may be refreshed, and fitted to ferve your fouls in the fervice of God upon the enfuing day. II. Concerning the Duties of the Sabbath. AS to the second thing propofed, What things are requifite in doing the work of the Sabbath, when it is come? This is a large fubject; I fhall reduce all I have to fay upon it to three heads; 1. What is neceffary before the public worship. I... 2. What is neceffary in time of public worship. 25170 3. What is to be done after the public worthip is over. As to the first, take thefe directions; I. When you awake on Sabbath morning, rejoice at the approach of this bleffed day: As the birds chirp and fing at the dawning of the morning's light, fo let believers account the light of this day fweet, as being a day of fignal mercies, a day of communion with God, a day wherein the Spirit's dews fall upon the foul. As "Abraham rejoiced to fee Chrift's day," John viii, 56. fo ought you this morning, faying with the Pfalmift, Pfal. cxviii. 24. "This is the day the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.". II. Let your fouls be breathing forth holy meditations and ejaculations upon your very first awaking: Lift up your hearts in thanksgiving to God for that comfortable rett and fleep he hath vouchfafed to you the night palt: for "it is he that giveth his beloved fleep," and who renews his mercies to us every morning. Likewife give up and dedicate yourselves wholly to God and his fervice this day: And, betwixt your walking and riding, you may have fuch meditations as thefe: "Off I could fay this morning with Ifaiah, chap. xxvi. 9. With my foul have I defired thee in the night, and with my spirit within me will I feek thee early ! Let me this morning awake early from fun to righteoufnefs, 1 Cor. xv. 34. or that in Rom. xiii. 11, 12. It is high time to awake out of fleep. The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let me calt off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light." Or, think on your awaking out of the fleep of death, and rifing out of the grave at the found of the laft trumpet, what a folemn wakening that will be: Or, think of God's goodness to thee, that thou awakeft in life, health and fafety this morning; fay, "What a mercy is it, that God has kept my houfe from firing, and falling on my head! that he hath chained up fatan my enemy, that he could neither hurt nor fight me in a visible manner! Many have lien down this night without sleep, and been full of toffings to the dawning of the day; but, bleffed be God, I Irave laid me down in peace, I have flept and waked again, and my fleep hath been refreshing. How would I value this mercy, if I were in fickness, and could not get fleep! Many have lien down and flept, but never waked again in this world; their firft waking has been in eternity; and O! how fad, if it be in the flimes of hell! But, O what fhall I render to the Lord, that I wake again in the land of prayer, and of hope; and upon a Lord's day morning, wherein I hope to hear again the joyful found, and fee his power and glory in the fanuary ?? If it is a furmer morning, when the fun may be up and shining when thou awakeft, then think, Chrift the light of the world rofe early this morning from the dark grave, wherein he lay buried for my fake. "The Sun of righteoufnefs was up this day before the natural fun." Or think, This is the day wherein God faid, "Let there be light, and it was fo." Is the light fo fweet, and is it fo pleafant a thing for the eyes to behold the fun? O how much more to fee Chrift the bright Morning-ftar this day by the eye of faith, to fee the Sun of righteoufnefs fhining in the firmament of gofpel-ordinances! Let me rife and prepare for this fight; O that my eyes may be cleared, and the mote taken out of the eye of faith, that I may this day fee him, in comparifon of whom the fun is but a dark clod of earth! O my foul, rife from the earth this day, get the moon under thy feet, and clothe thyfelf with the Sun; draw nigh to God in Chrift, and fet thy affections on things above; thou art capable of communion with God, do not debafe thyfelf in raking always in the dung-hill of this world, in licking the duft with the ferpent, er feeding on hufks with the fwine, as if thou hadft no higher end to ferve than the world. Why wilt thou thou ly among the pots, and wallow in the puddle, when crystal streams are so near?" Or think, "How happy are the angels, who are exempted from the neceffity of fleep! They never relt, nor weary of God's work, but "praife hin day and night." Behold, the fun never wearies to ferve his Creator: How many thousand miles has the fan travelled fince the last night I went to reft, that he might bring the light of a new Lord's day to me, a poor uadeferving creature! And, fhall not I rife with cheerfulness to celebrate this day, and ferve my God and Saviour upon it? It is a mercy the natural fun is risen ; but a far greater that the "Sun of righteoufuefs” is up, and hath afcended to his meridian, that he may the better diffuse the influences of light and heat upon poor cold and blind fouls, fuch as I am: I will get up this day, and ly in his way as he paffeth by, and cry with the blind man, Son of David, have mercy upon me.” Lafly, The morning fun may mind thee of the danger of fecure Chriftiefs fouls. The fun thone bright on Sodom that morning it was