"shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet." Especially, think how sweet and easy your reflections upon well-spent Sabbaths will be when you come to die, and with what pleasure you will then look forward upon the everlasting Sabbath you hope to keep within the veil. matter; Wonder not that I am thus earnest with you in this I see how much depends upon it, and I persuade as one who desires and hopes to prevail with you; let me not be disappointed, as you value the glory of your Creator, the honour of your Redeemer, and your own comfort and happiness in both worlds. I beseech you, “Remember the Sabbath day," the Christian Sabbath, "to keep it holy." Most cetainly true that saying is which I have somewhere met with; "That the stream of all religion runs either deep or shallow according as the banks of the Sabbath are kept up or neglected." THE PROMISES OF GOD. "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."-2 Cor. vii. 1. Ir is the unspeakable privilege of all believers to have, as a certain possession, the precious promises of God. But under what notion have we the promises of God? 1. We have them as manifest tokens of God's favour towards us; and every one of them are yea, amen, in Christ Jesus our Lord. 2. We have them as fruits of Christ's purchase. The Lord having purchased us with his own blood we have these promises produced by that inestimable grace. 3. They are plain and ample declarations of the good-will of God towards men, and therefore as God's part of the covenant of grace. 4. They are a foundation of our faith, and we have them as such; and also of our hope, on these we are to build all our expectations from God; and in all temptations and trials we have them to rest our souls upon. 5. We have them as the directions and encouragements of our desires in prayer. Seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. Wherefore they are the guide of our desires, and the ground of our hope in prayer. 6. We have them as the means by which the grace of God works for our holiness and comfort, for by these we are made partakers of a divine nature, and faith, applying these promises, is said to work by love. 7. We have the promises as the earnest and assurance of future blessedness. By these eternal life and glory is secured to all true believers. And now, having observed these things, let us review the blessed promises of God; and The first is,-He hath promised that we shall be his people. The Scripture,-"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is mine," Exod. xix. 5. The second promise,―That all our sins shall be pardoned. "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins,” Isa. xliii. 25. The third, That our corruptions shall be subdued. "For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law, but under grace," Rom. vi. 14. The fourth, That the Spirit of grace shall be given us, to enable us for our duty in every thing. "I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them," Ezek. xxxvi. 27. The fifth,-That God will put it particularly into our hearts, or circumcise our hearts to love him. "The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live," Deut. xxx. 6. The sixth,-That he will give us the knowledge of his truth, and the comfort and benefit of it. "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free," John viii. 32. |