blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh, for if they escaped not who refused him that spoke on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven." Why, man or woman, it is Jesus that speaketh to thee, Jesus the Mediator of the covenant that speaks unto you to believe. What, are you sprinkled? go away then and doubt no more; but take heed that ye refuse not him that speaketh from heaven.

And then also conclude and say, Now know I that I shall be preserved from the destroyer. When the Israelites' posts were sprinkled with the blood of the Lamb, they could say, Now know I that I shall not be destroyed by this destroying angel. Art thou sprinkled with the blood of Jesus? say then, Now know I that I shall not be destroyed, but that the angel shall pass over me in the destroying day.

Then also go away and be contented with your condition whatever it be. And well you may. If you be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, you are made partakers of the greatest privilege that can be, and will you not then be contented with your condition? Go away and be contented with your condition, saying, I have now received the greatest privilege, for I am sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, therefore will I be contented with my condition whatever it be.

And then go away and praise God and be very thankful. Be very thankful to God the Father, and to the Lamb with whose blood you are sprinkled. Look into Rev. v., and you shall find there are three choirs of praisers, and all praising upon the account of this blood. And when he had opened the book, verse 9, "the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, and they sung a new song." The four and twenty elders (these are men) saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood." By thy blood; here is the foot of the song.

Then comes in the angels, another choir, praising God, verse 11. "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts, and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain." See the foot of the song still; "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain." Men praise upon this account, angels praise upon this account also.

There is a third choir, and those are other creatures, verse 14: "And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, honour, glory and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." The word slain is not there, but " To the Lamb," that is all one. Now shall there be such praising God upon that account, for the Lamb's being slain; and are you indeed most concerned, and sprinkled with this blood of Jesus, this Lamb, and will not you praise God? Oh, go away and be for ever thankful.

Go away and sin no more; be not defiled with sin, for you see it cost dear to cleanse you: the blood of sprinkling, the blood of Jesus.

And go away and honour God yet more in believing. It may be there are some here, that never honoured God to this day with a believing smile. Man, woman, art thou sprinkled, indeed sprinkled with the blood of Jesus? Go away then, and honour the Lord with one smile of faith this day.

And to conclude all. Art thou indeed sprinkled with the blood of Jesus? then go away and be sure that you never sell your birth-right for a mess of pottage. Mark how this text comes in. In Heb. xii., the apostle speaking of profane Esau, "Take heed (saith he) lest there be any fornicator or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright for ye know how that afterwards, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears: for

ye are not come to mount Sinai, but ye are come to mount Sion, and ye are come to Jesus, the Mediator of the covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling." What then? Oh, take heed you do not sell your birth-right for a mess of pottage. What is your birth-right? The gospel is your birth-right, you are born thereto, through grace. And what is your little estate, but a mess of pottage; and what is your great estate, but a great bowl of pottage. Oh, do not sell your birth-right for a mess of pottage. You are sprinkled, and the blood of sprinkling is upon you; then hold fast, keep your birth-right,

"For ye are come

and never sell it for a mess of pottage: unto Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than the blood of Abel." And thus now I have done with the fourth argument, and with this text.

Think on these things, and the Lord bless them to you.

SERMON VII.

THE SWEETNESS AND PROFITABLENESS OF DIVINE

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MEDITATION.

My meditation of him shall be sweet."-Psalm civ. 34.

THE psalm is a psalm of thanksgiving, wherein the psalmist doth call upon and provoke himself to praise the Lord, the account of his greatness. upon "Bless the Lord, O my soul; O Lord my God, thou art very great, thou art clothed with honour and majesty," verse 1.

Which greatness of God is illustrated by the work of creation and preservation.

By the work of creation, from the 2nd verse unto the 25th. By the work of preservation, from the 25th unto the 33rd. Having called upon himself thus to praise the Lord, he resolves to do it: "I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live, I will sing praise unto my God while I have my being." And, saith he," My meditation of him shall be sweet, I will be glad in the Lord."

