§. 8. MAY.

O Love, what haft thou done? faidan holy man, when be thought of the mercies of God in Chrift Jefus. Thou broughteft the Son of God down from heaven, and madeft Him appear in the likeness of man; thou broughtest Him to his Crofs and madeft Him an Offering of a sweet smelling favour unto God. O Love what would ft thou not do (may we say to our felves) if thou didst but possess our hearts? That which made Him like to us, and brought Him down hither, would make uslike to God, and carry us up to Heaven. If we did but love God, what cou'd He demand of us which we should not immediately do? how naturally fhou'd we study to please Him? how eafy and delightful would it be to comply with his Will? and what a favor fhould we count it that we might know his Will which we are to do? None of his Commandments wou'd be grievous tous, but all his ways pleasantness, and all his paths peace. Prov. 3. 17. And will it not be very ftrange it we fhould not love Him, who has loved us fo much, and is fill demonftrating his kindness to us? We must forget our Be. lief if we fhould not love Him, and that He will not let us for get, but calls us often to his holy Table, and feed's us with the fweet Remembrance of Him: there He reprefents to us. that which we continually profefs to believe, That He is the Father knightp, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. Eph. 3.15. That Jesus Christ is his onlp Don our Lord; th C.He was conceived by the Holp Ghost / Boru of the Dirgin Mary Buffered under Pomins Pilate/ Mag cruc:fied/ dead and buried He descended into yell; Hofe agoin; Ascensed into heaven; fits au God's right hand; And shall come to judge the quick and the dead. This is our Futh: May we never make confeffion of it without feeling it excited to work by love. Gal 5. 6. May it alwaics call to mind the Vows we have made to live by this faith of the Son of God. ch. a. 20. May it purify our hears. Afts 15. 9..that when He fhall appear again and come tojudge the world, our faith may be found unto praise and honor, and glory, Amen. 1S. Pet. 1.7. We muit refolve therefore to reflect on it for this end; fhow that we do wil lingly remember the Lord Jefus, and ftudy to stir up his love in our hearts; and have not only fome fudden flashes of it for eed upon us, by the meer great nefs and power of bis Love. And we must think that our love to Him will grow faint and cold without these indeavors;, so that it will be a doubt to our

fel..

felves (O! how uncomfortablo is that?) whether we love rim

or no,

And the better to preferve it, we may often this whole Month Meditate particularly upon this piece of Chrif's Love, in inftituting and ordaining, juftbefore He died, thefe HOLY MYSTERIES at this divine Feaftas pledges of his Love, and for a continual Remembrance of his death, to our great and endless comfort. Owhat kindness was this! may we think with our Jelves, what wonder of love, which is here fairly reprefented to us, and fet before our eyes! what a pleafure is it to fee our felves thus beloved of the Sovereign of the world! to behold our felves in th' arms of th' Almighty, th'only wife, and all-fufficient Good, who will never fail to take care of us, provide for us, direct, fupport. affist, comfort and pored us, yea, and eternally blefs us! This is love indeed, that we have fuch pledges given us of his everlasting kinduefs; that we fhall fee Him in th' other world, where we hall know Him, and love Him as much as we can defire. Nay, what an happiness is it that we can love Him at all, and that He will take fuch care to excite our love to fo great an height in this world? O! what pleafures have we felt in loving. Him, and offering our hearts with fincere affection to Him! how do our Wills fweetly melt into his, when we think how. good He is, and how much we are obliged to Him? We Thou'd never have prais'd Him fo much, if He had not thus reprefented his love to us; and that, toge her with intire friendship and coucord (to which He also here ingages us) is th happiness of Angels and glorified Spirits. We will never ceafe tothink of the fe pleasures, that we may never, ceafe t'injoy. 'em: but be fill more and more praifing Him, till we come to praise Him in the Company of the biefled,

§. 9. WHITSUNDAY.

WE have now feen the completion of all the Mystery of our Redemption; how that Jefus who learned obedience, by the things which He fuffered: Being made perfect, became the author of eternal Salvation unto all them that obey Him. Heb. 5.8.9. Can we doubt of u when we remember the princely gifts which He has already beftow'd on his Church? Did no the fpirit pour'd out, as on this day, bear witness that ali thofe who obediently believed or Jefus were the Children of God? And if children then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. Rem, 8, 16, 17. How cou'd we refrain from r joy

