May the dread of thy now threatened judgments deter us from evil; may thy goodness and patience lead us to repentance; weaken the power of Satan; take from among us the spirit of slumber, of ignorance, and inconsideration.

Let every one of us see and feel the plague of his own heart, and sav, what have I done to bring these evils upon us? So that, bringing forth fruits answerable to amendment of life, we may escape thy judgment, now hanging over us; and above all thy judgment against sinners in the world to come. This I beg for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

Judgment Day.

Grant, O Lord, that I may be of the number of those, that shall find mercy at that day. Zaccheus.

The good Lord grant that I may give proof of the sincerity of my conversion by a change of life.

WEDNESDAY MEDITATIONS.

Covetousness. Fasting.

Difficulties.

Self. Denial.

Matth. iv.

9. 10.

All these things will I give.

Get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

GREAT and service, cure ant

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REAT and glorious God, who alone art worthy of our love and service, cure me of, and preserve me from the sin and vanity of admring this world.

Give me grace to renounce all covetous desires, all love of riches and pleasures; to desire only what is necessary, and to be content with what Thou, O Lord, thinkest so; not to be troubled at the loss or want of any thing beside thy favor; that no business, no pleasures, may divert me from thoughts of the world to come; that I may cheerfully part with all these things, when thou requirest it of me; and, that I may ever be prepared to do so, dispose me to temperance in all things, and to lay up my treasure in Heaven, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

Luke, vi. 24. Wo unto you, that are rich, for ye have received your consolation.

A man must have but little faith, who can read these words, and yet love riches, and the pleasures, they afford. Lord, grant that I may resist every temptation to the love of creatures; lest they steal my heart from Thee, my God, whom I desire to love with all my soul.

I know that I must in a great measure renounce all other objects of my affection, in order to love Thee with all my heart. Lord, give me grace and strength to put this in prac

tice.

1 John ii. 15. Love not the world, nor the things, that are in the world; if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Grant, O God, that I may never hope to reconcile two things so inconsistent, as love of Thee and the world.

Matth. v. 3.

Blessed are the poor in spirit;

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

To be poor in spirit is to be disengaged from wealth; to look upon it, as a burthen, or as a

trust.

1 Tim. vi. 8. Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.

Yet even the Christian world is not content without superfluities and excess. These disor ders are not less criminal, because so common. Give me, O God, the eye of faith, that I may see the world, as it is; the vanity of its promises, the folly of its pleasures, the unprofitableness of its rewards, the multitude of its snares, and the dangers of its temptations.

Fasting.

Jesus Christ spared not his innocent flesh, but fasted; the sinner cherisheth his continually, refusing it nothing. Fasting is in some sense a punishment for past sins, a remedy for present temptations, and a preservative against fu

ture.

Psa. cii. 4. My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread. The humble and afflicted soul is not much concerned to please appetite.

Luke. vi. 25. Wo unto you, that are full, for ye shall hunger; that is, ye, whose daily meals are feasts, who make profession of a life of sensuality, who know not what it is to fast wo to such Christians!

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If we judge ourselves with severity, we shall be judged with mercy.

In time of Trouble.

Psa. xxxix. II. When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away, like a moth.

O merciful God, who in thy wise providence dost so order even natural events, that they serve both for the good of the universe and for the conviction of particular sinners, so that men have reason to acknowledge thy glorious attributes; I do with great sorrow of heart, but with all submission to thy good pleasure, confess thy mercy as well as justice to me in the judgments, afflictions, and sorrows of this day.

I acknowledge thy voice, O merciful God; I acknowledge my own transgressions, which have provoked Thee to speak to me after this manner, and at this very time.

O Lord, give me true repentance for all the errors of my life, and particularly for that, which was in all probability the occasion of this afflic

tion.

Blessed be God, that my punishment is not as great, as my crime. Blessed be God, that he has given me time to repent of the sin, that provoked him to deal with me after this manner. Blessed be God, that, when he spake to me once, yea twice, I regarded it at last.

Good God of mercy, give me grace, that I may not provoke Thee any more to repeat this word to me, but that I may faithfully perform

those vows, which are upon me.

This I can

not do without thy gracious assistance, which I most humbly beseech Thee to vouchsafe me for Jesus Christ's sake, who by his merits has purchased this grace for all, that faithfully ask it of Thee. For his sake, O merciful God, grant me this grace. Amen.

I do with all humility accept the punishment of my iniquities. I will hold my peace, and not open my mouth; because it is thy doing and my deserving. I know, O Lord, that it is good for me to be in trouble, or Thou wouldest not suffer it so to be.

Let thy merciful kindness be my comfort, according to thy promise to all, that love and serve Thee.

Difficulties.

;

We are to pray for the particular direction of God's Holy Spirit upon all great occasions we are humbly to depend upon, and cheerfully to expect it.

In a Lawsuit.

Convince me, O God, if I be under any mistake in this affair. Direct, assist, and support me under all the difficulties, I shall meet. Put a happy end, in thy good time, to this troublesome controversy. Dispose the hearts of those, with whom we have to do, to peace and justice.

Give me grace to rest satisfied with whatev er shall be the issue, believing assuredly that God can make good any loss, I may sustain, or sanctify it to my eternal welfare.