221 need he fear that he fhail want, that is to well provided should he murmur or repine, who has fuch fulness? Is there any caufe of anger, if our Father be not angry? fhall we be un charitable to any, who partake of fuch great charity? We must watch, and walk circumfpe&tly, that we lofe not fuch exceeding abundant grace, as this which is beltowed on us; and go forth in this new ftrength and comfort which we have received, and perfect our conquefts over the World, the Flefh, and the devil; and Refolve that nothing shall separate us from the love of God which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord. Rom 8.39. Well may we stand to this Refolution, if we remember that He is our Father: for what is it that has tempted us, and drawn our hearts at any time from Hin? nothing but a little fhort pleasure; nothing but a vain, and many times. foolish breath of mortal man, whofe breath is in his noftrils, and must shortly dy, and all his thoughts perish, Ifa 2. 22. Pf. 146.4. Nothing but that which the Moth can corrupt, or the Ruft confume, or a Thief defpoil us of; nothing but a fading Beauty, which fickness or time will certainly bring to decay. What are all thefe to the pleasure of pleafing God? to the commendation and praise which comes from unerring and eternal wisdom? to the durable Riches, Honor and Beau ty, which our heavenly Father will give us for our Portion? Our hopes in Him now are infinitely better than any hing elfe. The love of fuch a Father is more worth than all that the whole World can do for us. Let us value our fel es highly then upon this account; and never call Him Father more but with thegre areft jov and contentment of heart. Be careful for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let our requests be made known unto God; Phil. 4. 6. Look often into our hearts, and ask when er He be there; and fay, it is enough; God is our Father, in this will we rejoice; and the peace of God which paffech all understanding, shall keep our heares and minds ebro Chrift Jefus v.7.

AND here we may take up a Refolution to Meditate daily all this Month upon the great FAITH and Confidence which Fle repofed in his heavenly Father, and expreffed when He died; faying.Father into thy bands I commend my spirit.S.Luke 23 46. He trufted Himtelf with Hi, hat Se fhould have a bleffe Refurrection. His flesh refted in hope that He would not leave his foul in bell, neither fuffer his holy one to fee corruption.

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Part. II. Acts 2. 26, 27. Tho' He was then fcorn'd, abused the vileft of men, and fhamefully put io death upon a Gibbet; yet he took God's word for it, that He should rife, and reign, and be glorified eternally; triumphing over all his enemies, Hell and Death it felf. We must labor to imitate Him in this holy Faith. both for all the things of this Life, and of that which is to come; form our felves to an habitual Trust in God'i careful Providence, and precious promiles; commit our felves to Him in well doing, IS. Pet.4.19. take care of that only, and leave all the reft, with an affured confidence, to Him. Let our converfation be without covetousness; and be content with fuch things as we have for He huth fail, I will never leave thee, nor forfake thee. So that we may boldly fay, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Heb. 13. 5. 6. This is the promise that He hath promifed us, even eternallife. 1-S. John 2. 25. These things faith the Amen, the faithfull and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; If any man hear my voice, und open the door, I will come in to him, and will up with him, and he with Me. To him that overcometh wili I grant to fit with Me in my throne, even as I also overcame. and am fet down with my Father in his throne. Rev. 3. 14. 20, 21.

S. 11. JUL Y.

WHAT makes us figh now that we have been with our Savior? Is it because we are departed from that holy place where we saw his glory, and beheld how He loved us? Alas! we cannot indure always to dwell in his houfe; we are too weak, while we are in this fleshly Tabernacle, to remain in the heights of Love. S. Paul came down again when he had been caught up into Paradife, and could not ftay in the midst of thofe joys. But we are afraid we fhall forget Him. now that thofe fenfible representations are remov'd from our eyes, and that our Love and our joy will Vanish now that we are gone from his bleffed prefence. Let us be of good comfort, for He is every where, and will not abfent Himself if we are fo defirous of his company. The word is nigh thee evey in thy mouth, and in thy heart. Rom. 10. 8. Let us look into his holy Gofpel, and read again and again the ftory of his Love ;and look into our felves and fee what He has already done for us, and He will not fail to be ever doing more. He has given us a well of water fpringing up into everlafting life S, Fob. 4. 14. if we believe the Gospel, the word of

*his grace. Aits 20. 32. and we may feed, continually on the Remembrance, wkich He has now given us of Himself. He defires we would make Him like our daily bread, and be ever drawing life and power, and joy from Him the Fountain to of Life. Does He not love Holiness better than we can? Is not his own life, his image, his nature form'd in us? Did He not live, did He not dy, did He notrife again, and is He not at God's right hand, and has He not an unchangeable Priesthood, that He might bring us to God; I S. Pet. 3. 18. hand purify 10 Himself o peculiar people zealous of good works. Titus 2.13. We may be confident of this very thing, that He which bath begun a good work in us, will perform it untill the day of Jefus Chrift. Phil. 1.6. Let Him but know every day that bwe love righteousness, and hate iniquity, and He will crown us with more of his grace for it is the Character He has given of Himself; Heb. 1.9. and He will love to beautify his own image, and make it fairer and clearer wherefoever He finds it. Let us but work out our own falvation with fear and trembling, left we fhould neglect fo great falvation, Heb. 2. 3. now that he worketh in us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Phil. 2. 12, 13. and we need not fear but that he will continue to work in us for ever. That little light which is in us fhall increase to a perfect day. Our love, tho but like a fpark, fhall burn and flame, and we shall thine ag lights in the world in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation: holding forth the word of life. v. 15, 16. Faithfull is He that calleth us. who also will do it. 1 Theff. 5. 24. And therefore Bejopce in the Lord alway: and again I fav rejoyce. ch.4. 4. For the joy of the Lord is our ftrength: Neh.8.16. And then that rejoyce greatly in his comforts go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. Pfal. 84.7.

