XXX. 11

xxvili. 8.
77)ou haft turned my Heavinefs into Joy j thou baft put off my Sicknefsy and girded me with Gladnefs.
The Lord is my Strength and my Shield, my Heart hath trufted in him , and I am de- livered ^ therefore my Heart danceth for Joy, and in my Song -will I praife him.
O how plentiful is thy Goodnefs which thou xxvi. 21* ha [I laid up for them that love thee ^ and that thou haft prepared for them that put their truft in thee, even before the Sons of Men,
0 ye that love the Lord , fee that ye hate xcvli. i». the thing which is evil ; the Lord preferveth the Sculs of the Faithful, he delivereth them from the Hand of the Wicked One,
His Mercy and Truth jJjall follow me all xxiil. 6. the days of my Life j and I will dwell in the Houfe of the Lord for ever,
1 will keep the Ways of the Lord ; and will not forfake my God as the Wicked doth.
For I have an Eye unto all his Laws ^ and will not caft out his Commandments from me,
Vraifed be the Lord, who hath not caft out 'xvl. 18. iny Trayerj nor turned his Mercy from me.
Tea, bleffed be the LordGod, even the God Ixxu. 18. of Ifrael, which only doth wondrous things :
And bleJJ'ed be the Name of his Majefty 19.
for ever ; and let all the Earth be filled with bis Majefly, Amen, Amen.
Glory be to the Father^ and to the Son j
and to the Holy Gholt. As it was in the Beginning, is now, and
ever fhall be : World without end.
Amen,
Jftcr this Hymn, the Re.^der m^y enlarge his Mcditativns to the fame ^firpofey by re}fe.^ting thg xxx, Ixxi, xxvii, cxvi, cxviii Plalnis.
Bb : PRAYER.
xviii. ii-
22.
^tDitatim^ anoJ^^ateriS
Prayer.
OMoJl mighty God and merciful Fat her ^ tVonderful 'in thy Doings y a?jd gracious in all thy Diffenfations tO" ward the Children of Men ^ I thy unworthy Ser'vant profirate my felf before thee^ with all the feruent AffeBions of a grate* ful Breafiy acknowledging it thy Goodnefsy that I am , not longiago confumed. T1)0U^ Lord, haft chaftened and correded me, but thou haft not given me ov-er unto Death. Blefj'cd therefore he that Divine Wifdom, which Jaw this late Affli^ion {eafonahhy and would jtot fujferme tofe- rifi in my Folly y for want oj fuch necejjary War?ting. Blef* fed be that tender Comf^jfion^ which in the midfi of Wrath remcTT.hred Mercy ^ which made all my Bed in my Si'cknefsy which faffed by my Impatience ^ and ma7iy Infirmities ^ and inclined a willing Far to the wandring^ and difcomfofed Suf- flications of a foor feeble Wretch y when he cried unto theeiip his extreme Aicguifl} and Difirefs. Bleffed he the powerful Influences of that Grace ^ which difpofed my Heart toConfi': deration and Repentance, But, above ally bleffed for ever be that Power and Goodnefs^ which y by fparing mey when I had deferved to be utterly cut cffy hath given me opforiu?iity to make good thofe Holy RefolntionSy which thy Grace infpiredy when I was in trouble. Lordy let this Goodncfs of^ thine y and my own ferious Furpofes of , Amendment y nevor flip out of my Mind ; bnt preferve in me a confiant tender $enfe if the indifpenfable Obligations I lie under to better Obedience, Make me every day more and more z>eaIo(is in promoting thy Glory y and the Good of my Brethren: 'As a Perfonfaved from Dejlruclion, for this very Fnd, that the RemJitnder of my LifefloDuld be employed in the Service of my- gracious JDehvcrcr. In thisSenjCy O my Gody I humbly oferand prefent unto thee thhs-Soul and Bodyy xefcited from Hell and the Grave i Rcfceching thee to keep them thine, fot ever, O let net the Return of my Health produce a Relapfe , inta my former Sins • but become an Inf}r.ummt of thy greater Honour y of my own flri^cr and more ftedfafl Virtue here,
and
