it. Whenever we are beaten, or in danger, we fhould flee to Chritt our tower. Nor ought we ever to complain of our restraint, as long as our heart can go out toward God and his ways. Nor fhould we ever wish to be out of this evil world, till God hath no fervice for us in it. Changes of lot, by marriage, advancement, &c. much try the reality of our grace. One fin fhould caufe more grief to us than all our fufferings. Sins die and fall off true Chriftians, as leaves fall off trees in harvest. Christ's fufferings beft reprefent the real weight, and dreadful nature of fin. All our good works fhould be improven to strengthen our faith; and all our bad ones to promote our repentance. God's promiffes are our profpectives; and faith is the only eye that can look through them. It is as abfurd to wish deliverances before God's time, as for women to with untimely births.-Saints fins are like weeds heaped up, in order to rot. True Chriftians are like flint ftones, which keep their fire under water itself. Our graces ought to be exercifed, chiefly in oppofition to our leading corruptions. It is very hard to act faith, when there is no outward encouragements; and as hard to do it when our eyes are filled with them. The more we believe of what Chrift fays, or suffer for his fake, the more we may expect of his Spirit. All exercife of grace ftrengthens itself, and deftroys fin. We ought first to put forth faith in our prayers, and then follow them with faith. We ought to rejoice in what Christ is, and doth for us, rather than in what we are, and do for him. We fhould mightily oppofe fin, when we feel it ftrong, and eagerly mortify it, when it seems to grow weak. We never reprove aright, unless we hate the fin, and pity the finner. And, unlels we relish Chriftian reproof, we love our fin more than our foul. It is dreadful, to be neither careful to do well, nor penitent when we do ill. True Chriftians are often killed, but never hurt. Chrift gives more fweets than balance all his bitters. We are feldom willing to leave the work, till God make it too hot for us. Nor do we ever know the weakness of our: grace, till God's fpirit withdraw from us, and fini and Satan violently affault us. We are apt to be fooneft weary of felf-examination, meditation, and other beft exercifes. Careless hearing or reading makes careless hearts, and careless hearts make curfed lives. We fhould labour to know God, and ourfelves in Christ, and Chrift in ourselves; and to learn to live in the Lord, on the Lord, and by, and, from, and to the Lord; that we may live for ever. with him. Our care ought to be, to wait on God,. to walk with God, work all our works in and for God; and to bring our will in every thing to the will of God and, the worfe we fee others, to be the better ourfelves. Lord, write thefe proverbs in my heart, and copy them out in my life. "YONDER friend featters a lapful of apples, a"mong his reapers: what running: what frivingamong them for a fhare!" O Tree of life, when. thou shakeft thy fruit, when thou castest abroad the apples of thy everlafting bleffings amongst us, how fhould we run and frive to get large fhares thereof! Shall we strive for earthly vanities, and not for. the fruit that is better than gold? Thrice happy, when the kingdom of heaven fuffereth violence, and the violent take it by force, and every man preffeth into it? "HERE the corn is fo thin and fhort, or fo bro"ken down by the beafts, and by the wind or rain, that it can hardly be reaped." But, you judgments of God, you king of terrors, find no difficulty to thruft thruft in your harp fickle, and mow down the nations, fmall or great :-how unpleasant to come into your hands, while I am a dwarf in religion, or troden down by luft and temptation! "WHAT noife do I hear! it is that of the guns "difcharged from yonder castle, to celebrate the “late victory of our troops." How astonishing! Have an army of blafphemers obtained a victory in favour of an abandoned, a perjured people? Lord, how great is thy goodness! how great is thy fovereignty-Rejoice evermore, my foul; rejoice, ye ranfomed, that Jefus triumphed over principalities and powers, making a fhew of them openly on his. erofs; that he hath fubdued the nations; goeth forth conquering and to conquer that he fhall destroy Antechrift, and every other oppofer; gather the kingdoms of this world to himself:-that Christ in me, fhall