their hearts condemn them not, for resetting his enemies, nor cleaving to any thing that he abominates. There is a parrhefia coming boldly to the throne of grace, and freely speaking our hearts, for which our Lord will never reprove us, but the better like us. When we come with the largest hopes, as to the kindeft all-fufficient friend, that encourages fuitors to come and be happy, in receiving of his bounty. And hence take fuch boldnefs, not only, that we come to a God, full of all that ever we can want to crown our wishes, but also one most ready to give and forgive: that puts us upon afking, and bids us enlarge our defires, that he may have the opportunity to anfwer them, and open our mouths wide that he may fill them.

Away then with thy diftruft and confternation, my foul, when going to thy Father; let not a flavith dread damp thy devotion, and blast all thy delight in the best of Lords. And though thou knoweft how thou haft offended, and deferveft no better than to be abhorred; yet look unto Jefus, the propitiation for thy fins, that has fully paid thy fcores; and then mayeft thou have, "boldness and access "with confidence, through the faith of him," Eph. ii. 12. And comfortably addrefs, even to the God of infinite purity, through the holy Son of his love. Yea, and having received the atonement, mayeft joy in this God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

But then, because thy Advocate himself will not bear thee out, in thy rebellion against his Father, and thou canst not be bold in thy God, when thou makeft bold with fin, but mayeft well fear to be rejected by him, when thou doft not fear to go on in thy fins against him, and mayeft conclude, that if thou regardeft iniquity in thy heart, the Lord will not hear thee. O! then, here go, with the greateft caution to withstand every temptation, (come it with never fo fair recommendation) that

would

would fpoil thy intereft and confidence in the God of thy falvation. And never believe there can be any thing in it, that will countervail the lofs of fuch a bleffed privilege, as the affurance and comfort thou mayeft take in him, so long as thou keepeft up the good intelligence with him. O put off the folicitation that would engage thee in any fin against the Lord, with this anfwer, "If I give way

to this wickedness, with what face fhall I appear "before my God, that forbids and hates it?" I would not quit my part in his favour, nor be debarred of the bleffed accefs into his prefence for all the world. That I fhould be caft out from the Lord, and grow fhy of God, and not able to think of him without horror, who should be the top of all my comfort. If this be the confequence of yielding to the temptation, I will have nothing to do with that curfed thing; for never can I fubfift with any fatisfaction of my life, when this paffage to the throne of grace is to me blocked up, and I dare not appear before the Lord. O what refuge in the world like this? and how foon may every refuge else fail me? this therefore I must not, (I will not) put myself out of; but ftill keep the way fo clear and open, that I may go to God, as my hope and my exceeding joy.

H

THE PRAYER.

OLY, glorious GOD! I am under a confufion and dread to fhew myself in thy fight, "when I remember the fin and evil that I have "committed against thy laws, and the wrath and

judgments that I deferve at thy hands. Well "may I hang back in a guilty confcioufnefs of my "fins, and the amazing horror at thy juftice. And "no boldnefs can I have, nor accefs with confi

"dence,

"dence, but only through the faith of thy Son, "who died to atone for my guilt, to make my

peace, and to fet me right with the offended Ma

jesty of heaven; and not only to turn thy dif "pleasure from me, but to incline thy kindness to me, and caufe thy face to fhine upon me. O give me good hope through grace; and let Chrift in "me, be my hope of glory. Yea, give me the "Spirit of adoption, to bring me up with gladness "into the presence of my heavenly Father; that "with a sweet unfpeakable fatisfaction and affur66 ance, I may shelter myself under the fhadow of "thy wings, and have confidence towards God, through Jesus Christ. Amen."

MEDITATION XIX.

Of God's favour to his people.

THA HAT GOD is the best of beings, and the only original Author and Giver of all the goodness that is any where in the world to be found, is that whereof thy own reason will foon affure thee, O my foul, and that he is good to all, even the unthankful and the evil; the bountiful provider for the whole family of his creatures, the Father of mercies, and God of confolation, kind and gracious; yea, love itself, not delighting in the mifery of any, nor taking pleasure even in the death of the wicked; nor willing that any fhould perish, but that all fhould come to repentance, and fo to heaven: this is the fair representation of God, which his own word gives me. Yet further than these common and conftant effufions of his goodness, it acquaints me alfo,

.that

that there are peculiar inftances, and diftinguishing marks of his kindness. And these are privileges of the elect people in covenant with him; the believers whom he accepts in his Son, the godly whom he has fet apart for himself, whose falvátion he has antecedently fecured, by choofing them before the foundation of the world. And afterwards, he not only calls them outwardly, by the miniftry of his Word, but makes it the favour of life to their fouls, by the efficacious operation of his Spirit and juftifies and abfolves them from all their guilt, by the blood and merits of his Chrift; and renews them ftill more and more by the workings of his grace; and preferves them from falling and perishing by his almighty power, and watchful care over them: and fanctifies and bleffes to them, all that befals them; till at laft, he has put them paft all danger, and fettled them in the full poffeffion of all bleffedness, with himself in his everlasting heavenly kingdom.

O my foul, how happy are the people that are in fuch a cafe! the bleffed of the Lord whom he has bleft, and they fhall be bleffed. Who can hinder their blifs, when it is their Father's good pleasure to give them the kingdom? it is not having the world then that makes men happy; but having the Lord for their God. When, alas, there may not be more wretched creatures, than fome that are counted the happiest men in the world, though they may have as much as they wish; yet they have not enough to do them any real good. But in all their outward fulness, they carry lean, starved fouls within. And as much as ever they have to enjoy for a moment, they will have nothing at all to live upon for ever. No, they have all their good things in this life; and after a fhort comforting, will find an endless tormenting. O it is not corn and wine, but the light of God's counte

nance

nance that will put the true gladnefs into my heart. All the richest and sweetest fruitions of this world, what are they but the bones and scraps which God throws to the dogs? O how much better things has he for the children of his family, even things that accompany his falvation. And to fuch is he kind indeed, upon whom he is pleased to bestow these moft precious of all gifts; though they have not the fat of the earth, if they have the bleffing of Heaven it is enough. The Lord is their fhepherd, they fhall not want; want no good thing that will indeed do them good for ever. But one thing is fo needful; and that thing God has given them. And that is the root upon which will grow all the reft that can be wished by them.

O my foul, never think thou haft enough, if thou haft not him who is all; and his favour, in which is life. Here fhew thy good understanding, and the greatest wisdom of choice that any one can ever fhew, whilft thou art not for thy portion in this life, but for thy part in Chrift, which will ftay by thee to life everlasting. Know the gift of God, and care not fo much how the world fmiles or frowns upon thee; as how he looks and carries towards thee. When one gracious glance of his eye, one kind word from his mouth, is as much worth as all thy falvation. Let it not be the favour of men that I court, but intreat his gracious favour with my whole heart. Beg for this favour, my foul, as for thy life, for all hangs upon it, even eternal life is his gift, and by grace thou art faved. Not for works of righteousness that thou haft done, but according to his mercy. O then give him the glory for what he has done already, (that by the grace of God, thou art what thou art) and for that heavenly grace planted in thee,which thou haft ground to hope will grow up into eternal glory. Be a föllower of God as a dear child, when thou haft such VOL. I.

M

pledges