toffed and wearied in this word, and therefore are content to go to the bed of the grave," where the wicked ceafe from troubling, and where the weary be at reft," Job iii. 17. Sin wearies them, fatan wearies them, the wicked weary them, fickness and croffes weary them, and Chrift's abfence wearies them of the world, and no wonder they defire to be at reft from all these troubles."

When you see yourself stript of your clothes, think, "Naked came I into the world, and naked fhall I return;" I can carry nothing hence of all my earthly enjoyments. Lord, let me never chufe my portion in thefe things I must leave eternally, behind me. Let worldlings reflect on this: All those things, for which you have toiled and laboured for many years, you must leave in one night, Luke xii. 20. Nothing of all your earthly treasures can you carry alongft with you to another world, unless it be the ruft thereof, to witness against you, and eat up your fouls as a canker to all eternity, according to James v. 1.3. Whatever be your enjoyments here, remember death ftands as a porter at the gate of eternity, to fee, that "as you brought nothing into the world, you carry nothing out of it," 1 Tim. vi. A coffin and a winding fheet fhall be the moft of it. You may imagine what a broad look the pcor foul will give then to those things you made your treasure here. O (will it fay) must I part for ever with all my riches? muft I be fet naked afhore in eternity, having nothing to relieve me? muft I fuffer an everlafting famine? Poor foul, the world's treasures do not pafs current in another world; they cannot there purchafe you any relief, or buy fo much as "one drop of water to cool thy flaming tongue."

Let your lying down in bed, and covering you with clothes, put you in mind of your lying down in the cold grave, and your being covered up with earth. Look on your bed as a tomb or fepulchre; and every night, before you enter into it, feck reconciliation with God, and new difcoveries of his love in Chrift, as you would do if going to your grave. How fad is it to be dying without Chrift, and God reconciled through him?

Again, think or fay, "O that the grave may be a bed' of reftato mep upon the account of Chrift's lying therein!"The grave is become a bed of rofes to believers, by the Rofe of Sharon's lying down it. Chrift hatlı hereby fweetened and perfumed it for them. Am I a, believer, and thall fear to lie down in my Redeemer's bed? be ever, thou mayeft every night fay, with the Pfalmift, "I will both lay me down in peace, and deep: forthoau blessed Lord, only makest me to dwell in fafery, bsPfal. iv. 8. When you are laid down, "commune with your own heart upon your bed," and, with the pfalmift, remember God upon your bed, and meditate on him in the night watches:" And, if you fall asleep with fome heavenly meditation in your thoughts, your fleep will be more fweet, your dreams more comfortable, and your awaking more refrethful. And, in a special manner, let us endeavour, on the Sabbath night, that as we began this day with the delightful remembrance of Chrift's refurrection, fo to clofe it with the cheerful expectation of Chrift's fecond coming, and our awaking and rifing from the grave to meet him. And when Chrift is faying, "Surely I come quickly;"O that we may be in cafe this night to anfwer, "Amen, even fo, come Lord Jefus !"

Concerning our carriage after the Sabbath is over.

Thus have I finished the fecond general head in this direction, viz. What is requifite in performing the du ties of the Sabbath, when it is come? It remains that I fhould fpeak a word to the third, viz. What is in. cumbent on us at the end of the Sabbath, or when it is paft?

When the next day cometh, and we are again to fall to our weekly employments, we ought to retain lively impreffions of the preceding day's work en our fpirits, and not foon forget what we have feen and heard on the Sabbath. In the first place, let us repent for the. fins and fhortcomings of the Sabbath, and beg forgivenefs then of from God, that we go rot about our wordly employments with the guilt of the Sabbathday's fins upon us, left they bring a curfe upon the

works

sworks of our hands." Again, let us pray, and en. deavour to bring much of a Sabbath.days frame into the business of the week, and retain much of it through the week that fo we may be the fitter for the next Sabbath, yea, and in cafe to long for it: This would be a fair way to obtain a bleffing on the labours of the week, and to profper the works of our hands." Oh! fhall we bring fo much of the week with us into the Sab bath, and will we bring nothing of the Sabbath with us into the week? Olet us ftudy to be so" in the Spirit on the Lord's day, as to walk in the Spirit" all the week thereafter, mindful both of the Sabbath palt, and of the Sabbath next ensuing; because it is faid to us every day," Remember the Sabbath-day that ye may keep it holy." Had we more of Sabbath-days thoughts on week days, then week day thoughts would lefs trouble us on Sabbath-days.

