will extirpate the very root of fin; and bring me to my deareft Lord and put an end to all my fears; and give a beginning to my never-ending joys.

:0

THE PRA Y E R.

LORD! I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for "all living. And thou knoweft all my fears, and "the horror that feizes my foul, to think, with "ferious confideration, of my diffolution. I must "not diffemble my dread, but fhew before thee my "trouble, that I am to encounter the formidable

foe, whom there is no withstanding; but he will "throw me down, and have away my life; yea, "turn me to rottennefs and duft. Yet, I blefs thy

thy name, O Lord, that I have hope mingled "with my fears, hope in death itself, that even⚫ "when fo caft down, I fhall not be deftroyed. O

my Saviour! thou art all my hope: And what "time I am afraid, I will truft in thee. For thou "wilt redeem my life from deftruction; and though I fall, wilt not fuffer me to lie by it: but "raife me up in a better life, above all the power " of death. Yea, thou haft taken out the fting of "death; by atoning for that fin, which gives it "all its malignant influence; to make it indeed "moft frightful and deadly. And by the strangeft way of conqueft, (even in dying thyself,) thou "haft destroyed, not only death, but a worse enemy, that had the power of it in his hands. O "Lord, my life! Give me life to kill my lufts, to "make me alive unto God, and full of life in thy holy ways and then I will depart in peace, and

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"not fear death itself, to separate me from the "love of God, which is in Chrift Jefus my Lord. "Amen."

MEDITATION XXXIX.

Of the one thing needful.

My foul, how many things are counted need. ful in this world, that are not so in the sense of God's Word? as to the rich and great, healthy and easy, fine and fashionable, well-bred and learned; and to have this and the other fuperfluity for the body, and for the life that now is. In all which things a man may be deficient and wanting; and yet do very well, and be for ever happy. But, "ONE THING IS NEEDFUL," Luke x. 42. And that one thing is a mighty comprehenfive thing: which I must not make light of, because it is called but ONE; crying, it is only fo and fo; and what need all this ado? as if it were the easiest thing in the world, to get in at the gate of life; which yet our Lord himself has told us, many fhall feek to enter, and shall not be able. For this one thing takes in the whole of our duty to God and man: and it is not only to polifh our converfation before the world, but to approve our very hearts to the Lord. It is the care of the foul, and of the service of God: or, fuch a serious practical religion, as confifts in ftudying and doing the will of him that fent us into the world. And this do I know to be a thing moft needful: because it is the very end of my creation. And to keep a clutter about other mat

ters,

ters, without minding to ferve the purposes for which my great Maker and Owner defigned me. O what is it, but to live eccentric and rebellious, and to make my whole life but a grand impertinence? it is alfo needful, fure, that I fhould be honest, and faithful, in discharging my moft folemn obligation; and not, after I have devoted and given up myself to the Lord, carry as if I were wholly at my own difpofal; and only to fulfil my own pleafure. It is yet further needful, to escape the dreadful doom of the flothful fervant: and fo to work out my own falvation; that I may efcape everlasting damnation. And finally, it is needful, for making my entrance into heaven, and bringing me to enjoy all the happiness there, that ever I defire. For no bleffed refting from my labours; if firft. I do not labour to enter into God's reft. Eternal life is only for them, "who by patient continuance in well-doing, do feek for it," Rom. ii. 7. God's holy habitation, is for the followers after holiness: and the faints inheritance in light, for them, who by a faint-like difpofition and converfation, are made meet for it. To live righteously then, and foberly, and godly, is no matter of indifferency; but of abfolute neceflity. It is the main thing, and even all in all. So, does God only wife, in the whole tenor of his Word, affure us. And herein all the generation of his children (who have various fentiments, as to fome other matters) unanimously do center, and are perfectly agreed. Nay, even the worft of men, that never fo much neglect it themfelves, and whofe lufts carry them quite another way, yet cannot for fhame, but own this to be the moft material point of all. Yea, their actions, as well as words, come in at last, and bear witness to this truth. When they fee, that they are juft going off the prefent ftage, and this world will hold them no longer; then they begin to cry out of their ne

glect,

glect, and to buftle about the hopeless work; tỡ retrieve things, which they have let run even paft remedy. Then it is, Men and brethren, what fhall we do? and all upon it then they feem, if pof fible, to accomplish the work of their falvation. They who flood idle, or found them fomewhat else to do, when it was day with them, would do all, when the night is fo upon them, that they can do little or nothing. And O what good then will it do any man; or what will it fignify to make him a blessed man; how expert and bufy foever he has been about other things; if he neglect this one thing, which is the chief of all!

What though I have been an active man, a careful man, an useful man, a skilful man in worldly bufinefs; and one that have beftirred me in my ge neration, to bring great things to pafs: if all this while, I have been a flighty man about the work of God if that ONE THING NEEDFUL has been none of the thing, which my concern and diligence has been seen in: if my head, and heart, and hands, have been bufied about somewhat elfe, to leave no room for the grand matter of all: I might even as well have flood all the day idle, or folded my hands to fleep, and turned it all to night. For, alas, what will all my labouring for the meat that perifheth, avail to bring me to everlasting life? O then, my foul, how great a part of the world do make a mighty business of nothing? and the ONE THING NEEDFUL, what is it with them, but even as nothing? the trade they fhould be driving on above, is at a full ftand with them: and all their time and application thought too little for the concerns here below. So do impertinents wear out themfelves in the chafe of vanity: and when they come to die, find nothing in their hands. They make a continual pother about that, which will never pay them for their pains; nor turn to any account but of for

row.

row. And in all the hafte and hurry, they drop the weightieft affair of everlasting confequence. O wretched creatures! that love to have the world's employments in their way, for their fouls impediments because it is their life, to be fo deep in the world and the heavenly business is death to them. Every thing fhall take place of their fouls; and be attended before them. So vile in their eyes, are the precious fouls; and the only part about them, that they count below their ferious care. And then, Lord, to what end is all their ftirring fo much; when the most important intereft of all is leaft regarded!

O my foul, what have I to do in this world, but to make ready for the next? this is the great bufinefs of all. And whatever entrenches upon this, I muft not stand pleading for it: but (as a fnare) live in dread of it. That my zeal for religion, and my moderation towards the world, may be known to all men that little things may fit low in my thoughts; and what concerns my foul, being the moft weighty, may be minded accordingly. I cannot but justify (in my thoughts) the children of Wif dom, that fell all to purchase the pearl of greatest price; and care not, to lose the world, if they can but fecure their fouls. And they that now call them fools for fo doing, will once condemn themselves, for the fools indeed, that they had not done like them.

Though I will not be hafty in my cenfures of fuch as feem to have many fuperfluous things, more for the garnishing of life, and the gaiety of converfation, than for any neceffity in the cafe nor to condemn all for worldlings, whom I fee diligent in the worldly bufinefs; yet when I am fo well provided myself with this ONE THING NEEDFUL, I will not envy any, for whatever things elfe I am deftitute of. Seeing I have enough, if I have but that which