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to fear and tremble; it is nevertheless poffible that God, in the exercife of his infinite fovereign mercy, may yet difplay his almighty power in your converfion and falvation. For he is not a man; nor is he like to men with refpect to the degree and duration or length of his forbearance and mercy. But in regard to fhowing mercy, as well as in other refpects, his thoughts and his ways are higher than ours, as the heavens are higher than the earth. [See Ifaiah lv. 6-11.]

III. The Chriftian, confidering the ftraitness and narrownefs of the way which leads to life the temptations and difficulties attending it-the oppofition he hath to encounter from the world, the flesh, and the devil; and fenfible of his own weaknefs, of the deceit and treachery of his heart, and the remaining ftrength of his lufts; and obferving that, according to the fcriptures, they only who endure to the end are to be faved that the promises are to thofe only who overcome; may, at times, be ready to fay within himself, it is impoffible for me to fucceed: I fhall one day perifh by the hands of thefe enemies; as David, after numerous, great and fignal deliverances, faid in his heart, "I fhall perifh one day by the hand of Saul."

Alas! how much anxiety and diftrefs do Chriftians undergo and experience, for want of a conflant, Jively and firm faith in the all-fufficient power and grace of God, in his infinite wifdom and inviolable faithfulnefs, and in the inexhauftible merits of Jefus Chrift!

fkill and exertions. But hath the Chriftian, therefore, any reafon to defpair?-none at all. For the things which are impoffible with men, are poffible with God. And to the real Chriftian, these words of the Lord are applicable, My grace is fufficient for thee: for my ftrength is made perfect in weaknefs." Therefore, he may

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be able to do all things through Chrift who ftrengtheneth him. God's faithfulness is engaged, not to fuffer him to be tempted above that he is able. And he will never leave him, nor forfake him but will keep him by his power thro" faith to falvation.

True, perhaps, one and another may be ready to fay; was I a real Chriftian, thefe promifes wouldapply to me, and I might confidently expect their fulfilment. But, alas! this is not the cafe, though I once thought it was. For a number of years, I lived in the pleafing perfuafion, that I was a child of God, and an heir of heaven. Then, as I thought, I beheld the glory of God in the face of Jefus Christ, and loved him, and put my trust in him, and delighted in drawing nigh to him, and had at times, as I then fuppofed, fweet communion with him.

But now the feene is entirely changed. I have no clear or lively fenfe of the glory and amiablenefs of God. He rather appears to me as a being of awful majefty and terrible wrath, juftly incenfed againft me for my numerous fins, and ftupid hypocrify. For it now appears to me, that my former hopes and joys, and religious affections, were founded in selfishnefs, under the influence of a mif, aken perfuafion, that I was reconto God and in a state of fue

It is, indeed, impoffible with men, to keep the ftrait and narrow way, to overcome all tempta-ciled tions and oppofition, from within vor with him. and from without, by their own

If this had not been the cafe,

Hence,

it seems to me, that I fhould not
have lived as I did; and that God
would not have withdrawn and
forfaken me as he hath.
fuch a perfon may be ready to
think or fear his cafe is hopeless.
For if after all that he hath expe-
rienced, and profeffed, and done,
he is yet deftitute of the love and
grace of God;-if fomething be-
yond and effentially different from
all that he hath hitherto experi-
enced, is abfolutely neceffary to
his falvation; it may feem to him
as though it was now impoffible
that he should be faved.--

and fhow him what is in his heart, that he may do him good in his latter end. Or,

2. Admitting, that a perfon viewing himself in the light which has been stated, is really deftitute of the grace of God, and hath heretofore been pleafing himfelf with a falfe perfuafion of his reconciliation with God, and intereft in his favor; his cafe, upon this fuppofition, is indeed very dangerous and alarming; and without a special and very remark. able interpofition of the mighty power and infinite grace of God, he will perish forever. However, there is yet no abfolute impoffibil

able to change his heart and bring him out of darknefs into his mar vellous light, as he was to unde

down to deftruction under his former felf-flattering delufion. If he was before deceived, and his heart dead in fin, he was totally averfe to the light which hath undeceived him, and would not have given up his former ill-founded hope, if God had not been pleafed to take fuch meafures and to let fuch light into his mind, that he could no longer maintain it. And as God has thus removed one great obftacle to his faving recovery, it is very poffible that he may alfo fee fit to produce fuch a real change as will iffue in his falvation. Therefore, altho he has great reafon to fear, and ought to view and feel himself in an exceeding dangerous condition, he ought not to give himself up to defpair.

