YE E were as Sheep going aftray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your Souls. 1 Pet. ii. 25. O thou good Shepherd, who deliveredst up thy felf to Wolves, for the Salvation of thy Sheep, feek me, carry me, fave me by thy Grace, O Shepherd and Bishop of my Soul, who haft facrificed thy felf for me, fhed abroad in me thy divine Unction, feed me with thy Word, thy Example, thy Truth, thy Body, thy Blood, and with thy whole Self; prefent my Prayers, Defires, and all my Actions to thy Father, inlighten, guide, and fupport my Steps: render me attentive, and obedient to thy Voice, and grant that I may be kept with Fidelity, Submiffion, and Perfeverance under thy Eyes, and thy Hand; and that I may follow Thee in walking exactly, humbly, and courageoufly in thy Ways, till thou haft conducted me into the eternal Paftures. Return, ye wand'ring Souls return, And feek his tender Breaft; Behold, O Lord, we fly to Thee, Tho' Blufhes veil our Face, W HO is he that will harm you, if ye be Followers of that which is good, 1 Pet. iii. 13. Nothing can hurt us but Sin --- Innocence, Uprightness, and a good Confcience are a fovereign Prefervative against all the Evils of this Life. He who is well with God has nothing to fear from Men. Behold the great eternal God, And calls our Souls to fhelter there: Guarded from Danger and from Fear. IF ye fuffer for Righteousness fake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their Terror, neither be troubled, 1 Pet. iii. 14. How little is the Happiness of Suffering known in the World, fince it fpeaks of it in a Manner fo different from this Apoftle! If it is an Happiness to fuffer for Righteoufnefs fake; far from being afraid thereof, let us acknowledge the Honour that God does us. Nothing but thy Love, O Lord, can fupprefs in our Hearts the Fear of Men, and establish therein the Peace of God. The more uncommon this Grace is, the more earnestly ought we to afk it of him. When call'd to teftify thy Grace, My ftedfaft Heart prepare: ( 30 ) K. Charles's Mart. January 30. THE HEY (the Wicked) think it strange that you run not with them to the fame Excefs of Riot, speaking Evil of you, 1 Pet. iv. 4. Let us leave the World to be provoked at our Change, to tax us with Singularity, to make us the Subject of their Laughter: our Advantage is to have it for our Enemy, and our Glory to be exposed to its Infults after the Example of Jefus Chrift. How ftrong fhould we be, if we had no longer any War to wage with our Paffions, but only with the World. Let me but hear my Saviour fay, Sweet Pleasures mingle with the Pains, L ET them that fuffer according to the Will of God, commit the keeping of their Souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator, 1 Pet. iv. 19. How happy is a Man, when he can fay he fuffers according to the Will of God, and with an entire Refignation to him! Let us be faithful under his Trials and Vifitations: and he will be fo in giving us Confolation and Affistance, and in crowning in us his own Graces and Mercies. Deliver from the Wrath to come, And scourge me, Saviour, to the Tomb; |