who came into the city, and fhewed to the chief priests all the things that were done, viz. The earthquake, angel's defcent, &c. Mat. xxviii 11. 4. Chrift had given fufficient proof of his divine miffion to the Jews before, by the miracles he wrought, which they blafphemously oppofed, and maliciously profecute him to death as a traitor; and therefore, because of their malice and obftinacy, they were unworthy of fuch a privilege as his converfing with them. 5. Though he had appeared to them, thefe malicious men would not have acknowledged him to be the perfon that was crucified, but would have alledged he was an impoftor, fet up by the Chriftians to perfonate the true Jefus, and been more enraged against his follow ers than ever. 6. Though Christ had risen and appeared in fuch a manner, yet Deifts would have quarrelled the testimony of witneffes the fame way they do now, faying, " How fhould we believe the report of others, and credit what we see not with our own eyes," &c. Chrift's miracles were as publicly transacted as could have been defired; all men, and the greatest enemies, were allowed to witnefs the fame; yet Deifts now treat them as mere forgeries, and fo would they have done Christ's appearing even to the whole Jewith fanhedrim. Improvement. From the refurrection of Chrift, we may infer, that death is fairly overcome, and swallowed up in victory. Chrift went into the very den of this dragon, and foiled it. Now, though it retains its dart, yet it hath left its fting in Chrift's fide, fo that the believer may triumph, as I Cor. xv. 55. 56. 57. death where is thy fting! O grave where is thy victory. The fting of death is fin; and the frength of fin is the law. But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jefus Chrift." The true believer need not have any flavish fear of death, though it frighten, yet it cannot hurt him. 2. Let believers difpofe and employ their bodies, as those who know what is prepared for them at the refurrection. 3. Let us all fecure to ourselves an intereit in Chrift and his blessed refurrection. 'Tis this hope that supports under all the troubles of this life. MEDITATION MEDITATION IV. From Eph. vi. 16. Redeem the time. 1. TIME is one of the most precious bleffings which man enjoys in this world, a jewel of ineftimable worth: It is a golden ftream continually running down by us, yea, carrying us all alongft with it: It is a stream running from one ocean to another, from an eternity be hind us, to an eternity before us. 2. That which makes time fo precious mainly, is, that the falvation of our precious and immortal fouls, through all eternity, depends thereupon. Upon the improvement of this fhort moment of time, depends a long-lafting, and never ending eternity. 3. The expence which God the author of time is at, to create and beget it for us, fhews the precioufnefs of it. Why? God, by his almighty power, doth continually wheel about these great luminaries of fun, moon, and ftars, in their annual and diurnal revolutions, to beget and furnish time to us; and these do never halt nor ftop, nor come short of their appointed times of rifing and fetting, and all for the fervice of man, that he may have time for the fervice of his Maker, and the faving of his foul. 4. The hafte that time doth make, and the confideration of its fhortnefs, that it will quickly be gone, and that a minute of it can never be recalled, fhews forth its preciousness. 5. Alfo the important bufinefs we have for every moment of our time, although each of us had a thoufand years to live, the fervice of God, and faving of our fouls, is fuch a vaft work, as would require every minute of it. 6. We are ready to pass into another world, an eternal ftate, where every minute of our time muft be accounted for, and then it must fare with us eternally, as we have spent and improven this fhort time here. ....7. For as precious as time is, it is undervalued and lavished away more than any thing is. It is feldom taken notice of, until it is quite paft away from us; we never confider its worth and ufefulnefs, till it is just ending. Hence Solomon faith, Eccl. ix. 12. “ Man knoweth not his time." 8. Tis moft juft, that he who hath the ordering and difpofing of all things elfe concerning us, should be alfo the fupreme Lord and difpofer of our time, and there fore hath right to determine what time is to be allotted for our work, and what for his: And most juft it is, that he, from whom we have all our time, fhould have his choice of it. 9. Of all time Sabbath-time is the most precious and valuable it being the time God has allotted and fet apart for himself, and upon the improvement whereof, the glory of God and falvation of our fouls, depend in a molt peculiar manner, it being the day of fpecial ac cels to God, and of free commerce and correfpondence