"then I shall live. "him; if ever help

However, live or die, I'll betake myself to comes, I know it must come this way. "And as I am resolved to pray, so I will wait the issue of my 66 my prayers; and see how it may please the most compassion"ate lover of souls to deal with mine."

VI. You may now venture to make a solemn dedication of yourselves to God, through Christ Jesus, as those that are desirous to be his in an everlasting covenant.

When you have been entreating the fa

Matth iii. 17.

vour of God, with your whole hearts; and Psalm exix. 58. pleading the merits and mediation of his Son, in whom he has declared himself to be ever well pleased; you may then proceed to a surrender of your souls into his hands; and may engage yourselves by particular vows and promises, to be the Lord's.

and xvii. 5.

This you must take care to do, with the greatest seriousness and solemnity. Let it be done in a way that may most thoroughly impress and engage your own hearts; and you may depend upon it, that such as are thus brought to give up themselves to God, he will in no wise cast off.* And 'tis certainly fit you should act in this case, as men are used to do in other affairs of importance; that is, not only in word, but in writing, this covenant dedication of yourselves should be made. You should draw up a summary of what you engage both to be, and to do, and then sign it with your own hand, as a testimony of your acting with the utmost consideration, heartiness, and resolution, in this matter.

* We should labour to get our hearts impressed, and should carefully guard against a slight and formal performance of any duty, and especially one so solemn. In endeavouring to come to God, and surrender ourselves to him, there is the greatest reason to depend that he will in no wise cast out; but our dependance must not in the smallest degree rest either on our self-dedication or the manner of it, but simply and solely on the divine kindness and faithfulness pledged for our encouragement in the promise and invitation. EDITOR.

I am far from being singular, in giving such advice as this: And I am not the only person that has reason to be thankful to God for an early complying with it. Mr. Gouge, Mr. Allen, and others of our most serious writers on the subjects of conversion and regeneration, have insisted on such a method, as the most proper way of entering upon a religious life. And when men are once brought to apply their thoughts to the things of God, and the concerns of their souls, as they ought to do, they will not call it a task, or account it an unnecessary burden to be obliged to this. When Isaiah is foretelling the conversion of those that should live in after-times, and of those that were aliens to the covenant of promise made with Israel, he represents it thus; that one shall say I am the Lord's: and anIsa. xliv. 5. other shall call himself by the name of Jacob: and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord.

When, therefore, you have considered well the term, upon which you are to give up yourselves to God; if you find a willingness and desire to comply with them, write them out; and then venture, by subscribing your hand to them, to declare your acceptance of them, and your hearty resolution to observe them.

In this first solemn dedication of yourselves to God in Christ, I would advise you to make use of the following words, or something of the same import.

'O LORD GOD, the Maker of heaven and earth! by 6 whose word, and for whose glory, I and all creatures were 'made: I now come to acknowledge thee as the Author of my 'being, and the preserver of my life, and the giver of every 6 thing I enjoy. And therefore do now submit myself to thee, as my rightful owner and sovereign Lord. Father, I have ♦ sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am not worthy to be called thy child: I shall think myself highly honoured, ' and very happy, if thou wilt but receive me as one of thy 'meanest servants. I here bring thee a creature of thine own, that has been straying from thee. This soul and body now. 'prostrate at thy footstool, I humbly offer unto thee; that thou

'mayest go over thy work again, and create me anew after • thine own image; and so will I be thy faithful servant as long 'as I live.

'O blessed Jesus! if thou wilt now take my part, and plead 6 my cause with the Father, I am ready to profess myself thy dis'ciple, upon thine own terms; and to follow thee (if my heart ❝ deceive me not) whithersoever thou goest. I do sincerely give ' up myself to thy teaching and instruction: O give me understanding! that I may know the truth as it is in thee. I do un'feignedly consent to thy government; and with a mind willing 'to obey thee, I can now say, Lord, what wilt thou have me to 'do? I will ascribe all the honour of my salvation to thy meri'torious death, and powerful intercession: and in these alone ' will I repose my trust.

