frozen to Chrift his Master, till a love-blink from the Sun of righteoufnefs thawed it again.

If better meditations offer not to thee by the way, I fhall furnish thee with fome very fuitable from natural things, which are objects of your fenfes.

If it be in a winter morning thou goeft out, when the fun is but rifing, think, if one fun make fo bright a morning, what a thining morning will that be, when Chrift, with all his bright angels and faints, fhall break through the clouds, when there fhall be as many funs as we fee ftars in a winter's night? O fhall I be one of those that "fball fhine as the fun, in the kingdom of my Father?"

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If it be in the fpring time, and when a pleasant rain is falling upon the grafs and corns, think, the Sabbath fhould be a grow-day for believers. This day God is as the "dew to Ifrael." O that 66 my foul may grow as the lily, and revive as the corn!" O that I may grow inward in fincerity, and outward in good works: downward in humility, and upward in heavenly mindedness! Let the doctrine of God's word this day drop on my foul, as "the fmall rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grafs," that I may wax taller in grace, and ftronger in faith and love. This day I fhould be "going from ftrength to ftrength," according to Pfal. lxxxiv 7. As the bee is bufy in going from flower to flower, ftill gathering honey as fhe paffeth; fo fhould I this day go from duty to duty, from one ordinance to another, from praying to reading, from reading to hearing, from hearing to meditating, ftill gathering grace and ftrength as I go.

Doft thou look to the heavens? Think I have my Saviour and my all there; there is the place of my everlafting abode. Senfe tells me what the outfide of it is; yet that spangled roof over my head is but the pavement of that glorious palace, where I fhall enjoy my eternal Sabbath, and my everlasting reft in Christ's bofom. my foul, yonder is Gothen, the region of light; yon twinkling itars, fhining moon, and flaming fu, are but as lanterns hanging out at my Father's houfe to light thee, while thou walkeft in the dark streets of the earth. VOL. IV.

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Little doft thou know the glory, mirth, and joy, that are within: O what are worldlings joys to them! Olet my affections and defires this day mount thither, that this may be one of the days of heaven to my foul!

Again, think, the Lord hath spread out the "heaven as a curtain," Pial. civ. 2. and, notwithstanding of its rapid motion, this curtain hath continued fpread near thefe fix thousand years, and not one hole is to be feen in it to this day. Is not heaven then a fafe place for me to lay up n y treasure in, where none can break through and fteal it from me? O that my portion- and treasure may be there; "that, where my treafure is, there my heart n'ay be alfo !"

Deft thou fee the clouds? Think on the day when Chrift will rend and break through them; as he went up triumphing in a cloud to heaven, in like manner he fhall come again. Are the heavens of fuch bright and pure matter? Think on the purity of the inhabitants thereof. There is no room, no, not a foot-breadth, for impure perfons in the heavenly Jerufalem, where the gates are of pearl; no profane finner, no unclean thing fhall enter there.

When thou walkeft on the ground, think, this whole earth is but my Father's footstool, that he hath given me to tread on: Ó how glorious then muft his palace be ! yet it is mine in Chrift. Again, this earth" hangs upon nothing," Job xxvi. 27. O fhall I be fo foolish as to hang my hopes upon that which hangs on nothing? Again, wonder at God's power and faithfulness, that, notwithstanding it hangs as a ball in the air, and hath had many dreadful ten pefts upon it, and terrible earthquakes within it, yet God hath kept it from moving out of its place for near thefe fix thoufand years paft.

Doft thou tread upon the grafs? Think how God, calls thee thereby to remember thy fading life and withering condition, every step thou makeft, ifa. xl. 6. “ All flesh is grafs," and death is coming with his feythe to mow down this grafs: And, though fome grais efcape the fcythe in fummer, when it is freth and green, yet the winter froft will wither it away; fo, though you escape the fcythe of death in the fummer of your youth, yet the winter of old age will come and wither you.

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Doft thou pafs over a little brook or rivulet in the way? Think, O if I could say this day with the Pfalmiit, Pfal xiii 1. 2 "As the heart pants after the war ter brooks, fo panteth my foul after thee, O God; my foul thirfteth for God, for the living God; when hall I come and appear before God?

Dost thou go up an afcent? Think, the way to hea-. ven is all up the hill, Pfal. xxiv. Lord, ftrengthen me to climb it, without fainting or fliding back. O that my foul this day may be afcending to God, and God may be defcending to me!

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Doft thou behold the fea? Wonder at the ebbing and flowing of it, and at God's power and goodness, that lets refira ning bounds to įt How eatly might that power, that makes it to flow 20 feet, make it flow 200 feet? and so it would overflow our sea towns and adjacent coafts; but the Lord's goodnefs commands it back again by its ebb.

