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Believing the doctrines contained in the sacred pages of the oracles of God, receive with meekness and all readiness of mind the ingrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

For the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; his commandment is perfect, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgment of the Lord is true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold; sweeter also than honey, or the honeycomb, for by them are thy servants warned, and in keeping them there is a great reward.

EXER. XXVII.

The righteous and wicked compared.

1. O THOU Supreme Lord of Heaven and earth, we adore Thee, as the righteous Judge of the world, who, without respect to persons, will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

2. In every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of him; but the wicked are objects of his displeasure, and are exposed to the awful effects of his angry resentments.

3. Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat of the fruit

of their doings. Woe unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

4. The righteous are delivered out of trou ble, and the wicked are snared in the work of their hands; for God will not cast away the upright man, neither will he embrace evil doers in the arms of favour.

5. The fear of the Lord is wisdom and understanding; but wickedness is madness and folly.

6. Many sorrows shall attend the wicked in all their ways, but mercy shall compass him about, who feareth God and keepeth his commandments.

7. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart; but the way of the wicked is darkness, and their path leadeth to misery and destruction.

8. He that walketh uprightly, walketh surely; the Lord will bless his habitation ; but he that perverteth his way shall stumble and fall, and the displeasure of the Almighty shall be upon his house.

9. He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul, and his memory is blessed; but he that despiseth the commandment shall die, and the memory of the wicked perisheth.

10. They who fear and serve the Lord, are precious in his sight, and honourable; but the workers of iniquity are vile, and are an abomination in his sight.

11. The fear of the Lord prolongeth days, and the desire of the righteous shall be satis

fied; but the wicked is driven away in his wickedness, and his years shall be shortened.

12. When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth; and when the wicked perish they are soon forgotten.

13. When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall be gathered before him all nations, and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.

14. Then shall he say to the righteous, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; and to the wicked, Depart from me, I know you not, ye workers of iniquity.

15. Teach us, O Lord, as becometh wise men, to look diligently into the consequences of actions, and may a consideration of the very different issues of a virtuous and a vicious course, deter us from the latter, and engage us in the former.

16. Let us keep in view that great day of reckoning, when we must give an account unto God, and order our conversation with a proper regard thereto, that we may meet his final approbation, and obtain his gracious acceptance, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

EXER. XXVIII.

The importance and excellent advantage of Divine Revelation.

1. O THOU Eternal source of Wisdom and Knowledge, we rejoice in all the discov

eries which thou hast made to us of thyself, in thy works, and in thy word; and we humbly implore thy guidance and direction in all important concernments.

2. We return thee our most hearty thanks, that thou hast not confined us to the book of nature, but hast opened before us the sacred volumes of thy word, wherein we are clearly taught, how we may escape the wrath to come, and inherit everlasting life.

3. Though we can, in many cases, judge, even of ourselves, what is right, our consciences bearing witness to what is good or evil, yet we are not a sufficient law to ourselves, but stand in need of divine illumination.

4. For, without the aid of revelation, the law written on our hearts is not able to give us a full knowledge of that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God, which is necessary to shew us the path of life, and lead us in the way everlasting.

5. Blessed be God for the glorious light of revelation, shining in the sacred pages of the Old and New Testament, which amply supplies the deficiencies of the light of nature, and is able thoroughly to instruct us in the way of holy and happy living.

6. Rejoicing in this supernatural illumination, let us walk as children of the light and of the day, by a conscientious compliance with all the obligations of christian faith and piety.

7. Let us search the scriptures daily, since they are profitable for doctrine, reproof, cor.

rection and instruction in righteousness, and sufficient to make us wise to salvation.

8. While we rejoice that the doctrine of salvation, which first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed by them who heard him, hath been transmitted down to us, let us take heed that we do not fall under the condemnation of those, who love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.

9. Believing the doctrines contained in the sacred pages of the oracles of God, let us receive, with meekness and all readiness of mind, the ingrafted word, which is able to save our souls.

10. For the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

11. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

12. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

13. More to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey or the honey-comb.

14. Moreover by them is thy servant warned, and in keeping them there is a great reward.

15. O Eternal God, may our hearts be impressed with the great doctrines, important instructions, and momentous truths of thy word, and dispose and enable us to transcribe them in our lives.

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