eth great spoil. And love his cemmandments above gold. vea above fine gold. The law of his mouth fhall be better unto us than thousands of gold and filver. Pf. 119. 167; 48, 44, 162, 127. 72. Let us go and thank Him heartily, as for other benefits of his Paffion, fo for thefe hopes we have of becom ing fo perfectly in love with Him that we fhall exactly refemble Him. f. 42. 11. Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praife Hiw, who is the health of my Countenance and my God. Pf. 66, 18, 19, 20. IfIregard iniquity in my heart: the Lord will not hear me. But verily God hath beard me: He hath attended to the voice of my Prayer. Bleffed be God, which hath not turned away me prayer, nor his mercy from me. §. 11. JULY. HOW can we think that we love our Savior fo dearly as we ought? and without love, who can be welcome guests at his holy Talle? They are often in our thoughts whom we love with a fenfible paffion; Our minds are perpetually looking towards 'em; we delight in their Company, and converfation; and ever labor to recommend our felves to their affections, by conforming our felves to their Will and humour, How do we study to pleafe 'em and if they will tell us what will please 'em, O how glad are we of th' opportunity to ferve 'em? Nay, we can crofs our felves and our own inclinations, to follow theirs. We love they should be honor'd and efteem'd by all; we are much caff down if we have giv'n 'em any dif guft; and not a little troubled that others have offended 'em, or done 'em any wrong. O that we felt but this little fign of a tender Love and regard to our fweet Redeemer!that our hearts were wounded, now that we are going to behold his Wounds, for the just offence we have at any time given Him; and the great forgetfulness and ingratitude of moft of thofe that are call'd by his Name. He may well be difpleas'd, if it be but for the defects of our love, and the coldnest of our affections to Him, who has deferv'd to be remembred with the greatest paffion for we have long profeff'd Love to Him; we have receiv'd many teftimonies of his fpecial kindness to us: and given many affurances of ours to Him. And yet how pale and dim are tliofe marks of a great Love to Him, which are plainlý vifible in us to others? Are we ever cafting our eyes towards Him? doth He often prefent Himfelf before our minds? and feelingly touch our hearts? are we never better pleas'd than when we are going to Him? is the quefton rather what will pleate pleafe Him, than whether we fhall do it? He has declared his Will in his holy Golpel, are we glad to hear of it, and read it, and very defirous to know it in all things?can we forfake our own Wills chearfully to follow his ? and does it grieve u much that his excellent Laws are not obferv'd; and that all Chriftians do not love and honor Him! O Lord, Thou knoweft our weakness, and how hard it is to keep our Minds and hearts foftedfaftly fixt upon invifible things; and in great pity therefore haft ordained holy Myfteries, for a frequent remembrance of Thee, and to reprefent thy felf, and thy Love more fenfebly to us.By this means we hope to grow in time to a perfect Love; ever bearing Thee in mind; and delighting to give Thee thanks and praife; and conforming our felves to thy bleffed Will; and defiring and ftudying that thy Name may be hallowed and honored by us, and all men elfe through. outthe World. This hope incourages us to go to thy Table, tho' very unworthy to be entertain'd by Thee. There we hope alfo our Lord will meet us, and fpeak kindly to us; as those that love Him, at least a little better than anything befides, and are refolv'd and determin'd to love Him more and more. He invites us thither to increase our Faith, and to nourish our Love, and to strengthen our Hope, and to excite our Gratitude, and exercise all our graces: and therefore we will not refuse his kindness, even because we defire and long to love Him fo much. But first let us examine our felves whether we be fure that this, indeed, is the very fenfe of our hearts: that we really love to pleafe Him in every thing, and heartily mean to proceed in this Love, to the most ready and willing Cobedience to all his Commands. And does it not become us humbly to Confefs the foolish wandrings of our affections: from Him; to blush for fhame that we fall fo fhort of our own Refolutions; and to excite our felves to greater watchfulness and diligence in well doing?Ought not the very remembrance of our former coldness,to put a greater heat into us;andour former backwardness, make us to be more forward and zealous? fhould we not vow our hearts again toHim, and let Himknow that we shall not think we live, when we do not love Him;and that we fhall be willing to dy, that we may more love Him? But how can we hope to grow ftill better by thefe new expreffions of his Love to which He invites us, without his gracious affiftance? which ought to be faithfully implored. Let us go then to Him before hand, and defire Him to raise up D 3 thofe PartI. thofe thoughts and affections in us, which we can't produce in our felves that we may bring Hearts full of Love to Him, and carry them away full of Jov, to find them more inlarged to love and ferve Him. §. 12. AUGUST. DOES it not feem long fince we were at the Table of the Lord? with what thoughts, with what affections then do we receive this new Invitation to it? let us fee what joy, what delight it raifes in our hearts, that we may know whether indeed we love Him or not. His Love is fo great that one would think it never fhould flip out of our minds. Our Lord has done fuch great things for us, that we may be tempted fooner not to believe 'em, than to forget 'em. But this is one piece of the greatnefs of that Love, that it has taken care, it fhould be alway remembred. He has not thought it enough to dy for us, but He has left us a repre fentation of it, and a command to ghew the Lord's death till He come. I Cor. 11. 