the Lord, and my Spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour: Or, with the glorified Spirits of Heaven, To him that hath loved us, and washed us from our Sins in his Blood, be Glory and Strength for ever and ever. Amen. 24. Chriftian Souls, if the vaft Number of your Sins come into your Remembrance, confider that 'tis not faid, That the Blood of Chrift cleanfeth us only from a certain Number of Sins, but, That if we confess our Sins, he is faithful and just, that is, true and merciful, to forgive us our Sins; and that the Blood of Jefus Chrift cleanfeth us from all Sins. Let them be never so numerous, drown them all, as fo many Hellish Monsters, in the Blood of thy Saviour. Take hold of this Divine Jefus, with the Arms of Faith and Repentance. Wrap yourselves up in his Winding-fheet, repofe yourselves upon his Crofs, and reft fecure in the Shadow of his Almighty Interceffion. 25. But if the Heinoufnefs of your Crimes fright you, take hold at the fame Time of the Horns of this myftical Altar, and all the Powers of Hell will not be able to pluck you thence. Comfort thy felf, finful Soul, for there cannot be a Spot fo black, or fo deep, but the Blood of Chrift is able to wash it clean away. There is no Crime fo abominable, but the Sacrifice of this Lamb without Spot, that taketh away the Sins of the World, can make an Atonement for it. Let thy Sins be never fo great, they have their Limits, but thy Redeemer's Merits are without Limits, and the Efficacy of his Sufferings continues for ever. To affure thee of this Truth, and to encourage thee, he was pleased, upon the Crofs to difcover the Riches of his Mercy upon a wretched Robber, who fuffered then by the Hand of Juftice for his Crimes. As foon as he faw him moved with Repentance, he changed his infamous and painful Crofs into a Paradife of Glory and Happiness, and filled his Soul with the sweetest Comforts of his Holy Spirit. This merciful Redeemer is the fame Yefterday, and toDay, and fhall be the fame for ever. Therefore, if thou thou art reckoned amongst the most filthy and abominable Sinners, if thou doft groan under the Burden of thy Sins, and art moved with Contrition, Heb. 13. thou oughteft not to caft off thy Hopes and be difcouraged; draw near with Humility to thy Saviour's Crofs, and wash thy felf in the Blood that comes out of his Veins. All the difeafed Perfons that entred into the Pool of Bethesda, were healed of all manner of Diftempers, John 5. Thus all fpiritually difeafed are cured in this Divine Pool of all their Griefs. 'Tis not neceffary to stay 'till a good Angel come from Heaven to move the Waters, for Chrift's Blood is always fresh, living, and of the fame Virtue and Efficacy. We need not fear that others should step down before us, or that the Throng should hinder us; for a Thousand Worlds may be all healed at the fame Inftant. Neither can we pretend that there is no Body to caft us into this myftical Pool, for our Lord will never refufe to admit you when you shall have been Bedrid eight and thirty Years; as the poor Man that was troubled with the Palfy. And when you fhall be nailed to a Crofs, as the good Thief, you may nevertheless dip yourselves into this Divine Pool, and feel its faving and healing Virtue. It doth not only wash away the- Filth, and heal all thy Difeafes, but it gives alfo Life to the Dead, and renders the Living immortal. Whofoever thou art that dippeft thy felf in this precious Blood, thou may'ft fay with the Apoftle St. Paul, This is a faithful Saying, and worthy of all Acceptation, that Jefus Chrift came into the World to fave Sinners, of whom I am the chief, 1 Tim. 1. Howbeit I have obtained Mercy, the Lord will deliver me from all wicked Works, and will preserve me to his Heavenly Kingdom; to him be Glory for ever and ever. Amen, I Tim. 7. 26. You understand therefore very well, believing Souls, that you have no Caufe to fear Death, fince all its Darts have been broken to Pieces, all its Armour hath been torn, and its Spoils appear fo visibly upon Chrift's Chrift's Crofs. You may fee the Claws of this Old Lyon, the Paw of this Devouring Bear, the Teeth and Poison of this Infernal Serpent; and the Head of this Prodigious Dragon; you may fee Death fwallowed up in Victory, and the Prince of Life, leading it in Triumph. Follow then the glorious Chariot, of this Noble Conqueror, faying with the Apostle, O Death! Where is thy String? O Grave! Where is thy Victory? The Sting of Death is Sin, and the Strength of Sin is the Law; but bleffed be God who hath given us the Victory through our Lord Jefus Chrift, 1 Cor. 15. 