"My meditation of him shall be sweet."

Take the words as they lie in themselves. and you have this doctrine presently:

That it is a sweet thing for a gracious soul to meditate on God. Meditation work is sweet work. A gracious soul doth find sweetness in meditating on God. David was a gracious man, and he found sweetness in this work of meditation on God. It is the property then of a gracious soul, to find sweetness in meditating on God.

For the opening and prosecuting of which argument: First, We will inquire what this meditation is; what is the true nature and notion of meditation.

Secondly, How and in what respects a man may be said to meditate on God.

Thirdly, How it may appear, that it is a sweet thing to meditate on God and the things of God.

Fourthly, I shall answer unto some objections.

Fifthly, And then show how the work of meditation is to be carried on with sweetness; which is my design in the choice of these words.

First, As for what the work of meditation is, what is the true notion of it; it is several ways expressed in Scripture.

Sometimes it is called, a remembering of God. In Psalm lxiii., " When I remember thee upon my bed," which is explained by that which follows, " And meditate on thee in the night watches."

Sometimes it is called, a thinking on God. So in Psalm xlviii. 9, "We have thought of thy loving-kindness, O God."

And sometimes it is called a musing on God. And so in Psalm cxliii.," I remember the days of old, I meditate on all thy works, I muse on the work of thy hands." Thus it is severally expressed in Scripture.

Great authors do describe it several ways.

It is a vehement application of the soul unto a thing, for the investigation and experimental knowledge thereof. So Gerson and others.

It is a studious action of the mind, whereby a man labours to find out some hidden truth. So Austin.

It is the exercise of a man's soul, whereby calling to remembrance what he doth know already, he doth further think on it, and debate on it within himself, for his own profit and benefit. So Mr. Greenham.

But plainly and briefly thus:

It is the vehement or intense application of the soul unto some thing, whereby a man's mind doth ponder, dwell and fix upon it, for his own profit and benefit.

There must be the application of the soul to some thing; and therefore sometimes it is expressed by laying of a thing to heart: "The righteous are taken away, and no man lays it to heart;" no man considers on it. "If ye will not lay these things to heart," &c. Mal. ii. 2.

And as there must be an application, so there must be a vehement and intense application of the soul unto a thing,

for every consideration does not make meditation: consideration heightened makes meditation.

Meditation is the work of the whole soul. The mind acts, and the memory acts, and the affections act. "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart:" it is an intense and a vehement application of the soul unto truth. But there must be also a fixation of the soul upon the thing. It is not every slight and transient thought that makes meditation: "My meditation shall be of thee all the day," Psalm cxix. It is Actio cunctabunda, saith Alvares. A man may think on God every day, and meditate on God no day. There must be a fixation of the soul upon some truth; a dwelling and fixing of the soul upon some thing.

But then this must be in reference to one's own profit and benefit. Though I do think, and think much of sin, if I do not think thereof to leave it, it is not meditation. Though I think on the life and the death of Christ, if it be not to conform unto him, these thoughts will not amount to meditation. Though I think on the love and goodness of God, yet if it be not to get my heart inflamed with love thereby, it will not amount to meditation.

Plainly, then, meditation, for the true nature and the notion of it, is a vehement, an intense application of the soul unto a thing, whereby a man's mind doth dwell and insist and abide upon it for his profit and benefit. That is the first. Secondly. But, then, how and in what respects may a man be said to meditate on God?

Why look when a man doth meditate on the name, nature, titles and attributes of God, then he is said to meditate on God.

"When

On the nature of God. So in the lxiiird Psalm : I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches."

And look when a man doth meditate on Christ the Son of God, then he is said for to meditate on God, for Christ is God; and therefore saith the apostle, "Consider the High Priest of your profession, looking unto Jesus."

And look when a man doth meditate on the word of God, the law and statutes of God, then he is said to meditate on God. Psalm i., " He delighteth in the law of the Lord, and therein doth he meditate."