K 6

cing

cing in these thoughts, fhould we be in the midst of their tribulations? For I reckon, that the fufferings of this prefent time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. v, 18. Let us not be fo dull then, now that He gives us also a number of other good things fo richly t'injoy; but ftir up our felves, and be exceeding glad in the com. fort of that light which fhines from heaven upon us; making known unto us the mystery, which in other ages was not made known unto the fons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy Apostles and prophets by the Spirie. Eph. 3.3.5. And is it poffible to know Jefus, and not to learn obedience of him? What was it that He defign'd from first to last but to form to H imfelf an obedient, holy people, Zealous of good works? Do we not fee how early He went Himfelf about his Father's business? how dutiful, obedient, and subject He was unto his Parents. S. Luke 2.49.51. How humbly He condefcended to be baprized by a meaner perfon than Himself because He wou'd ful fill all righteousness.S. Mat. 3. 15. and what did He do imme diately atter He was baptized, but enter into a combate with the devil, and vanquish thofe very temptations which foiled our first Parents? S. Mark. 1. 12. 13. O! how gloriously did He then triumph over Pride, Ambition, eager Appetite of meat and drink, and all perfuafions to Prefumption,or Distrust of God! S. Mat. 4. III. Let us confider what was the first thing he preached after this, that Men fhou'd Repent andễ believe the Gospel S. Mar. 1.15. And his Sermon that prefently followed on the Mountain, S. Mat. 5.6.7. ch. what Lef fons doth it teach, but poverty of spirit, mourning, meekness mercifulness purity, peaceableness, conftancy, patience, and fuch like heavenly vertues? without which He tells us, in the conclufion of his discourse, we may as discreetly build an houfenpon the fand, as hope to go to heaven. v. 26, 27. And was not his whole Life a continual Comment upon this Text? Whither tended all his Promises, his exceeding great and precious promifes, 2 S. Pet. 1: 4. but that by these we might be partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through luft? O God! that we fhould be no more moved by fuch Promises to purify our felves! what miracle will work upon those hearts, whom thefe will not prevail upon to be obedient? and yet we fee his Miracles alfo had the fame Defign, to win Men to a better Life. We hear Him admonishing th' Impo man whom he had cured,

Behold

219 Behold/ (mark what I fay) thou art made whole: fin no more, left a worse thing come unto thee. S. John s. 14. S had his Death allo;for He gave Himself for our fins, that He might deliver us from this prefent evil world, according to the Will of God and our Father. Gal. 1.4. And that He might fanctify and cleanfe the Church with the washing of water by the word, that He might prefent it to Himself a glorious church, not having Spot or wrinkel, or any fuch thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Eph. 5.26.27. For this caufe alfo He rofe again,as well as dico,that they which live should not hence forth live unto themselves but unto Him. 2 Cor. 5. 15. And God having raised up his Son Jefus, fent Him to bless us, in turning every one of us from his iniquities. Acts. 3. 26. For which end He afcended into heaven, and im hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give Repentance to livael, and forgiveness of fins. Acts. 5. 31. This is th' intent of his eternal Priesthood, that we fhould be inCouraged to braw near with a true heart, in full affurance of faith, having our heart fprinkled from an evil confcience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Heb 10.22. And for this purpose He fent the Holy Ghost to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, through many figns and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God. Rom. 15. 18. 19. With this com miffion he fent his Apoftles that they thould go to open their eyes, and to tarn them from darkness to light, and from the pomer of fatan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of fins, and inheritance among them which are fanctified by faith that is in Him Afts. 26.18. And this they preached with the greateft fervency, and teftified in the Lord that hey who believed in Him fhould not wilk aşother Gentiles walk in the van. ity of their minds; &c. Eph. 4, 17. for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. ch. 5.6. but to them, mho, by patient continuance in well doing Jeek for glory, and honor, and immortality; eternal life. Rom. 2.7. Of this the Holy Ghoft was the Earnest, th' Advocate of Chrift Jefus here, as He is ours with the Father; the Witness of his Refurrection and Glory; the Proof and Demonftration of his Religion, the Comforter of all those that live according to it: He bids them hope that He who has fo advan ced humane nature (las was most apparent on this day) in Wisdom, Power, and Charity; can and wili change us into his glorious Image,and make us meet to be partakers of the inheri

tance?

tance of the faints in light. Col. 1. 12. He fays unto us, hatsorber ye shall ask the Father in my Name, He will give it yous. John 16, 23- for He that has giveo us his Son, and felt his Holy fpirit, hou shall He. not alfo freely give us all things? Rom. 8. 32. Whu fhall we ask then? We will on ly bow our knees unto the Father of our Lord Jefus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named that He would grant us according to the riches of his glory, to be frengthned with might, by his Spirit, in the innerman; that Chil may dwell in our hearts by faith; thate being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to compreheud with all faints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Chrut, which palleth know. ledge, that we might be filled with all the fullness of God. Amen. Eph. 3. 14, to 19.

§. 10. JUNE.

DO we mind what we fay, when every day we call God, Father; Our Father which is in Heaven? How happy are we if we are beloved of God Almighty? fobeloved that the Lord of Heaven and Earth is our Father ? what is there that we can des fire, what can we long for beyond this? how well fatisfied and contented should we be in the pooreftCondition; how well affured that all fhall be well with us, if we are fure of this one thing, that he is our Father? and what should make us doubt. of it, tho' fo great an Honor? Where have we been now? what have we been doing? have we not been with Jefus ? have. we not profefled our felves to be Chriftians? Au truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrift. IS. John 1.3. He has fhown us the Love which God bears to us. He has bidden us, by those tokens, rest affured that He will never ceafe to love us: For He has given Himfelf to The Covenant of Fr,endship and eternal Love has been renewed between ns: we have made again an oath of fidelity to Him; and He has fworn in his Holiness, that He will not takes Loving kindness from us, nor fuffer his faithfulness to fail. Ohow rich is he that poffeffes God; and is Heir of his amortal Glory? how chary fhould we be of this ineftimable wealth? how void fhould we be of all other cares, but only this. to preferve the Love of our Heavenly Father? What fhould covetousness do in that heart which injoys fuch a Trea fure? what fhould Ambition, what should Vain glory do in him that can boat otth' Honor of having God for his Father?

us.