To Him gave all the prophets witness, that through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. Acts x. 43; and iv. 12.This name is as ointment poured forth, the fulness of his grace. Song of Sol. i. 3. It is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. Prov. xviii. 10.

In this name we should draw nigh to the Father in prayer, and not approach him with a strange fire of our own, kindled from the fancied merit of devotion; and he will draw nigh to us again. "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." James iv. 8. He will certainly grant our petitions, " and we shall receive, that our joy may be full." John xvi. 24. "For the Lord

is good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon him" (Ps. lxxxvi. 5); and all these promises are Yea and Amen in CHRIST; so that every believer may say, "The Lord will receive my prayer." Ps. vi. 9. "Blessed be God, who hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me;" for "he hath dealt bountifully with me." Ps. lxvi. 20; and xiii. 6. Lord, may this be the language and the exercise of my heart, and do thou grant me to believe more firmly in thy name.

Lift up your eyes to th' heavenly seat
Where your Redeemer stays;

Kind Intercessor! there he sits,

And loves, and pleads, and prays.
Petitions now, and praise may rise,
And saints their offerings bring;
The Priest with his own sacrifice
Presents them to the King.
Jesus alone shall bear my cries
Up to the Father's throne;
He, dearest Lord, perfumes my sighs,
And sweetens every groan.

In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right
hand there are pleasures for evermore. Ps.. xvi.
11. And I saw the New Jerusalem, descending
out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband. Rev. xxi. 2-4, 10, 12.
O My dear Saviour, look upon me in mercy. Thou
seest what earthly desires and unmortified tem-
pers are yet found in me; and though I cry unto
thee daily, mine enemies still prevail over me.
Yet thou art almighty to save, and hast promised
to cast out none that come unto thee. Let me
then experience the power of thy grace in raising
me up to more newness of life, in stirring up
prayer and strenthening faith, in creating hunger-
ings after righteousness, and thirstings after God,
and in bestowing a right heavenly mind upon me,
that my soul may be as a bride prepared and
adorned for her husband. Give me also a fre-
quent taste below of those pleasures which are at
thy right hand for evermore, that my heart may
be kept waiting and eagerly looking for thy com-
ing; and that united unto thee in faith, my life
may be spent in thy favour and unto thy glory.
Oh, the delights, the heavenly joys,
The glories of the place,

Where Jesus sheds the brightest beams
Of his o'erflowing grace.

Archangels sound his lofty praise
Through every heavenly street;
And lay their highest honours down
Submissive at his feet.

Lord, how our souls are all on fire
To see thy blest abode;

Our tongues rejoice in tunes of praise
To our incarnate God.

And while our faith enjoys this sight,
We long to leave our clay;
And wish thy fiery chariots, Lord,
To fetch our souls away.

Watch and pray; let us be going. Matt. xxvi. 41, 46. Remember Lot's wife. Luke xvii. 32. This is the way, walk ye in it. Isa. xxx. 21. He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Phil. i. 6. To be kept from self-righteousness on the one hand, and from false liberty on the other, is the right Christian way. But how shall I find it? 0 my dear Jesus, thou art the way! Teach me then to walk in thy strength, to live in thy faith, to gaze much upon thee, to cleave firm unto thee, and abide ever in thee; so shall I experience the liberty of thy Gospel, which yieldeth no licence for sin, but bringeth joyful deliverance from its power; for when my heart resteth on thee, it cannot rest in the flesh, and seek to fulfil its lusts, but being delighted with thy beauty and glorious love, all other things. vanish, and I am kept watchful close and fervent, I live a life of godly holiness hid with thee. Send forth the Spirit and prepare my heart thus to abide in thee, and to turn and bring me back when I turn to the right hand or to the left.

When my forgetful soul renews

The savour of thy grace,
My heart presumes I cannot lose
The relish all my days.

But, ere one fleeting hour is past,
The flatt'ring world employs
Some sensual bait to seize my taste,
And to pollute my joys.

Then I repent and vex my soul,

That I should leave thee so;

Where will those wild affections roll,

Shew my forgetful feet the way

That leads to joys on high:

There knowledge grows without decay,
And love shall never die.

Walk before me (as in my presence) and be thou perfect. Gen. xvii. 1. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man; for God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Eccles. xii. 13, 14. I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof, in the day of judgment. Matt. xii. 36.

CONSEQUENTLY all such things as are now called
indifferent in their nature will also be brought to
God's bar, and not be called indifferent there,
but judged as actually good or actually evil. Oh
the prodigious harm that is done by this false
doctrine of innocent things! It opens the door
to innumerable sins; for though our conscience
often tells us that we should not do such things
as are not actually good, yet presently innocence
is pleaded, it is called a harmless thing; which
though it could not be said to be good, yet it was
not evil neither, but quite indifferent in its na-
ture; by which thousands are drawn into the
snares of the devil. O Lord, grant that all my
works may be done unto thee, and in thy presence
agreeably to thy commandments; that even my
leaves may not wither, and whatsoever I do may
prosper and abide for ever, and that while here I
may be fitted, by the sanctifying influences of the
Spirit, for the holy and blessed communion or
heaven that is hereafter to those who keep thy law.
Within thy circling power I stand;
On every side I find thy hand;
Awake, asleep, at home, abroad,
I am surrounded still with God.

O may these thoughts possess my breast,
Where'er I rove, where'er I rest;

Nor let unruly passions dare

Consent to sin, for God is there.

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John iii. 3. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Cor. v. 17. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, &c. Titus iii. 5, 6. See also James i. 18, and 1 Peter i. 23. CONSEQUENTLY no outward form of religion will do; but we must be renewed by the Spirit of God, and have our hearts changed, else we cannot enter into the kingdom of God. CHRIST (by saying, Verily, verily,) has confirmed this twice by an oath. How is it possible then that mere honest and moral men can be saved? Will CHRIST break his double oath? No, surely. Now, since outward gross vices only are blamed in conversation or preaching, a moral man slips through the law without censure; and the careless think they can leave off their open sins one time or another; and so none are duly concerned to be thoroughly converted; but the new birth and a real change of the heart being insisted upon, and CHRIST held forth in this only true way, every one who will be saved must be turned.

The second Adam shall restore

The ruins of the first;
Hosannah to that sov❜reign power
That new-creates our dust.

When from the curse he sets us free,
He makes our natures clean;
Nor would our Savour come to be
The minister of sin,

His Spirit purifies our frame,

And seals our peace with God;

Jesus and his salvation came

By water and by blood.