holy folicitude to avoid fin, which appears in the carriage and language of a child of God, as a mark of meanness or weakness of mind. In fuch an age, one who fears God is well defcribed by the prophet Ifaiah. "But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a "contrite fpirit, and trembleth at my word."

The next part of the character is, "and obeyeth the "voice of his fervant;" that is to fay, is willing to hearken to the meflage of God, by the mouth of his fervants. The words of the text, no doubt, may be confidered as primarily referring to the inspired prophets, who bore an immediate commiffion, miraculously attefted, from God. Many, even of thefe, were fet at nought, their message derided, and their perfons infulted, when they attempted to ftem the tide of prevailing vice, or boldly denounced the divine vengeance against high-handed finners. But the fincerely pious obeyed their voice. I fhall make no fcruple to apply this to ourselves, and the prefent age. Our bleffed Redeemer hath eftablifhed in his church a standing miniftry, and the regular adminiftration of ordinances. And though we have this treasure in earthen vessels, yet in no other way doth he now communicate his will, and vouchfafe his presence to his people, but by the reading and hearing of his word, and attendance upon his inftituted worship. It will, no doubt, therefore, be a part of the character of a good man, that he will love the ordinances, and obey the voice of the fervants of God, that he will confider him who hath fent them, and receive instruction, not as the word of man, but as it is in deed and in truth, the word of God.

On the other hand, when iniquity prevails, when irreligion and profanenefs lift up their heads, one of the moft ufual concomitants, and one of the fureft proofs of it, is a neglect of ordinances, and contempt of thofe who are concerned in their adminiftration; how far this is at prefent the cafe, I leave to yourfelves to judge, While I fpeak this, my brethren, I do by no means defire to fee an ignorant people distracted by the gloomy terrors of fuperstition, or led blindfold by the enchanted cord of implicit faith,

But fure I am, there is an extreme on either hand,

and those who truly fear the Lord, will honor the perfons, and obey the voice of fuch as plead his caufe and fpeak in his name. You may reft affured, that though they neither deferve nor claim any authority on their own account, yet fo long as they stand in the divine counfels, and fpeak the divine word, their meffage will be attended with this awful fanction, "He that defpifeth you, defpifeth me, and he "that despiseth me defpifeth him that fent me."

The laft part of the character here drawn, which lays the foundation for the fubfequent direction is, "that walketh " in darkness and hath no light." Darkness and light, befides their literal, have often a metaphorical fenfe in fcripture. They are, indeed, ufed with a good deal of latitude and variety. But I think their metaphorical fignification may be reduced to these two general heads.

1. Sometimes light fignifies knowledge, and darkness fignifies ignorance-as in Eph. v. 8. "Ye were fometimes "darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord, walk as "children of light." Acts xxvi. 18. "To turn them "from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan "unto God." Job xxxvii. 19. "Teach us what we shall fay unto him, for we cannot order our speech by reason "of darknefs."

2. Sometimes darkness fignifies diftress or trouble, and the correfpondent fignification of light is deliverance and joy, as 2 Sam. xxii, 28, 29. “ And the afflicted people "thou wilt fave, but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that "thou mayeft bring them down, for thou art my lamp, “O Lord, and the Lord will lighten my darkness." Job xix. 8. He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass; "he hath put darknefs in my paths." Pfalm xcvii. 11. "Light is fown for the righteous, and gladnefs for the "upright in heart." Efther viii. 16. "And the Jews had "light, and gladnefs, and joy and honor."

None of these fenfes is to be excluded in the paffage before us. Believers may walk in darkness, when ignorant or uncertain as to what nearly concerns them, as well as under diftrefs and trouble. They have alfo a mutual influence upon, produce, and are produced by, one another. For illuftrating this a little more particularly, obferve,

that a good man may walk in darkness.

1. When he is in doubt or uncertainty as to his intereft in the divine favor. 2. When he is under the preffure of outward calamity. 3. When the ftate of the church is fuch, that he cannot understand or explain, in a fatisfying manner, the course of divine providence. Thefe particulars I have it not in view to enlarge much upon, but only to explain them fo far as is neceffa y to lay a foundation for what fhall be afterwards offered on the duty to trust in God.

