O, may you, with sincere prayer, draw nigh to God, saying, Lord, so teach me to number my days, that I may apply my heart to wisdom.

2. Meditate on the glorious perfections of God. How strikingly is human folly discovered by the clear display of infinite wisdom! How contemptible does pride look, while we eye the majesty of the Most High! How odious does all sin appear, in the full view of divine justice and sovereign super-abounding grace! Jeshurun, in prosperity, "forsook God, and lightly esteemed the rock of his salvation." Deut. xiii. 15, Ig. norance, or forgetfulness of God, always draws after it ingratitude and disobedience. I have heard of a person, who constantly carried the picture of his father with him, and, when he was tempted to any thing wrong or dangerous, used to look at it, that the memory of his father's virtue might preserve him from vice. If the picture of a father, who was dead, increased the abhorrence of what was evil, how much more ought the presence of our heavenly Father, who searches the secrets of the heart, to excite and keep up our hatred of sin! The angels above, full of reverence and love, perpetually cry, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts!" If you have right views of God, you will have just thoughts of yourself. The nearer you draw to a Being of

infinite purity and perfection, the clearer will be the discoveries of your own depravity and defilement, worthlessness and meanness. "How can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman Behold even the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight. How much less man, that is a worm; and the son of man, which is a worm;" Job xxv. 4, 5, 6. Hear Moses exclaim, "Who is a god like unto Thee? glorious in holiness; fearful in praises; doing wonders!" Job says, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore, I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes!" Job xlii. 56. When Isaiah had so bright a vision of God's glory, how did it abase him in his own mind! "Then said I, woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." Isaiah vi. 5.

3. Meditate on the life, the amazing love, and the sin-atoning death of Jesus Christ.

Are you stupified through the power of sin ? Open the New Testament, and there behold Emmanuel. What words of wisdom and instruction flowed from his lips! What works and wonders have been done by his hands! He came

not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. All the warnings he spake, and all the wonders he wrought, were for this end. He was grieved when he saw the hardness of their hearts, and he wept over those, who never shed a tear themselves. One of the first miracles, says Henry, which Moses wrought, was turning water into blood; but one of the first miracles our Lord wrought, was turning water into wine. For the law was given by Moses, and it was a dispensation of death and terror; but grace and truth, which like wine, make glad the heart, came by Jesus Christ. As you have greater privileges than the heathen, if you die unconverted, you must endure greater punishments; you will be accounted more guilty than the hardened and obstinate Pharaoh. Even reason itself leads us to this conclusion. But when we look into the scriptures, it is placed beyond a doubt: Better were it that you were born and brought up among barbarians, than to have had the light of the gospel, and die stupified in your sins. Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighthy works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth

and ashes.

But I say unto you, it shall be

more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than for you.

21, 22.

Matthew xi. 20,

Meditate seriously and daily on the wonderful love of Christ.

What else so well deserves to engage your thoughts? The kindness and love of God our Saviour towards men, furnish a mystery, into which angels desire to look. They came down from heaven to sing a song of praise at the birth of Jesus. And while angels are filled with wonder and joy in considering the glorious scheme of human redemption, have you no thoughts to employ upon it? O turn aside, and see this great sight, the Son of God clothed in flesh to snatch us from destruction. He loved us when we had nothing to render us worthy of his love. While we were sunk in sin and misery, he left the shining regions of glory to raise us, to be partakers of his kingdom. Set then Christ in all his perfection and condescension before you. Meditate deeply, and meditate daily on him; That being rooted and grounded in love, you may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, the length, and depth, and height: and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. Eph. iii. 18, 19.

And O how wonderful was the manner, in which Jesus manifested his love to men. He gave himself an offering and a sacrifice for us. It was absolutely impossible to have a stronger proof of love to a lost world.. The apostle speaks of it as a matter of doubt, or a mere peradventure, whether any one could be found, who would dare to die, even for a good man. But while we were yet sinners and enemies, Christ died for us, Rom. v. 7, 8. He submitted to bear the curse, that we might be set free, and enjoy the blessing, even life for evermore. What can so effectually touch all the springs of sympathy in the heart, as the love of Christ? And where can the love of Christ be so fully seen, as on the hill of Calvary? Draw nigh then to the cross; and behold the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world. The sun withdrew his beams, the solid rocks rent, and the earth quaked, while Jesus suffered the penalty of our transgressions. And can you, unmoved, contemplate the awful scene? While you stand at the foot of the cross, you may sing of mercy and of judgment. While you view a suffering Saviour, you may well shed tears of grief and of joy. Here are at once displayed, the terrors of injured justice, and the wonders of infinite love. Are you in any measure concerned about your eternal welfare ? Turn not to mount