between heaven and earth. It is heaven's weekly mar ket day, or God's deal day to the poor and needy; the day of access to God's prefence chamber. Time by fome is compared to a gold ring, and the Sabbath to the fparkling diamond, which gives it its luftre, and heightens its value..., Wherefore, if we be wife, we will fhew a peculiar efteem for the Sabbath above all the days of the week; we'll reckon every moment of Sab bath-time most precious, and defire that none of it may be mif-fpent. What Chrift faid to his difciples con cerning the loayes and the fishes, the like he feems to fpeak to us concerning his holy day," Gather up the fragments," gather up all the parcels, the fpare hours and minutes of it, account them as precious as the goldsmith doth the smallest filings of his gold, and let nothing of Sabbath time be loft. Exportation. Above all time redeem carefully Sab. bath time, and improve it diligently. Confider what a bleffing the Sabbath is to you, if rightly improven; 1.An inn for refreshing the weary traveller, that hath been toiled and toffed with ftorms through the week. 2. It is Chrift's weekly market-day, wherein Chrift fets VOL. IV. Rr forth forth the richeft wares and commodities for us to buy "without money and without price," Rev. iii. 18. 3. It is the king of heaven's public deal-day, wherein he deals his bread to the hungry, and gives alms to the poor and needy. 4. It is the day of conversion, of inbringing and gathering the elect. Multitudes have been brought in to Chrift this day. 5. It is a day of accefs to God, and correfpondence with heaven; a day when Chrift is to be feen and converfed with. You may not only have correfpondence with Chrift at a diftance, but in mediate accefs. You may be taken into the palace, the prefence-chamber, and fee the king in his beauty, hear his voice, get the kiffes of his mouth, the embraces of his arms; and should not this time be redeemed? 6. It is the day of heaven's feftival, wherein Chrift ufeth to feaft his faints with the fatnefs of his houfe. 7. It is a day of reaping and gathering, and for laying up in ftore for the time to come. 8. A day for afcending the mount of transfiguration, to fee Chrift transfigured, a day of afcending to mount Pifgah, to fee the land that is áfar off. 2. Redeem Sabbath time, for it is flying faft away; you may have but a few more Sabbaths to enjoy. The Sabbath is faft approaching that will be your laft Sabbath, after which you fhall fee no more in this world. 3. Redeem Sabbath-time, for much depends on it, the glory of God, and falvation of your immortal fouls through eternity. So important is the bufinefs that depends on the improvement of your Sabbath time, that it would call for the improvement of every moment: Yea, though each of you had ten thousand Sabbaths to fpend, the fervice of God, and faving of your fouls, is fuch a vaft work, as would require every minute of them. 4. Redeem Sabbath-time, for we cannot recall one Sabbath that is paft; no, though we had a world to give for one Sabbath, we could not recall it. O many will be put one day to wifh and cry in vain, O to recover one of these loft Sabbaths, wherein I had the free rich offer of a crucified Chrift. 5 Redeem 5. Redeem Sabbath-time, for you are just ready to pass into another world, where you must give a ftrict account of every Sabbath you have enjoyed, and anfwer for every minute of precious Sabbath-time. How will you answer for all the Sabbtahs you have mifimproven, for the Sabbaths of threefcore years, which are above. three thoufand: O that will be a terrible Item in the accounts of old graceless finners. Directions in redeeming Sabbath-time. 1. Carefully avoid whatever hinders it; as, 1. Atheism, or misbelief of the truth, and of the great end and defign of the Sabbath, 2, Ignorance. Many are fo ignorant, that they think if they pafs away the Sabbath without any grofs breach of it, they do well enough. 3. Sloth and lazinefs. Up and be doing. 2. If you would redeem Sabbath-time, repent of former mifimprovements, and humble yourselves for loft Sabbaths, and cry for mercy through Chrift's atoning blood. 3. Study to recompence former mifmanagements by your future diligence; as a traveller who finds himself like to be benighted by his former laziness, mends his pace, and goes as many miles now in one hour, as formerly he did in two. 4. Spend every Sabbath now as it were your laft; and this approaching Sabbath be as diligent on it, as if it were your laft; prepare for it in the evening; get up early next morning, pray, read, meditate, examine your felf, and wrestle for God's prefence with you in the ordinances. 5 Hearken prefently to Chrift's calls in the word; believe and embrace Chrift's doctrine, and his righteoufnefs, and clofe with him as your only help and remedy. |