Job xix. 25.

26.

72.

Job xi. 25.

For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that be fhall ftand at the Last Day upon the Earth. And tho' after my Skin Worms deftroy this Body; yet in my Flefh fhall I fee God:

Whom I fhall fee for my felf: And mine Eyes fhall behold, and not another.

For be is the Refurrection and the Life: And whofoever believeth in him, tho' be die, yet fhall be live again.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

As it was in the Beginning, &c.

PRAYER.

Moft glorious Lord God, Terrible in thy Judgments, and Wonderful in all thy Dealings towards the Children of Men; Poffefs my Soul, I beseech thee, with awful and becoming Apprehenfions of thy Majesty, Give me a ferious Senfe and Sorrow, for ever having bardned my Heart from thy Fear, and provoked that Vengeance, which can confume me in a Moment. Lord, convince me whom I ought to dread, and let me never, for the gratifying any finful Inclination, forget any more the Lord my Maker, and incur the Difpleasure of Him, who is able to caft both Body and Soul into Hell. And, as I implore thy Grace, that this Confideration of thy Power may be an effectual Check to all my unruly Appetites; fo, I beseech thee, let it be my Stay and Confidence in all Dangers and Diftreffes. That, forfaking the broken Reeds of all worldly Succours, I may put my whole Trust in thy Mercy; and, evermore ferving Thee in Holiness and Pureness of Living, may even in Death it felf be more than Conquerer. Even in that Joyful Day, when all Enemies fhall be deftroyed; when thy Children shall come forth from the dark Prifons of the Grave, and Shine like Suns in the Kingdom of Thee their Father. Grant this thou Rock of my Soul, for thy dear Son Jefus Chrift's Sake.

MED.

I.

MED. III.

Of the Justice of God: And the Penitential
Sorrow refulting from it.

G

MOD is a Being infinitely perfect and good; the Supreme, the Original Good; the Author and Maker of all Things; and cannot therefore be fuppofed, either to hate what himself hath made, or to have given Being to any Thing, with a defign to render it miferable. His Providence and Power, which made the Subject of the two former Meditations, are, in their own Nature and Primitive Intention, calculated for the Benefit and Security of his Creatures. And, if at any time they become the Inftruments or Difpenfers of Grief and Pain; this is an Effect purely accidental; an Operation fo foreign, that it is even extorted from them, and wholly imputable to fome other Cause. And this is the Cafe of Mankind; once favour'd above all their Fellow-Creatures, and fafe under the Shelter and Smiles of an Almighty Protector: But, by their own Fault, deprived of this Defence; left naked and exposed to Mischiefs and Sufferings; and not only difarmed of their fureft Guard, but in perpetual Danger of being destroy'd, by that very Hand, which was formerly their Friend and Defender. O wretched Confequences of Sin! that did not only render our first Parents and all their Pofterity liable to bodily Death, and all the Diseases and Pains that lead to it; but left a fatal Averfenefs to all Good, and a strong Propenfion in us to all Evil. By indulging hereof we add our own actual Guilt, to that which our finful Parents had derived down to us; and by Iniquities without number, by wilful, repeated, habitual, and bold Tranfgreffions, do confirm and aggravate this Sentence of Death, and arm the Juttice of God against our felves.

II. Won

II. Wonder not then, if thou fee fo many dreadful Spectacles of Affliction in the World; nor murmur, when thou thy felf art bound in the fame Fetters, and fore laden with the Burthen of Adverfity. But remember, that God is righteous, and thou, and thefe People are wicked; that he is holy and juft, as well as good, and, tho' he do not willingly grieve the Children of Men, yet their Iniquities put a fort of Violence upon him, which he cannot refift. They quite weary him out, and render it impoffible, (that is, inconfiftent with his other Attributes and the Perfection of his Nature) to let fuch Men go always unpunished. Nay, even in thofe infinitely more dreadful Torments of another World, his Perfections are concerned to vindicate themselves; for tho' these be terrible, above what we are able to exprefs or conceive, yet are they juft. And, at the fame time that we may be apt to queftion, whether fo great Severity be confiftent with the Character of our Judge, we prove the Wisdom of our Lawgiver; and, that even Eternal Pains were neceffary, fince even all this will not contain us in our Duty, and effectually reftrain us from Sinning.

