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shalt preserve me from the power of the enemy, thou shalt teach me the way wherein I should go, thou shalt guide me with thine eye. I know, Lord, none can pluck me out of thy hand; Í will trust therefore, and not be afraid; though thousands fall on every side, thou art my shield and rock of defence. Much have I experienced of thy kindness and care, more I believe thou hast in store. I wait for thy salvation, and I have a good hope because of thy word; here my anchor fixes. If thou say, I will put my fear into thine heart, and thou shalt not depart from me; then may I with confidence rest upon thy grace and love.

MEDITATION XI.

1 COR. vi. 20.

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

IF any thing can engage my heart to the dear Redeemer, it must be the views of his amazing love and grace, and the sense of the deep obligations these lay upon me; when I see the price he hath paid for me, how can I except to his claim? It hath cost thee precious blood to redeem me from my state of endless misery, and now thou challengest the return of service. Lord, I am thy servant; I am thy servant, for thou hast loosed my bands; I will, through thy grace, make thy glory my great aim and end. I have lived long to dishonour thee, henceforth may thy name be exalted in me and by me; my body is for thee, O Lord it hath served divers lusts and pleasures, but thou hast redeemed it from the guilty service. It shall serve no more; every

sense, every member, let it be an instrument of righteousness unto God. My spirit is thine; its passions, its vile affections, shall reign no more; let purity be written on my inmost soul, and my thoughts be brought into obedience to thee, O Christ. Yet, Lord, after all, what glory can redound to thee from such worthless services as mine? that thou condescendeth to accept them, bring me in more thy debtor still. Well, Lord, I am more than content, I am happy thus to be rendering myself to thee, and increasing thereby my obligations; glorify thyself in me in mercy, till thou glorify me with thyself in the kingdom of thy glory.

MEDITATION XII.

TITUS ii. 10.

That they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

GOD is my Saviour; that he is God, is my comfort, for now I know his all-sufficiency of power and love, able to save to the uttermost, and rich in mercy to all that call upon him. I am called to adorn that doctrine which bringeth salvation, and teacheth us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world; and it is my serious purpose and desire to do so. My cha racter in the world will call for my first regard, to walk in wisdom towards those who are without; to shew an unblameableness of conversa◄ tion, that they who are of a contrary part, may have no evil thing justly to say of ine. I will labour to shew all good fidelity in my dealings, to pay a conscientious regard to truth in my

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words, to provide things honest in the sight of all men, to be industrious in my calling, to owe no man any thing, to abstain from the appearances of evil, lest I make my brother to offend. My behaviour in my family, may it be ever such as becometh godliness; I would go in and out before them, as an example unto the believers. I would watch particularly against self-will and anger I would always speak at my meals something which should be for the use of edifying. I would be constant in prayer with them day and night, that the blessing of God may be in the midst of us. I would watch over all around me with a jealous eye, and above all, over myself, that I lay no stumbling-block in their way; I would instruct them to the best of my abilities in the knowledge of the Redeemer of sinners, and seek that I and my house might serve the Lord. In my particular transactions with God in secret, I will endeavour to lay bare my heart before him; I will take his holy word ; I will ask for his illuminating Spirit; I will examine mine own self; no bosom sin, I trust, shall find a hiding-place: my burdens of sin and sorrow will I lay at the feet of my Lord. I will plead with him his promises, and leave my case in my great Advocate's hand. In this way the desire of my soul will be answered, and my Redeemer honoured. Lord, adorn me with thy Spirit, that I may thus adorn thy gospel,

MEDITATION XIII

HEBREWS vii. 25.

He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him.

SALVATION is my great concern; I am the Creature of a day; my body is of the dust, and

returning to the dust again; I am in jeopardy every hour. Here I have no abiding city; as a tenant at will, I may be dismissed at a minute's warning but I have an immortal soul, a soul that must be happy or miserable to eternity; a soul that must join angels in glory, or fiends in darkness. How weighty then is the concern of salvation? and how important each moment that shortens the span allotted me below!

When I look within myself, how far from salvation doth my state appear? A sinner I, vile and abominable; in nature at enmity with God, in practice a transgressor times beyond number; under guilt which I cannot remove, under corruption I cannot subdue, under wrath I cannot avert, and such wrath as is for ever wrath to come.

When I look to God, what can I expect? holy in his nature, and therefore infinitely removed from sin; just, and therefore bound to punish it; unchangeable, and therefore punishing eternally; omnipotent, there can be no resistance; omniscient, and therefore no escape from his notice,

Who shall deliver me? Behold me, saith the Saviour, I am he that bringeth salvation, salvation to the uttermost, mighty to save; atoning blood shall sprinkle the throne of justice, eternal wisdom shail guide thy steps, and almighty power strengthen thee. My salvation is near, I bring it to thee in my word, I seal it to thee with my blood, and will accomplish it in thee by my Spirit for ever. Do so, Lord if thou wilt save, none can destroy.

MEDITATION XIV.

EPHESIANS ii. 5.

By grace ye are saved.

TRUE, Lord, or such a wretch as I must despair; impotent and helpless to every thing which is good, and prone to every thing which is evil, what must become of me, if salvation was not free; it is of thy eternal purpose and grace that there is any hope for sinners; it is of thy grace, that I am called out of darkness into thy marvellous light; it is of rich grace, that when I was dead in sin, I was quickened together with Christ; it is by grace alone I stand; whatever attainments I reach unto, still it is by the grace of God I am what I am; without this grace I am nothing, have nothing, can do nothing, but sin. And in eternity, as well as time, the grace of my God will alone be exalted, when the topstone of the spiritual building is laid, it shall be with shouting, crying, grace, grace unto it. When eternal life is adjudged me in the last day, it will be the gift of God in Jesus Christ; and, through eternity, this will be the theme of all the saved by grace. Thou, Lord, alone, art worthy to receive blessing, and glory, and honour. If it be of grace then, it is no more of works ; why is my foolish heart then continually going about to rob God of the glory of his grace? it is of my pride and unbelief; my unbelief that staggers at the promise, and will not suffer me to think God can be glorified more in the exercise of sovereign grace in the Redeemer, than in the execution of deserved vengeance on me, a sinner. My pride, that fain would sacrifice to its own drag, by offering something of my own to plead for my acceptance. Lord, give me