commune with God You shall With his delights be fed Offer the sacrifice Of Righteousness alway And cast our care upon the Lord To be our only stay Many there be that say Who will shew us a Glance But thou O Lord lift up the Light Of thy Kind Countenance Thou hast put in my heart More gladness in my time Than they had from their great incroâ—se Of all their Corn and Wine I will now lay me down In peace to take my sleep For thou O Lord assuredly Wilt me in safety keep Psalm 18. I Will love thee O Lord my strength He is my Rock in all distress My God my stay on whom I trust He 's my Buckler and my Fortress The Lord he is my high Tower And the Horn of my salvation On him I 'le trust all times for aid For he is a sure Foundation Upon the Lord God I will call His Name is worthy of all praise He saves us from our Enemies And preserves us in all his ways Sorrows of death beset me round With Armies of Ungodly Men A fear of death encompass'd me With snares of death prevented then In my distress I call'd on God My Cry came even into his Ear. O Lord be pleased to hear my voice For the sake of my Saviour dear On him alone still I will trust For succour at all times in need For he alone is my Relief And he will plentifully feed All those that truly on him wait In Faithfulness to do his will He will preserve them to the Last And bring them to his holy hill Where we with joy for ever shall Behold the glory of his Face To all Eternity and sit With him within his heavenly place Psal 23. THe living Lord my Shepherd is For me he doth take care To Pastures green he leadeth me Where his still Waters are 'T is he restoreth my poor Soul His Right-hand doth me take Into the Paths of Righteousness Even for his own name sake When through the Vale of Death's cold Shade I walk and nothing fear Thy Rod and Staff do comfort me For thou art with me there Thou hast prepar'd my Table Lord In presence of my Foes My head with oyl thou dost anoint My cup still overflows Surely the goodness of the Lord Shall crown my future days And I will dwell within thy house Ever to sing thy praise Psalm 27. first part THE Lord he is my salvation My light my strength and aid Whom shall I fear the Lords my Life I will not be afraid The wicked men like Troops encamp And up against me rise Coming on me to eat my flesh As Foes and Enemies In this I will be confident My Enemies shall fall Before the presence of thy Face They fell and stumbled all One thing have I desir'd of God And after that will seek To dwell within thy house O Lord And in thy presence keep For to behold thy beauty Lord All the days of my Life And in his Temple to enquire Where to be Free from strife For in the time of trouble thou Shalt be my hiding place O set me up upon that Rock Where I may see thy Face Then shall my head be lifted up Above mine Enemies Therefore will I offer to thee A Joyful Sacrifice O Lord to thee I will sing praise Yea to thee I will sing For in thy mercy thou wilt keep My soul from perishing The second part HEar me O Lord when I Cry with my voice to thee Some succour send to my poor soul In mercy answer me When thou saist seek my Face My heart shall â—hen reply Thy Face O Lord still I will seek And on thy Grace rely Hide not thy Face from me O God forsake me not For thou hast been my help alway When Parents me forgot Teach mâ— thy way O Lord In a plain path lead me In anger cast me not away But take me up to thee Deliver me O Lord From all mine Enemies And such as breathe out Cruelty Which falsly they devise I had fainted unless I had believed on thee Lord in the land of the living Thy goodness let me see O wait upon the Lord Wait on the Lord I say With Courage strong he will support Thy drooping soul alway Psalm 42. AS the pursued Hart doth pant After the water-brook So pants my soul for thee O God For a most gracious look My soul still thirsteth for my God O when shall I appear Before the living God who is My loving Father dear My Tears have been my meat by day And sighings in the night While they continually do say Where is thy God of might I had gone with the multitude But I remembred thee And went unto thy house O God In true sincerity I poured out my soul with them That kept holy thy day Rejoicing with that multitude Which do praise thee alway Why art thou cast down O my soul O do not thus repine Trust still on God his countenance On me shall ever shine Within me Lord my soul is low Therefore remember me From the Hill of the Hermonites And Jordan let me see Deep calleth unto deep O Lord Thy water spouts aloud Thy Waves and all thy Billows have Wrapt me in as a Shrowd G Lord by day and night I call With prayers unto thee Command thy loving kindness Lord And then my song shall be Unto