the world belong unto him; he shall give them everlasting rest from all their labours which here they have undergone; everlasting peace from all cares and conflicts with the world, the flesh, and the devil; freedom from all troubles, and deliverance from all persecutions. When many millions of souls shall throng about him, and appear in his sight, being such as have believed in him, and cleaved to him in sincerity; some of them having been sawn asunder, some burnt to ashes, some slain with the sword, some kept in bonds and irons, some mocked, some scourged, some driven out of house and home, and spoiled of their goods, tossed to and fro, persecuted from city to city, some destitute, afflicted, tormented, for his name's sake; then he shall sweetly ease and refresh them, as the day-spring, when they appear before him. And for those of his saints that have been burdened with much sickness, painful diseases, with poverty and outward wants, not having whereon to lay their heads, nor wherewith to fill their bellies; to them shall he give to drink of the full river of his pleasures; yea, he himself shall be their refreshment; and they shall so fully enjoy him, that they shall need nothing which may make them truly and perfectly happy.

5. Consider, that Christ, as the Day-spring, at his second coming, shall cure all the sicknesses both of the souls and bodies of his people. An universal corruption and, as it were, contagion hath overspread and seized upon the whole body of nature, and all the limbs, the whole world, and all its parts, by reason of the sin of man. Now, Christ's coming shall refine all the creation, and shall set up new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness," 2 Pet. iii. 13. The beasts, birds, fishes, the corn,

the fruit of the vine, &c., shall no longer be abused to gluttony, drunkenness, and epicurism, and to be as fuel to cherish the flame of unclean lusts. The wedge of gold, or bag of silver, shall no longer be defiled, so as to be made an idol to the dishonour of its Maker, to carry away the heart from him; other metals and minerals shall be no longer defiled so as to be turned into instruments of death and cruelty, and to be stained with innocent blood; other creatures shall not be abused so as to set forth the pride of vain men and women. Christ shall heal the sickness and corruptions of the world, and free it from the bondage of corruption; his coming shall heal the world, much more shall it heal all the infirmities of his members. At the last day, the Lord at his coming will heal the sick and diseased, give sight to the blind, strength to the lame and weak, hearing to the deaf, beauty to the deformed; yea, he shall cure them of death and mortality itself; death shall no more hang about them, nor have to do with them. Much more shall his second coming bring perfect and perpetual health to their souls; sin shall then be fully cured, and the soul shall be made altogether sound; no sin shall pain the soul with the remembrance of it, nor afflict it with fear of punishment; and sense of guilt shall be taken away, as if man had continued as holy as the angels, and had always kept his first estate.

6. Consider, that this Day-spring, at his second coming, shall awaken all that sleep in the graves, and in the sea, and in all places whatever; all the dead, from Adam to the last human being, all that lie sleeping in their graves from one end of the world to the other, shall be awakened. All kings and princes, and other great men, who shall be found sleeping in

their sumptuous tombs and monuments, and all that are buried any where: the trumpet shall sound, and the dead of all sorts, degrees, ages, nations, shall awake, live, arise, and come before the Son of God coming in his glory. Oh the wonderful change that shall be at that day-spring! when those eyes that have been shut up so many hundred years shall be opened; and those bodies that have been long buried in a silent grave, and covered with the darkness of death, shall be brought forth into the light of the great and glorious day. O my soul, awake thou beforehand, that then I may awake full of joy and comfort, and be satisfied with the image of my dearest Saviour, and lift up my head to behold my most glorious Redeemer, and the bright and blessed day of my full redemption. The archangel's trumpet shall then awaken the most secure conscience that ever composed itself to sleep in sin; yea, then all their sins will awake with their awakened conscience, and rage fiercely against their souls. Awake then, O sinner, to repentance; awake to holiness and righteousness, that thy conscience may be at peace with God, and thy sins may be absolved for ever, that Christ may not find thee sleeping at his coming.

7. As the sun at its rising causeth hurtful creatures to hide their heads, so this last coming of Christ is grievous to the wicked; it will make them call to the mountains to fall upon them, and upon the hills to cover them from the wrath of the Lamb, and from the presence of Him that sitteth upon the throne; then they would be glad to hide their heads in the centre of the earth, when the light of this Dayspring shall appear. O my soul, do thou now cast off the works of darkness, and then the light of that glorious day, which none of the children of darkness

can behold without confusion of face, shall not be grievous unto thee.

When

8. Consider how welcome the second coming of Christ will be to the godly. The faithful are described by this property, that they "love his appearing." It is said, that “ every one is a friend to him that giveth gifts." Oh! how welcome shall Christ be to all the faithful, when he comes with both his hands full of rich and precious gifts, such as surpass the thoughts and understanding of man! Christ comes to bestow a crown of immortal glory, an everlasting kingdom, oh, what heir of the kingdom would not with a glad heart bid him welcome! But chiefly Christ shall be welcome to them in respect of himself, for then they shall see him as he is. Consider, what a blessed sight will this be, O my soul, to see thy dearest Saviour, who died for thee, loved thee, and washed thee with his own blood; to see him now so glorious; to see him on the throne, who was nailed to the cross; to see him reigning and judging, who was judged and condemned; to see him most blessed, who was made a curse; to see his righteousness shine forth to all the world, who was numbered among transgressors; to see him in such excellent majesty and fulness of glory, this will be most welcome. Oh, how blessed is the condition of him, who, being fitted for Christ, hath a longing desire of his coming, and can from his heart say, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!"

9. As the day-spring shows man his work and his way, so the glorious coming of Christ shall show unto the world which way they have gone, and to what issue their way and works are come. Many now imagine that they go the way of salvation, and the way of life, and that they shall have peace, and

will not be convinced otherwise by the Scripture ; but this day shall declare it; it shall show, that many such have trodden the path of destruction, and have been going down to the chambers of death; yea, now the end and issue of all will appear to be death and condemnation. On this day, the Lord will show who is righteous, and who is wicked; he will show, by the light of that day, who are wheat, and who are tares; who are for the fire, and who are for the garner; who are for the right hand, and who for the left.

SECTION VII.

WHILST THOU ART YET LYING IN THY BED.

REMEMBER that Almighty God is about thy bed, and that he observes all the secret thoughts and workings of thy heart. Commune with thy heart upon thy bed, Psalm iv. 4. It is good to remember God upon your bed, as was David's practice: the law of God was his meditation by night, as well as by day. When he meditated on God in the night-watches, he was as one satisfied with marrow and fatness, Psa. lxiii. 5. Meditation and prayer may best be practised when we are freest from disturbance, in the night, or upon our beds after we awake: nobody then is troublesome to us; then we have a greater freedom and tranquillity of our thoughts, when we are not molested with business, when there is none that can hinder us from having access to God, when our mind, knitting itself together, is able diligently to make reference of all to the Physician of souls. At midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises