heaven.

THERE shall be but a step between him and it.
Some are as near as all that to heaven. It is
not a day's journey there. It is but to take a step,
and, follower of Jesus, thou art where no night is,
and no sound of moaning is heard, and every tear is
wiped away. So near to heaven! How frequent
then and fond should be your thoughts of it. All
so near ! Then ' what manner of persons ought we
to be in all holy conversation and godliness!' How
carefully and circumspectly ought they to W' alk w^hose
path lies along such a brink !

And since the end of all our opportunities is as
near as death, whatever our minds meditate, or our
hands find to do, for our own souls, for the good of
others, or for the glory of God, let us do it with our
mischt.

Christ's Love and that of the Christian.

OHOW different Christ's love to us, from ours to
Him! We have not to ask Him if He loves us.
If any one should ever ask that question of Jesus,
He would say, ' Behold my hands and my feet.' He
bears on His very body the marks of His love to us.
But what have we to point to as proofs of our love
to Him? What has it done for Him; what suffered?
O, the contrast! His love so strong, ours so wxak;
His so ardent, ours so cold; His so constant, ours so
fickle; His so active, ours so indolent. So fngh, so
deep, so long, so broad His love, its dimensions can-

546 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

not be comprehended, it passeth knowledge; while
ours is so limited and so minute, it eludes research.

'■ Dear Lord, and shall we ever live
At this poor dying rate ;
Our love so faint, so cold to Thee,
And Thine to us so great?'

Sympathy of Cheist for the Believee.

O THINK that He, in all thy sorrows, pities thee.
Yes, thy God feels for thee. Thy sufferings
go to His heart. There is One in heaven who, from
that exaltation, looks down upon thee; and the eye
that watches over you wept for you once, and would,
if it had tears, weep for you again. He knoweth
your frame. He remembereth that you are dust.
He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the
smoking flax. It was He who, when His disciples
had nothing to say for themselves, made that kind
apology for them, ' The spirit is willing but the
flesh is weak.' He can be touched with the feeling
of all your infirmities. You may cast all your cares
on Him, for He careth for you. All through this
vale of tears, you may rest assured of His sympathy,
and Av^hen the vale of tears declines into the vallev
of the shadow of death, not His sympathy only will
you have, but His inspiriting presence and His timely
succor. And after that, what will not his bounty be
whose pity has been so great? When there is no
longer any occasion for pity — when misery is no
more, and sighing has ceased, and God's hand has
for the last time passed across your weeping eyes,
and wiped away the final tear, what then will be the
riches of His munificence?

WILLIAM JAY.
1769-1853.

The Bible.

OYE and study the Scriptures. He
that avoids reading a j)ortion of them
daily, forsakes his own mercy ; and is so
far regardless of his safety, welfare, and
comfort. Therefore 'bind them contin-
ually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy
neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when
thou sleej)est, it shall keep thee ; and when thou
awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the command-
ment is a lamp ; and the law is light ; and reproofs
of instruction are the way of life.'

Precious Bible! like thy blessed Author, our
sun and our shield, thou giver of grace and glory,
thou conductor through all this gloomy vale to our
everlasting home, how many advantages have we
already derived from thee ! Thou hast often solved
our doubts, and wiped away our tears. Thou hast
been sweeter to our taste than honey and the honey-
comb. Thou hast been better to us, in our dis-
tresses, than thousands of gold and silver. Unless
thou hadst been our dehght, we should have per-
ished in our affliction.

548 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

No wonder Job 'esteemed thee more than his
necessary food.' No wonder David chose thee as
his heritage forever, and found thee to be the rejoic-
ing of his heart. No wonder the noble army of
martyrs parted with their estates and with their
blood, rather than with thee. May we value thee
as our richest jewel; may we love thee as our dear-
est good; may we consult thee as our surest coun-
sel! oi*; may we follow thee as our safest rule 1

Death of Christian Friends.

LET us remember that when no longer visible to
us, they are not lost. They have reached their
Father's house. They are disposed of infinitely to
their advantaire. And this should subdue the selfish-
ness of our grief If we love them, we ought to
rejoice in their promotion.