my God who is my Rock Thou hast forgotten me And I go mourning all the day Oppress'd with misery As with a sword within my boneâ— Mine Enemies prevail While they say daily unto me VVhat doth thy God avail Chear up my countenance O God Support my drooping mind Hoping in God for him to praise Who gracious is and kind Psal 56. BE merciful to me O Lord For Man would me Devour He fighting daily pressing on To swallow me each Hour But O! thou high and mighty God In thee I trust for aid And on thy word will I depend What time I am afraid I will not fear what flesh can do In thee I put my trust Tho every day they wrest my words And turn them to the worst They gather themselves together They mark my steps and hide Themselves to catch my soul O God But thou art on my side O God in thy anger east down All those that in wait lie Let not that people so escape By their iniquity Psalm 59. DEliver me O God From all my Enemies Defend me from the hands of them That up against me rise Deliver me from them That work deceitfully O save my soul from bloody mâ—n For lo in wait they lie Not for my sins O God Can the mighty combine Against me for my Transgressions No Error can they find Yet they run and prepare Themselves without my Fault A wake to help me and behold How they against me talk O God of my mercies Scatter them by thy power And bring them down O Lord our shield That seek for to devour I will sing of thy power Yea I aloud will sing
O Lord art great and good Thy mercies ever sure Thy truth to Generations doth Eternally endure Psalm 116. I Will love thee O Lord my God Incline thy Ear to me Therefore as long as I do live I will call upon thee O Let my Voice and my Request Lord Always accepted be From pains of Hell and sorrow For ever keep me free O Lord I will call on thy Name Lord I beseech thee hear Thou gracious art and merciful And righteous every where O Lord preserve my drooping Soul O help for I am low O bring my Soul unto thy rest That I thy love may know Deal bountifully with my Soul Deliver me from fears O keep my Feet from sliding Lord My mouruing Eyes from Tears Then I shall walk before the Lord Within the living Land I did believe therefâ—re I spake By thy afflicting hand I said in my passion and haste That all men Liars be What shall I render to the Lord For all his Love to me The Joyful Cup of Salvation I thankfully will take And call upon the Name of God For his great mercy sake And pay my Vows unto the Lord. Right precious in his sight Is the Death of his people all As are the Saints in Light Truly I am thy Servant Lord Thy Servant still will be O let those hands that thou hast loosed Tie me faster to thee Psalm 119. v. 105. THY Word 's a Lamp unto my Feet And a Light to my way Thy Righteous Judgments I will keep By Night and eke by Day I am afflicted very much In mercy quicken me O Lord according to thy word Accept I beseech thee The Free will Offerings of my Lips And thy Judgments teach for me My Soul is ever in my Hand Yet I forget uot thee The wicked have laid Snares for me Yet I erred not from thee Thy Testimonies and Precepts My Heritage shall be For they are the Joy of my heart I am inclined alway For to perform thy Statutes Lord Unto the end I say Psalm 147. O Praise the Lord for it is good Unto our God to sing His Praise his comly in his Saints For 't is a pleasant thing The Lord doth build Jerusalem And gathers the Out-cast Of Israel together that None of them shall lie waste He healeth the broken in heart And binds up Wounds and Scars The Hosts of Heaven he calls by Name And numbereth the Stars Great is our God and of great Power His Understanding deep He casts the wicked to the ground But raiseth up the meek Sing to the Lord with Thanksgiving Sing praise to God on high He maketh Grass on Mountains grow By showers when they are dry He giveth to the Beast his Food And the Young Ravens which cry In them that fear him he delights Who hope in his mercy O praise the Lord Jerusalem O Zion thy God praise He doth make strong thy Bars and Gates And in thee Children Raise He maketh peace in thy Borders And Keeps all safe and sure He Feeds thee with the finest VVheat And Oil that is most pure To Persons Three in Trinity Adoration and Praise As hath been done since Time begun And so shall be always Isaiah 35. 