And now, if my Lord will undertake that his grace shall 'be sufficient for me, there is nothing that I shall think too "difficult to attempt, or too much to suffer for thee. I do list 'myself this day under thy banner, as the great captain of my 'salvation; affrighted at myself, to think that I have so long 'been under the power and tyranny of the devil, whom I shall 'from this moment resist to the uttermost. I am persuaded this 'world is nothing but vanity, and vexation of spirit; and there'fore shall set myself to be thy help, and according to thy example to conquer it, and bring it into subjection. I found my own heart corrupt, wicked and deceitful, and therefore I will no longer pretend to manage for myself, but shall rejoice to · give up every thought, and will, and affection intirely to thee 'I am now desirous to be thine, so as not to be anothers: thine, ' and not the devils; thine, and not the world's; thine, and not 'my own.

To thee, O holy Spirit! I acknowledge myself indebted 'for these and all other good inclinations: And, that I may be ' enabled to hold to my present purposes, and to improve in a holy heavenly disposition of mind, I now cast myself upon. thee, for all direction and assistance, which my circumstances

'from time to time may require. Henceforward, I shall yiela 'myself to thy conduct, and influence; and shall make it my care to attend to all thy motions and convictions; both in 6 performing my duty, and abstaining from sin; and so to do those things that may be most pleasing to thee.

'Thus, O Father, Son, and Spirit! with my whole heart 'I desire freely and fully to devote myself to thee; chusing thee 'for my everlasting portion, and promising to serve thee as my supreme Master and Lord, whilst I have a being.

"And as a proof of my sincerity, and of my ardent desire to make good such a profession, I am willing to bind myself, 'by setting my hand to all this; that it may be a witness for, or against me, as I behave myself agreeably, or disagreeably, 'to what I now do.'

This I would advise you to read over and over, before you subscribe it. And if there be any particular expressions, that you cannot so fully make your own, as may be necessary to the affixing your name, you will do well to make such alterations, as you think may render it more suitable to your own case. But whenever you sign this, or any other instrument of the like na ture, let your minds be as free as possible from all other affairs; that you may be the more perfectly engaged in such a transaction, and the more deeply impressed by it.

LASTLY, What farther remains, is only to abide by what you have done, and to try how far you can go, in amending your lives and actions.

'Tis possible, that after the most solemn surrender of yourselves to God, you may yet for a while think you are neglected by him. Yea, your temptations may be so much the stronger, and your conflicts the greater, for a time, that you may think you are in a worse condition than before you laid yourselves under such engagements. We are not ignorant of the devices of the

devil; who, when he finds you are like to be rescued from his dominion, will give you all the disturbance and trouble that is in his power. But this, however, should not occasion any dislike of what you have done, or any distrust of the mercy of God, to whom you have committed your souls.

If you think your prayers, and your offerings, have not yet gone up with acceptance before your Lord, you must repeat them, and cry the louder ; as the two blind men did, when Christ had passed by them; JESUS! thou Son of David, have mercy on us. Yea, if you should interpret his language towards you, to be the same with that, to the woman of Canaan ;

it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to Mat. xv. 26. cast it to dogs; yet still true humility will enable

you to form a plea from thence; not to fix a discouragement in yourselves upon it. Lord, I acknowledge myself a vile, unworthy creature; if I am set amongst the dogs, it is but where I deserve to be: but let me not meet with worse treatment than they do, which are allowed to eat of the crumbs that fall from their master's table. O let down something from thyself, that may be a token of thy owning and accepting me; though it should be never so small a favour, it shall be to me a valued

one. But let not my Lord be angry, if I go on to say; That though I am not worthy, with dogs to gather the crumbs that fall from thy table, yet I will not let thee go, until thou bless me with children's blessings.

Thus if we not only ask, and seek, but continue to knock; and, with an unwearied importunity, solicit for grace and mercy; we shall not be finally disappointed. We are most sure we have to do with one, that is able to save to the uttermost: And it would not be so hard, to be assured of his willingness to help and save us, if it was not one part of our sin and misery, in a natural state, to be distrustful and afraid of the great God. These fears and suspicions (among other disorders) we are seeking to be delivered from, in our regeneration; and therefore must not give way to them, however we may find reason to complain of them.