We have no distinct assurance that they are ac-
quainted with our circumstances, or can employ
themselves for our welfare — ^^^et for us they languish,
and for us they die. We may improve their removal;
it should draw us away from earth, and attach us the
more to heaven. And thus their going away will be
for our welfare. When we lose the lives of our
friends, we should be careful not to lose their deaths
too.

They will not come to receive us to themselves;
but they will welcome us when we enter their ever-
lasting habitations. The separation is temporary.
A time of re-union will come. We shall see their
faces, and hear their voices again in the flesh. O

WILLIAM JAY. 549

cheerful consolation ! how suitable, and how sure !
' I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow
not, even as others which have no hope, For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them
also w^hich sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord,
that we which are alive and remain unto the comins:
of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall
rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them in the clouds, to
meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be
with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with
these words.'

On Pkayer.
T3RAYER is the breathing of the desire towards
JL God. Words are not essential to the perform-
ance of it. As words may be used without prayer,
so prayer may be used without words; He that search-
eth the heart ' knoweth what is the mind of the
Spirit;' and when we cannot command language like
some of our fellow-christians, it is well to be able to
say, ' Lord, all my desire is before Thee, and my
groaning is not hid from Thee.'

The expediency, the necessity of prayer, results
from our indigent and dependent state. We have
enemies to overcome — and liow are wo to conquer

550 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

them? we have trials to endure — and how are we to
bear them? We have duties to accomplish — and
how are we to perform them? We need mercy and
grace to help us — and how are we to obtain them?
God has determined and revealed the method in
which He will communicate the blessings He has prom-
ised. ' For all these things will I be enquired of by
the house of Israel. Draw nigh to God, and He will
draw nigh to you. Ask, and it shall be given to you;
seek, and ye shall find.' And, as He is a Sovereign,
and under no obligation to favor us at all, He has
surely a right to appoint the way in w^hich He will
be gracious; but, in this appointment. His wisdom
appears as conspicuous as His sovereignty; and His
goodness as clearly as His wisdom. Nothing can be
so beneficial to us as prayer is, not only by the relief
it obtains, but by the influence it exerts; not only by
its answers, but by its energy. Beyond every thing
else that is instrumental in religion, it improves our
characters, it strengthens our graces, it softens and
refines our tempers, it contributes to our spirituality,
and promotes our holiness. The more we have to
do with God, the more we shall resemble Him. ' It
is therefore good for us to draw near to Him.'

A Fajviily Peayer for the Morning.

OLORD I Thou art good, and Thou doest good.
Thou hast revealed Thyself as nigh unto all
that call upon Thee — to all that call upon Thee in
truth. May we who now address Thee be found
the heirs of this promise; nor suffer us to incur the

WILLIAM JAY. 551

reproach of drawing near to Thee with the mouth,
and honoring Thee with our lips, while our hearts
are far from Thee. Unite our hearts to fear Thy
name; and grant that we may worship Thee in the
Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no con-
fidence in the flesh. We remember that we are sin-
ners, and acknowledge the multitude and aggrava-
tions of our ofiences. Conscious not only of the
reality, but the greatness of our guilt, w^e could
indulge no hope, hadst not Thou exhibited Thine
infinite benevolence, and revealed a Mediator, in
whom Thou art reconciling the world unto Thyself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them.

Thou hast not left Thyself without witness, in that
Thou hast been doing us good, and giving us rain
from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts
with food and gladness. But herein is love; not
that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent
His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Blessed
be Thy name, we have all the certainty we could
desire, that with Thee there is mercy. That mercy
the publican sought, and — found : that mercy — has
never disappointed any that trusted in it : that mercy
— at this very moment cries to us. Ask and it shall
be given you^ seek and ye shall find. O Lord, we
avail ourselves of Thine invitation, and plead Thy
promise ! According to the multitude of Thy ten-
der mercies blot out our transgressions. Create in us
also a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within us.

