alfo in the likeness of his Refurrection. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the Body of fin might be deftroyed, that henceforth we should not ferve fin. God be thanked that tho' we were the fervants of fin, yet have now obey'd from the heart, and being made free from fin, are become the fervants ofrighteousness. Rom. 6. 4. 5, 6, 17, 18. Henceforth we will ferve no other Mater: For even Chrift our Paffover is facrified for us. (By whofe Bloud we are redeemed from evetlafting deftruction) Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of fincerity and truth. 1 Cor. 5. 7, 8. Building up our felves on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghoft. We will keep our felves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift unto eternal life, Jude 20, 21. Lord, Thou art God which haft made heaven and earth, and the fea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy fervant David haft said, Acts 4.24, 25. Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten Thee. And I shall give Thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy poffefion. Pf. 2.7, 8. Thy word is true from the beginning. For evtr, O Lord, thy wor dis fettled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations. Pf. 119. 160, 89, 90. For thou haft fent the Hely Child Jefus, and declared Him to be the Son of God with power, by the Refurrection from the dead. Rom. 1.5. For though He was crucified through weakness, yet Heliveth by the power of God. 2 Cor. 13.4. Thou wouldst not suffer thine holy one to fee corruption: But halt made known to Him the ways of life; and made Him full of joy with thy countenance, Acts 2. 27. 28, Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou haft given Him. S. John 17. 2. Adored be thy eternal love which appeared in the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that followed. 1 S. Pet. 1. 11. Adored be thy Love which hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the Refurrection of Jefus Chrift from the dead. v. 3. Who bath brought life and immortality to light through the Gofpal. 2 Tim. 1.10. And is become the first fruits of them that flept. 1 Cor. 15. 20. And is the Refurrection and the life, S. John 11. 25. We rejoyce in the confolation which Thou haft fent unto us, and that we in this farthermoft part of the Earth are become his inheritance. We praife Thee, we blefs Thee, we most heartily devote our telves to th' obedience of Jefus, as is but just and meet. For to this end Christ both died and rofe, and revived, that He might be Lord of the dead and living. Rom. 14. 9. We reverence his Sovereign Authority; We fubmit our felves to his Laws; and depend upon his care and good Providence. We refer our felves to his wife Will and pleasure in all things; defiring nothing more, but ihat whether me live or die, we may be the Lord's. v. 8. Othat thy Spirit, which raised up fefut, may dovell in us, guide and govern us: That Thou, who raifedit up Chrift from the dead, mayst also quicken our mortal bodies, by thy Spirit dwelling in us ch. 8. 11. Q! that the rest of the world may become his poffeffion too; and all with one mind and one mouth glorifie God, even the Father of our Lord Jefus Christ, ch. 15.6. he is the faithful witness. and the fir begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the Kings of the earth to Him be glory and dominion for ever. Amen. Rev. 1.5.6. §. 6. ASCENSION-DAY, orSUNDAY. O!The height of that Glory wherein our Savior is introned! Who is gone into heaven. I S. Pet. 3. 22: And made higher than the heavens. Heb. 7. 26. Day, afcended up far above all heav ens. Eph. 4. 10. Far above all principality and power and migh and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. Eph. 1.21. What a com fort is it to duft and afhes to fee their nature fhining brighter than the highest Stars of glory? to behold their fiefh the great eft beauty of the Paradife of God? Where fhould our converfition be, but in Heaven? where should the members and the heart be, but where their Head and their treasure is? What fhould we feek but those things which are above, Where Chrift fetteth on the right hand of God? Col. 3. 1. O ye little vanities! how contemptible are all your pleasures? how low are all your dignities and honors? how bafe and vile the rest of your temp rations, when we look up to Heaven where our Savior fits in unmatchable glory and Majelty? Never fpeak to us any more never perfuade us to follow worldly lufts; our thoughts are not now fo mean. Weare deadroall thofe things, and our life is bid with Christ in God. When Chrift, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in Glory. Col. 3.3.4. But is that eternal life with Jefus the thing we feek? isour heart indeed set on things above, where He is at God's right hand? Let us search and try; do we in good earnest travel with high and heavenly defigns? are we ambitious of nothing fo much, as to be like to Jesus? and by the most self denying ways s'obtain his glory? do we spare no pains to flatten our too 212 too eager defires towards the things on earth? to let out our vain and airy conceits; to fharpen our appetites after real, happinefs t'inflame our love, to heighten our defires and hopes; to strengthen our Faith; t'excite our watchfulness; and ingage our ferious indeavors, that we may poffefs the things above? Are we fure that the Wisdom that is from above S. Fam.. 3. 19. is the crown of ons glory? Humility our honor; to do good, our riches and treasure, to be religious, our business; and to rejoyce in God, our highest pleasure? Does the peace of God which paffeth all understanding, keep our hearts and minds! Phil. 4.7. Are we above the threats, the contempt, the hatrad, th' oppreffion, th' enmities and affronts of this evil world? Above our own and other mens paffions and peevish affections? So that we return good for evil; kindness for injuries; and prayers for curfes? Are our hearts carried aloft in holy Prayers? Do we fend up continually the Sacrifice of preife giving thanks toed for all his. Benefits? Do we dweila bove in pious Meg of the Glory wherein our Savior is inthroned? Do we set carneftly the best, and most useful gifts, and especially our courfe to that more excellent way, [of miniftring to the welfare of the Church, and of our own Souls; even that of Charity? 