while I live I may live unto thee, and when I die, I may die unto thee, so that living and dying I may be thine." Once more if you should be present when criminals are judged at an assize; think of the great tribunal of Jesus Christ: think, how we shall all be called out of our graves, to stand before his judgment-seat: in which case it is hardly possible for a man to turn his eyes towards himself, without saying, "Lord, how, where, shall I appear in that dreadful day? O let thy holy angels find me, to strengthen and encourage me, before I dare to look upon thy face; that so I may have boldness in the day of judgment, and find myself placed on thy right hand among the heirs of salvation: Lord remember me in that day; for my heart panteth, my strength faileth, when I think of it: but thou didst expire upon the Crofs, to lessen the terrors of it to me and all poor penitent sinners." There would be no end, if we were to collect such other examples as might be thought of; the day, the night, the sea, the land, the heaven above, and the earth beneath, abound with objects to exercise our devotion. I would now say a word or two on the advantage of praying in this manner. If prayer be a labour to the mind, there is none of it here: a small transient ejaculation ejaculation is sufficient to signify the disposition of the heart, even though it be not uttered by the lips for God is a witness to the meditations of the heart. Therefore it may be used in society, as well as in solitude: and in whatever work a man is employed, provided it be lawful, it will not be interrupted but promoted. Is the husbandman interrupted, if, when he casts the seed into the ground, he prays that the seed of God's word may take root in his own heart? so far from it, that it will bring down a blessing upon himself and his labour: and improve his daily work into a work of grace; a work, by which his mind will be kept in constant practice, to a temper of piety; so that he may be strictly said, to walk with God, as the Saints did of old; which should be the first object of a Christian's ambition. The agreement between the objects of the natural world and the objects of revelation, so amply and illustriously displayed in the Scriptures, shews (to those who understand it) a wonderful sight; it shews the whole Creation as one great picture of divine truth: which will give as much entertainment, and afford more variety to the imagination of a Christian, than all the works of genius, which all the wit of man ever did, or ever will invent. It is as wide as the world, and as bright as the ocean, ocean, when the sun shines upon it. Religious meditation and devotion draw it forth into use; and shew so many ways of applying it to the edification of the mind, that if we can bring any qualified person to this one employment, he will never complain that Christianity is a dry study. It infuses a new spirit into common things, which in themselves are dull and insipid every trifling event assumes a new figure and new importance, when applied to spiritual things every common object changes its nature and value: * the touch of a devout mind has a magical effect upon it, and turns it into gold; so that to live by this rule, and turn all objects to a spiritual use, is the next thing to living in a spiritual world. There will be this further advantage, and a great one it is, that we shall find this sort of devotion our best security against temptation. *If the reader wishes to know better this art of applying natural objects to sacred subjects; I would desire him to consult a small Key to the language of Prophesy, bound up with the third edition of the Book of Nature; also, Lectures on the Figurative Language of the Scriptures. The husbandman's Manual; with such other things as he can collect of the same kind: particularly a treatise on Ejaculatory Prayer, by the Rev. Robert Cocke, late Vicar of Boxted, in Essex. All printed for Rivingtons. Good Good thoughts will keep out evil ones. The tempter makes use of all objects to corrupt our minds, and draw us into evil: the way of turning them to godliness, is directly contrary to his way of turning them to sin: and therefore it is the best remedy in the world against his devices; it may be used also, as a test to the mind, whether it be alive to God or not. If the Christian finds himself disposed to it, or if he does not, he may thence learn the state of his own soul, and discover, whether he is a carnal or a spiritual man; whether he is in the light or in the dark: if he feels no inclination to it, his own soul is then a thing of no concern to him. Satan may have it, for what he cares; this world has blinded his eyes: all the objects in it serve to wrong uses; it is a curse, and not a blessing to him, that he was brought into it; and when that perishes, he must perish with it. If a man sees nothing spiritual here, he will see nothing hereafter: but if he looks at the things of this world with an eye of faith, and can make them the subject of some petition to God, he may then conclude, that his heart is alive; and that, with the help of divine grace, he may so pass through things temporal, and make such an use of them, that they shall help him to pass on through them, to things eternal. VOL. VII. E My Before I conclude, my beloved brethren, suffer me once more to look back to the subject. of prayer in general; of which I must always think, and will always affirm it, that it is the first practical duty of the Christian religion: on which consideration, I know not what to say of those Christians, who do not pray they will pardon me, if I know not what to call them; I. can scarcely cry out with the prophet, "awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead." To speak freely, I wonder how any family can look one another in the face, when they assemble together in the morning, to begin the works. of the day, without a solemn invocation of Almighty God, for his direction, help, and blessing on all the affairs of this transient and dangerous state. I shall be thankful, if one single soul should be brought by what I have here said to a better mind. SERMON |