-

led him, nor move but as he drew him.-A rebel that was in league with hell, that hated his Sovereign, and was plotting with the devil to pull the crown off his head. A creature made lothfome by fin in God's fight, yea more lothsome than a new-born infant wal, lowing in its blood, than Job when full of boils, than Lazarus full of fores, or a dead earcafe crawling with worms. A creature that was undefirous of God's vifit or help, and unwilling to accept of it; that faid to him, Depart from us, rue defire not the knowledge of thy ways. A creature that contemned his love, rejected his offers, and trampled his blood.-Who would have pitied such a creature? one fo poor, fo vile, fo miferable! It had been much to have given him an alms; but for the Son of God to give his life for him, may Atrike men and angels with aftonishing furprise for ever.

Lord, what is man! a poor feeble crawling worm, that thou shouldft be mindful of him, after this manner? And what are we, that we fhould ftill have the offers of this love continued to us? Oh, fhall we ever make light of this love any more? I believe, Lord, help my unbelief.

There is a parallel text, Pfal. cxliv. 3 Lord, what is man that thou takest knowledge of him? or the fon of inan that thou makeft account of him? What a poor little thing is man, that thou fhouldft make fo great account of him, put fuch respect upon him above all other creatures, fo as to condefcend to ftand in a nearer relation to him than to any other, as that of a father, a brother, a hufband, a friend, &c. yea more, thou haft dignified this poor thing, man, fo much as to affame his nature into an ineffable perfonal union with the fcond perfon of the ever glorious Trinity, whereby the nature of man is exalted above all the angels of heaven. It is not the angelical, but the human nature which God hath chofen to tabernacle in; and now it is honoured fo far, as to be fet on the right hand of the Majesty on highThe great account God hath of this little thing, man, appears further in the great coft he hath laid out for him. Why? God not only gives his creatures to die for man, to yield him food, but he alfo gives his Chrift

to die for him, to procure him eternal life. Again, how great is the goodnefs which God hath laid up for him hereafter? Eye hath net feen it, ear hath not heard it, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive how great it is? O what a favourite of heaven muft this little creature, man, be!

Lord, who can but wonder at the honour thou haft already put upon man, and at the favours thou ftill designs for him! Great things haft thou laid out, and great things Ihaft thou laid up for man. I admire thy low stoop in the vifit thou madeft man, in the incarnation of thy dear Son, and in thy vifit in the gofpel proclamation, and offer of pardon through him! but let me ftill plead for another vifit in the effufion of thy Holy Spirit: This other vifit thou knowest is neceffary to make the former effectual to my falvation. May then thy Holy Spirit work faith in me, to fall in with thy glorious device for the redemption cf man in all points, to accept of thy love offers, and reft upon thy free promises of falvation through Jefus Christ, and his moft perfect righteousness. Amen.

MEDITATION VI.
From 1 Cor. x. 4

And that Rock was Chrift.

OW ufeful was that rock in the wilderness to the

Hraelites fojourning there, after it was fmitten by

Mofes's rod: When they were ready to perish in that dry defert, the rock fent forth ftreams of water to them in great abundance; ftreams that followed them up hill and down hill, in all their turnings and windings, marches and countermarches through that weary land. The rock was to them a lively type of Chrift, who being fmitten by the rod of the law's curfes, whose minifter Mofes was, fends forth plentiful fupplies to his people, while travelling in the wildernefs of this world. There are two principal streams of ble flings which he fends forth, most use. ful to us, to wit, a ftream of blood for our justification, and a stream of the Spirit for our fanctification. The channel or conduit-pipes for conveying thefe ftreams to

us, are the ordinances and promifes of the gofpel; and through these pipes, thefe bleffed ftreams run freely to all true believers, from the Rock Chrift, which was broached for them.

Oh, how coftly was our redemption to our dear kinf man Jefus Chrift? dear did our fouls coft him! The Rock of our falvation was cleaved afunder, rent and pierced to the very heart, to let out the waters of life to us, by which only we can be preferved from eternal death, and obtain eternal life. How coftly and precious are the streams of Chrift's blood and fpirit, his mercy and grace which flow from the fmitten Rock, and follow us through the wilderness in the free offers of the gofpel! They are lifegiving ftreams, fire-quenching, heart-foftning, foulcleanfing, healing and fructifying ftreams: Welcome , then should we make these streams to our fouls in this dry and thrifty land.-Likewife the rock was to the Ifraelites a fhadow from the heat, and a covert from tempefts and ftorms: fo Chrift, our Rock, fcreens us from the fcorching heat of vindictive juftice, and from the waves and billows of God's wrath.-How neceffary and useful is the Rock Chrift to the fouls of fallen men! Oh, let me never, Jethurun-like, lightly efteem this Rock of our falvation. O let me never go to falfe rocks, or falfe ftreams, for fhelter or fupply in ftraits, when the true Rock is fo near, and the faving ftreams run close by my door; yea, follow me daily in the channel of the word and facraments: Streams appointed by Heaven to anfwer all the cafes and ailments of loft finners-0 ihall God in his tender mercy provide fuch a wonderful remedy, fet the Rock a-broah for me, and caufe its streams to follow me; and fhall I be fo foolish as to turn my back upon them, and refufe to apply or make ufe of them? O fave me from fuch curfed ingratitude and `madness; " I belive, Lord, help my unbelief."

