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think frequently of dying, to think of it as often as we go to bed; it will help to mortify the corruptions of our own hearts, which are our daily burdens; to arm us against the temptations of the world, which are our daily snares; it will wean us from our daily comforts, and make us easy under our daily crosses and fatigues. It is good for us to think familiarly of dying, to think of it as our going to bed, that by thinking often of it, and thinking thus of it, we may get above the fear of it.

(1.) At death we shall retire, as we do at bed-time; we shall go to be private for a while, till the public appearance at the great day; "Man lieth down, and riseth not till the heavens be no more;" till then "they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep" (Job xiv. 12). Now we go abroad to see and be seen, and to no higher purpose do some spend their day, spend their life; but when death comes there is an end of both, we shall then see no more in this world; I "shall behold man no more" (Isa. xxxviii. 11); we shall then be seen no more;" ;" "The eye of him that hath seen me, shall see me no more" (Job vii. 8); we shall be hid in the grave, and cut off from all living. To die is to bid good night to all our friends, to put a period to our conversation with them. We bid them farewell, but, blessed be God, it is not an eternal farewell; we hope to meet them again in the morning of the resurrection, to part no more.

(2.) At death we shall lie down in the grave as on our bed, shall lie down in the dust (Job xx. 11). To those who die in sin, and impenitence, the grave is a dungeon; their iniquities which are upon their bones, and which lie down with them, make it so; but to those who die in Christ, who die in faith, it is a bed, a bed of rest, where there is no tossings to and fro until the dawning of the day, as sometimes there are upon the easiest beds we have in this world; where there is no danger of being scared with dreams, and terrified with visions of the night; there is no being chastened with pain on that bed, or

EVENING RETROSPECTS.

273 the multitude of the bones with strong pain. It is the privilege of those who, while they live, walk in their uprightness, that when they die they enter into peace, and rest in their beds (Isa. lvii. 2). Holy Job comforts himself with this, in the midst of his agonies, that he shall shortly make his bed in the darkness, and be easy there. It is a bed of roses, a bed of spices, to all believers, ever since He lay in it who is the "Rose of Sharon, and the Lily of the Valleys."

Say then of thy grave, as thou dost of thy bed at night, "There the weary are at rest;" with this further consolation, that thou shalt not only rest there, but rise thence shortly, abundantly refreshed; shalt be called up to meet the Beloved of thy soul, and to be for ever with Him; shalt rise to a day which will not renew thy cares, as every day on earth does, but secure to thee unmixed and everlasting joys. How comfortably may we lie down at night if such thoughts as these lie down with us; and how comfortably may we lie down at death if we have accustomed ourselves to such thoughts as these!

3. Let us lie down with penitent reflections upon the sins of the day past. Praising God and delighting ourselves in Him is such pleasant work, and so much the work of angels, that methinks it is a pity that we should have any thing else to do; but the truth is, we make other work for ourselves by our own folly, that is not so pleasant, but absolutely needful, and that is, repentance. While we are at night solacing ourselves in God's goodness, we must intermix therewith the afflicting of ourselves for our own vileness; both must have their place in us, and they will very well agree together; for we must take our work before us.

(1.) We must examine our consciences, that we may find out our particular transgressions of the day past. Let us every night search and try our ways, our thoughts, words, and actions; compare them with the rule of the Word, examine our

What have we What false step

faces in that glass, that we may see our spots, and may be particular in the acknowledgment of them. It will be good for us to ask, What have we done this day? done amiss? What duty have we neglected? have we taken? How have we carried it in our callings, in our converse? Have we done the duties of our particular relations, and accommodated ourselves to the will of God in every event of providence? By doing this frequently, we shall grow in our acquaintance with ourselves, than which nothing will contribute more to our soul's prosperity.

(2.) We must renew our repentance for whatever we find has been amiss in us, or has been said or done amiss by us; we must be sorry for it, and sadly lament it, and take shame to ourselves for it, and give glory to God by making confession. If any thing appear to have been wrong more than ordinary, that must be particularly bewailed; and, in general, we must be mortified for our sins of daily infirmity, which we ought not to think slightly of, because they are returning daily, but rather be the more ashamed of them, and of that fountain within, which casts out these waters.