10. COme to Zion with Songs In heart with one accord Return with Everlasting Joy â—e Ransomed of the Lord. True Gladness to obtain With Faces Full of Joy Sorrow and Trouble then shall cease And signing fly away All Tears then from our Eyes VVhich down our Cheeks distil For offending our Saviour dear His Mercy and Good VVill Shall then be wiped away From all our Faces sad For his inheritance shall we For evermore be glad Hymn 1. BEhold now saith the Lord of Hosts You Proud that wickedly do boast The day is coming that shall burn You up as stubble in an Oven As Ashes under Foot are trod The wicked shall fall by thy Rod And meet with no deliverance But be destroy'd both Root and Branch But upon you that fear my Name The Sun of Righteousness shall rise VVith healing underneath his VVings And with great Joy our souls surprise O make us Captives of thy Love In true obedience to stand Humbly submitting unto thee In Faithfulness to thy Command Then Joyfully in thy presence Our Ransomed souls shall ever sing Triumphant Hymns of Thankfulness To our Jehovah Lord and King Hymn 2. LOrd pardon my Feigned Requests O make me more sincere In love for to admire him VVho is my Saviour dear And with a full purpose of heart Now to cleave unto thee Taking delight to do thy will In true sincerity O Lord help me now to draw near In truth of heart to thee In full assurance of thy Love And Kindness unto me For in thy Righteousness thou hast Proclaimed thy self to be O God that hears the prayers which In Faith are made to thee Raise my Affections to thy house O God where I may find Supporting grace for to revive My dead and darkned mind Rouze up my drowsie Soul O Lord And make me stand upright My God shall be my Glory then And everlasting Light I will greatly rejoice in God My Soul shall joyful be VVith the Garments of Salvation O Lord do thou cloathe me Then in thy Robes of Righteousness Shall I with Joy appear Before the Judgment Seat of him Who is my Saviour dear Hymn 3. DEar Lord without thy special Grace Our souls cannot appear Nor stand before thy Judgment seat Who art just and severe But in thy mercy give us Lord An heart for to express Thy Loving Kindness to us shown With humble Thankfulness O help us to rely on thee Intercession to make And plead our Cause as Advocate Even for thy own Name sake For herein lies our happiness When we were at a loss Full satisfaction he hath made In dying on the Cross O let this precious blood of thine Which was shed on that Tree Procure for us a lasting Peace And by it make us free O let it mollifie our hearts Which are grown hard by sin O make them soft so we shall be Pure and clean within O melt and make us new O Lord By thy Spirit of Grace Transform us by thy mighty power That we may see thy Face And joyfully in thy Presence For ever sit and sing Hallelujahs unto our God Which doth salvation bring Hymn 4. O Hear and help me Lord For on thee I depend Enable me to do thy will And seriously to spend My days for they are short My Glass is almost run Without thy special grace O God I am utterly undone Make haste and be my aid Give strength for I am poor Let not thy mercy come too late I humbly thee implore At thy Throne of Grace A Begger I will lie My Poverty is great O God O do not me deny 'T is for my Saviour's sake That I thus boldly crave Supporting Grace for to uphold My fainting Soul to save Then humbly I 'le rejoice And of thy Goodness sing For thou my Refuge and Defence
From time to time hast been Hymn 5. O Let thy Glory Lord From day to day increase Within our Land and give to us A firm and lasting peace And still maintain to us Thy Gospel pure and bright O let not Antichrist prevail For to obscure our light Bring down their Pride O Lord That are so high and strong And make them know that unto thee Issues of War belong In their own Snares O Lord Let them be taken fast Who labour to subvert thy Truth And work to lay it waste In deep designs they plot Against thy sacred Name To bring on them that honour thee Utter Repâ—oach and Shame Arise O Lord and help By thine Almighty Power Defend and keep us by thy strength from such as would devour Lord save our gracious King And grant him long to Reign Make him an Instrument on Earth True Justice to maintain Hymn 6. O Lord thou lovest Righteousness O help us to endeavour For the Effects of Quietness And assurance for ever Still trusting on thy Word for thou Wilt be our sure defence Therefore will we humbly depend On thee with confidence For thou O Lord hast always been To us in all our need Ready when we upon thee call To answer us with speed Lord let that Promise be made good To us before we call That thou wilt answer us in peace And give us Grace withal Resolvedly on thee to trust So long as we have hreath For thou hast said I 'le be your God And Guide even unto Death O Lord now let our Joy in thee For evermore increase And in the end do thou Crown us With everlasting Peace In holy Triumphs then shall we Thy Hallelujahs sing Who by thy gracious Favour hast Kept us from perishing Hymn 7. O Seek the Lord and seek his strength Seek him continually Let 's joyn our selves in covenant With him