Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

delight that I had in consequence of being so interrupted. I cannot but think, that it was in some measure owing to the great fervour of my spirit in the former duties of the day, that this failure now happened, and I humbly hope I may say that I was in some degree consumed with the love of God. Gracious Lord, I thank thee for the visitation, and for the support under it. I thank thee that I am thine, in life, or in death. And I humbly renew the solemn_dedication of myself unto thee, as in a holy tranquillity of soul and undissembled readiness to be disposed of as thou pleasest in this world or in a better.

MEDITATIONS ON THE SACRAMENT, IN FEBRUARY, 1743. I HAD been preaching from those words in Ephesians, "Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might cleanse and sanctify it, and present it a glorious church," &c. Agreeably to this I spoke to-day from a scripture which I believe has been the subject of my meditation before, but I am not quite sure. It was Isaiah xxxv. 10. " And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness: and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." When the Church is perfectly saved this shall be fulfilled. Observe under what character God's people are described, whither they shall be brought, and in what manner, and how this great transaction shall end. Under what character God's people are described. The redeemed of the Lord. Those whom he has ransomed and bought. Are we not so? This is a feast of his ransomed ones, in which the price for the ransom is commemorated. Nor would any one who did not apprehend himself in this view have any business here. It is sinners that were once enslaved and condemned, then bought by the Son of God, who are to seek their places at this board, their part in this ordinance. Into thy hand I commend

[ocr errors]

But oh, how much more
They shall come with

my spirit, for thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God! They shall return: return from their captivity in the grave. He will say in another world, Return, ye children of God. And they shall come to Zion; to the new Jerusalem, to the city of our God. Now we are travelling towards it. Now we are incorporated with that society. We have our freedom, but not our habitation there, being no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God. It is that Jerusalem from above, which is the mother of us all. It is pleasant to come to Zion below, our Lord loves it. do we love those heavenly gates. singing; making a grand procession with anthems in their mouths. What melody in each! What harmony in all! How pleasant to think of them, not singing with sorrowful and broken voices, but in a full harmonious quire. Who would not wish to have seen Moses and Aaron leading on the Israelites from Egypt with that sacred song of triumph? to have heard the poor slaves, untaught in music, unless by inspiration, and used rather to groans than songs; yet on so sublime an occasion as the deliverance of Israel and the destruction of Pharaoh, their tongues were filled with notes of triumph; it had been pleasant. But those songs of Moses and the Lamb shall be in quite another strain. Oh, that we could catch a little of the echo now! And how shall it end? They shall march on to heaven. Lift up your heads, ye gates, and be lift up, ye everlasting doors: everlasting joy is upon their heads. God pours out the oil of gladness, and its fragrance is immortal. Sorrow and sighing were once familiar, but now they are fled away, for ever discomfited and defeated by the great Captain of our salvation and his triumphant legions; they dare not look him in the face, dare not invade his followers for a moment. How grand, and how delightful an image! And now, Lord, lead me not forth with the workers of iniquity, but with

this thy people. Methinks, thou hast this day begun to fulfill this promise. I number myself among thy redeemed ones. I come to thy Zion here; come with pleasure and delight: joy is in my heart; a song is in my mouth. Let sorrow and sighing retire, at least for a while, and give way to that joy that becomes such a feast. And thou, sacred Spirit, shed abroad a new effusion of faith, of hope, of love, and joy in my soul. Come, Lord, for I wait on thee with expectation and delight.

MEDITATIONS ON THE OPENING OF THE NEW YEAR,

1744.

My soul was employed early this morning in aspirations after God, and I felt much of his delightful presence with me when setting out to the duties of the day. I begun them with humble applications to the throne of grace, in which my soul breathed after God, and I hope I may say, that I found communion with him. I then set myself in a solemn manner to reflect, 1. Upon the mercies of the past year, temporal and spiritual. In temporal mercies, I reckoned first my safety and preservation in a variety of journeys, in particular that to Gloucester, to London, to Worcester; and I particularly recollected with delight the seasonable interposition of providence on the 30th of August last, in preserving me, my wife, and daughter from being crushed by a waggon, which we met in the chair as we were coming into Birmingham. I then reflected on my health, which has suffered but little interruptions, and those short ones. The recovery from that illness in the beginning of the last year claims an especial acknowledgment; and that also of the middle of July. God has also been pleased to smile upon my temporal affairs, so that they are in a better situation than I could have expected, considering the expense of my dear wife's journey to Bath. I recollected also my relative mercies, especially in my wife's

recovery from so extreme and dangerous an illness; in the continued life and health of all my dear children; in the establishment of my Academy, notwithstanding so much opposition of various kinds; and particularly the accession of nine pupils, some of them very considerable on account of the persons to whom they are allied, as well as remarkably amiable and delightful.

[ocr errors]

In the list of spiritual mercies, I am grateful for revived opportunities for religious improvement; communion with God; a growing love to him; submission to his will; and upon the whole a more prosperous state of soul than has commonly been known by me in former years; with an indifference to all worldly views, when compared with those of building up the Church and glorifying the name of God. I then reflected on the opportunities of usefulness which I have enjoyed, that I have preached so many sermons, I think more than a hundred and forty, considerably more than I remember to have preached in any former year; that I have written several things, particularly the two last Letters in answer to Christianity not founded on Argument;' the Verses for Children; and a great deal of The Rise and Progress of Religion; and also my Hospital Sermon; together with some opportunities of doing good in that charity. May I not also reckon in the number of my mercies the opposition I have met with, I think very undeservedly, in things well intended; and, as I verily believe, for bearing a faithful testimony to the truths of the gospel, which has occasioned me many enemies, and will, I doubt not, prove an occasion of verifying my Master's words, great is your reward in heaven. I ought also in this place to mention my encouragement in my Church, to which God has added thirty members, and where I am well aware there are not a few under very serious impressions; the greatest I have known in any year since I have been a pastor.

In reflecting upon the returns I had made to the goodness of God this year, I found as constantly great cause for humiliation; especially in three respects; that my conversation had been no better improved on many occasions; that I had been no more diligent in visiting and inspecting my flock; and also, that I had been no more exact in my evening devotions. I also found reason to blame myself for too long intermissions of religious instruction to the children, and sometimes of particular instruction to the pupils; but I was perhaps never in any year more frequent with regard to some of these things. I still greatly want much more of the love of God in my heart to set these things right. And I desire now to repeat my believing application to the blood of Jesus for a renewed pardon of these things. Many other particulars passed in the secret devotions of this season; to which also was added a pathetic meditation at the table of the Lord on those words, "looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life,” in which I considered eternal life as the object of expectation. Life-Eternal life! how much in each word. This is looked for. It is expected. And the eye of the soul is kept upon it as a great expectation. And this is expected as mercy, as the mercy of Christ to poor sinners who deserved Death,- Eternal Death! But not writing these memorandums so soon as I should have done, many of the particular views passed out of my mind. Yet they were unutterably sweet, and I must reckon that among the best days of my life.

MEDITATIONS ON THE SACRAMENT, MARCH 11, 1744. HAVING preached of the power of faith in our coming to God, I fixed my meditations at the Lord's table on those words in Peter: "To whom coming, as to a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an

« ZurückWeiter »