1. Then, a good man may walk in darkness when he is in doubt or uncertainty as to his intereft in the divine favor. I apprehend that some measure of hope in God's mercy is effential to true piety, and not only the right, but the poffeffion of every child of God. Faith and defpair are beyond all queftion inconfiftent. Faith and hope are infeparable. Yet certainly the excellent ones of the earth may be fometimes involved in great perplexity and doubt. This is plain from fcripture examples, from daily experi ence, and from the nature and reafon of the thing. How violent a ftruggle do we often find the Pfalmift David in, between hope and fear? "O my God, my foul is caft "down in me; therefore will I remember thee from the "land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill "Mizar." How many do we fee every day under a fpirit of bondage, who, though they ftill cleave to God as their portion, yet are often full of fears, and feldom dare confi. dently affirm their intereft in, or relation to him. And indeed how can it be otherwife? While we are here, our fanctification is but imperfect; and alas! with regard to many, it is often hard to determine, whether we fhould not write upon it, mene tekel, as effentially defective.

Sin feparates between God and his people, and caufes him to hide his face from them. Nay, fometimes, though there be no particular or provoking crime, as the caufe of bis controversy with them, he may withdraw from them the light of his countenance, to exercife their vigilance, or to try their patience. I know, my brethren, that the dif trefs of serious fouls, when mourning after an absent or an angry God, crying to him in fecret, and following hard after him in his ordinances, is by many treated with the

highest degree of contempt. But furely, if peace of mind from a well-founded hope of the divine favor, is the greateft of all present bleffings: and if this, from the variablenefs of our own conduct, is fometimes more, fometimes less strong, and fometimes wholly fufpended: when this laft is the cafe, it must occafion inexpreffible concern, and there can be no greater evidence of irreligion and impiety, than to call it in question.

2. A good man may walk in darkness when under the preffure of outward calamity. This, in a real believer, is never wholly feparated from the former. Even in itfelf, indeed, no affliction for the prefent is joyous but grievous. The diforders of this feeble frame, poverty and ftraitnefs of provifion, unjuft flander and reproach, must be deeply and fenfibly felt by every good man, even as he is a man. To this may be added, the lofs of relations, and concerns for the fufferings of others of every kind, which is always most diftreffing to the best and tendereft fpirits. But outward calamities by thofe that fear God, are felt most fenfibly when they are confidered as the rod of his anger, and bring fin to remembrance.

When he vifits his own children with any of his fore judgments; when he follows them with breach upon breach, they are ready to fay, "Surely he is fetting me " up as a mark for his arrows, he is counting me his ene "my."-They are often at a lofs to understand the caufe of his controverfy with them; and they alfo find it often extremely difficult to bring their minds to a patient and fubmiffive refignation to his holy will. To those who know their duty, and defire through divine grace to comply with it, it is no fmall difficulty to be obliged to ftruggle with a rifing and rebellious heart within, as well as fuffering from without, and to be alternately calling in queftion, the certainty either of the love of God to them, or of their love to him.

3. A good man may fometimes walk in darkness from the aspect of Providence, and the state of the Redeemer's kingdom. The works of God are fought out of them who have pleasure in them. But when they are not able to penetrate the depths of the divine counfels, this becomes

often a fource both of diftrefs and temptation. When wicked men are fuffered to profper at their will-when the good are oppreffed by the power and tyranny, or per fecuted by the malice, of their enemies-when the most generous attempts for the revival of truth and righteouf nefs are rendered abortive-when the profeffing fervants of God are divided into parties, or marfhalled under names, and their zeal made to fpend itself in unneceflary, finful and hurtful contentions-when offences come, and and thofe of the highest profeffion or attainments are fuffered to fall into grofs crimes, by which the mouths of enemies are opened to blafpheme; then may, and must we adopt the words of the Pfalmift-Pf. lxxiii. 10~14.

Therefore, his people return hither; and waters of a "full cup are wrung out unto them: And they fay, how "doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Most

High? Behold, thefe are the ungodly who profper in the "world; they increafe in riches. Verily, I have cleanfed แ my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chaftened every morning."

I proceed now to the second and chief thing propofed from this paffage, which was to explain the duty of trust in God, and to point out its foundation.

Truft, in the molt general view we can take of it, may be thus explained. It is a reliance or confidence in God, that however difcouraging appearances may be for the prefent time, yet, by his power and wifdom, our defires and expectations fhall take place, whether as to deliverance from trouble, or the obtaining of future bleffings.When we can attain this happy frame of fpirit, it is an inconceivable relief and eafe to the mind under fuffering, and is excellently expreffed by the Pfalmift-Pfal. Iv. 22. "Caft thy burden upon the Lord, and he fhall fuftain "thee, he fhall never fuffer the righteous to be moved." Let us then endeavor to explain the grounds of this as dif tinctly as poffible. And God grant that it may be done, not only in a clear, but in a folid and fatisfying manner, fo as to affift you in the practice of real and vital religion.