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nor haft thou far to feek, when he that is fo mighty to fave thee, is come fo nigh to thee, and made even one with thee. O be thou alfo one with him, by thy faith and love, as he is become one with thee by fuch condescension and grace. Let Chrift dwell in thy heart, and yield up thyfelf to thy beloved; that thou mayeft indeed be his, as he has given himself to be thine, Yea, that Chrift in thee may be thy hope of thy glory; and nothing in the world may be able to separate thee from the love of God, which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord.

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THE PRAYER.

My LORD! how amazing has been thy condefcenfion, not only to come to us, but to "be made even as one of us; and clothed in our “ flesh, that thou mighteft offer thyself a facrifice " for our fins! O EMMANUEL, God with us! "unfpeakable is thy grace and love expreffed upon "us. O be pleafed, dear Lord, to come yet further "than into my nature, even into my very heart, "and unite thyfelf with my foul, that I may be

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one with thee, and not only live by thee, but in "thee: and of thy fulness may receive life abun"dantly, and grace fufficient for me: fo that thou

mayeft not be ashamed to own me, but tranf"form me ftill more and more into thy holy like"nefs, till thou haft tranflated me into thy hea "venly kingdom. Amen."

MEDIT A

MEDITATION IX.

Of Redemption by our Lord Jefus Chrift.

My foul, the greatest gift that ever God gave,

and the kindeft token that ever he fent into the world, was when he gave his Son, and by him fent redemption to his people. When we were fhut up under the fin and death which we brought upon ourselves, and by the juftice of heaven given over to the jailor, and executioner of vengeance, then did our Lord Redeemer come in mercy, to fet us at large by paying the ranfom, and price of our redemption. And because death was the wages of our fins, therefore he that would undertake for our fouls, muft die in our ftead: Yea, and undergo fuch a death as was equivalent to the mifery that we deserved to lie under eternally. And O! who was fufficient for this, but he that was eternal, and of infinite excellency? to make him able to emerge out of the fuffering, and alfo to make that which he fuffered infinitely deferving.

Now here, my foul, fee and admire the kindness and love of God thy Saviour, that would shed his precious blood to be the propitiation for thy fins. And thou art a fharer in fuch his love, if thou art a member of his church. For the "church of God he "purchafed with his own blood," Acts xx. 28 And now fuppofe a man fo deep in debt, he has no ability or profpect to get out and that he be alfo a great offender as well as debtor: (for the heavy reckoning too commonly grows upon the wicked living and extravagant spending :) and fuppofe him guilty not

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only of trefpafs but treason, and fo to have forfeited his life for his crimes, as well as his liberty for his debts in this rueful cafe fhould a ftranger come and pay off all his fcores, and by dying refcue him from the deserved death, O what an amazing pity and bounty would be here; enough not only to baffle the expreffion, but the belief of fuch a poor wretched creature! And is not this thy own very cafe, my foul, who art as deep a debtor to God, and as heinous an offender against him? When his bleffed Son, a stranger to us, (for the world knew him not) came to make a voluntary oblation of himself for thee, fo bankrupt and undone a finner, debtor, and fuch a miferable creature. A flave of fin thou waft; and under that captivity at the devil's mercy, to enflave thy understanding, and make thee restive in thy own erroneous opinion, and to enfl ve thy will, and make thee push on after thy own heart's luft, fcorning all counsel and warning. And O! what in the mines or galley is comparable to this flavery! when the very heart and will are tied and bound: and the iron enters even into the foul; and there is not fo much as a wifh or groan for deliverance. And O! how deep waft thou in arrears to the justice of God! owing more than ten thou, fand talents for all thy innumerable and unmeasur. able fins; and yet not able to make payment for any one, even of the leaft. Then hereupon enfues thy mifery, co throw thee below a dog or a worm; and to make thee envy the cafe of either: yea, to wish thyself a snake or a toad, rather than that wicked, curfed, damned wretch, that muft bear the brunt of all God's wrath for ever. And this is thy cafe as a finner, till got upon fafer and better terms, in the hands of a Redeemer, fo that thou must understand what is hell and damnation, before thou canft tell how to put a due rate upon his love and redemption; who comes not only to proclaim, but

bring liberty to fuch captives, to throw open prifondoors, and begin the great year of jubilee, to feal general releases and acquittances for all debts and demands; and universal indemnity and oblivion for all faults and offences. And fuch were the good tidings of great joy which the angel (at our Lord's birth) published to all people, Luke ii. 10. that none might conclude himself left out of the act of grace which brings falvation; but only fuch as neglect so great falvation; and wilfully refuse the ransom, and will not accept of deliverance; nor be happy, because first they must be holy. And fo they die not fo much in Adam, of the disease which Chrift came to heal, as of their own contempt and obftinacy, because they would not be healed.

My foul, I have nothing to do to judge them, arong whom Chrift is not named. I will not pronounce upon them, nor limit the Holy One from conveying any benefit of redemption to them, in a way beyond my knowledge; my concern is, to secure my own share in it, and to help all elfe, whom I can influence to make fure of it. For to us is the word of this falvation sent, and if we be not the better, we shall be the worse for it. If we run on in all prefumption, because of the mighty redemption, it will not only prove a promising harvest without any fruit, but a dreadful story of deftructive confequence to us; and make us wish, that we had never heard of the gracious proposals, rather than fo to reject and abuse them, to aggravate our own condemnation.

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O then, my foul, inftead of defiring the Redeemer to depart from thee, and let thee alone yield up thyfelf to him, that has not only made thee, but bought thee, nor only brought thee out of nothing, but redeemed thee out of a miferable being. Befeech him to take thee into his bleffed hands, and ftill more and more to redeem thee from thy fins,

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and to carry on the work of his grace fuccefsfully upon thy heart. That thou mayeft feel at home the efficacy of that redemption, which thou hearest talk of abroad. And as the fick man healed rejoices in his recovery, fo finding health restored to thyfelf, thou mayeft heartily concur with the redeemed of the Lord, to bless the Lord God of Ifrael, for fo visiting and redeeming his people.

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To

THE PRAYER.

O remember us, not only in our low, but our loft eftate, and pay our fcores, and take 66 upon thee even our fins; well may thy redeemed, "O Lord, fay, that thy goodness is boundless, and

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thy mercy endures for ever. How much more "is it, than temporal lives from the hand of the grave, even immortal fouls, that thou haft redeemed from the pit of hell! O my great Sa"viour, and mighty Deliverer! thou haft thrown

open the jail-doors: But, alas! I have not the wit, "nor the will, nor the ftrength to go forth; unless "thou redeem me from myfelf, as well as lay down "the ranfom for my discharge. O crown thy own

gracious work, Lord! and release thy poor cap"tive out of iny own hands, as well as from my "other foes. Make me willing to be redeemed by "thee; and fo break afunder all the cords which "with-hold me from thee; that I may indeed re"joice in the eternal redemption, which thou haft wrought for me. Amen."

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VOL. I.

G

MEDITA

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