ble creatures; but placable, however, and ready to receive the returning finner with compaffion and loving kindness.

But it is the glorious light of the gofpel (which is but another word for glad tidings) that displays the mercies of God in their fullest extent. This it is that difpels every cloud from the mind of man, that admits of no doubt or diffidence, no melancholy or apprehenfion; but freely gives the promise, not of pardon only, but of eternal life and happinefs, to each faithful penitent. And all this under the fanction of a covenant inviolable, fealed in the blood of the Son of God. What an inexhauftible fund of folid joy, where the heart is capable of receiving it! A joy exerting itself in conscious thankfulness and de vout praise; such as becomes the redeemed of the Lord; tempered with reverence, and qualified with fear. Which brings

us

us in the last place to the propriety of blending these feemingly oppofite affections in our Chriftian worship, agreeably to the precept of the good Pfalmist, "Serve the Lord in fear, and rejoice unto Him with reverence."

2. For as a pious awe of God's majesty is highly neceffary to check the spirit of man from breaking out into petulance and prefumption; fo is a joyful confidence in his mercy no lefs requifite to preferve it from fervility and despair. Both happily concur to form a right dif pofition of foul, toward that greatest and best of Beings with whom we have to do.

There is in fact, if we take a fair eftimate of our condition, no article of the Christian system, which does not call at once for the folemn rejoicing and penitential dread of every believer.

That

That God fent his only begotten Son into the world to redeem loft mankind by his meritorious fufferings and death, is doubtless, what the Angel termed it, tidings of great joy to all people: But how humiliating the reflection, that fuch was the malignity of our fins, as to require fo invaluable an expiation !— On the one hand, the exceeding precious promises of the gofpel are enough to cheer and animate every true believer under the feverest trials: On the other hand, who can listen to it's terrors against hypocrites and apoftates without trem→ bling?-Faith and virtue are grounds of afsurance; irresolution and frailty of perpetual diftruft.-That the grace of God is fufficient for us is a most comfortable thought; that the affaults of the Devil are violent and unwearied, is an alarming confideration. Thus in every instance the spirit of true Religion, if properly attended to, very aptly and reasonably

reasonably prescribes à just temperament of filial dread and reverential joy. And this it certainly behoves us with all poffible care to maintain and cultivate. For unless our fear be qualified with the piety of fons, we shall be subject to all the horrors of superstition; and unless our joy be moderated by a consciousness of our dependance as fallen creatures, we shall lie open to spiritual pride and vanity.

After all-The devout frame of mind, fo precifely tempered as the Pfalmift recommends, is perhaps hardly attainable on this fide the grave: Nor let any good perfon be difcouraged at it. Our very conceptions of the Deity are at present fo imperfect; we are encompaffed with fo many infirmities, obnoxious to fuch variety of error, that it is to be prefumed the piety of our fear will, at certain gloomy intervals, be corrupted with a fervile mixture, a mixture of diffidence.

and

and diftruft. The fervor of our devout joy too will be apt sometimes to tranfport us into a forgetfulness of God and of ourselves; a forgetfulness that He is in Heaven, and we upon Earth; He, inconceivably glorious and holy; we, vile and miferable finners.

Be it however the subject of our daily addreffes to Almighty God, that He would be graciously pleased to inspire into our hearts fuch a love and dread of his Holy Name, as may render our religious worship acceptable in his fight, and ourselves meet to be partakers of that blissful state; where all our paffions shall be fubdued, and all our affections harmonized; for the fake of Jesus Christ his only Son our Saviour.

To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be afcribed all honour and thanksgiving, dominion and obedience, now and for ever.