DIRECTION IV.

Concerning the Particulur Sins, whereby the Sanctification of the Sabbath is hindered, or the Sabbath profaned.

1

If from,
IF

we would duly fanctify the Lord's day, we must confcientiously guard against, and abstain from, all thofe fins which are oppofite thereunto; whether they be fins of omiffion, or commiffion, fins of the heart, of the tongue, or of the life.s

I.

1. I fhall begin with fins of omiffion, and neglect of the duties of the Sabbath. There are many, alas! that make this altogether an idle day; they consume it away in doing nothing, and keep it no better than do the beasts; they abitain from the works of religion, as much as from the works of their calling, never confidering that the Lord's day is profaned by Aloth and idleneís, as well as by fervile labour or im

moral

moral actions. There are many who place all their religion in negatives, like the Pharifees, Luke xviii. 11. and foolishly think to be juftified by their negative holinefs. "I never wronged my neighbour, (fay fome) I did not mock at religion, fwear, drink drunk," &c. But remember, a man may abstain from evil, and yet go to hell for not doing good, Mat. iii.ro. A tree is cut down for bringing forth no fruit, as foon as for bringing forth bad fruit. It is as dangerous not to do things commanded, as to do things forbidden, Matth. xxiii. 23. There is a woe pronounced against the oue, as well as the other. The flothful fervant is reckoned a wicked fervant, Matth. xxv. 26. and adjudged to utter darkness, as well as the most vitious. Wherefore beware of pro. faning the Lord's day by idleness, or neglecting of the públic, private, or secret duties above mentioned, which are requifite on this day: And, in a special manner, beware,

First, Of neglecting the hearing of the word this day, or forfaking the affemblies of God's people upon it. What madnefs is it to flight the means of faving your lives, and delivering your fouls from hell? What contempt is it of Chrift's bowels of mercy? If a great king fhould fend an ambasador to a condemned malefactor, with offers of remiffion; would it not highy exasperate him, if he refused fo much as to hear him? O what may God fay to fuch foolish finners in the day of their diftrefs, when they cry to him? May he not fend you . to the gods you have ferved, and tell you, "Ye would not come and hear me when I fent most gracious propofals of peace to you, neither will I hear you now?" With what torture and anguish will you eternally reflect, on your folly? If you could now but lay your ear to hell's door, and hear fuch gofpel-flighters crying out against their fin, it would make your hearts tremble. Suppofe you heard them fay, "O if time could be recalled, what would we give to hear one gofpel-fermon from the most defpifed minifter! How many miles would we go! Yea, we would run from sea to sea, to hear one encouraging fentence from Christ's mouth, or his meffengers: Nay, we would be content to fuller a

thousand

thousand years darknefs for one davis gospel light, a thousand years burning for one day of the Son of man, many whereof I have neglected: But, oh there is no hope, the fe:fm is loft, the fentence past,and we are irrecoverably undone ! O how will the devils wonder at your folly, and eternally upraid you with it-tur poo

Secondly, Beware of neglecting family duties on the S bbath: The fourth command binds mafters of famiBes to be careful hereof; yet, alas! how fadly are they neglected? In many places no family prayers or praises, no family inftructions, no family reading of God's word is to be found. Inflead of "delighting in the law of the Lord," which is the character of the ble fled..man, Pal. i. 2. it is laid by as a fealed book. The duft, which many fuffer their bibles to gather befide thent, l be a fearful witnefs againft them one day. But nore particularly, I thall (p ak,

Of the evil of neglecting Family Duties.

1. To deter you from the neglect of family worship, confider in what 'a' miferable ftate prayerlefsrfamilies are. The Spirit of God ranks them into the same ca tegory with the "heathen that know not God," Jerox.25. For Low fhould the families of Chriftians be diftin guifhed from thofe of Turks and Pagans, but by the badge of family-worship? Without this badges then, you are ranked in with heathens, or perfons excommu. nicate, that is, fuch as are caft out of the churchsinto the devil's hands; for of such Christ faith, Let himbe to thee as a heathen." Again, confider what is there threatened against you; a black cloud continually hangs over your families, ready every moment to pour out wrath and fary upon you, not in fmall drops, but in great fhowers, to overwhelm you at once, from which your houfes cannot defend you, though their foundations were on a rock, their walls of brass,and their doors ef iron: For, while you are without family prayer, you want a roof to keep off the fhower of wrath, and lie night and day expoted to this terrible threatening, "Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call, not on thy name." It

is