(C

"wondrous works; and men fhall speak of the might of thy terrible acts; and I will declare thy greatness. They "fhall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, "and fhall fing of thy righteousnefs." Let me recommend this particularly to Chriftians of age and experience. It gives religion a very difcouraging aspect to younger perfons, when fuch have nothing to utter but complaints. On the contrary, where can we behold a more edifying fight, than an aged perfon ready to bear teftimony to the peace and comfort of true religion, dying by neceffity to the pleasures and gaities of time, but living above them on the earnest of his future inheritance; and, instead of a fretful fpirit arifing from the frailties of a tottering frame, preferving a chearfulness and ferenity of mind, in the hope of a blessed resurrection.-I imagine I hear fome say, nothing is more true; but, alas! I am not the person: I fee nothing in me, but caufes of complaint, or grounds of fear. I believe it is fo with all; but you have mistaken, or perverted the meaning of the exhortation. I did not advise you to boaft of yourself, but to speak to the praise of God. I believe it is good, in moft cafes, to refift defponding fears, as fo many temptations, and fend them away, as hinderers of your duty, without a reply. Or, may I not jufily fay, admitting the truth of all that you can advance against yourselves, is it not but fo much the more reasonable, that you should fay with Jacob, Gen. xxxii. 10, "I am not worthy of the leaft of all the mer"cies, and of all the truth, that thou haft fhewed unto thy fervant."

(6

3. Be frequent and diligent in fecret prayer. This is the way to preserve your watchfulness, and to increase your usefulness. The more you converfe with God in fecret, you will fpeak with the more judgment and profit to men in public. This is the way to difpofe of your complaints. What fignifies repeating them to men, who may defpife you, and, at beft, can only pity you, when you may carry them to God, who can effectually help you? Speak as much ill of yourselves to him as you please; but be fo juft as to fpeak honorably of him, and his fervice, to others who converfe with you.-Now, may the Lord

fupply all your wants, from his riches in glory, by Chrift Jefus. May he give you the fanctified ufe of every step of his providence, whether of mercy or of trial. "May "the God of peace, Heb. xiii. 20, 21, that brought again "from the dead our Lord Jefus, that great Shepherd of the fheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, "make you perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleafing in his fight, "through Jefus Chrift; to whom be glory for ever and Amen."

"ever.

66

A VIEW OF THE GLORY OF GOD HUMBLING TO THE SOUL.

SERMON 22.

JOB xlii. 5, 6.

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes,

MY

Y brethren, we can have no experimental knowledge; and, indeed, we have not much diftin&t knowledge at all of the nature of religion, as it takes place among angels, and other intelligent beings, who have kept their first estate, and never were polluted by fin. From fome things, however, recorded in fcripture, we have reason to believe that they appear before God with the greatest lowlinefs and felf-abafement, that they are at all times deeply penetrated with a sense of the infinite difproportion between themfelves, as derived, dependant, limited, imperfect beings, and the eternal, immutable, omnipotent Jehovah. Thus in the vifion of Ifaiah, in the fixth chapter of that book, verse 1, 2, 3, "In the "year that King Uzziah died, I faw the Lord fitting upon "a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the "temple. Above it stood the feraphims; each one had "fix wings; with twain he covered his face, and with "twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. "And one cried unto another, and faid, Holy, holy, holy,

"is the Lord of Hofts, the whole earth is full of his glory." But if this is the cafe with these exalted and happy fpirits, how much more muft a deep humiliation of mind be neceffary to us, who, by fin, have rendered ourfelves the just objects of divine wrath, and whose hope of falvation is founded only on the riches of divine grace? We ought never to forget, that every inftance of the favor of God to man, is not to be confidered as the exercise of goodness to the worthy, nay, not merely as bounty to the needy, or help to the miferable, but mercy to the guilty.

For this reafon, as repentance is necessary to every finner, in order to his reconciliation with God, fo thofe Chriftians preferve the jufteft views of their present ftate and character, as well as the foundation of their hope, who frequently renew this falutary exercife. I cannot help faying further, that those make the wifeft provifion for the prefervation of their inward peace, who frequently water that tender plant with the tears of penitential forrow. To affift you in this exercife, and to point out the proper grounds of it, I have chosen to infist a little on these words, in which you fee the effect which a discovery of the_glory and majesty of God had upon his fervant Job: I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine cye seeth thee. Wherefore 1 abbor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

It is not neceffary to my prefent purpose, to enter far into the difpute between Job and his friends, although, no doubt, the words of the text have an evident relation to it. The controversy feems plainly to have turned upon this point. His friends finding him in deep diftrefs, under the most complicated affliction, would needs have it, that no good man could be fo frowned upon by a righteous God; and therefore, that his former profession must have been hypocritical and falfe. This is evident from the manner in which Eliphaz opens the charge against him, chap. iv. 6, 7, 8, 9. "Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, "thy hope, and the uprightnefs of thy ways? Reinember, "I pray thee, who ever perifhed, being innocent? "where were the righteous cut off? Even as I have feen,