;

III. And this my Soul, is thy Cafe. These everlafting Plagues are the deferved Wages of thy Wickednefs. For do but defcend into thy Self, (as it becomes thee to do, now more efpecially) and there take an exact Survey of thy Miferies and Frailties thy raging Paffions, and ungovern'd Appetites : Ask thy felf, what Abufes and Mifemployments of Health thou haft been guilty of. Whether thou have not neglected and forgot God and Heaven too much, and been too full of Care and Fondness for this present World; Whether thou have not omitted his Worship and Sacrament, and difregarded his Word, or whether thele have not been frequented formally and coldly. Examine the Heaviness of thy Affections, the Wandrings

drings and Negligence of thy Mind, in publick ånd private Devotions. [Here it may be convenient to inStance in any other Particular against our Duty to God.] See again the Violation of Juftice and Charity to thy Neighbour, whether thou haft faithfully discharged the Offices of the several Capacities and Relations God hath placed thee in; [A Husband or Wife, a Master or Mistress, a Son or Daughter, a Magiftrate, a Subject a Parent, a Brother or Sifter, and the like.] If thou have not been guilty of grofs and palpable Injuftice in thy Dealings, yet haft thou done wrong to no Man's Soul, by ill Advice, or ill Example? Nor to the Bodies of any, by Malice or Contempt, by ill Treatment, levere Ufage, want of Compaffion and Care for their Infirmities? What Reputations haft thou injured by Scandal and Cenfure; by falfe and uncharitable Judgments; by bufy meddling with Matters that concern thee not; by officiously fpreading, or too haftily believing ill Reports; by encouraging, repeating, and being pleafed with detracting or fevere Reflections; Or if by none of thefe, yet at leaft by neglecting to reprove, or to discountenance, a flanderous Tongue, and to deliver the Innocent from its fecret Stabs? [Here again be particular in any other Sins you have been guilty of against your Neighbour.] Turn thy Eyes inward once more; and behold the Breaches of that Duty thou oweft to thy Self; the Intemperance and Irregularity of thy Defires; the Murmurings and Difcontents; the Infirmities indulged; the Paffions unfubdued; the Negligence in thy greatest Concern; the Love of unlawful, and the Abufe of lawful, Diversions and Delights. These are Things fo incident to our State, that no Man's Confcience can speak Peace to him in them all; and happy art thou in thofe, where thine condemns thee not. But know withal, that God is greater than thy Heart, and knoweth all Things; He keeps exact Account of

A a

1 Jobniii 20.

thy

thy lurking Corruptions, and Secret Faults; the unobferved, or the long fince forgotten, Mifdemeanors of thy Life. The black Catalogue whereof, could they be fet before thee, would give a difmal Profpect full of Horror and Confufion, and intolerable Amazement. So that thou muft of neceffity, acknowledge thy felf a Mass of Filth and Mifery; a Wretch, that, if God fhould enter into Judgment with thee, haft reafon to expect nothing better than Indignation and Fury; to be fet up as a Mark of his Vengeance, and, by some swift exemplary Deftruction, fwept violently away into the hotteft Flames of Hell.'

IV. Thus much I am fadly fenfible of, and do ftand condemned out of my own Mouth. And thus far the Circumftances of all Mankind are the PS. cxxx. 3,4 fame, that if God fhould be extreme to mark what is done amifs, the very best of us all could not abide it. But, bleffed be God, though Matters are deplorable, they are not quite defparate for there is Mercy with him, and his Juftice is fatisfied. The Price and Purchase of our Souls is paid; Our forfeit Lives are ranfomed and redeemed; Our Ransom in Value exceeds the whole World; even his own beloved and only begotten Son; who fpared not his own Life, but willingly poured out his Soul to the Death; and is thereby become a Sacrifice and Atonement for the Sins of wretched Mortals. He hath published glad Tidings of Reconciliation and Repentance, of Pardon and Peace. He came to fave Sinners, even the Chief of Sinners. Our God willeth not the Death of any; provided they believe, and fincerely obey him: Not according to the Shekel of the Sanctuary, which requires unfinning Perfection; but after the Standard of the New Covenant, which allows for Human Frailties, accepts Sorrow for the paft, Amendment for the Time to come, a fervent Love of God, and honeft Endeavours to ferve him. This is a Saying wor