26. What do we think of that Command? Is it a burden to us to yield obedience to it? Do we unwillingly hear the motion to go and to this in remem brince of Him? What is it a fad thing to think of declaring the Goodness of the Lord? To magnify the Love of God our Savior? To celebrate his praises, profefs our felves his fervants, and to ingage to Him our Fidelity? Does it make ns figh to think of going to receive the tokens of his Love to reprefent the death and fatisfaction of Chrift Jefus for our fins; to wait on God for the pardon of 'em; and to be put in affured Hope of immortall Life? We are not such stran gers, fure, to our own Happiness, but know better things even things that accompany Salvation. Let us give glory there. fore to the Lord, that He calls us again fo gracionsly to fhow forth his Death; let Him know that we mean to obey Him, [to attend Him at his holy Table] and thank Him too. But with what blufhing fhould we look there upon that Love which we have fometime flighted? with what hatred upon thofe Sins which murder'd the Lord of Life; with what joy fhould we think of the Hope there is that they may be pardon'd; and how fhould we ftand admiring at that wife Goodnefs, which made that Bloud, which finners shed, to be th' Expiation for their fins? Sure we don't believe these things, or elfe we fhall begin already to feel our our hearts burn with love to Him; and ready to offer up them felves in Sacrifice, before we come to his Altar. We must excite our Faith, that it may ftir up our Love, and that it may carry all the paffions of our hearts along with it to Him. Let us fhew Him that the defire of our hearts is to the remembrance of his Name; that our care is to please Him: our fear to offend Him; our joy to do his Will, and our forrow than we can do no more for Him. Let it be a great Comfort to us, that He knows our Sincerity, and fees into the very fecrets of our hearts; how affectionately we ftudy to be like Him; what a pleasure it is when we can stedfaftly think on Him; how it grieves us when our thoughts are broken, our affections heavy and dull, and our power falls fo fhort of our Will and defiles. And we may be assured that He pities us; that notwithstanding this, He will kindly entertain us; and receive the pooreft oblation we are able to make Him at his Table. Let us Eat and be fatisfied, and bless the Name of the Lord. He has invited us; He expects us; He loves to fee us there; and will make us know that He loves us, and delights to do us good. Let us go and declare, before Angels und Men, that we are Chriftans; and mean to live and dy in his holy Religion. And let us now take fhame to our felves that we have at any time contradicted our Belief. Let us acknowledge the breach of that Faith into which we were baptiz'd: and declare before we go, how great a trouble it is to ns, that we love Him no more; and how defirous we are and fully refolv'd to love Him better and better. §. 13. SEPTEMBER. SHALL we not be too bold in going so oft to the Table of the Lord may we not offend Him by our forwardnels to approach into his prefence? No fure; not if Love carry us thither, and accompany us there. And who can want that, who knows and confiders how forward He was to do that which we remember? When He came to offer Himself a Sacrifice for us, He fays, Lo, I come in the volume of the book it is written of Me: I delight to do thy will, O my God. P. 4. 7. S. And when He are the last Meal with his Difciples, He faith again, With defire, I have defired to eat this passover with you before I Juffer.S. Luke 22. 15. Behold what a hearty vehemence there was in his D 4 Love! - Part I Love! what an ardor in his defire; to be made an Offering for us, and to be remembred by us! With what defire fhould our souls approach to his holy Table in remembrance of Him, who took fuch content in dying for us, and was fo defirous to inftitute this holy Feaft, for a perpetual Remembrance of his Death? With the fame joy that children ufe to welcome a Festival; with fuch a hunger and thirst as a laboring man goes to his fupper, ought we to go to the Supper of the Lord that we may chear and refresh our Souls with the Memory of our Mafter and only Savior; with praifes and joyful thanksgivings; with the Love of God and of our Brethren; with the hopes of his Mercy here and eternally; Let us awake then our Faith; call up our Love; quicken our defires; excite all that is within us to bless the Lord, and fpeak good of his Name; and fay with a great joy, Lo, we come, according to thy Command, and delight to do thy Will,o God; with defire we bave defired to do this in Remembrance of our Lord; to delare thy mighty Acts, and fhow forth the greatnefs of thy Love, to profefs our felves thy Servants, and to glory in the holy Name of our Mifter Jesus; to offer up our Selves unto Thee an oblation of Love; to renew our Covenant with Thee, and with all Our Brethren; to give Thee thanks that we are of thy Family, and for all the Benefits we have receiv'd,and Thou haft ftill in ftore for thy faithful Servants. But who is able tell how much He has already done for us; or find out all that He defigns us? who can praife Him according to his excellent kindness, and his wonderful works to the children of men? The thoughts of Angels are not wide enough to comprehend'em And if we had their Spirits and could love Him, and acknowledge Him with their inlarged affection, it would be too little a prefent to make unto Him. give thanks unto the LORD, for He is gracious; and his mercy in.' dureth for ever. Pf. 118. 29. O give thanks unto [lim, who is fo defirous of us, fuch narrow Souls, fuch little hearts, that can hold fo little love unto Him. Let us go to Him, and defire that He would inlarge 'em, or that He would fill 'em to the height with his Love. Since He is content if He may but lodge and dwell in our breafts, and have the government of us in his hands, let us go and Vow that He fhall peisefs us solely to Himfelf; that no affection, no defire fhall dwell in us without his leave, and all be order'd by |
