a high station, and he will presently have many to attend upon him. Sinners, though they have many to wait upon them, have no real benefit from any thing. Their table is a snare; and all their earthly comforts come with a curse. But it is otherwise with true believers: all things work together for their good. Their meat and drink, and other accommodations of life, do them real service. Kings and emperors are their servants. The very angels in heaven are all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation. Mercies are their servants, to draw them nearer to God. Afflictions are their servants, to wean them from the world, and mortify them to sin. O what numerous as well as honourable attendants has every, the meanest disciple of Christ.

Lastly; by Christ you have a better home. Indeed, in your natural state, you have properly no home at all. You were exiles and aliens; strangers to the covenant of promise, without hope, and without God in the world. But when you were united to Christ, and taken into God's family, heaven was then your home. Indeed, you may not presently be taken up to it; but as soon as you are ready for heaven, He will come and receive you to himself, that where He is there you may be also. Now, where a person's home is, there his heart and desire is; and he cannot rest till he get

there

and because the house and ordinances of God on earth come the nearest to heaven, therefore you take delight in attending there, hoping for some of the first-fruits and foretastes of the heavenly Canaan; and the language of your hearts will be, "A day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness," Psa. lxxxiv. 10.

66

Now, christians, if any should ask you what is your Beloved more than another beloved, you have an answer ready. 'My Beloved has done that for me, which no other would or could do. Since I have been related to him, I am better clothed, better fed, have better company, better attendance, and a better home. I am every way better. Who but He would have overlooked my ungrateful return for so much kindness, and invited me to an entertainment like this? Guilt made me almost ashamed to meet him, but he has compelled me to come in.

"While all our hearts and all our songs

Join to admire the feast,

Each of us cries with thankful tongues,

Lord, why was I a guest?

Why was I made to hear thy voice,

And enter while there's room;

When thousands make a wretched choice,

And rather starve than come?

'Twas the same love that spread the feast,

That sweetly forced us in ;

Else we had still refused to taste,

And perish'd in our sin."

And now, christians, is Christ so lovely in himself, and has he been such a friend to you? Be thankful for what you have found in him, and received from him, and recommend him to others. He that finds an earthly treasure, is willing to keep it all to himself; but he that finds this Pearl of price, is willing that others should partake of it as well as himself. And, indeed, here one is no loser by another's gain. Those that are of a generous spirit, if they know any thing that would be for another's advantage, cannot be easy till they tell them of it. But what advantage can any thing be, in comparison with an interest in Christ? Would you wish them well, not only for time but for eternity, recommend Christ to them. They may "This house is mine; this field is mine;" and yet be miserable. But if they can say, "Christ is mine;" they are inconceivably happy; though they have neither houses, nor lands, nor money, nor friends. Recommend Christ by your words; but especially recommend him by a gospel-like behaviour. If, through the Divine blessing, you may be the means of bringing one soul to Christ, you will be instrumental of doing more good, than by saving a kingdom or conquering a world.

say,

MEDITATION XXI.

[Feb. 6, 1803.]

CANTICLES VIII. 6.

FOR LOVE IS STRONG AS DEATH.

THE love of Christ is much stronger. Many waters could not quench it, neither could the floods drown it. He met with difficulties and discouragements enough, to have cooled and quenched any love but his. We have here an amazing proof of the sincerity and ardour of his love; for we have Jesus Christ evidently set forth, as crucified, before our eyes. This is the subject to which I now invite your attention. Indeed, with such a subject before us, it is hard to attend to any thing else; though you can judge of it chiefly by its effects, the principle and spring of it lies far beyond the reach of human thought. It is that love which (if we dare speak it) warmed the heart of Deity with a tender compassion for the ruined perishing children of men, and moved him to desire, to determine, to undertake, and to accomplish their restoration to holiness and happiness. It is that

love which made the second Person in the Godhead, when no other friend could be found that was equal to the work, step forth and say, "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God!" It is that love which induced him to disrobe himself of the glory of heaven, brought him down to earth, clothed him in mortal flesh, and subjected him to all the sinless infirmities of this body of death. It is that love which raised him above the fear of death and the grave, and carried him through all the griefs and sorrows which, for our sakes, he contracted an acquaintance with. It is that love which induced him to become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. This is that love which we are now to contemplate; and if we are not affected with it, what must our hearts be made of? Surely, with such an object before us as the lovely loving Jesus, our hearts must melt, must burn within us, and we must cry out with wonder and exultation, "Behold how he loved us!" To give some kind of regularity to our meditations on this delightful subject, I will just mention a few properties of this love of Christ, as it will serve to heighten our joy in the surveys and sense of it.

1. It is unmerited love.

When our particular friends and relations profess their love to us, and do us offices of kindness, we make no great account of it; we fancy that our relation to them and affection for them gives us a