We hope we arc convinced that while many things
are desirable and some useful, one thing is needful;

552 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

and that instead of the inquiry, What shall I eat,
and what shall I drink, and wherewithal shall I be
clothed? the supreme anxiousness of our soul is,
What must I do to be saved ? O visit us with Thy
salvation, in the illumination of the mind, and the
sanctification of the life; in all the comforts of the
Holy Ghost, and in all the fruits of the Spirit. May
we willingly obey all Thy commands, and cheerfully
submit to all Thy appointments. In the annihilation
of self-will, and in the temper of implicit devote d-
ness, may we as to every duty say: Lord, what wilt
Thou have me to do ? And as to every event: Here
I am, let Him do what seemeth Him good. Grant
us piety and wisdom to accommodate ourselves to
the allotments of life; and enable us to maintain a
Christian temper and behavior in all the changing
scenes of providence, that all things may work to-
gether, if not for our gratification, yet for our good.

May we disengage ourselves from the present evil
Avorld, and be received and acknowledged as the sons
and daughters of the Lord Almighty. May the
righteous be our attraction and delight; and though
few in number, and despised by the foolish and
wicked, may we go with them, because God is with
them; and, like Moses, may we choose rather to
suffer affliction with the people of God than enjoy
the pleasures of sin for a season.

May we w^alk by faith, and not by sight. May
we weigh both worlds, and may the future and the
eternal preponderate. May this be our growing
experience as well as profession — As for me, I will

WILLIA.^i JAY. 553

behold Thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied
when I awake with Thy likeness.

By Thy mercies we renew this morning the conse-
cration of ourselves to Thy service. Go forth with
us into the concerns of the day. Keep us in all our
ways. Innumerable are our dangers; but the great-
est of all is sin. Uphold our goings therefore in
Thy word, and let no iniquity have dominion over
us. May we abstain from all appearance of evil :
and the very God of peace sanctify us wholly : and
may our whole spirit, and soul, and body be pre-
served blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ.

And to God only wise, the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost, be ascribed all honor and praise for
ever and ever. Amen.

A Family Praier for the Evening.

OGOD ! Thy greatness is unsearchable. Thy
name is most excellent in all the earth. Thou
hast set Thy glory above the heavens. Thousands
minister unto Thee, and ten thousand times ten thou-
sand stand before Thee. We feel ourselves in Thine
awful presence to be nothing, less than nothing, and
vanity : nor do Ave presume to approach Thee because
we are deserving of Thy notice — for we have sinned —
we have incurred Thy righteous displeasure — we
acknowledge that Thou art justified when Thou
speakest, and clear when Thou judgest.

But our necessities compel us; and Thy promises
encourao'c us. Thou art nioh unto them that are of

24 "

554 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

a broken heart, and savest such as be of a contrite
spirit. Thou hast provided and revealed a Mediator,
who has not only obeyed, but magnified the law and
made it honorable; and Thou hast made us accepted
in the Beloved. And we behold an innumerable
multitude returning from Thy throne successful,
rejoicing and encouraging us to go forward. They
were not, though all guilt and indigence, refused
nor upbraided; but freely obtained pardon and holi-
ness and righteousness and strength, and w^ere blessed
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ.

O look Thou upon us, and be merciful unto us, as
Thou usest to do unto those that love Thy name !
Convince us of sin both in its penalty and in its pol-
lution; and may we mourn over it with a godly sor-
row. Give us that faith by which we shall be ena-
bled to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; and, believ-
ing, may we have life through His name.

And may we not only have life, but have it more
abundantly. We often question the reality of our
grace; but the imperfections of our religion are too
obvious not to be acknowledijed, and too ao^o;ravated
not to be deplored. Our souls cleave unto the dust;
quicken Thou us according to Thy word. Strengthen
in us the things that are ready to die. May we not
only live in the Spirit, but walk in the Spirit. By
holy resemblances, may we put on the Lord Jesus
Christ. May the same mind be in us which was also
in Him; and may we feel it to be our dignity and
dcli<yht to o^o about doins: <>:oocl.