Ohow much should my heart be affected at thy holy table, when I fee the Rock of my falvation fmitten by the rod of justice, and behold the bloody fpear pierce into his heart! O Rock of ages, what made thee to rend and cleave fo! O Brightness of thy Father's glory, who has

upon

disfigured thee fo? O River of life, clear as cryftal, who hath troubled thee fo? Oh, it was my fins, my pride, my paffion, my unbelief, my worldliness, my hardness, impenitence, &c. Thefe were the caufe of my Redeemer's fufferings. The iniquities of finful men were laid him. When he was pierced, it was I that should have been fmitten. When he groaned and fwate blood, I fhould have howled and roared in hell. Harder than the rock is my heart, if I can see my dear Savicur fmitten and pierced, and not mourn. O can I fee his fide and heart ftreaming out blood, and mine eyes not pour out tears! Can I behold the Rock fmitten for the fins of men, and not adore the holiness and juftice of God manifested therein? Can I fee my innocent Saviour wounded and flain for my fins, and my foul not hate them; yea, fhall I not be filled with horror and trembling at tempfations to fin?

Let me, at my Saviour's call, approach to his table, and come near to the Rock of my falvation, and hearken to the raging billows of infinite wrath, dafhing against the Rock for my fins, and even making the Rock to groan, fweat, and tremble under the preffure. O what a dreadful hurricane of wrath did he endure, to keep the fwelling ocean of divine wrath from overflowing guilty men! Surely my glorious Emmanuel's groaning and sweating blood under the ftrokes of God's vengeance, is a greater evidence of the implacable wrath and indignation of God againft fin, than if he had hurled all the rocks of the creation into the midft of the fea; yea, or a thoufand worlds of men and angels into hell. O that, while I am beholding this fight, I may tremble at fin, come by faith under the fhadow of this Rock, and run into the clifts of it for fafety. Here I would be out of the reach of the law's curfes and threatnings of wrath; and though I hear the roarings and dafhings of the fea upon the Rock, yet a drop of it could not touch me.

O that I could imitate Mofes, when I am at the table, and fmite the Rock by the rod of faith, that the ftreams of Chrift's blood and fpirit may flow out to me. What was his error will be my wifdom, to fmite

the Rock oftener than once, to put forth many acts of faith on Jefus Chrift, fuch as the difcerning, affenting, approving, deriving, receiving, clofing, embracing, trufting, pleading, applying, and appropriating acts of true faith. May I, like Ifrael of old, Deut. xxxii. 13. be helped by faith to fuck honey out of the Rock, and oil out of the flinty Rock: Honey and oil, fweetness and fatnefs, quickening and comfort.-How fhall I come at this honey and oil? Only by fucking: And how fhall I fuck, but by the mouth of faith? There is no fucking without it. Neither can I fuck by faith, unless God make me do it; for it is faid, Deut. xxxii. He made them to fuck honey out of the Rock. It is God that must give me both a mouth and strength to fuck, faith in the habit, and faith in exercife. It is only the blowings of the north and fouth winds on the garden, that make the fpices to flow out. Awake, Ŏ north wind, come thou fouth, blow upon my garden; bring faith to life, that I may fuck honey from Chrift in the facrament. Chrift's breasts are now full; Olet not faith be wanting, for if it be wanting, I can fuck nothing Bleffed be God, Jefus Chrift, my Redeemer, is the author of faith. Lord, increase my faith, that I may fuck honey from the Rock.But what honey, may I expect from it? Anf. The honey of pardon of fin. O how fweet is this honey!-The honey of peace and reconciliation with God;-the honey of a law-biding righteousness ;-the honey of accefs to, and communion with God;-the honey of enlargement of heart, and loofing of bands, &c. Q let me ever fuck from this Rock, the Rock that anfwers all my needs, and richly supplies all my wants.-Let me alfo, under all my ftraits, fupport myself with the Pfalmift's cordial, Pfal. xviii. 46. The Lord liveth, and bleffed be my Rock. Why thould believers in Chrift droop in any condition, or look like dead men, while their Lord liveth, and their Rock ftandeth? Bleffed be God, my Rock is a living and lafting Rock, my hopes may die, my comforts die, my frames die, my gifts, my wealth, and my relations, thefe may all die; but I rejoice in the