Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

may find a remedy for whatever troubles you. Is it guilt here pardon. Is it great fins? here's a Redeemer's blood that cleanfeth from all fin. Are you condemned? here fufficient righteoufnefs to juftify you. Is pollution and filthinefs your fear? here a deep and open Fountain that runs continually. Are you chained. prifoners? here liberty. Are you drowned in debt? here a Ranfom and Surety. Are you difeafed? here Balm. Are you poor? here fine gold. Are you dead? here the Resurrection and the Life. Are you ftarving? here the manna and the fatted calf. Are you weak, and unable for duty? here all-fufficient grace and flrength. Yea, he " is able to fave them to the utterall that come to God by him :" And particularly, he fays of little children," Suffer them to come unto me; and, him that cometh (faith he) I will in nowife caft out."

4. Let children and young folk carefully attend ordinances this day in the church; lie clofe by the pool fide, till it please the Angel of the covenant to come and put you in. Study to remember what you hear, and give an account thereof to your parents when you come home.

5. Early acquaint yourselves with the scriptures; read much of them this day, and meditate on them, Pfalms cxix. 9. "Wherewithal fhall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereunto, according to thy word." How came Timothy to be fo well acquaint with Chrift and his way? but becaufe" from a child he knew the fcriptures," 2 Tim. iii. 15.

It

6. Be much this day in prayer; for the prayers of young folk are very pleafant mufic in God's ears. would be both very pleafant and profitable, if children of the fame family would take fome time this day to meet, and read, and pray together; for fo the examples, and hearing of one another, would be mutually helpful, and stir them up to a concern about their duty. It is the fault of parents, that do not put them on to this practice. If children did thus begin early to the fervice of God, it would become habitual and delightful to them afterwards. But, alas! inftead of this, many pa002

rents

[ocr errors]

rents let their children run and play through the streets, and in the church and church-yard, on the Sabbath, without reftraint. But, let fuch parents remember, that though children die in their iniquities, yet their blood God will require at their hand one day.

[ocr errors]

II. I fhall clofe with a word to aged people. You that are old men and women, give ear to what I am to fay. Confider how many Sabbaths you have mif-spent, and mourn for it. In threefcore years time you have above three thousand Sabbaths to reckon for, and if God"lay judgment to the line, and righteousness to the plumet," you will not be able to answer for one of them. O humble yourselves deeply before God, and employ Chrift to clear your counts for you. Put on refolutions in his ftrength, to improve time better for the future, and particularly, the Sabbaths which God may yet allow you, for fecuring an intereft in Chrift, and making provifion for long lafting eternity. Have you not great need for it? Alas! there are many old perfons who have all yet to do. Their glafs is near run, and their fun is at the fetting; and yet they have their work to begin, and their journey to fet out for, though they have lived threefcore years in God's world, yet they never spent three hours of all that time in fincere ferving of God, or providing for endless eternity. They never communed with their hearts, thought on their ways, fhed a tear for fin, or fell on their knees to cry, "Lord, what fhall I do to be faved?" What hope fhall I have in a dying hour? Where will I take up my lodging through eternity? How many old perfons are grofsly ignorant of the firft principles of religion? Yea, many children of five or fix years old will far outstrip them. O what is the reafon of all this, but the neglect and mifpending of the Sabbath day, and the contempt of the means of grace and knowledge which you might have enjoyed thereupon? Well then, what refolve you to do for the time to come? Have you not forgotten God and Chrift, and neglected your fouls and heaven long enough? Or, will you do it to your dying hour? Are you content to go to the grave without Christ, and without hope? O what a fad fight is it,

to

to fee grey hairs and gracelessness meeting together! to fee men put to look through their fpectacles, but never minding to look to their Saviour! to fee them leaning on their ftaves, but never thinking of relying on Chrift for falvation! to fee age forcing them to bow and bend their bodies to the earth, but yet never bowing a knee in fecret to beg repentance! O what a fhame is it to live fifty or fixty years in the world, without a fervent prayer, or penitent tear for fin! to live without God, without Chrift, and without faith! O what will you anfwer for the fearful abuse of God's long. fuffering patience! Old finner, better thou hadft died when a child, or when first born, than to have lived fo long, and go to hell at last. If thou dieft old

in age, and old in fin, what a hot and fiery hell mayst thou look for at laft! O how many Sabbaths and fermons! how many calls, counfels, and exhortations, have you to answer for! Remember, you will be called to an account for every year, month, day, and hour, you have lived: And,. what account can you give of fifty years spent in fin, fixty years lived in a Chriftlefs and prayerlefs ftate, or three thousand Sabbaths trifled away? Will you be perfuaded then to flee to Chrift, as thy Surety and Cautioner, to clear thy counts, and pay thy debts before the door be fhut; and improve the time and Sabbaths which remain, for God's glory and your precious foul's advantage. And to him, who can effectually perfuade and enable you so to do, be praise

for ever.

Amen.

APPENDIX.

(

APPENDIX.

MEDITATIONS

FOR THE

SABBATH-DAY.

(Not published in the former Editions of Willison's Works.)

MEDITATION I.

On the Burial of CHRIST, from John xix. 40. &c..

ON

N our Friday Chrift was crucified and laid in the grave; on our Saturday, which was the Jewish Sabbath, Chrift lay dead and buried all that day in the grave; on the Sunday, or first day of the week, Chrift rofe from the grave.

Obferve, 1. How low Chrift did humble himself for us; he was content not only to become a man, but a poor man of forrows for us, yea, a deserted man, a condemned man, a dead man, and lie as a dead corps in the earth for us. This is the lowest step he could defcend. Pfal. xxii. 15. "Thou haft brought me into the duft of death.

2. Obferve how he humbled himself in his burial: 1. He was not buried by friends, but ftrangers. 2. Not with heralds, efcutcheons, hearse, and other folemnitier, as became the prince of the kings of the earth, but in a very private, hafty manner. 3. Not in the fepulchre of the kings, and or his father David, not in the buryingplace of his ancestors, but in the fepulchre of a stranger. Behold! how poor was the heir of all things! While he lived, he had not a house of his own where to lay his head; and when he was dead, he had not where to lay his body. O deep humiliation! Was he who lay

in

« AnteriorContinuar »