Doft thou see a ship in the fea? Think, Chrift's church is compared to a fhip; this world is the fea through which the fails; believers are the paffengers; God is her pilot; the angels are her rowers; faith is the helm; hope is the anchor: For a mait, the hath, in midst of her, erected the faving tree of the cross; the graces are the fails hanging thereon; the Spirit is the wind that fills them; but Chrift alone is the bottom that carries all fafe and fure to the haven of eternal reft and felicity. O let my foul le n upon no other bottom. Again, think how mercifully Chrift delivered his disciples, when toffed in a fhip, ou the fea in a dark night. My foul is a little hip, often ready to be overwhelmed with the waves of temptations.; O then, when it is in this danger, let me awake Chrift by my prayers. Again, as it is faid of the mariner, with respect to his ship, that he fails always within four inches of death; so it may be faid of the foul in relation to the body, that it lives ftill within four inches of eternity. If these earthen veffels break then our fouls are immediately fet a drift into the bankless and to tomlefs ocean of eternity. Lord let not my foul launch out into that deep, while I am uncertain whether it fink or fwim.

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Doth it rain upon thee while the fun is fhining? Think, if the fun of God's countenance fhine on me, may well be content to be wet with fome rain of affliction: This easily doth counterbalance any trouble whatfoever.

Art thou drawing near to the church? Then put up fome fervent ejaculations and prayers for God's bleffing and prefence. Say, as Abraham's fervant did, when he came to the well of water near the city, Gen. xxiv. 12.

O Lord God, I pray thee fend me good fpeed this day." "Let me nor mifs my errand; let it be the day when falvation fhall come to my heart and houfe; let it be the day of my new birth, the day when my hard heart will be broken; let it be a day to be had in everlafting remembrance. As I am drawing nigh to thy houfe, Lord, draw nigh to my foul, and let me have a meeting with thee this day. As thou art to knock at the doors of my foul by the hammer of thy word this day, Lord, come and make patent doors for thyfelf, and command thy loving-kindness to break in. Lord, open my eyes, that I may fee the wonders of thy law; open my ears, that I may hear the charming voice of the Son of God; open my heart, that the king of glory may enter in; and open my lips, that my mouth may thew forth thy praif."

Doft thou come within fight of the church? Let thy heart rejoice to fee Jerufalem a quiet habitation, and pray that God may ftill create a cloud of defence up

on every dwelling place in mount Zion, and upon all her affe mblies ;" and that " the mountain of the Lord's houfe may be exalted above all mountains." We ought to be much concerned for the church, and "prefer Jerufalem above our chief joy." Let u do, in a fpiritual way, what Simon Maccabæus did in a natural, who, with three years labour, took down the top of the mount Acra in Jerufalem, that no hill there might compete in height with the temple cf God: So let us caule the greatest mountain of fecular intereft vail to the mountain of the house of the Lord.

Do you fee a poor man begging by the way? Let it awaken your gratitude and thankfulness, that you are 1928) pot

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not in his cafe, and he in yours; and that you are not begging from him, instead of his begging from you. Hearken, how importunate fome beggars are; with what warm and feeling expreffions do they plead? they uncover their fores, and fhew their maladies, and ufe all methods to move our compaffions; when we think to put them off with excufes or refufals, yet they follow us, and by their importunity draw an alms from us: Then think with yourselves, O why do not I thus with God? why am I fo careless in seeking an alms of mercy from him? is not my need greater than any beggar's is not the alms I am feeking far better? is not the fulness and pity of the Giver infinitely more? and fhall I be fo formal and lifelefs in prayer? It was a good counsel of one, that bade people learn to pray of beggars.

As it is one of the duties of this day to make collections, and bestow alms for the relief of the poor; fo you should take heed that you perform this duty in the right manner; that you do it not for the praise of men, but for the glory of God. Pray that your alms may be perfumed by the incenfe of Chrift's merits, that they may be a "fweet smelling facrifice unto God." Would you have a bountiful alms from God this day? then give liberally to his poor. Remember Chrift's eye is upon you, and noticeth from heaven what every one calts into his poor this day, as well as he noticed the poor widow's cafting in her two mites into the treasury, when he was here upon earth. Though you have not much to yourself, yet you are bound to give fomewhat; and, if it be given in fincerity, God will graciously accept of it, though it be but two mites. But fure this will never break you, nor waste your substance, but rather increase it, and obtain a blessing thereon. I pity thofe miferable perions who want not money to tipple and drink with, but yet have none to beltow upon God's poor.

Directions concerning the Public Worship,

I proceed to the fecond thing propofed, What is neceffary to be done in time of public worship, and when we enter into the church.

I. " Keep