Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

Comfort, unto God's heavenly Kingdom, is the ear neft Defire and Prayer of,

SIR,

Your, &c.

LETTER XIX. Containing particularAdvices and Directions, for a clofe and comfortable Walk with GOD.

SIR,

Yo

66

OU juftly observe, that," according to my "former Letters, a religious Life must be a "Course of ferious, earneft, and affiduous Applica❝tion." And you have therefore good Reaton to be" folicitous in your Inquiry, How you must give "diligence to make your Calling and Election fure; " and how you fhall find that Peace and Pleasure I “speak of, in your Walk with God?-But there is no Caufe at all of any Apprehenfion, that you fhall weary me out, with the continual burdenfome "Tasks you are impofing upon me "-Indeed, Sir, you can no way gratify me more, than by putting it in my Power to be any Way ferviceable to your best Intereft -I fincerely thank you, that you are now giving me the Satisfaction, of propofing " fome "Directions for a clofe Walk with God.”—'Tis an Affair of the utmoft Confequence to my felf, as well as to you; An Affair too little confidered, even by those of whom we mult hope the better Things that accompany Salvation; And an Affair, in which I have Caufe with Shame to confels, that my Remifsnefs has turned to my unspeakable Disadvantage Let us then, as in the Prefence of God, refolve, by the Affistance of his Spirit and Grace, not

only

only to confult, but to practile fuch Methods of Piety, as may be likely Means to fweeten the Fatigues of Life, prepare us to encounter the last Enemy, and give us a refreshing Prospect of our future Inheritance.

I fhall endeavour (according to your Defire) to be plain, familiar, and practical, in the Directions and Counfels which I am now to lay before you. And here my Advice to you is,

1. That you endeavour to obtain and maintaîn a deep Impreffion of this important Truth, that you have but one Bufinefs to do; and that every Affair and Conduct of human Life must be calculated for, and fubfervient to that one great End of your Being. God has made us for himtelf, to glorify and enjoy Him. We are but Pilgrims and Strangers upon Earth; and have here no continuing City. There is another State before us, a State of our everlasting Refidence, a State where we must be unfpeakably and inconceivably happy or miferable, to all Eternity. Our whole Work therefore is, to be preffing towards the Mark for the Prize of our high Calling; to be looking to, and preparing for, another and better Country, even an heavenly.- -This, I say, is our whole business; and therefore not to be enterprised as a secondary Concern: not to be crowded into a Corner, to make Room for more agreeable Entertainments; nor to be attended only at our vacant Hours, when difencumbered from our worldly Business, and fenfual Gratifications. To fear God and keep his Commandments, is the whole of Man.You will not fo far misunderstand me, as to fuppofe, that I am inculcating the Neceffity of a reclufe Life, wholly taken up in Devotion, wholly separated from the common Bufinefs and Society of the World. No! I am only recommending to you and to my self, a due Sense, that we are under Obligati

[ocr errors]

ons,

ons, in Point of Duty and Interest, to serve God, and thereby to promote our eternal Welfare, as well at one Time as another; and as much in one Bufinefs of Life, as another; as, much in our fecular Affairs, domeftic Concerns, Company, and Di. verfions, as in the fpecial Duties of Religion and Devotion. Though thefe call for the more folemn Engagement of the whole Soul in their Performance, being immediately directed to God himself; yet the other alfo are to be done in Obedience to God, and with an Eye to his Glory. So that we have but one Bufinefs; though we have a great many Duties of vari ous Kinds belonging to it.

Resolve then, to engage in, and to endeavour to manage every Affair of common Life, out of Duty to God, with a spiritual Frame of Soul, and with a hearty Defire therein to fhew your felf approved unto God. Whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the Glory of God.- -Confider

therefore, that you have the fame God to deal with, the fame omnifcient Eye to obferve and remember your Thoughts, Views, Affections, Frames, Language and Behaviour, while converfant in the common Affairs of Life, as when upon your Knees in your Closet, or Family, or in the publick Worship of God's Houfe: And that the fame upright Views the fame holy Defires, the fame Faith in Christ, are neceffary in the one, as in the other, if you would have them acceptable to God. This Confideration, duly impre ffed, is the true Philofopher's Stone, that turns all to Geld.- -This will make every Thing ferve as a fresh Gale to waft us forward to our defired Harbour.

2. Be folemnly careful to attend upon all the Ordinances of God, without any Referve.-The Duties and Ordinances of Religion belong to the Way which God has appointed us to walk in, in order

to

to our Salvation; and we must be found in his Way, as we would expect his Prefence and Bleffing.Herein be therefore careful to have no Referve. Let every Duty, whether of the Clofet, the Family, or publick Worship, be diligently and conftantly maintained, each in its proper Seafon. Live in the Omillion of none of them; nor let any ordinary Occurrence or Excufe divert and put you by, when the proper Season and Opportunity calls for your Attendance on them.--You are under the fame Obligations at all Times, as at any Time, to perform Duty; and to obferve all Duties, as to observe any. For they are all required by the fame Authortty; and to be performed to the fame Object, and for the fame End. He therefore who lives in the wilful Neglect of any known Duty, does thereby turn his Back upon God and his Salvation. Herein then, the greatest Care fhould be exercifed, that we may prove (or know and do) what is the good, and perfect, and acceptable Will of God concerning us.

You fhould alfo remember, that the Duties of religious Worship are to be performed to an omniscient and Heart-fearching God; a God who cannot be deceived, and will not be mocked; a God, who will be fanctified in all them that come nigh him, and who will highly refent our flattering him with ou Lips, and lying to him with our Tongues, when our Hearts are far from him.-You fhould therefore be careful, by previous Meditation, to obtain a lively Senfe of the infinite Perfections of the glorious. God to be worshipped, of the Nature and Importance of the Duty to be attended; and to have your Affections inflamed and much engaged, when you come into God's immediate Prefence, in any Ordinance of religious Worship. You fhould keep your Heart with all Diligence; watch againft, and carefully

[ocr errors]

carefully fupprefs every roving and wandering Thought, endeavour to retain a lively Impreffion of the divine Prefence; and to keep up a devout fpiritual Frame of Soul, while in the Performance of the Worship of God.--Our Tranfactions with God, in the Duties of religious Worfhip, above all Things call for the greatest Seriousness, Watchfulnefs and Care. And all the Pains we can take in this Matter, will prove too little; we fhall ftill have Caufe to lament our great Defects; and to mourn after the Pardon of the Iniquity of our holy Things, through the Blood of Christ.

3. Remember, that as you lie at Mercy, so you have a Mercy Seat to repair to; and that you may fow in Hope.-It is true, that we neither have nor can have any Claim to the Mercy of God, on Account of any Thing that we do, or are able to do in Religion. Not for your Sakes do this, faith the Lord God, be it known unto you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own Ways, O Houfe of Ifrael.But yet it is also true, that the infinite Mercy of God is more than equal to all our Unworthiness, to all our Difficulties, and to all our Wants. There is Forgiveness with God, that he may be feared; and with him is plenteous Redemption. And God is in Chrift reconciling the World to himself, not imputing their Trefpaffes.You fhould approach the Prefence of God, not only with a most abafing Senfe of your Sinfulness, Pollution and Unworthiness; and with most earnest Importunity for the Influences of his Spirit and Grace; but also with an humble Confidence in the Riches of his infinite Mercy; and with a supporting Hope, that for his own fake, and for his Son's fake, (though not for yours) he will accept, pardon, fanctify and fave you.-While you are entertaining hard Thoughts of God, giving into defponding Frames, and nourishing your dif tracting,

« AnteriorContinuar »