I acknowledge thee in all my ways; do thou direct my paths, and teach me to manage all my affairs with prudence and diferetion; for thou art my hope and confidence, my fatisfaction and my peace, my glory and my joy. O be thon pleafed to conduct me by thy good spirit, through all the bufinefs and employments, through all the temptations and troubles of this mortal life, to that bleffed place where our Lord Jefus Chrift is gone before, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the fame fpirit, one God, world without end. Amen. The Meditation for Thursday Evening. Upon a lively faith in God's mercy through Christ, and aquiet confcience. Examine yourfelves whether ye be in the faithFor the fruit of the fpirit is love, joy, peace, faith, without which it is impoffible to please God. 2 Cor. xiii. 5. Gal. v. 22. Heb. xi. 6. I. R Emember, O my foul! that the church exhorts us, and tells us in exprefs words, that it is requifite that no man fball come to the holy communion, but with a full trust in God's mercy, and with a quiet confcience; whence we learn, that the benefits of our Saviour's death, and paffion in this facrament, are indeed freel offer I 3 offered unto ALL, but only effectually to BELIEVERS, as we read in St. John, as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God, even to them that believe in his name. 2. All that Chrift hath done and fuffered for us men and our falvation can never profit us, unlefs we have faith to believe it that which muft render the benefits and bleffings of the gospel effec tual to our falvation, is our faith in Christ, who himself declares, that whoever heareth his words, and believeth on him that sent him, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is paffed from death unto life. And the ancient churches accounted thofe only faithful that had received the Lord's fup per. And our church ftill continues that primitive imitation. Draw near with faith, and take this holy facrament to your comfort. But if thou, O my foul! afkest what that faith is; remember it is that faith which for its object hath God's mercy, through Chrift, as the fountain and foundation of all, thofe infinite bleffings and comforts which we gain by his manifeftation in the flefh. 3. Now, my foul, I pray thy advice; tell me what is here intended by a quiet confcience? for I can never apply God's mercy mercy to myfelf by faith, whilft I diftruft the truth and fincerity of my own repentance? I understand it myself that a quiet confcience entirely depends upon the opinion a man has of his repentance, as being fincere and accepted of God; but I am as well afcertained, that a man may miftake his cafe, and therefore a quiet confcience is not always a fecure ftate with refpect to God; for, if a man believe he has repented truly, and yet has not, he is never the nearer pardon for thinking himfelf pardoned. So that, 4. It is plain a man may have a quiet confcience, when he is really in great danger; and again, he may have a troubled confcience, when he is indeed forgiven, and entitled to God's favour; yet though I am fearful of not having repented as I ought to do, I can never believe that God will judge men finally, by their prefent affurance or defpondency, but by the truth and fincerity of their repentance. 5. Here, methinks, O my foul, thou fendeft me for advice to the church, who underftands, by a quiet confcience, fuch a truft in God's mercy, as that, if a man be duly qualified, he fhall be certainly accepted of him, and be forgiven: and directs fuch men, whofe fins may be of fuch a nature, as that they fhall be forely per perplexed to understand what fort of repentance is neceffary to the obtaining forgiveness, to advise with their spiritual guides, to be inftructed and fet aright. For, 6. They will teach them the true extent of God's mercies in Jefus Chrift, and. what it is will qualify them for the for giveness of their fins. This is the quiet confcience that the church requires of a communicant, a confcience well informed of the nature of God's promises and threats, of the nature of repentance, and of its own State and condition. Thus, if I understand you right, you fay, that the quiet of à man's confcience depends upon his-firm opinion and perfuafion. 7. For, O my foul, I have found that our fafety and fecurity depends upon our practice; for God accepts us not barely according to what we believe of himself, But according to what we do and truly are. If, therefore, upon a ferious examination of my life paft, I find I am in earneft, very much concerned for having offended God, and steadfastly purpose to do fo no more; and that by the affiftance of his grace, I am refolved to lead a new and better life for the time to come, and that I do firmly believe, that if I do fo, God will, for Chrift's fake, accept of my repentance, and en able able me more and more to walk carefully before him;-I may come to the facrament, although I, having often broken my good refolutions before, may be still afraid of the truth and fincerity of my repentance. The Hymn on Thursday Evening, Lord! fecure and bleft are they While |