This I may go from strength to strength, and never be dif Another for an intire Submiffion to God's Will. III. Lord, thou art my God, my mighty Saviour and Deliverer; in thee will I put my trust, not doubting of thy goodness to me, in all my fears and dangers. I am brought very low, but thou art able to bear me up; and I will never defpair of thy kindnefs. Watch over me, I beseech thee, for good. Make all my bed in my ficknefs. Sanctify this thy vifitation to me. Teach me to improve it to thofe good ends and purposes for which it was fent, that, whether by life, or death, I may glorify thy holy name. And grant, that in either I may intirely give up myself to thy difpofal, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. Another for a due Preparation for Death. IV. Thou my good and gracious God, from whom all boly defires, all good counfels, and all just works, do proceed; and without the affiftance of whofe Holy Spirit, it is not in me to think, speak, or act, as I ought to do; hearken, I beseech thee, to the prayer of thy humble fupplicant; fuffer no corruption to remain in me, no luft or paffion to have dominion over me; but purge me from all my guilt, and enable me to ferve thee with a pure heart; that, being cleanfed (c) from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, I may perfect holiness in thy fear, and have my accounts in readiness, whenfoever thou shalt pleafe to call for them; that fo death, whenever it comes, may be no furprize to me; but I may willingly leave this world, and refign my foul into thy (c) 2 Cor. vii. 1. N 4 bands, kands, as to a most loving and merciful Father; and when I shall come to appear before thy awful tribunal, at the great tremendous day, I may be fet upon the rightband of our Lord and Judge, and may be fentenced, amongst his true and faithful difciples, to everlasting blifs in thy heavenly kingdom. Grant this, O Father, for the fake, and through the merits, of the fame thy Son Jefus Chrift, our only Mediator and Advocate, Amen. Theoph. I befeech Almighty God to hear thefe your prayers, and the prayers of all your friends for you; and not to take you out of this world till he fhall have fitted you for a better. Anchith. I thank you for your good wishes and prayers; and do beg of you, and all my friends, to continue your prayers for me. I know not how foon my foul make take its flight into the other world; and I have great need of God's mercy and goodness, without which I muft inevitably be in a defperate condition, My fins, my fins, cry aloud against me; my own confcience accufes me; and God, who is greater than my conscience, and knows all my fins, together with their feveral heinous aggravations, may juftly condemn me. Yet I will not defpair of his forgivenefs. I will hope in his mercy. He has laid belp upon one that is mighty to fave, the ever-bleffed Jefus, whom he gave to be a propitiation for my fins, and not for mine only, but (d) for the fins of the whole world. In him therefore will I truft; through him will I fue for pardon and forgiveness; I will rely on his merits and fatisfaction, for the remiffion of all my fins, and the fupply of all defects. And I doubt not, but the good God will hearken to me, when I addrefs myfelf to him, in the name of fuch an all-fufficient and most powerful interceffor; in relation to whom he has exprefly declared, for our comfort and encouragement, that (e) he is not entered into the holy places made with (d) John ii. 2. (e) Heb. ix. 24. bands, hands, which are the figures of the true, but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the prefence of God for us. (f) He is exalted with the right-hand of God, to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to lfrael, and remiffion of fins and (g) is able to fave to the uttermost eis tò warleλès, completely, intirely, as (b) Hefychius, or for ever, as (i) Grotius and Dr. Hammond, all that come unto God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make interceffion for them. (k) God fo loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, to become incarnate, and live, and fuffer, and die for us, to the end that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. And our Lord himself has given us this promife, that (1) those who come unto him, he will in no wife caft out. This is my comfort and great fupport, and my main relief against all fears and defpondings, that how unworthy foever I be in myself, and though I had ever fo evidently, as indeed I have, deferved the eternal indignation of God in the abyss of Hell; yet my Redeemer has made abundant fatisfaction for all my fins, and is