nor the Mean man for his Poverty O Fool O Wretch that I am shall many then say who now brave it out in Pride and Vanity unconcern'd about a future Judgment not to be persuaded by the Terrors of the Lord which I was so often warn'd and foretold of What Refuge of Hope can I now flie to What can I say for my self What can I do to escape to die to exist no longer I would have no compassion on my own Soul I would not so much as consider its danger I shall now find none from Christ I can expect none His Mercy is gone and gone for ever I am lost undone tormented and must eternally be so O the Amazement Horror and Despair of self-condemned Sinners in that day of Vengeance O my Soul what is there of greater Consequence or of greater Certainty from the Word of God than that I must appear to Judgment when Christ shall come again Lord teach me to believe it firmly to consider it often to lay it seriously to heart to act under the Influence and Power of it as long as I live that at the Great Resurrection from the Dead I may lift up my head with a joyful Hope and find the Judge to be my Friend my Advocate my Jesus and not my Enemy and Destroyer XXIII Meditations of the Glory of Christ in his Glorified Saints and of the thankful Admiration of Believers when He shall come again from Heaven which shall be continued to all Eternity THE Terror of our Lord's Appearance to Judgment cannot be greater to the Wicked than the Comfort and Joy of it will be to the Saints When they shall see Him whom their Souls love ascend with him to Heaven and be welcom'd according to his Promise with those endearing words * Mat. 25. Come ye blessed Children of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from before the foundation of the World 'T was for your sakes I assumed Flesh lived on Earth and died on the Cross to purchase this Glorious Kingdom for you which I now come to give you the Possession of 'T was for this I prayed and suffered on Earth for this I interceded ever since in Heaven I was heard in that Prayer accepted in those Sufferings and my Intercession granted that where I am you may be also to behold my Glory Come therefore good and faithful Servants enter into your Lord's joy O what ravishing words will these be What an Ecstasie of Love and Kindness is implied in them What matter of rejoycing may it now give me to admit the Hope that my Blessed Savior will say such words as these to me and bid me stand upon his Right Hand among his Sheep O what an exulting frame of Soul will such Expressions raise How shall all my Doubts and Fears and Sorrows be scattered in a moment and cease for ever O Glorious Day when my blessed Lord shall thus publickly acknowledge me for his own and plead my Cause against all the Accusations of Satan and the malicious Calumnies of all his Instruments when I shall be able to say of all my sins and sufferings as my Lord upon the Cross It is finished it is finished My warfare being accomplish'd being more than Conqueror over all through him who loved me and died for me and now is come to wipe away all tears from mine eyes as it were with the Napkin that was bound about his Head when laid in the Grave all being the fruit of his meritorious Death Then shall I have nothing more to fear or wish or beg I shall offend provoke and dishonour him no more or by my folly and scandal discredit his holy Name and Gospel but by consummate Holiness be fitted to rejoyce in his Presence and Love and celebrate his Praise for ever I shall never more lament his Absence or complain of his Anger never see a cloud on his Face or a frown in his Look any more Now I must wait and pray struggle and strive labour and suffer desire and expect believe and hope c. but then perfect Rest and Holiness Love and Joy Vision and Fruition Bliss and Glory unutterable and everlasting shall take place All the Attributes of God all the wonderful Perfections of Christ will then be glorified in Believers and admired by them His invariable Truth will then be honoured which they trusted to and waited for for now they shall know and find they did not wait in vain They hop'd in his Word and ventur'd their Salvation upon it and now they shall receive the end of their Faith and Hope infinitely beyond what they ever expected or believed The Glory of Divine Wisdom will then appear when the Constitution Administration and Design of the Mediator's Kingdom shall be fully known in the admirable Order and Beauty of every part of it with the exact Tendency of all the particulars to one Glorious End and the whole Undertaking crown'd with so blessed an Issue What is now a Mystery even to Believers themselves and hath a Veil upon it shall then no longer be so all the Riddles of God's Grace and Providence shall be plainly understood O how transporting a View must it needs be when the Glory of all the Divine Attributes which God