The Sacred Diary, Section 36
SECT. XXXVI. Of returning to Family-worſhip in the Evening.
LEt every Chriſtian return to the Worſhipping of God in the Family, and in ſecret, in the Evening as in the Morning. Under the Law a Lamb was offered up Morning and Evening, Exod. 29.38.R. Menachem. fol. 115.Day by Day continually. Of this the Hebrew Doctors ſay, The continual Sacrifice of the Morning, made Atonement for the Iniquities that were done in the Night: And the Evening-ſacrifice made Atonement for the Iniquities that were by Day.
This ſhould teach us daily to renew the application of the Sacrifice of Chriſt (typified by the Lamb) once offered to the Father for us. Receive him, feed upon him, and make daily Application of him, even Morning and Evening make an humble confeſſion of your Sins, with much holy Contrition and godly Sorrow, and then preſent Chriſt and all his Merits unto God, and ſprinkle thy Conſcience afreſh with his Blood. Renew thy hold of him, and embrace him more ſtrongly; let your Faith be daily exerciſed upon Chriſt.
The Lord did meet with the People, and ſpeak with them in the place where the Lamb was offered continually, Exod. 29.42. So, if we daily, Morning and Evening, by a true and lively Faith, do renew the Application of Chriſt's Sacrifice to our Souls, we may be ſure that Chriſt will meet with us there, and ſpeak with us there. Oh how do we wrong our ſelves when we with-draw, and do not give Chriſt a meeting, when we abſent our ſelves Morning or Evening, and neglect thoſe holy Duties wherein we ſhould meet Jeſus Chriſt, and hear him ſpeaking to us Peace and Pardon, Reconciliation and Salvation? What ſweet comfort is to be found in all Eſtates, when thus we ſhall draw near to the Lord in theſe holy Duties? When we ſhall meet him, and hear his ſweet Expreſſions of Love by his Spirit to our Souls, it ſhould make us loth to depart, even hard to be pulled away from the Door of the Tabernacle, unwilling to end theſe exerciſes, or turn our thoughts another way, were it not that other things muſt be done. Therefore ſanctifie your ſelves every one, and come to this daily Burnt-offering, Morning and Evening continually, that ye may meet the Lord, and hear him talk with you words of Peace and Love. Many complain that Chriſt is ſtrange unto them, they cannot ſee him, nor hear any word of Comfort from him; but the fault is in themſelves, they fail to give him a meeting, or to come in that holy manner as they ought.
Moreover, it is ſaid, ver. 43. That hereupon the Tabernacle ſhould be ſanctified by the Glory of the Lord, when they ſhould come before him daily with this continual Burnt-offering, and he ſhould meet them, and ſpeak with them. In like manner, a Family, a Chriſtian is ſanctified by the Glory of the Lord through this daily Intercourſe with him. If ye daily meet the Lord in Humiliation, in renewing the Application of Chriſt to your Souls, in calling upon him for the accompliſhment of his Promiſes; and he on the other ſide meeteth with you, and ſpeaketh to you, then ſhall ye be ſanctified by the Glory of the Lord, ye ſhall ſee the light of his loving Countenance graciouſly and gloriouſly ſhining upon your Souls. This hath a Sanctifying Virtue and Power in it. As the Sun ſhining brightly and gloriouſly from time to time on Trees and Fruits, doth give growing ſweetneſs and ripeneſs to theſe Fruits: So Chriſt by meeting us, and ſhining on our Souls with the light of his Counteance, when we preſent our ſelves before him aright in the due and daily performance of his Service, and offering of this Sacrifice, he doth ſanctifie us by his Glory; he doth alter the temper of our Souls, he doth change and faſhion us unto his likeneſs, in Righteouſneſs and true Holineſs, from Glory to Glory by his Spirit.