"SVILLTAJM JAY. 555

And as He suffered for us, leaving us an example
that we should tread in His steps, may we learn to
suffer like Him. When reviled, may we revile not
again, but commit ourselves to Him that judgeth
righteously. Whoever may be the instrument of
our grief, may we never lose sight of an over-ruling
agency in preparing and presenting it; but be able
to say, The cup which my Father giveth me shall I
not drink it ? In patience ma}^ we possess our souls.
May we be calm to inquire, wherefore Thou contend-
est with us. Let not weeping hinder sowing; nor
sorrow, dut}^

We live in a world of changes, and have here no
continuing city — may we seek one to come; and have
our minds kept in perfect peace, being stayed upon
God. Be with us to the end of our journey; and
after honoring Thee by the life we have lived, may
we glorify Thee by the death we shall die. When
heart and flesh fiiil, be Thou the strength of our
heart and our portion for ever; at death may we fall
asleep in Jesus; and in the morning of the resurrec-
tion, may He change our vile body, that it may be
fashioned like His own glorious body; and so may we
be for ever with the Lord.

Who can understand his errors ? Forgive, O God,
the sins of the past day, in thought, word, and deed,
against Thy divine Majesty. We ])lcss Thee for our
preservation in our going out and our coming in, and
in all our ways : and avc bless Thee for all the sup-
plies and indulgences which Thy good providence
has afforded us.

556 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

And now, O Thou keeper of Israel, wo commil
our souls and our bodies to Thy all-sufficient care.
Suffer no evil to befall our persons, and no plague to
come nigh our dwelling. May our sleep be sweet;
or if Thou boldest our eyes waking, may w^e remem-
ber Thee upon our bed, and meditate on Thee in the
night-watches.

And with the innumerable company who never
slumber nor sleep, and wdio rest not day and night,
we would join in ascribing blessing and honor and
glory and power unto Him that sitteth upon the throne
and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Family Pkayer for Sabbath Morning.

OCOME, let us worship and fall down; let us
kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is
our God, and we are the people of His pasture and
the sheep of His hand.

Yes, O Lord, we are Thine; and Thee ,we are
bound to serve. We grieve to think how many of
our fellow-creatures live without Thee in the world;
and confess, with shame, that other lords have had
dominion over us; but henceforth by Thee only will
we make mention of Thy name. We hope Thou
hast subdued the insensibility and indifference to-
wards Thyself, so awfully natural to us; and awak-
ened in us the inquiry: Where is God, my Maker,
that giveth songs in the night ? We hope we are
disposed to acknowledge Thee in all our Avays; but
we feel our need of the exercises of devotion. We
trust we hold communion with Thee every day; but

WILLIAM JAY. 557

we find Aveek-days to be worldly days; and our
allowed intercourse w^ith secular concerns tends to
reduce our heavenly impressions, and to make us
forgetful of our work, and our rest. We therefore
bless Thee for the return of a day sacred to our souls
and eternity; a time of refreshing from the presence
of the Lord; in which, by waiting upon Thee, our
hearts are enlarged, and our strength is renewed; so
that we can mount up with wings as eagles, run and
not be weary, and walk and not faint.

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we
will rejoice and be glad in it. O let our minds be
withdrawn from the world, as well as our bodies.
Let our retirement be devout. Let our meditation
be sweet. Let our conversation be edifying. Let
our reading be pious. Let our hearing be profitable
— and on Thee may we Avait all the day !

Afford us the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
None can need Thy succors more than we. Thou
knowest our infirmities; let Thy strength be made
perfect in our w^eakness. Our duties are far above
our own power — let Th}^ grace be suflicient for us.
Our dangers are numberless, and we are utterly una-
ble to keep ourselves from foiling; hold Thou us up,
and w^e shall be safe. The burdens we feel w^ould press
our lives down to the ground : lay underneath us Thine
everlasting arms. Fears alarm us; cares corrode us;
losses impoverish us; our very affections are the
sources of our afilictions; surely, man walketh in a
vain show; surely, we are disquieted in vain — all,
all is vanity and vexation of spirit; while in the

558 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

world we have tribulation, in Thee may we have
peace; and in the multitude of our thoughts within
us, may Thy comforts delight our souls !

Yet, O Lord, we Avould remember, that gratitude
becomes us much more than complaint. Our afflic-
tions have been light compared with our guilt; and
few compared with the sufferings of others. They
have all been attended with numberless alleviations;
they have all been needful; all founded in a regard
to our welfare; all designed to work together for
our good. We bless Thee for what is past; and
trust Thee for what is future; and cast all our care
upon Thee, knowing that Thou carest for us.