intended to accomplish in and by Christ shall be manifest to his Redeemed Saints The whole method of our Salvation will then appear to be the fruit of unserchable Wisdom when we shall all see the Reality and Substance and entire Scheme of all that God designed in and by him all that was typified of him and foretold concerning him in the Old Testament How will it all appear to be the manifold Wisdom of God! Ephes 3.10 As in uniting Heaven and Earth together in the Person of our Moderator fulfilling the truth of a terrible Threatning in his Death and by the same way accomplishing * Vid. Mr. Charnock of the Divine Attribute Wisdom many gracious Promises satisfying Justice and at the same time shewing Mercy manifesting infinite Grace and Kindness by shedding of Blood conquering Death by dying and disarming the Law by Obedience to it c. afterwards subduing the World to the Faith of the Gospel by the foolishness of Preaching making men wise to Salvation by the Knowledge of the Cross and spreading that Faith the more by all the opposition made against it c. How wonderfully will a clear View of these things discover and glorifie the Wisdom of God! But the Love and Grace of Christ the infinite Goodness and Compassion of God will then be magnified in an especial manner What but Sovereign Love in the whole Contrivance and Council of God about our Redemption What admirable Love and Grace in the whole Management of that design What unparallel'd kindness in the Accomplishment of it by the Sacrifice of the Son of God And how Glorious will this Love appear when he shall come again to give us the full Harvest of all his Purchase With what admiring Thankfulness
can give besides will not make me happy In Thee therefore I would terminate all my Affections all my Devotions There is nothing of Heaven to be had on Earth but in thy Favour Image and Love and the reviving Sense of it And all the Heaven I expect hereafter 't is in the more full and immediate Communications of these in thy blessed Presence I can desire nothing upon Earth I can injoy nothing in Heaven but Thee both here and there thou art and shalt ever be my All-sufficient Satisfactory Portion my Everlasting All None else can be the Portion of my Soul Nothing else can fill up all its Wants answer all its Cravings be suited to all its Capacities appease and charm all its restless Motions and give Complacence to all its Desires and be the proper Object of all its Affections What is there else can justly claim my Love or pretend to my Supreme Affection in comparison with God Thou art alone the proper Center of it Thine Infinite and Incomparable Excellencies who art Love it self deserve my choicest Love and thy numberless Mercies and Benefits challenge it as a just Debt as a piece of Homage due from all and of special Gratitude also from me Oh that I could love Thee above all things who alone art worthy of all my Love O that Divine Love might be the ruling Principle within me to inspire all my Thoughts to regulate all my Desires to set all the Powers of my Soul on Work O that it might take the full Possession of my Heart and so animate and order all my Actions to please him whom my Soul loveth If as yet I cannot say with thine Apostle Lord thou that knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee Yet I can say Lord thou knowest that I would love thee Thou hast provided for our Happiness by that first and great Command of loving thee with all our Hearts and Souls and Strength But alas how backward is my sluggish carnal Heart to this Delightful Exercise Tho' I have so oft been told that God is Love and that He that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him O shed abroad thy Love into my Soul that I may feel the Vital Power and Influence of it and live continually in the Love of God and that nothing may ever be able to separate me from it Whom have I in Heaven or Earth to Hope in but Thee I expect more from Creatures than they can or will perform but God can do for me more abundantly than I can ask or think exceed my largest Thoughts out strip my highest Expectations And no Man was ever disappointed who made Thee his Hope When I meet with Crosses and Wrongs Unfaithfulness Contempt Hatred and Persecution from Men I need not wonder I was never told by God it would be otherwise here Did I look for less from Creatures and expect more from God Did I reckon this World to be a State of Trial and not a Place of Rest and Satisfaction my Faith and my Desires would be stronger with respect to God and Heaven and Temporal Calamities and Disappointment less afflictive and Vexatious And what is there O Lord in Heaven or in Earth my Soul can desire besides Thee Is there any thing desireable but as it is thine of thee and from thee And bears some Impression of thine Excellence or brings some Intimation of thy Love And what can