perpetually Thy Face O Lord still I will seek And praise thee with my Voice Let all those that seek thee in heart For evermore rejoice Thou lovest them that do love thee And are sincere in mind Who early after thee do seek They shall thy Favour find And joyfully in thee Repose Our fainting Souls alway For on thy Providence are we Resolvedly to stay O come and let us seek the Lord In humbleness and fear While he is to be found let us Call on him while he 's near For it is time to seek the Lord Arise therefore and seek The living God to be our Guide And us in safety Keep Let all that love the Lord rejoice And Hallelujahs sing Unto the God of our Mercies Which doth salvation bring Hymn 8. BE pleas'd oh Lord to look upon our Sion And send thy Lamb to chase away the Lyon Oh how unblest is that declining Nation Where Faith 's quite lost Religion out of fashion When Faction thrives Religion starves at nurse Who sins with Egypt must have Egypts curse But let 's consider e're our time be spent How soon we sin and yet how late repent He that delays Repentance makes great haste To his own ruin and commits a waste Upon his Soul for every hour we spend And not repent we wilfully befriend Our Adversary Hell whose Gins are set He lies and watches when to draw his Net The Net being drawn well may we run about And make our selves more fast attempting out Then our betrayed Souls may sadly say Had we repented when 't was said to day This Net had not ensnared us but we must cry We that did ever sin must ever dye Hymn 9. GRace is a vertue by which we may attain The lasting joy that doth above remain Where Souls above for ever live to sing The Halleluia's of their Glorious King Who in great triumph did ascend on high Freeing poor Souls from their captivity And bringing us into his perfect Bliss For by his purchase surely we are his For by his Blood our Souls have free access Into the place of perfect happiness There to enjoy the true Felicity That is prepar'd to all Eternity For those that Love and in him do delight Shall never cease to see his Glory bright Lord fit us for our latter end Then Death will be to us a friend To let us free from all distress Aud bring os into Happiness For to enjoy thy dearest Love Which is prepared for us above Where we for ever shall delight There to behold thy Glory bright Hymn 10. LOrd save me for thy Mercies sake And hear when I do Pray For thou alone art my defence My Rock my Hope my stay O hearken Lord to my desire And then be pleas'd to hear Prepare my Heart humbly to Pray And then incline thy Ear To the requests which I do make My wants thou well dost see O give an Ear when I do Pray With longing after thee O give relief to my poor Soul Which languishing doth lye Support me by thy mighty Power Until I come to die So that at last I may attain To that Felicity VVhich is prepared in Heaven above To all Eternity For such as in thy Law delight And therein spend their time They shall enjoy that lasting Light That in the Heavens doth shine On Isaiah 12. O Lord I will praise thee and say In the same day thou angry wâ—it Yet still thou comforts me alway For now thy Anger 's gone and Past Behold God is my Salvation On him I 'le trust all times for aid The Lord Jehovah is my strength Then why should I once be afraid He is become my Song my Joy For my Salvation in him lies Therefore shall we draw from those wells Those riches we so highly prise And in that day then shall we say Praise ye the Lord call on his Name Declare his doings all abroad And still exalt his mighty fame Sing to the Lord for he hath done Things excellent 't is known full well Rejoyce and shout all you that shall Within his Holy City dwell Hymn 11. DIrect me Lord in this thy day Which I have lived to see O guide me by the Saving Grace Never to swerve from thee So that the Thoughts and eke the words Which from my Mouth proceed May be according to thy word Upright in truth and deed O help me faithfully to spend The time thou dost afford In seeking still to do thy will According to thy word O let thy word be my delight My chiefest time to spend To know thy ttuths declar'd therein And understand the end Of thy great kindness shew'd to us By thy mercy so sweet When we were lost thou didst provide For us a Saviour meet Who for our sins laid down his Life And shed his blood so dear For to Redeem our wretched Souls And free us from that fear Which we upon our selves had brought By departing from thee O cleanse us by that blood of his And therewith set us free From Satan's Bonds wherein we lie In thraldom bound in Chains Release our captive Souls for thou Only can
