lap,) was lamed, in all its powers, and greatly defiled, yet, bleffed be God, through faith, Christ Jefus, that Physician of value, will heal and purify all again, and fet it down. to feast continually at the King's table above. 2 Sam. iv. 4. and ix. 13. And feeing God hath thus highly distinguished us from the inferior creatures, not only by reason, but also in the use and capacity of all our mental powers, how thankful fhould we be, and improve them for his honour and glory, for which end we were endowed with them, and after whofe image we were made! And, on the other hand, treat with gentleness thofe inferior creatures, which bear fo much of ours. The foul of man, a most active intelligent being, muft, of neceffity, according to its effence, always be thinking on fomewhat, and can it be employed in a more reafonable fervice, or train of thinking, than meditating on the fountain of its being and his wonderful works?

A

SPRING-DAY.

CONTEMPLATION I

On the DAWN of the MORNING.

WHILE drowsy mortals are as yet fu

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pinely fnoring on their couches, fome may be struggling in their dreams with fore conflicts, and others exulting in imaginary blifs; let me, this fine morning, ftray into the fields, and while I wet my foot with the virgin dews, regale my fcent with the balmy odours which the zephyrs breathe from the flowering herbage; the beauties of which are at prefent obfcured by the darknefs.

Now, in this feafon, of all others beft adapted for meditation, may I employ my thoughts on fuitable fubjects, and begin with contemplating the goodness of my Maker, in bringing me in fafety through the last night, acknowledging, with the prophet," his mer

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cies are new every morning;" while yonder dappled Eaft declares, that "great is his faithfulness," who hath promised that there shall be day and night while the earth remaineth.

The light now approaches, how feeble are its rays! Yet I know it to be the dawn, for I begin to discover fome of the objects around me. How rapid is its motion! like the swift tide which overflows the fand till all is loft in one vaft ocean; fo prevaileth the light over the darkness, but with incredible more velocity, till night is overwhelmed in the glare of day. "Truly the light is sweet, (faith the infpired Solomon,) and a plea"fant thing it is for the eyes to behold the "fun." Eccl. xi. 7. This puts me in mind of the creation of the world, when God faid, "Let there be light, and there was light." Gen. i. 3. Had that omnipotent, infinitely gracious word, not been spoken, how miferable, if at all, had our world been! man would have groped in darkness, and worn out a fhort life in wretchedness and grief.

But this calls to my memory a still more interesting fubject; namely, the fall of man,

THE MORNING.

43.

and the firft promife of the Gofpel; when Adam, by his awful apoftacy from the path of rectitude, eternally benighted, not only himself, but all his pofterity, in mifery and woe: Thus was man in grofs darkness, going headlong down to the pit of deftruction, when, lo! a voice was heard which might well astonish, both heaven and earth, for it was the voice of mercy, the Lord God, saying, as it were, Suffer him not to go down to the pit, for I have found a ransom, Job xxxiii. 24.; when, to the wonder of angels, and the astonishment of men, he said in effect, as he said with respect to the natural world, "Let there be light."

When he gave that infinitely gracious, unfpeakably precious promife, that the feed of the woman fhould bruife the head of the ferpent, Gen. iii. 15. this no doubt furprised Adam with joy inexpreffible, and enkindled fuch a flame of gratitude in his foul, as eternity itself shall never be able to extinguish.

This first promife of the gofpel, like the natural dawn, unfolded itself still more and more, through all the Old-Teftament difpen

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fation, until at length it fhined in the perfect day in the new.

When Chrift Jefus, the Sun of righteoufnefs, arose with healing in his wings, and fhone on our earth, in a body of flesh, for about the space of thirty-three years; though, indeed, he had no form nor comeliness in the eyes of those who were ftill in a natural ftate, how falutary were his beams to thofe who believed in his name. He, to the apprehenfion of his enemies, finally fet on the crofs, when he yielded up the ghoft: while the fun in the firmament hid his face with a fable covering, as afhamed to behold his Creator's fufferings; and the vail of the temple rent in twain from top to bottom; to fhow that the way to the holiest of all was then made clear, and the fhadows of the morning, viz. the types and ceremonies of the Mofaical difpenfation, terminated in the great antitype Christ Jefus, the Sun of righteousness; who, to the unfpeakable joy of his people, but terror of his enemies, quickly arofe from death, behind which cloud his humanity had fet, for a very fhort time, ufhering in the broad day of the everlasting gofpel, to fhine with additional fplendor