fearless finners, fhall one day be consumed with ter rors. All their fool-hardinefs and defperate courage will then miferably fail them, when the God whom they dare, fhall come as a lion upon them, to pull them out of every fortrefs where now they fhelter; and to rent the caul of their hearts, and tear them in pieces when there fhall be none to deliver.

O! my foul, I will not be afhamed to own my fear of what they deride, and yet hope to be happier in fearing always, than they that have no fear of God before their eyes, and not fear to lack any thing good for me, when I am in continual care to do as he would have ine. I will fear his name, and tremble at his Word, and carry ftill as in his fight, and have an awful regard of him, even when I lie never fo fecret, and always endeavour to approve to him my very heart. His fear fhall be the curb to hold me in from fin, and the fpur to put me on for duty; and then do I fear him indeed, when I fet him before me as my Overfeer, and go full of concern to please him, and fet his Word before me as my rule, and by it guide and govern my heart and life; and fo fearing to offend against him, I need not fear to be condemned by him. When my heart is tender towards him, he will have a tender regard to me. And though I fail in many particulars, as a weak child, he will look upon my careful heart, and my holy furety and spare me, and accept me, as a gracious God, and moft merciful Father in the Son of his love.

BL

THE PRAYER.

Leffed is the man that fears thee, O Lord, and ftands in awe of thy Word, and dares "not adventure upon any thing, that he knows to "be provoking in thy fight. Such holy fear will

"be

"be no bar to my happy state; but it is the sweet "fruit of thy dear love, and the fure fore-runner "of thy heavenly joy. O let me fhew my love to "thee, and my hope to enjoy thee, by fuch fearing "to offend thee. My God! make me thus timo"rous all the days of my life; that I may have "boldnefs at laft in the day of judgment. Though "I do not fear that thou wilt be fevere against me, yet let me fear to fin against thee; and fo let me "obferve thee, and fear before thee. That yet I may love thee, and trust, and delight, and joy in "thee, through my Lord Jefus Chrift.

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Amen."

MEDITATION XXVI.

Of trusting in the Lord.

My foul, as I am a creature, my being is dependent, and I can no more subsist of myself, than I could make myfelf; but I have need of a refort to fly to, and of a fupport to lean upon. And, where can I find a fufficient fecurity, and rock ftrong enough to build upon; but in the LORD ALMIGHTY, the God of my falvation? For, O how many cafes, wherein vain is all the help of man, and none of the creatures can give relief? in forrowful ftraits, I may but augment my forrow, to expect that from them, which they have not for me. "But in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting ftrength," Ifa. xxvi. 4. And because of his strength "I may truft in him, and wait upon him," Pfal. lix. 9. For where can OMNIPOTENCE be at a ftand? and what can be too hard for him, who reared the world with a word; and ftill does whatever he VOL. I.

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pleases

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pleases in heaven and in earth? when he will work, who fhall let it? the hardeft things upon his revealing of his arm, have nothing hard in them. But let the cafe be never fo knotty and fnarled, how foon does the only wife God know how to unravel it, and deliver us? a word of his will do the work. How eafy can he give all that I need? and how quickly can he do all that I wish? now if I would truft an able and kind friend; O! where fhall I ever find one fo able, as the Lord of all power? where one fo kind as the Father of mercies, and the God that is love? when I fear the Lord then ; I will not only truft in him, "becaufe he is my help and my fhield," Pfal. cxv. 11. But, becaufe as a father pities his children, fo the Lord pities "them that fear him," Pfal. ciii. 13. Nay, "though "he flay me, yet will I put my truft in him," Job xiii. 15. Becaufe I know he has defigns of fweet mercy, even in all the feeming feverity. I have tafted that he is gracious, and all the experience of my life can tell his goodness and mercy. I know it, I have felt it; and upon him that has done fuch great things already, I will hope to do all the reft He is the faithful God, that never breaks his word. Where he has but fpoken, then I will rejoice in it as a done thing, and only wait the time. They are strangers to him that dare not fo depend upon him. For," they that know thy name, O "Lord, will put their trust in thee," Pfal. ix. 10. O what would we not commit into the hands of our approved trufty friend? why then, my foul, fhall I mifdoubt him, that is immutable and never-failing? who will hold out ftill the fame, when all other fupports fly from under me, and there is an end of all that they can do for me: when my "father and "mother forfake me, then the Lord will take me "up," Pfal. xxvii. 10. He changes not, and his love is alfo like himself, an everlasting love. Here

for me.

then

then is the fafe hand indeed, to truft my all into; and here I leave thee, my foul, and O may this be thy reft for ever!

And when my fins fhake my faith, and make me afraid, then will I look unto Jefus, who is the propitiation for thofe fins, and in whom God is not only merciful, but faithful to forgive every penitent believing finner; though there is matter of indictment abundance against me; yet so does the blessed Saviour take it off, that it fhall not be imputed to me, now it is only a reconciled God, that I can fecurely truft in; a God at peace with me in the Beloved, and in the Lord Jefus alone it is, that I have boldness," and accefs with confidence, through the "faith of him," Eph. iii. 12. What I cannot deal

with them, nor ftand under, I will put it off to him, and caft my burden upon the Lord. All my expectation fhall be from the great Author and Finisher

of

my faith: I will stay my mind upon him; I will repofe my trust in him: here I fhall eafe my heavy heart, and find peace and reft, fafety and boldness, comfort and rejoicing, yea, leaning on my Beloved, and hoping in him; I fhall praife him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

I

I will not truft in the health of my body, or the endowments of my mind, or in any enjoyments or allies that I have in the world, but will take the Lord alone for my truft, and all my hope, and the ftrength of my heart, and my portion for ever; will truft in him, and call upon him, and follow after him. My believing fhall be fo far from hindering my praying, that the faith fhall give the prayer life, and make me the more earneft to cry mightily to God, when I am perfuaded, that it shall be to good purpose, and turn to a happy account. I will not tempt the Lord my God to look for his help out of his way, though my truft fhall rid me

of

of anxious fears and defperate doubts; yet shall it not evacuate my due care, and beft endeavours, that fo I may approve it a genuine trusting in the Lord, by going the way of his Word, and may never be afhamed of my hope, but helped and delivered by the Lord, and faved, because I put my trust in him

..

..

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.

. ORD, what wait I for? thou knoweft my hope is in thee. O whither elfe can I betake myself for fuccour and relief; but I fhall be "deceived and difappointed of my expectation? nothing in this world to be depended upon, that can bear the ftrefs, or answer the cravings of my "heavenly immortal foul. Nothing that can stay "by me, and be a complete and everlasting fatisfac"tion to me. O! take me off all other confidences "in any thing to be trufted to in myself, or in the "world. And never let me think of reft any where "to be found for my foul, but in the Lord, my "Righteoufnefs and my Redeemer; to whom let "me look for eafe, what time I am made afraid by

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my fins and in every state, let me lean on my Be"loved with the whole of my dependence; expecting from thee, O God, my Saviour, all that ever "I would have to do me good, both here and for 66 ever. Amen."

M E.