quickly fubdue and root out cvery luft: that I, with millions, fhall in endless, hofannas, celebrate his nonfuch victories on Calvary, and on the judgment-feat. "YONDER runs a mad dog, with purfùers at his "heels: poor animal, he hath eaten too much car"rion; hath over-reached his ftrength; or been "bitten by his mad fellow." How is my foul maddened by the bite of the enraged old ferpent! by feeding on earthly enjoyments! and by hard labour for very vanity! how often hath my tongue lolled out idle and evil language! how often have I foamed out my own rage and hame how often do I run to and fro in doing mifchief! how I have been ter rified at, and shunned drinking of, or bathing in the water of life! But how ftupendous, have the mercyand patience of God to me been! how ftupendous,. that, to-day, neither God nor man purfue me to my Q3 ruin! ruin! that my madness is not punished with the enraging bite of this mad beaft!" Were this animal "fpared, what mifchief might he quickly do!" One finner deftroyeth much good; like one infected with the plague, he with pleasure spreads the infection unto all around: one generation, from age to age, infects another. Ah! Lord, how many have my finful advice and example already corrupted! O quickly cure me of my madness, that I may infect no more. "HERE the herds and flocks are expofed to * public auction. How many fuch animals were. yearly flain to remove the Hebrews guilt! but not thefe, but Jefus, by one offering of himself, finifhed tranfgreffion and made an end of fin; for euer perfect.. ing them that are fanctified. May his atonement be the endless righteoufnefs, peace, comfort, and feaft of my foul!"Here every thing is fold to the high"eft bidder." But, in Chrift's market, every thing is given to the lowest bidder; to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly. → fit! O happy! thrice happy fale for me, who have nothing of my own but my fin! When I retire into myself, I fee nothing in the universe more vile, more miferable.-But thrice bleffed maxim of Heaven, that it is more blessed to give than to receive! However, let me give myself to the highest bidder:-By his power Jefus made me: by his blood he redeemed me by his bounty he preferves and provides for me; by his grace he bequeathes to me the everlasting fulness of God.-Till Satan and the world can do more for me, let Chrift alone poffefs my heart,—O his infinite lovelinefs and love! He became like us, that he might make us like himself. By his death. fin was expiated, the law fatisfied, the devil conquered, and men are faved. If therefore I would be be a Chriftian, his blood must be my ranfom, his Spirit my inftructor and comforter, his word my rule, and my food, his fupper my feaft, and his fabbath my fair. If I would walk. or work, he must be my frength: If I would ftand, he must be my foundation: If I would be faved, he must be my fanctuary: if I would live, he must live in me: If I would have Christ ALL to me, I muft neither abuse him by selfconceited prefumption, nor refufe him by felf-deftroying defpair! and the more my own finfulness is known and felt, the more will he be prized: if it be bitter, he will be sweet; if it be hell, he will be heaven. -There is no fafety, but in his arms, bosom, and heart;-no comfort but in his living in us on earth, and in our going to him at death: there is no honour like relation to him, no riches like his graces; -no learning like the knowledge of him,-no perfons like his friends and fervants. Let me alway behold and admire his perfon as lovely, love his name as fweet, embrace his doctrines as comfortable, obey his commands as reasonable, and fubmit to his cross as honourable.-Let me with wonder behold, believe, pry into, and furvey his love in its topless height, bottomlefs depth, endlefs length, and unbounded breadth !-Oh! if I but knew my felf and my Saviour! I am poor, but he is rich: I am dead, but he is life: I am fin, but he is righteousness: I am guiltinefs, but he is grace: I am mifery, but he is mercy: I am luft, but he is falvation. He ever lives,-ever loves, ever pities, ever pleads, and ever faves to the uttermoft. "HERE two neighbours have exchanged their "horse: methinks the one hath got a confiderable "advantage." Lord, how often hath my wicked heart attempted to exchange thee, and my immortal foul, for that which is but vanity of vanities! How often |