27. Therefore, when God fhall draw near to you, under Death's Veil, be not terrified; feek not to run from him, and to hide yourfelves from his All-feeing Eye, unto which Darkness is as the Noon-Day, Gen. 3. Tho' you are by Nature poor, wretched, blind, and naked, you have more fubftantial Garments than FigLeaves, for you have the Leaves of the Tree of Life, that are defigned for the Salvation of the Gentiles, Rev.2 2. The Leaves that shall never fade fhall cover all your Nakedness, and adorn your immortal Souls. For 'tis the eternal Righteoufnefs, the moft accomplished Righteoufnefs of our Lord Jefus, who hath been made unto us of God, Wisdom, Righteoufnefs, Sanctification and Redemption, 1 Cor. 1. 30. 'Tis Jefus Chrift Himfelf who is named, The Lord our Righteousness. 'Tis the precious Garment of Salvation, the glorious Cloak of Righteousness mentioned by the Prophet, Ifa. 61. 'Tis the Wedding-Garment whitened in the Blood of the Lamb without Spot, and the fine and bright Linnen, which are the Righteoufnefs of the Saints, Ezek, 16. In fhort, 'tis a Garment, which will not only cover and adorn you, but will also heal all your Infirmities, and advance you to Immortality, Rev. 7. 28. If you come before your Heavenly Father with this perfumed Cloathing of your elder Brother, Jefus Chrift, Gen. 27. Or rather, if you be cloathed with him as with a Garment, Rom. 1. you fhall not only obtain the best and most advantagious Bleffing, but you shall enter into the Poffeffion of the incorruptible Inheritance, prepared for you from the Beginning of the World. For the Wages of Sin is Death, but the Gift of God is eternal Life, thro' our Lord Jesus Christ, Rom. 6. A PRAYER and MEDITATION for a Christian, who ftrengthens himself against the Fears of Death, by meditating upon the Death and Paffion of our Lord Jefus Christ. Merciful Saviour! Who haft taken our mortal Nature, that thou mightest offer it up as a Sacrifice to God; vouchsafe me thine Affiftance, and an Increase of my Faith and Hope, now that I am threatned to be devoured by Death. I embrace thy Cross and Paffion as mine only Relief, I take hold of the Horns of this Altar, and claim an Intereft in thy Suffering and Righteousness. How grievous were thy Torments, O bleffed Redeemer! which made thee feat Drops of Blood, required the Comfort of Angels, and drew from thee ftrong Crying and Tears. But thy Death was not as mine, or as the Departure of thine Holy Martyrs, who went willingly to Execution with Expreffions of Joy. Thy Death was an Atonement for the Sins of the whole World; but ours can yield no Satisfaction to the Divine Justice; it makes us capable of reaping the Fruits of thine eternal Compaffions and Mediation. Thou Sufferedft the heavy Strokes of God's Wrath, and tookeft upon thee the Load of our Sins; but we, instead of this confuming Fire quenched thy precious Death, perceive in our Death the Flames and Motions of thy Love. Instead of the Hand of thy Vengeance, we meet here with the Embraces of thy Mercy, ready to admit us into Eternal Happiness. Death appears to us armed with our Sins, and the dreadful Confequences of Hell and Damnation. But I fee all this Armour hanging upon thy Cross, as the everlasting Trophies and Monuments of thy Glory. Thou hast been pierced with the Darts of a cruel Death, fuffered the terrible Thunderbolts and Curfes of the Law! And thou haft drunk the Dregs of the Cup. of God's Fury for our Sakes, that thou mightest conquer Sin, Death, and Satan, and free us from the Curfes we had deferved. O wonderful Saviour! Thou hast spoiled Principalities and Powers, fhewing them openly, and triumphing over them in the Crofs. thy Works, and worthy of the continual Admiration of Men and Angels? What extraordinary Benefits do I reap from thy blessed Paffion? Thy violent Sufferings are Preventions of my Torments; thy. Bruifes and Wounds are my Safety and Cure; thy Fears comfort and fettle my Mind; thy diftreffed Soul fills mine full of foy; thy Crying appeafes the Troubles of my Confcience; and thy Drops of Blood wash away my Tears; thy Bitterness is my Sweetness, and thy Death my Victory, and thy Cross my Triumph. How marvellous are I hall no longer tremble at the Approaches of Death, fince thon haft purchased for me Life and Immortality, and the Kingdom of Heaven is thine by a twofold Right, as thou art the Son of God, and Heir of all Things, and as thou haft paid for it a valuable Price by thine infinite Merits. The first is fufficient for thee: By the fecond we have a Claim to this Kingdom, and shall poffefs it as the Fruits of thy Death and Sufferings. My Hope is in thee, O bleffed Lord! Suffer me not to fail in mine Expectations. I know that nothing impure fhall enter into thine Holy City, but thy Blood shall wash and cleanse me from all my Sins. O glorious Lord! How wonderful art thou, and how precious is thy Death, the Attonement of my Crimes, and the Ransom of the whole World. 'Tis our Peace with God, our Reconciliation with Heaven, and with the Angels of Light. In a Word, it hath not only refcued me out of an Abyss of Mifery, from an Eternal Damnation, and the endless Torments of Hell; but it bath |