ease our pains That so our Hearts and Souls in thee May ever more rejoice In singing praises to thy name With a delightful Voice Hymn 12. WHen as the Lord his People doth Bring back from Thraldom sad Then Jacob shall rejoyce and sing And Israel shall be glad The Lord is merciful and kind And gracious also In mercy plentious and free But in his anger slow Thy anger Lord's but a moment And for a nights weeping In thy favour is Life and Peace And Joy in the morning O shew to me the Path of Life Thy Treasure and thy Store At thy right hand fulness of Joy And pleasure ever more Surely the goodness of the Lord Shall crown my future days For I shall dwell within thy House And ever give thee praise Hymn 13. O Lord how long wilt thou Thy presence from me hide Let not thy wrath for ever bâ—rn And I therein betide Remember Lord how short My days are to remain O keep me close unto thy self And not be made in vain What man is he that lives But once he must see Death My Soul deliver from the Grave When I give up my Breath Hymn 14. O Sing unto the Lord ye Saints Give praise unto his Name Remembring of his Holiness And thank him for the same O That the Lord would be to us As dew unto Zion Then shall we grow like to those Flocks That feed on Mount Hermon Rejoycing still in God our strength And trusting in his aid In his goud time he will provide We need not be afraid For in his everlasting Arms We shall be safe and sure The Covenant which he hath made For ever doth endure In faithfulness to them that do On him truly depend He will preserve us to the last In happiness to end Our days which through a vale of Tears Are spent as we may say At last shall reap most plentiful An Harvest Crown'd with Joy Hymn 15. UPon thy precious promises Lord help us to rely Depending on thy Word for thou Wilt us nothing deny When we sincerely on thee wait According to thy will O then make good thy Word to us And our desires fulfil For the sake of our Saviour dear Bring us more close to thee That so we may enjoy thy love And thy salvation see Within thy New Jerusalem Art sat in splendor bright Triumphing on thy Glorious Throne In Majesty and Might Where thy Redeemed ones shall sing Hallelujahs to thee Who are the purchase of thy Blood And with the same made free Of the great City where our God For evermore doth Reign Rejoicing with his Saints that were In Tribulation slain Where we before the Throne of God Shall serve him Day and Night Where we with Joy shall ever dwell Within his Temple bright Hymn 16. O Lord make us to understand The shortness of our Days And walk according to thy Word Upright in all thy ways For who doth know how soon he may Unto Account be brought For all the Deeds done in the flesh Which we our selves have wrought For every day before our eyes Such Objects Fresh appear Which shew to us most certainly We shall not long stay here O help us now for to prepare For that approaching hour Trusting in Christ that he alone Will Raise us by his Power With him to live and Reign in Joy Hallelujahs to sing Triumphing in his Victories Which doth salvation bring Unto all those that sincerely For his Redemption pray And patiently lay down our Lives Because he led the way Through Death to happiness and bliss The true Felicity Which is prepar'd in Heaven above To all Eternity Hymn 17. GReat Joy have they who on the Lord Do trust for their Defence Always depending on his Love With humble confidence He faithful is and will preserve All those that truly seek For to behold his Face with Joy Unfeignedly and meek He will make glad their souls when they Sincerely on him stay And Keep them close unto himself That they'â—go not astray Hymn 18. O God for thy Name sake Let me thy mercy find Into thy Favour take my soul For I am poor and blind My Soul is wounded sore My heart is weak and faint O Lord support me by thy Grace Now I do make complaint Help me O Lord my God O save me I desire That I may Know it is thy Hand And evermore admire Thy loving Kindness Lord Help me for to express And never to forget thy Love Thy Mercy and Goodness Which thou to me hast shown From time to time so free Continue still thy mercies Lord And bring me close to thee O help me to depend In faith upon thy grace That when this mortal Life shall end I may enjoy thy Face In Glory which thou hast Prepar'd for me above Which is the purchase of the Blood Of my dear Saviour's love Which on the Cross was shed By my dear Saviour Kind To purge away my sins that I May sure Redemption find Hymn 19. O Thou Eternal God of Life Prepare us for our End O help us on our Saviour dear Sincerely to depend O let our Meditations Lord Be fixed on that Day Trusting on Christ that he alone Will be our strength and stay So that approaching Death may not Our drooping Souls annoy When our Redemption draweth nigh Lift up our