do to be faved?" Which extraordinary work I hear doth ftill continue in divers places of England.

And this very fame year we have the like accounts from Georgia, New-Jerfey, Penfilvania, New-York, and other of the English plantations in America, by the ministry of Mr Whitfield and others. Likewife, we have very strange accounts of the fuccefs of the gofpel in many different parts of the world, even among the heathens, by Count Zinzendorf, bishop of the Moravian church, and his miffionaries.

Verily thefe good news which we now hear, of God's glorious appearances in the gofpel, do look as if God was about to accomplish his promifes to his church in the later days, "When the whole earth fhall be full of the knowledge of the Lord." O how refreshing are the remoteft dawnings of the glory of thefe days!

Alfo, they ferve to teach us how eafy it is for God to rife up, when he pleafeth, for the revival of his work in decayed churches, when their cafe feems to be very hopeless. How eafy is it for him to raise up inftruments to preach his gofpel with fuch life and power, as to awaken whole towns and countries of fleepy finners together to hearken to the gofpel-call? He can make a ⚫ nation to be born at once; which fhould encourage us to wait on him ftill. And now when our bleffed Lord is graciously pleased to mount his white horfe, as king of Zion, and make his circuit in our countries, to give fuch evidences of his glorious power, and fend down pleasant showers of his grace among them, and make many to bow down at his feet: May we not hope that he hath a great work on the wheels, and is on his march to go through his church in a conquering manner, to confound deifts and infidels, and quell the daring boldness of his adverfaries? And, in that cafe, may not Scotland look for a vifit from him among the reft, and even plead that ancient kindness may revive towards it? May we not draw hope from the fecond Pfalm, and other fcripture-paffages, where God promifeth to "give his fon the uttermoft parts of the earth for a poffeffion; and that the ifles fhall fee his falvation, and wait for his law" among which places Scotland certainly is? And though

though it be a land that is little and despised among the nations, yet he, whofe thoughts are not like man's thoughts, hath fhewed a distinguishing refpect to it, by his early fending the gofpel to it; and, when overspread with darkness, promoting reformation in it against both the power of the mighty, and counfels of the crafty nay, advancing reformation fo far, and making gospellight fo clear and powerful in it, by the remarkable down-pouring of his Spirit, that Scotland was noticed by divines of other places, and called Philadelphia, and the morning ftar of the reformation. Nay, he took Scotland into covenant with himself in a peculiar manner, and gave fingular tokens of his prefence with his people: He hath wonderfully appeared for the intereft of religion, when almoft funk in it: He hath raised up Saviours on our mount Zion, and brought about great deliverances for it (as for Ifrael of old) when grievously oppreffed and brought low. And, from-thefe ancient and peculiar proofs of our Redeemer's care, may we not.. humbly hope that he will not leave the land that is given him by his Father, and folemnly devoted to him by its inhabitants?

Our decays and backflidings from God, indeed, are very great, fearful, and threatening; yet, he hath still left a mourning and praying remnant in the land, who are fenfible of the want of his Spirit and prefence in ordinances, defire to lament after the Lord, and cry for all the abominations that are found in the midst of the city: And though her defolations are mournful, the breaches in her walls many, and the glory of the Lord is gone up from the cherub; yet it feems ftill to hover and stand over the threshold of the door, and there is a remnant among us wrestling and pleading against his departure. There is a number who take pleasure in our Zion, have a kindness for her stones and rubbish, and cease not to lift up a prayer for the remnant that is left: And we fee gracious promifes made to the prayers and tears, wrestlings and witneffings, of a small godly remnant, Pfal. xii. 5. Pfal. cii. 13. 14. 17. Alas, that this remnant in our land is fo fadly broken and divided in the way and manner of their witnefling at this day! O

