the male of his flock, the beft of your time, O then let him have it. If you forget God when young, it is just with God to forget and neglect you when old.

Direct. V. Shun the company that shuns God, and keep the company that God keeps, Pfal. cxix. 63. 115. Prov. xiii. 20. Look on the fociety of the carnal or profane as infectious, but reckon ferious praying perfons the excellent ones of the earth. Such will ferve to quicken you when dead, and warm you when cold. Make the livelieft of God's people your greatest intimates; and fee that their love and likeness to Chrift be the great motive of your love to them, more than their love or likeness to you. It is not true

Christian love, but party love, to love only thofe who are of your fentiments in all things. Yea, though they should differ from you in fome things, if you fee God's image a them, and that they have fellowship with the head, you ought to love them, and have fellowship with them; keep up the communion of faints, for it is one of the articles of our creed. Chriftian conference and focial prayer have been bleffed of God to preferve the life of religion in many pla ces, therefore let those who fear the Lord speak often one to another, Mal, iii, 16.

Direct. VI. Put a high value upon precious time, and lofe none of it by floth, Eph. v. 16. Efteem time as those do who are at the point of death; and always remember that it is impoffible to call back time again. Look upon the lofs, of time as a greater lofs than the lofs of your money, or any worldly thing; and therefore fhun time-watting games, unprofitable diverfions, and idle talking. Efpecially value the most precious part of your time, fuch as the morning of youth, the morning of every day, and particularly the precious time of the Lord's day. Look on the Lord's day as a tryft day with heaven; lofe not any part of it, but carefully improve it for God and the good of fouls, both your own and others. It is want of thought, not want of work, that makes any fay, they have not time to fpare.

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Direct. VII. Allow a little time every day to think about eternity. Confider the import of thefe words, everlasting punishment, and life eternal,' Matth. xxv. 46. O eter. nity, eternity, that is never nearer at end, but always, as it were, but beginning! One ferious thought of eternity is enough to strike a careless foul to the heart. Why? he

ftand's every hour at the door of eternity, and if he steps in while out of Chrift, he is eternally undone, eternally in defpair. O the fwift river time is carrying every one of us into the ocean of eternity, an ocean that hath neither bank nor bottom, and what each of us must foon launch forth into. What an awful thought is this! Every one of us is within a step of being eternally bleffed, or eternally curfed! Eternally faved or eternally damned! O if every one would - believe and confider this and be wife, fo as to pray as for eternity, repent as for eternity, hear as for eternity, live as for eternity, obey and do every thing as for eternity.

Direct. VIII. Throughout your whole life, be mindful of the chief bufinefs of life, Phil. ii. 12. Now the bufinefs of life is to make it fure that Chrift is your life; it is to think much on the end of your life, and to provide for it; it is to lay hold on eternal life, and keep fill fight of it: So that when Chrift, who is your life, fhall appear, ye may 'alfo appear with him in glory,' Col. iii. 4. Let not religion be your diverfion, but your bufinefs; mind it as the one thing needful;' give all diligence to make your calling and election fure. Make fure your calling, and thus you make fure your election. If you would make fure your calling make it fure that you are united to Chrift by faith, and that Chrift is the life of your fouls. Do not reft in convictions, nor in tears, or prayers, or duties, nor in a ny thing fhort of Christ. Prefs both for an interest in Chrift, and for the affurance of it. Affurance is attainable, and actually attained by many; and it is molt neceffary for chearful obedience, for bearing the cross, rejoicing in the Lord, giving thanks for redeeming love, and for performing many other duties of Chriftianity,

Direct. IX. Let the rational foul govern, and the body be fubfervient to it, I Cor. ix. 27. Alas, many on the contrary make their fouls drudges to their bodies, and employ their noble faculties wholly in deviling how to pleafe the flesh. Ah, what fools are they who mind nothing but their bodies! Why? they are the greatest enemies to their bodies, for, by fo doing, they forfeit the eternal happiness of their bodies, as well as of their fouls. Whereas those who prefer their fouls, and mind them chiefly, they confult the happiness of their bodies, as well as of their fouls; for the body is never fo well as in heaven; when fashioned like Chrift's glorious body, then it is in perfect and eternal health..

Direct. X. Study both to live and die in the exercise of repentance and godly mourning for fin, Matth. v. 4. Some may think repentance a melancholy word, but it is one of the fweeteft words in all the book of God: It is a gospel-duty, for the law or covenant of works admitted of no repentance; it is the effect of God's free love in and thro' Christ, to open the door of repentance to fallen finners; it coft Christ his blood to obtain it for us, and it is his free gift to us, Acts v. 31. Surely it is good news to hear that our Sovereign bids poor condemned criminals, that were brought to the place of execution, repent, and throw themfelves down at his feet, and they hall get pardon. It was the fum both of John's and Chrift's preaching 'repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.' It was the faying of a godly minifter, that if he were to die in the pulpit, he would with to die preaching repentance; and if out of the pulpit, he would wish to die pra&tifing, repentance.' Auguftine faith, repentance is the fittest dif pofition both for dying Chriftians and minifters.' And it is written of himself, that he died with tears in his eyes, weeping for fin. This is a duty never out of feason, there fore ftudy daily to keep up a tender and mourning frame, maintain contrition of heart and abhorence of fin, and for that end take every day a turn on Mount Calvary, Many think it is a fad thing to be repenting on earth, but it is a far fadder thing to be repenting in hell. Seek repentance from God for Chrift's fake; fay with Ephraim, Jer. xxxi. 18. Turn thou me, and I shall be turned, for thou art the Lord my God.'

