first to last. Love is the fpring; the divine goodpleasure the reason of what he bestows; and on whomfoever he beftows it, 'tis to the praife of the glory of his grace. So that the Text promifes what is the fum of the faints happiness, and enfures to them the treasures of earth and heaven: It fhews by whom, and in what manner true happiness will be beftowed; as alfo, the ground of their hope, and the supply they shall have by the way, till they arrive at final and compleat bleffednefs. No good thing will God with-hold, but freely beftow every defirable bleffing on them who walk uprightly; to the doing of which he is ready to affift us by his Grace. The rigour of the first covenant is abated; and after the violation of it, we who believe on Chrift, are restored to a ftate of hope. Tho' our innocency is loft, and finless perfection in this life unattainable, the fincerity of penitent believers shall be gracioufly accepted, and mercifully rewarded. The words of the text, then, are as a voice from heaven, inviting us up thither, and answering all the doubts and fears of fuch as believe, and follow, the joyful found. Am I in darkness, and Fear, I fhall never find the way? Open thine foul! look up eye, O my to the father of lights: the Lord is a Sun, whofe steady beams shall direct thy steps. Is there an inward veil to be removed from my mind, as well as Obfcurity from my Path? He is fufficient for both. God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, can shine into the heart, to give the light of the knowledge of his glory, and lead on to it. 2 Cor. iv. 6. He a 3 can can make the day dawn, and the day-ftar to arife in our hearts; (2 Pet. i. 19) and by both, guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke i. 79. Doth the fame light that discovers my way, discover what oppofition I am like to meet with? what enemies and dangers I am to go thorough? Hear, O my foul, the Lord is a field. Light and strength are conjoined; none can miscarry under his conduct, nor have any reason to be dif couraged. With this he comforteth Abraham. Gen. xv. 1. Fear not: I am thy fhield. Do I groan under a fenfe of my unmeetness for the heavenly kingdom? Let this fupport my foul, the Lord will give Grace. Am I altogether unworthy of fo high a happiness? It fprings from his own most free unbounded Love; The Lord will give glory. Am I urged with a thoufand wants that need fupply, what more can be added? No good thing will be with-hold from them that walk uprightly. Nothing that is evil can be defired; and nothing that is good shall be denied. Here, O my foul, is a fountain opened; Here thy eager thirst may be fully fatisfied; thy largest defires filled up; and thy mind be for ever at reft. many The words of the text give us the reason of the different defires and choice of the godly and the wicked. The wifh, that each of them make, you have, Pfalm iv. 6. There be that fay, Who will fhew us any good? This is the cry of the men of the world, who have their portion in this life: But the Pfalmift, and all holy men, unite in this, Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. And what reason they have for for it, is evident here; for the Lord God is a fun and fhield; who can and will fhew them the path of life, and guide and protect them in walking therein. The happiness defired by the short-fighted fensualist, is terrene and temporary; fprings from earth, and will perish with it. Large crops and full barns, fruitful fhowers, and a warm fun, the fading enjoyments of this lower world, bound their hopes: but the refined foul aspires higher, looks upward, and knows upon what ground he prays, Lord lift up the light of thy countenance for the Lord will give grace and glory; grace, which can only fuit and satisfy their fpirits now, and glory to receive them when they go hence. The fenfe and hope of this may well put more gladness into their hearts, than others experience in the time that their corn and wine increafe, Pfal. iv. 6, 7. Here is the wisdom of the faints regulated by eternity. GOD is their portion by the most deliberate choice; He, with whom is the fountain of life, and who will abundantly provide for them in both worlds; for their fafety and comfort here, and their compleat bleffednefs above. The Lord will give grace, &c. Here you may confider, 1. All mankind are in a state of alienation from GOD, as to his life and likeness; at enmity with him, and by apoftacy liable to his wrath; univerfally corrupt and turned from him; not fubject to his law, devoid of his love and image, and "dead in trefpaffes and fins. Rom. iii. 9, 10, &c. Ephef. ii. 3. a 4 2 Among 2. Among this corrupt mass, God hath a chofen number, whom his eye pitied in their forefeen mifery, and whom he refolved to fave, in a way becoming his majesty, by giving his Son to be their Redeemer, through whom he is now carrying on the purposes of his love. 3. By Chrift's dying, juftice is fatisfied, God reconciled; and, as an inftance of it, a new covenant is established in his blood, wherein pardon, peace, juftification, adoption, and endless glory are offered to all that return unto God in the appointed way. To this end, repentance towards God, and faith in the Lord Jefus Chrift, are ftrictly required by the highest authority, on pain of forfeiting all the before-mentioned bleffings, and falling under greater condemnation, 4. Notwithstanding this, fuch is the natural depravity, the hardness and obftinacy of our hearts and wills, that we need the special efficacious grace of God to work us up to a compliance with the propofed terms, and bring us into a covenant ftate. 'Tis by the peculiar efficiency of the divine power, and difplay of his victorious grace, that his people are made willing and favingly changed. They are born of God, from above, from heaven, to fhew the author of it. Again, tis fet forth by regeneration, a refurrection, a new creation, the father's drawing, and that by the exceeding greatness of his power, like that employed in raifing Chrift from the dead. Ephef. i. 19, 20.. 5. The divine power and grace, thus neceffary, fhall, in the appointed way and time, be infallibly exerted and difplayed, for the actual recovery of all all God's chofen; effectually to call and convert them, and work in them that faith and repentance that he requires, in order to their entering into a state of favour and reconciliation, being pardoned, juftified and accepted with him. This may be concluded, 1. From God's eternal purpose, which shall never fail. 2. From his abfolute promife, which we have Ezekiel xxxvi. 26. A new heart will I give you, and a new fpirit will I put within you; and I will take away the ftony beart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh. So Jer. xxxi. 33. "I will put my law in their inward parts, and "write it in their hearts, and will be their God, "and they shall be my people." They that would have God for their God, must have new hearts; which because none can attain of themfelves, and yet God will have a people in the world, therefore he undertakes to prepare them for himself, and to work that. in them that he plainly requires. He knows whom his purpose refpects as to the bestowing of this grace, and his faithfulness will fuffer none of them to be forgotten. 3. This is the defign of Chrift's death, and his fpecial intention in it, viz. to purchase saving grace for his sheep, for whom he laid down his life: and his blood fhall not be fpilt as water upon the ground without fruit. Tit. ii. 14. For this has he his name JESUS, because he was to fave his people from their fins. His people, thofe that the father had given him. For their fakes he is faid to fanctify himself, and in confideration of |