now at the right-hand of God, pleading his own invaluable merits in my behalf. I will therefore trust in him, in spite of all my own iniquities and fins; and will hope, that, upon my fincere repentance, I fhall be reinftated in God's favour, and intitled to a fhare in the most glorious, moft inestimable, moft tranfcendently charming inheritance of the faints in light. I am not confcious of any fin that I now retain any affection for, any luft or paffion that I have not unfeignedly renounced, and for which I am not truly humbled; nor any duty, how difficult foever, that I ain not resolved to perform, if it pleafe God to allow me time and ftrength for it. And, if he do not, I promife myself he will gracioufly accept of fuch a forrow, as I have long had for my paft mifcarriages, and fuch vows and refolutions of obedience, as I have made, and (f) Acts v. 31. (g) Heb. vii. 25. (6) In voce πανελὲς. (i) In loc. (k) John iii. 16. (1) John vi. 37. have endeavour'd to fulfil according to my power, though with great weakness and imperfection. This is my confolation. And, accordingly, A Prayer for Growth in Grace. I Beseech thee, O most merciful Lord God, confirm and increase this hope in me evermore. Give me fuch a repentance for all my fins, as is not to be repented of; fuch a steady reliance upon Christ, as will never fail me ; fuch an improvement in all virtue, as may fit me for a better ftate, against I shall be taken bence. (m) Make me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right fpirit within me. Help all my weaknesses, and pity my infirmities. Improve any good beginning in me, and (n) work in me both to will and to do, of thy good pleasure. Let no temptations prevail against me. And grant, O Lord, that the more the outward man decayeth, I may be ftrengthen'd fo much the more continually by thy Holy Spirit in the inward man, and may be enabled to proceed from one degree of grace to another, till grace fball at last be confummated in everlasting glory; thro3 Jefus Chrift our only Mediator and Redeemer. Amen, Amen. Theoph. My good friend, you do well, and as becomes a good Chriftian, thus devoutly to recommend your cafe to God, and put your trust in him. Anchith. Do well in it! It is my neceffary duty, and what is indifpenfibly incumbent upon me, and every one, that would be faved. And fo you will be fenfible, whenever you come to be in my condition. Theoph. I acknowledge it, and am defirous to encourage you in it; that all your appointed time you may wait, and watch, and beg, and pray, and trult, and hope, till your change come; to the end, that then your faith may be turned into vision, and your hope into fruition, and all your watching, and labour, and (m) Pfal. li. 10. (x) Phil. ii. 13. patience, patience, may be rewarded with a crown of glory, that fadeth not away. Anchith. This is what I am aiming at, and endeavouring after. And I beseech Almighty God, that I may not mifs of it. Theoph. God grant your request! Theoph. As I came hither, I was looking into Dr. Comber's fourth volume upon the Common Prayer, where I met with fomething to our prefent purpose; fome few directions, I mean, as to the making of our wills; which pleafed me well, and I believe it will not be unacceptable to you. And, being not long, if I fhall not overtire you, I would read it to you. Anchith. My work is now over, and this will not occafion me to fpeak much; and therefore, if you please, I fhall difpofe myself to hearken to you. Theoph. Concerning this making of our will," fays the doctor, (0) these cautions are to be observed: First, That it be not deferred till it be too late, • left we be oppreffed with fudden death, and leave • our executors and pofterity involved in endless fuits and contentions; the guilt whereof will purfue those into another world, whofe wretched careleffness was the dire occafion of all that ftrife and mischief. And tho' we be not fmitten with fudden death, yet we may fall into fuch a diftemper, as fhall feize on our fenfes and understanding; and then we can ⚫ either make no diftribution of our eftates, or (p) none that will be valid. Yet if neither of thefe happen, it is a great disturbance to a languifhing man, to reckon, and caft up, to fettle and order his affairs; and a mighty impediment to the exercises of religion, wherein those few days we have left, ought (0) Occafional Offices, p. 301, 302. edit. octav. 1679. (p) Teftamentum, ni perfectum fuerit, nullum eft. Gloff. ad Grat. de Poen. dift. 3. In eo qui teftatur, ejus quo teftamentum facit, integritas mentis exigitur. Dig. 1. 28. tit. 1. 1. 2. Cod. Juftin. l. 6. tit. 22. ⚫ to |