With respect to cafes of this kind, it may be observed, 1. It is poffible that a perfonity of his falvation. God is as viewing things much in the light how flated, may be a real Chriftian under the frowns and hidings of God's face, for his undutiful tem-ceive him, and prevent his going per and carriage. Perhaps he hath not taken proper care to maintain a due fenfe of his constant dependence on God, for all light, grace and comfort, but has been too confident of his own ftrength and fufficiency. He, probably, hath not kept his heart with fuch care and diligence as he ought to, but has given way to the workings of pride and vanity, to covetoufnefs, worldly-mindedness and the love of eafe. And in many refpects, he may have been not only negligent in performing the duties and cherishing the affections required of him; but likewife indulged to thofe carnal feelings and affections, which are contrary to real holinefs, and tend to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. -God, therefore, may have withdrawn or withholden from him thofe fenfible communications, which he used to grant, and left him in a degree to himself, to ftruggle, in a measure alone, a-, gainst his enemies, fin and Satan, to humble him, and to prove him,

And, as a conclufion, it may be proper to obferve, That altho' men ought not and have no reafon to defpair of falvation, merely on account of those difficulties in the way of it, which it is impoffible for them to remove, fince all

of Daniel.

things are poffible with God; obfervations. They will be illufyet, on the other hand, it is un- trated in this difcourfe, only by warrantable and dangerous to fet-giving a brief analysis of the book tle down in a confident perfuafion that they certainly fhall be faved, without good evidence that they are fuch as the fcriptures declare will be faved.

ASTHENES.

Analysis of the Book of Daniel.

This book is compofed of hif tory and prophecy. It appears that the prophet, and his three friends, connected with him in mutual affection and by important events, were defcended from a branch of the royal family of Da vid; that they were carried to Babylon in the captivity of Jehoiakim, or Jehoiachim, about fix hundred years before the Chrift. ian era, and eleven or twelve years before the general captivity of the Jews, and the burning of the temple by Nebuzar-Adan. The prophet muft then have been very young, for we find him living and

E are taught by an infpired writer of the NewTeftament, that the prophets of the ancient difpenfation teftified before hand, the fufferings of Chrift and the glory which fhould follow. This teftimony is divine, having been given by "the fpirit of Chrift which was in them." His Church, which he redeem-active fome years after the return ed by his blood, was to be con. of the Jews from Babylon, under formed to him in character, in fuf- the commiffion of Cyrus, which fering, and in the glory which was must have been seventy years from to follow. This is abundantly the beginning of the captivity. evident from ancient fcripture hif- He probably lived to be more tory of what was paft, and from than a hundred years old.-Long the general courfe of prophecy life was a token of divine favor, of what was future. under the ancient difpenfation, and was eminently fo in the cafe of this Daniel, and of Mordecai the Jew, whofe hiftory we have in the book of Efther. Thefe eminent fervants of God were both carried from Judea to Babylon, in the first captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, and both lived to fee its happy conclufion in the return of the Jews, after feventy years, and even a confiderable time afterwards. And were both eminently useful to fociety and the church of God, and triumphed over the mortal enemies of themfelves and the church, in a most honorable and happy old age.

The accomplishment of thefe divine predictions, while it is at tended with fuch heavy afflictions to the people of God; is alfo pregnant with confolation to them, in all their forrows, both as it is a full confirmation of the truth and divinity of the holy fcriptures, and as it ftrengthens and confirms their joyful hope of the glory which is to follow, even the final, complete victory and triumph of the Redeemer over all evil, and the bleffednefs and glory of the redeemed church.

A view of facred history and prophecy from the beginning to end of the facred canon, would would abundantly confirm thefe

1 Peter i. 11.

In attending to the book of Daniel, we find, in the first chapter, an account of the captivity in Babylon, of Daniel and his three

Hence,

it feems to me, that I should not
have lived as I did; and that God
would not have withdrawn and
forfaken me as he hath.
fuch a perfon may be ready to
think or fear his cafe is hopeless.
For if after all that he hath expe-
rienced, and profeffed, and done,
he is yet deftitute of the love and
grace of God;-if fomething be-
yond and effentially different from
all that he hath hitherto experi-
enced, is abfolutely neceffary to
his falvation; it may feem to him
as though it was now impoffible
that he fhould be faved.-
With refpect to cafes of this
kind, it may be observed,

and fhow him what is in his heart, that he may do him good in his latter end. Or,

