tion of thy dear fon, and in thy vifit in the gospel proclamation, and offer of pardon through him! but let me ftill plead for another vifit in the effufion of thy Holy Spirit: This other vifit thou knowest is neceffary to make the former effectual to my falvation. May then thy Holy Spirit work faith in me, to fall in with thy glorious device for the redemption of man in all points, to accept of thy love offers, and reft upon thy free promifes of falvation through Jefus Chrift, and his moft perfect righteoufnefs. Amen.

MEDITATION VI.

From I COR. x. 4. And that Rock was Christ.

How useful was that rock in the wilderness to the Ifraelites fojourning there, after it was fmitten by Mofes' rod: When they were ready to perifh in that dry defart, the rock fent forth ftreams of water to them in great abundance; ftreams that followed them up hill and down hill, in all their turnings and windings, marches and counter-marches through that weary land. That rock was to them a lively type of Chrift, who being fmitten by the rod of the law's curfes, whofe minister Mofes was, fends forth plentiful fupplies to his people, while travelling in the wildernefs of this world. There are two principal ftreams of bleffings which he fends forth, most useful to us, to wit, a ftream of blood for our juftification, and a ftream of the Spirit for our fanctification. The channel or conduit pipes, for conveying these ftreams to us, are the ordinances and promifes of the gofpel; and through thefe pipes thefe bleffed ftreams run freely to all true believers, from the Rock Chrift, which- was broached for them.

Oh, how coftly was our redemption to our dear kinsman Jefus Chrift? dear did our fouls coft him! The rock of our falvation was cleaved afunder, rent and pierced to the very heart, to let out the waters of life

to us, by which only we can be preferved from eternal death, and obtain eternal life. How coftly and precious are the streams of Chrift's blood and Spirit, his mercy and grace, which flow from the fmitten Rock, and follow us through the wilderness in the free offers of the gofpel? They are life giving ftreams, fire quenching, heart foftening, foul cleansing, healing, and fructifying ftreams: Welcome then fhould we make thefe ftreams to our fouls in this dry and thirsty land.—Likewife the rock was to the Ifraelites a fhadow from the heat, and a covert from tempefts and storms: So Chrift, our Rock, fcreens us from the fcorching heat of vindictive justice, and from the waves and billows of God's wrath.-How neceffary and useful is the Rock Chrift to the fouls of fallen men! Oh, let me never, Jefhurun-like, lightly efteem this Rock of our falvation. O let me never go to falfe rocks, or falfe streams, for fhelter or fupply in ftraits, when the true Rock is fo near, and the faving ftreams run close by my door yea, follow me daily in the channel of the word and facraments: Streams appointed by heaven to answer all the cafes and ailments of loft finners. O fhall God in his tender mercy provide fuch a wonderful remedy, fet the Rock a broach for me, and cause its streams to follow me; and fhall I be fo foolifh as to turn my back upon them, and refuse to apply or make ufe of them? O fave from fuch curfed ingratitude and madness; I believe, Lord, help my unbelief.

O how much fhould my heart be affected at thy holy table, when I fee the Rock of my falvation fmitten by the rod of Juftice, and behold the bloody fpear pierce into his heart? O Rock of ages, what made thee to rend and cleave fo! O Brightness of thy Father's glory, who has disfigured thee fo? O River of life, clear as cryftal, who hath troubled thee fo? Oh, it was my fins, my pride, my paffion, my unbelief, my worldlinefs, my hardnefs, impenitence, &c. Thefe were the caufe of my Redeemer's fufferings. The iniquities of finful men were laid upon him. When he was pierced,

it was I that fhould have been fmitten. When he groaned and sweat blood, I fhould have howled and roared in hell. Harder than the rock is my heart, if I can fee my dear Saviour fmitten and pierced, and not mourn. O can I fee his fide and heart ftreaming out blood, and mine eyes not pour out tears! Can I behold the Rock fmitten for the fins of men, and not adore the holiness and justice of God manifefted therein? Can I see my innocent Saviour wounded and flain for my fins, and my foul not hate them; yea, shall I not be filled with horror and trembling at temptations to fin?