Heads with Joy For to behold our dearest Lord. In Glory to appear To take unto himself his Saints Who are his purchase dear So that with zealous Paul we may In holy Triumph sing O Grave where is thy Victory O Death where is thy sting But thanks be to our God who hath Given us this Victory Through Jesus Christ our Lord and saves Our Souls from misery Therefore beloved Brethren In stedfastness remain Knoâ—ing your labour in the Lord Shall never be in vain Hymn 20. LOrd Keep me in thy ways That thou wouldst have me walk That so I may rejoice therein And of thy Goodness talk Direct me in thy Truth O God be thou my Guide O Keep my Heart upright to thee So that I never slide Then I shall sing thy praise Most chearfully and say That thou O God art my delight My only hope and stay On thee I 'll ever Trust As on a Rock most sure Thy Faithfulness remaineth still And ever shall endure O happy sure are they Who on his Grace relie For he will save us to the last And Crown us when we die With Everlastiug Joy Within his heavenly place Where we fot ever shall behold The Glory of his Face Hymn 22. O Lord for thy pardon I beg Unto thee I appeal Forgive my Transgressions O God And my backslidings heal Through thy abundant Grace O Lord Let me find fresh supply For to support my fainting soul Which languishing doth lie O God let thy Almighty Power My wicked thoughts subdue O let thy holy spirit Lord My inward man renew O teach me to obey thy Voice And guide me in thy ways For by thy strength my life 's
full assurance of Faith having our consciences sprinkled with clean water and our souls purged and rinsed in the blood of the Lamb that we may be as Vessels fitted for the Masters use O that we could but seriously think of that abundant Love wherewith the Lord Jesus loved us in that he took upon himself our Nature and to leave the bosom of his Father for the redeeming of our lost souls and yet we cannot leave our bosom sins our darling delights which have put him to those grievous Pains and Sufferings O when shall it Once be that the Love of Christ might constrain us and bring us into an holy Admiration of liking and loving and delighting in him O that we had but hearts to remember those Passion-crys our dear Saviour uttered on the Cross saying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me that so we might forsake our daily sins that made him thus cry out And dear Father do thou enable us to clear up our Evidences for another world for this is transitory and passing away O let us think often of that great Account we must One Day make before the Just Judg of all the Eaoth O let it make us weep when our Hourglass is standing by us to see how â—ast one sand followeth each other And who knoweth whether this day may not be the Sun-set of our Lives But O and alas who would defer to be upon his 〈◊〉 that knows not how soon he may be called â—o judgment Why should we be such enemies to our own souls as not to be prepared to welcome Death The best Counsel and the surest and safest care we can take is to be still in a readiness with our Lamps trim'd that we may be Furnished with those Graces and fitted and prepared to enter into those Joys with the Bridegroom at his coming and seriously to think with our selves that every day we rise to be the day of our death and every night we go to our beds that we are laid down in our Graves Who can Forget his Grave that lays himself down in his Bed And who would not so provide for himself as every night to think he went to his Grave Our days are but Few and the night will come e're long that we must die indeed howsoever we peice and patch up this poor Cottage of the flesh it will at the last fall into the Lords hand and as time leaves us so will Judgment and Eternity certainly find us It was Davids saying and oh that it might be our practice every night to wash our Beds and to water our Couches with our Tears O let us not slip over one night without repentance nor go to our beds but beat upon our breasts and say with the Publican from our very hearts Lord be merciful unto me a sinner How sweet a rest will that night bring forth whose sleep is prevented with the consideration of sin O therefore do thou help us and teach and instruct us to order our Conversation aright that so we may see the salvation of our God O do thou keep up in our memories a serious remembrance of those storms that have already gone over our heads as Wars Sores Sicknesses Plagues and Burnings as we have seen with our Eyes and many seasons unseasonable because we could find no season to repent and weep and mourn for our sins and for that precious time we have so often mispent Our Springs have rather been our Graves than our Cradles our Summers have