will be sanctified in all them that come nigh him, and who will highly resent our flattering him with our lips, and lying to him with our tongues, when our hearts are far from him. - You should therefore be careful, by previous meditation, to obtain a lively sense of the infinite perfections of the glorious God to be worshipped, of the nature and importance of the duty to be attended; and to have your affections inflamed and much engaged, when you come into God's immediate prefence, in any ordinance of religious worship. You should keep your heart with all diligence; watch againft, and carefully fupprefs every roving and wandering thought, endeavour to retain a lively impression of the divine prefence; and to keep up a devout spiritual frame of foul, while in the performance of the worship of God. Our transactions with God, in the duties of religious worship, above all things call for the greatest seriousness, watchfulness and care. And all the pains we can take in this matter, will prove too little; we shall still have cause to lament our great defects; and to mourn after the pardon of the iniquity of our holy things, through the blood of Chrift. 3. Remember, that as you lie at mercy, so you have a mercy-feat to repair to; and that you may fow in hope. It is true, that we neither have nor can have any claim to the mercy of God, on account of any thing that we do, or are able to do in religion. Not for your fakes do I this, faith the Lord God, be it known unto you. Be ashamed ana confounded for your own ways, O house of Ifrael. But yet it is also true, that the infinite mercy of God is more than equal to all our unworthiness, to all our difficulties, and all our wants. There is forgiveness with God, that he may be feared; and with him is plenteous redemption. And God is in Chrift reconci. Ting Kk ling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses. -You should approach the prefence of God, not only with a most abasing sense of your finfulnefs, pollution and unworthiness; and with most earnest importunity for the influences of his Spirit and grace; but also with an humble confidence in the riches of his infinite mercy; and with a supporting hope, that for his own fake, and for his Son's fake, (though not for yours), he will accept, pardon, fanctify and save you. While you are entertaining hard thoughts of God, giving into desponding frames, and nourishing your diftracting, difcouraging fears, you are dishonouring God our Saviour, grie. ving the holy Spirit, hardening your own heart, and going further and further from mercy. Come therefore before God, self-loathing and felf-condemning, yet not with a distrustful dread: But come to him with expectation and dependance. Plead the merits of his Son; plead the riches of his boundless grace; yea, plead your own mifery and want before him: Hope in his mercy, and wait for his falvation. 4. Review your past life; and be as particular as you can, in your repentance towards God, as alfo in fetting all things right with your neighbour.-It is our duty particularly to confefs and lament our fins before God; those especially which are peculiarly aggravated, or have been willingly and cuftomarily indulged. It is our duty to make up all breaches with our neighbour, and to repair all injuries we have done him, as far as possible. It is therefore necessary to call ourselves to an account for all the past conduct of our lives, both towards God and man. Look back then to your early age, and bring the fins of your youth to remembrance. Confess them ticularly, lament them before God, and lift up your your ardent and frequent petitions to him, that he - would not remember the fins of your youth, nor your tranfgreffions. Continue your view to the successive 'periods of your life. Consider what duties you have omitted, whether personal or relative; what parts of instituted worship you have neglected, or by a careless, hypocritical, and trifling performance, have flighted and profaned, whether in your closet, in the family, or in the house of God. -Confider what relations you have sustained, and what have been your special defects in each of them. Humble yourselves in the fight of God, on account of them all : Cry to him for pardon, in the blood of Christ; and for grace and strength to serve him acceptably by a right discharge of your respective duties, in each station and circumstance of life, as well as by a due performance of the several offices of devotion. Consider your many fins of commiffion, according to their respective natures and aggravations. Confess them before God; and confess the innumerable multitude which were unobserved when committed, or forgotten since, Endeavour to impress a just sense of their number, enormity, and guilt upon your confcience, till you are forced to groan out that language of a repenting foul: Innumerable evils have compassed me about, mine iniquities have taken bold upon me, they are more than the hairs of my bead, therefore my heart faileth me. Endeavour to bring them all (those which you can remember, by a particular enumeration; those which you cannot remember, by a general confeffion) to the fountain fet open for fin and for uncleanness. Pray for faith, and endeavour to trust in the infinite merits of the Redeemer's blood, and the infinite mercy of the God of all grace, for a free pardon of all your fins, how extensive soever in their number, how great foever in their aggravations. -Thus endeavour to have Kk2 have your past account balanced by the blood of Chrift. In like manner be careful to review the defects of the duties, and the violations of the precepts of the second table of the moral law. - Confider whether there be none who have offered you injuries and indignities; and fee to it, that from your heart you forgive them their trespasses, and that you remember each of them at the throne of grace, seeking mercy for them, as for your own foul. -Confider what differences and controverfies you have maintained with any man; and in the most kind and condescending manner, attempt all reasonable me thods of reconciliation, committing the cafe to God by prayer. Confider whether in the course of your life you have not fome way or other been injurious to your neighbour, by word or deed, in your com merce or conversation; and never rest till you have made reparation and fatisfaction, if any thing of that kind can be remembered. - Confider whether there be no enmity, or rancour of spirit, no prejudice or ill will harboured in your breast against any man; and never rest till you can feel an universal benevolence to every individual of the human race, and have that love in exercise, which is the fulfilling of the law. Confider whether you have learned of Christ to be meek and lowly of heart, to live in peace and kindness; and be excited by the gentleness of Chrift, to maintain the exercise of those fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, gentleness, good. nefs, meekness, temperance. - Confider whether you have practifed fufficient liberality towards the poor and indigent; and confult how you may now fo caft your bread upon the waters, as to find it again after many days. And in a word, seek pardon through the blood of Chrift for all your paft defects; and confult how you may, for the future, render yourself yourself the most extensive blessing to the world while you live in it. 5. Be very careful faithfully to to discharge the respective duties of the several relations you sustain.God having placed you (Sir) in a station of public trust, He calls upon you in the language of Jehoshaphat to his judges: Take heed what ye do, for you judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment ; therefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon you, take heed and do it. It would be arrogance in me to pretend to direct you in the particuIar duties of your honourable station; and the par. ticular methods of discharging them. It is your concern, in the execution of your truft, to approve yourself a minifter of God to his people for their good; a terror, not to good works, but to the evil; the patron and defender of the oppressed and injured, and an impartial restrainer and punisher of the vicious and immoral; a fhining pattern of a regular life; and one that seeks the welfare of your people. Allow me further to observe, As you are likewife remarkably blessed in your conjugal relation, that a full compliance with the laws of Chriftianity will greatly add to your mutual happiness. I do not mean by this, to recommend to you that love, tender affection, and most obliging kindness, which the word of God enjoins upon all in that relation; and which is so absolutely neceffary to all fuch, in order to their present comfort or future happiness: Since in these things, you have practically declared to the world, that you stand in no need of a monitor. But what I would particularly offer to your confideration is, that the foul is the principal part of human nature; and confequently the principal object of love and regard, in that near and intimate relation. - It should therefore be the chief care of those who are thus nearly united, Kk3 to |