1 Cor, 12.31. Have we purified our fouls, in obeying the truth throngh the Spirit, unto unfeigned love of the brethren? 1 S. Pet. 1. 22. Is that fweet thing that heavenly Charity, our dearly beloved? which is thevery joy of heaven. Then th' Angels give us joy of a hap-. py Refurrection and Afcenfion with Christ Jesus: for God. bath quickned us together with Chrift, And hath raised us up together, and made us fit together in heavenly places. Eph. 2. 5.6. The day-ftar is rifen intour hearts, foretelling our ap proaching glory. We behold the morning of eternal joy the dawning of the day of Recompences. And we may reft affured that God will not leave us in the grave, nor fuffer us forever to fee corruption, but it fhall, deliver us into to Arms of our Lord, Fut this corruptible muftiputiam incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. Con. 15. 53 and this mortality fhall be swallowed up of life. 2 Cor. 5. 4. Nay, we may now triumph, and fay, are the children of God, And ifchildren, then heirs; heirs of God, and jointheirs with Chrift. Rom. 8: 16, 17. Who has alfo given us the earnest of theinheritance. Eph. 1.14 For He has form'd already a model of th' heavenly Sanctuary within our breafts; where Chrift Part. II. Jefus Himfelf is inthroned; and the Name of God is conti nually honored and glorified. And therefore we may humbly conclude in the words of Jefus, If God be glorified in us, God ball alfo glorifie us in Himself. S. John 13. 32. AndO! that se Father of glory would be pleafed more and more to give nnthus the fpirit of wisdom and revelation, in the knowledge of Him: That the eyes of our understanding being inlightned, we may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the faints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe,according to the working of his mighty power; Which He wrought in Chrift, when He raifed Him from the dead, and fet Him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. Eph. 1. 17 to 20. Amen. §. 7. APRIL. DID we obferve well that glorious Perfon who feafted us at his Table; and mark the kind and gracious words which He spake unto us by the reprefentationens his broken Body, and Bloud that was fhed for our fakes? as! we fhould not have been here if we had had a clear view of his Glories? He would have carried us to heaven with Him if our hearts had been poffeffed with the fulness of his Love. Our eyes are too weak to behold his Perfections; our thoughts too narrow to comprehend th' unfearchable riches of his Grace. But have we not feen fomething of Him? Did not many of his beau te bus Graces fhine fairly in our eyes? Did He not even force upon us some sense of his wondrous goodnefs and Charity? and has He not put Him felf, by fenfible tokens into our very hands, nay, entred into our heart, and told us that He defi. red it for his habitation? Where is He then? what have we done with Him? Are the thoughts of Him vanifhed already out of our minds? does the love of Him languish and dy thus foon in our breafts? are we content to let Him go, and fee Him no more till the fame Solemnity come about again?How fhall we be able then to appear before Him at that time? with what face fhall we be able look upon Him whom we flight fo much as to like any company better than his? will it not confound us to think that we are but strangers to Him,tho we' ve been fo of ten with Him: and thatHe can find nothing of Him. felfin us, no, not after fo many profeffions of the greatest love and friendship to Him? Olet Him fee that He has not bestow'd Himfelt on those that know not how to value fo Di 215 vine a Gueft. Let us preferve an everlafting Memory of his dying Love; never tail to thank Him for it every day, with the greateft paffion we are able to excite: look on Him feriously, and study to be like Him; never take off our eyes from his beauties, till all his lovely qualities be imprinted on our hearts, imitate his humility and great condefcenfion to us of low eftate; learn of Him to be meek and lowly in heart; S., Mat. 11,29. Walk in love, as Chrift alfo has loved us, and given Himself for us an offering and a Sacrifice to God for a sweet fmelling favor; Eph.4.2; and purify our felves even as He is pure. 1 S. John 3-3. Let our converfation be without covetous nefs, and let us be content with fuch things as we have.Heb.13 5. Traft in the LORD, and do good. Pf. 37. 3. And make Him our hope, and our portion. That as long as we live, Christ Jesus may be feen among men. O! what a goodly fight" would it be, to behold our Lord ftill walking up and down in the world! to fee the loving, the peaceable, the meek, the merciful, the Holy Jefus again upon th' earth! Let every one of us refolve to be that bleffed man, in whom He fhall appear; let not his image and likeness be loft whilft we are in being: and let us labour to leave it upon others when we are dead and gone. PARTICULARLY we may pitch upon the PATIENCE ofour Lord under all the rude affronts and cruel pains He indured from his enemies: and the great dulnefs, untowardnefs, and flowness to believe which He found in his Difciples: for our Meditation this Month. That fo'Patience may have her perfect work in us, that we may be perfket and intire, wanting nothing. S. Fam. 1.4. For we have need of patience; that after we have done the will of God, we might receive the promife. Heb. 10. 36. Het in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thy felf because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Pf. 37-* 7. We must refolve not to be discouraged in our Chitian course, whatsoever it be that we are to do or fuffer, and to Barn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble minded, fupport the weak, and be patient towards allmen. 1 Thef. s. 14. Remembring that this is the Character of thofe who received the heavenlyfced in an honest and good heart that they brought forth fruit with patience. S. Luk. 8. 15. knowing that tribula tion worketh patience; and patience experience; and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed. Rom. 5 •3• 4• ' K52 §. 8.. |