not shoot up but withered our Grass our Autumns have took away our flocks of sheep and for our late Harvests the Heavens themselves have not ceased weeping for us that could never yet find time to weep for our selves O the miserable miseries that have fallen upon us were not our houses infected and our City depopulated and many Graves made a bed wheâ—ein to lodge a whole Family O and alas what a hideous noise was heard about us In every Church Bells tolling in every Ward some dying in every street men watching in every place even every where wringing of hands wailing and weeping groaning and dying These are the evils that have been and how should we forget them that have seen them with our eyes And what better Rule have we to square our Lives by than the remembrance of those evils our Lives have suffered Let us look back with good Old Jacoh and see the great reason we have to redeem the time past and that to come because our days are evil It is meer presumption to boast of the time to come Can any man say he will live till to morrow Look back you that trust in the staff of Egypt there is no man can assure you of one day as near as 't is to night some of us may be dead before the evening and stiff with cold more fit to lodg in our graves under Earth than in our beds above it Nay let us assure our selves our Life is of no long continuance What speak we of to morrow or this day when we are not sure of the least part of times division a very hour nay less Watch therefore saith our Saviour for ye neither know the day nor the hour when the Son of Man will come What is our Life but a Few hours and in one of them death must on necessity come For 't is appointed for all men once to die and after that the Judgment O let us watch then for the hour is at hand and we do not know how soon it will seize upon us this very hour the breath we draw may be our infection this very hour the bread we eat may be our poyson this very hour the cup we drink of may be that bitter cup that may never pass from us this very night may our souls be required of us But thou O Lord give us a gracious visitation that we may highly prize this moment of time with most serious watchfulness O let those Considerations of Death and Judgment work effectually on our Hearts and Consciences that they might make our very hearts to bleed within us nay to break and fall asunder in our breasts like drops of water O with what enflamed attention should we hear and pray with what insatiable graspings should we lay hold on the Lord Jesus Christ O that streams of tears might run down our cheeks for this precious time we have lost a day will come we know not how soon that we shall be past it and cannot recover it no not so much as one hour if we could give a thousand nay ten thousand worlds for it But O the Losses of Losses the Loss of our immortal souls the Spouse of our well-beloved Christ How many tears did he shed to save it what groans crys prayers and his dearest Hearts Blood did he pour out before God to redeem our poor souls from the Jaws of Satan O sweet Jesuâ— what a Loss is this call to mind this O my soul and tremble
sleep not in sin lest the sleep of death surprize thee the hour is certain in nothing but uncertainties For sure thou must die yet thou knowest not on what day nor in what place nor how thou shalt be disposed when death must be entertained O Lord how many thousand Bills of Mortality have passed over our heads and we little or nothing regard them who knows but some of us may fill up the next weeks account and be forc'd to render up our accounts before the Just Judg of all the Earth of all our deeds done in the flesh whether they be good or evil He that once thought to begin to take his ease was fain that very night whether he would or no to make his end would you have thought this He but now flourished like a green bay tree his thoughts full of mirth his soul of ease but I passed by and lo he was goue Gone whither his body to the grave his soul to hell whose turn may be next God only knows who knoweth all But whosoever we be that go on in a course of sin in the name of God let us seriously bethink our selves of Mortality how many have we heard of that went well to bed over night for ought any man could tell and yet have been found dead the next moâ—ning O help us to repent of all our sins by crying and sighing and sorrowing for sin It may be this night and that is not long to come but we may sleep our last in this world O keep us that we go not to bed with a conscience laden with sin O how should we take any rest or sleep with the brother of death when we lie down in danger of eternal death O there is no more but a breath one breath and no more no more but a