Thou hast commanded us to pray for all men, that
we may be bound by our very devotions, as we have
opportunity, to do good unto all men, especially
unto them that are of the household of faith. May
we always cherish and display benevolent disposi-
tions toward our dependents; forgiving dispositions
towards our enemies; peaceable dispositions towards
our neighbors; and candid dispositions towards our
fellow-christians. May we be able to say with our
Lord and Saviour, W7iosoever shall do the will of
my Father that is in heaven, the same is my brother,
and sister, and mother; and pray with Paul, Grace
l)e with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in
sincerity !

May the goings of our God and King be seen this
day in every Christian sanctuary. Go Avith us to Thy
house, and give testimony to the word of Thy grace.
May it have free course, and be glorified in the hearts

WILLIAM JAY. 559

and lives of those that shall hear it. May it en-
lighten the ignorant; awaken the careless; reclaim
the wandering; establish the weak; comfort the
feeble-minded; and make ready a people prepared
for the Lord !

Remember those who are this day denied our
advantages. Be a little sanctuary to them in the
midst of their privations; and let them know that
Thou art not confined to temples made with hands.
And O forget not those who never enjoyed our privi-
leges; never smiled when a Sabbath appeared; never
heard of the name of a Saviour — and let Thy way
be known on earth, Thy saving health among all
nations ! Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed
be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day
our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as
we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead
us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil : for
Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

A Family Peayer for Sabbath Evening.

IT is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord,
and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most
High; to show forth Thy loving-kindness in the
morning, and Thy faithfulness every night.

We have this evening to acknowledge the bless-
ings, not only of another day, but of another Sab-
bath. We bless Thee that the Sabbath Avas made
for man, and that Thou hast hallowed such a portion

560 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

of our time, for purposes the most importaut, but
which, ahis ! we are prone to neglect. Thus Thou
art aifordlng us opportunities to retire, and compare
the objects which court our attention; to learn,
among all the cares of life, that one thing is need-
ful; and to hear the inquiry — 'What is a nian pro-
fited, if he should gain the whole world and lose his
own soul ?' Thus we have moments of abstraction
and leisure in which we can more fully investigate
our character, examine our condition, and ask for
Avhat purpose we entered this mortal stage, and what
will become of us when the scene closes.

We thank Thee that the lines are fallen to us in
pleasant places, and that we have a goodly heritage;
so that we can add to private meditation and devo-
tion the public ordinances of religion, and can sit
under our own vine and fig-tree, none daring to make
us afraid. We bless Thee that we have not only the
Scriptures, but the ministry of the gospel; and have
this day not only read, but heard the words of eter-
.nal life. We hope we have seen Thy pow^er and
Thy glory in the sanctuary, and have found the house
of God to be the gate of heaven.

But, O God, the eflects we experience while wait-
ing upon Thee, though delightful, are as often transi-
tory, and prove like the morning cloud and early
dew. Before the lapse of a single day we are com-
pelled to complain. My soul cleaveth unto the dust;
and to pray, Quicken Thou me according to Thy
word. Render therefore the impressions made upon
us deep and durable; keep these things forever in

AVILLIAM JAY. 561

the imagintitioii of the hearts of Thy people; and
let Thy word dwell in us richly in all icisdom.

May the instructions we receive attend us in every
part of our ordinary life, and regulate and excite us
in the discharge of all our relative duties, so that
whether we are husbands or wives, parents or chil-
dren, masters or servants, we may adorn the doctrine
of God our Saviour in all things. May we be satis-
fied with no knowledge, no belief, no professions, no
feelings in religion, while our hearts are void of
Thy love, and we are strangers to that grace which
bringeth salvation, and teacheth us to deny ungodli-
ness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, right-
eously, and godly in the present world.
* We take shame to ourselves, not only for our open
violations of Thy law, but for our secret faults, our
omissions of duty, our unprofitable attendances on
the means of grace, our carnality in worshiping
Thee, and all the sins of our holy things. Our ini-
quities are increased over our head, and our trespass
is gone up into the very heavens, and there He is
gone also, who is our advocate with the Father and
the propitiation for our sins. Behold His hands and His
feet; and hear, O hear the voice of the blood of sprink-
ling that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Pity those who have this day been deprived of
the public means of grace by sickness or infirmity.
Let them know that Thou art not confined to tem-
ples made with hands; be with them in trouble; and
give them their vineyards from thence, and the val-
ley of Achor for a door of hope.

