the bypaff week for your own affairs, and that now you 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 Dif pofer of it. Well then, now is the time, this is the day that Le 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 day. Remember that promise, Prov viii. 7. "They that feek me early fhall find me." In the morning the fpirits are most fresh and lively, and fittest for contemplations and prayer. We are told, Exod. xvi. 13. that in the morning the dew and manna fell: Wouldst thou have the dew of 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 offered his facrifices, Job. i. 5. David prevented the dawning of the morning with his prayers, Pfal. cxix. 147. Chrift rofe early this day before the fun. And for what end did he rife? Even to justify and fave his people. O believers, did your Saviour rife early this morning to justify 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 fhew forth God's loving kindness in the morning." Timeoufnefs at God's work on this day, or diligence in it, will not prove prejudicial to health; for, fince God hath pronounced a special blefling upon the Sabbath, you have ground to expect that lefs fleep, food and refreshment, than at other times, will be bleffed for your fupport 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 must 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 bo dies, even from God, it is his wool and his flax; therefore give thanks to him for your raiment, as well as your food. And though your clothes be not fo fine as you would wish, yet mind, that " thefe of whom the world was not worthy, wandered about in fheeps fkins and goats skins:" 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 before God, and be accepted of him. Take care alfo, 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 spiritual meditations. Do 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.

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be fure, if you cannot reckon them, you are far lefs able to reckon for them. Do you wash your hands? think on the neceffity of "washing your hands in innocency, that fo ye may compass the altar of God:" For these that would" afcend the hill of God, and stand in his holy place, must have clean hands and pure hearts." Holinefs both in heart and life is abfolutely needful, in 'order to our enjoying communion with God in ordi

nances.

V. As foon as poffibly you can, retire this morning for the duties of fecret prayer, praife, reading the word, meditation, and felf examination. Much of the Sabbath, and especialy the morning of it, should be spent in praifing and thanksgiving, upon account of God's goodness both common and special, manifested in the works of creation and redemption. It is a moft neceffary and proper duty, to "fhew forth God's loving kindnes on the Sabbath morning," Pfal. xcii. 2. Thanksgiving is the great end of the day, and of the mercies of it; "the redeemed of the Lord" ought this day to fing, "His mercy endureth for ever," Pfal. cvii. 2. for God fent his Son to redeem us for this very end, that he might have from us "the praise of the glory of his grace," Eph. i 6. 12. 14. And if you deny him praise, you do what you can to disappoint him of the defign of this wonderful work: Many ferious fouls think the Sabbath fhould be spent only in prayer, mourning, mortification, &c. and almoft wholly neglect the duty of praife, which ought to be the principal, and wherewith God is beft pleafed. Remember, that praise is not only the end of the day, but the end of your lives; yea, the defign of all God's works: God made man the tongue of the creation, to trumpet forth aloud what the reft of the creation do but filently whisper.

Directions in performing the forefaid duties.

BEFORE I proceed further, I fhall give some special advices concerning the duties of fecret reading, prayer, and felf fearching.

I. Of reading the Word.

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1. As to the reading of God's word, if you would do it with profit, then, 1. Look up to God for his bleffing upon it: When you begin, pray that he may open your eyes to fee the wonders of it," and that he may open your ears and hearts to hear and comply with

"

it as the voice of God.

2. In reading the word, quicken yourselves to all poffible attention. As children will rouze up themfelves at the reading of their father's will, out of expectation of fome portion or legacy bequeathed them therein by their father; fo ought you to rouze up yourfelves in reading of the word, in regard of the many rich and precious legacies which our Saviour hath bequeathed to you, in that laft will and teftament of his, fealed by his own blood.

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3. Read the word with holy reverence, as if Jehovah himself flood by, and fpake these words unto you; for reading is a kind of holy conference with God, and therefore ought to be gone about with a holy awe and concern. I do not mean that this reverence is to be shown to the paper and print, but the matter contained therein; though even thefe, as the dead bodies. of faints, ought not to be ufed difhonourably, as I have heard fome graceless merchants do, by rolling up their fmall wares in leaves of the bible. Is this like the practice of the ancient martyrs, who made more account of a leaf of the bible than of a treasure? And indeed the leaves of the bible, in fome fenfe, are the field where the treafure is hid, and the pearl of price may be found; they are the fwadling clothes of the holy Jefus. And therefore, in the next place,

4. Have an eye to Chrift in every thing ye read, for he is the end, fcope, and fubftance of the whole bible, and every thing in it is reducible to him.

5. Read it with application to yourselves, as if God fpoke to you by name and firname in every line of it. Read it as if it were a letter fent ftraight from heaven to you, to warn you against fin, and to perfuade you to faith and holiness. Let us accept of its reproofs and admonitions with thankfulness, and

fay,

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fay, What a mercy is it that we may read our Father's will in our mother-tongue, and that God fpeaks his mind fo plainly to us in his wor! ?

6. Mark the fpecial paffages of the word, either thefe that are most important in themselves, or moft applicable to you. Mark the duties injoined, and fins forbidden, with the promises to the one, and threatenings against the other: Faften thefe upon your memories, and hide them in your hearts; meditate on them, and pray that God may keep them in your minds, ready for ufe against the time of need.

II. Of Secret Prayer.

As for fecret prayer, take thefe directions, if you would fpeed in it.

I. See that you be new creatures, and born again, if you would pray aright. A child, while in the womb, cannot cry; fo no more can you cry, Abba, Father, while in the womb of a natural ftate. An unconverted man's prayers are not accounted prayers before God: The long prayers which Paul had, while a Pharifee, were not reckoned prayer at all; but, when he is a converted man, we are told then, with a Behold, that he prayed, Acts ix. 11.

II. Be frequent in this duty, for your needs are many. God hath erected the "throne of grace for the time of need," Heb. iv. 16. And he hath left the more needs upon us, that he may the oftener hear from us; he loves to hear his people's voice, and great need have we to let him oft hear it; for we have many lufts to be fubdued, many graces to be ftrengthened, many doubts to be refolved, and many grievances to be redreffed: Therefore be frequent in your addreffes to God. Frequency begets familiarity, and familiarity confidence; we go boldly to his houfe, we often vifit. Eufebius tells us of the apoftle James, firnamed the Juft, that he kneeled fo oft and fo long in fecret prayer, that his knees became as callous and infenfible as a camel's. And he tells us of the firft Chriftian emperor, Conftantine the Great, that he kneeled very much in fecret prayer: And, for an example to others, that he had his