that

that the meek Jefus, who rules in Zion, would meeken all their hearts, fave from a spirit of bitterness, and from dangerous extremes in feparating from one another! O that the God of peace, that hath the command of hearts, would unite his broken remnant together, give them a Chrift-like spirit, and make them one stick in his hand! It is no wife difficult to him to accomplish this union, even when the cafe is moft hopeless in our eyes, and inftruments to mediate for healing breaches are out of fight. Let us remember and plead that promife, Jer. xxx. 17. "For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, faith the Lord, because they have called thee an outcast, faying, This is Zion whom no man feeketh after." Many of God's wor-. thies, now in glory, have gone off the ftage in the belief and hopes, that God would yet arife and have mercy on his Zion, that he would fignally build her up, and appear in his glory; yea, that there would be more glorious gofpel-days feen in Scotland, than either we or our fathers have beheld. Surely these confiderations may encourage God's remnant in Scotland, to wait and pray in hope, however dark and cloudy our day be at prefent. In the meantime, let us rejoice and bless the Lord, that he is pleased to pour out his Spirit, make bare his holy arm, and glorify his power in other parts of the world, yea, and get himself a great name amongst those that have not known him, whatever he doth with us: May his right hand, and holy arm, get him the victory among them more and more, that we may hear gofpelfongs from the uttermoft parts of the earth ?-Likewife, let us mourn for thofe fins, both old and late, which provoke God to make our heavens as brass, and to withhold thofe pleasant showers from us he is letting fall upon others: And let us plead that Scotland, which formerly was the glory of all lands, for the effufions of the Spirit, may not now be paft by and left behind all others. O let not her fleece be dry, when many others have their fleeces wet; and, when they are getting abundance of rain, may we have a little cloud appearing like a man's hand, to prognofticate a fhower a coming! May the Lord rife up from his place, and come merci

fully

fully to decide the quarrel between Deifts and us; and let Infidels, and the profane fcoffers of thefe laft days, fee, that the bible is the word of God, and that the preaching of it is his inftitution; that there is a fuper⚫ natural power attending it, for changing mens hearts as well as lives! May he let the world fee, it is not fine moral harangues, nor the enticing words of mens wifdom; but the plain preaching of a crucified Jefus, is the only remedy for loft finners, that become the power of God to the converfion and falvation of men !"

But fome have their questions, " By whom fhall Ja cob arife? Will he fhew wonders to the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise him?" Thefe, indeed, are nonpluffing difficulties to us, but none at all to him who raifeth the dead, and calleth the things which be not, as though they were. He hath still spirit and clay enough for new inftruments; yea, he can make strangers build up his walls, and the greatest enemies become zealous for his glory. And, however unlikely the appearance of things may be at prefent, both fcripture and experience affure us, that the time of God's peoples extremity (as I faid before) is his ufual feafon of appearing for them: "It is in the mount that the Lord will be feen;" fo may the text be rendered, Gen. xxii. 14. God did not appear any way for Ifaac's deliverance all the three days journey he made with his father, till he came to the top of the mount, and was juft ready to be facrificed: Neither did he interpofe for the Jews in Esther's time, until the decree was paft, and day fixed, and but a hair-breadth betwixt them and ruin; then God steps in, and posts are instantly dispatched to ftop the execution. Thus the Lord acts agreeably to his promise, Deut. xxxii. 36. "For the Lord fhall judge his people, and repent himself for his fervants, when he feeth that their power is gone, and there is none fhut up or left." Here, then, is food for faith and prayer in the most ftraitening times. O for grace to pray in hope, mourn in hope, labour in hope, and wait in hope, feeing our dearest Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, who is our hope, is gone up, and fits at the helm! O when fhall the power of this great Lord be prefent to heal us! Come, Lord Jefus, come quickly. Amen. VOL. I. X x

INTRO

INTRODUCTION.

IT being our great business in the world, to promote God's glory and our own falvation, and, in order thereto, to feek acquaintance with, and fecure an intereft in the Lord Jefus Chrift (the fole mediator betwixt God and men) and alfo to labour for the comfortable perfuafion and affurance of this intereft; it hath pleased God, for our affiftance in this matter, graciously to prefcribe to us the use of feveral outward means, as the word, facraments, and prayer, and alfo to promise the inward influences of his Holy Spirit, for making thefe means effectual for the ends forefaid, to fuch as confcientioufly attend them and use them.

The facrament of the Lord's fupper, one of thefe means, being instituted by our Lord Jefus Chrift, as a bright reprefentation and compend of the whole Chrif tian religion, and an ordinance nobly adapted for carrying on the ends of God's glory, and our fouls falvation, and particularly for clearing up our intereft in Christ, and improving our acquaintance with him; it highly concerns every Chriftian to make confcience of attending in a due and fuitable manner.

I have elfe where shown, that the Lord's day is of divine appointment, and the celebration of the Lord's fupper is the proper work of this day, and one fpecial defign of its first inftitution. Now, if ordinary fabbaths do require great diligence and care in our preparing for them, and improving of them; much more do communion-fabbaths, which are folemn and high days, and, in a fpecial manner, days of the fons of men; thete being times wi crein we make near approaches unto God, and he makes most near approaches unto us; and fo may be called days of heaven upon earth; for they do eminently