and my more excjuifite Happi?jefs hereafter. O .' that the Ta- lents of Time and Ability to do good, which ha've been here- tofore fo wretchedly negleBed^ may {now they are afre^i com- TJ^itted to my Triift) be for the time t o come fo faithfully im- proved^ that the jliining Graces of an exemplary Converjati-* on may hold fome proportion wljh the Blefings I have been fo particularly favoured withal. Let thefe excite y not me on- ly y but others alfoy by my Example, to love thee more fer- vently, to ferve thee more cheerfully, to truft in thee more af- furedly. In Thee, O Lord,who{h^WQii us thy Goodnefs fo plenteoufly, and daily poureft thy Benefits , \ _ upon us : In Thee, who never faileft or for- ^-^- ^^'^^^^- ^9- fakeft them that feek thee : In Thee, whofe ^^- ^°- Mercies are fweet^ whoje Loving-kindnefs IxvH. 4. is better than Life it felf, whofe Service is perfed Freedom, and in keeping whofe ^^'^- '^• Commandments there is exceeding great Reward,
To this End,fanBifieyI befeech thee, all theALthods of thy Trovidenceto the Salvation of my Immortal Soul -, And efpe- cially, let not thy abufed Mercies ever rife up in Judgment againfi me. O I may my pafi Sufferings worh in me great Hu- mility and godly Fear ; that from Them I m.ay co'nfrm my felf in Faith and Patience, and an entire Refignation to thy Will and wifer Choices for me. Bring backfrequently to my remembrance the Vromifes and Supplications poured out in the Bittermfs of my Soul, that thofe fuccefsful Addreffes to the Throne of Grace , may ftir me up effeBually to the paying what I then fo folemnly vowed. Open thou my Lips «/- • O Lord, that my Mouth may declare thy Mer- ^^^' "^ ^ ' cy and Truth as long as I live, and praife my God while I have any Being. And,forafmuch as this Recove- ry is only the lengthening out a little that Span of Life, which muft fjjortly have an End ; Suffer me not , I pray thee t forget, that 1 am a Stranger upon Earth • hut help me Co to difengage my Heart from thefe Things here below, which {my own late Experience hath taught jne) cannot profit in the Day of Wrath, that my Hopes and AffeHions may be
■^^4 unal-
38 a^ePttattong ann ip?aterj{
unalterably fixed upon thofe better and eternal Treafures, Ti^bich thou haft prepared for them that love thee. Let the Thofigbts and certain Expedatiort of Death and Judgment be JO confiantlj, fo f^07verfully prefent to my Souly that, in what Hour foever my Lord fliall come, I may be found read/ tomeethimy and to go in with him to the Marriage. Eyenfo, Blejjed [fefus^ Grant me in fuch manner to^ pals thro' things Temporal, that I finally lofe not the things Eternal,* but that 1 may ufe andimproye thy Grace here^ till Grace at lafi be fwallo'i^ed up in Glory ^ and I tranjlated to my Mafters Joy. AH which I beg for thy oTjL^n Merits fake, my only Mediator and Redeemer : To whorny with the Father and Holy Spirit, be afcribedy as is mofi due, from Me, and e'uery Creature , all Honour and Glory^ Dominion and Fower, ihankfgiving and Fraife, and hum^^ ble Adoration, henceforth and for evermore. Amen.
Of Death
^-ich ix 2- T T /x appointed for all Men once to Die, and X ^P^^ '^^''^ ^^^ Judgment, So fays the Spirit ti God himfelf 5 and what is thus appointed, none can reverfe, none can efcape. That then, which re- mains for Us, who lie under this Sentence, to do, is only to endeavour, that we may die as becomes Men i CoT.^, 10. ^"^ Chriftians -, that is^ as Perfons who exped to render an Account of the Things done in this Body, and to receive '3l Recompence ac- cordingly, "whether it be Good or Bad. But who may abide that Pay ? or who fhall ftand, when the Lor^ appeareth ? Who indeed -, when not only the Thing ir felf, but the very Appreheniions, and efpecially the Approaches^ of it are lb dreadful ? For what is more
ter-
fo? *>tcft l&erfonjs. 39
^errible to Mortal Man, than Dying ? and what more fo to finfi;! Man, than being Judged ? But yet, my Soul, fince thefe muft unavoidably come, let us fe-c what Courfe can be taken, to foften a little, and re- concile us to them : Nay, let us try, if it be not pof- fible, not only to bear them contentedly, but even to meet them gladly.