I reasonably desire what that is worth desiring or having but thou art able to be and do and give In whom or what shall I Rejoyce but in Thee O Lord shall I solace my self in Transitory Goods that slip between my Fingers and perish in the Using or relish Carnal Joys which pollute and debase the Soul When I may and ought to Rejoyce in Thee at all Times as the only Source of Perfect Everlasting Joy Let me then stir up my Drooping Desponding Unbelieving Heart to rejoyce in God who takes Pleasure in the chearful Service and Obedience of his Children who delighteth in those who delight in him Is not * Vid. Mr. How Of delighting in God Delighting in God a most Essential Vital Part of Religion Should it not be my Constant Frame Hath not God sufficiently provided that it may be so Can I say and believe that God is the Portion of my Soul that he is my God and I hope to live with him for ever and not Rejoyce Or can I consider the Grace of the new Covenant the matchless Love of Christ and the precious Promises of the Gospel and not see reason to Rejoyce Yea doth my Soul love God and endeavour to please him and is not the very Act and Exercise of holy Love mixt with unspeakable sweetness Whom is there in Heaven or in Earth or Hell that I ought to Fear but Thee Who hast a Negative Voice in all the Designs of Men and Devils an Hook in their Nostrils a Bridle in their Mouths to make them fulfil thy Pleasure and in every thing accomplish thy Sovereign Decree Is there any other in whom I may repose my Trust but in Thee O Lord the Rock of Ages The might of thy Power the Unsearchabless of thy Wisdom the Righteousness of thy Nature the Stability of thy Truth the Riches of thy Grace and the Immutability of thy Promises are a sure Foundation for my Soul to trust to and relye upon Thy word stands firm for ever and the Truth of thine Ability and Readiness to help in every Time of Need Endures the same throughout all Generations At all Times and in all Places my Soul may trust in Thee and find Relief And they who know thy Name will do so for in the Lord Jehovah is Everlasting Kindness and Strength To answer all my Doubts to supply all my Wants and fulfil all my Desires May not God take it unkindly that I trust him no more And is it not a criminal Unkindness that I give him not the Glory of all these excellent Attributes which are the grounds of Trust by a constant steady intire Dependance on him for all that I need I have none in Heaven but Thee O Lord as the Object of my Invocation and Worship Let other Christians have Recourse to New Mediators and call upon other Gods I will make mention of thy Name and of thy Righteousness only And ask of Thee whatsoever I need for the sake of thy Christ my only Adorable Mediator Him thou hearest alway with him thou art always well pleased I honour the Holy Angels as Glorious Attendants about thy Throne and bless thee for them as Ministring Spirits for the Good of thy Servants but I dare not invoke or worship 'em because they are Fellow Servants On the same Account I honour the Memory of Departed Saints but neither invoke them or pay them Religious Worship That Glory thou wilt not give unto another I have no Precept in Holy Scripture to direct no Promise to encourage no Example to authorize the
living in Ease and Honour and outward Prosperity for a little while the saving my Body from Suffering or my Life from Violence or whatever else be the motive of my Unfaithfulness to God and Apostacy from him Is Any is All of these any way considerable compared with the Blessedness of having God to be my God For thereby I have the Forgiveness of all my Sins and the Assurance of his Favour the certainty of present Protection and Provision all Creatures reconciled to me and to be employed for my Good as the Friend of God All things to work together for my Advantage and by the evidence of my Adoption a well-grounded Hope of Eternal Life God as my Sun and Shield will give Grace and Glory and with-hold no good Thing So unspeakably Comprehensive are the Privileges of so near a Relation to God in Christ O happy are the People who are in such a case Blessed are the Persons whose God is the Lord. Do I resolve to abide by my Choice and to trust in Christ for Persevering Grace And shall I not ought I not to take Comfort in it Shall I not give God the Glory of his infinite Goodness by adhering to him and rejoycing in him notwithstanding all Temptations to the contrary Casting all my Care upon him and quieting my self in the All-sufficiency of my Heavenly Father having a God in Covenant who will supply all my wants and take care of me as his own Shall I not give him the Glory of his Truth and Power by trusting him in every Condition By Confidence in his Promise Dependance on his Word Faithfulness to his Interest and Constancy in his Service to the end Is it not a most encouraging