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against himself, and dare not lay hold of, or appropriate fo unfpeakable a mercy: This is juft the effect of diflruft, and he is called, in the ftrongeft manner, in the text, to "truft in the name of the Lord, and ftay upon his God." With how many gracious affurances for this purpose is the fcripture filled. John vi. 37. "All that the Father hath given me fhall come to me, and him that cometh unto "me I will in no wife caft out." Heb. vii. 25. "Wherefore he is able alfo to fave them to the uttermoft that "come to God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make in"terceffion for them." Rev. xxii. 17. "And the fpirit "and the bride fay, Come. And let him that heareth fay, "Come. And let him that is athirst come. And who"foever will, let him take of the water of life freely." All things, Chrift excepted, are to be renounced, and the allfufficiency of a Redeemer is to be the foundation of our hope. The penitent will fay with the apostle, Phil. iii. 8, "Yea, doubtlefs, and I count all things but lofs for the ex

cellency of the knowledge of Chrift Jefus my Lord: "for whom I have fuffered the lofs of all things, and do "count them but dung, that I may win Chrift, and be “found in him, not having mine own righteousness which "is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Chrift, " even the righteoufnefs which is of God by faith."

2. There is a fecond clafs of promifes, the performance of which is fufpended on our previous compliance with fomething required as the condition of obtaining them. In thefe we are not only called to accept of the divine mercy, but commanded to obey the divine will. The order in which I have placed thefe, will, I hope, prevent you from mifunderstanding or mifapplying what may be faid on them. This clafs includes all the promifes in fcripture regarding the daily progrefs of a believer in his fanctification and conformity to God, as well as the increase of his comfort and peace. I am fenfible, that as the reconciliation of a finner to God, and his right to what is called in fcripture the promise of eternal life, is of free and unmerited mercy, fo, no doubt, all the inferior or fubordinate promifes flow from the fame fource, nay, in a certain measure, they are entirely upon the fame footing with

thofe formerly mentioned; that is to fay, final perfeverance, real growth in the fpiritual life, and neceffary comfort, are the fure and purchased portion of every one that is born of God. Rom. viii. 29. "For whom he did fore"know, he alfo did predeftinate to be conformed to the "image of his Son, that he might be the first born among "many brethren." But in the diftribution of those gifts, particularly in their meafure, there is not only an unknown regard to the good pleasure of God, but a known and established regard to our conduct in duty. Thus the abundant fupply of the fpirit is the fruit and return of diligence in prayer. Matth. vii. 7. "Afk and it fhall be "given you, feek and ye fhall find, knock and it fhall be "opened unto you." See alfo Ezekiel xxxvi. 25. compared with the 37th. "Then will I fprinkle clean water upon you, and ye fhall be clean; from all your filthinefs "and from all your idols will I cleanfe you." &c. Thus "faith the Lord, yet for all this will I be enquired of by "the houfe of Ifrael to do it for them." Thus alfo inward confolation, as well as outward fecurity, is exprefsly promifed as the effect and reward of uniformity and diligence in duty. Ifa. xxxii. 17. "And the work of righteousness "fhall be peace, and the effect of righteoufnefs quietnefs "and affurance for ever." As the counterpart and illuftration of this, you fee, that a departure from the path of duty brings on the threatened, or perhaps I ought to call it the promised, rod of correction. Pfalm lxxxix. 30-33. "But if his children fhall forfake my law, and not walk "in my judgments; if they break my flatutes, and keep "not my commandments; then will I vifit their tranf "greffions with a rod, and their iniquities with ftripes. "Nevertheless, my loving-kindnefs will I not take from "him, nor fuffer my faithfulnefs to fail." In the fame manner, Ifa. xl. 30, 31. "Even the youths hall faint and "be weary, and the young men fhall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord fball renew their ftrength; they fhall mount up with wings as eagles; they fhall "run and not be weary-they fhall walk and not faint." Agreeably to all this, you know, our bleffed Lord prefcribed watchfulness and prayer as the great prefervatives

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against temptation, and whoever expects either fpiritual ftrength or comfort, while he relaxes his diligence in the way of duty, is guilty of that fin, which is called in fcrip. ture, tempting God; and fhall affuredly meet with a dreadful difappointment.

