great degree of inward diffatisfaction and perplexity. They speak like men who have no relish for what they poffefs, and who are utterly at a lofs to what hand to turn for enjoyment. They do not afk, who will fhew! us the chief good? But, "Who will fhew " us any good?" any thing to fill up the craving vacuity of our minds a plain intimation that hitherto they have been miferably disappointed in their purfuits, and that at the time of the queftion they cannot find any thing in their lot that deferves the name of good. They are unacquainted with happinefs, though they have been always in fearch of it, and neither know wherein it confifts, nor how it is to be obtained. It deferves our notice, 2dly, That the only good which they inquire for is fome prefent fenfible enjoyment, which may be pointed out to the eye of fenfe, and may be immediately laid hold of." Who will be us any good?" They are strangers to the operation of that faith, which is "the fubftance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not feen." They look not at the things which are unfeen and eter "nal;" their views are confined within the narrow limits of this prefent life; and they covet no other portion than they fuppofe may be found in the world of fenfe. It may be obferved, 3dly, That they make no difcrimination of the objects which they feek after. Any good will be welcome to them: let it be good food, or good clothing; a good eftate by lawful means, or a good estate by any means whatever; a good bargain in business, or a good booty by theft or plunder: no matter what it is, provided it gives them pleasure in the mean time, or relieves them from the irkfome labour of thinking on themselves, and on the great end for which they were made. -Once more, in the 4th place, You obferve, that amidst all their diffatisfaction with their prefent. ftate, and their eager defires after fomething better, they do not turn their thoughts at all to God, but feem rather determined to banish the remembrance of him from their minds. They feek counfel from others, but none from him: they inquire at weak and erring mortals like themselves, Bb 3 themselves, but they neither afk wisdom not grace from God. Such is the representation which the Pfalmift gives us of the temper and of the language of worldly men. He further tells us, that the character of which he gives this def cription, was a common one in his time: There be many that fay, Who will fhew us any good?" And it is but too apparent, that multitudes of men do ftill exhibit the fame temper. They have no relish for spiritual and divine enjoyments; their only care is, “What they shall eat, and what they "fhall drink, and wherewithal they fhall be "clothed."-" They labour abundantly for "the meat which perisheth, but not at all "for that meat which endureth unto ever"lafting life." And though they meet repeated disappointments in every new experiment; yet inftead of feeking after happiness where it is alone to be found, they ftill renew the fruitlefs fearch among the creatures around them, and cry out with as much keennels as ever, "Who will fhew us any "worldly good?” Let us now turn our eyes to a different ob ject, ject, and confider the temper of a child of God, as it is beautifully defcribed by the Pfalmift. Whilft others fay, "Who will "fhew us any good?" the language of his heart is, "Lord, lift thou upon me the light of thy countenance." He, too, feeks what is good; for the defire of happiness is common to all. But you will obferve, ba 1, That it is not any good that will fatiffy him he cannot feed upon husks; it is a real and a substantial good that he seeks after. Nay, it is the chief good. good. He difdains the thought of having any thing less than this for the portion of his foul. He knows that all other fources of enjoyment are no better than "broken cifterns, which can hold no water;" adapted indeed to fupply the wants of the body, but in no refpect fuited to the immortal fpirit, either as the objects of its choice, or engoed she.goplost. 3,3 the fources of its happiness. And as nothing permanent good, fo we find, 0932, down 26 duw 1:0 VIQ BLO 2dly, That he knows where that good is to ward w An be found. He has no need to folicit infor mation from every one he meets. He knows that favour of God, and the fenfe of his 1 loving kindness, are the only fources of true happiness. Here therefore he fixeth his choice, and is perfectly fatisfied that he is right in doing fo. The worldly mind is in a ftate of perpe¬ tual fluctuation. Having no determinate object in view, it runs wild in pursuit of every delusive image of good; and when difappointed in one object, only feels a more intense defire to feek its gratification in another. But the enlightened mind feeth vanity engraved, in deep and legible characters, on all things below the fun; and therefore looks bę yond and above them for its portion, saying, with the devout Pfalmift, " Whom have I in "heaven but thee? and there is none upon "earth whom I defire befide thee. My flefh "and my heart faileth: but God is the "ftrength of my heart, and my portion forever."-I obferve, in the 66 3d place, That a child of God goes directly to God himself, and begs the bleffing from him. He lofes no time in wandering among the creatures, or in making experiments of fenfual pleasure; but takes the fhor test |