Direct. XI. While you mind the neceffary fiudy of holiness or inherent righteousness, let it never take the place of imputed righteoufnefs, Rom. x. 3. Pfal. lxxi. 16. Inherent rightecufnels indeed is to be loved, but imputed righteoufnefs only is to be trufted; for though inherent righteoufnefs or holiness be a neceffary qualification for heaven and falvation, and our evidence for it, yet it is imputed righteoufnefs only that is the foundation of it, and our title to it. Let Chrift's name be dear to you, the Lord our righteoufnefs."

Direct. XII. Employ Chrift as your furety in all cafes, and in every ftrait go to him for relief, Pfal. cxix, 122. Ifaiah xxxviii. 14. Study therefore to be well acquainted with your furety, and live near him. When the law demands payment of debt, and threatens you with prifon, look to

Chrift, and cry,' Lord, be furety for me; Lord, undertake "for me.' When you are called to perform duties, bear afflictions, refift temptations, struggle with corruptions, engage with enemies, &c. Look ftill to Chrift to be your furety, and to undertake for you; plead with him to make out that promise to you, Deut. xxxiii. 25. As thy days fo fhall thy ftrength be.'

Direct. XIII. As you expect to live with Chrift in heaven, Audy to live to Chrift on earth, 2 Cor. v. 15. Phil. i. 21. If you would live to Christ here, then you must make Christ's honour and glory your ultimate end in all your designs and actions; and make your most valuable interests subservient to his intereft and glory. Study an univerfal conformity to Chrift's holy laws and precepts, and make it your great bufinefs to approve yourselves to Chrift in all things: Chufe the things that please him, and carefully avoid every thing that is difpleafing to him, Pfal. cxix. 30. Ifa. lvi. 4.

Direct. XIV. Cleave faft to Chrift, and the way of holiness, whatever it may coft you, A&ts xi. 23. 2 Tim. iii. 12. Think not the worfe of Chrift and his ways, that they are perfecu ted or reproached, and that few do own them. Chrift foretold this, and faith, his way is a narrow way that few walk 'in.' Join with the little flock to whom the kingdom is promised, which will abundantly compenfate all your fufferings for Chrift. Never follow a multitude to do evil, but cleave to Chrift however few join you.

Direct. XV. Seek the approbation of God above that of men, 2 Cor. x. 18. What is the applaufe of worms to the fmiles of the God of heaven? What would it avail us to have poor men like ourselves to commend us, when the great God that made us doth condemn us; no matter though men cenfure or condemn our actions, if God approve and commend them. It is a very small thing to be judged of • man's judgment, but he that judgeth us is the Lord,' I Cor. iv. 3, 4.

Direct. XVI. Be much employed in admiring God's re deeming love, and Chrifl's furetyfhip for us, 1 John iii. I, 16. This is the employment of the redeemed to all eternity, Rev. v. 9. And all who go to heaven must be acquainted with their work while here, Rev. 1. 5. O what matter of eternal wonder and praife is there in God's giving his dear Son to be our furety and facrifice, and in the Son's voluntarily undertaking it!

Direct. XVII. Delight much in thinking and Speaking of Chrift, and particularly of his death and fuffering for us, Luke ix. 31. Rev. v. 9. 12. Oh! did he wade thro' a fea of wrath, a sea of blood, a fea of forrows and fufferings, to bring redemption to us? And will we ever forget him! The great God takes great pleasure in the work of our redemption, and is well pleafed with our Redeemer who undertook it. God repented that he made man, but never repented his redeeming man. Now, what God delights in, we should delight in, especially fince we reap the benefit. We fee, from Luke ix, and Rev. v. that the fubject of Chrill's death is matter of discourse and praise to the glorified fociety above. When Mofes and Elias came from heaven to Mount Tabor to wait upon their transfigured Lord, they chofe Chrift's death for the fubject of their converfation: Why? Chrift's death was the fpring and caufe of all their glory in heaven: Neither Mofes nor Elias had fhined there, had it not been for Chrift's death. And fhall not we, here below, delight in thinking, fpeaking and finging of this noble fubject, which is the ground of all the happines we either have, or hope for?

Direct. XVIII. Treat objections raised against your clofing with Chrift, as fuggeflions of the enemy, that is fecking the ruin of your fouls. Reject them, as Chrift did Peter's counfel, Matth. xvi. 23. Get thee behind me, Satan.' As Satan would have hindered Chrifl's dying for us, fo he would hinder us from relying on Chrift's death. Oh, faith one 1 am unworthy of any fhare in Chrift's death. Anf. If you will have nothing but what you are worthy of, you must have nothing but hell. What was Abraham, Paul, Magdalene, the thief on the cross, the idolatrous Corinthians worthy of, before the Lord called them? Whatever be your unworthiness, are you willing to apply Chrift's blood? Then fee what Chrift faith to you, Rev. xxii. 17. ' Whofoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.' Oh but, faith another, my fins are heinous. Anf. Can thou be more guilty, than Chrift is gracious? Doth he not promife to wash away fins that are like 'fcarlet and crimion,” Ifa. i. 18. and tells you, I John i. 7. That his blood cleanfeth us from all fin? O blefs him for that word all.' Do not then believe Satan, who would tempt thee to think that God had caft thee off; but, in fpite of all he can fay,, itill believe God's faithful word, that there is mercy e

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