A fhort PRAYER and MEDITATION for a Christian, who prepares himself for Death, by relying on the Mercy of God the Father.

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Mr God and Creator, I perceive by the Symptoms of Death, that my Departure is at hand, and I am Summoned to appear before thy dreadful Tribunal. Remembrance of my former heinous Sins, cannot but terrify me, when I view myself, Duft and Afbes, and thine infinite Being and divine Perfections: When I compare my Weakness and Guilt with thy fuperlative Excellency and Holiness; how can I, who am but as Straw and Stubble, ftand before a confuming Fire. If I should fee thee, O

my God! upon thy glorious Throne furrounded with Millions of immortal Spirits, armed with Thunderbolts, and encompaffed with Flames of Fire, like to thofe of Mount Sinai, I fhould not only tremble for Fear, but fall into Despair, and fly from thee, as my first Parent, or as Mofes and Ifaiah, be dismayed and deplore my unclean Nature, not fit to draw near fo holy a God. But Omerciful Father! thy glorious Prefence is not without fome Tokens of Mercy. I see a Rainbow round about thy Throne, an Affurance of my Peace and Reconciliation. I dare therefore draw near the Throne of thy Grace, from whence thou reacheft to me the Sceptre of thine infinite Goodness, and speakest to me in a Language full of Love and Compaffion to comfort me, to revive my drooping Spirits, and fill me full of Hope, and Confidence of my future Happiness and Salvation. Since therefore I fee about thee, O my God! no fuch terrible Mark of thy Wrath, I will no longer yield to the Spirit of Bondage, that inelines to Fear; but will be perfuaded by the Spirit of Adoption, to cry unto thee, Abba, Father. For I am thy Child and Co-heir with thy bleffed Son, who hath reconciled me to thee by the Blood of his Cross, when I Stood

Stood as an Enemy at a Distance. But now that I am. fo nearly related to thee, wilt thou refufe me mine Inheritance, purchased for me by my Chrift? O heavenly Father! I know my Offences are heinous; and if thou didst treat me with Severity and Justice, I should expect nothing but the eternal Flames. But I am affured thou doft not delight in the Death of Sinners, and haft promised to accept of my penitent Tears and Amendment. And the my Sins be many and grievous; O let thy Grace and Mercy be magnified in the Pardon of them. I am perfuaded, that thy Compaffion will receive and embrace me, as a Father his afflicted Child, and put far from thee mine Offences. Return then unto thy Reft, 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 finned 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 Bleffings to me, but I have not employed them as I ought to thy Honour and Glory. The Temptations of the World have too much prevailed upon my wicked Inclinations have drawn me away from thy Service, to gratify the Corruption of my Nature. In this finful State that I am in, I fly to thee for Mercy and Pardon. Have Compaffion on me, my heavenly Fa ther, whofe Tenderness for me, far exceeds that of the moft tender-hearted Parents. I am fully perfuaded, 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 unparallell'd Love! O infinite Goodness and Condefcenfion! I am confident to find in thee, my God, and to be a Partaker of it! I doubt not but that thou wilt quiet my troubled Spirit with a gracious Reception, cloathe me with the Robe of thy Righteousness, and entertain me in thy glorious Palace, where I shall be admitted to folemnize the Marriage of the Lamb, defigned as an Offering from

me, and

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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 difpofing of thine Elect! We were Loft Creatures, but we shall be all 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 caft into the most miferable State, but thereby we shall attain and be advanced to the highest Felicity. O my God! I recom mend unto thee my Soul as to a faithful Creator. Heavenly Father, unto thy Hands I remit my Spirit. Amen.

CONDI

CHA P. XV.

The Third Confolation against the Fears of Death, is to meditate continually on the Death and Sufferings of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and to trust upon the Merits of his Cross.

F we defire to die with a peaceable and quiet Mind, we must always meditate on the Death and Sufferings of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and reft upon the Merits of his Crofs. 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 loooking upon this perfect Example, the Wonder of Men and Angels, we learn to endure, with an holy Refolution and Patience, all the Evils and Pains that attend upon Death, Luke 22. For tho' our Saviour's Torments were exceffive, fo that his Soul was forrowful unto Death, tho' there iffued out of his innocent Body a bloody Sweat, from the Violence of his Grief; yet out of his Mouth came not forth the least Sign of Repining or Impatience, Ifa. 53. He was led to the Slaughter as a Lamb, and as a Sheep before the Shearers is dumb.

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2. From hence we learn, that the laft Hours of our Life, must be employed in fervent and continual Prayers to God, fince this beloved of the Father offers to him at fuch a Time his Prayers and Supplications, with ftrong Crying, and a Flood of Tears, as to him who was able to deliver him from Death, Heb. 5. In the Bofom of this heavenly Father he poureth out all his Grief, and three Times he prefents this Requeft, Father, if this Cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, &c.

3. We learn alfo to prefent ourselves before God's Divine Majefty with Humility, and to refign ourfelves 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, judg'd it no Difgrace to himself to fall upon his Knees three Times to the Ground, and fubmit his Will to that of his heavenly Father. For after that he had faid, Father, if it be poffible, let this Cup pass away from me, he adds thefe Words, Nevertheless, O Father, not as I will, but as thou wilt, Matth. 26.

4. If at the Time of our Death, an exceffive Sorrow, or a malignant Humour feize upon our Minds, and hinder us from feeing the Heavens open, or God who stretcheth out his Arms to receive us into his Reft; let us remember, that this merciful Lord fpeaks to us, as he did to his three Apoftles, who flept when he was in his Agony, Cannot you watch one Hour with me? Matth. 26. My dear Children, 'tis no Time to fall asleep with the foolish Virgins, trim your Lamps, put on the Garments of Light, to meet your Celeftial Bridegroom, and to enter with him into the Marriage-Chamber, Matth. 25.

5. God requires that we should do as much Good at all Times to our Friends as we are able, and to exprefs the Sincerity of our Affections to those to whom Nature and Religion have caufed us to be related. But chiefly at the Hour of Death we are more bound to this Religious Duty. Therefore Jefus Chrift hath Chrift_hath

fhewn

fhewn us an Excellent Example; for when he was nailed to the Crofs, and ready to breathe forth his Soul into the Hands of his Heavenly Father, he took Care of his Holy and Bleffed Mother, faying to his beloved Difciple, My Son, behold thy Mother, and to her, Woman, behold thy Son.

6. We ought to do Good, and fhew Kindness not only to our Friends, but also forgive our greatest Enemies, fuch as are the moft enraged against us. For by this means we fhall follow the bleffed Footsteps of our gracious Saviour; for he had Compaffion upon them that crucified him and mocked him. Father, faid he, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

7. By the Crofs of Jefus Chrift, we learn to put our Truft in the Goodnefs of God in our fharpeft Pains, and to embrace him as our most loving Father and Redeemer, at that Instant when he feems to difcover to us a fevere Countenance, full of Wrath. For this eternal Son of God, in his moft violent Tortures, when his Heavenly Father withdrew from him his Aid and Affiftance, and with-held the Effects of his Grace, the Expreffions 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 Affurance, repeating these Words, My God! My God!

8. 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 Refolution our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift prepar'd himfelf for Death, and how willingly he commended his innocent Soul into the Hands of God his Father, when he required it. No Man taketh my Life away from me, but I lay it down of my felf; I have Power to lay it down, and I have Power to take it again; this Commandment have I received of my Father, John 10. Heb. 10. This caufed him to fpeak in this manner, Here I am, O God, to do thy Will, Luk.23.Therefore, when he gave up the Ghoft, he cried with a loud Voice, to fhew that his precious Soul was not taken

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