step one step and no more Oh were not this lamentable that some One of us who are standing or sitting here should this night sleep his last and to morrow have his body carried to his Grave yea and before to morrow morning which the good Lord in mercy forbid have his soul cast from a bed of Feathers into a bed of Fire And yet alas alas if any of us should die this night in our sins or in an unregenerated state thus will it be with whomsoever we be To morrow may our bodies be cold under earth and our souls frying in the flames of hell 'T is good for us all to expect death every day and by this means death foreseen cannot possibly be sudden No 't is he dies suddenly that dies unpreparedly Watch therefore saith our Saviour be ever in a readiness and as we tender the everlasting wellfare of our poor souls let us learn that Lesson of our blessed Saviour not to lay up for our selves treasures on earth where Moth and Rust doth corrupt and where Thieves break through and steal but lay up for our selves treasure in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where Thieves do not break thro' and steal it is those treasures those stocks of grace that will last us for ever which is a circumspect walking that Fervency of spirit that Zeal of good works that purity of conscience St. John speaketh of which is the property of every true hearted profeâ—sor It is the work the life the power of that prayer that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy O that we could lay up such heavenly provision against the day of caamity if while it is called to day we could make our peace with our peace with our heavenly Father by an humble exercise of repentance If in this time of grace we could purchase Gods Favour and those rarest Jewels of Faith and a good conscience if now before we come to appear at that dreadful Tribunal that we could be so happy as to make God and Christ our Friends in the Court of Heaven O how wellcom and how blessed then would our death be unto us come it never so suddenly still should death find us ready and if ready no matter how suddenly yea tho it were this night Oh help us seriously to consider what Jesus Christ did and suffered for us and for our sins O how was he sorrowful even unto death with exceeding sorrow which made him pray that the cup might pass from him yet with submission to his Fathers will and all to save our poor lost and undone souls O the riches and love and the free grace of Jesus Christ to us Oh the earnestness of his prayers and the agony he was in not drops of water only but his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground O how was he buffeted spit on reviled mocked and scourged sor our sins Oh how was the chastisement of our sins laid upon him and by his stripes are we healed And dear Father do thou be graciously pleased to keep up in us an humble remembrance of this abundant love wherewith the Lord Jesus Christ hath bound us he was crowned with Thorns for our sins that we through his merits might be crown'd with glory in the Kingdom of Heaven O unspeakable love how were his tender hands and feet nailed to the Cross his holy unspotted breast peirced with a spear and his dearest hearts blood let forth and all to save our poor souls from the pit of eternal destruction O let us consider the great necessity we are in in not looking unto this Jesus we have need of Christ we have need that he pray in us and need that he pray for us unto our heavenly Father we have need that he work in us and need that he work for us of his plessed will and pleasure We have need that he present us and ours blameless before his Fathers presence in life and death and at the Judgment day O Lord there is not a moment in our lives wherein we stand not in continual need of Jesus Christ O then let our necessities drive us to Christ and mind us of Christ And as it hath been our great misery in departing from God dear Father we beseech thee to cause us now to lay out all our strength by the blessed assistance of thy holy spirit of grace to the uttermost of our power to gain a reconciliation with God to close with him on his own terms propounded to us in the Gospel And dear Father be pleased to raise up in us a love and a delight in the keeping holy thy Sabbaths here on earth that so we may be fitted and prepared to keep an ever lasting Sabbath with thee in Heaven Dear Lord pardon cleanse purge O purifie and make new our inward man by thine Almighty power subdue our corruptions and renew our Natures and bring us near unto thy self by the gracious workings of thy blessed spirit O forget not thy loving kindnesses of old but reach O reach our souls by the blessed spirit of thy grace O let us feel the power of thy