2. Admitting, that a perfon viewing himself in the light which has been stated, is really deftitute of the grace of God, and hath heretofore been pleafing himfelf with a falfe perfuafion of his reconciliation with God, and intereft in his favor; his cafe, upon this fuppofition, is indeed very dangerous and alarming; and without a special and very remarkable interpofition of the mighty power and infinite grace of God, he will perish forever. However, there is yet no abfolute impoffibility of his falvation. God is as able to change his heart and bring him out of darkness into his mar vellous light, as he was to unde

down to deftruction under his former felf-flattering delufion. If he was before deceived, and his heart dead in fin, he was totally averfe to the light which hath undeceived him, and would not have given up his former ill-founded hope, if God had not been pleafed to take fuch measures and to let fuch light into his mind, that he could no longer maintain it. And as God has thus removed one great obftacle to his faving recovery, it is very poffible that he may alfo fee fit to produce fuch a real change as will iffue in his falvation. Therefore, altho’ he has great reafon to fear, and ought to view and feel himself in an exceeding dangerous condition, he ought not to give himself up to defpair.

1. It is poffible that a perfon viewing things much in the light now flated, may be a real Chriftian under the frowns and hidings of God's face, for his undutiful tem-ceive him, and prevent his going per and carriage. Perhaps he hath not taken proper care to maintain a due fenfe of his conftant dependence on God, for all light, grace and comfort, but has been too confident of his own ftrength and fufficiency. He, probably, hath not kept his heart with fuch care and diligence as he ought to, but has given way to the workings of pride and vanity, to covetoufnefs, worldly-mindedness and the love of eafe. And in many respects, he may have been not only negligent in performing the duties and cherishing the affections required of him; but likewife indulged to thofe carnal feelings and affections, which are contrary to real holinefs, and tend to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. -God, therefore, may have withdrawn or withholden from him thofe fenfible communications, which he used to grant, and left him in a degree to himfelf, to ftruggle, in a measure alone, a-, gainst his enemies, fin and Satan, to humble him, and to prove him,

And, as a conclufion, it may be proper to obferve, That altho men ought not and have no reafon to defpair of falvation, merely on account of thofe difficulties in the way of it, which it is impoffible for them to remove, fince all

praife and extol and honor the king of heaven, all whofe works are truth and his ways judgment, and those who walk in pride he is able to abafe."

The fifth chapter relates the impious feaft of Belshazzar, in whom the Babylonish monarchy ceafed, and from whom it was transferred to the Medes and Perfians.

In the midft of his impious revelry, while he was drinking wine in the confecrated vessels, taken from the temple of God, in Jerufalem, and while he blafphemed his holy name, and praised the idols of Babylon, the miraculous hand-writing on the wall, interpreted by Daniel, reproved his madness and impiety, and predicted the fall of his empire and its transferrence to the Medes and Perfians. All which was accomplifhed in a wonderful manner, and the king flain, on that very night, exactly according to divine prophecy, uttered ages before, by the prophet Ifaiah.* This pared the way for the accomplishment of the divine, gracious predictions of Ifrael's redemption from the Babylonifh captivity, by Cyrus; which event, with various attending circumftances, was foretold by the prophet Ifaiah, together with the fall of that monarchy, and fucceffion of Cyrus to the dominion.

pre

The very exact fulfilment of this gracious prediction may be learned from the proclamation of Cyrus for the return of the Jews, and their actual return, at the end of their twenty years captivity, recorded in the book of Ezra.

The fixth chapter contains an account of the wonderful providence of God in favor of Daniel,

See Ifaiah, 44th chapter.

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in his prefervation, his exaltation, and being rendered the inftrument of much good to the church of God.

In this chapter is the account of the combination of the great men about the king for his deftruction, and, the cruel and idolatrous decree which they furreptitiously obtained against him, for his faith and courageous adherence to the worship of the true God only.

Here alfo is the account of the divine appearance for his prefervation in the den of Lions, and of the interpofition of God for his miraculous deliverance. This chapter alfo relates the conviction wrought in the mind of the king by this wonderful event in favor of the God of Daniel, and his correfponding proclamation through his vaft empire.

"Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations and languages that dwell in all the earth, peace be multiplied unto you.

"I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom, men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and ftedfaft forever, and his kingdom that which shall not be deftroyed, and his dominion shall be unto the end."

"He delivereth and refcueth, and he worketh figns and wonders in heaven and in earth. Who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the Lions."

In the contemplation of thefe wonderful works of God for his church, we are strongly impelled to reflect, how much more extenfively, the knowledge of the true God was diffufed through the Babylonish and Perfian empires, in confequence if the captivity of his people, than would probably have been the cafe, if they had remain

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