lift them up under the pleafing Views of "being admitted, e'er long, into thofe Abodes "of unutterable Felicity.-In the mean Time, "Thou haft vouchfafed me the Revelation of "thy Will; the Influences of thy Spirit; and "Abundance of the most effectual Aids, for "advancing in Knowlege, and growing in God"linefs; for becoming more conformable to thy "Image, and more meet for thy Prefence; for "tafting the facred Pleafures of Religion, and fecuring the unfearchable Riches of Heaven. "How various is thy Beneficence, O Thou "Lover of Souls! It has unfealed a thoufand "Sources of Good; opened a thousand Ave66 nues of Delight; and heaped Bleffings upon ❝me with a ceaseless Liberality. If I should at tempt to declare them; they would be more "than the Stars, which glitter in this unclouded "Sky; more than the dewy Gems, which will adorn the Face of the Morning. "And fhall I forget the GOD of my Salva❝tion, the Author of all my Mercies ? Rather ❝ let my Pulse forget to beat ?-Shall I render "Him no Expreffions of Thankfulness? Then ❝ might all Nature reproach my Ingratitude.→ "Shall I reft fatisfied with the bare Acknow"ledgement of my Lips? No: let my Life be vocal, and fpeak his Praise, in that only ge"nuine, "nuine, that most emphatical Language-the 66 Language of devout Obedience. Let the Bill be drawn upon my very Heart; let all my "Affections acknowlege the Draught; and let "the whole Tenour of my Actions, in Time and through Eternity, be continually paying "the Debt-the mighty Debt of Duty, Ve"neration, and Love. "AND can I, O Thou Upholder of my Go❝ings, and Lifter up of my Head-can I dif"trust fuch fignal, fuch experienced Goodness? "Thou hast been my Helper, through all the bufy Scenes of Day; therefore under the "Shadow of thy Wings will I repose myself, during the Darkness, the Danger, and Death like Inactivity of the Night. Whatever De "filement I have contracted, wash it thorough"ly away, in redeeming Blood; and let nei"ther the finful Stain, nor the finful Inclina❝tion, accompany me to my Couch !--Then, "fhall I lay me down in Peace, and take my "Reft; chearfully referring it to thy all-wife Determination, whether I fhall open my Eyes in this World, or awake in the unknown Re"gions of another. The EN D. CONTEMPLATIONS ON THE STARRY HEAVENS. There dwells a noble Pathos in the Skies, Night Thoughts, No. 9. cix WALK on the Summit of a Hill,-The advane- opens the Beauties of the Sky, 116-Fragrance of the blooming Beans, 117-The Heavens, a most. noble Field for the Difplay of the Divine Perfecti- ons, 118-Folly of Judicial Aftrology; the right Ufe of contemplating the Stars, 119–A Sketch of the most remarkable Discoveries of our modern Aftronomy, 121-Religion, and necessary Business; Religion, and innocent Pleasure; as confiftent, as the annual and diurnal Motions of the Earth, 123—The Sun, its enormous Size, 126—The Stars, are Centres of Systems; their inconceivable Dif- tance, 127―Other Skies furnished with other Stars, 128-The Greatness of the Creator, 129—The pre- ceding Obfervations inculcate Humility, 131-Shew the Littleness of terrestrial Things, 131-The ftu pendous Condefcenfion of GOD, in his gracious Regards to the Children of Men, 134-The prodigi ous Heinoufnefs of human Guilt, 138—The Richness of CHRIST's Atonement, and its complete Suf- ficiency for the most deplorable Cafes of Sin |