excellent are to do God fome more eminent service on the Lords day, we should not content our felves with week-dayes-prayers, and praises, our holiness and communion should be extraordinary upon this folemne day, and therefore I. Eminent bolinefs 1. Eminent for the degree of it; there and com- fhould be a Sequeftration of our minds and munion, hearts from the world, and a confecration Read Mr. of them to the bleffed Trinity in the highShepherds eft degree, and after the most immediate manner in all exercises of Religion with upon this admiration, confidence, love, reverence, Subject in delight, and thankfulness, that we may his fourth come as neare to God (who comes down part of the fanctifica on purpose to meet us in his Ordinances tion of the with a full bleffing) as it is poffible for Sabbath. Creatures that are cloathed with flesh. We Trcatife II. must abstaine not only from fervile works, but fervile thoughts, cares, affections; The Sacrifice was doubled on the Sabbath to fhew that our holiness fhould be redombled on that day, Num.28.9. The Sabbath was called holiness, Exod.31.15.and the Holy of Jehovah, Ifa.58.13.to fhew that we should be exceeding Holy upon this Holy day. We should be tranfported beyond flesh and the world, and have our conversation in heaven that day; for the day requires fome tranfcendent holiness. Reflorative 2. Our Holiness and Communion should Communion be Reftorative; for we contract much foile, abate abate the vigour of our graces by converse with the world upon the week days, and now there should be Reftauratio de perditi: We should fadly review our experiences, and failings all the week, and make up all our defects upon this acceptable day, this Seafon of Grace, when God fits in ftate, and fcatters treasures of grace amongst hungry, and thirsty Saints that are poor in Spirit, and Wait for fpiritual Alms at a Throne of Grace. Communion 3. Conftant Communion; we fhould III. maintaine a continued and un-interrupted Conftant Communion with God in private, as well as publike all the whole day together; It is lawful for us on the week days to go about our worldly occafions after we have been at prayer, but we find that when we have been well warmed by Family duties, we are apt to catch cold againe prefently, when Company or worldly bufineffes break in upon us, but we must keep our hearts in a Sabbaths days frame all the Lords day, yea, and at night allo; when our bodies are wearied in service, we must not be wea. ry of Service, but our hearts must be panting and working after more of God, and Chrift, and the holy Spirit. munion, 4. Soule-fatiating Communion, we must IV. take delight in our converse with God, enjoy. Soule-fati ment of Chrift, and walking in the Spirit all ating Com the day. We must enter into the rest of our beloved, and take afweet complacency in the fruiti Dd 3 Extraordi fruition of God, in the glimpse of his glory, in the taste of his loye, in the kiffes of his mouth, in all the teftimonies of his favor, in all the love-tokens fent us from heaven. The joy of the Lord must be our strength, and in this ftrength we must go forth and mortifie our corruptious, refift temptations, and go about our worldly bufinefs all the next week with heavenly minds. I cannot ftand to speak directly and fully hary duties to the particular duties of the Sabbath; or extraordinary duties of Evangelical fafting, and Chriftian Feafting for all which there fhould be a serious preparation, in all which there must be a prudent fequeftration of our minds and hearts from the world, that theremay be an intire confecration of them unto God, and a fincere fan&tification of all thefe times to Father, Son, and holy Ghoft, as it becomes the Sons of God, the Members of Chrift, and Temples of the ho ly Ghost. We thould get oyle into our vef. fels, drefs and trim our Lamps, that we may meet the Bridegroome of our foules in his appointed walkes, in his own Ordinances and exercises. I fhould say somePenitential thing likewife of our Penitentiall meltings meltings. before God; Thus in briefe then, when our confcience hath been wounded by the Spirit of bondage, and is renewed by the Spirit of Regeneration, it will in due time be pacified by the spirit of Adoption, but even 、་、 b even then the foule will melt into teares, nay, then it melts most kindly,and laments most affectionately; I have finned against the tender mercies of the bowels of God; I have kicked my Father upon the Bowels; I have made a sport and pastime of those fins, which let out the heart blond of my dear Saviour;I have grieved,vexed,and even quenched the holy Spirit my sweetest Comforter; I have finned against all three, and fo trebled all my fins; I feare I have (faith the Soule in its agony) even done defpight to the Spirit of grace, and trampled on the bloud of the Son of God; but I have learnt to submit, and beleeve, to rejoyce, and tremble, to weep, and waite; for I waite upon a Father, upon him whom my foule loves; the Spirit of faith and love hath taught me to come with a broken heart, and a bleeding con fcience to a Father, to a Saviour, to a Comforter; I defire to keep the wound open 1 by renewed Confeffions, and fprinkle the clenfing bloud of Christ upon it by a lively faith. Oh it is foveraign bloud, and must be fiducially sprinkled by a speciall application; and it is the fpirit which makes this fpeciall application, and adminifters reviving Cordials to broken hearts, and fain- * The sad ting foules in their fwowning fits. *When the most Ingenuous and refined fort of the most of unregenerate men come to fee, that not- ingenuous withstanding all their Civility and Forma-fort of un Dd 4 condition regenerate licy men. lity they are in the gall of bitterness by reafon of their impenitence and unbeliefe, their oppotition to the power of godliness, their undervaluing of the mercies of God, the love of Chrift, graces and comforts of the holy Spirit,and feele thefe fins fet home upon their hearts and confciences with ftinging aggravations, they are even fired out of their naturall estate, and by the preventing grace of the Spirit made fenfible of fin, and hungry after grace and mercy. The dreadfull impreffions of Gods infinite Majefty, and damning wrath make all the fenfuall impreffions of fin to be remembred with proportionable and self-condemning hore rour. But when the moft glorious treafures of Gods sweetest mercies, and richest grace, folded up in his fatherly bowels, are opened to these ingenuous men, and the Spirit hath touched their hearts to lament after Chrift; then this ingenuous foule will cry out, Oh what reftlefs agonies, whas fein. ging wormes, what unquenchable flouds of flaming brimstone, how many Hells are there treafured up in one Hell for (uch a wretch as I am, who have undervalued the riches of Gods mercy, the love and merits of Christ, graces and comforts of the Spirit; heaven and earth may be aftonifbed, men and Angels amazed at my prodigious madness in undervaluing Chrift and Heaven: In the midft. of this agony and conflict, prudent asto the nishment, |