of hope and confidence of my future happiness and salvation, Since, therefore, I see about thee, O my God, no such terrible mark of thy wrath, I will no longer yield to the spirit of bondage, that inclines to fear; but will be persuaded by the spirit of adoption, to cry unto thee, Abba, Father. For I am thy child, and co-heir with thy blessed Son, who hath reconciled me to thee by the blood of his cross, when I stood as an enemy at a distance. But now that I am so nearly related to thee, wilt thou deny me mine inheritance, purchased for me by Christ? O, heavenly Father, I know mine offences are heinous; and if thou didst treat me with severity and justice, I could expect nothing but the eternal flames. Yet I am assured, that thou dost not delight in the death of sinners, and hast promised to accept my penitential tears and amendment. And though my sins be many and grievous, O let thy grace and mercy be magnified in the pardon of them. I am persuaded that thy compassion will receive and embrace me, as a father his afflicted child, and put far from me mine offences. Return then to thy rest, O my soul! for the Lord is gracious unto thee, and is ready to admit thee into his eternal kingdom. I understand therefore Death's summons to be the voice of my Lord and Father, who calls and commands me to come unto him. I will follow the example of the prodigal son, and speak in his language; "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and against thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." I confess, O my God! that thou hast not been sparing of thy manifold blessings to me; but I have not employed them as Iought, to thy honour and glory. The temptations of the world have too much prevailed upon me, and my wicked inclinations have drawn me away from thy service, to gratify the corruption of my nature. In this sinful state that I am in, I fly to thee for mercy and pardon. Have compassion on me, my heavenly Father, whose tenderness for me far exceeds that of the most tender-hearted parents. I am fully per

suaded,

suaded, that thou wilt not reject me; but art ready to embrace and meet me on the way, as the father of the prodigal son. O unparalleled love! O infinite goodness and condescension! I am confident to find it in thee, my God, and to be partaker of it! I doubt not but that thou will quiet my troubled spirit with a gracious reception, clothe me with the robe of thy righteousness, and entertain me in thy glorious palace, where I shall be admitted to solemnize the marriage of the Lamb, designed as an offering from the foundation of the world, in the happy society of angels, and immortal spirits, where we shall glorify thee, and be everlasting monuments of thine infinite goodness and mercy. O admirable wisdom, in disposing of thine elect! We were lost creatures, but we shall be found in God: we were dead in our sins; but by death, which we had drawn upon ourselves, we shall return to life. We are cast into the most horrible state; but thereby we shall attain and be advanced to the highest felicity. O my God! I recommend unto thee my soul, as to a faithful Creator: Heavenly Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit. Amen.

CHAP. XV.

The third Consolation against the Fears of Death is, to meditate continually on the Death and Sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to trust upon the Merits of his Cross.

F we desire to die with a peaceable and quiet mind, we must always meditate upon the death and sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ, and rest upon the merits of his cross. For the death of this Prince of life is the model of ours, and the fountain of comforts and joys of a believing soul.

1. By looking upon this perfect example, the wonder of men and angels, we learn to endure, with an holy resolution

and patience, all the evils and pains that attend upon death. -For though our Saviour's torments were excessive, so that his soul was sorrowed unto death; though there issued out of his innocent body a bloody sweat, from the violence of his grief, Luke xxii. yet out of his mouth came not forth the least sign of repining or impatience, Isa. iii. He was led to the slaughter as a lamb, and as a sheep before the shearers is dumb.

2. From hence we learn, that the last hours of our life must be employed in fervent and continual prayers to God, since this Beloved of our Father offers to him at such a time his prayers and supplications, with strong crying, and a flood of tears, as to him who was able to deliver him from death, Heb. v. In the bosom of this heavenly Father he poureth out all his grief; and three times he presents his request, "Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it," &c.

3. We learn also to present ourselves before God's divine majesty with humility, and to resign ourselves wholly to his adorable providence: he who thought it no robbery to be equal with God, he whom the millions of angels and seraphims worship continually, judged it no disgrace to himself to fall upon his knees three times to the ground, and submit his will to that of his heavenly Father. For after that he had said, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me:" he adds these words, "Nevertheless, O Father, not as I will, but as thou wilt," Matt. xxvi.

4. If, at the time of our death, an excessive sorrow, or a malignant humour, seize upon our minds, and hinder us from seeing the heavens open, or God, who stretcheth out his arms to receive us into his rest; let us remember, that this merciful Lord speaks to us as he did to his three apostles, who slept when he was in his agony, "Cannot ye watch one hour with

me?

*

me?" Matt. xxvi. My dear children, it is not time to fall asleep with the foolish virgins; trim your lamps, put on the garments of light, to meet your celestial Bridegroom, and to enter with him into the marriage chamber, Matt. xxv. . .

5. God requires that we should do as much good at all times to our friends as we are able, and to express the sincerity of our affections to those to whom nature and religion have caused us to be related. But chiefly at the hour of death we are more bound to this religious duty. Therefore Jesus Christ hath shewn us an excellent example; for when he was nailed on the cross, and ready to breathe forth his soul into the hands of his heavenly Father, he took care of his holy and blessed mother, saying to his beloved disciple, "My son, behold thy mother; (and to her) Woman, behold thy son.”

6. We ought to do good, and shew kindness, not only to our friends, but also forgive our greatest enemies, such as are the most enraged against us. For by this means we shall follow the blessed footsteps of our gracious Saviour; for he had compassion upon them that crucified him, and mocked him. "Father (said he) forgive them, for they know not what they do."

7. By the cross of Jesus Christ, we learn to put our trust in the goodness of God in our sharpest pains, and to embrace him as our most loving Father and Redeemer, at that instant when he seems to discover to us a severe countenance, full of wrath. For this eternal Son of God, in his most violent tortures, when his heavenly Father withdrew from him his aid and assistance, and withheld the effects of his grace, the expressions of his love, and the comforts of his divine Spirit ; yet he looked upon him as his God, and prays to him with an holy assurance, repeating these words, "My God! My God!"

3. If we will die willingly, and leave these infirm bodies

with a joyful mind, when the time is come that we must go to the Father of spirits, we ought to remember with what resolution our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ prepared himself for death, and how willingly he commended his innocent soul into the hands of God his Father, when he required it. "No man taketh this life away from me, but I lay it down of myself; I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again; this commandment have I received of my Father," John x. Heb. x. This caused him to speak in this manner. "Here I am, O God, to do thy will," Luke xxiii. Therefore, when he gave up the ghost, he cried with a loud voice, toshew that his precious soul was not taken from him by violence, but that he willingly offered it up as a sacrifice to God.

9. In this excellent description of Christ crucified, we may farther learn, what should be our last words, and our last thoughts. For if God grants us the use of our tongues until the last moment, we cannot end our life more comfortably, than by such expressions as our Saviour made use of upon the cross," Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." But if we cannot move our lips, nor pronounce these words, we ought to have them inwardly in our minds, and express them with the motions of the heart.

10. In looking exactly into the death and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, we may easily find how much we are engaged to yield up our souls to God, when he is pleased to call for them. For his blessed death is the price and ransom that he hath paid for them. Now, if it be reasonable to render unto every one that which he has bought and purchased with a great price, and if it would be a great injustice to refuse to any man that which he hath paid for with the blood of his only and beloved son, how can we refuse our souls unto God, since they belong to him? Because he hath not only created them, and stamped in them his image, but hath also pur

chased