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AND the Earth helped the Woman, and the Earth opened her Mouth, and fwallowed up the Flood which the Dragon caft out of his Mouth. Rev. xii. 16.

Let us adore this Portion of Earth united to the Word, which, being opened by fo many Wounds upon the Crofs, has fwallowed up the World and Sin, and abforbed Death in its own Death. In the Holes of this Rock we must hide ourselves; from thence we must draw all our Strength.

By our illuftrious Gen'ral fir'd,
We no Extreams would fear,
Prepar'd to struggle and to bleed,
If Thou, our Lord, be near.

We'll trace the Foot-Steps thou haft
To Triumph and Renown, [drawn
Nor fhun thy Combat, and thy Cross,
May we but share thy Crown.

ND I heard a Voice from Heaven, faying unto me, Write, Bleffed are the Dead which die in the Lord, from henceforth: Yea, faith the Spirit, that they may reft from their Labours; and their Works do follow them. Rev. xiv. 13.

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Do thou thyself, O Holy Spirit, write this fo important Truth in our Hearts. If all confift in dying well, then ought it to be our whole Business ourfelves for it by a holy Life. prepare To die in the LORD, is to die in the Truth of his Faith, in the Unity of his Body, and in the Love of his Word. How fweet is the Labour of Love to those who fix their Thoughts upon the eternal Reft, which they fhall enjoy in GOD himself! - Nothing will follow us into the immediate Prefence of God, but that which we shall have done and fuffered for his Sake. The Saints who die of CHRIST poffeft Enter into immediate Rest: For them no farther Teft remains Of purging Fires and torturing Pains, Who, trufting to their LORD, depart, Cleans'd from allSin,and pure in Heart: The Blifs unmix'd, the glorious Prize, They find with CHRIST in Paradise.

Close followed by their Works they go
Their Mafter's purchas'd Joy to know;
Their Works enhance the Bliss prepar'd,
And each hath its diftinct Reward:
Yet glorify'd by Grace alone,
They caft their crowns before the throne
And fill the echoing Courts above
With Praises of Redeeming Love.

AND the Angel thruft in his Sickle into the Earth, and gather

ed the Vine of the Earth, and caft it into the great Wineprefs of the Wrath of God. Rev. xiv. 19.

As the favourable Sickle of Jefus Chrift reaps his Wheat when ripe for Heaven: fo that of the Executioners of his Juftice cuts off from this Life the Tares which are fit only for the Fire of Hell. Then at length fhall the Blood of Chrift cease to be trampled under Foot by Sinners; and that of the Wicked fhall be eternally troden down in Hell, which is the great Wine-prefs of the Wrath of God.

My waken'd Soul extend thy Wings
Beyond the Verge of mortal Things;
See this vain World in Smoke decay,
And Rocks and Mountains melt away. To endless Bliss or endless Woe.
Behold the fiery Deluge roll

Children of Adam all appear
With Rev'rence round his awful Bar;
For as his Lips pronounce, ye go

[Pole; Lord to mine Eyes this Scene display,

Thro' Heav'ns wide Arch from Pole to Frequent thro' each revolving Day;

Pale Sun no more thy Luftre boaft,

Tremble and fall ye ftarry Hoft.

And let thy Grace my Soul prepare

To meet its full Redemption there.

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ND they gave forth their Lots; and the Lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbred with the eleven Apostles. Acts i.26.

GOD never fails to make known his Will to Men, when they fincerely befeech him to do it, and seek nothing but his Glory. Who would not have thought that Barfabas was to have been preferred, who, from the Reputation of his Sanctity had been furnamed Juftus? But God thought fit to determine otherwife: Let it be our Defire to follow Providence our felves; and let us pray that GOD will fet over all his Churches Paftors after his own Heart, who may feed them with Knowledge and Understanding (Jer. iii. 15.) Let us own bis Hand in the Determination of every Circumftance which befalls us, and especially in those by which any folemn and important Truft may be committed to us. And may the Confideration of it be an additional Engagement upon us, to difcharge it with becoming Diligence and entire Fidelity.

Let

none within thy Church be found, But fimple Ifraelites indeed, But Men of upright Hearts and found,

The humble, pure, and holy Seed, Who truely are what they profess, Thy Band of Blood-bought Witneffes.

THEY did eat, they drank, they married Wives, they were given in Marriage, until the Day that Noah entered into the Ark and the Flood came, and deftroyed them all. Luke xvii. 27.

The Life of Men, in the Days of Noah, represents to us, in a lively Manner, the Sottishness and ftrange Stupidity of worldly Men, who are entirely taken up with this prefent Life, and regard not in the leaft the Threats of the divine Wrath. It looks as if this Life was given to Men to no other End, but only that they might acquire fuch a Share of the good Things thereof, as will enable them to pafs it at their Eafe, in the midst of all Sorts of Conveniencies in Abundance, and with Splendour, and that they might endeavour to perpetuate their Name and Family, by advantageous Matches. For is not this the Thing which takes up the whole Care and Concern of thofe, whom the World ftiles, People of Fashion, and that which generally makes them unhappy Reprobates?

Sin has a thousand treacherous Arts, She pleads for all the Joys fhe brings,
To practice in the Mind; [Hearts, And gives a fair Pretence;
With flattering Looks fhe tempts our But cheats the Soul of heavenly Things,
But leaves a Sting behind.
And chains it down to Senfe.

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