562 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS.

And remember the millions who were never
favored with the advantages we enjoy, and would
be o-rateful for the crumbs that Ml from our table.
But they never smiled when a Sabbath appeared ;
they never heard of the name of Jesus; they feel
o-uilt, but know nothino; of the blood that cleaiiseth
from all sin; they feel depravity, but know nothing
of the renewing of the Holy Ghost; they are bleed-
ing to death of their spiritual wounds, but no one
proclaims among them the balm of Gilead and the
Physician there ! O send out Thy light and Thy
truth ! Let Thy way be known on earth, Thy sav-
ins: health amono; all nations.

We now commit ourselves with all our connections
into Thy hands. Guard us through the defenceless
hours of sleep from every evil to which we are ex-
posed. If, as life is always uncertain, it should please
Thee to call us hence this night, may we awake in
glory and be for ever with the Lord; or if Thou
shouldst continue us in being, ma}^ we rise in health
and comfort, to pay Thee the homage of a grateful
heart in a course of cheerful obedience.

In Thy favor is life — Do 27iou bless us, and we
shall be blessed — safe from every evil, and assured
of every good.

And prepare us, at length, for the rest that remains
for Thy people; in wdiich we shall join the general
assembly and church of the first-born, in ascribing
l)lessing and honor, and glory and power to Him
that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb, for
ever and ever. Amen.

INDEX OF SUBJECTS.

Advice to the afflicted page 405

Affections, on religious 411

Afflictions 463

" advantages of 486

" blessed fruits of 463

' ' consolation in 302

Assurance 247, 458

Backsliding, recovery from 203

Believer's possessions, the 388

Believer, happy state of the 457

" the, safe --459

Bible, the 359, 347

Blessed, no pain among the 380

Blessings to which the Saviour in-
vites us 481

Bliss, perpetuity of 213

Blood of Christ, redemption

through the 514

Blood of the cross, efficiency of - - 225

Celestial city, the 59

' ' glory, visions of 192

Choose Christ 519

Christ, beholding of, a transform-
ing sight 89

" beholding the glory of 199

•• communion with 133

" crucified- 496

" crucified, faith's view of - - 461

«' coming to God by 282

" devotion to 456

" filled with Spirit 267

" vision and enjoyment of - - 437

fullness of 198

" glory of, at the last day - - - 135

" grace of 280

" giving glory to 283

'* is ours 530

" imitation of 300

" incarnation of 305

" love to, as our advocate- - - 262

" made sin for us 281

•' meditations on the glory of 251

" our acceptance in 272

" our advocate 254

" prayer to, in seasons of dis-
tress 189

♦• precious in His instruc-
tions 453

Christ presenting the memorials

of His death -- 257

" resurrection of 295,307

" second coming of 158, 428

" sympathy of, for the be-

Uever 546

" the beheving soul's ad-
dress to--- 439

" the believer's joy at the

revelation of - 134

" the heavy laden invited to 441

" the light of the Christian- - 140

the love of - 483

" the only foundation- 449

" the preciousness of 448

thestudyof 228

" ^\'ithout an interest in 482

Chi-ist's blood, virtue of 507

" intercession 282

" intercession, comfort in - - 283

" intercession, efficacy of - - 261
" intercession, perpetuity of 259

" invitations 413

" love, and the Christian's - 545
" love, as manifested in His

death 271

" love, constancy of 248

" love manifested from the

cross 235

" presence with believers at

death 443

Christian's trials, end of the 350

joys - 328

Christian hope 317

- " ministry, importance of 508

Church fellowship 284

Come to Christ 522

" to the Saviour now 511

Comfort in distress 90

" in the death of pious

friends 333

" against death 276

Communion of believers in heav-
enly worship - 190

" table, thoughts at the 44

•' table, thoughts after

the 47

Consolation 121

for the afflicted 487

Covert fi'om the tempest 197

5^4:

INDEX.