AND here we are to remember that the more we can tor go our own Wills to fasisfy his, the more affured we shall grow that he delights in us, and will rejoyce over us to do us good; and fo we can never fail to find onr joy in him to be full. Therefore we may fix our purposes of frequent Meditation, this Month, upon our Lord's abfolute RE SIGNATION to his Fathers Will in all things of which he has giveu fuch a perfect Example from the beginning to th' end of his life. When He cometh into the world, He faith, Lo, I come to do thy will○ God. Heb. 10.5, 7. When

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He preached among nien Hc protefted, faying, can of mine own Jelf do nothing because I seek not mine own Will but the Will of the Father which has fent me. S, Joh. 5. 39. And when he was an hungred, He protefted again, meat isto do the Will of Him that fent me, and to finish his work. ch. 4. 34. And when. He was in his bitterest Agony, from which Nature was paffionately averfe, He fubmitted himfelf nevertheless with the greatest meekness, faying, t what I will but what Thou wilt. S. Mar. 14. Bot my will, but thine be done. S. Luke 22,42. Let us labor to form, our felves to the fame mind, and difpofition, both in doing and infuffering; remembring the word that. He said unto his Apos tles, The fervant is not groater than the Lord. S. Joh. 15. 20. It is enough for the Disciple that he be as his Master, and the fervant as his Lord. S, Mat. 10. 25.

§. 12.

AUGUST.

SEEING it has pleas'd, our Lord to ty us to himself by one Bond more, and we have added a new Refolution to all the reft, and made choice of him again for our only Master: how careful ought we to be that we prove not talfe Difciplest Have we never read or heard of an holy. Man.. who never uled the Name of Jefus, but he immediately added ́, not without th' appearance of fingular pleasure, MY MASTER. This was his glory; this he thought the highest honor upon earth that he ferved fuch a Mafter. Let this be one of our Thoughts every day : let it work in our minds, till the fenfe of these words be ingraven on every one of our hearts, My Mafter JESUS. Confidering when we were Baptized. we were dedicated to his holy Service, and when we own'd and Confirm'd that facred Covenant, we renounced all other Masters, the devil, the World, and the Flesh, and profeffed we would be fervants of Jesus; and every time we have been at his Table, we have done this over agains and protested We will have no other Master, but ouly Him. It there any caufe, do we think, to repent of our choice of following his fervice? Is it not a great preferment to be one of his Family, who is Lord of Heaven and Earth, th' Heir of all things; the Prince of all the Kings of the Earth; the Lord of Life; and the King of Glory? Do we not profefs in our daily Prayers, that his Service is perfect freedom? can any reward their fervants like to the blessed and only Potentate, who only has immortality? doany fervants in the world ferve in fuch hopes,oninjoy

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fuch promifes, or receive such earnefts, as He is pleafed to beftow on his? Is notdeath theWages of fin, but the Gift of God eternal life?Rom.6.23. What fervants are admitted to such familiarity with their Lord, as we are at his Table? Who are entertain'd with such a Feaft, or live upon fuch delights, as we that receive his Body and Bioud? And yet how zealous, how diligent, how forward are they to do their Mafter's Will, who ferve only for the Wages of unrighteousness? how proud is a Man of the honor to foliow the Court of an earthly Prince? but if he should be advanced to eat continually at his Table, the World wou'd envy his too great happiness. What a fhame will it prove then, if we are not ferbeut in Spirit: ferv ing the Lord, Rom. 12. 11. if we don't think our selves honord enough, and are not well contented in any Condition, who follow fuch a glorious Mafter? We shall not pardon our felves if we are unfaithful to Him, or disgrace his Service by murmuring, repining, dejection of spirit, or any unwor◄ thy behavior towards Him: for what Mafter ever merited so much at his Servants hands? We have heard of servants that have died for their Masters; but where did me ever read or hear of a Master that freely died, even for his rebellious Ser• vants? The business was, Jesus would purchase us to Himfelf by his owu bloud; and make us, if we have but any good naturejaus, to be most intirely devoted to his melt chearful obedicace. Let us ask our felves therefore every Morning, Whole fervants are we? What did we promile our Mafter fuch a day? If we call him Lord and Master, why don't we de the things that he faith? And shall we go about our Maûter's ' bufinefs with a drooping countenance, and a heavy heart? fhall any of his Commandments seem grievous to us, after so folema protefions of love to him? God forbid that we fhouli caft fuch reproach upon him. We have not fo learn'd Chrift Jefus, whose we are; and whom we serve. who has fait, If any man serve Me, him will my Father benor? S. Joh. 12. 26, can there be words of greater grace than these? God be thanked that we were the fervants of fun, but we have obeyed from the heart that form of Doctrine which was delivered us. Rom. 6. 17. It is a favor to be the fervants of righteousness. v. 18. We ought to account it an honor to receive his Cont mands: andto study to do his Will on earth, as it is done in heaven: how comfortably then shali we live, how comfortabiy fhill we dy & how will it make our hearts to leap for

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