It is good to be speedy in renewing our repentance, before the heart be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Delays are dangerous; green wounds may soon be cured, if taken in time, but if they are corrupt, as the Psalmist complains (Ps. xxxviii. 5), it is our fault and folly, and the cure will be difficult. Though through the weakness of the flesh we fall into sin daily, if we get up again by renewed repentance at night, we are not, nor ought we to think ourselves, utterly cast down. The sin that humbles us shall not ruin us.

(3.) We must make a fresh application of the blood of Christ to our souls, for the remission of our sins, and the gracious acceptance of our repentance. We must not think that we have need of Christ only at our first conversion to God; no, we have daily need of Him as our Advocate with

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the Father, and therefore, as such, He always appears in the presence of God for us, and attends continually to this very thing. Even our sins of daily infirmity would be our ruin, if He had not made satisfaction for them, and did not still make intercession for us. He who is washed, still needs to wash his feet from the filth he contracts in every step; and, blessed be God, there is a fountain opened for us to wash in, and it is always open.

4. Let us lie down with humble supplications for the mercies of the night. Prayer is as necessary in the evening as it was in the morning, for we have the same need of the Divine favour and care to make the evening outgoings to rejoice, that we had to beautify those of the morning.

(1.) We must pray that our outward man may be under the care of God's holy angels, who are the ministers of His providence. God has promised that He will give His angels charge concerning those who make the Most High their refuge, and that they shall pitch their tents round about them, and deliver them; and what He has promised we may and must pray for. Not as if God needed the service of the angels, or as if He did Himself quit all the care of His people, and turn it over to them; but it appears, by abundance of Scripture proofs, that they are employed about the people of God, whom He takes. under His special protection, though they are not seen, both for the honour of God, by whom they are charged, and for the honour of the saints, with whom they are charged. It was the glory of Solomon's bed, that threescore valiant men were about it, of the valiant in Israel, all holding swords, because of fear in the night (Cant. iii. 7, 8). But much more honourably and comfortably are all true believers attended; for though they lie ever so meanly, they have hosts of angels surrounding their beds, and by the ministration of good spirits are preserved from malignant spirits. But God will for this be inquired of by the house of Israel; Christ Himself must pray the Father,

and He will send to His relief legions of angels (Matt. xxvi. 53). Much more reason have we to ask, that it may be given us.

(2.) We must pray that our inward man may be under the influences of His Holy Spirit, who is the author and fountain of His grace. As public ordinances are opportunities in which the Spirit works upon the hearts of men, and, therefore, when we attend on them we must pray for the Spirit's operations; so are private retirements, and, therefore, we must put up the same prayer when we enter upon them. We find that in slumbering upon the bed, God opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction (Job xxxiii. 15, 16). And with this David's experience concurs. He found that God visited him in the night, and tried him, and so discovered him to himself (Ps. xvii. 3); and that God gave him counsel, and his reins instructed him in the night season, and so He discovered Himself to him (Ps. xvi. 7). He found that was a proper season for remembering God, and meditating upon Him; and in order to our due improvement of this proper season for conversing with God in solitude, we need the powerful and benign influences of the blessed Spirit, which, therefore, when we lie down we should earnestly pray for, and humbly put ourselves under, and submit ourselves to. How God's grace may work upon us when we are asleep we know not: the soul will act in a state of separation from the body, and how far it does act independent of the body, when the bodily senses are all locked up, we cannot say, but are sure that the Spirit of the Lord is not bound. We have reason to pray, not only that our minds may not be either disturbed or polluted by evil dreams, in which, for aught we know, evil spirits sometimes have a hand, but may be instructed and quieted by good dreams; which Plutarch reckons among the evidences of increase and proficiency in virtue, and on which the good Spirit has an influence. I have heard of a good man that used to pray at night for good dreams.

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