Death and heaven 211

" but a sleep 51

" comfort in the hour of 100

" fear of, removed 530

" hope of the righteous in - - - 451

•' meditation on 32

•' of pious friends 212

" of a pious youth 385

" of Christian friends 548

" of Christian relations 385

" spiritual desire of 138

" the Christian's vtctory over 477

" the Christian in his 55

" the night of 63

" the soul's triumph over 360

" to the beUever 404

« to the child of God 515

" wiU come 523

Devotion for the evening, a model

of 408

" the Christian in his 54

Devout meditation 398

Divine Being, excellency of 445

" care - 230

" guidance - 463

" knowledge 361

" love 83

" mercy, the ocean of 245

" promises -- 506

Do this in remembrance of me - - - 46

Earth and heaven 530

Earthly and heavenly joys 294

" enjoyments, inconstancy of 329

Ejaculations, pious 359

Eternal glory -- 136

" happiness 291

Eternity 59, 455

End of time 380

Faith, the eye of 506

language and power of 156

life of 495

life by 177

steadfastness in the 135

triumphant in death 198

walking by 426

Fly to the mercy seat - - - 372

Forgiveness of sins final 516

Glorified Redeemer, the 263

Glory of Christ, manifestation of

the 251

God, a life of communion with- - - 360

" aU-sufficiency of 390

" awake to 373

" behold as really present 42

" contemplation of 178

" grace of 237

" infinite compassion of 268

" infinite goodness of 181

" love of 1G4, 265

" love in the gift of His Son - - 446

' ' manifested in the flesh 70

*' om'aiprescnce of 52G

God, our access to 265

" our i^ortion 98

" our refuge 96

" pleasures of communion with 355

" restin-- 66, 233

" thoughts of, in the devout

person -- 43

" the saint's delight in 321

" the saint's love to 412

" sinner invited to return to - - 486

" spared not His Son 271

" walking with ■ 153, 233

" the Word of 163, 195

" visions of, in glory 2'28

God's mercy 123

" unchangeableuess, faith in - 232

Gospel, the - 275

" blessed effects of the 516

" substance of the 264

Grace 86, 285, 442

" and sanctification, the work

of 332

" free 126, 236

" maturity of 249

" opposing sin 331

Great Physician 30C

Happy immortality, hope of a 453

Happiness of the life to come 140

Heaven 539

and earth compared 493

anticipation of the joys of- 312

blessedness of 4' 8

Christ the hght of 494

everlasting joys of 165

foretastes of- 241

in view 492

intercourse with 459

love to saints in - - - 175

mutual joy of Christ and

behevers in 406

no night in - 381

no sorrow in 376

oiir journey towards 423

our home - - 402, 491

on the joys of 337

reunion of good men i-u - - 500

the Christian hidden life in 383

the felicity of 68, 429

the glory of 75

the Sabbath an earnest of- 462

the saint near to 545

Heaven's attractions 540

Heavenly aspirations 185

and earthly things 57

bhss, progressive char-
acter of 497

conversation 209

hope 331

joys 63, 208

rest 3'31, 375

rest, meditation on the- 357

manna, the 66

mindcdness 72

things, excellency of - - - 296

INDEX.

