sake, as firm as Thy Word, on which my faith is grounded. And let me never presume upon Thy gracious promises, without sincerely endeavouring to perform the conditions on which they were made, and without being zealous of good works, for which we were redeemed. May the remembrance of my Saviour's love, and of Thy great mercy, be ever seasonably present with me, to keep me from despair! And may my faith in Thy promises support me in the hour of death! May my Redeemer be my refuge, His blood and merits plead for me, that I may have my lot and portion with those whom He hath purchased with His most precious blood. Amen.

SECTION VII.

Whether you have a THANKFUL REMEMBRANCE of CHRIST'S DEATH: this is the next thing you are to inquire into.

NOW

this will always bear some proportion

to the sense you have of the evil He has delivered you from, and the blessings He has by His death procured for you.

Consider therefore yourself as a poor, sinful, lost, undone creature, without a Redeemer. Consider what that Redeemer has done for you; what He did, and what He suffered, when He took upon Himself to answer for the sins of

men.

Consider that He was the Son of God; that He had done no wrong, neither was guile found in His mouth. Notwithstanding this, being to answer for sinners, He was treated and punished as a sinner deserves to be: He was despised! set at nought! persecuted and rejected by His own people, whom He came to redeem !

He was betrayed by His own disciple; falsely accused; unrighteously condemned; unmercifully scourged; had a murderer preferred before Him; was crucified as a malefactor; and, in the very midst of His torments, was most inhumanly reviled!

Consider the reason of all this. It was not only to satisfy the justice of God for the sins of men, and procure their pardon upon their repentance and future obedience: but also to show mankind, what treatment sin and sinners, who have rebelled against their Maker, do de

serve; and to teach us, when God orders or permits us sinners to undergo such indignities and afflictions in this our state of trial, that we ought to take our cross patiently, as our Redeemer did; and be content, and even pleased, to fulfil the will of God, in following His example in His sufferings in this life, that we may be partakers of His glory in the next.

In the next place, consider the blessings which Jesus Christ hath by His death obtained for us. He hath delivered us from the great power which the devil had over mankind, by procuring us grace to resist and overcome him. He hath prevailed with God, to overlook the untowardness of our nature; to pardon our greatest offences upon our true repentance. And, being by His death reconciled to God, we have, for His sake, free liberty to apply to Him, as children to a father, for what we stand in need of.

He has also obtained for us the assistance of an Almighty Spirit, to enable us to know and to do what is necessary to fit us for Heaven and happiness. And He has prevailed with God that these shall be our certain portion, if we are

not wanting to ourselves.-In one word, Jesus Christ has entirely freed us from all fears of what may come hereafter, if it is not purely our own fault.

The most unlearned Christian may know what is required of him.

The greatest sinner may depend upon pardon, on his repentance.

The weakest Christian may rely upon all necessary assistance. And the meanest Christian is sure not to be overlooked.

By all which you may perceive, what thanks you owe to God for your great and good Redeemer, and for what He has done and suffered for you: which you will do well to express in some such manner as this:

The Prayer.

GIVE me leave, O God, to mention before Thee the death of Thy Son, and the infinite blessings I have received thereby. Add this to all Thy favours, I beseech Thee, that I may never forget these mercies; never forget to be thankful for them but that I may preserve the remembrance

:

of them in the manner which He hath ordained. I thank Thee, O God, for that Word in which Thou hast caused these Thy mercies, and His example, to be recorded. Make me truly sensible of that love which brought Him down from Heaven; and how sad our condition was, which required such a sacrifice. May I learn by His patience, humility, self-denial, and resignation, what virtues are most acceptable to Thy Divine Majesty! And may I take Him for my Lord and Master, and Teacher and Example; and dedicate myself to Thee, and to Thy service, for His sake! Amen.

SECTION VIII.

The last inquiry you are to make is, whether you are IN CHARITY with ALL THE WORLD.

CONCERN

YONCERNING which, take especial notice, that the two great ends of this ordinance, mentioned in Scripture, are:

The first, to keep up the remembrance of Christ's death till His coming again.