Thought That God doth never abandon any who do not first forsake him And after such strict Engagements as I have laid upon my self shall I ever strike the fatal stroke with my own Hand Shall I be off and on say and unsay promise and retract And after I have proceeded thus far shall I forsake the Fountain of Living Waters and turn again to broken Cisterns After I have examin'd my self consider'd my ways confess'd my Sins and upon serious Deliberation am come to a Resolve and in pursuance of it have devoted my self with such solemnity to be the Lord's shall I ever after this forsake Him and my own Mercies and lightly esteem the Rock of my Salvation Now I have learn'd in some measure what Sin is by the sorrows and anguish of an Hearty Repentance now I have discover'd so much of the Snares and Devices of Satan whereby I have formerly been betray'd now I am sensible of the dangerous and powerful influence and infection of bad Company the Treachery of fleshly Lusts the bewitching Temptations of the World and have tasted a little by my own Experience of the Pleasantness of Wisdom's Paths the Peace and Satisfaction of Devotedness to God by the present Rewards of a calm Conscience the communications of Divine Grace and the Encouragement of an Holy Hope c. and am persuaded of the Stability of his Word and the Certainty of Eternal Life to all who continue in Well-doing shall I after all this ever break with God again Shall I ever cancel this Engagement violate this my vow and falsifie so many repeated Promises and Resolutions Oh that his Power may rest upon me and his Grace work in me both to will and to do that this God may be my God for ever and my Guide unto Death Let me never re-assume this Gift and Surrender of my self or defraud God of his Right and Propriety His I am and him I will serve living wholly to Him using all I have for him being willing he should do what he list with his own and consequently dispose of me and of all that any way belongs to me as shall seem good in his eyes I am Thine O Lord save me Command me my work appoint me my Duty direct my Station order my Condition Let me be Thine tho' employed in the meanest service and the most laborious self-denying work Tho' I should be but a Door-keeper in thine House an Hewer of Wood or a Drawer of Water Tho' I must pinch the flesh and swim against the Tide and renounce what before I valued yet This God shall be my God for ever By this means when I come to die if God should add more Years to the little number I have past besides this I have now begun I may be able to say with Upright Hezekiah Remember Lord how I have walked before Thee in mine Integrity that in the face of Death and the Grave in the view of another World and the near prospect of Eternity I may be able to Rejoyce in Hope and say Lord Jesus Receive my Spirit Thou art my Saviour and I have waited for thy Salvation I have sought Thee with my whole Heart I have chosen thy Favour rather than Worldly Grandeur and Prosperity I have prized thy Love and endeavour'd to obey Thee as the best Expression of my own tho' with many Imperfections which I bewail I have delighted more in thy Service and Presence than in the Pleasures of Sin and Vanity thy Testimonies have been the Joy of my Heart I took no delight in the Company of the Ungodly after I was devoted to Thee O let me not have my Portion with them in the other World Fortifie me now against the King of Terrors strengthen me in this my last Conflict enable me to triumph over Death by the Cross of Christ my victorious Redeemer and carry me through the dark valley at the divorce of Soul and Body and grant me an abundant entrance into thine Heavenly Kingdom Let me be numbred among thy Chosen and my Body wait in Hope till the General Resurrection that I may then see thy Glory and dwell with Thee for ever I gave up my self to Thee and do not repent my Choice acknowledge me now for Thine and do not lose that which is thy own Lord Jesus Thou hast paid my Ransom to deliver me from Satan and from Eternal Wrath Oh do not now reject me and cast me off Is it not thine Office and Covenant to save those that Trust in Thee Oh remember thy Word unto thy Servant wherein thou hast caused me to Hope when I ventured my Salvation on thy Promise and trusted to thy Gracious Word for Eternal Life Thy Love hath already overcome the greatest impediments of my Salvation 'T is as easie now to receive me as to Love me Thou hast prepared Glory for thy Redeemed ones and hast bid me believingly to follow thee and wait for thy Salvation Thou hast begotten me to a lively hope by the Incorruptible Seed of the Word Let me not now be depriv'd of the Inheritance Can that Love that pitied me in my Blood and fetcht me from the Gates of Hell now suffer me to fall into it Oh Crown thy Grace and perfect thy Preparatory Mercy with Everlasting Mercy By