9th.-Heb. vi. 18. Chrift our only City of Refuge, with di- rections how to flee to it from the Avenger of Blood, 10th.-John iii. 14. A call to view Christ nailed and lifted up on the Crofs, with fuitable thoughts and affections, 11th.-Exod. xiv. 15. A Call to Communicants, under doubts and fears, to go forward to the Red sea of Christ's blood, 12th.-John xii. 32. Chrift lifted up on the Cross, a noble Engine for drawing fouls to him, with directions to look for 13th.-John i. 36-xix 5. A call to behold the Man Chrift Jefus under various fufferings, 14th.-Job xxxvii. 14. Directions to stand ftill and confider God's wondrous Works difplayed in the Sacrament, 15th.-Rev. xxii. 2. Chrift our Tree of Life, infinitely pre- ferable to Adam's tree in the earthly Paradise, with direc- tions to view and make use of this bleffed Tree, 16th.-Ifa. xxxii. 2. Christ our only Hiding place and Covert from storms of wrath, with directions to get into it, 17th-1 Kings xix. 9. Communicants should be ready to ac- count to God of their errand at the Lord's table, 18th.-John v. 6. Communicants must come fenfible of their Difeafes, with Faith in Chrift's healing Power, and Marks 19th-Exod. xii. 14. How to improve a Communion Sabbath as a Memorial of Chrift's Death, Refurrection, and Benc- 20th.-Jer. iii 19. A Sinner's taking hold of God's Cove- nant, furmounts all the Hindrances and Difficulties in the 21ft-Luke v. 26. Communicants are to recollect and confi- der what strange things they have feen at the Sacrament, 22d.-Luke vi 21. The Bleffedness of true spiritual Hunger, with the good things provided to fill the Hungry, 23d-Pfalm cvii. 2. Redeemed Souls are under fpecial obli gations to give thanks and fing praise to their Redeemer, A short Christian Directory; confifting of forty Scripture Di- SACRAMENTAL MEDITATIONS. MEDITATION I. From HEB. xi. 7. By Faith Noah prepared an Ark to the saving of bis House. THOUGH the flood that drowned the old world was at many years distance, yet Noah was moved with fear at God's warning him of it, and prepared an Ark for his fafety and fhall not unconverted, unbelieving finners, who have a far more terrible flood threatened against them, and may only be a few days diftant, take warning, and provide with all speed for their safety? Oh! fhall I, a wretched guilty finner, take rest, while I am within the flood-mark of God's wrath, and not arise in time to provide an Ark to flee for my fafety !-But, O good news, I have not the Ark to provide, it is prepared to my hand; God, in his infinite wisdom and pity, hath made ready an Ark long ago for loft finners of Adam's race to flee to, and now is completely furnished and finished, and all things are ready, fo that I have nothing to do but go and take poffeffion. O what had become of me and other perishing finners, had we the Ark to build ourfelves? Nay, the whole creation had not been able or fufficient for this purpofe. How foon would the raging flood of divine wrath fweep away all the arks of men or angels building! But thanks be unto God forever, for the excellent well built Ark of God's devifing, for the many fpacious rooms and safe lodging places within it, for the fuitable accommodation and plentiful provifion laid up therein, and for the door opened in the fide thereof for perishB ing fouls to enter by. The falvation of finners by a crucified Chrift, is a well ordered fcheme, a beautiful contrivance! Bleffed be the infinitely wife contriver for it. I fee all things in Chrift crucified neceffary for me: He is made of God to men, wisdom, righteoufnefs, fanctification, and redemption. There is in him infinite wifdom to guide me, a ipotlefs righteoufnefs to cover me, precious blood to wash me, the Holy Spirit to fanctify me, his good word to direct me, his juft laws to govern me, and his infinite fulness to fupply all my needs: Safe and happy then would I be, were I found in him. O that, upon trial by fcripture marks, I could conclude myfelf to be within the Ark, to wit, a Crucified Jesus ! Can I fay, I have been warned of God, and moved with fear, to fly to this Ark? Have I difcovered my fhelterlefs ftate by nature, the waves and billows of wrath rifing and rolling against me? Have I feen my own inability to provide an Ark for myfelf, and the excellency and fitnefs of the Ark of God's providing? Have I been made willing to abandon all false arks, and earneftly inquifitive how to get into the true Ark? Have I been made willing to ufe all appointed means for this end, to read, hear, meditate, pray, repent, believe, effay to climb up the fides of the Ark, and prefs to get in at the door thereof? Have I been willing to venture my all in the Ark, like Noah, notwithstanding the difcouragements, fcoffs, and hatred of the world for fo doing? Have I willingly acquiefced, fheltered, and lodged my foul in God's Ark, and been made to fay, This is my reft for ever, here will I dwell ? Come what floods will, Chrift fhall be my Ark, his righteoufnefs alone my refuge and hiding place. Alas, upon impartial fearch, have I not caufe to fear that I have not yet fled to the Ark, but am ftill exposed to the devouring flood? and can I be eafy or quiet in fuch a cafe? Can I forbear crying, What fhall I do to get into the Ark Chrift? Nay, What would I not do to get into it? Lord, what wouldst thou have me to Wouldst thou have me to humble myself, con do? fels, mourn, part with fin, close with Chrift in all his offices? Prefcribe, Lord, what thou wilt, I will not fcruple what thou enjoins me, but obey thee without referve? I am refolved upon it, whatever it cost me, that the folicitations of the flesh; the temptations of Satan, the fcoffs, reproaches, or perfecutions of the world, fhall not ftop me from flying to the Ark; I would break through all thefe to be found in it: Lord, increase and ftrengthen my faith for that end, and help my unbelief. O how fuitable is the Ark Chrift to my deftitute and miferable condition: In myfelf I want all things, but I fee fupply for all my wants in the Ark. I am poor, but I fee gold in the Ark to make me rich; I am wounded by fin, but I fee balm in the Ark to heal my wounds: I am blind, but there is eye-falve in the ark to make me fee: I am perifking with hunger, but I see bread in the Ark to fatisfy me: I am naked, but in the Ark there is white raiment to clothe me: I am polluted, but in the Ark there is a fountain to wash me; I am exposed to more terrible floods than Noah was, but I fee the Ark Chrift can fave me from them all. Noah's ark faved him only from a flood of water, but the Ark Chrift faves from a flood of the curfes of the law and the wrath of God, which will fweep away all the unbelieving world. This flood rofe, fwelled high, and dashed furiously against our Ark; but the Ark was proof against it, and fheltered all the elect world from the flood, fo that not one drop did light on them. O how excellent is this Ark for it can fave me from being overwhelmed or carried away with any flood, and particularly it can fave me from being carried away with a flood of Satan's temptations which fweeps away many, or with a flood of indwelling corruption, with a flood of error, with a flood of profanity, or with a flood of neutrality and indifferency about fpiritual concerns; by which floods, multitudes are deftroyed. Let me then by faith fly to this bleffed Ark, where all believers are |