My brethren, as much of the daily exercife of real believers regards their progress in fanctification, and their peace and comfort, it is proper that you fhould carefully attend to the tenor of these promises, and to what ought to be your reliance upon them. I fhall fum up, in a few particulars, what I apprehend to be of most importance,

1. Truft in these promises implies felf-denial, and a deep fenfe of your own weakness. Thefe promifes would be unneceffary and fuperfluous, were we not infufficient of ourfelves for any thing that is good. Truft in God ftands directly oppofed to all felf-dependance. Proverbs iii. 5. "Truft in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to "thine own understanding." How jealous God is, if I may fpeak fo, of the honor that is due to him in this refpect, may be feen from the many foul and fhameful crimes into which he permitted fome of his beft faints to fall, when they were off their guard by floth, or flill more provoked him by pride and prefumption. Noah's drunkennefs, Mofes's paflion, David's adultery and murder, and Peter's denial of his mafter. 1 Cor. x. II, 12. "Now "all these things happened unto them for enfamples, and "they are written for our admonition, upon whom the "ends of the world are come. Wherefore, let him that "thinketh he ftandeth, take heed left he fall." For this reafon the apofile Paul fays with great propriety, and with great force, which is equally applicable to himself and other believers, a feeming paradox. 1 Cor. xii. 10. "For "when I am weak, then I am strong."

2. As we are to put no truft in ourselves, fo we are to exercife the most unfhaken confidence of our being able to discharge any duty or undergo any trial by the help of the Almighty-Oh! how ready are we to fin on both hands? How often do we prefume upon our own strength and forget the neceffity of applying for divine aid ?—And on the other hand, how prone are we to timidity or de

fpondence in difficult cafes? When corruptions have long kept their ground, we are ready to dread their influence, and to make but little out of the promises in fcripture, that we fhall be made "more than conquerors through "him that loved us." We have learned, by fad experience, that in us dwelleth no good thing, and yet it is long before we will attend to the leffon that follows hard upon it, " My grace is fufficient for thee, and my strength "fhall be made perfect in weakness."

3. As these promises are exprefsly made to the diligent, you must still remember that your own attention and application to duty is effentially neceffary, and that the affiftance promifed from on high, is always reprefented in scripture as an argument and encourage ment to diligence, and not a warrant or excufe for floth. Philip. ii. 12.

"Work out your own falvation with fear and trembling, "for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of "his good pleasure." It is alfo well worthy of notice, that the fame prophet Ezekiel, who fays, chap. xxxvi. 26. "A new heart alfo will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you," changes the form of his expreffion; and in another place, chap. xviii. 31, 32, fpeaks in the following terms; "Caft away from you all your tranfgreffions whereby ye have tranfgreffed; and "make you a new heart and a new fpirit; for why will ye die, O houfe of Ifrael? For I have no pleasure in "the death of him that dieth, faith the Lord God; where"fore turn yourselves, and live ye." In confequence of this,

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4. In the last place, truft in God will make us ready to acknowledge, that when we fail in duty, when we forget or break our refolutions, the fault is certainly in our felves. It is impoffible to excufe or juftify ourselves in any degree, without laying the blame, in the fame proportion, upon God, and calling in queftion his faithfulnels and truth. But whatever our treacherous hearts may finfully fuggeft, we are not ftraitened in God, but ftraitened in our own bowels. We find him pleading his own caufe, in this refpect, in many paffages of fcripture. lfa. lix. 1. (6 Behold, the Lord's hand is not fhortened,

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"that it cannot fave; neither his ear heavy, that he can"not hear; but your fins have separated between you and your God, and your iniquities have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." Upon the whole, truft in thefe promises is no other than an humble and diligent application to duty, under a deep fenfe of weakness, and dependance on promifed ftrength, accompanied with a firm perfuafion, that " in the name of the Lord we shall "tread down our enemies," and go on from firength to.. ftrength,"till we appear before God in Zion."

3. Another clafs of promises are thofe that are, fufpended, not only on the fame conditions with the two former, but upon fome other circumftances in themselves. uncertain, or to us unfeen. These are temporal mercies or rather temporal profperity, deliverance from prefent diftrefs, and abundance or affluence of outward enjoyments. Perhaps we may also add spiritual confolation, and fenfible joy in God. joy in God. I find no temporal promise. precisely fixed to the fervant of God but this: "Bread "fhall be given him, and his water fhall be fure ?" and it is certainly his duty, in the moft ftraitening circumftances, to maintain a confident dependance on the power. and wisdom of Providence for neceffary fupply. I do not condemn thofe, who, when reduced to extremity, have actually pleaded this divine promife, and against hope, have believed in hope; and I am perfuaded, inftances have not been wanting, of relief furnished in a manner. next to miraculous. But as to every other degree of temporal profperity, God hath referved it in his own hand to give or with-hold it at his pleasure, that is, as he fees it will be moft for his glory, and the benefit of his people. It is lawful then, my brethren, for you to endeavor to procure, by honeft induftry, the increafe of your fubitance, to look well to the ftate of your flocks and your herds, and to afk by prayer the bleffing of God upon your labors. It is lawful, and it is your duty, by regularity and care to preferve life and health, as well as to afk of the Father of your fpirits, recovery from fickness, or deliverance from any other kind of diftrefs. But you are not warranted to believe that these petitions fhall be granted in hand, or in

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