The Meditation for Thurfday Evening. Upon a lively faith in God's mercy through Chrift, and a quiet confcience. Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith-For the fruit of the fpirit is love, joy, peace, faith, without which it is impoffible to please God. 2 Cor. xiii. 4. Gal. v. 22. Heb. xi. 6. I. Remember, O my foul ! that the church exhorts us, and tells us in exprefs words, that it is requifite that no man should come to the boly communion, but with a full trust in God's mercy, and with a quiet confcience; whence we learn that the benefits of our faviour's death and paffion in this facrament are indeed freely offered unto ALL, but only effectually to BELIEVERS, as we read in St. John, as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God, even to them that believe in his name. 2. All that Chrift hath done and fuffered for us men and our falvation can never profit us, unless we have faith to believe it: that which muft render the benefits and bleffings of the gofpel effectual to our falvation, is our faith in Chrift, who himself declares, that whoever heareth his words, and believeth on him that fent him, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is paffed from death E 3 death unto life. And the ancient churches accounted thofe only faithful that had received the Lord's Supper. And our church still continues that primitive imitation. Draw near with faith, and take this holy facrament to your comfort. But if thou, O my foul! askest what that faith is? remember it is that faith which for its object hath God's mercy, through Chrift, as the fountain and foundation of all thofe infinite bleffings and comforts, which we gain by his manifeftation in the flesh. 3. Now, my foul, I pray thy advice; tell me what is here intended by a quiet confcience? for I can never apply God's mercy to myself by faith, while I diftruft the truth and fincerity of my own repentance? I understand it myfelf that a quiet confcience entirely depends upon the opinion a man has of his repentance, as being fincere and accepted of God; but I am as well ascertained, that a man may mistake his cafe, and therefore a quiet confcience is not always a secure state with respect to God; for, if a man believe he has repented truly, and yet has not, he is never the nearer pardon for thinking himself pardoned. So that, 4. It is plain, a man may have a quiet conScience, when he is really in great danger; and again, he may have a troubled confcience, when he is indeed forgiven, and intitled to God's favour; yet though I am fearful of not having repented as I ought to do, I can never believe that God will judge men finally, by their prefent affurance or defpondency, but by the truth and the fincerity of their repentance. 5. Here, methinks, O my foul, thou fendeft me for advice to the church, who underftands, by a quiet confcience, fuch a trust in God's mercy, as that, if a man be duly qualified, he shall be certainly accepted of him, and be forgiven and directs fuch men whofe fins may be of fuch a nature, as that they shall be forely perplexed to understand what fort of repentance is neceffary to the obtaining forgiveness, to advise with their spiritual guides, to be inftructed and fet aright. For, 6. They will teach them the true extent of God's mercies in Jesus Christ, and what it is will qualify them for the forgiveness of their fins. This is the quiet confcience that the church requires of a communicant, a confcience well informed of the nature of God's promises and threats, of the nature of repentance, and of its own ftate and condition. Thus, if I underftand E 4 ftand you right, you fay, that the quiet of a man's confcience depends upon his firm opinion and perfuafion. 7. For, O my foul! I have found that our fafety and fecurity depends upon our practice; for God accepts us not barely according to what we believe of himself, but according to what we do and truly are. If therefore, upon a ferious examination of my life past, I find I am, in earnest, very much concerned for having offended God, and ftedfaftly purpose to do fo no more; and that, by the affistance of his grace, I am refolved to lead a new and better life for the time to come; and that I do firmly believe that, if I do so, God will, for Chrift's fake, accept of my repentance, and enable me more and more to walk carefully before him; I may come to the facrament, although I, having often broken my good refolutions before, may be ftill afraid of the truth and fincerity of my repentance. The Hymn, on Thursday Evening. Should forms of wrath shake earth and fea, The The day glides fweetly o'er their heads, Quick as their thoughts, their joys come on, But fpend the day, and share the night That heav'n prepares for their delight. While wretched we, like worms and moles, Lie grov'ling in the dust below; Almighty grace renews our fouls, And we'll afpire to glory too. Another. FAR from my foul, fad thoughts, be gone, My tongue fhall triumph in my God, Darkness and doubts had veil'd my mind, Till fov'reign grace with fhining rays |