deftroyed: Little did they think that fair morning, that the clouds would gather on a sudden, and drop fire on their heads; neither knowest thou, O Chriftlefs finner, what a storm of wrath may fall on thee before night: Wherefore flee prefently out of the Sodom of a natural ftate, to the Zoar of Chrift's righteoufnefs. Yet III. Rife full as early this day as on other days, and be as foon at God's work this day, as you are at your own work on other days: God is the belt Malter, his work the fweeteft, and his wages the greatest. alas! there are many who ly long on the morning of the Lord's day, they are loth to rife and fall to God's work; when they rife, they have no time for fecret and family duties before the public-worthip: So that they are either flightly performed, or wholly neglected. foolish finner! doft thou think thy worldly bufinefs more worthy of thy early rifing, than thy fpiritual employment? Or, wilt thou fhe greater regard to thy worthlefs body, than to thy gracious God, and thy pre cious foul? You owe thanks to God, that you have had the the bypast week for your own affairs, and that now your have the profpect of another for them, and that God lets you fee the first day of it; but O confider, that your Creator and Redeemer puts in for fome time with you All your time is not your own, neither is it in your own hands? God alone is the Author and Dife pafer of it. Well then, now is the time, this is the day y that be requires: O let him have it wholly, feeing he gives you fix times as much for yourselves. And grudge him not the morning of his own d y. Remember that promife, Prov. viii. 17. They that feek me early fhall find me." In the morning the fpirits are, most fresh and lively, and fitteft for contemplations and prayer. We are told, Exod. xvi. 13. that in the morning them dew and manna fell: Wouldst thou have the dew of i a bleffing to fall on thy foul, and to make thee as a watered garden? then rife early to wait for it. This was the practice of the faints; Job rofe early and of-or fered his facrifices, Job. i. 5. David prevented the dawning of the morning with his prayers, Pfal. cxix.23 147. Chrift rofe early this day before the fun. I Andro for what end did he rife? Even to juftify and fave his i people. O believers, did your Saviour rife early this morning to juftify you, and will you not rife early this day to glorify him? This is the great defign of the Sabbath. And the xcii. pfalm, which is intituled, A fong for the Sabbath-day, faith," It is good to fhewle forth God's loving kindness in the morning." Timeoufnefs at God's work on this day, or diligence innity will not prove prejudicial to health; for, fince God hath pronounced a fpecial bleffing upon the Sabbath, you have ground to expect that lefs fleep, food and refreihe ment, than at other times, will be bleffed for your fup port in his work, and that you shall live in the doing thereof. IV. When you are up, haften to put on your clothes, and spend as little time this day in dreffing yourself as poffible, that you may have time for fecret duties, and retired converse with God. But, fince the body muft. be clothed this day, let your thoughts be well employed in the time you are doing it: Think on fin, that was the the cause of your foul's nakedness, and of your body's need of apparel. Remember from whom you have your clothes, to cover, keep warm, and adorn your bodies, even from God, it is his wool and his flax; there fore give thanks to him for your raiment, as well as your food. And though your clothes be not fo fine as you would with, yet mind, that "thefe of whom the world was not worthy, wandered about in theeps skins and goats fkins :" And, if you be not fo outwardly fplendid as others, feek that decking which will "make" you all glorious within.” When others are following vain fashions, feek ye to be" covered with the robes of Chrift's righteoufnefs." And, fince you are this day to make a folemn appearance before God your heavenly Father, you must be fure, like Jacob, to come in the garments of your elder Brother, otherwife you cannot expect your Father's bleffing. Put no confidence in your own righteoufnefs; for it is no better than rags," or a garment full of holes, the leaft whereof is fufficient to let in the curfe of God upon you. Therefore " put on the Lord Jefus," if you would this day appear be fore God, and be accepted of him. Take care allo, that your bodies this day be gravely and decently apparelled, and beware of pride and vanity this way, if ye would have God to own you; the adorning which he recommends, is not that "of platting the hair, wearing of gold, and putting on of apparel, but the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet fpirit, which is in the fight of God of great price," 1 Pet. iii. 3. 4. Moft people on the Sabbath are concerned to adorn their bodies with their beft clothes; but, alas! who among you is careful to attire his foul as he ought on this day, when he is going to meet the bleffed Redeemer of fouls, the King of glory? Mind your fouls chiefly this day, and take care, whatever you be doing about your bodies, that your hearts be employed in fpiritual meditations. ᎠᎴ you comb your head ? you may think how numerous your fins are; they are more than the hairs of your head,” fo that none can reckon them," Pfal. xl. 12. Z VOL. IV. And to be |