Let me, at my Saviour's call, approach to his table, and come near to the Rock of my falvation, and hearken to the raging billows of infinite wrath, dashing against the Reck for my fins, and even making the Rock to groan, fweat, and tremble under the preffure. O what a dreadful hurricane of wrath did he endure, to keep the fwelling ocean of divine wrath from overflowing guilty men Surely my glorious Emmanuel's groaning and fweating blood under the ftrokes of God's vengeance, is a greater evidence of the implacable wrath and indignation of God against fin, than if he had hurled all the rocks of the creation into the midst of the fea, yea or a thousand worlds of men and angels into hell. O that while I am beholding this fight I may tremble at fin, come by faith under the fhadow of this Rock, and run into the clefts of it for fafety. Here I would be out of the reach of the law's curfes, and threatenings of wrath; and though I hear the roarings and dafhings of the fea upon the Rock, yea a drop of it could not touch me.

O that I could imitate Mofes, when I am at the table, and fmite the Rock by the rod of faith, that the ftreams of Chrift's blood and spirit may flow out to me. What was his error will be my wifdom, to fmite the Rock oftener than once, to put forth many acts of faith on Jefus Chrift, fuch as the difcerning, affenting, approving, deriving, receiving, clofing, embracing, truft

ing, pleading, applying, and appropriating acts of true faith. May I, like Ifrael of old, Deut. xxxii. 13. be helped by faith to fuck honey out of the Rock, and oil out of the flinty Rock: Honey and oil, fweetness and fatnefs, quickening and comfort. How fhall I come at this honey and oil? Only by fucking: And how fhall I fuck, but by the mouth of faith? There is no fucking without it. Neither can I fuck by faith unlefs God make me do it for it is faid, Deut. xxxii. He made them to fuck honey out of the rock. It is God that must give me both a mouth and ftrength to fuck, faith in the habit, and faith in exercife. It is only the blowings of the north and fouth winds on the garden, that make the fpices to flow out. Arake, O north wind, come thou fouth, blow upon my garden; bring faith to life, that I may fuck honey from Chrift in the facrament. Chrift's breafts are now full; O let not faith be wanting, for if it be wanting, I can fuck nothing: Bleffed be God, Jefus Chrift, my Redeemer, is the author of faith. Lord, increase my faith, that I may fuck honey from the Rock. But what honey may I expect from it? Ans. The honey of pardon of fin. O how fweet is this honey! The honey of peace and reconciliation with God; the honey of a law biding righteoufnefs; the honey of access to, and communion with God; the honey of enlargement of heart, and loofing of bands, &c. O let me ever fuck from this Rock, the Rock that answers all my needs, and richly fupplies all my wants. Let me alfo, under all my ftraits, fupport myfelf with the Pfalmift's cordial, Pfal. xviii. 46. The Lord liveth, and bleffed be my Rock. Why fhould believers in Chrift droop in any condition, or look like dead men, while their Lord liveth, and their Rock ftandeth Bleffed be God, my Rock is a living and lafting Rock; my hopes may die, my comforts die, my frames die, my gifts, my wealth, and my relations, they may all die; but I rejoice in the news, that my Lord will not die, nor my Rock fall. He once died for me, but he is rifen again; good news! Now he is alive, and will die no more.

MEDITATION VII.

From ZECH. xii. 10. They shall look upon me whom they bave pierced

and mourn.

THIS promife hath a refpect, not only to the Jews when converted, but to all finners when brought to repentance. We have all pierced Chrift, in as much as our fins were the cause of his death; He was wounded for our tranfgreffions. Now a believing fight of a pierced Saviour, is the beft fpring of forrow for fin; it is faith's look to a crucified Chrift, that will fet us a mourning after a godly fort. Othat this promife may be made good to me at this time, that I may be helped to look believingly upon Chrift as pierced for my fins, my pride, my paffion, my unbelief, my carnality, my difobedience, my impenitence, my fins of the heart, of the tongue, and of the life, that I may confefs and be wail them, mourn and weep over them before the Lord. Oh! when shall I mourn and weep if not now, when I am called to look upon my dear Lord and furety at his table, all red with blood for my red and fearlet coloured fins? I will not now ftand afar off, and look to my Saviour on the cross, as thefe women who followed him from Galilee, Luke xxiii. 49. No, I will come clofe to him, take a near look, and a narrow view of his wounds and piercings by my fins, that I may fee how wide and deep they are, that my eye may affect my heart with godly forrow for fin.

When I look on him, I'll confider the dignity of the perfon pierced by and for me; he is the Almighty Creator, the gloriou Emmanuel, the Plant of renown, the Prince of the kings of the earth, that is pierced and nailed to a crofs. Jeremiah laments in the captivity, that princes were hanged up by the hands, Lam. v. 12. But what were the princes of Ifrael to the Prince of Peace, the King of Glory, whom I fee hanging nailed through the hands on the cross, and his blood poured out like water upon the earth! O it is royal blood, the blood