565

Heavenly things, meditating on - - 319

" recognition 73, 173

Hiding place from tlie wind 1 96

Holy breathings 369

" fortitude 370

" Ghost, joy in the 239

" joy and praise, exercise of - - - 356

" Spirit, our guide 87

Home, the happy return 67

" the Christian's 56

Honey from the rock 64

How to die comfortably - - 204

" a minister should preach - - - 502

Human life perishable 520

Humility 58, 314

Hymn before the sacrament 532

ImmortaUty, the desire of 488

" hope of 521

Jesus, safe in - --- 405

Judgment and eternity, prepara-
tion for 504

" day, the saint's happi-
ness at the 447

Lamb of God 505

Life a pilgrimage 81

" everlasting, the 310

•' fountain of .- 227

'• how to live a pleasant 167

" hke a river 529

" the water of 397

" uncertainty of 372

Live with eternity in view 327

Longing soul's reflection, the 243

Jjord, ever with the 214

" praising the 396

Lord's supper 379

Lord's sujjper, institution and ben-
efits of the 436

Lord's supper, meditations and

prayers on the 533, 534, 536, 537, 538
Lord's supper, meditations on the

341, 342, 343

Love of Christ, contemplation of

the 517

Lost and found - - 245

" soul, funeral obsequies of - - - 503

Meditations on the eighth Psalm - 137

Mercy for the vilest --- 48

Message which Jesus brings 475

My Father's house 402

New song in glory 289

Now or never -- 187

On the length of the way 82

Our duty and happiness 518

" Father's house 492

" great High Priest 525

" great Intercessor 399

" our Life 303

" pious departed friends 377

Paradise 77

Pardon of sin 329

' ' for the most guilty 38

" for the most heinous sins- 237

" greatest sinner 418

Pardoning mercy 90

Passing away 480

Penitent on his knees, a 504

Pious friends, loss of 176

Pilgrims, aU are 50

" entering the celestial city 285

Poor in spirit, the 430

Praising God 93

Prayer 52, 129

" advantages of 119

" and praise 91, 435

" and reading the Scriptures 461

" before a journey 113

" blessings of 489

" for one in affliction 338

" for one in trouble 111

" for one in sickness 112

" for gospel blessings, a 401

" for spiritualized affections- 46

" for the penitent - - 186

" in the hour of Aeath 155

" on committing the soul to

Jesus 404

" on, for revivals of religion - 49o

" on 117, 279, 439, 549

" privileges of 431

" the man of 492

" a, for Saturday evening - - 451
" a, for Sabbath morning - - - 556

" a, for Sabbath evening 559

" a, for the morning 550

" a, for the evening 553

" a, for faith and trust in God 349
" a, for God's gracious pres-
ence 351

" a, for increase of grace 350

" a, for siibmission of spirit ■ 364

" a morning 344, 365

" an evening 346, 367

" on going abroad 348

" on preparation for death - - 352

Prayers, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108

109, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148

149, 151, 216, 218, 220, 223, 393

394, 395, 432, 433, 511, 527, 528

" morning, for a family-465, 468

evening-; 109, 110

" for pardon of sins 115, 116

" on receiving the sacra-
ment 114, 115

Reconciliation, God to be praised

in -- 277

Redeemed, joy of the •■ 246

" in glory, the 171

Redemption 53

" near 427

" admiration of angels- 127

" the divine mercy m- - 36

" the covenant of ■-" 266

INDEX.

Reflection of a growing Christian - 244
Iteligiou, friendship founded on - - 501

" in the heart 425

Repenting sinner, the 124

Resignation to the Divine wiil 442

Resurrection, joy at the 383

Righteous eternally secure 340

" flourishing of the 200

" glorified bodies of the - 293
safe 120

" willing to die- 315

Sabbath, a Christian's love for the 524

Sacramental petition 362

Saint's joy 161

Saint's rest .193

Salvation 125

" blessedness of 31

" near 409

" of grace 531

" the pursuit of 502

" to the uttermost 509

Saving grace 200

Saviour, attractions in the 420

" come to the 139

" gratitude to the 510

" in Grethsemane 27

" in His exultation 450

" on the love of the 337

*' received up into glory - - - 71

Saviour's agony 47, 2G9

" ascension and glorifica-
tion 308

" condescension and love- 1S3
" goodness to the believer 484

" patience- - 364

" suff'erings and glories - - 76

Scriptures, the 128

Soldier, the Christian 4P8

Solitude ■- 180

Soul, peace to the : 238

" repose of the 166

" the departing 205

Spiritual decays in the Christian - 202

" desertion 97

Ught - 416

Standfast, Mr., last words of 287

Thanksgiving and praise 169

duty of 298

Trials - 456

True Christian happy 60

" penitence - 48

•' pleasures 207

" rest 131

Unchangeable duration 79

Warfare, the Christian 131

World, crucified to the 187

Date Due

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