proaching, is a memorial of God's wonderful love to us, that when we were loft and undone by fin, curfed by the divine law, and excluded out of God's reft, our Lord Jefus Chrift undertook a great work for us to make up our peace, become our furety, and bear the curfe and wrath due to us; and when he had fo done, and finished his work of redemption, he, on the first day of the week, entered into his reft by his refurrection, and thereby made known to us that we should keep this day as a day of holy reft to him, in remembrance of his glorious work, and as a pledge of our celebrating an everlasting Sabbath with him above, in admiring his love, and finging his praife: And therefore let us make fuitable preparation for this folemn day, and the duties of it." Alas! the omiffion of fuch inftructions as these to young perfons, doth caufe the observation of this day, with many, to be built only on cuftom and example; and hence follows the great neglect of Sabbath fanctification, which is fo common among us. 4. If you would prepare for the Sabbath, call off your thoughts timeoufly on Saturday's night, from worldy cares and bufinefs, that you may think on the great work of the approaching day; and labour to put yourfelves in as folemn and as ferious a frame, as if you were to die and step into eternity, and clear counts at God's tribunal; or as if you were visibly to tryst and meet with God, and folemnly treat with him concerning your falvation. As godly Nehemiah took care to fhut the gates of Jerufalem on the evening before the Sabbath, that no burdens might be carried in on the Sabbath-day; fo fecure you the gates of your hearts on the Saturday's evening, that no worldly thing may enter to disturb you in the performance of the great and folemn duties of the Sabbath. 5. Look back on the bypaft week, and examine your actions therein as particularly as you can, and repent for all the fins thereof, whether omiffion or commiffion, and flee to the blood of Chrift to be cleanfed from the guilt and filth of them, that fo you may be be prepared to appear before a holy God, who is " of purer eyes than that he can behold iniquity." O feek to get all quarrels through the week removed, that you may have a reconciled God to meet with upon the Sab bath. 6. Study to have a deep fenfe of your wants upon your fpirits, that you may get fuitable fupplies for them upon the Sabbath. If you were going to a great market next day, you would be thinking the night before what you wanted or needed thereat: The Sabbath is the great market day for your fouls, when you may hear Chrift crying, as Rev. iii. 18. "I counfel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayeft be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayeft be clothed," &c. 7. Think upon the great defign of the Sabbath, the commemoration of Chrift's redeeming love; and entertain serious and thankful thoughts of the goodness of God manifefted in the glorious work of redemption; and with godly Nehemiah, Neh. ix. 14. blefs God for giving you the S..bbath, fince it is fuch a pleafant and profitable day for the foul. 8 Beg earnestly for God's help to fanctify the Sabbath, and that God may put you in a spiritual frame for the work thereof, and that you may have grace to leave all your worldly care" at the bottom of the hill, while you go up into the mount to worship God, and return again to them." Beg that the fins of the bygone week, and the mifimprovement of former Sabbaths, may not hinder God's prefence upon the enfuing Sabbath. Pray that minifters may be directed to a fuitable word for your fouls cafe, that your hearts may be prepared, your enemies reftrained, and God's ordinances bleffed, fo that it may be a good day," a day in God's courts is better than a thousand elfe where." And then, having fo ordered and difpofed matters, lay yourselves down to fleep in Chrift's arms, and under his protection, leaving your hearts in heaven, that when you awake next morning, you may be ftill with God. Study to fleep, as well as eat and drink, to the glory of God." Go to bed with this defign, that your bodies 66 may 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 fecond 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 say upon it to three heads; 1. What is neceffary before the public worship. 2. What is neceffary in time of public worship. What is to be done after the public worship is over. As to the firft, take thefe directions; 3. 1. 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 Pfalmiit, 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 firft awaking: Lift up your hearts in thankfgiving to God for that comfortable relt and fleep he hath vouchfafed to you the night pilt: 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 rifing, you may have fuch meditations as thefe: "O if I could fay this morning with Isaiah, chap. xxvi. 9. With any 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 fin to righteousness, 1 Cor. xv. 34• or that in Rom. xiii. 11, 12. " It is high time to awake outof fleep. The night is far spent, the day is at ha d; let me calt off the works of darknefs, 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 last 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 fright me in a vifible manner! Many have lien down this night without fleep, and been full of toffings to the dawning of the day; but, bleffed be God, I have 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 ficknefs, 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 flames 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 fanctuary?" If it is a fummer morning, when the fun may be up and fining 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 rightecufnefs 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 plea fant 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 cf 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 thy felf 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, or feeding on hufks with the fwine, as if thou hadit no higher end to ferve than the world. Why wilt thou thou ly among the pots, and wallow in the puddle, when cryftal 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 him day and night." Behold, the fun never wearies to ferve his Creator: How many thousand miles had the fun 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 undeferving 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 rifen; but a far greater that the "Sun of righteoufnefs" is up, and hath afcended to his meridian, that he may the better diffufe 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 Chriftless fouls. The fun fhone bright on Sodom that morning it was deftroyed: Little did they think that fair morning, that the clouds would gather on a fudden, and drop fire on their heads; neither knowest thou, O Chriftless finner, what a storm of wrath may fall on thee before night: Wherefore flee presently out of the Sodom of a natural state, to the Zoar of Chrift's righteousness. 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 beft Mafler, his work the fweetelt, 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 secret and family duties before the public-worthip: So that they are either flightly performed, or wholly neglected. foolish finner! dost thou think thy worldly business more worthy of thy early rising, than thy fpiritual employment? Or, wilt thou fhew greater regard to thy worthlefs body, than to thy gracious God, and thy precious foul? You owe thanks to God, that you have had the |